Chapter 471 Insights from Enlightenment

The old clan chief, Kael (Person Name), and Lila (Person Name) had defied all expectations, surpassing the others with their profound cultivation and Dao attainments, thereby earning the qualification to study the Ancient Ruins Engraving.

Chen Silas's cultivation was slightly weaker, having only just reached the Golden Core, 4th Tier realm. Nevertheless, he secured 1 of the predetermined spots offered by Taoist Zixu.

For a time, out of the 10 slots for this Enlightenment Discourse Assembly, a full 4 were actually taken by the Chen Immortal Clan (Organization). It was truly enough to make everyone green with envy.

Another dozen or so days passed before the group fully comprehended the legacy inscriptions, finally emerging from their secluded cultivation chambers with joyous expressions.

Eldrin observed the expressions on their faces and knew immediately that their gains had been immense. With a light chuckle, he inquired, "How do you feel?"

"My gains have been substantial." The old clan elder stroked his beard with a chuckle. "Having sorted through my cultivation insights this time, I find the perplexities that have plagued my practice for years instantly resolved. The path ahead shall flow much more smoothly."

Beyond that, my Taibai Star Pearl has been refined to a state of perfect harmony, and I have begun to grasp the fundamentals of its spiritual artifact chapter.

"However, the complexity of formation artifacts at the spirit treasure level is immense, often requiring hundreds of years of deduction. If we wish to rapidly advance it to the Spirit Treasure Chapter, your assistance will be indispensable."

Eldrin nodded with a faint smile. Calculating the trajectory of 1's Life-Bound Spiritual Treasure was already an immensely challenging task, let alone an entire set of such treasures.

However, the potential of Granduncle's Great White Star Pearl would require at least 6 100 years of cultivation to fully deduce, and that's only if he manages to break through to the Nascent Soul Stage.

However, if we wait until Eldrin breaks through to the True Monarch realm, having him deduce my bonded array artifact in his leisure time would be the optimal choice.

Given Eldrin's (Person Name) comprehension far surpassed mortal limits and his extensive experience in repeatedly deducing his Life-Bound Spiritual Treasure, breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm would undoubtedly make further deductions of his Life-Bound Spiritual Treasure considerably simpler. Moreover, the array patterns studied through the deduction of formation artifacts offered him substantial benefits.

"Uncle, do not fret. When the time comes, I shall lend you a helping hand."

Eldrin spoke, his gaze shifting toward Kael and the others.

Seeing his gaze, Kael (Person Name) nodded calmly and said, "During this seclusion, I did not deduce any divine abilities nor refine any spiritual treasures. I merely focused on consolidating my own cultivation attainments."

"Things have gone rather smoothly. By consolidating my years of cultivation, I've pioneered a cultivation method that suits me perfectly. I've named it the Demon Tribulation Ancient Scripture."

Eldrin's eyes flickered slightly. Though his clan brother's natural talent was far from astonishing, his perseverance and comprehension had grown increasingly remarkable over the years.

In his earlier years, he had gradually come to understand his Dao Heart, and his cultivation progressed with ever-increasing speed.

For years, he had been painstakingly developing his cultivation technique, and now, seizing this opportunity, he refined it to perfection—methodically addressing each of his weaknesses 1 by 1. It seemed his wings were truly growing fuller by the day.

Nearby, Lila and Silas Chen also gained immense benefits, consolidating their cultivation achievements and attaining sudden enlightenment that resolved years of spiritual doubts in a single moment.

Lila also gained insight into several ice-attribute divine abilities, while Silas came to comprehend his own path of cultivation through this experience.

Seeing that several of them had gained immense insights, Eldrin said with a smile, "Since everyone has completed their comprehension, let us return for now."

"Good."

"Please wait a moment, True Master."

Just as the group was about to depart, 2 figures hurried over.

The arrivals were Sikong Yu and Qingdi Xianzi. They first cupped their hands in salute to the Old Patriarch and the others, then turned to Eldrin with a slight bow. "Greetings, Fellow Daoist Chen."

"There is no need for formalities."

Eldrin smiled faintly and asked calmly, "Have you made your decision?"

Sikong Yu and the Cyan Pheasant Fairy exchanged a glance, yet spoke with some embarrassment: "To be perfectly honest, we do desire the spiritual mountain's ley lines, but the spirit stones in our hands..."

Listening to their words, a faint glimmer stirred in Eldrin's eyes. So the reason Sikong Yu and his wife had not agreed earlier was simply because they were short on funds.

As the saying goes, a single coin can stump even the greatest hero. Though both were honored Golden Core cultivators, they had an entire lineage of descendants and juniors relying on their guidance.

They were rogue Golden Core cultivators, possessing no truly precious assets. Yet even so, supporting an entire family's cultivation required consuming vast quantities of spirit stones.

Over the years, they had endured arduous journeys and constant hardships. Even when they obtained spirit stones, they dared not spend them extravagantly, reluctant to purchase even fourth-tier cultivation pills. As a result, it took them 70 or 80 years just to advance a single layer in their cultivation.

If it weren't for Elder Zixu taking them in and leasing them a fifth-grade spirit vein at an exceptionally low price, acquiring sufficient spiritual energy for their cultivation would have been a major problem.

Yet even with such meticulous budgeting, the spirit stones they had managed to save were far inferior to what the Golden Core elders of the Chen family possessed. Naturally, they couldn't produce vast sums of spirit stones, utterly insufficient to purchase spiritual mountain veins valued at tens of millions of spirit stones.

After hearing this, Kael and the others couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy.

He lacked sufficient industries to support his cultivation, nor did he have enough clansmen to earn spirit stones for him.

For these Golden Core rogue cultivators, unless they possessed a profound mastery in 1 of the 100 Arts of Cultivation, merely sustaining their own practice was already an arduous task—let alone advancing to higher realms of cultivation.

It was precisely because they were short by tens of thousands of spirit stones that the couple had been too embarrassed to bring it up earlier.

Now that Eldrin was about to depart, the couple could no longer restrain themselves and ultimately swallowed their pride to seek him out with their plea.

Sikong Yu observed the expressions of the crowd and revealed a bitter smile. "May I ask, Honored Master, while we wish to claim the Spirit Mountain, our current spirit stones are insufficient. Would it be possible to repay this amount in installments?"

Everyone remained silent, until Chen Changxuan finally spoke up and asked, "How do you plan to repay it?"

"Could it be..."

Sikong Yu seemed on the verge of speaking but hesitated. In the end, Fairy Qingdi was the 1 who broke the silence, "We wish to purchase the spiritual mountains and earth veins of the Ancient Savage Plains, with payment split over 2 100 years."

"Impossible."

Chen Changxuan hastily shook his head and decisively refused.

The spiritual mountains and earth veins of the Ancient Bison Plains, with a combined value exceeding 20,000,000 spirit stones, were deliberately discounted by 50 percent to facilitate a lump-sum recovery of a massive amount of spirit stones.

If the other party insisted on spreading the repayment over 2 100 years, why wouldn't they just develop it themselves? In 2 centuries, they could have recouped 7 to 8 million spirit stones and gained complete ownership of a spirit vein—a perpetual source of immense annual revenue.

Moreover, 2 100 years is far too long a span. Should any major upheaval occur during that time, there's no telling whether the Chen Clan would even survive.

Seeing Chen Changxuan firmly refuse, Sikong Yu quickly grabbed his arm and said, "Fellow Daoist, rest assured, we can also pay you a sum of interest."

"If payment is spread over 2 100 years, I can offer you 2 fourth-tier magical artifacts as a deposit, along with an additional 5,000,000 spirit stones as interest."

After listening, Lila transmitted her voice to Eldrin, "The couple Sikong Yu couldn't possibly have many spirit stones. They'll definitely hunt down a massive number of demonic beasts."

"If he occupies the Savage Bull Plains, it would significantly aid our Chen Kingdom in cleansing the demonic beasts."

Chapter 1: The Reborn Cultivator The biting northern wind swept across the mountain ridge, howling like countless vengeful spirits. Snowflakes danced wildly in the air, blanketing the towering peaks in silvery white. At the summit of the highest mountain, a figure in azure robes stood motionless, his clothes fluttering in the wind despite the absence of a breeze. Lin Xuan (Person Name) gazed into the distance, his eyes reflecting the swirling snowstorm yet seeming to see through all worldly illusions. "1 100 years," he murmured to himself. "1 100 years have passed in the blink of an eye." Memories flooded his mind - the blazing heavenly tribulation, the shattering of his Golden Core (Cultivation Base), the betrayal by his most trusted junior sister... He had once been the youngest Golden Core cultivator in the history of the Azure Frost Sect (Sect Name), a prodigy who had formed his core at merely 20-8. Yet now, he was but a Foundation Establishment cultivator starting anew. A cold smile touched his lips. The Heaven-Severing Demonic Art (Cultivation Method) he had fortuitously obtained in the Ancient Demon Abyss (Forbidden Area) was truly extraordinary. Though his cultivation had fallen, his spiritual awareness remained at the Golden Core level. More importantly, this demonic art contained profound insights into the laws of reincarnation. Suddenly, his expression shifted. His spiritual sense detected 3 cultivators rapidly approaching from the east. Judging by their energy fluctuations, they were at the ninth level of Qi Refining. "Elders of the Azure Frost Sect," Lin Xuan whispered, his eyes narrowing. After a century, they had finally found him. The 3 figures landed swiftly, forming a triangular formation around him. The leader, a white-bearded elder, spoke coldly, "Lin Xuan, hand over the sect's treasure and come back with us to face judgment!" Lin Xuan remained calm. "Elder Mu (Person Name), do you truly believe the lies spread by Zhou Yueru (Person Name)?" "Enough!" Elder Mu's expression darkened. "The sect leader treated you as his own, yet you stole the Ice Soul Pearl (Magic Treasure) and murdered your junior sister! Today, we shall cleanse our sect of this disgrace!" The other 2 elders simultaneously drew their swords. The Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure) and the Icy Crystal Ruler (Magic Treasure) glowed with ominous light, their combined pressure causing the surrounding snow to instantly vaporize. Lin Xuan sighed softly. "Since that's your stance... don't blame me for being ruthless." He formed a hand seal with both hands. Dark energy surged around him, and countless phantom shadows materialized in the air. The temperature plummeted dramatically, and the ground began to crack with frost. Elder Mu's face showed shock. "This... this is demonic cultivation! You've actually practiced demonic arts!" "Exactly." Lin Xuan's voice became ethereal. "Today, I'll let you experience the power of the Heaven-Severing Demonic Art!" Black and white energies intertwined around him, forming a massive Taiji diagram in the air. The 3 elders' magical treasures trembled violently as if facing their natural nemesis. "Impossible!" Elder Mu exclaimed in disbelief. "You're only at Foundation Establishment! How can you possess such power?" Lin Xuan didn't respond. The Taiji diagram rotated faster, emitting a terrifying suction force. The surrounding spiritual energy went berserk, and space itself began to distort. The 3 elders exchanged glances, simultaneously spitting out essence blood onto their magical treasures. The Li Fire Sword burst into crimson flames while the Icy Crystal Ruler radiated freezing cold - 2 opposing energies strangely complementing each other, forming a red-and-blue barrier. "Interesting." Lin Xuan chuckled. "The Azure Frost Sect's renowned Harmony of Opposites technique... but against my Heaven-Severing Demonic Art, it's nothing more than a mantis trying to stop a chariot!" He pointed forward gently. The Taiji diagram suddenly contracted, then exploded with dazzling light. A terrifying shockwave swept outward, instantly pulverizing the surrounding mountain rocks into dust. When the light faded, the 3 elders had vanished. Only their severely damaged magical treasures remained on the ground, their spiritual light completely extinguished. Lin Xuan stood calmly in place, a trace of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Though he had defeated 3 ninth-level Qi Refining cultivators, the recoil had still injured him. He looked toward the distant horizon, his gaze profound. "Zhou Yueru... the Azure Frost Sect... just you wait. I, Lin Xuan, will definitely return." With a sweep of his sleeve, his figure turned into a streak of light and disappeared into the vast snowstorm.