Chapter 317 : The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Peach

When Xavier Xu returned the Crimson Sun Void-Burning Furnace, the Old Patriarch came to Spirit Isle Lake and sought out Eldrin Chen.

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

"Let's not be hasty for now."

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

Exquisite Jiang would also break through to the Golden Core Mid Stage within a decade. By then, the strength of the Heavenly Ruins Alliance would have greatly increased, presenting the optimal opportunity 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 Spiritual Peach Tree before him.

He had nurtured this Spiritual Peach Tree with Primordial Chaos Violet Aura [the most primordial and potent form of spiritual energy] at the age of fifteen. In the blink of an eye, one hundred and sixty years had passed, and now the Spiritual Peach Tree had undergone another profound metamorphosis, advancing to the level of Fourth Rank Low-Grade.

Following this advancement, the Spiritual Peach Tree would now bloom once every ten years, bear fruit over the next ten, and ripen over the final ten.

Henceforth, the Spiritual Peach [a fruit brimming with potent spiritual energy] would mature once every thirty years, yielding nine Fourth Rank Spiritual Peach with each cycle. Discover more cultivation stories at *audio-novel.com*.

A fourth-rank Spiritual Peach can be considered the complete form of a Worldly Spiritual Root and may be called a 'Heaven and Earth Spiritual Peach'.

As for its effects, Eldrin Chen, based on his current cultivation level and through observation and deduction, has roughly discerned its properties.

In the future, a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Peach will require ten years to refine and absorb. Consuming one can increase one's cultivation by thirty years, making it an exceedingly rare treasure even for Golden Core Cultivators.

Furthermore, this Heaven and Earth Spiritual Peach contains Creation Energy [a primordial, life-giving force]. Consuming it not only advances cultivation but also nourishes and refines a cultivator's Golden Core [the solidified core of spiritual power formed at the Golden Core realm].

Its Creation [the act of bringing something into existence; a fundamental creative force] power is slightly inferior to that of the Fire Spirit Fruit Tree on Green Sun Mountain, but in terms of cultivation speed enhancement, it surpasses it considerably.

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

"This Spiritual Peach..."

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Only then did the Old Patriarch notice the anomaly. His gaze fixed upon the nine Spiritual Peachs hanging from the Spiritual Peach Tree, his pupils involuntarily contracting sharply.

He examined them carefully several times over. He also sensed the Spiritual Vein [a subterranean channel of concentrated spiritual energy] beneath Spirit Isle Lake surging with vitality, faintly hinting at an imminent advancement in grade.

"It appears the Spiritual Vein of Spirit Isle Lake is about to ascend in rank."

"Indeed."

Eldrin Chen gave a nod. The Spiritual Peach was nearing maturity, and upon that event, the Spiritual Vein of Spirit Isle Lake would advance to the Fourth Rank.

With the presence of the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Peach, Eldrin Chen was confident he could break through to the Golden Core Realm within ten years. When that happened, his power would undoubtedly increase substantially.

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

His expression held both joy and a trace of concern 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 you to use in advancing your Fourth-Rank Lifebound Magical Treasure. However, the timeline set by Grand Granary feels somewhat rushed."

"It seems I must arrange for the clan's cultivators to gather the Five Elements Essence for you as swiftly as possible."

"Is the Five Elements Essence insufficient?"

Eldrin Chen frowned. Advancing a magical treasure [an enchanted artifact used by cultivators] to the Fourth Rank Mid-Grade required Five Elements Essence worth five hundred thousand Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] per artifact.

For five artifacts, that amounted to a staggering two million five hundred thousand Spirit Stones. Although the clan managed to save tens of thousands of Spirit Stones annually in recent years, its expenditures were also considerable.

The advancement of his five Lifebound Magical Treasure [enchanted artifacts bound to a cultivator's life force] had consumed a vast amount of resources. Coupled with the several Teleportation Formation Disk [magical disks that enable instantaneous travel over great distances] he had refined over the years, the calculations showed that even though the family's Clan Treasury [the central repository of a cultivation clan's wealth] was prosperous, it could not readily produce such a sum of money.

Furthermore, even if he possessed that many Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy], the output of Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] from the four prefectures under the Heavenly Ruins Alliance [a major alliance of cultivation sects and clans] would be utterly insufficient to support the simultaneous advancement of five Lifebound Magical Treasure.

If they followed the original plan and waited for about twenty years, they might have been able to gather enough for one or two treasures. However, with only ten years remaining, the resources of the four prefectures were likely inadequate.

Pondering this, Eldrin Chen fell into contemplation for a moment before speaking. "Let us proceed this way. We can sell ten of the third-rank Longevity Spirit Apricot [a mystical fruit that extends lifespan and aids cultivation] stored in the Clan Treasury. That should raise one million Spirit Stone."

"Then, we must procure Five Elements Essence from across the entire Chu Nation [a vast nation within the cultivation world]. Regardless of the cost, we must gather the required essence for the Solar Fire Returning Abyss Sword [a divine sword imbued with solar flame and abyssal power] and the Heavenly River Positive Water Sword [a sword technique channeling the celestial river's purifying waters] within ten years."

"Understood," the Old Patriarch [the venerable leader of the Chen Clan] nodded, fully grasping the paramount importance of these two Fourth Rank Mid-Grade [a high level of power for artifacts and techniques] Immortal Sword [a peerless blade wielded by immortal cultivators]. "I will personally oversee this matter." Dive deeper into the Dao at http://www . audio-novel.com.

The Old Patriarch departed with decisive energy, while Eldrin Chen remained at Spirit Isle Lake [a serene lake imbued with potent spiritual energy] to continue his cultivation.

"..."

In the blink of an eye, five months had passed.

On this day, the Spiritual Peach [a mystical peach that enhances cultivation and vitality] finally ripened, and the Spiritual Vein [a subterranean conduit of concentrated spiritual energy] beneath Spirit Isle Lake ascended to the fourth rank in tandem.

Exquisite Jiang arrived at Spirit Isle Lake. Working together, they laid down the formation disk for the Teleportation Formation, linking the Spirit Isle Lake to the Teleportation Formation at Green Sun Mountain and Heavenly Ruins Lake.

After setting up the Formation, Exquisite Jiang joyfully took his hand and said, "With Spirit Isle Lake now elevated to the fourth rank and equipped with a Teleportation Formation Disk, we can finally live together from now on."

"Mm."

Eldrin Chen was also excited. Spirit Isle Lake was a place of stunning and majestic beauty, free from the constant bustle and distractions of Green Sun Mountain and Heavenly Ruins Lake—a perfect sanctuary for secluded cultivation.

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

After picking the nine Spiritual Peach [rare spiritual fruits that enhance cultivation], Eldrin Chen took six of them and handed them to Exquisite Jiang, saying calmly, "These Spiritual Peach ripen once every thirty years. With these, neither of us need worry about our cultivation progress within the Golden Core Realm [the third major stage of cultivation where one forms a solidified core of spiritual power]."

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

Exquisite Jiang only took three of the peaches, handing the other three back to him.

She shook her head gently and said, "These are far too precious. You have many clansmen to consider. You should keep more for them."

Eldrin Chen offered them back with a soft smile. "If my family's Old Granduncle succeeds in his Golden Core [the third major stage of cultivation] breakthrough, then he will indeed need these."

"For now, Old Granduncle's cultivation has stalled and he does not yet require this. You should keep it as a gift from me to Elara."

Exquisite Jiang nodded and still collected the six Spiritual Peach [a fruit imbued with spiritual energy that aids cultivation].

The relationship between the Chen Clan ancestors and descendants and her master-disciple pair was different. Elara Lin had reached her current level entirely through Exquisite Jiang's personal guidance. As a Variant Spiritual Root [a spiritual root with an affinity for a specific element, limiting the cultivation arts it can master], she could not inherit her master's complete legacy; she could only be considered a close personal disciple, not the true heir to her master's Path [a cultivator's unique philosophical and practical approach to cultivation].

As for Exquisite Jiang's other dozen or so disciples, they were merely nominal students. Their talent and perseverance were not exceptional, and most had not even broken through to the Violet Sanctum [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a spiritual core within their dantian] before their life force was exhausted, having passed away on their respective Path.

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

Thinking of this, she pondered for a moment before speaking. "It so happens that cultivation resources suited for an Ice Spiritual Root [a spiritual root with an affinity for ice and water elemental energies] are scarce in the Eastern Region Great Wasteland. In the future, we can use the Spirit Fruit [fruits grown on spiritual plants, containing concentrated vital energy] from the Fire Spirit Fruit Tree to exchange for some resources for the Old Granduncle."

"This way, the Old Granduncle's Golden Core [the solidified spiritual core formed in the fourth major cultivation realm] can be nourished and strengthened somewhat, while Elara, having received the Spiritual Peach, can also accelerate her cultivation progress."

Eldrin Chen gave an acknowledging nod. Although the Spiritual Peach Tree could enhance cultivation base, the Creation [the primordial life-giving and nourishing force of the universe] energy it contained was inferior to that of the Fire Spirit Fruit Tree.

Moreover, the Creation force within the Fire Spirit Fruit Tree possessed the wondrous property of nourishing and tempering a Golden Core, and it was highly compatible with the Old Patriarch's Spiritual Root [the innate spiritual organ that determines a cultivator's affinity and talent] and his spiritual energy. Continue your cultivation journey at audio-novel dot com.