The materials for Jade Essence Pills weren't abundant, so Elian only managed to refine two furnaces. Fortunately, these two furnaces yielded an impressive eleven pills, a delightful surprise.
After completing the refinement, Elian wasted no time. He flew back to Qingyuan Mountain with his sword and placed the second-rank treasure pills in the clan treasury.
When the elders of the clan learned about this, those with sufficient merit eagerly exchanged their points for the pills. Others, like Nianzhen and Nianfeng, who lacked enough merit, were seen running around borrowing points from other elders.
The allure of these treasures was irresistible. For example, a Jade Essence Pill cost 2,000 spirit stones on the open market, but within the clan, it could be exchanged for just 1,200 spirit stones' worth of merit. Similarly, the Green Yuan Pills, priced at 3,000 spirit stones externally, could be acquired internally for a cost of just 1,600 worth of merit.
This was the greatest advantage of being part of a high-ranking cultivator family. Precious items were sold at a discount to nurture their own members. Only when there was no internal demand were these treasures sold at a premium to outsiders.
For wandering cultivators, not only did they have to pay high prices, but even then, obtaining such treasures was often a matter of luck. Elian himself had once traveled hundreds of thousands of miles to Yang Region's Jiaoyang Mountain to purchase a single Green Yuan Pill.
"Jade Essence Pill, Green Yuan Pill…" Chen Qinghao murmured, his excitement barely contained.
"This will help me break through to late Foundation Establishment."
He immediately exchanged for one Jade Essence Pill and two Green Yuan Pills. Overwhelmed with emotion, he remarked, "I broke through to the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment a few years ago, and I thought it would take another seven or eight years to reach late Foundation Establishment. I didn't expect this opportunity to come so soon."
With these pills, he now had a 60-70% chance of breaking through to late Foundation Establishment.
Excitedly, Chen Qinghao clasped Elian's hands and said with deep gratitude, "You and the Patriarch risked your lives fighting demons on the frontlines, while we stayed safe in the rear, enjoying the benefits. I truly feel undeserving of this."
"You're being too modest, Uncle Qinghao," Elian said, helping him up with a smile.
"Without you all guarding the rear, how could we have gone to the frontlines with peace of mind? If you want to help us, then cultivate diligently. If you can break through to the Purple Mansion stage someday, you'll truly be able to assist us."
Elian understood his own situation well. Although his cultivation speed was equivalent to a three-spiritual-root cultivator, it couldn't compare to the speed of dual spiritual-root cultivators like Chen Qinghao and the Patriarch.
For a three-root Purple Mansion cultivator, advancing one minor stage took about 40 years without external aids, but for Elian, who intended to refine the Heavenly River Deep Water Sword as his fourth natal artifact, this timeline would extend to 60 years.
The use of third-rank Spirit Peach, consumed every three years, would reduce this to around 18 years per minor advancement. In contrast, a dual-root cultivator like the Patriarch, who only had one natal artifact, could achieve the same progress in just 10 years with external resources.
However, there was a trade-off. The Patriarch's foundation wasn't as solid as Elian's, making his chances of reaching the Golden Core stage only about 10%. Even with Golden Core-forming treasures, his success probability would rise to just 30%.
In comparison, Elian's foundation gave him at least a 30% baseline chance of forming a Golden Core. His multiple natal artifacts and the power-storage capabilities of the Pure Water Green Lotus Platform further increased his odds to over 60%.
For this reason, the Patriarch's cultivation speed might surpass Elian's, but his road to Golden Core remained more uncertain.
As for Chen Qinghao, his debt-free situation allowed him to cultivate diligently under the support of their prosperous Purple Mansion clan.
His dual spiritual roots and hardworking nature, combined with their abundant resources, meant he could begin attempting the Purple Mansion stage in just 30 years, around the age of 120. This was over a decade younger than the Patriarch's first attempt at the same stage.
After distributing the treasures, Elian returned to Linghu Isle by sword.
Upon his return, he immediately sensed a surge of spiritual energy. Somewhere on the island, someone was advancing to Foundation Establishment.
"Who's advancing?" Elian's eyes narrowed as he flew toward the source, landing on the central island where the spiritual pool was located.
Xianyan, stationed outside the spiritual pool, saw him and quickly greeted him.
"Uncle."
Elian nodded and asked with concern, "Is it Yaya?"
"Yes," Xianyan replied, fiddling with her robe nervously.
"Don't worry, Uncle. Yaya has already passed the most critical stage. She's successfully established her Foundation."
"That girl…" Elian felt a mix of relief and pride, along with lingering anxiety.
The Chen Clan had many Foundation Establishment cultivators, but few could confidently claim they'd reach the Purple Mansion stage.
However, Yaya's unique spirit root not only gave her an excellent chance of reaching the Purple Mansion stage but also increased her odds of forming a Golden Core by 20%. It was as though she had consumed a Golden Core-forming pill, making her a prodigy and a rare asset.
In all of Qingyang Sect's three regions, including the sect itself, there were only five or six such individuals, underscoring how precious Yaya's talents were. Losing her at the Foundation Establishment threshold would have been an irreparable tragedy for both the clan and the entire Bianzhou Region.
After the spiritual energy vortex dissipated, Elian finally breathed a sigh of relief. Yaya had succeeded.
When Yaya learned that Elian had returned, she rushed out of seclusion, her face beaming with excitement. "Uncle, I broke through to Foundation Establishment on my own! Aren't I amazing?"
"Silly girl," Elian said, ruffling her hair with a fond smile. He was genuinely pleased for her. With her unique spirit root, Yaya's future was incredibly bright.
As a reward, Elian gifted her several high-grade artifacts. He even spent two months crafting three precious third-rank spirit talismans from the hide of the Purple Mansion-level demon python, ensuring she had powerful tools for self-defense.
...
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I need POWAAA! Gimme Power Stones :D