Chapter 334 : The Alchemist's Golden Core

Although he had never independently refined a Fourth Rank Pill [a medicinal pellet refined with spiritual energy], having co-refined Pills with Lyra Jiang for so many years, his Alchemy [the art of refining medicinal pills] had long since reached a level indistinguishable from a Fourth Rank Alchemist [a master alchemist of the Golden Core realm]. With a single glance, he discerned the root cause.

The Golden Lion Mastiff's cultivation was merely at the Golden Core First Layer [the first stage of the Golden Core realm], and its bloodline was far inferior to that of the Black Flood Dragon Demon King. Being able to refine three Golden Core Formation Pills [a supreme pill that aids in forming a Golden Core] from it was already considered quite fortunate.

By any calculation, trading the Inner Core [the condensed spiritual core of a demonic beast] of an early-stage Golden Core Demon King [a Golden Core realm demonic beast ruler] plus one stalk of Heavenly Heart Herb [a rare spiritual herb that stabilizes the heart and mind during breakthroughs] for three Golden Core Formation Pills that increased the Pill Success Rate [the probability of a successful pill refinement] by twenty percent was hardly a loss. This combination offered nearly a seventy percent certainty of producing another Golden Core Cultivator [a master who has formed a Golden Core].

After all, failing to break through to the Golden Core realm even three consecutive times while using such precious resources was a relatively rare occurrence.

After resting briefly to recover some of their mana, the two then took out the Inner Core of the Savage Ox Demon King.

That Savage Ox Demon King had been a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator; theoretically, its core could yield five or six Golden Core Formation Pills.

However, refining more than five Golden Core Formation Pills required two stalks of Heavenly Heart Herb, and given Lyra Jiang's current level of Alchemy, she was not confident she could guarantee five pills from a single batch.

In truth, even a Fourth Rank High Grade Alchemist [a master alchemist], using the Demonic Beast Inner Core of a late-stage Golden Core demonic beast, would typically only produce five or six Golden Core Formation Pills per batch.

The primary limiting factor was insufficient Alchemy skill, not a lack of Creation Power [the power to shape and infuse spiritual essence]. Only an Alchemist of the fifth rank or above could potentially refine seven or eight Golden Core Formation Pills in a single furnace.

Lyra Jiang's Alchemy was now approaching the Fourth Rank High Grade level, but she had not yet fully attained it. She lacked the confidence to successfully refine a fifth Golden Core Formation Pill. The complete novel can be found at *audio-novel.com*.

Thus, they lowered their expectations, deciding it was unnecessary to wait any longer for the Heavenly Heart Herb [a rare spiritual herb said to resonate with the heavens]. They would be perfectly satisfied if a single alchemical furnace yielded four pills.

As anticipated, the outcome did not surprise them. After two months of dedicated effort, they successfully refined four Golden Core Formation Pill [a precious pill that aids cultivators in forming their Golden Core].

"Success."

Having consumed only two Demon King Inner Core [the condensed life-force core of a powerful demonic beast] to produce seven Golden Core Formation Pill, both Eldrin Chen and Lyra Jiang felt a surge of elation.

As for the Inner Core from the Earth Lion Demon King, since they currently lacked the Heavenly Heart Herb, Lyra Jiang carefully stored it away within a Jade Box [a jade container used to preserve the spiritual essence of precious items].

She planned to wait until she had gathered two more stalks of Heavenly Heart Herb and her Alchemy [the art of refining spiritual pills and elixirs] had advanced to the Fourth Rank High Grade [a master level of alchemical skill] before attempting to process this exceptionally precious Demon King Inner Core.

Stowing the Demon King Inner Core, Lyra Jiang said with a smile, "According to our prior agreement, we must give one Inner Core each to the Violet Abyss Sect and the Qi Nation's Lin Clan."

"Furthermore, the Verdant Immortal Sect will receive two. That leaves three remaining for us."

Eldrin Chen nodded in agreement. During the battle at Earth Lion Ridge, both the Violet Abyss Sect and the Lin Clan had contributed significantly, diverting the forces of Demonic Ape Mountain and the Azure Sparrow Demon King.

The sole Golden Core True Person [a cultivator who has achieved the Golden Core realm] of the Verdant Immortal Sect, Taiwu the True Person, had even risked his life to join the fray, his motivation being the promised two Golden Core Formation Pill.

The truth was, the Verdant Immortal Sect was currently in dire financial straits. He was so desperately eager to nurture another Golden Core Cultivator [a cultivator who has formed a solidified Golden Core, a major milestone] for the sect that he was even willing to participate in battles at the Golden Core Grade [the level of power and threat posed by a Golden Core realm expert].

After all, such conflicts were no trivial matter. Should anything go awry, the risk of perishing was all too real.

Thinking of this, Eldrin Chen said with a smile, "Now that the Golden Core Formation Pill [a supreme elixir that aids in the formation of a cultivator's Golden Core] has been successfully refined, I expect they will all come rushing here in a frantic hurry to claim it."

"As for the remaining three Golden Core Formation Pill [pills], within the Heaven's Ruin Alliance, aside from the Xu Clan which could afford one at half-price, I fear none of the other Immortal Clan [powerful, long-established families of cultivators] have the means to purchase another."

"We should keep them. With the Heavenly Heart Jade Vial [a special jade vessel that can extend the preservation period of spiritual items] prolonging their shelf life, they should naturally be reserved for our own people first."

Lyra Jiang said with a gentle smile. Having recently conquered three Fourth Rank Spirit Mountain [mountains imbued with powerful spiritual energy of the fourth rank], the combined wealth of the two of them was likely among the very pinnacle even within Golden Core Immortal Clan [immortal clans powerful enough to have Golden Core realm experts].

Calculating carefully, they now occupied two Fourth Rank Middle Grade Spirit Vein [spiritual energy veins of the fourth rank, middle grade]: Deng Clan Island and Earth Lion Ridge.

They also held four Fourth Rank Low Grade [the lowest tier within the fourth rank] Spirit Vein [veins of concentrated spiritual energy]: Green Sun Mountain, Spirit Isle Lake, Six Stars Island, and Heaven's Ruin Lake. By this count, they already controlled six Fourth Rank Spirit Vein.

Once Pingyang City and Verdant Chariot Mountain ascended in rank two decades hence, that would bring the total to a full eight Fourth Rank Spirit Vein.

A full eight Fourth Rank Spirit Vein, combined with the presence of four Earth Vein [geological formations that concentrate and channel earthly spiritual energies], provided resources ample enough to sustain over a dozen Golden Core Cultivator. If calculated based on the minimum stipend, it could even support twenty or thirty Golden Core Cultivator.

This was vastly different from a century ago, when Lyra Jiang had just broken through to the Golden Core realm and did not even possess a single Fourth Rank Spirit Mountain [a mountain imbued with a powerful spiritual energy vein].

Back then, lacking the resources to aid her cultivation and upgrade her Magical Treasure [enchanted artifacts], Lyra Jiang had even been forced to sell several Golden Core Formation Pill [pills that assist in forming a cultivator's Golden Core]. Now, she was long past the point of needing to resort to selling such precious pills.

The reason for such a dramatic transformation over the span of a single century...

...lay primarily in the spoils of war and the immense value of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root [a rare and powerful type of spiritual root that grants exceptional cultivation aptitude].

Logically speaking, even though Eldrin Chen and Lyra Jiang possessed combat prowess rivaling mid-stage Golden Core cultivators, with only three actual Golden Core experts among them, they should have been utterly incapable of defending so many Spirit Mountain.

Fortunately, the Yan Kingdom was situated deep within the continent's interior, guarded by a True Lord [a title for a powerful cultivator, often at the Nascent Soul realm] and thus unafraid of Demonic Calamity [large-scale invasions by demonic forces]. Furthermore, the local powers, the husband-and-wife duo Yuan Aethelstan, had been thoroughly subdued by Eldrin Chen. This allowed Xavier Xu to temporarily stabilize the situation and hold those two Fourth Rank Spirit Vein [powerful sources of spiritual energy]. Read, share, and discuss at audio-novel . com.

Meanwhile, Green Sun Mountain, Heaven's Ruin Lake, Earth Lion Ridge, and Spirit Isle Lake were now interconnected by Teleportation Formation [magical arrays for instantaneous travel], which drastically reduced the pressure of defending them.

Within the Chu Kingdom, the Firmament Sword Sect had suffered grievous losses, and the Violet Abyss Sect was led by Lyra Jiang's closest confidante. Therefore, no major troubles were likely to arise from that quarter for the time being.

This illustrated the benefits of cultivating wide and powerful friendships. Not only did the pair possess an extensive network of allies, but their own formidable strength marked them as seeds destined for the Nascent Soul realm. Aside from sworn enemies, few would dare to try and take advantage of them.

Once Verdant Chariot Mountain and Pingyang City ascended to Fourth Rank Spirit Vein, security concerns would actually be minimal. The greatest distance between these two new Spirit Vein [sources of spiritual energy] and Spirit Isle Lake was no more than six thousand Li-length [approximately three thousand kilometers].

With his current cultivation realm, Eldrin Chen could traverse two hundred thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] in a single day. A distance of six thousand Li-length was but a blink of an eye beneath his gaze; at full speed, he could cover it in the time for a cup of tea [a conventional short duration, roughly five to fifteen minutes].

Therefore, for a certain period of time at least, safety was not a pressing concern.

Of course, such a vast number of Fourth Rank Spirit Mountain [mountains imbued with potent spiritual energy, suitable for high-level cultivation] brought with them resources that would make even the most elite Golden Core Immortal Clan burn with envy. It was imperative to swiftly nurture more Golden Core Cultivator [practitioners who have condensed a Golden Core, the fourth major realm] to garrison these lands.

Only with six or seven Golden Core Cultivator stationed could one truly consider the territory secure and free from peril.

Furthermore, to truly harness the resources of these Spirit Mountain and set their operations in motion would require at least over one hundred Purple Mansion [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a spiritual mansion within] cultivators and a workforce exceeding fifty thousand practitioners.

The Chen Clan currently had just over ten thousand cultivators, with barely more than ten having reached the Purple Mansion realm. Even counting the disciples and grand-disciples of Lyra Jiang, the number fell short of twenty. To reach a hundred Purple Mansion cultivators and possess fifty thousand practitioners would require at least one or two centuries of accumulation.

In truth, the Chen Clan was currently stretched thin everywhere. Tending Spirit Farmland [land infused with spiritual energy for growing spiritual crops], guarding market towns, opening new ore veins, practicing alchemy and artificing, managing shops, instructing disciples, and manning the treasure ships that plied the various provinces—every endeavor demanded personnel.

The clan's various Grand Elder wished they could split a single person into five, yet still found themselves compelled to outsource many tasks to allied Immortal Clan [powerful families with a long lineage of cultivators] like the Wei Clan, the Xu Clan, and the Pan Clan for handling.

Regardless, with so many interests now in hand, the profits generated from operating these enterprises caused the wealth held by Lyra Jiang and Eldrin Chen to steadily increase. If this accumulation could continue for a century, they might even amass enough to afford a Nascent Soul Formation Pill [a legendary pill that aids in the formation of a Nascent Soul, the fifth major realm].

Even the legendary Earth Mother Qi [the primordial, nurturing essence of the earth itself] was said to have a price; with the right opportunity, purchasing it might not be an impossibility.

As the wealth of the two individuals grew, so too did the coffers of the cultivators of the Chen Immortal Clan and the disciples and descendants of Lyra Jiang. When the time came, offering a Golden Core Formation Pill [a supreme elixir that aids in forming a Golden Core] to their own people at an internal price of one million Merit Points [a points-based credit system within an organization or sect] would be far more advantageous than selling it to outsiders. This chapter is part of a larger work available at audio-novel .c om.