Chapter 515 : Trial of Thunder and Twin Cultivation

"Very well."

Eldrin Chen was momentarily stunned before finally regaining his composure.

He took Lyra Jiang's hand and said with a gentle smile, "For now, the priority is to successfully pass through the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [the cataclysmic trial of heavenly lightning that tests a cultivator's foundation]. We can discuss other matters after you have weathered the storm."

Hearing this, a genuine smile finally returned to Lyra Jiang's eyes.

In truth, the primary reason they had refrained from dual cultivation all these years was to preserve their Pure Yang [a state of pristine, untainted primordial yang energy] and Pure Yin [a state of pristine, untainted primordial yin energy] essences, intending to use them as a crucial boost during a critical breakthrough.

Now, having successfully ascended to the Nascent Soul [the realm where a cultivator's spirit forms an independent, embryonic soul] realm, Lyra Jiang felt their foundations were sufficiently profound. They no longer needed to rely on the power of their preserved Pure Yin and Pure Yang essences for a breakthrough. Instead, it would be far more beneficial to engage in dual cultivation to mutually enhance their cultivation.

It was foreseeable that, given their current cultivation levels, if they exchanged and integrated each other's Pure Yin and Pure Yang essences, their Mana [the refined spiritual energy used to power spells and techniques] would experience a tremendous surge.

She said no more, offering a serene smile as she stepped out of the Seclusion Chamber [a specially prepared room for undisturbed meditation and cultivation].

Lifting her gaze, she beheld the heavens churning with ominous Tribulation Clouds [the dense, energy-charged clouds that herald a cultivator's heavenly trial]. The Nascent Soul Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [the specific heavenly thunder trial for advancing to the Nascent Soul realm] had long been gathering its fury.

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Eldrin Chen furrowed his brow, unable to hold back a word of caution.

Lyra Jiang gave a firm nod, then stepped forward onto the void above, beginning to undergo her Nascent Soul Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [the cataclysmic trial of heavenly thunder required to ascend to the Nascent Soul Realm].

Just like Eldrin Chen's own Heavenly Thunder Tribulation, hers was also a Nine Firmaments Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [the most formidable of the heavenly thunder tribulations, comprising nine successive waves of devastating celestial lightning]. However, she possessed several Lifebound Spiritual Treasure [a cultivator's most intimately connected and powerful treasures, grown and refined alongside their own cultivation], so overcoming this Nine Firmaments Heavenly Thunder Tribulation was not an insurmountable challenge.

It did not take long before Lyra Jiang successfully weathered the Nine Firmaments Heavenly Thunder Tribulation and descended from the sky.

"Congratulations! Our sincerest felicitations!"

Amidst the chorus of well-wishes, Eldrin Chen and his wife, their faces radiant with joy, hosted a grand Nascent Soul Banquet [a celebratory feast held to honor a cultivator's successful ascension to the Nascent Soul Realm].

The festivities lasted for seven days. The couple personally entertained distinguished guests like Yvonne the Violet Consort and several other True Lord [a title of great respect for a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator], before the banquet gradually drew to a close.

Once the guests had departed, the couple returned to their Spirit Spring Cave Abode [a secluded cultivation dwelling built around a natural spring of concentrated spiritual energy].

Eldrin Chen secured the doors to their Cultivation Cave, and only then did he and Lyra Jiang turn to gaze at one another.

Lyra Jiang possessed a figure of breathtaking, ethereal grace—a slender willow waist, long and elegant legs, and features of a beauty so rare it could only be described as peerless immortal elegance.

Faced with such a peerless beauty of the mortal realm, he could not help but feel his throat go dry and his heartbeat quicken involuntarily.

"Giggle—"

Lyra Jiang initially breathed somewhat rapidly, her expression rather tense, but upon seeing his expression, she suddenly let out a light, tinkling laugh.

She grabbed Eldrin Chen and pressed him down onto the bed, leaning over him as she declared, "My little man, I've craved you for four hundred years. Let's see where you run to today."

Eldrin Chen: "…"

Without a word, he grasped her slender, willow-like waist and flipped their positions, pinning her beneath him.

A pained gasp sounded. Eldrin Chen drew a sharp breath, feeling an indescribable, sublime sensation surge through his heart.

Immediately after, a stream of pure Yin essence [the fundamental feminine energy in cultivation] surged forth, rapidly consolidating his recently broken-through cultivation base and causing it to skyrocket at an astonishing pace.

In a mere instant, he felt his Mana [the spiritual energy cultivated and wielded by practitioners] swell explosively, bringing him to the very threshold of the second layer of the Nascent Soul [the stage where a cultivator's spirit forms a distinct, independent entity] realm.

"Such pure Primordial Yin essence."

Eldrin Chen drew in a sharp breath, his composure nearly shattering.

He swiftly gathered his scattered wits, his gaze falling upon the breathtaking figure before him, and lowered his head to press a kiss upon her lips.

Eldrin Chen opened his eyes, looking upon the peerless beauty slumbering peacefully in his embrace, and a wave of tender affection washed over him.

Both were high-ranking cultivators with extraordinary constitutions, their vitality and stamina far surpassing the imagination of ordinary mortals. Having accumulated centuries of chaste desire, once unleashed, it proved difficult to rein in.

Their passionate entanglement had lasted for over a month, only ceasing the previous day when a profound weariness finally overcame them.

When Eldrin Chen finally reined in his desires and focused his spirit, he discovered his cultivation had not only solidified through their dual cultivation but had also broken through to the Nascent Soul Second Layer. Access the full story on audio - novel . com.

This was truly astonishing. After reaching the Nascent Soul realm, the resources required for each breakthrough become immense. Typically, an ordinary True Lord would need three hundred years of arduous cultivation to advance a single layer.

For a cultivator like Eldrin Chen, who possessed five Life-Bound Magical Treasure [enchanted artifacts intrinsically linked to a cultivator's life force], the requirement was even more staggering, often demanding Ten Sixty-Year Cycles to break through a single layer.

This single session of dual cultivation had saved him a full six centuries of solitary meditation, a testament to its remarkable efficacy.

However, this was due to it being their first union, where they exchanged each other's Primordial Yin and Primordial Yang [the foundational, pure feminine and masculine essences within a cultivator]. Future sessions of dual cultivation would not yield such rapid progress.

As Eldrin Chen was lost in thought, Lyra Jiang stirred awake. She glanced at him, a smile playing on her lips as she asked, "What occupies your mind so deeply?"

"I was contemplating matters of cultivation,"

Eldrin Chen replied, then continued, "Since our breakthrough into the True Lord Realm [the realm of a True Lord, a powerful cultivator], the resources required for our advancement have increased by more than tenfold. To accelerate our progress will demand a significant expenditure of resources."

"Do not fret," Lyra Jiang said with a light laugh. "The Spirit Peach Tree [a mystical tree bearing fruit imbued with spiritual energy] at Spirit Isle Lake is on the verge of its ascension. Once it completes its advancement, the strain on our cultivation resources will ease considerably."

"Indeed."

Eldrin Chen nodded. Mention of the Spirit Peach Tree brought a flicker of coldness to his gaze. "Alaric the Daoist seized the Spirit Apricot Tree [a rare spiritual tree]. It is time we settled that karmic debt."

"And with the Qin Clan as well. It is time for a reckoning there too."

"Agreed."

Lyra Jiang nodded and moved to rise and dress, but a sharp intake of breath halted her.

She shot a reproachful look at Eldrin Chen, rolling her eyes. "Must you be so... vigorous?"

Eldrin Chen merely offered a faint smile, a rare moment of levity as he teased, "Someone has been claiming for four hundred years how much they've craved this, yet it seems the reality is rather... lacking in stamina."

"You..."

After cultivating and recuperating for several more days, Eldrin Chen finally emerged from his Cultivation Cave.

Once outside the Seclusion Chamber, he sought out Old Patriarch and inquired directly, "What is the situation with Alaric the Daoist and the Qin Clan?"

Chen Thalion handed a letter to Eldrin Chen and replied, "Alaric the Daoist is far away in The Vast Sea; we have no way of tracking his movements."

"However, the Qin Clan has kept a very low profile in recent years. Neither of their two True Lord has left the clan's Dao Field."

"You have worked hard, Granduncle." After reading the letter, Eldrin Chen nodded and continued, "I intend to settle the old grudges and karmic debts with the Qin Clan through a decisive confrontation."

"But sharpening the axe does not delay the chopping of wood. I wonder if the Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] the clan has accumulated over the years is sufficient to advance a few Middle-Grade Spiritual Treasure?"

Clearly prepared for this question, Chen Thalion produced a ledger and handed it to Eldrin Chen.

Upon opening it, Eldrin Chen saw it was the ledger for the clan's Clan Treasury, and among the most significant bulk resources within the Chen Clan Clan Treasury was precisely this Five Elements Essence.

In the years since Eldrin Chen journeyed to the Eastern Sea Cultivation World, the Chen Clan has not only produced its own annual quota of Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements], but has also allocated one million Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] each year to continuously purchase more Five Elements Essence across the entire Ji Continent.

The annual expenditure on acquiring Five Elements Essence has become the clan's single largest outlay, a sum that now nearly equals the total stipends paid to all the Chen Clan Cultivators combined.

Now, after the passage of one full Jiazi-time [a sixty-year cycle], the Chen Clan's accumulated hoard of Five Elements Essence is valued at fifty million Spirit Stone. This vast treasury is sufficient to forge five Lifebound Spiritual Treasure [a cultivator's personally bonded and most powerful enchanted artifact] or to elevate two Middle-Grade Spiritual Treasure [a high-tier enchanted artifact] with resources to spare. Support the author by reading on audio~novel.com.