For the first ten years of his cultivation journey, Elian had been guided and mentored by Chen Changyan. Their relationship was more akin to that of master and disciple than mere family members.
Chen Changqing had passed away a few years prior, leaving Chen Changyan, who was now 113 years old, as the family member closest to Elian.
"You still remember those years I taught you cultivation. At least you have some gratitude."
"You were so young back then but already quiet and intelligent. I remember teaching you about meridians and acupoints for the first time, and you memorized everything after hearing it just once."
"At that time, I told your Seventh Uncle that you were born with a natural gift, and the future of the Chen family might rest on you."
The old man chuckled as he recounted those trivial memories, though his eyes glistened faintly with emotion.
Elian listened quietly, and when the elder finished, he suddenly smiled and said, "Uncle, why don't you stay here at Linghu Isle?"
"Stay at Linghu Isle?" The old man was momentarily stunned.
"Yes." Elian nodded and gently patted Xianyan's small head. "Linghu Isle, with its beautiful mountains and waters, is the perfect place for retirement."
"You can tend to flowers and plants, fish, read, and look after these two little ones."
Chen Changyan thought seriously for a moment, his gaze lingering on the two children before breaking into a warm smile.
"I do worry about these two little ones."
"And at my age, it's time for the family to pass on the responsibilities to the younger Qing generation."
Hearing this, Elian's eyes showed a hint of joy.
'When I was young, you guided me, enlightening me and leading me onto the path of cultivation.'
'Now that you are old, let me take care of you for the remainder of your journey.'
Cultivation is a long and arduous path.
To a cultivator, time flows like a gentle stream, passing unnoticed.
In the blink of an eye, two years had gone by.
Elian had turned 20, marking his fifth year at Linghu Isle.
One day, Elian sat cross-legged by the central island, absorbing the Qi of the morning glow. Only when the radiance dissipated did he fuse it with the moonlight energy he had gathered the previous night. Transforming it into a wisp of Primordial Purple Qi, he finally opened his eyes.
"Whew—"
Exhaling a misty breath, Elian slowly ended his practice.
Sensing the growing pool of Primordial Purple Qi within him, a smile appeared on his face. Over the years, he had diligently maintained his daily practice of absorbing morning glow and moonlight. Now, he was close to condensing another wisp of Primordial Purple Qi.
"In another two or three months, this wisp of Primordial Purple Qi should take form."
"When that happens, the pace of tempering my meridians will greatly increase."
Through diligent effort and the aid of spiritual peaches, Elian had progressed rapidly. Advancing from the seventh to the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining had taken him only five years.
Now, his spiritual energy had fully saturated his meridians, reaching their capacity. At this rate, he estimated it would take only one or two more years to reach the threshold for attempting Foundation Establishment.
By then, his meridians would be tempered to their utmost strength and resilience, far surpassing those of ordinary cultivators. He would have the foundation to attempt the breakthrough.
"In about two more years, I should be able to try breaking through to Foundation Establishment."
"However, without a Foundation Establishment Pill to temper my spiritual energy, my chances of success are only about 50–60%, which is still quite risky."
"If I had a Foundation Establishment Pill, I could break through with near certainty."
"Perhaps I should wait a few more years to see if I can obtain one."
His thoughts flickered rapidly before he chuckled at himself.
"The closer I get to Foundation Establishment, the more I hesitate. When the time comes, I'll face it head-on. There's no point in worrying about it now."
Finishing his morning practice, Elian began his routine inspection of the Linghu Isle's Azure Spirit Fish. Before long, he noticed a small boat approaching with three people aboard. From a distance, an elderly man's voice called out loudly:
"Elian, I'm back!"
"Sixteenth Uncle!" Elian's eyes lit up, and he greeted them with a smile.
It was the time of year for harvesting spiritual rice, and as usual, Chen Changlu had arrived.
Sixteenth Uncle had a cheerful disposition. Accompanied by two younger family members, he disembarked and immediately said:
"This year, I brought you something good."
Carefully, he took out a wooden box, handling it as if it were a treasure.
Elian opened the box and his eyes lit up with joy.
"It's Mokui Flower!"
"Yes, it just ripened a couple of months ago. I harvested it from the herb garden just a few days ago, so it's still fresh."
Chen Changlu smiled, his pride evident.
Mokui Flower was a top-grade first-tier spiritual herb and the primary ingredient for crafting Qi Restoration Pills.
Qi Restoration Pills were top-tier first-tier auxiliary pills with remarkable effects. When consumed, they could restore 70% of a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator's spiritual energy in one go.
Such pills were incredibly valuable to Qi Refining cultivators. For many, the ability to recover most of their spiritual energy during a fight could mean the difference between life and death.
For Elian, possessing Qi Restoration Pills would allow him to activate the Crimson Iron Blade Embryo several more times, significantly increasing his combat capabilities—almost rivaling those of a half-step Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"This Mokui Flower took 60 years to mature. It's truly rare," Chen Changlu said, stroking his beard with a smile. "With it, you might attempt to advance to a top-grade first-tier alchemist."
Elian nodded and added, "To refine Qi Restoration Pills, I still need Lingxin Grass."
"Lingxin Grass is easy to find," Chen Changlu replied with a smile.
"After harvesting the spiritual rice, I plan to visit Yuyang Market. I'll get some for you then."
"There's no need for you to make the trip," Elian said with a smile. "The spiritual peaches are ripe this year. I was planning to sell them at the market to gather some spirit stones and restock on herbs."
"That's great! We can go together tomorrow and keep each other company."
The two chatted happily as they entered Elian's courtyard.
After resting briefly, they began harvesting the spiritual rice.
Spiritual rice was tough and resilient, making it labor-intensive for most cultivators to harvest. However, Elian's spiritual energy was far purer than that of ordinary ninth-level Qi Refining cultivators. In just half a day, he had harvested several acres of rice.
Afterward, Chen Changlu turned his attention to catching Azure Spirit Fish. Without natural predators to keep them in check, the fish population in Linghu Isle had grown significantly over the past five years.
Now numbering 227, the fish had increased by 80–90 from when Elian first arrived.
A larger population meant more fish could be sold each year. After catching 30, Chen Changlu beamed with satisfaction.
"This year's harvest has two more fish than last year. It seems we'll earn even more spirit stones."
Chen Changyan, who had come over to lend a hand, also smiled as he looked at the fish.
"Everyone knows by now that the Azure Spirit Fish from the Chen family is the finest in Yu County."
...
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