Chapter 641 : The Essence of Ascension

"This matter can be accomplished."

Eldrin Chen nodded. In recent years, the cultivation progress of the Chen Clan cultivators had been swift, and correspondingly, the resources they could obtain had also increased significantly.

Given the Chen Clan's industries and shops spread across several nearby great continents, it should, in principle, be sufficient to support one or two cultivators at the Infant Soul Late Stage.

It was only because Eldrin Chen and Exquisite Jiang's cultivation advancements were too rapid that the Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] within the Clan Treasury remained insufficient.

Once Eldrin Chen and Exquisite Jiang broke through to the Infant Soul Mid Stage, each would have several Lifebound Spiritual Treasure [a magical artifact bound to a cultivator's life force and soul] requiring advancement. The amount of Five Elements Essence needed for this would be an immeasurable figure.

The Five Elements Essence consumed by merely ten Lifebound Spiritual Treasure would be enough to bankrupt an ordinary Infant Soul Immortal Clan, not to mention the additional consumption required for their Innate Divine Ability [a powerful innate supernatural power].

Although the Chen Clan had accumulated a considerable amount of Five Elements Essence over the years, several of its members had also recently advanced to the Infant Soul stage. Coupled with the Five Elements Essence consumed in refining the Dual Polarity Treasure Lotus, the clan's stockpile was indeed running low.

Furthermore, the stock of Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] in the Clan Treasury was also somewhat insufficient, necessitating the temporary allocation of funds from the clan members themselves.

Having made his decision, Eldrin Chen sought out Eternal Profound Chen and explained the situation to him.

After listening, the Old Patriarch nodded and said, "In truth, it is not that the clan lacks wealth. It is simply that our ascension to an Infant Soul Immortal Clan is still recent, and most of the Spirit Stone in the Clan Treasury has been invested elsewhere." Immerse yourself in the complete world at (audio-novel.com).

"Oh?" Eldrin Chen's eyes flickered slightly as he listened to Eternal Profound Chen begin his detailed account.

As the Old Patriarch narrated, Eldrin Chen gradually came to understand the current state of the Chen Clan.

Having captured several Fifth Rank Spirit Mountain [a mountain imbued with potent spiritual energy, ranked fifth in a nine-tier system] and slain numerous formidable foes, the Chen Clan was, in truth, quite wealthy. The resources recorded in its ledgers placed it among the top tier of Infant Soul Immortal Clans [powerful cultivation families led by cultivators who have reached the Infant Soul Realm].

However, after the clan's ascension to Infant Soul Immortal Clan status, there were far too many foundational assets that needed accumulation. Therefore, the clan's Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation] investments were primarily funneled into three major areas.

These three primary investment areas were: loans to clan members, fixed assets, and market-town investments.

The loans to clan members were mainly provided to support breakthroughs into the Foundation Establishment [the second major realm of cultivation, where one builds a stable foundation for their path], Violet Sanctum [the third major realm, where one opens a spiritual sea within their dantian], Golden Core [the fourth major realm, where one condenses their spiritual energy into a solid core], and even the Infant Soul [the fifth major realm, where one nurtures their nascent soul] realms.

This system covered everyone, from Infant Soul True Lords [cultivators who have reached the Infant Soul Realm] like Eternal Profound Chen and Silas Chen down to the lowliest cultivator at the ninth tier of Vital Essence Refinement [the first major realm of cultivation, focused on refining one's vital energy].

The primary purpose was to nurture promising clan cultivators. The interest rates set were exceedingly low. Upon a successful breakthrough, the recipient was required to work for the clan or repay the debt by earning Spirit Stone through one of the Hundred Crafts of Cultivation [a collective term for various specialized skills practiced by cultivators, such as alchemy, artifact forging, and formation setting].

The second area of investment was fixed assets, which also accounted for a large share of the clan's expenditures.

In merely two centuries, the Chen Clan has cultivated over one thousand Spirit Mountains of varying grades across the Vast Sea and Chen Nation, and has also opened more than two million Mu-area of Spiritual Fields. [one Mu-area equals six hundred sixty-six point six seven square meters]

The investment for these two endeavors alone accounts for four-tenths of the clan's annual expenditure.

These Spirit Mountains and Spiritual Fields are primarily used to cultivate the Spirit Wood required for refining Treasure Ships, as well as various Spirit Fruits and Spirit Herbs.

For these investments to yield returns requires hundreds or even thousands of years. Most of what has matured so far are low-grade Spirit Herbs.

The profit from these low-grade Spirit Herbs is not high; after deducting the stipends for the clan members responsible for cultivation, the actual earnings are quite modest.

The primary profits come from mid-to-high-grade Spirit Herbs of the third rank and above. Herbs of this grade can serve as supplementary ingredients for Infant Soul elixirs [pills that aid cultivation at the Infant Soul Realm], making them exceptionally lucrative.

However, Spirit Herbs of this caliber require at least five hundred years to mature, a timeframe that is still far off.

Among these Spirit Mountains and Spiritual Fields, several hundred to a thousand fourth and Fifth Rank high-grade Spirit Herbs are now planted. These include rare treasures like the Tribulation Crossing Flower [a legendary herb said to aid in transcending heavenly tribulations], yet their maturation will require millennia.

Nevertheless, these investments are indispensable. Since Eldrin Chen's breakthrough to the Infant Soul realm, the auxiliary herbs needed to refine a single batch of high-grade elixirs require mobilizing the resources of an entire continent to gather.

The primary ingredients for refining Fifth Rank elixirs are all purchased from external sources at great cost. If the scale of the Spiritual Fields is not expanded, in the future, it may become impossible to even gather the auxiliary herbs for a single batch of elixirs, let alone the precious primary ingredients.

The Old Patriarch possessed a far-sighted vision, thus investing heavily in this area, and doing so continuously year after year. In this way, after a thousand years, the clan would gradually begin producing Fifth Rank Spirit Herb [rare plants imbued with potent spiritual energy].

Among these Spirit Herb, some were even key supplementary ingredients for Primordial Spirit Pill [a legendary elixir for nurturing the Primordial Spirit]. In the future, even if the Chen Clan did not use them itself, they could be used to forge connections and goodwill with various powers across the Great Sage [a realm of supreme cultivators] lands.

Beyond fixed assets, there were the clan's commercial establishments. Over the years, through purchases, leases, exchanges, and various other means, the Chen Clan had opened shops in the surrounding great continents.

By now, the Chen Clan had established shops in one thousand three hundred and sixty-four market towns across seventeen great continents surrounding their territory.

For this purpose, Eternal Profound Chen personally traveled across these dozen or so great continents, paying his respects to the major Infant Soul Immortal Clan [a clan with cultivators at the Infant Soul realm] sects and offering a generous share of the profits. Combined, this constituted a not insignificant expenditure.

These shops served not only to sell the Chen Clan's goods but, more importantly, to procure Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] for Eldrin Chen.

According to Eternal Profound Chen's arrangements, in just another two or three Sixty-Year Cycle [a cycle of sixty years, a significant unit of time in fate and cultivation], the Five Elements Essence accumulated through these shops would be sufficient to cover Eldrin Chen's consumption needs after his advancement to the Infant Soul Mid Stage. Original English translation available at *audio-novel.com*.

However, it was unforeseen that Eldrin Chen would encounter significant fortuitous opportunities after his Infant Soul [a major realm of cultivation focusing on nurturing the nascent soul] breakthrough. Now, having also obtained the Moon Goddess Pearl, it seemed his breakthrough to the Infant Soul Mid Stage would occur even sooner than anticipated. This left the clan's reserves of Five Elements Essence and stockpiled Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation] somewhat insufficient.

"So that's how it is,"

Eldrin Chen sighed softly. All these years, he had focused single-mindedly on his cultivation, paying almost no heed to the clan's affairs.

If these matters were left for him to handle, it would likely greatly hinder his cultivation, and he might not perform as well as the Old Patriarch [the venerable leader of the clan].

Contemplating this, he mused thoughtfully and said, "Although the clan's Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] reserves are insufficient, we cannot let this delay the cultivation of our clansmen."

"Let it be this way," he continued. "For those clansmen whose cultivation is not far from a breakthrough, we shall temporarily exempt them from the levy."

"If Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy] are truly lacking, we can appropriately select some of the more common Fifth Rank Spiritual Objects [spiritual materials of the fifth rank] from the Clan Treasury [the clan's central repository of wealth and resources] to be sold."

Eternal Profound Chen nodded, then said with a smile, "I see the Eight Trigrams Treasure Tree [a mystical tree whose growth follows the patterns of the Eight Trigrams] is nearing its advancement. Once it does, those few Spiritual Treasure [enchanted artifacts of significant power] of mine will become useless. Since you were the one who gave them to me in the first place, I shall now use them to trade for Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] on your behalf."

"I trouble the Old Granduncle [a respectful term for a senior elder in the clan] with this," Eldrin Chen replied.

Hearing this, Eldrin Chen offered a slight smile and continued discussing matters with Eternal Profound Chen for a while longer.

Considering how managing affairs could severely impede cultivation, he pondered for a moment before speaking again. "There are matters you need not handle personally. You should focus more of your mind on cultivation."

"It is of no consequence," the Old Patriarch [the venerable leader of the clan] replied.

The Old Patriarch chuckled, waving his hand dismissively. "Within the clan, aside from you, the one I trust most is Lior. Currently, Lior is preparing for his second attempt to break through to the Infant Soul [the stage where a cultivator's nascent soul is formed]. I simply do not have the time to step away from my duties."

"Oh?"

It dawned on Eldrin Chen then — unbeknownst to him, Lior Chen had already crossed the seven-century mark in age and was now not far from a breakthrough to the Infant Soul [the stage where a cultivator's nascent soul coalesces into a distinct spiritual entity] realm. Original English translation available at AUDIO-NOVEL.COM.