Chapter 811 : A Desperate Gamble for Ascension

"There is indeed one left."

Eldrin Chen nodded. Even before their return, the group had already decided to exchange a Nascent Soul Pill [a legendary pill that aids in the breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm] for a Star Core Fragment [a fragment of a collapsed stellar core, containing immense cosmic energy].

Thus, Eldrin Chen did not hesitate and spoke: "We are willing to trade. However, the Star Core Fragment is exceedingly precious. For the remaining balance, I lack any Sixth Rank Spiritual Object [a spiritual object of the sixth rank, a tier of immense power and rarity] to make up the difference."

"That matter is easily resolved." Alkaid, the Star Lord let out a sigh of relief. As long as they were willing to sell the Nascent Soul Pill, other matters were simple. He then said, "The remaining balance can be made up with Heavenly Crystal [a highly purified and potent form of spiritual crystal] and Spiritual Treasure [powerful enchanted artifacts]."

"Then it is settled."

Eldrin Chen acted decisively, trading one Nascent Soul Pill plus spiritual objects worth one thousand Heavenly Crystal to Alkaid, the Star Lord in exchange for one Nine Heavens Star Core Fragment [a supreme-grade fragment of a stellar core from the highest heavens].

After completing this transaction, Eldrin Chen personally escorted Alkaid, the Star Lord on his departure.

"This move of his carries the weight of a final, desperate gamble."

After Alkaid, the Star Lord had left, Lyra Jiang approached with a sigh.

Eldrin Chen nodded, his expression complex as he said, "This is his third attempt to impact the Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core realm beyond the Golden Core] using a Nascent Soul Pill, and it is also his greatest chance of success." Find thousands of chapters at audio-novel-dot-com.

"If I cannot achieve a breakthrough this time, I fear my hopes will be dim indeed."

Eldrin Chen could roughly surmise the predicament of Alkaid, the Star Lord. As the master of the Alkaid Star Vein within the Star Palace, Alkaid, the Star Lord's status was second only to a few Nascent Soul Ancient Ancestor, making him a figure of utmost prestige.

However, Alkaid, the Star Lord had failed twice in succession to break through to the Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator] realm, consuming two incredibly precious Nascent Soul Pill [a legendary elixir that aids in forming the Nascent Soul]. This likely meant the other Primordial Spirit True Lord [a title for a powerful cultivator] under the Star Palace's master held significant grievances against him.

After all, while the Star Palace was vast and wealthy, it also had a great many Late Nascent Soul Grand Cultivator [cultivators at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage], and even more cultivators qualified to compete for a Nascent Soul Pill.

Now, Alkaid, the Star Lord sought to exchange for a third Nascent Soul Pill. If he were to fail yet again, the entire Jade Balance lineage would likely fall into a decline from which it could not recover.

Yet, breaking through to Primordial Spirit concerned myself's very path of cultivation. Alkaid, the Star Lord naturally was unwilling to simply accept fate. He had likely staked everything on this gamble, even going so far as to offer a supreme treasure like the Star Core Fragment [a fragment of a celestial star's core, containing immense power].

"I hope he succeeds."

Eldrin Chen sighed softly, then set the matter aside. With a smile, he said, "Let us first refine the Pure Yang Elixir [an elixir of pure Yang energy] and accumulate our Mana [the spiritual energy used for cultivation and spells] to its peak."

"Agreed."

Lyra Jiang also nodded, a faint smile gracing her features.

Early the next morning, Eldrin Chen took Lila and Lyra Jiang with him to refine the Pure Yang Elixir using the Pill Division Method.

The Pill Division Method passed down by Riverlord Chang was profoundly mysterious. Over the course of seven years, they finally succeeded in dividing and refining the Pure Yang Elixir into three portions. Unbeknownst to them, their Mana had also reached a state of perfect completion during this process.

On this day, Eldrin Chen emerged from the Seclusion Chamber and sought out Lyra Jiang, Verdant Consort, and the others. He spoke directly, "My Mana has become perfectly harmonious and integrated. I am preparing to attempt the Earth Soul Guidance ritual in the coming days."

Seeing his intent to enter seclusion for the breakthrough, Lyra Jiang spoke up, "Go and focus on your seclusion with peace of mind. We will stand guard for you."

"Mm."

Having decided to undertake the Earth Soul Guidance, Eldrin Chen saw no reason for further delay.

He immediately returned to his Cultivation Cave and entered seclusion, beginning to mobilize his Mana in preparation for guiding his Earth Soul [one of the three spiritual souls in a cultivator's being, representing the earthly aspect] back to its rightful place.

Within the immortal path of this world, for a Nascent Soul Cultivators to break through to the Primordial Spirit realm, they must guide their Heaven and Earth Souls [the Heavenly Soul and Earthly Soul, two of the three spiritual souls] back to their positions and fuse them into one with their Life Soul [the third spiritual soul, representing the vital essence of life itself]. Only by achieving this trinity can one forge the immensely powerful Pure Yang Nascent Soul.

Among these, the Heavenly Soul resides high above in the azure firmament of the Nine Heavens, growing in strength as the cultivator's own base cultivation continuously advances.

This Heavenly Soul is formed from a wisp of clear Qi [the vital energy that flows through all living things], so ethereal it is almost intangible. Guiding it down is an endeavor of immense difficulty, and seizing the opportune moment is crucial to increase one's chances of success.

The Earthly Soul [the soul aspect tied to the mortal world and one's physical legacy] lies hidden deep within the Netherworld [the underworld realm of spirits and the dead]. Though not as ethereal and distant as the Heavenly Soul [the soul aspect connected to the heavens and destiny], it is immeasurably heavy and burdensome.

It is said the Earthly Soul has swallowed endless amounts of turbid Netherworld Qi [the vital energy that flows through all living things], sinking it into an infinite mire within that realm. Unless one possesses an exceptionally powerful Mana [the refined spiritual power cultivated by immortals] and Spiritual Sense [the spiritual awareness and perception of a cultivator], it is utterly impossible to pull this Earthly Soul free.

Now, as Eldrin Chen secluded himself to meditate and sense the elusive location of his Earthly Soul, his Spiritual Sense suddenly felt as if it were soaring across the boundless Netherworld, arriving at a place of profound darkness—a deep abyss.

"This is the place."

In that fleeting moment, Eldrin Chen sensed the location of his own Earthly Soul and immediately acted. He marshaled his vast soul power and Mana to pull with all his might.

Yet the Earthly Soul was mired deep within the Netherworld, as if trapped in an endless, clinging bog. He was not pulling against a single soul entity, but rather wrestling with the weight of an entire vast Netherworld Sea [the conceptual sea of souls and spiritual sediment within the Netherworld]. The complete novel can be found at www . audio-novel.com.

"So this is the nature of the Netherworld?"

Eldrin Chen murmured to himself, and then his pupils abruptly contracted to sharp points.

In an instant, the four supreme types of Mana within Eldrin Chen's body—the Pure Yang Flame [a divine flame of pure yang energy], the Profound Nether Water [water imbued with profound nether energy], the Myriad Things Earth [earth energy embodying the essence of all things], and the Chaos Gold [a primordial metal of chaos]—surged forth with heaven-shaking, earth-quaking force.

A torrent of overwhelming power shook the very foundations of reality, violently wrenching the Earthly Soul free from the depths of the Netherworld and sending it soaring skyward.

In less than three hours, the Earthly Soul [one of the three spiritual souls of a cultivator, representing the connection to the mortal world] had already been guided upward, wrapped in Eldrin Chen's Mana [the refined spiritual power cultivated by a practitioner], and settled into the sea of consciousness of Eldrin Chen.

"Success!"

In an instant, Eldrin Chen felt his own Mana [the refined spiritual power cultivated by a practitioner] surge dramatically, and a wave of joy washed over his face.

A cultivator's Heaven and Earth Souls [the two primary spiritual souls that wander the heavens and the underworld] drift within the azure heavens and the Netherworld [the realm of the dead and departed spirits]. They continuously absorb the power of heaven and earth, growing stronger as the cultivator's own Mana [the refined spiritual power cultivated by a practitioner] increases.

The more powerful the cultivator's main body, the more potent the Heaven and Earth Souls [the two primary spiritual souls that wander the heavens and the underworld] become.

Now, with his Earthly Soul [one of the three spiritual souls of a cultivator, representing the connection to the mortal world] returned to its rightful place, Eldrin Chen's spiritual power had more than doubled, and his Mana [the refined spiritual power cultivated by a practitioner] had also received a tremendous boost.

Next, Eldrin Chen only needed to accumulate his Mana [the refined spiritual power cultivated by a practitioner] to its peak. Once perfected, his Mana [the refined spiritual power cultivated by a practitioner] would be twice as powerful as that of a Nascent Soul, 9th Tier [the ninth and final stage of the Nascent Soul realm].

Such a monumental enhancement meant that, bolstered by this level of Mana [the refined spiritual power cultivated by a practitioner], the power with which he could unleash divine abilities like the Twofold Divine Aegis and the Four Symbols Divine Thunder would not be inferior to that of a Nascent Soul Dao Lord [a supreme expert at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm] personally channeling them.

In terms of Mana [the refined spiritual power cultivated by a practitioner] alone, one could say he was now not far behind a Nascent Soul Dao Lord [a supreme expert at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm].

And if one were to speak of combat prowess, the gap between him and a newly ascended Primordial Spirit [the spiritual core of a cultivator, representing a higher state of being] was likely not vast.

With this thought, Eldrin Chen murmured to himself once more, "Should I seize this momentum and attempt to invoke the Celestial Soul Return [a supreme divine ability that calls upon the soul's celestial origin]?"

"No, it is not yet the time."

With another thought, Eldrin Chen shook his head again.

Given his current level of Mana [the spiritual power and cultivation base of a cultivator], he did indeed have some confidence to press forward in a single surge and successfully invoke the Celestial Soul Return.

However, doing so would not only trigger the premature descent of the External Tribulation [a catastrophic heavenly trial faced by cultivators seeking to advance], but more crucially, his cultivation within the Nascent Soul Realm [the realm where a cultivator's nascent soul is nurtured] was not yet perfected.

Counting carefully, it had been over a thousand years since his breakthrough into the Nascent Soul Realm. The Deep-Seated Foundation [the profound and accumulated foundational strength of a cultivator] amassed through bitter cultivation over this millennium was of incomparable depth and solidity.

Throughout these years, aside from his cultivation practice, Eldrin Chen had been utilizing his accumulated Deep-Seated Foundation to transform his Dao Fruit [the tangible fruits or achievements of one's cultivation path, representing profound comprehension].

Currently, two aspects of his Dao Fruit remained unconverted and incomplete. The first was the fifth type of Secret Power [esoteric powers derived from deep comprehension of the Dao], and the second was the fourth Lifebound Divine Ability [a divine ability intrinsically bound to a cultivator's life and soul, growing with them].

He had been contemplating that fifth Secret Power for several centuries, and Eldrin Chen had begun to sense that once he comprehended the Secret Power of the Wood Attribute [cultivation arts aligned with the Wood element], his Mana would undoubtedly undergo a startling metamorphosis.

Furthermore, the fourth Lifebound Divine Ability needed to be fused into his Nascent Soul [the embryonic spiritual form of a high-level cultivator] while still within the Nascent Soul Realm. Breaking through to the Primordial Spirit Realm [the realm of the primordial spirit, a higher state of being] now would mean missing the opportunity to integrate this fourth Lifebound Divine Ability.

It must be understood that a cultivator's Lifebound Divine Ability [a unique, innate supernatural power bound to one's life force and cultivation path] is of paramount importance. This is especially true for those Lifebound Divine Ability founded upon supremely profound principles. Even after one ascends to the Ascend to Immortal Eternity [the ultimate state of immortality and eternal existence] realm, such an ability can remain a decisive, hidden trump card.

"Let it be. I shall wait a few more years," he murmured.

"It is better to delay my breakthrough until I have fully comprehended the Wood Element's Secret Power [the esoteric, fundamental force governing the element of wood] and perfected my final Lifebound Divine Ability." The complete novel can be found at audio-novel.com.