Chapter 418 : The Life-Preserving Formation

After its completion, Old Patriarch exclaimed excitedly, "Once this formation is activated, can it truly preserve the lives of our clansmen even if they fail their Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation] breakthrough?"

"According to the deductions, there should be no issue," Eldrin Chen mused before continuing, "Let us test it first and see."

Taking this set of Formation Artifact [enchanted artifacts used to anchor and power a formation], Eldrin Chen teleported back to Yu County and then flew on his sword to Green Chariot Mountain.

Deploying this Formation [a structured arrangement of energy channels and artifacts to produce specific magical effects] required a Fourth-Rank Spiritual Vein [a ley line of concentrated spiritual energy, ranked fourth in potency], so he decided to establish it upon Green Chariot Mountain.

In truth, the Chen Clan possessed several Spiritual Vein [natural conduits of concentrated spiritual energy] suitable for this formation. However, Heavenly Ruins Lake and Earth Lion Ridge were positioned too close to the Demon Race [a race of beings that cultivate demonic energy]. Given the immense value of this formation, placing it on such a frontline was likely unwise.

Spirit Isle Lake was the secluded cultivation ground for Eldrin Chen and Exquisite Jiang, and they naturally wished to avoid the constant disruptions of breakthrough attempts. Pingyang City housed too many mortals, and frequent Foundation Establishment breakthroughs there would disturb them.

Green Chariot Mountain, with its high concentration of clan cultivators and sparse mortal population, was the most fitting Path-Field [a designated area for cultivation and clan activities] for this formation.

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

Once the Formation was complete, he personally activated it. Seated upon the formation's core array disk, he closed his eyes to sense its flows, continuously calculating and verifying the formation's intended effects.

A long while later, he emerged from the Formation. Old Patriarch could not help but step forward and ask, "Well? How is it?" Your portal to cultivation novels: audio-novel-dot-com.

"With this formation guarding them, the physical strength of low-level cultivators, and even the resilience of their meridians, should increase by a full fifty percent."

Eldrin Chen spoke as he continued to calibrate the Formation [a complex arrangement of energy channels and nodes used for defense, cultivation, or other mystical purposes].

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

Surveying the ten cultivators before him, Eldrin Chen's gaze shifted, settling on two beautiful young maidens. "Remembrance Gem, Thinking Swallow," he inquired, "why have you come as well?"

"We pay our respects to the Patriarch."

Remembrance Gem Chen and Thinking Swallow Chen promptly bowed, their voices clear and melodious.

This Thinking Swallow Chen was a cultivator with a Thunder Spiritual Root [an innate affinity for the element of thunder and lightning, granting exceptional talent in related cultivation arts], a rising star within the clan. A direct descendant of Seraphina Chen's lineage, she was considered a potential Golden Core [the third major realm of cultivation, where one condenses their spiritual energy into a solid, golden core] seed, her future potential far from insignificant.

As for Remembrance Gem Chen, she was the daughter of Lior Chen and Verdant Grace Chen. While it was true that high-level cultivators were more likely to sire offspring of exceptional talent,

one had to admit that the natural gifts of Lior Chen and his wife's children were truly extraordinary, far surpassing the ordinary.

Their eldest son in the past had possessed a Wind Spiritual Root [an innate affinity for the element of wind], but tragically perished after failing his Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation, where one solidifies their spiritual foundation] breakthrough. This Remembrance Gem Chen, however, surpassed even that by a significant margin.

Remembrance Gem Chen was a cultivator with a Heavenly Spiritual Root [the highest grade of innate talent for cultivation]. She was a peerless prodigy with a Fire Spiritual Root [an innate affinity for the element of fire]. With such aptitude, her chances of forging a Superior-Tier Golden Core [the highest grade of the Golden Core cultivation stage] and breaking through to Infant Soul [the Primordial Spirit stage] in the future were exceedingly great.

This Remembrance Gem Chen was merely sixteen years of age, yet she had already cultivated to the Great Perfection of Vital Essence Refinement [the first major stage of cultivation, focusing on refining the body's vital energy]. With a hint of youthful naivety in her tone, she declared, "I have come to achieve Self-Achieved Foundation Establishment [the Foundation Establishment stage attained through one's own power and resources, without external aid]."

Seeing her resolve, Eldrin Chen spoke with grave seriousness, "This is the first time I am employing this Formation [a structured arrangement of energy nodes and patterns used to channel power for various purposes]. There may be imperfections. You must consider this carefully."

"I understand."

Remembrance Gem Chen nodded, her expression resolute as she affirmed.

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

Once the group had entered the Formation, Eldrin Chen activated the Spirit-Gathering Path-Protection Formation [a formation designed to concentrate ambient spiritual energy and shield the cultivator during breakthroughs]. He then settled into quiet observation, awaiting the outcome of their Foundation Establishment [the second major stage of cultivation, where one lays a solid foundation for their future path].

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

Among the ten, a total of three had succeeded in their breakthrough: Remembrance Gem Chen, Thinking Swallow Chen, and a youth from the Ancestor generation named Ancestor Heaven Chen.

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

For Thinking Swallow Chen, who possessed a Thunder Spiritual Root, the odds of successfully breaking through to Foundation Establishment exceeded fifty percent, so her success was well within expectations.

As for Ancestor Heaven Chen, he had gambled on a mere one-in-ten chance. However, being a rare cultivator with four Spiritual Roots attempting to reach Foundation Establishment, his self-reliant success spoke volumes about a willpower that held its own Extraordinary qualities.

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 gratitude, Patriarch."

Delight washed over all three faces, particularly that of Ancestor Heaven Chen. As a cultivator with only four Spiritual Roots, his personal wealth was far meager compared to the other two women, who had the backing of Golden Core and Violet Sanctum elders. This content originates from audio-novel.com (official site). Please respect copyright.

The 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.

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

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] into their bodies, a deep frown etched itself upon his brow after a long moment of scrutiny.

The Old Patriarch approached from the side. After examining them, he shook his head and said, "Their lives have been preserved, but the meridians [the energy channels within a cultivator's body] within them are almost completely severed."

"This type of injury is far too severe. Their future cultivation Path will likely be utterly cut off."

"It seems this method still has significant flaws."

Eldrin Chen shook his head and took out several Third-Rank Pill healing elixirs to treat their wounds.

However, the energy contained within a Third-Rank Pill is immense; even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator must exercise extreme caution when consuming one.

Back when Eldrin Chen had taken a Third Rank Lower Grade Mystic Jade Pill, he had dared to do so only after his magic power had reached the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment. How much more so for these severely injured Vital Essence Refinement cultivators?

With no other choice, Eldrin Chen could only use his own magic power to dissolve the elixirs, gradually channeling the medicinal essence into their bodies to slowly mend their injuries.

A long while later, their wounds had improved considerably. Only then did Eldrin Chen sigh and say, "There are too many points of severed meridians. Even with Third-Rank Pill healing elixirs, they will need to recuperate for ten years to fully recover."

The Old Patriarch also shook his head, saying helplessly, "While a Golden Core Cultivator dissolving pills to heal them can indeed preserve their cultivation Path, it is far too troublesome a process."

"Moreover, the value of a Third-Rank Pill is astronomical. The cost of mending a Path in this manner is simply too great; it cannot be widely implemented."

Eldrin Chen nodded, finally understanding why, throughout countless years, no one had ever been able to completely resolve the immense flaw of failure and death associated with Self-Achieved Foundation Establishment [a method of establishing one's cultivation foundation without external aid, carrying high risk].

Low-level cultivators possess insufficient physical constitution and spiritual power, rendering many high-level techniques far too potent and violent for their bodies to withstand.

A single Third Rank Lower Grade elixir [a high-grade cultivation pill] contains energy nearly a hundredfold greater than the total energy within a low-level cultivator's body. Even if offered for healing, they simply lack the capacity to absorb it.

While high-level body-tempering arts and treasures or pills that refine the physique possess extraordinary effects, their elevated grade often makes them utterly unusable for cultivators of lower realms.

A single Second Rank Mid-Grade pill is enough to cause a Vital Essence Refinement [the initial stage of cultivation focused on refining one's vital energy] cultivator to burst from the overwhelming energy, let alone other potent methods.

With this realization, Eldrin Chen fell into contemplation once more before speaking. "The path of Formation [using arrays and formations] has nearly reached its absolute limit."

"Perhaps we can employ other methods to enhance the strength of a cultivator's meridians [the energy channels within the body]."

The Old Patriarch's eyes flickered slightly. "What do you mean?"

Eldrin Chen nodded, and after a long moment, he replied, "The physical endurance of a Vital Essence Refinement cultivator is limited. At most, they can only ingest Second Rank Low-Grade pills."

"Currently, the most widely circulated Second Rank Low-Grade Meridian-Tempering Pill [a pill specifically for strengthening energy channels] in Chu Nation can enhance meridian strength by approximately thirty percent."

"Let me try once more, to see if I can push its refinement a step further." Read, share, and discuss at audio‑novel.com.