Chapter 471 : Ancient Inscriptions and Golden Cores

Old Patriarch [the venerable leader of the clan], Kael Chen, and Lila had, to everyone's surprise, surpassed all expectations. With their profound cultivation and Dao attainments, they had earned the right to contemplate the Ancient Primordial Inscription [an ancient stone carving containing profound insights from a primordial era].

Silas Chen's cultivation was slightly weaker, having only recently reached the Golden Core, 4th Tier [the fourth layer of the Golden Core realm]. Nevertheless, he secured a reserved spot granted by Zixu the Daoist.

For a time, it seemed that four of the ten coveted slots for contemplating the Grand Dao Discourse Assembly [the grand assembly for discussing profound Dao principles] were occupied by members of the Chen Immortal Clan, a fact that filled onlookers with no small measure of envy.

After another dozen or so days, the group completed their contemplation and emerged from the Seclusion Chamber [a chamber designed for deep, undisturbed meditation], their faces alight with joy.

Seeing their expressions, Eldrin Chen knew their gains had been substantial. A smile touched his lips as he inquired, "How do you feel?"

"The harvest was immense," Old Patriarch replied, stroking his beard with a pleased expression. "This old man has managed to organize his cultivation path more clearly. Many confusions that have lingered for years have now been resolved, and the road ahead feels much smoother."

"Furthermore," he continued, "my comprehension of the White Metal Star Pearl [a magical treasure resembling a pearl forged from celestial metal] has reached a state of perfect harmony. I have begun to grasp the foundational principles of its corresponding Spiritual Treasure Chapter [the chapter of a cultivation art dedicated to forging spiritual treasures]."

"However," the Old Patriarch added, his tone turning more serious, "formation tools [magical treasures designed to anchor and power formations] at the Spiritual Treasure [a treasure imbued with its own spirit and consciousness] level are exceedingly complex. Their refinement often requires centuries of dedicated effort. To accelerate the process of evolving it fully according to the Spiritual Treasure Chapter, I will require your assistance."

Eldrin Chen nodded with a knowing smile. Refining a Lifebound Spiritual Treasure [a spiritual treasure intrinsically linked to its owner's life force] was a monumental task in itself, let alone an entire set of Spiritual Treasure.

For Old Granduncle [a respectful term for a senior clan uncle] to fully unlock the latent potential of his White Metal Star Pearl solely through his own efforts would take at least ten Jiazi-time [a sixty-year cycle] of work. And that estimate was contingent upon him first achieving a breakthrough into the Nascent Soul [the realm where a cultivator forms a spiritual infant, a higher state of being] realm. Continue your cultivation journey at audio~novel.com.

However, if we wait until Eldrin Chen breaks through to the True Lord Realm [the realm of a True Lord, a powerful cultivator], it would be the optimal choice for him to assist in deducing the Lifebound Formation Tool [a magical treasure bound to one's life force, specifically designed for formations] during his leisure time.

This is because Eldrin Chen's comprehension far surpasses the ordinary, and he possesses extensive experience in deducing Lifebound Spiritual Treasure [a supreme spiritual artifact bound to one's soul and cultivation]. After his breakthrough to Nascent Soul [the realm where a cultivator forms a spiritual infant, a major leap in power], deducing a Lifebound Spiritual Treasure would likely be much simpler for him. Furthermore, researching the formation runes during the deduction of a Formation Tool [a magical treasure specifically crafted to power or control formations] would also bring him significant benefits.

"Do not be anxious, Clan Uncle. When the time comes, I will lend you my aid,"

Eldrin Chen said, his gaze then shifting towards Kael Chen and the others.

As his eyes fell upon them, Kael Chen nodded calmly and stated, "During this seclusion, I did not dedicate myself to deducing a Divine Ability [a powerful supernatural technique], nor to deriving a Spiritual Treasure [a powerful enchanted artifact]. I focused solely on consolidating the fruits of my own cultivation path."

"It proceeded with relative smoothness. By synthesizing the insights from my many years of cultivation, I have pioneered a cultivation art that is most perfectly attuned to my own nature. I have named it the Demonic Tribulation Ancient Scripture [an ancient scripture focused on transcending demonic tribulations]."

Eldrin Chen's eyes flickered slightly. While his clan brother's innate talent could not be considered astonishing, his perseverance and comprehension had grown increasingly prominent over the years.

Long ago, he had gradually come to understand his own Dao-heart [the core conviction and purpose guiding a cultivator's path], and his cultivation progress had accelerated remarkably ever since.

Having drafted the foundations of this art for many years, he now used this opportunity to perfect it completely, systematically addressing his shortcomings one by one. It seemed his wings were truly beginning to spread.

Beside him, Lila and Silas Chen also reaped immense rewards. They successfully consolidated the fruits of their own cultivation, and the doubts that had accumulated over years of spiritual practice were utterly dispelled in a single moment of profound enlightenment.

Lila also comprehended several Ice Attribute Divine Ability [supernatural powers cultivated through profound understanding of the Dao], and Silas thereby gained clarity on his own path of cultivation.

Seeing that each of them had gained immensely, Eldrin Chen smiled and said, "Since your contemplations are complete, let us return for now."

"Agreed."

"True Lord, a moment, please."

Just as the group prepared to depart, two figures hurried over.

The arrivals were Sora Yu and Azure Dipper Immortal Maiden. They first offered a respectful bow to Old Patriarch and the others, then turned to Eldrin Chen and bowed deeply. "We pay our respects to Fellow Daoist Chen."

"There is no need for such formality."

Eldrin Chen smiled faintly and asked calmly, "Have you reached a decision?"

Sora Yu and Azure Dipper Immortal Maiden exchanged a glance, their expressions tinged with embarrassment. "To speak truthfully, we do desire the Spirit Mountain Earth Veins [geological formations rich in spiritual energy, ideal for establishing cultivation sites]. However, the Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation] in our possession..."

Hearing their words, Eldrin Chen's eyes flickered slightly. The reason Sora Yu and his wife had not agreed immediately was, in truth, because their coffers were nearly empty.

As the saying goes, a single coin can thwart a hero. Though the two of them were esteemed Golden Core True Person [a cultivator who has formed a Golden Core, a solidified mass of spiritual energy], they had a large family of descendants and juniors under their care.

They were Rogue Cultivator [cultivators not affiliated with any major clan or sect] who had reached the Golden Core [the stage of cultivation where one forms a solidified core of spiritual energy] realm. They possessed no truly precious assets, yet supporting the cultivation of their entire family required a vast consumption of Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation].

Over the years, they had toiled and journeyed tirelessly. The Spirit Stone they earned was never spent extravagantly; they could not even bring themselves to purchase Fourth Rank [referring to the grade of cultivation resources suitable for Golden Core cultivators] cultivation Pill [a refined medicinal elixir used to aid cultivation], resulting in it taking seventy or eighty years just to advance a single layer in their cultivation.

If not for Zixu the Daoist taking them in and renting them a Fifth Rank Spirit Vein [a powerful natural conduit of spiritual energy, suitable for high-level cultivation] at an exceptionally low price, securing enough spiritual energy for their cultivation would have been a major problem in itself.

Yet, even with such meticulous frugality, the Spirit Stone they had managed to save paled in comparison to that of the several Golden Core cultivators within the Chen Clan. Naturally, they could not produce a large sum of Spirit Stone and were utterly incapable of purchasing Spirit Mountain Earth Veins [the spiritual energy channels within a mountain that form a Spirit Vein] worth tens of millions of Spirit Stone.

After hearing this, Kael Chen and the others felt a pang of sympathy. Immerse yourself in the complete world at *audio-novel.com*.

They lacked sufficient assets to support their own cultivation and did not have enough clan members to earn Spirit Stone for them.

For these Golden Core Rogue Cultivators, unless one possessed a profound mastery of one of the Hundred Arts of Cultivation [the various specialized crafts and skills practiced by cultivators], merely maintaining one's own cultivation was a formidable challenge, let alone advancing to higher realms.

It was precisely because the shortfall in their Spirit Stone was so vast that the couple had been too embarrassed to speak up earlier.

Now, seeing that Eldrin Chen was about to depart, the husband and wife could no longer restrain themselves. Swallowing their pride, they finally came forward to make their plea.

Sora Yu looked at the expressions of the crowd and revealed a bitter smile. "Dare I ask, True Person, we wish to acquire the Spirit Mountain [a mountain imbued with concentrated spiritual energy], but our funds in Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] are insufficient. Is it possible to repay this sum in installments?"

The others remained impassive. It was Chen Thalion who spoke up and asked, "How do you propose to structure this repayment?"

"Could we..."

Sora Yu hesitated, words caught in his throat. It was Azure Dipper Immortal Maiden who finally spoke clearly: "We wish to purchase the Spirit Mountain and its Earth Vein [a subterranean channel of concentrated earth-element spiritual energy] within the Savage Ox Ancient Plains, with the payment spread over two hundred years."

"Impossible."

Chen Thalion immediately shook his head, his refusal swift and decisive.

The combined value of the Spirit Mountain and Earth Vein in the Savage Ox Ancient Plains exceeded twenty million Spirit Stone. The reason they had offered a fifty percent discount was precisely to recoup a massive sum of Spirit Stone in one lump payment.

If the other party insisted on spreading payments over two centuries, why wouldn't the Chen Clan simply develop the land themselves in that time? Two hundred years would be ample to recover seven or eight million Spirit Stone, all while gaining a complete Spirit Vein [a concentrated flow of spiritual energy within the earth] that would yield substantial annual profits.

Furthermore, two hundred years was far too long. Should some great calamity arise within that span, who could say if the Chen Clan would even still exist?

Seeing Chen Thalion's firm refusal, Sora Yu quickly grasped his arm. "Please, Fellow Daoist [a respectful term for a cultivator on the same path], rest assured. We are willing to pay interest on the loan."

"If the repayment is spread over two centuries, I can offer two Fourth Rank Magical Treasure [powerful enchanted artifacts of the fourth rank] as collateral, along with an additional five million Spirit Stones [minerals that store and radiate spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation] in interest."

After hearing this, Lila whispered to Eldrin Chen via voice transmission, "The couple, Sora Yu and his wife, do not have many Spirit Stones [minerals that store and radiate spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation] readily available. They will be forced to hunt down Demonic Beasts [monstrous creatures tainted by demonic energy] in great numbers."

"Allowing him to occupy the Savage Ox Ancient Plains would also significantly aid our Chen Nation's campaign to purge the Demonic Beasts [monstrous creatures tainted by demonic energy]." Find thousands of chapters at www . audio-novel.com.