"Young master, the Third Elder summons you."
A maidservant called softly from a short distance away, her expression somewhat uneasy.
Elian sat cross-legged on a massive boulder at the edge of the cliff, his eyes closed as he inhaled and exhaled the morning glow, continuously nurturing the wisp of Primordial Purple Qi within his chest.
"Has it reached that hour of the day already?"
He murmured softly and then added, "Go tell the Third Elder, I will be there shortly."
After the maidservant left, Elian continued to absorb the last trace of morning glow before slowly finishing his practice.
Reincarnated into this world for fifteen years, he came to this spot every morning and evening to absorb the essence of the sun and moon, transforming it into Primordial Purple Qi.
This method of cultivating by consuming the morning glow was called the Primordial Scripture, which he had unintentionally come across at a street stall in his previous life. After crossing into this world, it became the supreme technique that changed his destiny.
The Primordial Scripture could transform the power of morning glow and moonlight into Primordial Purple Qi. This Purple Qi had miraculous uses, and even with his initial explorations, he discovered it could enhance spiritual root aptitude.
He was a five-spiritual-root cultivator, considered an extremely poor aptitude. However, at birth, he possessed an innate wisp of Primordial Purple Qi, which elevated his aptitude to rival that of a three-spiritual-root cultivator.
Elian deeply understood that this technique was the greatest opportunity of his lifetime. For more than ten years, he had diligently practiced without fail, painstakingly absorbing the morning glow and moonlight to accumulate the Primordial Purple Qi, never revealing it to anyone.
He even refrained from disclosing his true spiritual roots, claiming instead to possess a dual-spiritual-root talent, talented enough to be considered a genius, but not a monster.
In his past life, he grew up in a modest family in an European city, where life revolved around routines and quiet perseverance. He died at a young age without even holding a girl's hand, truly pitiful.
In this life, his family background was relatively decent. His full name was Chen Nian Elian, though this was not his original name. He changed it to Elian because it was his name in his past life. The family permitted this change due to his extraordinary talent.
The Chen clan was a small cultivation family, with over a hundred cultivators in the clan and a Foundation Establishment ancestor holding the fort.
Though insignificant in the grand scheme of things, the clan was influential within a radius of tens of thousands of miles in Yu County.
As the most outstanding member of the younger generation in the Chen clan, Elian had been held in high esteem from a young age. He did not disappoint, breaking through to the seventh level of Qi Refinement at the mere age of fifteen, a feat that could rival many older cultivators with decades of practice.
In comparison, most cultivators his age barely reached the first or second level of Qi Refinement.
Generally, cultivators laid their foundations before the age of ten, began formal cultivation at eleven or twelve, and required decades of slow and steady effort to break through to the mid- or late-stages of Qi Refinement in their forties or fifties.
However, due to his innate wisdom and insights, Elian began cultivating at the age of three. This gave him eight or nine extra years of precious practice time compared to others, allowing his cultivation to advance rapidly. Three months ago, he reached the later stages of Qi Refinement.
After breaking through to the later stages of Qi Refinement, Elian began receiving significant attention within the family. His status in the Chen clan improved markedly, and he was considered to have taken the first steps toward the upper echelons of the family.
Pulling his thoughts back to the present, Elian stood and walked toward the Clan Affairs Hall, where the Third Elder resided.
The Cangyuan Mountain Range spanned thousands of miles, with its main peak, Qingyuan Peak, being one of the most notable spirit mountains in Yu County. Within the mountain lay a mid-grade second-tier spiritual vein, which had once been the territory of a second-tier demonic beast, the Green Ape, centuries ago.
Later, an ancestor of the Chen clan slew the beast, claimed the spiritual vein, took wives and concubines, and established the cultivation family.
The spiritual energy of Qingyuan Mountain became richer toward the summit, while the lower slopes had relatively sparse spiritual energy. Most family cultivators below the sixth level of Qi Refinement opened their caves midway up the mountain.
Higher up the mountain were the family's seventeen acres of spirit fields and the clan's main hall. The spiritual spring at the rear of the mountain, the source of the spiritual vein, served as the cultivation site for the clan leader.
The Third Elder, Chen Qinghao, who oversaw clan affairs, resided in the Clan Affairs Hall at the mountain's peak.
As soon as Elian entered the hall, he sensed that something was amiss. The atmosphere in the entire hall was heavy, and over a dozen figures were seated within.
"Greetings, uncles and elders."
The gathered individuals were all high-ranking members of the Chen clan, including the Third Elder, Chen Qinghao; the Fourth Elder, Chen Qing Yuan; and the Fifth Elder, Chen Qingwan.
"Everlasting Green, Mindful of Ancestors; Support and Revitalize the Clan, Ascend to Immortality."
This family motto had guided the Chen clan for generations. By now, only six or seven members of the "Chang" generation remained besides the clan leader. (Just a name for a generation)
The Chen family had a total of seven elders, all at the ninth level of Qi Refinement, with the eldest elder, Chen Qingxu, stationed in Pingyang City.
Pingyang City had a population of over 100,000, all descendants of the Chen family. These mortals produced one or two descendants with spiritual roots each year, forming the foundation of the family's legacy.
Mortals were also considered great nourishment for demonic cultivators and beasts. To protect their kin, the eldest elder rarely left Pingyang City unless absolutely necessary.
The Second Elder, Chen Qinghe, managed the family's shops in Yuyang Market and was equally tied up.
The Seventh Elder, Chen Qingyuan, was only thirty-one years old and extraordinarily talented. However, having joined the Qingyang Sect, he was now only half a member of the family and unable to prioritize its interests.
Seeing that three of the family's elders capable of attending had gathered, Elian felt a faint unease, sensing that something significant was about to happen.
As Elian entered, the elders nodded at him. His ability to reach the late stage of Qi Refinement at fifteen rivaled rare spiritual roots, and his potential to achieve Foundation Establishment made him a highly valued member of the family.
The presiding Third Elder, Chen Qinghao, even gave him a rare kind smile.
"Elian, you're here."
"Now that everyone is present, I'll explain the situation."
Seeing that over a dozen Qi Refinement late-stage cultivators from the family had gathered, Chen Qinghao's smile faded, replaced by a bitter expression.
Noticing this, Elian's heart sank slightly. He had a vague idea of what the clan meeting was about. A year ago, Daoist Jiang of Tianxu Mountain successfully refined a batch of Foundation Establishment Pills. Of the four pills produced, two were auctioned off.
Foundation Establishment Pills were treasures as rare as they were valuable. At the time, the Chen family had liquidated many assets and even incurred debts, ultimately spending over 30,000 spirit stones to acquire one.
The clan leader, Chen Changxuan, was ambushed by enemies while securing the pill. Fortunately, as a seventh-level Foundation Establishment cultivator, he fought his way out with the pill in hand, even killing an enemy Foundation Establishment cultivator. However, he suffered severe injuries during the battle.
Since returning to Qingyuan Mountain, the clan leader had been in secluded recovery at the spiritual spring in the rear mountain, leaving his current condition unknown.
After obtaining the Foundation Establishment Pill, the family deliberated extensively over who should use it. To attempt Foundation Establishment, it was best to be under sixty years of age. Beyond that age, declining vitality reduced the success rate to less than 20%, even with the pill.
Among the seven ninth-level Qi Refinement cultivators in the family, Elder Chen Qingyuan was already affiliated with a sect. The eldest elder was over seventy, and the second elder was over sixty. The Third Elder had long lost the hope of advancing due to injuries sustained in battle.
Among the remaining candidates, the Sixth Elder, Chen Qingmeng, was an alchemist. His status and contributions outweighed those of the Fourth and Fifth Elders, enabling him to secure the pill through merit.
For the past three months, Chen Qingmeng had been in seclusion, attempting to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage. By now, the outcome should have been clear. Seeing the Third Elder's pained expression, Elian couldn't help but feel his throat go dry.