Chapter 418 : The Verdant Chariot Formation

After its successful refinement, Old Patriarch exclaimed with excitement, "Once this Formation is activated, will it truly allow our clansmen to preserve their lives even if they fail in their attempt to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm?"

"According to the theoretical projections, there should be no issue," Eldrin Chen mused thoughtfully before continuing, "But let us test it first to be certain."

Carrying this set of Formation Tools, Eldrin Chen teleported back to Yu County and then soared on his sword towards Verdant Chariot Mountain.

Deploying this Formation required a Fourth Rank Spirit Vein [a high-grade source of spiritual energy], and he decided to establish it upon Verdant Chariot Mountain itself.

In truth, the Chen Clan possessed several Spirit Veins capable of supporting such a formation. However, locations like Heaven's Ruin Lake and Earth Lion Ridge were too close to the borders of the Demonic Tribe. Given the immense value of this formation, placing it on such a volatile frontline seemed unwise.

Spirit Isle Lake served as the secluded cultivation ground for Eldrin Chen and Lyra Jiang, and they naturally wished to avoid the constant disruptions of cultivators attempting breakthroughs. Pingyang City, with its large mortal population, would also be ill-suited, as frequent Foundation Establishment attempts would disturb the ordinary folk.

Verdant Chariot Mountain, with its high concentration of clan cultivators and sparse mortal presence, was the most fitting Dao Field for this purpose.

Returning to the matter at hand, Eldrin Chen personally oversaw the deployment. After seven days of meticulous work, the Formation was finally completed.

Once the formation was in place, he activated it himself. Seated upon the Formation Plate, he closed his eyes, his senses merging with the array's energies as he continuously calculated and verified its projected effects.

A long while later, he emerged from the formation's core. Old Patriarch could not contain himself and stepped forward eagerly. "Well? What is the result?" For the best reading experience, visit @udio-novel.com.

"With this Formation guarding them, the physical resilience of low-level cultivators, as well as the toughness of their meridians, should increase by a full fifty percent," he remarked, his voice carrying the weight of certainty.

Eldrin Chen spoke these words while meticulously calibrating the intricate patterns of the Formation.

Once his adjustments were complete, the Old Patriarch approached, leading a group of ten clan cultivators.

Surveying the assembled cultivators, Eldrin Chen's gaze paused, a flicker of recognition in his eyes as he addressed two particularly graceful young women. "Nianxuan, Siyan, what brings you here as well?"

"We pay our respects to the Ancient Ancestor," they chorused in unison.

Chen Nianxuan and Chen Siyan promptly bowed, their voices as clear and melodious as chiming bells.

This Chen Siyan possessed a Thunder Spiritual Root [a rare spiritual affinity attuned to the power of thunder and lightning], marking her as a rising star within the clan. A direct descendant of Chen Seraphina's lineage, she was considered a potential Golden Core [the third major realm of cultivation, where one's spiritual power condenses into a solid, golden-hued core] seed, her future prospects far from insignificant.

As for Chen Nianxuan, she was the daughter of Lior Chen and Chen Elara. While it was true that high-level cultivators often sired offspring of exceptional talent,

one had to acknowledge that the innate gifts of Lior Chen and his wife's children seemed to transcend ordinary limits.

Their eldest son, years past, had been blessed with a Wind Spiritual Root [a spiritual affinity aligned with the element of wind], but tragically perished after a failed Foundation Establishment [the second major realm, where a cultivator solidifies their spiritual foundation] attempt. This Chen Nianxuan, however, surpassed even that legacy by a considerable margin.

Chen Nianxuan was a cultivator with a Heavenly Spiritual Root [the highest grade of innate talent for cultivation]. She was a peerless genius of the Fire Spiritual Root [an innate affinity for the element of fire]. With such aptitude, her chances of forging a Superior Golden Core [the highest quality of core formation, leading to greater future potential] and breaking through to the Nascent Soul [the spiritual embryo stage where one's soul begins to manifest independently] realm in the future were exceedingly high.

This Chen Nianxuan was merely sixteen years of age, yet she had already cultivated to the Great Perfection of the Qi Refinement [the initial stage of cultivation where one refines the body's vital energy] realm. With a touch of youthful naivety in her voice, she declared, "I have come to attempt Self-Guided Foundation Establishment [the process of building one's cultivation foundation without external aids like elixirs]."

Seeing her determination, Eldrin Chen spoke with grave seriousness, "This Formation [a structured arrangement of energy channels and artifacts used to manipulate ambient spiritual power] is being used for the first time. There may be imperfections. You must consider this carefully."

"I understand," she replied.

That Chen Nianxuan nodded, her expression resolute as she spoke.

Seeing her agreement, Eldrin Chen could only say, "You may begin."

After the group entered the Formation, Eldrin Chen activated the Spirit Gathering Dao Protection Formation [a formation designed to concentrate spiritual energy and shield cultivators during critical breakthroughs]. He then settled into quiet observation, awaiting the outcome of their attempts at Foundation Establishment [the critical stage where a cultivator solidifies their spiritual foundation].

This breakthrough attempt did not drag on. Merely a little over two months later, they emerged one after another from their Seclusion Chamber [a specially prepared room for undisturbed meditation and cultivation].

Among the ten aspirants, a total of three succeeded in their breakthrough: Chen Nianxuan, Chen Siyan, and a youth from the Zu Generation [a specific generational cohort within the clan hierarchy]. This youth was named Chen Zoran.

This result was within Eldrin Chen's expectations. For someone like Chen Nianxuan with a Heavenly Spiritual Root, breaking through to Foundation Establishment faced almost no bottleneck; the chance of failure was less than one in ten.

For Chen Siyan, who possessed a Thunder Spiritual Root [a rare spiritual affinity for the element of thunder], her chances of successfully breaking through to the Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation where one solidifies their spiritual foundation] exceeded fifty percent. Her success was well within expectations.

As for Chen Zoran, he had gambled on a mere one-in-ten chance. However, being a rare bearer of Four Spiritual Roots [possessing four of the five elemental spiritual affinities, which is considered a mediocre aptitude], his self-guided success spoke volumes of his extraordinary willpower and determination.

Yet, for Eldrin Chen, these three successful individuals were not his primary focus of observation.

He gave a slight nod, produced a few small trinkets, and handed them to the trio. With an encouraging smile, he said, "You have done well. Take these and cultivate diligently."

"Our deepest gratitude, Ancient Ancestor."

Delight washed over all three faces, particularly that of Chen Zoran. As a cultivator with Four Spiritual Roots, his personal wealth was far meager compared to the other two women, who had the backing of Golden Core [the fourth major realm, where one forms a solidified golden core of spiritual energy] and Purple Mansion [the third major realm, where one opens and refines their spiritual sea] elders. Published by audio-novel . com. All rights reserved.

The seemingly casual trinkets bestowed by Eldrin Chen were worth a decade of his stipend, enough to smooth his cultivation path considerably in the years to come.

After the three had departed, Eldrin Chen turned his gaze upon the seven who had failed in their breakthrough attempts.

As he had anticipated, all seven had, at the very least, preserved their lives despite their failure.

Yet, when Eldrin Chen extended his divine sense [a cultivator's heightened spiritual awareness] to probe their internal conditions, a deep frown etched itself upon his brow after a long moment of silence.

The Old Patriarch approached, examined them, and shook his head. "Their lives are preserved, but the meridians within their bodies are almost completely severed," he said.

"This type of injury is far too severe. Their path of cultivation will likely be severed forever."

"It seems this method still has significant flaws."

Eldrin Chen shook his head and took out several Third RankHealing Pill [a potent pill for mending severe injuries] to treat their wounds.

However, the energy contained within a Third RankSpirit Pill [a high-grade pill infused with spiritual energy] is immense. Even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator must exercise extreme caution when consuming one, let alone these severely wounded Qi Refinement Cultivators.

In the past, when Eldrin Chen ingested the Third Rank Low Grade Mysterious Jade Pill, he had to wait until his mana was comparable to the ninth layer of the Foundation Establishment realm before daring to consume it. These Qi Refinement Cultivators, gravely injured as they were, were in an even more precarious position.

With no other choice, Eldrin Chen used his own mana to dissolve the pill's essence, gradually channeling it into their bodies to slowly mend their injuries.

A long while later, their wounds had improved considerably. Eldrin Chen sighed and said, "There are too many points of severed meridians. Even with a Third RankSpirit Pill for healing, it will require a full decade of recuperation to fully recover."

The Old Patriarch also shook his head, his tone resigned. "While a Golden Core Cultivator dissolving a Pill to aid their healing can indeed preserve their cultivation path, the process is far too cumbersome."

"Moreover, a Third Rank Pill is worth a fortune. The cost of mending a cultivation path in this manner is prohibitively high, making it impractical for widespread use."

Eldrin Chen nodded, finally understanding why, throughout countless years, no one had ever been able to completely resolve the fatal flaw of failure and death associated with Self-Guided Foundation Establishment.

Low-level cultivators possess insufficient physical constitution and mana, rendering many high-level methods far too potent and violent for them to endure.

A single Third Rank Low Grade Pill contains energy nearly a hundredfold greater than the total energy within a low-level cultivator's body; even if given to heal you, you would have no capacity to absorb it.

While high-level body tempering arts and body-refining treasure Pill possess extraordinary effects, their excessively high grade also means low-level cultivators simply cannot utilize them.

A single Second Rank Middle Grade Pill is enough to completely overwhelm and rupture a Qi Refinement Cultivators, let alone other exceptionally potent methods.

Having reached this understanding, Eldrin Chen pondered for another moment before speaking. "The path of Formation arrays has nearly reached its limit."

"Perhaps we can employ other methods to increase a cultivator's meridian resilience."

Old Patriarch's eyes flickered with a hint of movement. "What do you mean?"

Eldrin Chen nodded, and after a long pause, replied, "The physical tolerance of Qi Refinement Cultivators is limited; at most, they can only ingest Second Rank Low Grade Pill."

"Currently, the most widely circulated Second Rank Low Grade Meridian Tempering Pill in the Chu Kingdom can enhance meridian strength by approximately thirty percent."

"I shall attempt once more, to see if I can push its refinement a step further." Dive deeper into the Dao at audio—novel.com.