Chapter 317 : The Ascendant Spirit Peach

When Xavier Xu returned the Crimson Sun Void-Immolating Crucible, the Old Patriarch came to Spirit Isle Lake to find Eldrin Chen.

Finding Eldrin Chen, he could not contain his excitement and said, "Now that we have gained two more Golden Core cultivators, what do you think about making a move against Earth Lion Ridge?"

"Let us not be hasty."

At this moment, Eldrin Chen shook his head. In another sixteen or seventeen years, he would be ready to attempt a breakthrough into the Golden Core Realm.

Lyra Jiang would also break through to the Golden Core, Mid Stage within ten years. By then, the strength of the Heaven's Ruin Alliance would be greatly increased, presenting the optimal moment to deal with Earth Lion Ridge.

Moreover, and most crucially, this timeline might even be shortened.

Thoughts flickered through Eldrin Chen's mind as his gaze settled upon the Spirit Peach Tree before him.

He had nurtured this Spirit Peach Tree with Primordial Essence at the age of fifteen. In the blink of an eye, one hundred and sixty years had passed, and now the Spirit Peach Tree was undergoing another profound metamorphosis, ascending to the level of Fourth Rank Low Grade.

Following this ascension, the Spirit Peach Tree would enter a new cycle: ten years to blossom, ten years to bear fruit, and another ten years for the fruit to ripen.

Henceforth, the Spirit Peach would mature once every thirty years, yielding nine Fourth Rank Spirit Peach fruits with each harvest. Your portal to cultivation novels: site: audio-novel.com.

A Fourth Rank Spirit Peach can be considered the fully matured form of a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root, and may be called a 'Heaven and Earth Spirit Peach'.

As for its effects, Eldrin Chen [the protagonist, a cultivator from the Chen Clan], after observing and deducing with his current cultivation level, has roughly understood its properties.

In the future, a Heaven and Earth Spirit Peach will require ten years to refine and absorb. Consuming one can increase one's cultivation by thirty years' worth of progress. For a Golden Core Cultivator [a cultivator who has formed a Golden Core, a highly condensed spiritual essence], this is an exceedingly rare treasure.

Furthermore, this Heaven and Earth Spirit Peach contains Creation Qi [a primordial energy associated with the act of creation itself]. Consuming it not only advances cultivation but also nourishes and refines the cultivator's Golden Core.

Its Creation Power [the power to create or fundamentally alter] is slightly inferior to that of the Fire Spirit Fruit Tree on Green Sun Mountain, but in terms of pure cultivation speed enhancement, it surpasses it significantly.

For most cultivators, raw cultivation progress is slightly more important. From this perspective, the Spirit Peach Tree's value slightly exceeds that of the Fire Spirit Fruit Tree, and its potential is truly astonishing.

"This Spirit Peach..."

Only then did the Old Patriarch [the venerable leader of the Chen Clan] notice the anomaly. He gazed at the nine Spirit Peachs upon the Spirit Peach Tree, and his pupils could not help but contract sharply.

He examined them carefully several times over, and also sensed the Spirit Vein [a subterranean channel of concentrated spiritual energy] within Spirit Isle Lake surging with vitality, faintly giving the impression it was on the verge of advancing in rank.

"It seems the Spirit Vein beneath Spirit Isle Lake is about to ascend in grade."

"Hmm."

Eldrin Chen gave a firm nod. The Spirit Peach was nearing ripeness, and upon its maturation, the Spirit Vein of Spirit Isle Lake would ascend to the Fourth Rank.

With the presence of the Heaven and Earth Spirit Peach, Eldrin Chen was confident he could break through to the Golden Core Realm within a decade. Once that happened, his power would undoubtedly increase by leaps and bounds.

Hearing his definitive answer, the Old Patriarch could not help but nod with visible excitement.

A mix of joy and concern colored his expression as he spoke, "In recent years, we have been purchasing large quantities of Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] for your Fourth Rank Lifebound Magical Treasure advancement. Yet, time still feels far too rushed."

"It seems I must arrange for the clan's cultivators to gather the Five Elements Essence for you with all haste."

"Is the Five Elements Essence insufficient?"

Eldrin Chen's brow furrowed. Advancing a single Magical Treasure [an enchanted artifact used by cultivators] to the Fourth Rank Middle Grade required Five Elements Essence worth five hundred thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation].

For all five of his treasures, the total would be a staggering two million five hundred thousand Spirit Stone. Although the clan managed to save tens of thousands of Spirit Stone annually in recent years, their expenditures were also substantial.

The continuous advancement of his five Life-Bound Magical Treasure [a magical treasure bound to a cultivator's life force] had consumed immense resources. Coupled with the crafting of several Teleportation Array Disk in recent years, even the well-stocked Clan Treasury would struggle to produce such a sum all at once.

Moreover, even with such a vast quantity of Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy], the production of Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] across the four provinces under the Heaven's Ruin Alliance would be utterly insufficient to support the simultaneous advancement of all five of his Lifebound Magical Treasure [a cultivator's personally bound enchanted artifact].

If he adhered to the original plan and waited around twenty years, he might gather enough for one or two treasures. However, with only a decade remaining, the resources of the four provinces were likely inadequate.

Pondering this, Eldrin Chen fell into contemplation before speaking. "Very well," he said. "We can sell ten of the Third Rank Longevity Spirit Apricot [a third-rank spirit fruit that extends lifespan] stored in the Clan Treasury. That should raise one million Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy]."

"Then, we will procure Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] from across the entire Chu Kingdom. Regardless of the cost, we must gather the Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] required for the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss and the Heavenly River Flood Water Sword within ten years."

"Understood," Old Patriarch nodded, fully grasping the paramount importance of these two Fourth Rank Middle Grade immortal swords. "I will personally oversee this matter."

The Old Patriarch departed with swift purpose, while Eldrin Chen remained at Spirit Isle Lake to continue his cultivation. Read, share, and discuss at audio novel.com.

In the blink of an eye, five months flowed by.

On this day, the Spirit Peach [a peach imbued with spiritual energy] finally ripened, and the Spirit Vein [a natural conduit of concentrated spiritual energy] beneath Spirit Isle Lake ascended to the Fourth Rank.

Lyra Jiang arrived at Spirit Isle Lake. Together, they deployed the Formation Plate [the core disk that anchors a formation's power] for the Teleportation Formation [a magical array for instantaneous travel over vast distances], linking the Teleportation Formation [a magical array for instantaneous travel over vast distances] of Spirit Isle Lake with those of Green Sun Mountain and Heaven's Ruin Lake.

Once the Formation [a structured arrangement of magical energy for a specific purpose] was complete, Lyra Jiang took his hand, her eyes shining with joy. "With Spirit Isle Lake now a Fourth Rank site and equipped with the Teleportation Array Disk, we can finally reside together permanently from now on."

"Mm-hmm."

Eldrin Chen also felt a surge of excitement. Spirit Isle Lake was a place of breathtaking and majestic beauty, free from the constant strife and turmoil of Green Sun Mountain and Heaven's Ruin Lake. It was an ideal sanctuary for secluded cultivation.

Moreover, the prospect of spending his days and nights with Lyra Jiang, cultivating together, discussing the Dao, watching the sunset in their leisure, playing the zither amidst the flowers, and dancing—this was the life he had yearned for over many years.

After plucking the nine Spirit Peach, Eldrin Chen took six of them and handed them to Lyra Jiang, saying calmly, "These Spirit Peach ripen once every thirty years. With these from now on, neither of us will need to worry about our cultivation resources for the Golden Core Realm."

As he spoke, a gentle smile touched his eyes. For years, he had been the one receiving Lyra Jiang's care and support. Now, the time had finally come for him to repay her kindness.

Lyra Jiang only took three, pushing the other three back towards him.

She shook her head and said calmly, "This treasure is far too precious. You have many clansmen; it's better to keep more for them."

Eldrin Chen gave a soft smile but still offered them to her. "If my Old Granduncle were to break through to the Golden Core Realm, then he would indeed need this."

"But for now, his cultivation has stalled, and he has no immediate need for it. Please keep them, as a gift from me to Elara."

Lyra Jiang nodded and finally accepted all six Spirit Peach.

The relationship between the Chen Clan grandfather and grandson and their master-disciple pair was different. Elara Lin had been nurtured and supported by her master's own hand to reach her current standing. As an Anomalous Spiritual Root, she could not inherit her master's complete legacy and mantle; she could only be considered a Personal Disciple rather than a true inheritor of the Dao lineage.

As for the dozen or so other disciples of Lyra Jiang, they were merely nominal disciples. Their talent and perseverance were not particularly remarkable, and most never even broke through to the Purple Mansion realm, having already passed away on their cultivation paths.

Eldrin Chen, however, had been sheltered through his most vulnerable period by the Old Patriarch. The two had supported each other all the way to this day; saying they were as close as father and son was no exaggeration. Filial piety is the foremost of all virtues, so Eldrin Chen's feelings towards the Old Patriarch were naturally exceptionally profound.

Contemplating this, she paused thoughtfully before speaking. "Coincidentally, cultivation resources suited for an Ice Spiritual Root are scarce in the Eastern Wastelands. Henceforth, we could use the spiritual fruits from the Fire Spirit Fruit Tree to exchange for some resources for the Old Granduncle."

"This way, the Old Granduncle's Golden Core could be enriched somewhat, while Elara, by receiving the Spirit Peach, could also accelerate her cultivation progress."

Eldrin Chen gave an acknowledging nod. Although the Spirit Peach Tree could enhance cultivation base, the Creation Power [the fundamental energy of genesis and transformation] contained within its fruits was inferior to that of the Fire Spirit Fruit Tree.

The Creation Power within the Fire Spirit Fruit Tree possessed the wondrous effect of nourishing a Golden Core. Moreover, it was highly compatible with the Old Patriarch's Spiritual Root [the innate conduit determining one's affinity for absorbing spiritual energy] and his mana. This chapter appears courtesy of audio-novel . com.