Chapter 588 : A Pact Forged in Lightning

Hearing this, the two of them paled slightly, a flicker of trepidation flashing in their hearts.

Given his long-standing friendship with Eldrin Chen, Xavier Xu disregarded the hierarchy of cultivation realms, stood up, and cupped his hands in salute. "Please, True Lord, instruct us."

Eldrin Chen nodded and then spoke. "I can lend you Spiritual Treasure [powerful enchanted artifacts] to face your tribulation. I can also lease the Five Veins Nascent Soul Formation [a powerful defensive array] to you. Furthermore, I will permit you to attempt your breakthrough on my Chen Clan's Fifth Rank Spirit Vein [a location of exceptionally dense spiritual energy]."

"With these safeguards from my Chen Clan, your chances of breaking through to the Nascent Soul [the realm where one forms an independent spiritual infant] should be around four or five in ten. You should also have sufficient confidence to withstand the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [the divine punishment of heavenly lightning]."

Upon hearing this, joy surged in their hearts, but they quickly regained their composure.

Daoyi Qiu cupped his hands and could not help but ask, "Dare I inquire, Senior, what would the price be?"

"You are not foolish," Eldrin Chen said with a light laugh before continuing. "After your breakthrough, you must become Elders of the Heaven's Ruin Alliance. Henceforth, if we face a major conflict, you are duty-bound to heed the commands of our Chen Clan."

Daoyi Qiu's heart trembled slightly upon hearing this. Agreeing to such terms would essentially make them guest elders of the Chen Clan. Should the Chen Clan truly encounter a great war, they could not simply stand aside.

A Nascent Soul True Lord [a master of the Nascent Soul realm] held an extraordinary status. Such existences were revered figures wherever they went. The thought of becoming mere pawns on the front lines was emotionally difficult to accept.

Xavier Xu, however, agreed swiftly. He cupped his hands and said, "Without the aid of the Chen Clan, this old man likely would never have broken through to the Golden Core [the realm of the solidified golden spiritual core]. I would have perished centuries ago. How could I have reached the Nascent Soul Threshold [the precipice of the Nascent Soul realm] as I have today?" This content originates from audio~novel.com. Please respect copyright.

"A scholar dies for one who truly knows him. For such a grace that paved my path to the Dao, I, Xavier Xu, have no way to repay it. Even if Your Excellency had not mentioned it, I would willingly serve as your vanguard."

After listening, Daoyi Qiu revealed a bitter smile. Without the support of Eldrin Chen, his hope of breaking through to the Nascent Soul [the stage where a cultivator's spirit forms an independent infant-like entity] would have been slim; he would have completely passed away within a few centuries. Considering face after achieving Nascent Soul now was nothing but a joke.

"There is no need for such formalities."

After the two signed the contract, Eldrin Chen smiled and handed them two Nascent Soul Formation Pill [a supreme elixir that aids in forming the Nascent Soul].

Refining the Nascent Soul Formation Pill would still take some time. These two were the last from the Chen Clan's inventory, so he gave them to the two first to aid their breakthrough into the Nascent Soul Realm.

After bestowing the Nascent Soul Formation Pill, he added with a smile, "Rest assured, your status will be akin to that of guest elders of my Chen Clan. Unless it concerns important matters, I will not lightly dispatch you."

After seeing the two off, Eldrin Chen began the work of refining Golden Core Formation Pill [a precious elixir that aids in condensing the Golden Core].

Eldrin Chen spent tens of millions of Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] to purchase all the necessary auxiliary herbs, including the Heavenly Heart Herb, from Qingluan Continent, and then commenced refining the Golden Core Formation Pill.

This batch of Golden Core Formation Pill was jointly refined by Eldrin Chen and Lyra Jiang, with several dozen Alchemist [practitioners skilled in crafting spiritual pills and elixirs] responsible for processing the medicinal ingredients.

With others handling the most time-consuming and laborious task of ingredient preparation, and given the two's profound Mana [the spiritual energy or power wielded by cultivators], refining one furnace of Golden Core Formation Pill required only half a month.

Even so, these sixty-plus batches of Golden Core Formation Pill [a rare elixir that aids in forming a Golden Core] consumed three years of Eldrin Chen's time.

After successfully refining the Golden Core Formation Pill, Eldrin Chen allowed himself a sigh of relief. Following a rest period of over a month with Lyra Jiang, he immediately set his hands to the task of crafting the Nascent Soul Formation Pill [an exceedingly rare elixir that aids in forming a Nascent Soul].

This was not their first attempt at refining the Nascent Soul Formation Pill. Their current experience and Alchemy [the art of refining spiritual pills and elixirs] far surpassed what they possessed in the past.

For the first batch of Nascent Soul Formation Pill, Eldrin Chen utilized the Inner Core [the condensed spiritual essence of a powerful demon beast] of the Golden Rhinoceros Demon Emperor. That demon emperor's cultivation had reached the Nascent Soul, 3rd Tier [the third stage of the Nascent Soul realm], its primal essence exceptionally potent. From this single batch, they successfully produced three Nascent Soul Formation Pill.

The second batch employed the Inner Core of the Verdant Jade Demon Emperor, whose cultivation was even more formidable, having attained the Nascent Soul, 4th Tier [the fourth stage of the Nascent Soul realm]. This furnace yielded a full five Nascent Soul Formation Pill.

Having harvested eight Nascent Soul Formation Pill, Eldrin Chen stored them away with a heart full of quiet joy. Aside from the one pill promised to Zixu the Daoist, the Chen Clan would now have a reserve of seven Nascent Soul Formation Pill.

With these seven pills serving as a Deep-Seated Foundation [a profound and stable foundation for future growth], should suitable candidates emerge in the future, perhaps several more Nascent Soul True Lord [a title for a cultivator who has reached the Nascent Soul realm] could be nurtured.

Upon hearing that Eldrin Chen had succeeded in refining the Nascent Soul Formation Pill, Thalion Chen was the first to seek him out. Gazing upon the pills with evident delight, he said, "I wish to request one Nascent Soul Formation Pill for Lior."

Eldrin Chen smiled and nodded. "Within our clan, the only cultivator currently at the Nascent Soul, 9th Tier [the ninth and final stage of the Nascent Soul realm] is Uncle Lior. If we do not support him, whom else should we support?"

Currently, the Chen Clan boasts over forty Golden Core Cultivator [cultivators who have formed a Golden Core, the core of their spiritual power]. However, the clan's rise has been swift, and most of its Golden Core cultivators are less than four hundred years old, with over eighty percent being around three hundred years of age.

Most of these Golden Core Cultivator [cultivators who have reached the Golden Core stage] had broken through to the Golden Core [the third major stage of cultivation, forming a solidified core of spiritual energy] realm less than a century ago. Their cultivation levels were all at the Golden Core Early to Mid Stage [the initial and middle phases of the Golden Core realm]. Only three individuals had reached the Golden Core, Late Stage [the advanced phase of the Golden Core realm]: Silas Chen, Caleb Chen, and Lior Chen.

Among these three, the siblings Silas Chen had only just broken through to the seventh layer of the Golden Core Stage. Only Lior Chen had cultivated to Golden Core Great Perfection [the peak and limit of the Golden Core realm], making him the most suitable candidate to use the Nascent Soul Formation Pill [a legendary elixir that aids in forming the Nascent Soul].

With this in mind, Eldrin Chen handed the Nascent Soul Formation Pill to the Old Patriarch [the venerable leader of the clan] and said thoughtfully, "Uncle Lior Chen's lifespan is nearing six hundred years. I fear his chances of a single successful breakthrough are not great."

"Please watch over him closely and try to help him break through to Nascent Soul [the fourth major stage of cultivation, where the cultivator's spirit forms an independent infant-like entity] before he reaches eight hundred years of age."

Thalion Chen nodded. Eight hundred years was a critical threshold. If one failed to achieve Nascent Soul before that age, they would need to rely on a Longevity Pill [an elixir that extends a cultivator's natural lifespan] to replenish their vitality.

However, each consumption of a Longevity Pill meant one less opportunity to extend one's lifespan by a Millennium [a thousand-year cycle; often used to describe a significant lifespan extension] after reaching the Nascent Soul realm. Continue reading this story at audio-novel*com.

Thinking of this, Eldrin Chen asked, "How are the breakthrough attempts proceeding for Daoyi Qiu and Xavier Xu?"

Thalion Chen shook his head and sighed. "Xavier Xu's foundation was insufficient. He only managed to break through to the False Nascent Soul Realm [a flawed or incomplete version of the Nascent Soul realm]."

"As for Daoyi Qiu, he succeeded, albeit barely, forging a Mortal Dao Nascent Soul [a Nascent Soul of the lowest, most common grade, limiting future potential]."

Upon hearing this, Eldrin Chen nodded. Breaking through to Nascent Soul fundamentally depended on one's Deep-Seated Foundation [the profound and stable accumulation of cultivation base and spiritual energy]. Xavier Xu possessed only an Inferior Golden Core [a Golden Core of the lowest quality and purity]. Even with the aid of the Nascent Soul Formation Pill and the Five Veins Nascent Soul Formation [a powerful formation array that channels spiritual energy from five sources to assist in Nascent Soul formation], his chances were merely thirty to forty percent—his hope of success was never great.

This caused him some concern for Lior Chen, so after a moment of contemplation, he said, "The clan still has some Azure Lotus Seed [a rare spiritual seed that can enhance one's foundation]. Send one over to Uncle Lior as well."

"I understand."

With that, Thalion Chen took the Nascent Soul Formation Pill [a supreme elixir that aids in the breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm] and departed in haste.

After Thalion Chen had left, Eldrin Chen looked at Lyra Jiang and said, "We have now gathered both the Snow Element Ginseng [a ginseng imbued with the essence of frost and snow] and the Fire Element Ginseng [a ginseng blazing with the essence of flame]. I wish to begin the alchemical process to refine the Yin-Yang Treasure Ginseng Pill."

Lyra Jiang shook her head, a slight frown creasing her brow. "But to refine the Yin-Yang Treasure Ginseng Pill [a legendary pill that harmonizes opposing elemental forces], we would need the corresponding alchemical formula, which we unfortunately do not possess."

"It is of no consequence," Eldrin Chen replied with a serene smile. "Knowing the primary ingredients, deducing the formula should not pose a significant challenge."

As he spoke, Eldrin Chen produced the Snow Element Ginseng and the Fire Element Ginseng and began to examine them intently. Official source: AUDIO-NOVEL.COM. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.