Chapter 303. Fourth-Rank Profound Water Azure Lotus Throne (Magic Treasure)

I recall during the last beast tide, Lyra also refined 20-1 batches of Foundation Establishment Pill. Back then, without the aid of fourth-grade earthfire, it took approximately 5 days to complete a single batch.

Back then, 105 Foundation Establishment Pills (Spiritual Object) were successfully refined. This time, the yield was even greater, primarily because Purple Pith Fruits were used as the main ingredient in 5 cauldrons of the Foundation Establishment Pills (Spiritual Object).

After all, the quality of demon beast cores varied greatly. The cores from early and middle-stage Violet Mansion demon beasts contained far less Creation Power compared to the Purple Marrow Fruit.

Lost in his thoughts, Chen Qingwan (Person Name) gave a faint smile. "Your pill success rate is already among the highest for third-rank alchemists."

"In my opinion, once you break through to the Golden Core stage, you'll be able to advance to a Tier-4 Alchemist."

Eldrin shook his head with a faint smile, offering no answer to the question.

After successfully refining 20-1 batches of Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object), he reflected on the experience and felt his alchemy skills had improved. Thus, he began crafting lower to mid-tier Grade-3 elixirs.

After refining several batches of Purple Aura Pill (Spiritual Object) and Spirit-Nourishing Pills, he found he could maintain an 80% success rate for Purple Aura Pill (Spiritual Object) refinement, while achieving approximately 60% for the Spirit-Nourishing Pills.

This level was truly astonishing. Achieving a 60 percent success rate in refining mid-grade Tier-3 pills indicated he genuinely possessed the foundation to challenge the rank of Tier-4 Alchemist.

After completing these batches of pills, Eldrin no longer needed to handle the remaining second-tier elixirs himself. Instead, he sought out Lyra and began assisting her in alchemy.

At this moment, Lyra was preparing to refine the Dharma Essence Pill, so Eldrin stepped forward to assist her with the alchemy process.

Seeing Eldrin arrive, Lyra said with a smile, "Just 2 more batches of Dharma Essence Pill to refine. With your assistance, this will be much easier for me."

The 2 spent the better part of a month refining 2 cauldrons of Dharma Essence Pill (Spiritual Object), successfully producing a total of 17 pills.

Eldrin gazed at the freshly refined Dharma Essence Pill and couldn't help but chuckle. "Do save a few of these Dharma Essence Pills for me. Several of my Purple Mansion uncles and cousins in the clan have yet to partake in them. Consuming just 1 could spare them decades of cultivation."

"Hmm."

Lyra nodded. Such high-grade elixirs were essentially non-trade items.

She gave 7 to Eldrin and kept 5 for her own reserves, while the remaining 5 were to be allocated to the Celestial Ruins Alliance as benefits—sold at a low price to its Violet Manor members with significant merits.

After successfully refining the elixir, Eldrin accompanied Lyra to rest for several days at Qingyang Mountain.

After just a few days had been tried, a streak of flowing light flew over from the distance, delivering a message into both of their hands.

Eldrin glanced over and couldn't help shaking his head. "It seems the demon beast uprising between the Qi Kingdom and West Spirit Lake will drag on for 3 full years."

"Mm." Lyra gave a slight nod, her brow furrowing faintly as she said, "Fortunately, both sides appear to be exercising restraint for now. This conflict likely won't involve Nascent Soul True Monarchs, though we'll probably see some casualties among the Golden Core cultivators."

Eldrin gazed calmly at the distant land, his heart heavy with contemplation.

Excluding the conflicts in Chu Kingdom, the turbulent undercurrents of the beast uprising had already claimed the lives of 5 Golden Core Elders from Jizhou, while 7 Golden Core Demon Kings had also fallen among the monstrous beasts.

This was no small number. Both Golden Core cultivators and demon kings were high-level practitioners, with lifespans generally exceeding 1 1000 years. The fall of any single 1 was no trivial matter for the 6 Kingdoms of Ji Province.

Throughout the entire 6 nations of Ji Province, aside from the Ji Immortal Clan, there were merely 40-some Golden Core cultivators in total.

Even at the peak of its power 3 100 years ago, on the eve of the Abyssal Cataclysm, the Ji Province had barely over a 100 Golden Core cultivators, excluding the Ji celestial clan.

Each beast tide lasts at most 3 years. If this were to continue for the full 3 years, who knows how many more Demon Kings and True Lords would fall in battle on both sides.

"Do not worry."

"This matter has nothing to do with us for now."

Lyra (Person Name) noticed his solemn expression and took his hand, saying.

Eldrin nodded slightly. The Chu Kingdom was currently still recuperating and building up its strength. Unless absolutely necessary, the Ji Clan would not make the firm decision to summon them into action.

In truth, the ensuing battles proved somewhat more subdued than they had anticipated.

After over a dozen Demon Kings and True Masters fell in succession, the Golden Core Patriarchs and Demon Kings came to recognize their opponents as tough nuts to crack.

Since True Monarch Ji and the Demon Emperor had no intention of breaching the covenant, the Golden Core cultivators and Demon Kings beneath them naturally had no desire to risk annihilation in a fight to the death against their opponents.

The Golden Core Ancestors of the human race still harbored thoughts of defending the Spirit Mountain, yet the war fervor of the demon race's Beast Kings had diminished by more than half.

Thus, the subsequent assaults by the demon race never employed their full strength. Though repeatedly repelled by the human race, they suffered no significant casualties and never threatened those crucial spiritual mountains and ley lines.

This was naturally insufficient to compel a Nascent Soul True Lord to act, let alone force out the reclusive head of the Ji Clan from seclusion.

Although the Beast Tide had not yet fully subsided, the chaos in the Chu Kingdom had been quelled, granting him over 2 years to refine his magical power.

During this period, Eldrin integrated the Water Element Treasure Pearl into the Mistwater Azure Lotus Platform, beginning the meticulous refinement of his natal magic treasure.

Now, of his 5 life-bound magic treasures, only the Magnetic Light Mirror and the Water Lotus Throne remained unascended to the fourth rank.

As the Water Element Treasure Pearl (Spiritual Object) merged into it, the material quality of this treasure was enhanced by more than double, whereupon Eldrin (Person Name) began to intensively channel and refine the essence of the 5 Elements.

Refining a fourth-tier magic treasure was no easy feat, especially when it came to the relatively fragile Mistwater Azure Lotus Platform. Eldrin spent over a year before finally elevating this treasure to the fourth tier.

As the Ren Shui Qing Lian Tai successfully advanced on this day, tribulation clouds churned across the heavens, heralding the brewing of a Treasure Lightning Tribulation.

Watching the Water-Attributed Azure Lotus Platform soar into the sky, Eldrin’s expression remained remarkably composed.

After merging with the Water Element Treasure Pearl (Spiritual Object), the Ren Water Azure Lotus Platform had significantly improved in both material quality and defensive capabilities. The aqueous barrier it unfurled now possessed remarkable resistance against heavenly tribulation.

Just as Eldrin had anticipated, though the heavenly tribulation raged with rolling thunder, the first 2 divine lightning strikes failed to breach the defensive light barrier.

The final lightning tribulation, though it shattered the luminous barrier, had its power diminished by 70 to 80 percent. The remaining force only severely damaged the Ningshui Azure Lotus Throne without destroying it completely.

As the tribulation thunder liquid descended, the Ningshui Qinglian Platform's spiritual radiance was restored, bursting forth with an extraordinary azure brilliance before flying into the space between his eyebrows.

“Fourth-Rank Profound Water Azure Lotus Throne (Magic Treasure)。”

A flicker of delight crossed Eldrin's face. After the advancement of the Nensui Seiren-dai (Magic Treasure), it could now store 3 times the spiritual power, sufficient to increase his mana by over double.

Lyra also felt happy for him and couldn't help saying with a smile, "With this treasure in hand, your chances of breaking through to the Gold Realm are as sure as sunrise."

"Alas, my spiritual power is insufficient. It will take me another 30 years to complete this cultivation cycle."

Eldrin felt a flicker of joy, yet an urgency to break through to the Golden Core realm simmered within his heart.

Yet now, with 5 Life-Bound Magical Treasures in his possession, the drain on his magic power was immense.

Moreover, after consuming the Purple Palace, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm), his meridians could accommodate even more spiritual power. Even with a third-grade spirit peach in his possession, it would still take him over 20 years to break through a single layer of cultivation.

Fortunately, he had obtained a few Spirit Clam Pearls from the Celestial Python Lake (Location), which accelerated his absorption of spiritual energy. However, having only recently broken through to the 8th level of the Purple Mansion, it would still take him 30 more years to reach the Great Perfection of the Purple Mansion and attempt the Golden Core breakthrough.

Chapter 1 The biting cold wind howled through the mountain pass, carrying with it the scent of frost and decay. Li Ming, his robes tattered and stained with blood, leaned heavily against the cold, damp stone of the cliff face. His spiritual power was nearly depleted, a flickering candle in a vast, dark cavern. 'Just a little further,' he whispered to himself, the words a mere breath against the gale. 'The Hidden Abyss Valley must be close.' He had been fleeing for 3 days and 3 nights, ever since the ambush by the disciples of the Profound Frost Sect. They coveted the ancient jade slip he had fortuitously obtained within the ruins of the Fallen Star Secret Realm—a legacy rumored to contain the complete cultivation method of the long-lost Heavenly Azure Art. His dantian ached with a hollow emptiness. Reaching into his mustard seed pouch, his fingers brushed against the last few remaining objects. Only 17 Low-Grade Spirit Stones and a single, precious Foundation Establishment Pill remained. He had consumed nearly all of his stock of over a 100 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones during his desperate flight. '30-2 1000 spirit stones... gone, just like that,' he thought bitterly, recalling the life savings he had spent to acquire the map leading to the secret realm. It felt like a lifetime ago. He forced his weary body to move, each step a monumental effort. The memories of the past few days flashed before his eyes—the gleaming edge of Elder Wang's Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss, the mocking laughter of his pursuers, the heart-stopping moment he had activated a priceless, 1-time Teleportation Talisman to escape certain death. For thousands of years, the cultivation world had operated on this simple, brutal principle: the strong preyed on the weak. He, Li Ming, a mere Qi Condensation stage cultivator without any backing, was the epitome of weakness. Suddenly, a faint, ethereal glow caught his eye from a crevice ahead. Cautiously, he approached, his senses stretched to their limit. There, nestled amidst the moss and shadow, was a small, unadorned cave entrance, from which a pure and dense spiritual energy emanated. Could this be... his chance? He remembered the words of the ragged scripture he had found as an orphan: "Heaven's Chosen are not born; they are forged in the crucible of countless trials." Taking a deep breath, he clenched his remaining spirit stones in his palm and stepped into the darkness. 1 100 years had passed since he first embarked on the path of cultivation. Perhaps, just perhaps, his trial was finally over, and his forging was about to begin.