"What a pity for Sky Python Lake," Jiang Linglong remarked regretfully as the group finished dividing the spoils.
Elian's eyes flickered with emotion, also showing regret. Sky Python Lake, with its fourth-rank spiritual vein and fourth-rank water vein, was an incredibly resource-rich area, but its location was awkward and perilous.
Centered at Sky Python Lake, to the northeast lay Dire Lion Ridge, territory of the Dire Lion Demon King. To the southwest was the realm of the Demon Abyss Demon King at Abyss Mountain, while to the north stretched the two-million-mile-long Great Kun River, also home to several demon kings.
Moreover, the nearest friendly stronghold, Tianxu Mountain, was over 400,000 miles away. In the event of trouble, reinforcements would be hard-pressed to arrive.
If Qingyang Sect hadn't lost Jiaoyang Mountain during the Beast Horde, this might not have been as concerning. However, the Lion King now occupied Jiaoyang Mountain, threatening Tianxu Mountain at any moment.
Without Jiang Linglong or someone like Yan Ziji to hold the line, Tianxu Mountain couldn't withstand an attack from a Golden Core Demon King.
Under such circumstances, holding Sky Python Lake would be tantamount to seeking death.
Jiang Linglong could only abandon Sky Python Lake after thoroughly harvesting its treasures and retreat to Tianxu Mountain.
Thinking this, Elian smiled to console her. "Slaying the Sky Python Demon King and severely weakening the demons is already a significant victory. As for Sky Python Lake, when we grow stronger and produce one or two more Golden Core cultivators, we can claim it permanently."
Jiang Linglong nodded with a faint smile.
"Cultivate diligently. Perhaps one day you'll take both Sky Python Lake and Dire Lion Ridge in a single sweep."
The group spent several days harvesting the lake's treasures before departing for Tianxu Mountain. Before leaving, Elian collected a dozen or so Green Spirit Clams from the Water vein, intending to see if they could be bred.
The Green Spirit Clam, a unique product of Sky Python Lake's Primordial Water vein, absorbed spiritual and elemental energy. Its meat and pearls were both excellent cultivation resources. However, successfully propagating the species required a large amount of Water energy, preferably a Water vein.
Elian speculated that Linghu Isle, with its extensive range of hundreds of miles and a third-rank spiritual vein, should have sufficient Water energy for limited propagation.
…
Twenty days later, the group returned to Tianxu Mountain.
Upon their arrival, Jiang Linglong declared, "I will be closing in seclusion to break through to the Golden Core stage. The Foundation Establishment Pill refining will be postponed until after I emerge."
No one raised objections. After Jiang Linglong advanced to the Golden Core stage, her enhanced power would reduce the time required for refining, while increasing pill success rates by 10–20%.
After bidding farewell to the others, Elian stayed behind. Looking at the stunning woman before him, he couldn't help but ask with a smile, "How long will this breakthrough take?"
"To complete my spiritual root and achieve the breakthrough, it will take about three years," Jiang Linglong replied, her beautiful eyes shimmering like the stars.
Elian nodded. "Then I'll visit you again before you advance to the Golden Core stage."
Jiang Linglong gazed at him, her eyes twinkling, but she refrained from saying more. After sending off Yan Ziji, she returned to her spiritual pool dwelling to begin the crucial seclusion required to complete her spiritual root.
After over two hundred years of planning, this was the final step in forging her Pure Yin Supreme Golden Core. She was eager to succeed.
Elian didn't immediately return to Qingyuan Mountain. Instead, he instructed the Patriarch to transplant healthy spiritual herbs to the family's medicinal garden and transport the Green Spirit Clams to Linghu Isle. Meanwhile, he went to the Earthfire Alchemy Chamber.
The Chen Clan had obtained a considerable haul of herbs and resources, many of which wouldn't survive long, so Elian decided to refine them into pills.
Over the next few days, he focused on second-rank low- and mid-grade pills, such as Focus Pills, Healing Pills, and Breakthrough Pills. With his cultivation, alchemical expertise, and the power of a third-rank high-grade Earthfire, he could refine a furnace of pills each day with success rates exceeding 70%.
He produced four furnaces of Breakthrough Pills, yielding a total of thirty pills. These pills were highly effective for breaking through mid-Foundation Establishment bottlenecks. With the Chen Clan's current cultivators, the surplus pills could be sold.
Each Breakthrough Pill fetched 1,500 spirit stones, meaning twenty pills could generate 30,000 spirit stones in revenue for the family.
Over two weeks, Elian refined more than ten furnaces of second-rank low- and mid-grade pills before moving on to second-rank high-grade pills.
This time, he focused on two types: Jade Marrow Pills and Green Yuan Pills.
Green Yuan Pills are designed to help cultivators overcome late Foundation Establishment bottlenecks. Each pill is worth about 3,000 spirit stones, nearly the price of a second-rank high-grade treasure.
With his third-rank low-grade alchemy skills, Elian achieved high success rates. Over ten days, he refined three furnaces of Green Yuan Pills, yielding four, five, and six pills per furnace, respectively—a total of fifteen pills.
The cost of producing Green Yuan Pills , including the rare Green Yuan Ganoderma and auxiliary herbs, was about 8,000 spirit stones per furnace. With an average yield of five pills per furnace, the cost per pill was only 1,600 spirit stones.
Jade Essence Pills, on the other hand, are valuable for boosting cultivation. Each pill provides the equivalent of twenty years of cultivation for a typical Foundation Establishment cultivator. Elian and the Patriarch had both used these pills in their earlier years to quickly advance through bottlenecks.
The Chen Clan's elder Foundation Establishment cultivators, such as Chen Qinghao and Chen Qingwan, had repaid their debts for previous resources and accumulated significant merit during recent conflicts. With these new batches of Jade Essence Pills and Green Yuan Pills, their advancement to late Foundation Establishment would likely accelerate by decades.
...
65+ chapters ahead on patreon: patreon.com/David_Lord
I need POWAAA! Gimme Power Stones :D