Chapter 313 : Forging the Heavenly Treasure Ships

Just a single Heavenly Ruins Prefecture [a vast and perilous frontier region], its territory was even larger than the combined lands of the three provinces, and the Spirit Herb [plants imbued with spiritual energy] veins and demonic beasts it nurtured were all precious resources.

The three provinces needed the resources of the Heavenly Ruins Prefecture, while the Heavenly Ruins Prefecture needed the cultivators from the three provinces; it could be said they were mutually dependent.

However, this territory was simply too vast, and the distance between them was too great, with a single round trip often requiring five or six years of arduous travel.

For Vital Essence Refinement [the foundational stage of cultivation] cultivators whose lifespans barely exceeded a century, this journey was far too lengthy and taxing.

At this thought, everyone present fell into contemplation.

Eternal Profound Chen cast a glance around the assembly before speaking. "Over the past few Beast Tide [periodic, massive invasions by demonic beasts], we have successively harvested the remains of many third-rank demonic beasts."

"If we gather a large quantity of first-rank Spirit Wood [wood infused with spiritual energy] and do not prioritize speed or combat prowess, we could forge several medium to large-sized Treasure Ship [magical flying vessels used for long-distance travel and transport]."

Hearing this, expressions of delight appeared on everyone's faces.

Path Abyss Xu, also an artificer, nodded in agreement, unable to contain his joy. "If we use the bones of third-rank demonic beasts as the Dragon Bone [a core structural component named for its strength, akin to a keel] and incorporate a large amount of low-grade Spirit Wood, we can indeed forge third-rank Treasure Ship."

"Such Treasure Ship would possess relatively weak combat capabilities, with a speed of merely ten thousand Li-lengths [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] per day, yet they would be more than sufficient to carry over five hundred low-level cultivators." This novel is serialized on audi novel.com. Visit for updates.

Exquisite Jiang's eyes lit up as she turned to Elara Lin and asked, "How many Third-order demon beast Dragon Bone [dragon-like skeletal remains imbued with potent spiritual energy] do we have left here now?"

"Many of the bones were previously refined into magical treasure [enchanted artifacts used by cultivators]," Elara Lin calculated before replying. "Currently, only three suitable skeletons remain for crafting Treasure Ship [large, enchanted vessels used for transport and warfare]."

"A mere three Treasure Ship is still far from sufficient," Exquisite Jiang shook her head, her gaze sweeping over the assembled group. "Your various clans also exchanged for some Third-order demon beast carcasses earlier. I wonder how many of those skeletons you still possess."

Old Patriarch offered a faint smile and calmly answered, "Our Chen Clan has four Third-order skeletons suitable for crafting Treasure Ship."

As everyone spoke in turn, they discovered that the combined holdings of the great families within the Heavenly Ruins Alliance totaled twelve suitable demon beast skeletons.

Twelve demon beast skeletons were enough to craft twelve Treasure Ship, capable of transporting six thousand cultivators in a single journey.

Once these Treasure Ship were completed, they could establish multiple routes within the territory of the Heavenly Ruins Alliance, thoroughly linking the Spirit Mountain [mountains rich in spiritual energy where cultivators establish their bases] of all the great clans.

Eldrin Chen calculated and realized that across the four provinces of the Heavenly Ruins Alliance, there were thirty-seven Third-order Spiritual Vein [sites where spiritual energy of the third rank naturally concentrates] and several hundred Second RankSpiritual Vein [sites where spiritual energy of the second rank naturally concentrates].

The cultivators here numbered over one hundred thousand. Once these shipping routes opened, even charging a mere ten Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] per person would generate an immense profit.

If Vital Essence Refinement [the foundational stage of cultivation where one refines their body's vital energy] cultivators only returned to their clans once every ten years, with an estimated twenty thousand trips annually, the revenue could likely reach two hundred thousand Spirit Stone every year.

After deducting the cost of using the spiritual energy from the Spiritual Vein to recharge the Treasure Ship's energy reserves, the annual profit still amounted to a staggering one hundred thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy]. Over a century, this would translate into a trade worth ten million Spirit Stones in profit.

It must be understood that although the Chen Clan was a top-tier Violet Sanctum Immortal Clan [a clan whose patriarch has reached the Violet Sanctum cultivation realm], and the Spiritual Vein [a geological formation that concentrates and emits spiritual energy] and Earth Vein [a terrestrial energy ley line] it occupied were comparable to those of a weaker Golden Core Immortal Clan [a clan whose patriarch has reached the Golden Core cultivation realm], its annual income was merely seventy to eighty thousand Spirit Stones.

Everyone present did their own calculations, and a flicker of desire stirred within each of them.

Yet they also understood that while these profits appeared immense, not just anyone could claim a share of this pie.

With Exquisite Jiang [a Golden Core Patriarch] present, along with Eldrin Chen whose strength rivaled a Golden Core [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a solid golden spiritual core] cultivator, this venture was certainly not something they could simply muscle into.

However, since the demon beast skeletons in their possession could be used to forge Treasure Ship [large, enchanted vessels capable of flight and powered by spiritual energy], Xavier Xu still harbored some hope. He couldn't help but speak up, "May I ask, Patriarch, how will the business of these Treasure Ship routes be arranged?"

Eldrin Chen exchanged a glance with Exquisite Jiang. After all, they still needed the Treasure Ship from these Immortal Clan [powerful clans of cultivators]. Thus, he stated, "Regarding the business of these routes, the Violet Sanctum Immortal Clan that possess Treasure Ship may also claim a portion."

"You may contract for a route, but you must surrender fifty percent of the profits as a franchise fee."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded. With a total of twelve Treasure Ship, the Chen Clan and Exquisite Jiang controlled seven. The Pan Immortal Clan, the Shyu Immortal Clan, and a few other Immortal Clan combined could produce the remaining five.

For clans like the Shyu Clan, even with fifty percent of the profits handed over, possessing just one Treasure Ship would still add five thousand Spirit Stones to their annual income—a substantial and welcome gain.

Although this revenue still needed to cover various expenditures such as stipends for clan members, distributing those stipends was itself a necessary expense.

The great Immortal Clan [powerful families of cultivators] did not fear paying stipends; they feared being unable to afford them. If a clan lacked sufficient positions to assign its cultivators, then that family would truly be living off its capital, inevitably destined for gradual decline.

The Chen Clan and the Heavenly Ruins Mountain [a major mountain range and alliance] were no different. Operating the shipping routes required cultivators, and guarding the Treasure Ship [large, enchanted vessels] also required a significant number of them. A certain portion of the profits from this venture would be allocated and distributed as stipends.

Having decided to open the shipping routes, the group immediately returned to the clan to begin gathering materials and forging the Treasure Ship.

Forging a large Treasure Ship required vast quantities of first-grade Spirit Wood [wood infused with spiritual energy]. A single vessel consumed over ten thousand logs of first-grade Spirit Wood. Even with the resources of the Chen Clan, gathering such an immense amount of Spirit Wood all at once was a formidable task.

Fortunately, the Verdant Leaf Bamboo [a specific type of spirit-imbued bamboo] from Green Sun Mountain was renowned throughout the Chu Nation. Exquisite Jiang ordered the felling of tens of thousands of stalks and gathered a massive amount of other first-grade Spirit Wood, finally assembling the required materials. Join our community of readers at https://audio-novel.com.

While these third-grade Treasure Ship [powerful enchanted vessels] were not overly complex to forge, the process was immensely time-consuming and labor-intensive. Eldrin Chen and Exquisite Jiang did not personally oversee the crafting, but they mobilized hundreds of artificers and Formation [array and ward] masters from both the Chen Clan and the Heavenly Ruins Alliance.

These artificers carved low-grade formation patterns onto each piece of Spirit Wood, while third-grade master artificers were responsible for the overall framework and design. After more than a year of meticulous work, the seven Treasure Ship were finally completed.

The other great clans, though slightly slower, also managed to forge their vessels after a little over two years.

Once these Treasure Ship were completed, they immediately began operations, ferrying cultivators from the three prefectures into the Heavenly Ruins Prefecture.

For a time, with the influx of a great number of cultivators, the development of the Heavenly Ruins Prefecture accelerated severalfold. In merely a few years, new small-scale Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] mines were discovered and exploited.

"..."

Just as the various Immortal Clan [powerful families with immortal heritage] were engrossed in the fervent development of the Heavenly Ruins Prefecture, the high-ranking cultivators of the Heavenly Ruins Alliance had already entered seclusion for cultivation.

Xavier Xu, Patriarch Fang, Elara Lin, and others were all nourishing their meridians [the energy channels within a cultivator's body], awaiting the next opportunity to attempt a breakthrough into the Golden Core [the third major realm of cultivation, where spiritual energy condenses into a solid golden core].

The Old Patriarch was also engaged in relentless, arduous cultivation, striving to reach the Great Perfection of Violet Sanctum [the peak of the second major cultivation realm] as swiftly as possible in order to assault the Golden Core Realm.

Eldrin Chen finally managed to extricate himself from his busy schedule, preparing to advance his final Lifebound Magical Treasure [a magical artifact bound to a cultivator's life force and soul, growing in power with them].

By now, his Celestial Abyss Twin Swords, Bulwark Earth Sovereign Bell, and Positive Water Verdant Lotus Throne had all been elevated to the fourth rank. Only the Magnetic Treasure Mirror [a divine ability manifesting as a mirror that suppresses metal-based treasures] had not yet achieved its advancement.

This time, he and Exquisite Jiang had obtained four Void Gem [a rare spatial-aligned crystal]. Three of them had been forged into Teleportation Formation Disk [a disc-shaped artifact that activates a teleportation array], and the remaining one was kept by Eldrin Chen precisely for advancing the Magnetic Treasure Mirror.

This Magnetic Treasure Mirror countered all metal-attribute magical treasure [an enchanted artifact used by cultivators] and Divine Ability [a supernatural power derived from profound cultivation]. If a Void Gem were integrated into it, it would gain the wondrous utility of suppressing and sealing one's foes. Enjoyed this chapter? Read more at audio-novel dot com.