Chapter 335 : Forging the Tribulation-Breaking Elixir

After storing away the Golden Core Formation Pill [a pill that aids in forming a Golden Core], the two of them set about refining the Origin-Returning Tribulation-Breaking Pill [a high-grade pill designed to help cultivators overcome heavenly tribulations].

The difficulty of refining this particular batch of Origin-Returning Tribulation-Breaking Pill was not insignificant. As it was their first attempt and they lacked extensive experience, the final yield was a mere three pills.

The cost for a single furnace batch of Origin-Returning Tribulation-Breaking Pill typically hovered around five million Spirit Stones [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation]. With three pills successfully refined this time, they did not incur a loss and even made a modest profit.

Lyra Jiang placed them into a Jade Vial [a container made of jade, often used to preserve spiritual items] and said with a smile, "The efficacy of these Origin-Returning Tribulation-Breaking Pill can be preserved for a century. If stored properly in a Fourth Rank [a grade denoting power and quality] treasure vase, that duration might even be extended by one Jiazi-time [a cycle of sixty years]."

"Indeed."

A flicker of satisfaction passed through Eldrin Chen's eyes. Preserving these three Origin-Returning Tribulation-Breaking Pill for over a hundred years should provide ample time for him to cultivate to the threshold of the Golden Core, Mid Stage [the middle phase of the Golden Core cultivation realm].

With the Origin-Returning Tribulation-Breaking Pill completed, he retrieved the Thousand-Year Green Essence Ganoderma [a spiritual fungus imbued with millennia of wood-element essence] and declared, "Allow me to take the lead in refining this batch of Verdant Origin Creation Pill [a pill that harnesses the creative power of wood and origin essence]."

Lyra Jiang nodded in understanding. She knew Eldrin Chen was using this to test and verify his own Alchemy [the art of refining spiritual pills and elixirs]. Accordingly, she produced the Purple Sun Jade [a rare jade infused with the essence of the purple sun] and five pieces of Five Elements Treasure Crystals [crystals containing the purified essence of the five fundamental elements].

Although this was his first time independently refining a Fourth Rank Pill, a profound sense of confidence already resided within his heart.

For refining the Creation Green Essence Pill [another name for the Verdant Origin Creation Pill], apart from the primary ingredients—the Creation Verdant Origin Ganoderma [the Ganoderma fungus central to the pill's creation] and the Purple Sun Jade—the preparation of the other auxiliary herbs posed little significant difficulty. This content originates from audio . novel . com. Please respect copyright.

Eldrin Chen spent a mere seven days refining the hundreds of auxiliary herbs and the Five Elements Treasure Crystals [crystals containing the condensed essence of the five fundamental elements], transforming them into a cauldron of precious liquid.

Processing the Purple Sun Jade [a rare jade imbued with the essence of the rising sun] and the Creation Verdant Origin Ganoderma [a legendary fungus said to hold the power of primordial life and creation] took a bit longer, yet was accomplished within a single month.

After more than a month of meticulous work, he had refined a cauldron of precious liquid. Through repeated distillation, he finally separated it into five portions of pill liquid.

Beside him, Lyra Jiang watched with pleasant surprise. To produce five portions of pill liquid on the first attempt at refining a Fourth Rank [a grade denoting power and rarity equivalent to the Golden Core realm] Pill [a condensed elixir for cultivation or healing] indicated a skill in essence extraction rivaling that of a Fourth Rank Middle Grade [a mid-level Golden Core realm] alchemist.

Eldrin Chen felt no pride. With a mere glance, he employed the Harmony and Union Pill Art [an advanced alchemical technique focusing on balancing and merging disparate energies] to merge two portions of the liquid into the remaining three. Then, he commenced the crucial process of pill condensation.

This time, success flowed as naturally as water finding its course. No major mishaps occurred, and in one breath, he refined three Creation Green Essence Pill [a high-grade elixir that nourishes the foundation and enhances one's innate potential for creation].

"Success."

Eldrin Chen opened the Alchemy Furnace [a specialized vessel for refining pills and elixirs], a smile gracing his features as he collected the three treasure pills that soared into the air.

Beside him, Lyra Jiang also revealed a smile, her eyes sparkling with delight. "To produce three pills on your first attempt at a Fourth Rank Pill... your Alchemy [the art and science of refining spiritual pills and elixirs] is already advanced enough to challenge the rank of a Fourth Rank Middle Grade Alchemist [an alchemist whose skill is recognized at the mid-Golden Core level]," she said.

"It seems your talent is even more formidable than I imagined."

Lyra Jiang [the renowned cultivator] was a master of alchemy, formations, artificing, and talismans, her innate talent and comprehension were rare even across the world. In terms of sheer genius, she was not only unparalleled within the Chu Kingdom, but could be counted among the very best even when viewed across the entire Ji Continent Cultivation World.

Yet even she, in her own estimation, felt her genius could not compare to that of Eldrin Chen.

His comprehension was simply too astonishing. Whenever he studied a new discipline, a mere glimpse would allow him to grasp its fundamentals. With a bit of focused effort, he would achieve proficiency. Then, he would inevitably perceive flaws and imperfections in the methods left by his predecessors, gradually developing his own unique insights.

The Alchemy Tome of the Ethereal Void Sect recorded the methods for refining hundreds, even thousands, of different Pill. However, due to the differing environments between the Eastern Wastelands and the Eastern Sea, many of the required Spirit Medicine [spiritual herbs and plants used in cultivation] could no longer be found, rendering those formulas obsolete.

Yet Eldrin Chen, guided by the principles of Monarch, Minister, Assistant, and Envoy [the foundational alchemical theory of balancing primary and secondary ingredients], identified numerous substitute Spirit Medicine and successfully deduced and restored the formulas for many Third Rank [a high level of cultivation power] pills.

This solo refinement of the Creation Green Essence Pill [a high-grade pill that nurtures the foundation of life] was, for Eldrin Chen, both a summation and a validation of his Alchemy [the art of pill refinement], representing a significant breakthrough.

Having successfully refined the Fourth Rank [a realm of power approaching the legendary] Pill, Eldrin Chen and Lyra Jiang spent another two months in the furnace chamber, producing over a dozen more batches of Third Rank Pill before deciding their time was better spent elsewhere.

The remaining Third Rank Low to Middle Grade Pill no longer required their personal attention.

With these tasks completed, Eldrin Chen and Lyra Jiang returned directly to Spirit Isle Lake and settled into a life of secluded cultivation.

Both had recently made breakthroughs and needed to advance several of their Life-Bound Magical Treasure [enchanted artifacts bonded to a cultivator's soul]. It was also time to fully digest and integrate the profound insights they had accumulated over the years.

After returning to Spirit Isle Lake, he immediately began advancing his Magical Treasure while simultaneously commencing the deduction of his personal cultivation art.

To deduce the 'Five Elements Origin-Returning Scripture', Eldrin Chen began contemplating the Golden Core Realm Cultivation Art manuals in his possession.

Having obtained the legacy of the Green Sun Sect and part of the Deep-Seated Foundation [the profound foundational knowledge and principles] from the Ethereal Void Sect, he possessed a considerable number of Golden Core Realm cultivation arts.

Beyond the few Golden Core arts from the Green Sun Sect, the seventeen arts from the Ethereal Void Sect could all be cultivated to the Golden Core Great Perfection. Moreover, they encompassed the Yin-Yang and Five Elements, as well as the three types of Anomalous Spiritual Root: Wind, Ice, and Thunder.

Eldrin Chen first selected five Five Elements Cultivation Art of the Golden Core Realm. Over the course of three years, he grasped their general principles.

He spent another five years thoroughly comprehending these five arts, then began the true deduction of the Five Elements Origin-Returning Scripture. Immerse yourself in the complete world at audi0-n0vel.c0m.

The Five Elements Origin-Returning Scripture was composed of five constituent arts. Eldrin Chen deduced them one by one, spending five years to advance the Solar Separated Flame Scripture, the Western Pole White Emperor Scripture, the Green Emperor Longevity Scripture, and the other two arts to the Golden Core Realm. At that point, he deliberately halted.

This was not due to an inability to progress further. Rather, twelve years had passed since the battle at Earth Lion Ridge, and the Old Patriarch was once again ready to attempt a breakthrough into the Golden Core Realm.

In Pingyang City, Eldrin Chen personally sought out the Old Patriarch.

The two sat facing each other. With a face full of joyful anticipation, Eldrin asked, "How are your preparations, Old Granduncle?"

"After thirty years of recuperation, the spiritual energy [the vital force cultivated by practitioners] within my body has now accumulated to a sufficient level."

Clad in black robes, Chen Thalion wore a faint smile at the corners of his eyes. He had first attempted to break through to the Golden Core [the third major realm of cultivation, where one condenses a golden spiritual core] realm around two hundred and seventy years of age, reaching the False Core Realm [a quasi-realm between Foundation Establishment and true Golden Core]. Now, barely past three hundred years old,

one could say the Old Patriarch was currently at the peak of his power. Using a Golden Core Formation Pill [a precious pill that aids in the formation of a Golden Core] again, his chances of successfully breaking through to the Core Formation [the process of forming a Golden Core] realm would likely be quite significant.

Thus, this time, the Old Patriarch was truly brimming with confidence, holding ample assurance in his heart.

Seeing the Old Patriarch's brimming confidence, Eldrin Chen said with a smile, "If that is the case, then this time, Old Granduncle is certain to break through to the Golden Core realm."

Having decided to assault the Golden Core realm, the two of them delayed no further.

To increase the certainty of the breakthrough, Eldrin Chen brought Old Granduncle to Earth Lion Ridge. The abundant spiritual energy [the vital force cultivated by practitioners] here would ensure no risk of energy depletion during his critical moment.

After escorting the Old Patriarch to the heart of the Spirit Vein [a natural conduit of concentrated spiritual energy] spring, Eldrin Chen produced the Golden Core Formation Pill and the Sub-Golden Core Pill [a powerful pill that simulates a Golden Core's power, aiding breakthrough]: "Using both precious pills together, Clan Uncle will surely achieve a breakthrough to the Golden Core realm in one decisive move."

"Let us hope so."

The Old Patriarch accepted the two precious pills, a genuine smile gracing his features.

The Golden Core Formation Pill [a supreme elixir that aids in forming a cultivator's Golden Core] could increase the odds of a breakthrough into the Golden Core [the third major realm of cultivation, where one's spiritual energy condenses into a solid, radiant core] by twenty percent, while the Sub-Golden Core Pill [a potent, high-grade pill that provides a significant boost towards Golden Core formation] could add another ten percent chance.

Using both treasure pills together, and considering his own inherent thirty to forty percent likelihood of achieving a Golden Core breakthrough, his overall chance of success soared to a formidable forty to fifty percent.

Chen Thalion sat cross-legged within the Earth Vein [a concentrated channel of earth-attribute spiritual energy within the world's crust], consumed the Golden Core Formation Pill, and began his assault on the Golden Core realm.

Eldrin Chen did not depart. Instead, he settled within the Cultivation Cave [a chamber or cavern specially prepared for meditation and cultivation], assuming the role of a guardian to watch over his ancestor's perilous ascent. Original publication: audio-novel[dot]com - The source of this chapter.