Chapter 450 : The Patriarch's Burden and the Golden Core Ambition

In recent years, Old Patriarch had made a journey to the Six Kingdoms of Ji Continent almost every decade. He would settle disputes between the Chen Clan and other Immortal Clan sects across the various nations while also overseeing the accounts of all the clan's marketplaces, keeping him exceedingly busy.

"Fortunately, Teleportation Formation [magical arrays for instantaneous travel over vast distances] now connect the nations of Ji Continent, saving me a great deal of time spent traveling back and forth, so my cultivation practice isn't completely neglected."

After recounting the clan's affairs over the years, Old Patriarch said with a smile.

Seeing the look on Old Patriarch's face, Eldrin Chen sighed. "This time, we have brought back five Five Elements Spirit Fruit [rare spiritual fruits that harmonize the five elemental energies, aiding in core formation]. They should be distributed among the clan's Violet Sanctum Cultivator [cultivators who have opened their Violet Sanctum, the third major realm]."

"If a few more Golden Core [the fourth major cultivation realm, where one condenses a solid golden core of power] experts can emerge, we can recall Uncle Lior to manage affairs. It would be best for you to focus on reaching Golden Core Perfection [the pinnacle stage of the Golden Core realm] as soon as possible."

These years had been extraordinarily busy for Eldrin Chen's cultivation, and without him realizing it, his age was approaching three hundred and fifty years.

After over three centuries of development, and especially since its promotion to a Golden Core Immortal Clan [a clan recognized for having Golden Core realm cultivators as its pillars] in the last two centuries, the number of Violet Sanctum Cultivator within the Chen Clan had surpassed one hundred.

This growth was primarily due to the path of Self-Achieved Foundation Establishment [reaching the Foundation Establishment realm through one's own efforts, without external pills]. Over the years, the Chen Clan had produced one hundred and fifty-two such Foundation Establishment Cultivator [cultivators of the second major realm], and eighty-nine of them had broken through to the Violet Sanctum Realm. This success rate far exceeded the expectations of ordinary Golden Core Immortal Clan.

Among these Violet Sanctum Cultivator, many possessed remarkable talent, including five cultivators with Variant Spiritual Root [innate spiritual roots attuned to specific, rare elemental affinities]. Their cultivation progressed with astonishing speed; several had already reached the Great Perfection of Violet Sanctum [the final, perfected stage of the Violet Sanctum realm] and were poised to attempt a breakthrough into the Golden Core Realm.

Considering this, Old Patriarch also said, "Let them choose their own path. If they wish to attempt Forming the Golden Core [the perilous process of condensing a Golden Core] on their own, we will not interfere. If they prefer to use a Golden Core Formation Pill [a precious elixir that significantly increases the chance of successful core formation] and the Five Elements Spirit Fruit, we will support that as well." For the best reading experience, visit audio~novel.com.

"Very well."

Eldrin Chen gave a nod. Achieving Forming the Golden Core through one's own efforts was an immensely difficult feat, and the family had many cultivators.

However, people were as diverse as a hundred flowers, each with their own experiences and temperaments. Some possessed lofty pride, unwilling to settle for a Lower-Tier Golden Core. Yet, others lacked the unwavering resolve of the Mortal Path [the foundational path of cultivation for mortals], not truly pursuing the way of immortality.

Once this matter was settled, Eldrin Chen said no more on the subject, instead smiling and saying, "You should enter seclusion here to attempt your breakthrough to Golden Core Late Stage. I will stand guard for you."

"Agreed."

The Old Patriarch nodded and proceeded directly into the Seclusion Chamber to begin his closed-door cultivation for the breakthrough to Golden Core Late Stage.

The Old Granduncle had been at the Golden Core 6th Tier for many years, having refined his spiritual energy for over a decade. Having now consumed two Creation Origin Pill [pills that aid in the consolidation and advancement of one's cultivation foundation], his breakthrough to Golden Core Late Stage proceeded as smoothly as water flowing into a channel.

Half a year later, when he emerged from the Seclusion Chamber, Eldrin Chen greeted him with a smile. "With this breakthrough to Golden Core Late Stage, you can now be counted among the foremost figures within the Golden Core realm."

"Not at all, not at all. I am still far behind the likes of you."

The Old Patriarch chuckled, though a trace of justifiable pride colored his expression.

The spiritual power of a Middle-Tier Golden Core [the third major stage of cultivation, where one's spiritual energy condenses into a solid, golden core] far surpasses that of others at the same realm. Once his Venus Stellar Pearl [a magical treasure that harnesses the power of the Venus star] is fully refined and he deploys the Venus Seven Stars Grand Formation [a powerful defensive and offensive array based on the seven stars of the Venus constellation], coupled with his Golden Light Blazing Fire Sword [a sword that channels both golden light and blazing fire energy], he should be able to hold his own, if only briefly, against a False Infant Soul Realm Cultivator [a cultivator who has reached the threshold of the fourth major stage but has not fully solidified their nascent soul].

After his breakthrough, Old Granduncle did not linger long at Spirit Isle Lake [a lake imbued with spiritual energy, often home to spirit herbs and creatures]. He had many pressing matters to attend to, chief among them gathering the Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the balanced power of the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth] needed for Eldrin Chen to advance his Lifebound Spiritual Treasure [a magical treasure that is spiritually bound to a cultivator from its creation, growing in power with them].

After the Old Patriarch departed, Eldrin Chen set to work on tempering the Void Gem [a rare crystalline ore that contains traces of void energy, prized for spatial enchantments], intending to fuse it into his Polarity Void Mirror [a magical mirror that manipulates the concepts of polarity and void space].

The Void Gem proved exceedingly difficult to refine. He spent a full seven years just to melt and integrate it into the foundation of his lifebound treasure. The subsequent process of inscribing the intricate array patterns onto it consumed another year.

With this step complete, Eldrin Chen had successfully forged the vessel, or "embryo," of the Lifebound Spiritual Treasure. All that remained was to fuse it with the Five Elements Essence to bring the treasure to its final, awakened state.

Holding the completed vessel, Eldrin Chen said to Exquisite Jiang with a smile, "A treasure like the Polarity Void Mirror, destined to reach the Fifth Rank Treasure [a classification for immensely powerful magical artifacts], requires four specific types of Five Elements Energy—Metallic Gold [the pure essence of the metal element], Acrid Metal [a harsh, corrosive variant of metal energy], Positive Water [the active, generative aspect of water energy], and Solar Fire [the pure, yang-aligned essence of fire]—to achieve a state of perfect Polarity Balance [a harmonious equilibrium between opposing forces]."

"Once the Five Elements Essence is gathered, I can finally elevate this Lifebound Spiritual Treasure."

Exquisite Jiang also wore an expression of joy, though it was tinged with regret. "It's a pity the Spiritual Treasure Chapter [a specific section or technique within a cultivation manual focused on spiritual treasures] for my Lifebound Avatar [a powerful technique that creates a semi-autonomous spiritual clone of the cultivator] hasn't been fully deduced yet. If it were successfully refined, our combined strength would increase significantly."

"After a Lifebound Avatar advances to the Spiritual Treasure realm, it transforms into a Second Primordial Embryo [a second core of spiritual existence, akin to a second life]. Refining something of that level is no simple task," Eldrin Chen shook his head, his tone one of resigned understanding.

The Lifebound Avatar technique practiced by Exquisite Jiang is, in essence, a method for cultivating a Second Primordial Spirit [a second, independent spiritual core for a cultivator]. Once cultivated to the Fifth Rank level, it transforms into a Second Primordial Embryo [the nascent form of a second spiritual core], which is equivalent to a second Infant Soul [a major stage in a cultivator's spiritual development].

Legend has it that once this External Incarnation [an external body or projection cultivated by a powerful being] is advanced to the Primordial Spirit Realm [the realm of the primordial spirit, a high stage of cultivation], it will become her true Second Primordial Spirit.

That is a legitimate path to immortality. A Second Primordial Spirit is nearly indistinguishable from the original spirit in power and potential, making it a far more profound method than even cultivating a Lifebound Magical Treasure [a magical artifact bound to a cultivator's life force].

However, cultivating a Second Primordial Spirit would siphon power from her main Primordial Spirit [the foundational spiritual core of a cultivator]. Unwilling to excessively fragment his own spiritual essence, Eldrin Chen had chosen not to walk this particular cultivation path.

"It seems the successful deduction of the Innate Primordial Embryo [the innate, primordial form of a spiritual embryo] will have to wait until after the Beast Tide [a periodic, massive invasion of demonic beasts] concludes,"

Exquisite Jiang sighed softly, stating the matter plainly.

After waiting another year, the Old Patriarch finally managed to gather the required Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth] for Eldrin Chen and delivered it to him. This content originates from *audio-novel.com*. Please respect copyright.

After receiving the Five Elements Essence, Eldrin Chen stated, "The Beast Tide will arrive within five years. We must prepare a contingency. We cannot ascend this Lifebound Spiritual Treasure [a spiritual treasure bound to one's life force] on the Ji Continent."

"Then we should go to the Flaming Prison Sea of Fire," Exquisite Jiang suggested, her eyes glinting with thought. "That land is covered in molten rock, virtually devoid of life. Advancing the magical treasure [an enchanted artifact used by cultivators] there would certainly catch the Demon Race [a race of demonic beings] completely off guard."

"That is an excellent plan," he agreed. "After the ascension, we could also invite the senior Sun and Moon Twin Wheels [a pair of powerful magical treasures representing the sun and moon] to emerge from seclusion and lend us their aid."

Eldrin Chen nodded, agreeing with Exquisite Jiang's assessment.

Since the decision to depart had been made, speed was naturally of the essence. To avoid any leaks this time, they once again forsook the Teleportation Formation and instead boarded the Flying Crane Treasure Ark.

That Flying Crane Treasure Ark was a small treasure vessel, forged from the Dragon Bone and feathers of the Celestial Crane Demon King from the Vast Sea. After Eldrin Chen infused it with a fourth-rank Void Gem, its grade had reached the level of Quasi-Fifth Rank.

Though it possessed no offensive capabilities, it was inscribed with an exceptionally high-grade flight formation pattern, allowing it to travel six hundred thousand Li-length [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] in a single day—a speed more than fifty percent faster than even a top-grade Immortal Sword.

They flew for less than half a month before arriving at the Flaming Prison Sea of Fire and entered the ruins to begin the advancement of his Lifebound Spiritual Treasure.

Advancing the Polarity Void Mirror required four thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine strands of Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements], with each strand being synthesized from ten thousand wisps of Five Elements Essence.

The cultivators of the Chen Clan had long since used alchemical furnaces to refine these wisps into the four thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine required strands, saving Eldrin Chen a tremendous amount of time.

Even so, it took Eldrin Chen nearly two years to fully infuse all the Five Elements Essence into his Lifebound Magical Treasure.

"Finally done."

On this day, as Eldrin Chen fused the final wisp of Five Elements Essence into his Lifebound Spiritual Treasure, the Polarity Void Mirror finally completed its ascension, transforming into a dazzling treasure light that soared into the heavens. This chapter is provided by audio-novel .c om. Support the original.