He understood that this was the natal sword nourishing him in return. Once a natal artifact reached the third tier, it began to generate a trace of transformative essence.
At this level, the natal sword could return nourishment to its wielder, helping to refine spiritual energy and enhance spiritual power. With a third-tier natal sword assisting him, Elian's spiritual energy would gradually be tempered by the sword, making it 30% more concentrated and potent than his peers at the same stage.
Coupled with the sharp spiritual energy he had cultivated through self-crafted Foundation Establishment, his refinement level was now comparable to that of an early Purple Mansion cultivator. The only thing he lacked was the integration of divine sense to transform his energy into more profound spiritual power.
Even this unparalleled spiritual energy gave Elian an extra 20-30% chance of breaking through to the Purple Mansion stage.
Additionally, with his meridians widened and strengthened by years of refinement with Primordial Purple Qi, Elian estimated he had a 50-60% chance of achieving a breakthrough without external aids like the Crystal of Blazing Flame.
"Even if I can't break through in one go, I should still be able to open up at least 70% of the Purple Mansion Dao Veins."
"If I can refine the Pure Water Green Lotus platform, my chances would increase to 80-90%."
Thinking this, Elian took out the Water Lotus and sighed inwardly.
The Pure Water Green Lotus platform was extraordinary. As a natal artifact, it could store spiritual energy, doubling a cultivator's energy reserves and significantly increasing the odds of breaking through to the Purple Mansion stage.
Unfortunately, refining the Pure Water Green Lotus Platform required a Water Crystal, a resource unavailable in Chu Kingdom. The only local third-tier water vein was a Water Vein, incapable of producing Water Crystals.
"Perhaps after the beast chaos, I should leave Chu Kingdom."
"It's said that Yan Kingdom has a fourth-tier water vein where Water Crystals are occasionally sold."
Elian suppressed these thoughts and began focusing on refining his spiritual energy.
After just three months, Elian emerged from seclusion. Upon leaving, he found that Chen Qinghao had been waiting for him at Linghu Isle.
"There's news from Tianxu Mountain. The Tianxu Alliance is about to begin," the third elder said as soon as he saw Elian.
"The patriarch can't leave right now, so it's best if you go in his stead."
"The Tianxu Alliance, is it?"
Elian poured tea for the third elder, his eyes glinting with resolve.
For years, Elian had worked tirelessly to bring the clans of the border regions together. He had met with leaders from nearly every influential family, hammering out the details of the alliance.
This trip to Tianxu Mountain was merely to finalize the agreement, ensuring that all forces would unite as one during the beast chaos.
"With only three years left until the beast chaos, it's indeed time to sign the alliance," Elian said. He shared tea with Chen Qinghao before they both set off for Tianxu Mountain on their swords.
Their speed was impressive. After the upgrade, Elian's Fiery Void Sword could travel 30,000 miles per day, faster than the average Purple Mansion cultivator.
Chen Qinghao, having broken through to the fourth level of Foundation Establishment a few years ago with the help of Breaking Origin Pills, had advanced his cultivation considerably.
His Natal Sword, the Bright Origin Phantom Sword, had also been upgraded to a mid-grade second-tier artifact. Although his speed was far below Elian's, he could still travel 5-6,000 miles per day.
Despite the 100,000-mile distance, they reached Tianxu Mountain in just over twenty days.
"It seems we're late," Chen Qinghao remarked, surprised at the crowd gathered atop Tianxu Mountain.
More than 100 Foundation Establishment cultivators had assembled, far exceeding expectations.
Elian scanned the area with his divine sense and detected over 100 strong presences, all above Foundation Establishment.
"Nearly all 60 Foundation Establishment cultivators from Tianxu Mountain are here."
"The three counties' 20 immortal clans have also sent at least one Foundation Establishment cultivator each."
Elian's growing reputation made him a familiar face among the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the border provinces. As he exchanged greetings with acquaintances, his gaze shifted to a distant pavilion where two restrained yet powerful auras sat playing a game of chess.
His eyes narrowed slightly, and he transmitted a message to Chen Qinghao.
"Those two are Purple Mansion ancestors. The one in purple is Yang Yuanhe of the Yang Clan, and the one in black is Xu Daoyuan of the Xu Clan."
Chen Qinghao was visibly startled.
The border region' two Purple Mansion clans each had two Purple Mansion ancestors. Yang Yuanhe was from the Yang Clan of Ling County.
Years ago, at the barter conference in Feng County, the Yang Clan had even offered the Azurewood Longevity Technique to exchange for a Purple Mansion cultivation method with metal and water attributes, specifically for Yang Yuanhe.
Yang Yuanhe had a dual metal-water spirit root. Although he broke through to the Purple Mansion stage less than 30 years ago, his lack of a suitable cultivation method had left him stuck at the first level of the Purple Mansion stage.
Elian estimated that while he might not be able to defeat Yang Yuanhe, his natal sword and Thunderfire Sword would allow him to match roughly 70-80% of Yang Yuanhe's strength, enough to hold his own until his energy ran out.
Xu Daoyuan, the other Purple Mansion cultivator, was a prodigy of the Xu Clan, breaking through to the Purple Mansion stage at the age of 110. Now, at 160, his cultivation had reached the third level of the Purple Mansion stage. He had mastered the Xu Clan's signature divine ability, the Earth Divine Thunder, and refined the clan's natal artifact, the Void Refining Earth Cauldron.
The cauldron possessed two innate abilities. One, the Kunyuan Earth Barrier, was a powerful defensive shield rivaling the best defensive artifacts of the same level. The other, the Void Refining Divine Fire, was a fearsome offensive ability surpassing most artifacts' divine powers.
"I might be able to contend with Yang Yuanhe, but Xu Daoyuan would require the old patriarch's help to stand a chance. Otherwise, I'd have no choice but to flee."
With this rough evaluation of his own strength, Elian gained a clearer understanding of his capabilities.
After settling into a guesthouse, Elian said to Chen Qinghao, "The Tianxu Alliance meeting starts in half a month. I have some matters to attend to."
Leaving Chen Qinghao behind, Elian flew to Jiang Linglong's spirit pool residence.
Jiang Linglong seemed to have anticipated his visit. She glanced at him and smiled.
"Breaking through to the late Foundation Establishment stage before the beast tide—I feel much more assured about your safety now."
"It's all thanks to the Green Yuan Pill," Elian replied. After a pause, he couldn't help but ask, "The beast tide is imminent, and Tianxu Mountain will bear the greatest burden. Why have you assigned me to Yu County?"
...
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I need POWAAA! Gimme Power Stones :D