Chapter 372 : Forging Destiny Amidst the Golden Core

"Old Granduncle's innate talent, comprehension, and even the trials he has undergone are not lacking. Previously, he was merely short of a few opportunities."

Eldrin Chen gazed at the Spirit Fish in the pond, casually tossing in fish food.

He examined Old Patriarch carefully for a moment, then remarked, "It seems you have gained no small benefit from this, Uncle. To have actually broken through to the Golden Core 3rd Tier."

"The wondrous effects of the Creation Jade are extraordinary. This breakthrough of mine was an unexpected gain while I was mending my foundational roots."

Old Patriarch was a cultivator with Dual Spiritual Root, and the Lifebound Magical Treasure he refined could not compare to Eldrin Chen's five treasures. Furthermore, with Eldrin Chen's full support using the Spiritual Peach, his cultivation speed was exceedingly fast.

Eternal Profound Chen spoke, then paused thoughtfully before continuing, "Ethan broke through to the Violet Sanctum 9th Tier three years ago. It seems he will attempt to charge the Golden Core Realm within the next ten years."

"Kael broke through a little earlier than him. However, his Three Spiritual Roots and three Lifebound Magical Treasure will cause some delay. Still, he should also be able to attempt the Golden Core breakthrough before the Beast Tide arrives."

"Beyond them, Lior's cultivation is also progressing swiftly. He will likely attempt the Golden Core breakthrough around the time of the Beast Tide. We need to prepare Tribulation Transcendence Treasure for them."

Eldrin Chen nodded in agreement, pondering for a moment before asking, "We do not have many Fourth Rank Low-Grade magical treasure [enchanted artifacts used by cultivators] on hand. The Blazing Sun Void-Furnace suits you well and is not suitable for transcending the tribulation."

"Then let us forge a few more magical treasure [enchanted artifacts used by cultivators] specifically designed for transcending the tribulation." Discover more cultivation stories at audio-novel`com.

Old Patriarch [the venerable leader of the Chen Clan] said as he retrieved a list.

He handed the list to Eldrin Chen and said with a smile, "These are a few fourth-rank Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures [rare spiritual substances of exceptional quality] from the Clan Treasury. Choose several to refine into magical treasure [enchanted artifacts used by cultivators] for your Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [the heavenly trial of lightning that tests a cultivator's advancement]."

Eldrin Chen took it and glanced over it, discovering that there were a full seven pieces of fourth-rank Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures within the Clan Treasury.

Over the years, to enhance the power of their Lifebound Magical Treasure [a magical treasure bound to a cultivator's life force], both Eldrin Chen and Exquisite Jiang had consumed a considerable amount of fourth-rank Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. He hadn't expected so many to remain, which came as a pleasant surprise.

Noticing his expression, the Old Patriarch smiled faintly and explained, "Among these treasures, three were acquired by the clan's shops from minor families and rogue cultivators. The rest are the accumulated yield from the clan's several Earth Vein [spiritual energy veins within the earth] over the years."

"That simplifies matters,"

Eldrin Chen said with a light smile. With such an abundance of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, he could now select the materials most suited to withstanding the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation.

He selected three pieces of fourth-rank Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures: one piece of Abyssal Stone [a stone imbued with earth and water spiritual energies], one piece of Verdant Gold Mother Stone [a stone containing wood, earth, and metal spiritual energies], and one piece of Blazing Sun Gold Crystal [a crystal infused with fire and metal spiritual energies].

Among these three treasures, the Abyssal Stone possessed dual earth and water attributes. The Verdant Gold Mother Stone was a triple-attribute Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures of wood, earth, and metal. Finally, the Blazing Sun Gold Crystal was a Metal-Fire Dual Attribute Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.

These materials encompassed the five elemental attributes of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. With the exception of those possessing a Variant Spiritual Root [a rare spiritual root affinity for non-standard elements], any cultivator would be able to draw forth their maximum potential.

After selecting the treasures, Eldrin Chen said, "Since we are to forge magical treasure [enchanted artifacts used by cultivators] for the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [a cataclysmic trial of lightning and thunder faced by cultivators to ascend to higher realms], it is best to craft them all as defensive magical treasure. This will greatly increase our chances of success."

"Indeed, that is the wisest choice," Old Patriarch replied with a gentle smile.

Having chosen their Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures [rare and potent natural resources used in crafting and cultivation], the two immediately set to work forging Fourth Rank defensive magical treasure.

Both Eldrin Chen and Old Patriarch possessed exceptional skill in artifact forging. Working together, the process proceeded flawlessly, without the slightest mishap.

In merely three days, the Abyssal Stone [a deep, dark stone imbued with abyssal energies] was forged into an 'Abyssal Stone Cauldron' [a cauldron artifact forged from Abyssal Stone], the Verdant Gold Mother Stone [a precious ore that is the source of Verdant Gold] was transformed into a 'Verdant Gold Ancient Bell' [an ancient bell forged from Verdant Gold], and the final Blazing Sun Gold Crystal [a radiant crystal containing the essence of the blazing sun] was refined into a 'Blazing Sun Gold Pearl' [a defensive pearl forged from Blazing Sun Gold Crystal].

These three treasures were all defensive magical treasure of the Fourth Rank Low-Grade [a classification for powerful artifacts]. They possessed almost no offensive capabilities, but their defensive power ranked among the very pinnacle of Fourth Rank Low-Grade artifacts.

After the three treasures were successfully forged, Old Patriarch stored them away with evident satisfaction.

At that moment, Silas Chen approached. Her gaze swept over Eldrin Chen, a flicker of joy, swiftly concealed, passing through her eyes. She then spoke respectfully, "Greetings, Old Patriarch. Greetings, Uncle Eldrin."

"You have arrived," Eldrin Chen acknowledged.

Eldrin Chen looked at her, his eyes glinting with a subtle, thoughtful light.

Back in the day, Silas [the cultivator] had to attempt the Mortal Shell Tribulation [a tribulation faced when advancing to the Violet Sanctum realm] three consecutive times before finally breaking through to the Violet Sanctum Realm [the third major realm of cultivation], a process that delayed her by forty years.

Who would have thought she would now catch up in cultivation, having already reached the Violet Sanctum 8th Tier [the eighth level within the Violet Sanctum realm]. Furthermore, she is only around two hundred and thirty years old, and it seems she will be able to cultivate to the Great Perfection of Violet Sanctum [the peak of the Violet Sanctum realm] by the age of two hundred and sixty or so.

This cultivation progress is nearly on par with Caleb Chen [a fellow clan member], who broke through twenty years earlier than her, showing just how diligently this girl has been cultivating.

It must be understood that although she broke through to Violet Sanctum [the third major realm] on her own and received substantial resource rewards, her resources still could not compare to what the Old Patriarch [the former clan leader] had access to back then.

Thinking of this, Eldrin Chen [the current clan leader] felt a swell of paternal pride. This was, after all, the girl he had raised from childhood. "Your cultivation progress is not slow," he remarked with approval. "It seems you have been quite diligent these years."

"Take this Creation Verdant Origin Pill [a supreme-grade elixir that aids in forming the Golden Core]." For more chapters, visit audio–novel.com for the complete novel.

So saying, Eldrin Chen took out a jade vial and handed it to Silas Chen.

Accepting the vial, Silas Chen could not conceal her delight. Her fingers traced the smooth jade almost reverently, and a new light shone in her eyes.

"Thank you, Uncle Eldrin."

"With this pill, your hopes of breaking through to Golden Core [the fourth major realm of cultivation] in the future will be significantly increased."

Old Patriarch stroked his long beard with a smile and asked, "By the way, what brings you here today?"

Hearing his question, Silas Chen quickly snapped back to attention.

She glanced at Eldrin Chen before speaking up, "To answer you, Granduncle, although my cultivation has progressed steadily within the clan these years, I feel I have lacked sufficient tempering."

"Therefore, I wish to leave the clan for a time to travel and gain experience in the surrounding major Immortal Realm [regions where cultivators gather and spiritual energy is abundant], so that I may return better prepared to attempt my breakthrough into the Golden Core Realm [the third major stage of cultivation where one condenses a solid core of spiritual power]."

Upon hearing this, Eldrin Chen's brow furrowed slightly. He exchanged a look with the Old Patriarch before turning his gaze back.

He looked at Silas Chen and sighed softly. "Journeying the world holds considerable peril. However, with your current level of cultivation, you are indeed capable of traveling across several continents."

"But once you leave the Chu Nation, the risks become unknown. In unfamiliar lands, even a Violet Sanctum Cultivator [a cultivator at the fourth major stage, possessing a Violet Palace within their dantian] can fall prey to ambush and schemes. You must consider this carefully."

Silas Chen's expression shifted slightly, but she gritted her teeth and insisted, "The path I've walked these years has been too smooth. Without experiencing certain trials firsthand, one can never gain profound understanding."

"I believe I must undertake this journey if I am to have a chance at forging a Middle-Tier Golden Core [a Golden Core of solid, respectable quality, superior to the lowest grade]."

Eldrin Chen exchanged another glance with the Old Patriarch and sighed. "With your determination and conviction, it is truly a pity you did not achieve Self-Achieved Foundation Establishment [the ideal method of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage through one's own comprehension, without external aids]. Otherwise, you might have had a sliver of a chance to forge a Superior-Tier Golden Core [a Golden Core of the highest possible quality and potential]."

Silas Chen had not achieved Self-Achieved Foundation Establishment [a superior method of reaching the Foundation Establishment realm through one's own power, without external aids], and his foundational potential in his early years was actually quite poor. That he managed to break through to the Violet Sanctum [the third major realm of cultivation, where one opens a mystical palace within the dantian] three times without relying on external aids, relying solely on sheer willpower to forcibly subdue the Mortal Shell Tribulation [a painful tribulation where one's physical body is reforged], already marked him as a person of extraordinary obsession.

For from the moment of his first failure, it signified that he fundamentally could not endure that level of agony. Yet, under such unbearable circumstances, he charged forward three times in succession, ultimately relying on his obsession to conquer it. This depth of obsession was truly enough to inspire awe.

Alas, in the end, he was not of Self-Achieved Foundation Establishment. Missing that crucial step destined him to be unable to forge a Superior-Tier Golden Core [the highest grade of the Golden Core, representing immense potential and power]. This chapter appears courtesy of audio-novel`com.