Chapter 282 : The Last of His Generation

"Several matters have become entangled, bringing both fortune and misfortune."

Old Patriarch shook his head and spoke with a sigh.

Eldrin Chen raised an eyebrow, picked up his teacup, and took a small sip.

"Tell me about them."

"Your granduncle Starry River Meng, he passed away some time ago."

As he spoke, Old Patriarch's face clouded with pain. Over two hundred years had rushed by, and the cultivators of his generation were nearly all gone.

Eldrin Chen's fingers trembled slightly before he set the teacup down.

The next Beast Tide [a periodic, massive assault by demonic beasts] would arrive within seven or eight years. Eternal Profound Chen was now over two hundred and forty years old, and Starry River Meng had been several years his senior, having already passed two hundred and fifty.

The reason Starry River Meng had lived until now was that he had consumed three Spirit Apricot [a rare fruit that can extend a cultivator's lifespan]. One of them, a third-rank Spirit Apricot, had been specially sent to him by Eldrin Chen.

In total, the three Spirit Apricot had granted Starry River Meng fifty additional years of life, allowing him to hold on until just recently before his passing. Official source: audio—novel.com. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

After the passing of Starry River Meng, all the friends from the Old Patriarch's youth had withered away, leaving no peers of his generation among the cultivators.

Even the friends he made after reaching the Violet Sanctum [the third major realm of cultivation, where one opens their spiritual sea], such as Xavier Xu, a Pseudo-Core Realm Cultivator [a cultivator at the peak of the Violet Sanctum realm, preparing to form their Golden Core], would have a lifespan of barely over one Sixty-Year Cycle [a complete cycle of sixty years] remaining, unless they broke through to the Golden Core Realm [the fourth major realm, where one condenses their spiritual energy into a solid, golden core] or consumed a Life-Extending Treasure [a rare treasure or elixir that can prolong a cultivator's natural lifespan].

Eternal Profound Chen's expression trembled slightly, tinged with a touch of desolation as he spoke, "Before his death, my cousin Starry River's final wish was to nurture a Violet Sanctum Cultivator for the clan."

"That Star Grace Meng brought a sum of Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation] and purchased a Solar Fire Crystal [a rare crystal imbued with the essence of solar flame, used for cultivation and forging] from her for sixty thousand stones."

The Old Patriarch stated calmly. Buying a Solar Fire Crystal for sixty thousand Spirit Stone was essentially the rock-bottom price for such an item.

Typically, a Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan [a clan whose patriarch has reached at least the Foundation Establishment realm, the second major cultivation stage] wishing to purchase this item would need to pay a premium, reaching eighty to one hundred thousand stones to acquire one.

The Old Patriarch continued, his tone still even, "This price represents a personal favor on my part. I will contribute thirty thousand Spirit Stone to cover the shortfall."

Eldrin Chen gave a faint nod, then smiled. "Our granduncle, watching from the heavens, would surely find solace in this."

"Alas, it is the only thing I can do for him now."

The Old Patriarch sighed, gathering his scattered sorrows back within himself.

He seemed to recall something else, then said with a smile, "There is another piece of joyous news. You will be most pleased when you hear it."

"Oh?"

Eldrin Chen showed a flicker of surprise. It seemed genuine good fortune was indeed on its way.

Observing his expression, Old Patriarch chuckled, stroking his beard, and called out to a clansman outside the great hall.

"Go and fetch Thinking Courtyard Chen."

"As you command."

A clan cultivator acknowledged the order and hurried away.

A short while later, the man returned, leading a child of six or seven years.

With a single glance at the boy, Eldrin Chen let out a soft, astonished sound. He immediately activated his Jade Spirit Eye [a mystical art that reveals the spiritual nature of things] to inspect the child, and a look of delight spread across his face.

"A Thunder Spiritual Root [a rare innate affinity for lightning and thunder energies]?"

A look of pleasant surprise crossed Eldrin Chen's face. No wonder Old Patriarch had said he would be delighted.

Cultivators with a Variant Spiritual Root possess truly Extraordinary talent. When attempting a Golden Core breakthrough, it can increase their chances of success by a full twenty percent.

One could say such prodigies are born Golden Core seeds. While ordinary Violet Sanctum cultivators have only a slim hope of reaching the Golden Core realm, these individuals often possess a thirty to forty percent chance of success.

Old Patriarch smiled kindly and motioned for Thinking Courtyard Chen to approach.

"Siting, this is your granduncle, Uncle Eldrin. Come and pay your respects."

Thinking Courtyard Chen was bewildered. His tender, childish face paled slightly as he looked at the two Patriarchs with a touch of trepidation. For the best reading experience, visit audi0-n0vel.c0m.

He looked up and saw the two Patriarchs sitting there calmly, yet they seemed like two towering mountains, their presence as vast and majestic as the sun, their aura transcendent like that of Immortals.

One was clad in robes white as snow, his figure handsome and upright, like a banished immortal descended to the mortal dust. The other also appeared youthful; his aura, though restrained, held a dormant power akin to a vast, silent ocean.

They didn't look like a granduncle and the clan Patriarch; they seemed even younger than his own parents.

Fortunately, he remembered his parents' and elders' repeated admonitions before he came: he must be exceedingly respectful to the Patriarch and obey him completely.

With this thought, he promptly prostrated himself on the ground and spoke respectfully, "Siting pays his respects to the Patriarch and to Granduncle."

"A fine child."

The Old Patriarch laughed heartily, patted his head, and bade him rise.

Then, turning his head, he said to Eldrin Chen, "This is six years old this year and was recently discovered to possess a Thunder Spiritual Root [a rare spiritual root affinity for the element of thunder]. I intend to keep him by my side to oversee his upbringing."

"Hmm."

Eldrin Chen smiled and nodded, then took out several treasures and presented them to as a meeting gift.

Gaining another Thunder Spiritual Root meant nurturing another potential Golden Core [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a solidified golden core of spiritual power] seed for the future, a prospect that brought him considerable joy.

Over the past one hundred and thirty years, the clan's mortal population had swelled from less than two hundred thousand to over five million, and the number of cultivators had reached five or six thousand. Yet, this was the very first Variant Spiritual Root [a spiritual root affinity for an element beyond the standard five, such as thunder, ice, or wind] to appear.

Carrying this newfound delight, the mood of the two men lightened considerably.

After staying in Pingyang City for half a day, Eldrin Chen recalled the matter concerning Verdant Mist Yu and decided to travel by flying sword to Spirit Source Mountain Market.

Before his departure, Old Patriarch called out to him, reminding him, "There is one more matter I forgot to mention."

"A new Demon King has recently emerged in the Heavenly Python Lake region. It is that Black Horned Python. You must be cautious in the future."

"A new Demon King?"

Eldrin Chen's eyes narrowed slightly. With the Beast Tide approaching, it was no surprise that a Demon King had arisen from Heavenly Python Lake, just as anticipated.

What troubled him was that this Demon King was none other than the former Black Horned Python. That creature had clashed with Eldrin Chen twice before, forging a deep enmity between them. It seemed another confrontation was inevitable in the days to come.

Noticing his expression, the Old Patriarch nodded gravely and said, "That Black Horned Python received cultivation resources from Azure Wave Lake. Its bloodline has now regressed to its ancestral form, transforming into a Black Flood Dragon. It has broken through to the Golden Core Realm."

"A Black Flood Dragon..."

Eldrin Chen's expression turned deeply serious. Creatures of the flood dragon lineage possessed formidable innate power, their potential rivaling that of a Human Race cultivator with a Superior-Tier Golden Core. Such beings could challenge opponents two minor realms above their own.

That former Black Horned Python was now a true flood dragon, a creature of prodigious talent. Even at the first tier of the Golden Core Realm, it would likely be a match for a cultivator at the third tier.

The gap between the Golden Core 3rd Tier and the Golden Core 1st Tier was vast. While three Pseudo-Core Realm Cultivators joining forces could contend with a first-tier Golden Core cultivator, it would take at least five such Pseudo-Core Realm Cultivators to have a chance against a third-tier opponent.

Even though he now possessed three fourth-rank Immortal Sword magical treasures [enchanted artifacts used by cultivators], facing such an opponent would still prove troublesome. In a one-on-one duel, he would likely only be able to flee for his life.

"It seems I must find a way to also refine the Heavenly River Positive Water Sword [a divine sword technique] to the fourth rank," he mused.

As this thought flickered through his mind, Eldrin Chen knew the Celestial Abyss Twin Swords [a pair of legendary swords] could only merge into one when they were of the same grade. If one was stronger than the other, the imbalance in their Polarity [the fundamental opposing forces of yin and yang] would cause the fusion to fail.

Without the ability to perform the Sky-Severance Sword Union [his ultimate sword fusion technique], he had lost his greatest trump card. To survive the impending Beast Tide [a massive invasion of demonic beasts], he needed to devise another strategy.

Pushing these concerns aside for the moment, Eldrin Chen bid farewell to the Old Patriarch and merged with his sword, transforming into a streak of light that shot towards Ling County.

A fourth-rank, lower-grade Immortal Sword possessed speed that could chase the stars and outrun the sun, capable of traversing two hundred thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] in a single day. Although Spirit Source Mountain was over a hundred thousand Li-length from Pingyang City, such a distance was trivial at Eldrin Chen's current velocity.

In merely half a day's time, Eldrin Chen arrived at Spirit Source Mountain. His sword-light descended, alighting upon the mountain's Spiritual Vein [a subterranean conduit of concentrated spiritual energy]. This novel is serialized on audio–novel.com. Visit for updates.