Chapter 540 : The Alchemist's Bountiful Harvest

The value of the supplementary herbs is not high. As long as each alchemical furnace yields four Precious Pill [a type of cultivation-enhancing pill], the costs are recouped. Producing five or more yields a profit, and if one can refine six or seven, the gains are substantial.

Consider this: if one furnace yields seven Precious Pill, three furnaces would produce twenty-one. Each pill increases cultivation by thirty years, totaling six hundred and thirty years of accumulated power—more than double the gain from directly consuming a Spiritual Peach [a spiritual fruit that enhances cultivation].

After all, until the Spiritual Peach Tree [a mystical tree bearing spiritual peaches] advances to Fifth Rank Mid-Grade [a specific tier within the cultivation ranking system], its output of Spiritual Peach is limited. And waiting for the tree to reach that rank will likely take at least ten more Sixty-Year Cycle [a cosmic cycle of sixty years].

During this period, after Old Patriarch and others break through to the Infant Soul [a core cultivation stage where the cultivator's nascent soul forms] realm, three Spiritual Peach every hundred years will probably not be enough to distribute among them.

The difficulty of refining this Immortal Peach Pill [an advanced pill refined from spiritual peaches] is not great. With Eldrin Chen's alchemical skill, the first furnace yielded four pills, and the subsequent two furnaces each produced a full five.

Once the three batches of Immortal Peach Pill were complete, Eldrin Chen had accumulated fourteen pills in hand—enough for an Infant Soul True Lord [a title for a powerful cultivator at the Infant Soul stage] to use for several centuries.

Having finished refining the Immortal Peach Pill, the two emerged from the Seclusion Chamber [a specially warded room for undisturbed cultivation or crafting] and discovered a message talisman had been hovering at the chamber's entrance for some time.

Picking it up, he smiled and said, "A letter has arrived from Vast Sea [a region or territory], summoning us to go there."

"Oh?" Exquisite Jiang smiled and remarked, "By my reckoning, it has been nearly thirty years since we secured Vast Sea. That Spirit Apricot Tree [a spiritual tree bearing apricots] should be on the verge of advancing its rank."

"That is likely the case," he agreed. For the best reading experience, visit audio-novel .c om.

Eldrin Chen revealed a smile and said, "Let us go and take a look first."

Without further delay, Eldrin Chen set off immediately. He deliberately brought the Void Gem and rode his Spiritual Treasure Immortal Sword as he flew towards the Vast Sea.

Several days later, Eldrin Chen arrived at the Vast Sea. Transforming into a streak of sword light, he flew onto Frigid Stream Island.

As soon as they landed on the Spirit Island, they were met by a wave of rich spiritual energy [the vital energy that permeates the world and is used for cultivation] emanating from the island, causing smiles to appear on their faces.

"The spiritual energy density is already no weaker than Spirit Lake Isle. It seems the Immortal Apricot Tree has already advanced its grade,"

Eldrin Chen said with a smile, just as he noticed several streaks of light flying towards them.

The Old Patriarch arrived with Kael and the others. Seeing Eldrin Chen, he said excitedly, "Come with me, quickly."

Following Eternal Profound Chen to the summit of Spirit Island, Eldrin Chen finally laid eyes upon that ancient and vigorous Ancient Spirit Apricot Tree.

This Spirit Apricot Tree stood only a single Zhang-length [one Zhang-length equals three point three three meters] tall, yet every leaf and branch shimmered with astonishing Spiritual Treasure Dao patterns [mystical inscriptions that embody the laws of the cosmos], possessing an extraordinary, divine quality.

Upon the Ancient Spirit Apricot Tree hung only three Spirit Apricot, yet each one radiated a hazy immortal light, brimming with an extraordinary Creation vitality [the primordial life-giving force of the universe].

"It truly has advanced."

Eldrin Chen observed carefully for a long moment, then performed a series of deductions. His expression grew increasingly delighted.

When it was at the Fourth Rank level, the Spirit Apricot Tree would flower once every thirty years, bear fruit over the next thirty, and then require another thirty to ripen, taking roughly a century for a full cycle.

The Spirit Apricot it produced could extend one's lifespan by two Sixty-Year Cycle [a period of sixty years], making it an exceedingly rare treasure, yet it paled in comparison to its current state.

Now, after the Spirit Apricot Tree had advanced to the Fifth Rank and become a Worldly Spiritual Root [a spiritual plant of immense power that can influence its surrounding environment], its effects had undergone a heaven-and-earth transformation.

Henceforth, the Spirit Apricot Tree would flower over three hundred years, bear fruit over another three hundred, and ripen over a final three hundred, taking approximately a millennium to produce three Spirit Apricot.

The ripened Spirit Apricot contained the vital Creation [the primordial life-giving force of the universe] essence, making it a supreme treasure of heaven and earth's finest energies. Consuming it could extend one's lifespan by a full millennium.

Contemplating the profound mysteries of the Spirit Apricot, Eldrin Chen could not contain his joy. "Although this Fifth Rank Low-Grade Spirit Apricot Tree only bears three fruits every thousand years," he said with a smile, "it is more than worthy of being called a supreme treasure of heaven and earth."

"With this treasure in our clan henceforth, you all need not worry about insufficient lifespan."

Hearing this, everyone present revealed expressions of joy. A cultivator could only use three Life-Extending Treasure [treasures specifically crafted to prolong one's natural lifespan] in their lifetime. Only after breaking through to the Infant Soul True Lord [a high cultivation realm where one forms a nascent spiritual infant] and receiving the heavens' and earth's boon could one consume an additional one.

Given the precious limitation on the number of times one can extend their lifespan, it is naturally more cost-effective to use high-grade Life-Extending Treasure [a rare treasure that can grant additional years of life to a cultivator]. This very reason causes the value of high-grade Life-Extending Treasure to remain perpetually high.

The Spirit Apricot [a miraculous fruit that can significantly extend a cultivator's lifespan] before them would stir the heart of even an Infant Soul True Lord [a powerful cultivator at the Infant Soul stage]. If taken to market, each one could be exchanged for a Medium-Grade Spiritual Treasure [a powerful enchanted artifact of medium quality].

Eternal Profound Chen was filled with excitement. He caressed the Spirit Apricot Tree [the tree that bears the life-extending Spirit Apricot fruit] almost unwilling to let go and said, "A True Lord [an honorific title for a cultivator at the Infant Soul stage] has a lifespan of three thousand years. If one could consume three Fifth Rank [a high grade denoting exceptional quality and power] Spirit Apricot, wouldn't that allow them to live for six thousand years?"

"And if they then cultivated the Nirvana Tribulation Transmigration Art [a profound art that allows a cultivator to be reborn, carrying over a portion of their cultivation and memories] to undergo a tribulation rebirth, wouldn't that mean living for a total of nine thousand years across two lifetimes?"

His tone was one of awe. Theoretically, an Infant Soul True Lord living for nine thousand years was simply astonishing.

Even a Primordial Spirit Path Lord [a cultivator who has ascended to the Primordial Spirit stage, a realm above Infant Soul], without using Life-Extending Treasure, has a lifespan of only ten thousand years. It was hard to imagine an Infant Soul True Lord approaching that domain. The complete novel can be found at audio-novel`com.

Hearing this, Exquisite Jiang shook her head. "While that is true in theory, those who actually live that long are fewer than one in a hundred."

"Fifth Rank Life-Extending Treasure are far too precious. Most True Lord can only afford one or two. Furthermore, over eighty percent of True Lord have already used Life-Extending Treasure before breaking through to Infant Soul [the cultivation realm of the Infant Soul stage], so they don't have that many lifespan extension attempts left."

Eldrin Chen also nodded, smiling as he said, "Those who can afford multiple Life-Extending Treasure are mostly Infant Soul Late Stage or even Great Perfection of Infant Soul [the pinnacle of the Infant Soul realm] Peak True Lord [a title for the most powerful True Lords]."

"It is said that within the Eastern Region Great Wasteland [a vast and perilous desert region in the eastern lands], there exist some Half-Step Primordial Spirit [cultivators who have touched the threshold of the Primordial Spirit realm but not fully ascended] who, lacking confidence to survive the Primordial Spirit [the Primordial Spirit stage] tribulation, remain trapped at the Half-Step Primordial Spirit Realm seeking opportunities. They only dare to risk the breakthrough attempt when they are past eight thousand years old and their lifespan is nearly exhausted."

Hearing this, Old Patriarch stroked his beard and said, "When I was young, I heard that within the Lin Immortal Clan of the Eastern Barrens Mountains, there was a Nirvana Immortal Apricot Tree [a legendary tree whose fruit grants immense longevity and rebirth]."

"That Nirvana Immortal Apricot Tree blooms once every thousand years, bears fruit over the next thousand, and takes another thousand for the fruit to ripen."

"It is said that a mere whiff of the scent from a ripe Immortal Apricot can extend a mortal's life by two hundred years. If a Primordial Spirit Path Lord [a cultivator who has mastered their Primordial Spirit] consumes one, they can undergo Nirvana [a state of perfect peace and liberation] and Rebirth [be reborn into a new life], gaining another lifetime. I wonder if its power is truly that astonishing?"

"It must be true."

Eldrin Chen said with a smile. Recalling what was recorded in the Void-Refining Immortal Scripture [a supreme cultivation manual], he continued, "It is said that over eighty thousand years ago, an Immortal [a being who has ascended to immortality] achieved ascension and departed this realm."

"Long before his ascension, he had already fully comprehended the Path Principles [the fundamental laws governing cultivation and reality], yet he remained at the Great Perfection stage of the Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator] for twenty thousand years. If we count the time it took him to cultivate to that Great Perfection, his lifespan likely exceeded thirty thousand years."

"Such an immense lifespan is several times greater than the natural limit for a Primordial Spirit Path Lord. He must have lived through at least three lifetimes."

The others showed surprise at his words but could not help nodding in agreement.

For a cultivator to reach the Great Perfection of the Primordial Spirit realm requires an immense span of time, let alone the fact that the Void-Refining Immortal [the title of that ascended Immortal] had also comprehended the Path Principles.

Take the Ji Clan Patriarch as an example. He was over four thousand years old when he broke through to the Primordial Spirit Realm [the realm of the Primordial Spirit], having already consumed at least two life-extending opportunities. Cultivating from there to the Great Perfection of Primordial Spirit would likely require nearly another ten thousand years.

This could not even be called encountering a bottleneck. Countless Primordial Spirit Path Lord [a cultivator who has reached the Primordial Spirit realm and established their own unique Path] find themselves utterly stuck before the barrier separating the Primordial Spirit Mid Stage [the middle phase of the Primordial Spirit cultivation stage] from the late stage, their natural lifespan draining away without them ever taking another step forward. Dive deeper into the Dao at *audio-novel.com*.