Chapter 334 : The Alchemist's Golden Core

Although he had never independently refined a Fourth-Rank Pill [a pill of the fourth rank, suitable for cultivators at the Golden Core realm and above], after so many years of co-refining pills with Exquisite Jiang, his alchemical skill was, in truth, no different from that of a Fourth-Rank Alchemist [an alchemist capable of refining fourth-rank pills]. He recognized the root cause at a single glance.

This Golden Lion Mastiff [a powerful demon beast resembling a lion-mastiff hybrid] possessed a cultivation base of merely the Golden Core 1st Tier [the first level of the Golden Core realm], and its bloodline was far inferior to that of the Black Flood Dragon Demon King [a demon king of the black flood dragon lineage]. Being able to refine three Golden Core Formation Pill [a precious pill that significantly increases the success rate of forming a Golden Core] from it was already considered a decent outcome.

By any calculation, trading one Demon King Inner Pill [the condensed energy core of a slain Demon King] from a Golden Core Early Stage [the early stage of the Golden Core realm] demon, plus one stalk of Heavenly Heart Grass [a rare spiritual herb that stabilizes the heart and mind during breakthroughs], for three Golden Core Formation Pill that increase the success rate by twenty percent—this almost guarantees a seventy percent chance of adding another Golden Core Cultivator [a cultivator who has successfully formed a Golden Core] to their ranks. It could be said they suffered no loss whatsoever.

After all, failing to break through to the Golden Core Realm [the realm where a cultivator condenses their spiritual energy into a solid Golden Core] three consecutive times while using such precious resources was a relatively rare occurrence.

After resting briefly and recovering a portion of their spiritual energy, the two took out the Inner Pill [the condensed energy core of a demonic beast] of the Savage Ox Demon King.

That Savage Ox Demon King had been a cultivator at the Golden Core Mid Stage [the middle stage of the Golden Core realm]; theoretically, its inner pill could yield five or six Golden Core Formation Pill.

However, refining more than five Golden Core Formation Pill would require two stalks of Heavenly Heart Grass, and given Exquisite Jiang's current alchemical skill, she was not confident she could guarantee producing five pills.

In fact, even a Fourth Rank Superior Grade [a top-tier alchemist at the fourth rank] alchemist, using an Inner Pill from a Golden Core Late Stage [the late stage of the Golden Core realm] Demonic Beast [a beast that has cultivated demonic energy], would typically only refine five or six Golden Core Formation Pill per batch.

The primary reason lay not in a lack of Creation [the fundamental creative or generative force of the universe] energy within the materials, but in insufficient alchemical skill. Only an alchemist of Fifth Rank [the fifth rank, a master level] or above could potentially refine seven or eight Golden Core Formation Pill from a single cauldron.

Exquisite Jiang's current alchemical skill was approaching the Fourth Rank Superior Grade level, but she had not yet truly reached it. She lacked the confidence to guarantee producing a fifth Golden Core Formation Pill. The story continues at audio-novel[dot]com.

Thus, they lowered their expectations, deciding there was no need to wait further for the Heavenly Heart Grass [a rare spiritual herb crucial for high-level pill refinement]. Being able to refine four pills in a single batch would be perfectly satisfactory.

As anticipated, the outcome aligned with their predictions. After two months of dedicated effort, they successfully refined four Golden Core Formation Pill [a precious elixir that aids in the formation of a cultivator's Golden Core].

"Success."

Having consumed only two Demon King Inner Pill [the condensed life essence core of a powerful demon king] to produce seven Golden Core Formation Pill, both Eldrin Chen and Exquisite Jiang felt a surge of elation.

As for the Inner Pill [the core of a demon beast's power] from the Earth Lion Demon King, since they currently lacked Heavenly Heart Grass, Exquisite Jiang carefully stored it within a jade case.

She planned to wait until she had gathered two more stalks of Heavenly Heart Grass and her alchemy skill had advanced to the Fourth Rank Superior Grade [the highest tier within the Fourth Rank of alchemical mastery] before attempting to process this exceptionally precious Demon King Inner Pill.

Stowing away the Demon King Inner Pill, Exquisite Jiang said with a smile, "According to our prior agreement, we must provide one Inner Pill each to the Purple Abyss Sect and the Lin Clan of Qi Nation."

"Furthermore, the Verdant Azure Immortal Sect will claim two. That leaves three for us."

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

The sole Golden Core True Person [a cultivator who has successfully formed a Golden Core, a major milestone] of the Verdant Azure Immortal Sect, True Person Great Defense, had even risked his life to participate personally in the fray, his motivation being the promised two Golden Core Formation Pill.

The truth was, the Verdant Azure Immortal Sect was currently in dire financial straits. He was desperately hoping to nurture another Golden Core Cultivator [a cultivator who has formed a solidified golden core of spiritual energy] for the sect, even to the point of being willing to participate in battles at the Golden Core Grade [the level of power and danger associated with Golden Core cultivators].

After all, such conflicts were no trivial matter. Should anything go awry during the fight, there was a real danger of perishing.

Thinking of this, Eldrin Chen said with a smile, "Now that the Golden Core Formation Pill [a precious elixir that aids in the breakthrough to the Golden Core realm] has been successfully refined, I expect they will all come rushing to claim it in a frenzy."

"As for the remaining three Golden Core Formation Pills, within the Heavenly Ruins Alliance, aside from the Xu Clan which could afford one at half-price, I'm afraid none of the other Immortal Clan [a clan with a long lineage of cultivators] have the means to purchase another."

"We should keep them. With the Celestial Star Jade Vase [a special jade vessel that can extend the preservation period of spiritual items] to prolong their shelf life, it's only right to prioritize our own people."

Exquisite Jiang said with a gentle smile. Having recently conquered three Fourth-Rank Spirit Mountains [mountains imbued with spiritual energy of the fourth rank], the combined wealth of the two of them likely placed them among the very top echelons even within Golden Core Immortal Clan [an Immortal Clan led by a Golden Core cultivator].

Calculating carefully, they now occupied two Fourth Rank Mid-GradeSpiritual Veins [concentrated flows of spiritual energy within the earth]: Deng Clan Island and Earth Lion Ridge.

They also held four Fourth Rank Low-Grade ones: Green Sun Mountain, Spirit Isle Lake, Six Stars Island, and Heavenly Ruins Lake. By this count, they already controlled six Fourth-Rank Spiritual Veins.

Once Pingyang City and Green Chariot Mountain ascended in rank two decades hence, that would bring the total to a full eight Fourth-Rank Spiritual Veins.

A full eight Fourth-Rank Spiritual Veins, combined with the presence of four Earth Veins [terrestrial energy veins that stabilize and nourish the land], provided resources ample enough to sustain over a dozen Golden Core Cultivators. If calculated based on the minimum stipend, it could even support twenty to thirty Golden Core Cultivators.

This was vastly different from the situation a century ago when Exquisite Jiang had just broken through to the Golden Core realm and did not even possess a single Fourth-Rank Spirit Mountain.

Back then, lacking resources to aid her cultivation and upgrade her magical treasure [an enchanted artifact used by cultivators], Exquisite Jiang had even been forced to sell several Golden Core Formation Pill [a precious pill that aids in forming a Golden Core]. Now, she was long past the point of needing to resort to selling Golden Core Formation Pill.

The reason for such a dramatic change over the span of a hundred years...

...lay primarily in the spoils of war and the critical importance of the Worldly Spiritual Root [a rare spiritual root that connects to and draws power from the world's ley lines].

Logically speaking, even though Eldrin Chen and Exquisite Jiang possessed strength comparable to the Golden Core Late Stage, they were merely three Golden Core cultivators. They should have been utterly incapable of defending so many Spirit Mountain [mountains imbued with concentrated spiritual energy].

Fortunately, the Yan Kingdom was located deep in the hinterlands, guarded by a True Lord [a powerful cultivator one realm above Golden Core] who feared no demonic calamity. The local powers, the couple Rising Sun Yuan, had been thoroughly subdued by Eldrin Chen. This allowed Xavier Xu to temporarily stabilize the situation and hold those two Fourth-Rank Spiritual Vein [a high-grade source of spiritual energy flowing through the earth]. Your portal to cultivation novels: audio—novel.com.

Furthermore, Green Sun Mountain, Heavenly Ruins Lake, Earth Lion Ridge, and Spirit Isle Lake were all linked by a Teleportation Formation [a magical array for instantaneous travel], which drastically reduced the pressure of defense.

Within the Chu Nation, the Firmament Sword Sect had suffered grievous losses, and the Purple Abyss Sect was a close confidante of Exquisite Jiang from their youth. Thus, no major troubles were likely to arise from that quarter for the time being.

This was the benefit of forging wide and deep friendships. Not only did the pair possess an extensive network of connections, but their own power was extraordinary, marking them clearly as seeds for the Infant Soul [the realm beyond Golden Core] realm. Aside from sworn enemies, few would dare to try and take advantage of them.

Once Green Chariot Mountain and Pingyang City ascended to Fourth-Rank Spiritual Vein, security concerns would actually be minimal. The reason was simple: these two Spiritual Vein [a vein of concentrated spiritual energy within the earth] were, at most, six thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] from Spirit Isle Lake.

With his current cultivation level, 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; at full speed, he could cover it in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea [a conventional short duration, roughly five to fifteen minutes].

Therefore, for a certain period at least, their safety was not an issue.

Of course, such a vast number of Fourth-Rank Spirit Mountain [mountains imbued with potent spiritual energy] brought resources that would make even the most elite Golden Core Immortal Clan [a clan founded by a Golden Core cultivator] covetous. They urgently needed to nurture more Golden Core Cultivator [cultivators who have condensed a Golden Core, the third major realm] to garrison these lands.

Only with six or seven Golden Core Cultivator stationed would they be considered truly secure.

Furthermore, to properly utilize the resources of these Spirit Mountain and set their operations in motion, they would need at least one hundred Violet Sanctum [cultivators of the Violet Sanctum realm, the second major realm] and over fifty thousand cultivators in total.

The Chen Clan currently had just over ten thousand cultivators, with barely more than ten Violet Sanctum. Even including the disciples and grand-disciples of Exquisite Jiang, the number fell short of twenty. To reach one hundred Violet Sanctum and fifty thousand cultivators would require at least one or two centuries of accumulation.

In truth, the Chen Clan was short-handed everywhere: tending Spiritual Field [fields nourished by spiritual energy for growing spiritual plants], guarding market towns, opening mines, alchemy and artifact forging, managing shops, instructing disciples, and manning the Treasure Ship [ships used for trade and transport by cultivators] that plied the various provinces. Every task demanded personnel.

The clan's various Grand Elder wished they could split a single person into five, yet still had to outsource many affairs to allied Immortal Clan like the Wei Clan, the Shyu Clan, and the Pan Clan for handling.

Regardless, with so many interests in hand, the profits generated from operating these industries gradually increased the wealth held by Exquisite Jiang and Eldrin Chen. If they could accumulate for a century, they might even afford a Nascent Soul Formation Pill [a legendary pill that aids in forming the Nascent Soul, the fourth major realm].

Even the legendary Earth Mother Energy [a primordial spiritual energy of immense purity] was said to have a price; given the right opportunity, it might not be impossible to purchase.

As the wealth of the two individuals grew, so too did the purses of the cultivators within the Chen Immortal Clan and the disciples and descendants of Exquisite Jiang. When the time came, offering the Golden Core Formation Pill to their own people at an internal price of one million Merits [a metaphysical "currency" representing good karma or virtuous deeds] would still be far more advantageous than selling it to outsiders. Read the full novel exclusively on *audio-novel.com*.