Chapter 434 : The Uprooted Spiritual Root

Listening to Old Patriarch's thoughts, Eldrin Chen pondered for a long while.

He picked up a piece and placed it on the board, then spoke calmly: "Transplanting the Enlightenment Tea Tree is no easy task. Once moved to the Hundred-Thousand-Mile Wilderness [a vast, untamed expanse of wilderness], I fear it would suffer grievous harm, requiring a full century of rest to recover."

"However, after the transplant, if we nourish it with three mouthfuls of Primordial Essence [the purest, most foundational energy of creation], it should not only help it break the shackles to its advancement but also repair the damage from the move."

"That is precisely what I was thinking." Old Patriarch smiled as he placed his piece, then sighed and glanced towards Pingyang City. "It is a pity that the Spirit Vein [a natural conduit of spiritual energy within the earth] of Pingyang City was born from the nurturing of a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root [a rare, naturally occurring spiritual root that can generate and transform spiritual energy]."

"Once that Spiritual Root [the innate spiritual foundation of a cultivator or a place] is transplanted to the Hundred-Thousand-Mile Wilderness, the spiritual energy here will gradually diminish, eventually falling from the Fourth Rank Spirit Vein [a high-grade spiritual energy conduit]."

Hearing this, Eldrin Chen offered a slight smile. "That was anticipated, and it is fitting that it should be so."

Old Patriarch also nodded. Within the small confines of Yu County, there were already Pingyang City, Verdant Chariot Mountain, and Spirit Isle Lake [a lake with a spirit-rich island at its heart], all possessing Fourth Rank Spirit Vein.

Normally, a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root can convert the earth's vital energy, transforming it into spiritual energy to form a Spirit Vein. But without the presence of a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Root, cultivating such a high-grade Spirit Vein becomes exceedingly difficult.

This is because the Spirit Gathering Formation [a mystical array designed to concentrate ambient spiritual energy] of a Fourth Rank Spirit Vein draws in and concentrates the majority of the spiritual energy from a radius of one hundred thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] into the Spirit Vein itself.

There are many Spirit Vein in this world. A single county's territory can contain hundreds of them, ranging from low to high grade. Aside from those formed by special environments and geographical features, another type is the artificially cultivated Spirit Vein. Find this and other novels at site: audio-novel.com.

These artificially cultivated Spirit Vein [a natural or man-made channel of concentrated spiritual energy] are all established with Spirit Gathering Formation [a magical array designed to draw in and concentrate ambient spiritual energy], siphoning the spiritual energy from the surrounding heavens and earth. This very process results in the spiritual energy within the Great Wilderness [the vast, untamed, and monster-infested lands beyond human civilization] becoming exceedingly sparse and thin.

A single First Rank Low Grade Spirit Vein [the lowest tier of spiritual energy channel, suitable for Qi Refinement cultivators], even at its weakest, possesses a spiritual energy concentration dozens of times greater than that of the ambient world.

This is precisely the reason why, apart from the various Spirit Vein [a natural or man-made channel of concentrated spiritual energy], the spiritual energy in the outside world is so dilute that it can scarcely sustain cultivation.

Even a cultivator with a Heavenly Spiritual Root [the highest grade of innate talent for absorbing spiritual energy], if deprived of the spiritual energy provided by a Spirit Vein [a natural or man-made channel of concentrated spiritual energy] and forced to rely solely on the world's thin ambient energy, would likely find it impossible to break through to the Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation, where one solidifies their Dao foundation] realm within their entire lifetime.

Of course, there are many places in the world where spiritual energy naturally converges, often appearing every few hundred Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters].

These locations might be atop lofty peaks, hidden within subterranean undercurrents, or nestled deep within secluded valleys.

Such terrain either gathers spiritual energy effectively or prevents its dissipation, sometimes even gradually forming new Spirit Vein [a natural or man-made channel of concentrated spiritual energy]. For Rogue Cultivator [cultivators without sect or clan backing, operating independently], these are rare and precious cultivation sites.

Returning to the main point, Old Patriarch understood clearly that once the Ancient Enlightenment Tea Tree [a legendary tree whose leaves can aid in meditation and comprehension of the Dao] was transplanted, Pingyang City would no longer be suitable for promotion to a Fourth Rank Spirit Vein [a high-grade spiritual energy channel capable of supporting Golden Core cultivators].

It lay a mere three thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] from Verdant Chariot Mountain, its spiritual energy coverage already brushing against that of the mountain's domain.

If a Fourth Rank [referring to the Golden Core realm] Spirit Gathering Formation [a magical array designed to draw in and concentrate ambient spiritual energy] were deployed, it would likely immediately siphon away a significant portion of the spiritual energy from both Verdant Chariot Mountain and Spirit Isle Lake.

This was entirely a case of moving resources from one hand to the other, and it would inevitably lead to the dissipation of a portion of the spiritual energy [the vital energy that flows through all living things]. It could be said the losses would outweigh the gains.

Having reached this conclusion, Old Patriarch said with a smile, "The Spirit Vein of Pingyang City shall henceforth be maintained at the Third Rank High Grade level."

"After all, this place is one of the clan's cradles of ascension. We must still leave a certain number of clansmen here."

"Agreed." Eldrin Chen nodded, then asked, "How many people are planned for this migration?"

Regarding the clan's circumstances, Old Patriarch knew them like the back of his hand.

Picking up a chess piece, he said with a smile, "The mortal population of Pingyang City now exceeds forty million."

"Furthermore, over the course of one Jiazi-time [a sixty-year cycle], we have gradually migrated three million people to the Hundred-Thousand-Mile Wilderness. Their descendants have now multiplied to a population exceeding ten million."

"This time, I plan to leave ten million in Pingyang City, and migrate thirty million of them to the Hundred-Thousand-Mile Wilderness. Henceforth, the population of Pingyang City should not exceed thirty million."

Eldrin Chen took a sip of tea, pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Relocating thirty million people is no small task. Will the clan's treasure boats suffice?"

Old Patriarch also revealed a bitter smile. The sheer scale of work required to move tens of millions of mortals a distance of one hundred thousand Li-lengths [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] in one go was far beyond 'no small task'.

If they were to attempt the migration on foot, it is feared that most would perish long before ever reaching the Hundred-Thousand-Mile Wilderness.

Fortunately, the Chen Clan possesses treasure boats, including even Fourth Rank War Treasure Boats. These vessels can transport anywhere from several hundred to upwards of ten thousand people each.

With these treasure boats providing transport, the clansmen can be swiftly relocated to the Hundred-Thousand-Mile Wilderness. "Currently, between our clan and the Heaven's Ruin Sect, we have four War Treasure Boats and a total of thirty-seven Third Rank Treasure Boats."

"If packed to capacity, a single Fourth Rank Treasure Boat can carry thirty thousand mortals. With all four vessels operating together, they can transport one hundred twenty thousand."

"The Third Rank Treasure Boats have a much smaller capacity. Combined, the thirty-seven ships can transport just over eighty thousand people per trip. In total, a single voyage can move around two hundred thousand individuals."

"Two hundred thousand per trip? That would require one hundred and fifty round journeys!" The story continues at http://www . audio-novel.com.

Eldrin Chen furrowed his brow. Even if each round trip averaged one month, relocating all thirty million people would take fourteen to fifteen years.

Furthermore, operating the treasure boats consumes vast amounts of spiritual energy. Measured in Spirit Stones [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation], a single round trip to the Hundred-Thousand-Mile Wilderness for these dozens of Third and Fourth Rank vessels would cost one hundred thousand Spirit Stones.

And this is the minimum consumption for flight alone, without activating any offensive or defensive Formations [structured arrangements of energy channels and nodes used for various magical effects].

Calculated this way, the spiritual energy cost for the entire migration, valued in Spirit Stones, would exceed ten million Spirit Stones.

Fortunately, the Treasure Boat could be powered by drawing energy from a Spirit Vein [a natural conduit of spiritual energy within the earth]. This method was several times cheaper than directly consuming Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation], drastically reducing the overall expenditure.

Seeing the expression on Eldrin Chen's face, Old Patriarch offered a faint smile and said, "I have already considered this. The Spirit Vein beneath Pingyang City will inevitably dissipate sooner or later. It is better to make full use of it now, channeling its remaining energy to power the Treasure Boat."

"This way, we should be able to resolve the majority of the vessel's consumption issues."

"It seems we have no other choice."

Eldrin Chen nodded in agreement. Relocating an entire clan's mortal population was no small undertaking.

Such a monumental project demanded immense resources. Even with the full might of the Chen Clan marshaled, it would exact a heavy toll in manpower and material wealth.

Yet, it was an unavoidable necessity. While Yu County's terrain was relatively gentle compared to other regions, it was still a land dominated by mountains, with precious few plains.

The mountains of this world were unlike those of his past life. They soared to heights of a thousand Zhang-length [one Zhang-length equals three point three three meters] with ease. To cultivators, they were mere obstacles, but to mortals, they stood as insurmountable barriers.

Furthermore, such rugged topography offered little land suitable for cultivation. A plain like the Pingyang Ancient Plain, stretching over a thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters], was an exceedingly rare treasure in all the world.

Without sufficient arable land, it was impossible to sustain a larger mortal population. This limitation would inevitably constrain the future potential of the Chen Immortal Clan.

Even for a Golden Core Immortal Clan [a clan whose power is anchored by a Golden Core realm cultivator], this is manageable. However, upon ascending to the status of a Nascent Soul Immortal Clan [a clan whose power is anchored by a Nascent Soul realm cultivator], without a sufficiently large population base, it becomes all too easy to fall into a precarious state where the old guard fades before the new generation can rise to take their place. Read the full novel exclusively on www . audio-novel.com.