Chapter 360 : The Perilous Path of Self-Guided Ascension

Lior Chen had remained solitary in his earlier years, without a Dao companion or any concubines. For a long time, he and Chen Elara had only shared a mutual fondness, yet they never took the step to be together.

It was only in recent years, after the Qing Generation was left with just the two of them, that he and Chen Elara finally bared their hearts to each other and became a pair of Dao companions.

After the two became Dao companions, Chen Elara gave birth to a son, who was Nian Dao Chen.

Nian Dao Chen possessed extraordinary talent, being a cultivator with a Wind Spiritual Root. He was only nineteen years old this year and was held in extremely high regard by the clan, believed to have the potential to reach the Golden Core realm.

However, the path of Self-Guided Foundation Establishment is one of all or nothing—failure means death. Even Nian Dao Chen, with his Anomalous Spiritual Root, fell on this very road.

"Alas."

Eldrin Chen also sighed. Even with an Anomalous Spiritual Root, the chance of success for Self-Guided Foundation Establishment was merely fifty percent.

Even with the aid of an Essence Gathering Pill [a pill that concentrates spiritual energy to aid in cultivation breakthroughs], the probability only rose to sixty percent. This was not a low chance, yet neither was it particularly high.

Within the clan in recent years, many cultivators had attempted the path of Self-Guided Foundation Establishment. The previous bearer of a Thunder Spiritual Root, Chen Soren, had also fallen on this very path.

Self-Guided Foundation Establishment, the Mortal Tribulation [a tribulation faced during cultivation advancement], and the self-guided breakthrough to Golden Core—these are three of the great trials one must pass to forge a Superior Golden Core. This is a path fraught with peril and hardship. Support the author by reading on audio–novel.com.

Aside from cultivators with a Heavenly Spiritual Root [the highest grade of spiritual root, granting immense talent], those in this world who dare claim they are certain to forge a Superior Golden Core [the highest quality of Golden Core, representing immense potential] are truly exceedingly rare. Countless cultivators have stumbled and fallen upon this very path.

Lior Chen had placed immense hope in Nian Dao Chen, yet he could never have imagined his son would falter at this very first step. This blow struck him with devastating force.

Old Patriarch also shook his head, speaking with helpless resignation, "In the face of such a matter, any form of consolation is but a pale and powerless gesture."

"Your Uncle Lior had a son late in life, and now he, with hair of white, must send off one with hair of black. Go and speak with him."

"That is all we can do."

So saying, Eldrin Chen strode out of the grand hall.

He rode his sword to Verdant Chariot Mountain, and indeed found Lior Chen within the Back Mountain.

"Have you also come to offer me comfort?"

Lior Chen stood silently before the courtyard, a solitary figure. He was a cultivator of the Purple Mansion Late Stage Cultivators [a high stage of cultivation], merely two hundred and some years of age—truly in the prime of his life. Yet now, his frame seemed subtly bowed, burdened by an unseen weight.

Eldrin Chen simply stood quietly beside him, offering no words, merely his presence for a long, silent while.

After a long while, he answered with a question of his own: "Do you believe the dead can return to life?"

"If the dead could be revived, it would defy the Heavenly Dao Cycle of Reincarnation [the cosmic principle governing life, death, and rebirth]. How could such a thing be possible?"

Lior Chen's brow furrowed slightly before he shook his head and replied.

Eldrin Chen nodded, offering no rebuttal. Instead, he pointed to a withered stalk of grass nearby.

"Uncle, watch."

Lior Chen lifted his gaze. He saw Eldrin Chen channel his mana [the cultivated spiritual energy wielded by cultivators], pouring it into the lifeless plant.

As the mana flowed, a wisp of vitality sparked within the withered stalk. Death reversed into life; the plant sprouted anew, unfurling leaves and finally blooming into a delicate, vibrant flower.

Having accomplished this, Eldrin Chen gazed at the blossom before him and posed another question: "Uncle, why do you think this plant's vitality could be restored?"

"Because your mana nurtured it. Your profound cultivation reversed its fate."

"If reviving a person defies the Heavenly Dao, then did my act of reviving this plant today also defy it?"

Eldrin Chen spoke, a flash of sharpness passing through his eyes in that instant.

He plucked the flower, held it to his nose for a light sniff, and said calmly, "Mortals cannot revive this flower, and cultivators cannot revive a person. But this is merely a matter of insufficient power."

"In my view, so-called limits of human capability are simply a lack of sufficient strength."

"If human power is insufficient, then surpassing human limits to become an immortal or a demon—would that suffice? I believe it would at least be enough to help them recover their memories."

"Moreover, defying fate and seeking that sliver of hope is the very pursuit of cultivators like us."

"If I were you..." The story continues at audio - novel . com.

Eldrin Chen paused, glancing at Lior Chen.

He sighed and finally strode out, leaving only his lingering words behind: "I would only strive to become stronger, not wallow in despondency and lose all will to fight."

After Eldrin Chen departed, Lior Chen stood in place, silent for a long while.

Finally, he straightened his spine, a fiery resolve kindling in his gaze as he watched the receding figure and said.

"Eldrin, I understand."

Watching Lior Chen reclaim his Dao-heart [the cultivator's core conviction and will to pursue the Dao], Eldrin Chen let out a faint sigh of relief.

If Lior Chen had failed to emerge from his despair this time, it would have been exceedingly difficult for him to ever break through to the Golden Core realm. Now that he had reforged his resolve, transforming his loss into a driving obsession, it might actually increase his chances of achieving that Golden Core breakthrough.

He did not linger long at Verdant Chariot Mountain. Eldrin Chen returned to Spirit Isle Lake for a couple of days, then proceeded to the Firmament Sword Sect.

Within the Fourth Rank Sword-Cleansing Pool of the Firmament Sword Sect, he began the process of cleansing and refining his Heavenly Separated Twin Swords.

The Sword-Cleansing Pool possessed remarkable efficacy. It could not only enhance the power of an immortal sword but also purge impurities from within its blade and strengthen the very material of the sword's body.

Over their journey, Eldrin Chen's Heavenly Separated Twin Swords had absorbed numerous artificing materials. For instance, the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss had, over time, been fused with six or seven different materials, including Millennium Crimson Iron, Li Fire Crystal, Western Pole Metallic Essence, and Blazing Fire Gold Crystal.

While these materials had greatly augmented the swords' might, their differing natures inevitably left behind some residual impurities, despite years of careful nurturing and tempering.

Beyond simply increasing their power, his primary goal for this cleansing was to utilize the Sword-Cleansing Pool's power to thoroughly refine away these lingering impurities from the Heavenly Separated Twin Swords. This preparation was crucial for their future evolution, paving the way for them to absorb even higher-grade materials and ultimately ascend into Lifebound Spiritual Treasure.

As Eldrin Chen's cultivation deepened, the path to further evolving his Life-Bound Magical Treasure into a Lifebound Spiritual Treasure required meticulous groundwork, and this cleansing was a vital step in that long-term preparation.

Deducing the method to forge a Lifebound Spiritual Treasure [a spiritual treasure intrinsically bound to a cultivator's soul] was no small feat. Fortunately, Eldrin Chen possessed exceptional comprehension. Having successively obtained the forging methods for three such treasures—the Ancient Vast Sea Scroll, the Setting Sun Wheel, and the Moonlight Wheel—he was confident in his ability to succeed.

Thus, he was certain that before his breakthrough into the Nascent Soul [the realm where a cultivator's spirit forms an independent soul entity], he could deduce the method to elevate his Heavenly Separated Twin Swords into Lifebound Spiritual Treasure.

His current act of refining and cleansing the twin swords was preparation for their future ascension. For only a Lifebound Spiritual Treasure could ultimately advance into a Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure [a treasure of supreme rank capable of subduing demons]. This matter was crucial, directly impacting Eldrin Chen's combat prowess and his chances of surviving the Nascent Soul Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [the catastrophic thunder tribulation one must endure to form a Nascent Soul].

There was no doubt. Eldrin Chen, who had forged a Great Luo Golden Core [a supreme-grade Golden Core representing the pinnacle of foundation], would undoubtedly face a Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [a heavenly trial of thunder and lightning] upon his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm—a tribulation far beyond ordinary imagination.

Thus, Eldrin Chen secluded himself within the Firmament Sword Sect for a full ten years, finally completing the cleansing and refinement of his Heavenly Separated Twin Swords.

Upon returning to Yu County from the Firmament Sword Sect, Eldrin Chen found that Lyra Jiang had emerged from her own cultivation seclusion. A smile of genuine delight spread across his face the moment he saw her.

"You've broken through to the sixth layer of the Golden Core [the realm where spiritual energy condenses into a solid core]. It seems it's time to prepare the Cloud-Returning Creation Pill [a high-grade pill that aids in cultivation breakthroughs] for you," he said.

"I only broke through a few years ago; it's not particularly urgent yet," she replied, her gaze lingering on him. Then she added, "Lila attempted to break into the Golden Core realm last year. Though she failed to fully form her core, she did advance to the False Core Realm [a quasi-Golden Core state]. I sent her a Yang-Returning Calamity-Dispelling Pill [a pill that restores vitality and dispels lingering tribulation effects]."

"Such matters are well within your purview to handle," Eldrin Chen affirmed with a nod. Support the author by reading on audio-novel dot com.