Chapter 373 : Farewells and Hidden Thunder

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Eldrin Chen let out a sigh and said, "Let it be. Remember this on your journey: do not trust anyone lightly."

"I have a few items for you to take with you."

Before her departure, Eldrin Chen gave her the Fourth Rank Defensive Magical Treasure 'Blazing Sun Gold Pearl'. He also presented her with three Fourth Rank Spirit Talisman [powerful enchanted scrolls] to serve as her ultimate trump cards.

The Fourth Rank Spirit Talisman personally inscribed by Eldrin Chen were all exceptionally potent. Among them was a Twofold Divine Thunder Talisman [a talisman that unleashes a devastating dual-element thunder strike]; this talisman was powerful enough to slay even a Golden Core, Early Stage cultivator.

To inscribe this Spirit Talisman, Eldrin Chen had even utilized leather from a Golden Core Demon King [a demonic beast lord of the Golden Core realm], crafting it as her final, decisive weapon.

With these treasures in hand, given her Golden Core, Late Stage cultivation, she would be formidable enough to contend with a False Core Cultivator [a cultivator who has formed an inferior, unstable Golden Core]. Even an ordinary Golden Core, Early Stage cultivator who dared to attack her would likely suffer grievous losses.

Silas Chen received the treasures, visibly moved. With lingering glances and reluctant steps, she finally departed from the clan, carrying her sorrow with her.

After bidding farewell to Silas Chen, Eldrin Chen returned to Spirit Isle Lake and resumed his idyllic, immortal-like life with Lyra Jiang.

Their days were filled with playing the zither, discussing the Dao, cultivating their arts, and deriving new techniques—a life of profound contentment and effortless joy.

Time flowed by in this manner, swift and unrelenting. In the blink of an eye, another ten years had passed. Visit audio-novel.com (official site) to enjoy the complete series.

On this day, Lyra Jiang sat by the boat's edge, her bare feet dipped in the water, her cheeks resting in her palms as she gazed at him, her eyes reflecting his image.

Beneath the setting sun, he was clad in robes white as snow, playing the zither while drifting on the lake, possessing an aura that seemed to transcend the mundane world.

After an indeterminate time, Eldrin Chen concluded his melody, his fingers stilling the strings as he smiled and said, "Just now, my cultivation art completed a full cycle, and I vaguely sensed my mana becoming perfectly harmonious. It seems the time has come to break through to the Golden Core, Mid Stage."

"Truly?"

Lyra Jiang's joy lit up her face. "I will stand guard for you," she said.

"I am in your debt, my lady."

Eldrin Chen put away the ancient zither and rose to his full height with a smile.

Returning to the Seclusion Chamber, Eldrin Chen took out and consumed a single Cloud-Returning Tribulation-Breaking Pill.

An ordinary Golden Core Cultivator seeking to advance to the Golden Core, Mid Stage would typically require two or three Cloud-Returning Tribulation-Breaking Pill.

He possessed a Great Luo Golden Core [the highest grade of Golden Core foundation] and was aided by his Five Lifebound Magical Treasures. In principle, breaking through to the Golden Core, Mid Stage presented no significant bottleneck; it merely required a period of refinement lasting one Jiazi-time [a sixty-year cycle] before the breakthrough could be achieved.

Now, the Cloud-Returning Tribulation-Breaking Pill [a rare elixir that aids in breaking through cultivation bottlenecks] was merely the catalyst. As he swallowed the pill, his spiritual power surged violently within moments, beginning its assault on the barrier of the Golden Core, Mid Stage [the fourth major stage of cultivation, where one's spiritual power condenses into a solid, golden core].

The process was as natural as water flowing downhill, succeeding in a mere half a month.

"It is done."

Sensing the spiritual power coursing within him, Eldrin Chen could not contain his elation.

Having now broken through to the Golden Core, Mid Stage, his spiritual power had surged by forty to fifty percent. With just a bit of refinement and tempering, his reserves would rival those of a cultivator at the Golden Core Seventh Layer [the seventh minor layer within the Golden Core stage].

Most crucially, his Life-Bound Magical Treasure [a magical artifact bound to a cultivator's soul, growing in power with them] could now advance further, becoming a Fourth Rank High Grade Supreme Grade Lifebound Magical Treasure [a pinnacle-tier artifact at the fourth rank, representing the peak of its current evolutionary path].

At this stage, the Life-Bound Magical Treasure had reached the limit of its current path. If Eldrin Chen wished for it to continue its ascent, he would need to evolve it into a Lifebound Spiritual Treasure [a higher-order artifact that has gained a nascent spiritual awareness and greater potential].

And the evolution of this Lifebound Spiritual Treasure would be the paramount focus of his cultivation for the next century.

After emerging from seclusion, Eldrin Chen immediately went to the Clan Treasury and ordered the clan to allocate Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the balanced power of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, used to empower artifacts].

However, after reviewing the ledgers, he discovered the clan's stores of Five Elements Essence were only sufficient to advance two of his Life-Bound Magical Treasure.

It was still Lyra Jiang who mobilized the Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] accumulated by the Heaven's Ruin Sect over several decades, finally gathering enough for the five Supreme Grade Magical Treasure [the highest grade of enchanted artifact] to advance.

With the Five Elements Essence gathered, Eldrin Chen began refining his Life-Bound Magical Treasure [a magical treasure bound to a cultivator's life force] while speaking to Lyra Jiang. "Advancing a single Supreme Grade Magical Treasure consumes Five Elements Essence worth one million Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation]."

"In the future, when we advance our Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure [a supreme treasure capable of subduing demons], each one will require Five Elements Essence worth ten million Spirit Stone. Such an immense investment is something the vast majority of Golden Core Immortal Clan [an immortal clan with a Golden Core cultivator as its pillar] could never sustain."

Lyra Jiang assisted him in refining the Life-Bound Magical Treasure, a faint smile gracing her lips. "The Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure possesses boundless power. Its value exceeds one hundred Origin Heaven Crystal [a crystal of condensed primordial heavenly essence]. Many cultivators at the Nascent Soul, Early Stage [the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm] possess only one or two such treasures, a testament to their rarity."

"To successfully advance a Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure, one must not only deduce the method for promoting a Lifebound Spiritual Treasure [a spiritual treasure bound to one's life and cultivation] but also attain the Nascent Soul [the realm where a cultivator forms a nascent soul] in cultivation."

"Furthermore, one must integrate Fifth Rank Heaven Treasure [a treasure of the fifth rank, a heavenly-grade material] such as Star Fragment [fragments of fallen stars imbued with celestial power] into it, enabling it to survive the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [a tribulation of heavenly thunder that tests artifacts and cultivators] and ascend successfully." Read the full novel exclusively on audio_novel.com.

As she spoke, a flicker of longing passed through her eyes.

Lyra Jiang possessed a top-tier Dao Body [a special physique aligned with the Dao, granting unique cultivation advantages]. Once she broke through to the Nascent Soul realm, her Dao Body could nourish and allow her Life-Bound Magical Treasure to advance ahead of schedule.

However, the method for advancing a Lifebound Spiritual Treasure, coupled with the exorbitant cost and sheer rarity of Fifth Rank [pertaining to the fifth cultivation rank, equivalent to the Nascent Soul realm] treasures—items as elusive as they are precious—meant that even with her current capabilities, she had yet to obtain them.

"Fifth Rank treasures... it seems we must begin making plans."

Eldrin Chen stated calmly, then continued refining the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss without another word.

This refinement process lasted three months. Eldrin Chen expended five hundred strands of Dual Separated Flame and Metallic Essence Qi to successfully advance the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss.

Upon its successful advancement, his eyes narrowed slightly. He sensed that after reaching the Supreme Grade Magical Treasure rank, the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss had exhausted its latent potential.

For it to ascend to a Demon-Subduing Supreme Treasure by the time he reached the Golden Core, Late Stage, three conditions must be met.

First, it required three wisps of Primordial Essence to further elevate the sword's foundational nature and unlock the shackles preventing its promotion to a Lifebound Spiritual Treasure.

Second, the formation runes of the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss needed to be evolved from the Magical Treasure grade to the Lifebound Spiritual Treasure grade.

Third, a piece of exceedingly rare Fifth Rank Heaven and Earth Treasures was necessary. Such treasures are extraordinarily precious, each valued at over thirty Heavenly Crystal [a highly purified and potent form of spiritual energy crystal], a price not inferior to that of a Nascent Soul Formation Pill [a legendary pill that aids in forming the Nascent Soul].

Understanding these three conditions, Eldrin Chen said, "To obtain a Fifth Rank Heaven and Earth Treasures, we will need to strategize extensively."

"Indeed."

Lyra Jiang nodded thoughtfully and said, "Currently, the only place where a Fifth Rank Heaven and Earth Treasures might exist is likely within the Demonic Spring [a fount of potent, chaotic demonic energy] at Demonic Ape Ridge—specifically, the Star Fragment [a celestial shard imbued with cosmic power] rumored to be there."

"Beyond that, within the ruins of the Flaming Prison Sea of Fire in the Heavenly Abode Continent, there may also be Fifth Rank treasures [artifacts or resources of immense power, corresponding to the Nascent Soul realm]."

"For now, neither of these places is something we can conquer."

Eldrin Chen shook his head as he spoke, for they could not invite powerful allies to assist in attacking these locations.

Otherwise, even if they succeeded, the most precious treasures would undoubtedly fall into the hands of those stronger cultivators. Therefore, they themselves had to be the main force in any assault.

Yet, with their current strength, they still fell somewhat short of being able to seize the ruins within the Demonic Ape Ridge and the Flaming Prison Sea of Fire.

Lyra Jiang pondered for a moment before saying, "In a few more years, after I break through to the Golden Core, Late Stage, we can make plans for the Demonic Ape Ridge."

"Furthermore, we must not neglect the Ji Continent Barter Convention [a grand gathering where cultivators trade rare resources and treasures]. There's always a chance that a Fifth Rank Heaven and Earth Treasures [a treasure of supreme quality, born from the convergence of heaven and earth's essence] might be offered for trade."

"Hmm."

Eldrin Chen nodded, a faint smile gracing his lips. "Once the Beast Tide Calamity [a periodic, devastating invasion of demonic beasts] concludes, we shall journey across the Ji Continent. We'll seek ways to acquire some Heavenly Crystal [a purified, high-density form of Spirit Stone, used by high-level cultivators] and, while we're at it, see if we can find any Fifth Rank Heaven and Earth Treasures." Continue reading this story at audio-novel dot com.