https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-97-The-Spirit-Vein-and-the-Raw-Spirit-Stones/12831596/
Chapter 96: Spirit Eyes Planted, Gazing Through the Earth's Veins
Chapter 96: Spirit Eyes Planted, Gazing Through the Earth's Veins
"Really, you don't know either?"
"I entered the Heavenly Fragrance Tower at the Fifth Level of Qi Refinement and spent all my time dancing. I never engaged in any battles, so how would I know these things?"
"Hehe, weakling!"
Luo Chen looked at Gu Caiyi with disdain, which earned him a glare in return.
But slowly, Gu Caiyi sighed.
"I really need to get better at combat techniques. The Mountain Breaker Gang is nothing like the Heavenly Fragrance Tower. Without a strong backing, something like what happened before could happen again."
The incident she referred to was a conflict between two gangs.
During that clash, many people died, including Xu Renke, who possessed a fragment of a magical treasure, on the Dao Discussion Platform.
And such incidents were bound to happen more than once.
Historically, the Great River Market had seen the rise of many gangs.
The Mountain Breaker Gang and the Great River Gang were only recent developments, having emerged in the past hundred years.
But... no backing?
Luo Chen stroked his chin. Did the Mountain Breaker Gang really have no backing?
He doubted it!
As they walked out of the city, the two of them chatted about various city matters.
"Speaking of which, Fu Xiuxiu has left. The eastern annex is still vacant. Do you want to move in?"
"Thanks, but I'll pass. The rear building, though a bit cold, doesn't have any other drawbacks after the renovations."
"Winter is coming soon, and it will be even colder!"
Winter was approaching, Luo Chen realized. The leaves along the streets of the outer city were already turning yellow.
Cultivators, with their robust physiques, rarely felt temperature changes unless in extreme conditions.
Unbeknownst to him, he had already transitioned from the height of summer to autumn.
Behind them, two bodyguards followed.
They gradually noticed that Luo Chen was not heading in the direction of the Crescent Moon Valley.
Zhou Yuanli, puzzled, asked, "Hall Master, where are we going?"
Luo Chen smiled and said, "To the main headquarters to see if the gang leader is around. I have something to discuss with him."
Unfortunately, Uncle Mi was not there.
In fact, Uncle Mi didn't spend all his time at the Mountain Breaker Gang.
He had his own social circle and a small cultivation family, the Mi Family, behind him.
Uncle Mi, a former itinerant cultivator, had established the Mi Family after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.
Now, the Mi Family was well-known in the area around the Great River Market, not falling short of some Foundation Establishment families that had migrated from other regions.
In fact, because they controlled the Mountain Breaker Gang, they were even stronger.
As a result, many newly migrated Foundation Establishment families would actively visit Uncle Mi.
Not seeing him, Luo Chen felt a bit disappointed.
But he had other ways to verify his suspicions.
Upon reaching the Crescent Moon Valley, he practiced refining Four Marvels Pills in the morning.
Then, instead of rushing to refine Jade Marrow Pills, Luo Chen sought out an elderly cultivator among the fire workers.
Most of the internal staff in the Alchemy Hall were old, weak, or women.
This elderly cultivator, Qu Hancheng, was the most advanced among them, having reached the Sixth Level of Qi Refinement.
He had settled down in the Great River Market and had a son and a daughter.
Unfortunately, neither of his children had spirit roots.
He could only hope that his next child or one of his grandchildren would have spirit roots, continuing the Qu Family's dream of cultivation.
"Hall Master, what brings you to me?"
Qu Hancheng looked at Luo Chen with confusion.
Luo Chen smiled, "I have a good thing for you! Starting today, you will be the team leader, overseeing all the fire watchers. You'll be responsible for scheduling and rotations. Oh, and you'll receive an additional spirit stone as monthly salary. However..."
Hearing this good news, the old man became excited.
Watching the fire was exhausting!
He had to constantly monitor the flame intensity, adjust the wood, and release Fireball Spells when the fire was too weak.
It was manageable once or twice, but after a month, he felt like he was about to burn up.
If he became the team leader, he wouldn't have to watch the fire himself but could direct others.
Of course, he knew there had to be a condition.
The condition was in that "however"!
Feeling a bit uneasy under Luo Chen's gaze, he said, "Hall Master, just say it. If there's anything you need, I'll do my best."
"It's simple. Come with me for a moment!"
Without letting anyone follow, Luo Chen led Qu Hancheng out of the Crescent Moon Valley to the back.
Before them lay a vast, quiet primeval forest.
Qu Hancheng swallowed hard, "Hall Master, beyond here is the Howling Moon Mountains. There are many demonic wolves there. We shouldn't get too close."
"It's fine. Just here!"
Luo Chen smiled and pointed to a spot, then said, "Do you know the Fireball Spell?"
"Yes!"
"Good. Use it to the best of your ability, as many times as you can, until you run out of mana. Each fireball must be infused with the maximum spirit power!"
Is that all?
Qu Hancheng was taken aback for a moment, then followed Luo Chen's instructions, casting the Fireball Spell.
Luo Chen watched closely, comparing the ordinary cultivator's Fireball Spell with his own perfected version.
Generally, cultivators didn't put much effort into their spellcasting.
No significant replacements were necessary since the original text was mostly in English. However, I've ensured consistency in terms and names, and made minor adjustments for clarity.
Spells are indeed powerful, but their casting speed is slow, requiring hand seals and incantations to channel spiritual energy before they can take shape.
Many spells, even after they are formed, have a slow attack speed.
Take the Fireball Spell, for instance, which is a low-tier offensive spell on par with the Golden Spear Technique and the Water Arrow Technique.
Speed has always been its weakness.
In comparison, magical artifacts and talismans are far superior.
One only needs to control them with spiritual energy, and the other can be instantly activated.
Moreover, spells consume a lot of energy, affecting a cultivator’s ability to accumulate spiritual energy and advance to higher realms.
Therefore, only those cultivators who have no hope of advancing and lack suitable magical artifacts focus on spells.
Qu Han Cheng was such a perfect example of an old cultivator.
In Luo Chen’s eyes, his Fireball Spell was at a proficient level.
This was already quite impressive! His hand seals were expert, the formation was quick, and the release was fast, but he couldn’t control the direction of the fireballs very well.
He was far from Luo Chen’s ability to launch dozens of fireballs and control their trajectories.
But Luo Chen’s goal was not in this area.
"One, two... sixteen, seventeen. Continue?"
Qu Han Cheng’s face was pale, and he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"I can’t go on. The spiritual energy in my body is only enough to cast seventeen Fireball Spells."
Only seventeen?
Luo Chen furrowed his brows, his gaze falling on the blackened, pockmarked ground.
"How many spiritual roots do you have? How long have you been at the Sixth Stage of the Qi Refinement Realm?"
"I have three spiritual roots. I reached the Sixth Stage at seventy-five, and it’s been eighteen years since then."
So, he’s ninety-three!
"I appreciate your hard work, Elder. It’s tough for someone of your age to be out here working," Luo Chen said more politely.
Qu Han Cheng caught his breath and managed a weak smile. "Not at all. I’m grateful to the Hall Master for the opportunity. It will make things easier for me in the future."
Luo Chen nodded, lost in thought.
After eighteen years of advancement, even without any elixirs, a cultivator with three spiritual roots should have reached the peak of the Sixth Stage of the Qi Refinement Realm.
But, considering that early-stage cultivators are often poor and can’t afford to live in the inner city with a first-tier spirit vein, their advancement would be slower.
So, this elderly man was likely at the middle stage of the Sixth Stage.
Even so, he was far ahead of Luo Chen’s current progress.
But his total spiritual energy was less than half of Luo Chen’s?
Luo Chen’s eyebrows shot up, realizing his spiritual energy might far exceed the norm.
The Fireball Spell was his most skilled spell.
At the Fifth Stage of the Qi Refinement Realm, he could cast nearly a hundred Fireball Spells.
That sounded like a lot, but if each had to be at maximum power, containing the most spiritual energy, he could manage about twenty.
This was why he usually kept his "Flying Fireflies" technique to around ten.
After breaking through to the Sixth Stage, he could unleash about thirty, ten more than at the Fifth Stage.
And as he continued to cultivate, this number would only increase.
If he reached Qu Han Cheng’s current level, he could probably unleash about forty.
Does that mean my spiritual energy is more than double that of a cultivator at the same stage, or even more?
This realization startled Luo Chen.
"When did this change happen?"
Suddenly, Luo Chen thought of the Grandmaster-level Eternal Spring Art.
"There’s no doubt about it. The Grandmaster-level Eternal Spring Art has opened all my meridians, doubling my spiritual energy storage capacity."
"This also means that I need to accumulate more spiritual energy than a cultivator at the same stage to break through to the next realm."
After understanding this, Luo Chen’s frown eased.
This was definitely a good thing.
In terms of combat and overall strength, it was a significant boost.
However, for Luo Chen, whose lifespan was limited, this was a major drawback.
It meant he would need more time and resources to advance to the next realm, just like a cultivator at the same stage.
"Maybe the situation is even worse?"
Luo Chen recalled a common fact!
As cultivators continuously move spiritual energy, their dantian expands, and their meridians become wider, all to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm and accumulate a vast amount of spiritual energy.
With my current double the base, won’t my dantian be even wider than the average person’s in the future?
Wouldn’t I need even more spiritual energy?
Double? Triple!
Luo Chen’s head ached!
"Hall Master, is there anything else?"
The elderly man’s voice broke his thoughts, and Luo Chen shook his head, signaling for him to go back.
After he left, Luo Chen took a deep breath.
"Indeed, everything has its pros and cons."
"The Grandmaster-level Eternal Spring Art has brought me many benefits, such as increasing the number of elixirs I can refine, automatic recovery of spiritual energy, and accelerated cultivation."
"Now it seems that the opening of all my meridians and the increase in my foundation are hidden benefits."
"But this benefit hinders my rapid advancement."
After pondering for a while, Luo Chen suddenly smiled.
"It just means I need more cultivation resources."
"Why am I worrying? With my alchemy skills, isn’t it easy to get as many spirit stones as I want?"
With this realization, Luo Chen returned to the Crescent Moon Valley in a relaxed mood.
"Tell everyone that we won’t be refining the All-Wonder Pill in the afternoon anymore. We’ll all focus on refining the Jade Marrow Pill!"
...
...
That afternoon, the Alchemy Hall was fully devoted to refining the Jade Marrow Pill.
Here is the rewritten chapter with non-English characters replaced with their English equivalents or transliterations:
The results were disappointing!
Every single attempt was a failure!
Lucas Chen ended up with dozens of worthless elixir stones.
On his way home, he angrily threw the stones one by one, using the technique of the Heavenly Maiden Scattering Pearls, which he had learned from the Primordial Pearl.
Everywhere he went, flowers, grass, bugs, and moths suffered.
Seeing his mood, Grace Tsai and the two bodyguards dared not approach him.
Back home, Lucas Chen prepared the Essence-Nourishing Spirit Liquid as he had done the previous day.
The materials he bought with three hundred spirit stones were enough for thirty batches of the Essence-Nourishing Spirit Liquid.
Sitting in the Purple Cloud Copper Furnace, Lucas Chen suddenly thought of something.
"Future cultivators who consume the wondrous pills refined in this furnace might be tainted by my aura."
"Would that mean I have a sense of participation when they engage in their activities?"
"Ugh, no!"
The Distracting Thoughts disappeared as he ran through the Everlasting Technique.
In reality, such a situation would never occur.
After each medicinal bath, he would thoroughly clean the furnace.
Moreover, the high temperatures during the refining process would burn away any aura.
With the help of the Calming Incense, the Everlasting Technique circulated repeatedly, absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy and slowly converting it into Lucas Chen's own spiritual power.
The vast essence of the Essence-Nourishing Spirit Liquid, after the herbs were fused, also seeped into Lucas Chen's body, transforming into a surge of vital energy.
Time slowly passed.
The next morning.
The rooster's crow heralded the dawn!
"Huh? Where did that rooster come from?"
Lucas Chen's gaze shifted and quickly landed on the eastern wing.
Grace Tsai also got up and looked over curiously.
The front door opened.
A man with sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes, dressed in white, walked out with a cold expression.
He glanced at Lucas Chen and Grace Tsai but said nothing, then turned and left the courtyard.
Lucas Chen gaped, pointing at his back.
"How rude!"
"Is he a new neighbor?" Grace Tsai frowned.
Yesterday, they had talked about how the eastern wing was empty after Fiona Fu left.
Today, a new person had moved in without them noticing.
And he didn't seem like someone easy to get along with.
He didn't even exchange names or greet them politely.
"It's a tenant brought in by Elder Sun. He's from the nearby Duan family and is called Derek Duan."
Kong Lienchen, who had just stepped out, yawned lazily.
He was the most relaxed person in the courtyard.
Holding the title of elder, he didn't have to worry about anything and received a monthly salary.
Naturally, he was well-informed about such trivial matters.
The Duan family?
Lucas Chen asked curiously, "Isn't the Duan family known for their Ice and Fire Spirit Spring? Although it's not as large as a major spirit vein, it's still comparable to a first-grade spirit vein in a small area. Why would their family members move to the inner city?"
"Even cultivator families aren't always harmonious. Derek Duan had a falling out with the family patriarch's son, and his lineage is down to just him."
"So he moved to the inner city?" Lucas Chen shook his head. "That doesn't make much sense!"
Kong Lienchen shrugged. "What's the point of making sense? He's here for the Daoist Debate Platform. His name is still on the Heavenly River Market's list of prodigies, ranked nineteenth."
Hearing this, Lucas Chen instantly understood.
Indeed, there were cultivators in the Heavenly River Market who didn't have any special skills and didn't rely on major rivers or mountains for their cultivation.
Their method of cultivation was to participate in the Daoist Debate Platform battles and earn rewards.
If they could consistently rank in the top three by the end of the month, they would receive substantial rewards.
Derek Duan, the Duan family's outcast, was clearly following this path.
"So, he's quite skilled, then?"
Kong Lienchen thought for a moment. "He's decent, a bit weaker than my prime but stronger than me now."
After some time, Kong Lienchen had gradually adapted to his new arm.
His combat strength had recovered to the level of a ninth-layer Qi Condensation cultivator.
Lucas Chen smirked. "What's the point of being skilled? In this world, you need to have connections and a strong background. Pfft, just a rude little punk!"
With that, he called out to Grace Tsai and left.
However, his direction was toward the Jade Tripod Sword Pavilion.
Perhaps because it was early, there were few people around the Sword Pavilion or the opposite White Stone Square.
Hmm, Little Evelyn is already out setting up her stall!
Just as Lucas Chen was about to greet her, he saw the new neighbor, Derek Duan, walking toward her stall.
He bought a bottle of ten-year-old Yellow Pear Wine.
Lucas Chen's eyes lit up. This wasn't just any little punk; he was a valuable customer!
"Brother Daoist, let's get acquainted. I'm Lucas Chen, your neighbor. This beautiful lady is Grace Tsai from the main house."
The young man in white coldly replied with two words.
"Derek Duan."
"Great name! A sharp sword comes from honing, and Brother Daoist's spirit is sharp. You'll surely defeat your opponent today."
Derek Duan glanced at Lucas Chen and slowly shook his head.
"Natalie Nangong is no weakling."
A vein throbbed on Lucas Chen's forehead.
"Hey, what’s with that look of yours?"
So, you’re calling me weak, huh?
Hmph, if you weren’t my customer, I’d roast you with a dozen Fireball Spells!
But despite his thoughts, he plastered a grin on his face, as bright as a flower.
"No worries, no worries. Drink our wine, and your combat power will skyrocket."
Then, he called out to the obedient Yuan Xiaoyue standing beside him.
"Xiaoyue, this is my neighbor. Give him a discount whenever he buys something. Buy ten bottles of Pineapple Wine, and get a free Spirit Bean!"
"Okay, I got it, Big Brother Luo," Yuan Xiaoyue said, remembering Duan Feng’s appearance.
Only then did Duan Feng realize that this food stall belonged to Luo Chen.
He nodded at Luo Chen, "Thanks!"
With that, he strode straight into the passage leading to the Phoenix Landing Mountain Discussion Platform.
The ticket-selling cultivator yawned, not even bothering to check.
Clearly, he was familiar with this visitor, knowing that he wasn’t an audience member but a contestant.
Gu Caiyi stood beside him with a smile, "You, who’s always so stingy, are being generous today?"
"Hehe, I’m always generous to my neighbors!"
Luo Chen replied.
He wouldn’t mention anything about cultivating customer habits.
Once that kid got used to drinking wine with Spirit Beans, he’d naturally spend extra spirit stones to buy the beans.
Earning spirit stones also required skill!
He wasn’t about to explain that to anyone.
"Let’s go to Crescent Moon Valley. We won’t fail today!"
With a sweeping gesture, Luo Chen left, brimming with confidence.
...
With yesterday’s three failures as a foundation, his luck had turned today.
By the afternoon, Luo Chen had succeeded once.
It happened on his familiar Purple Cloud Copper Cauldron.
Perhaps it was due to his familiarity with this cauldron, but seeing twenty Jade Marrow Pills stored in the pill storage room, he let out a long sigh of relief.
The failure rate at the beginner stage was indeed too high.
Only one success out of ten attempts.
The waste of materials was significant.
But once he gained more proficiency, everything would become easier.
Although the Profound Marvel Pill was highly profitable, the market was too small to support his future cultivation.
The Jade Marrow Pill, however, had the potential!
I wonder how Uncle Mi Hua is doing with the distribution channels?
Just as he thought this, Luo Chen felt a sudden pain in his eyes.
A thin line of blood trickled down from both eye sockets.
"Luochen, what’s wrong?"
With his eyes closed, he heard Gu Caiyi’s worried voice.
He raised his hand and waved it.
"Nothing, just keep working. I’ll go inside and rest. I’ve been refining pills too much lately, and the Ling Eye Technique has been straining my eyes."
Gu Caiyi watched with concern as he stumbled into the house.
A vibrant blue light barrier then rose up.
It was the first-tier array Luo Chen had activated inside the stone house.
Inside, Luo Chen opened his eyes.
After wiping away the blood, he seemed the same as before.
But the world had changed!
In his eyes, the world had suddenly come to life.
The room was permeated with a thin layer of spiritual energy, originating from deep beneath the ground.
Crescent Moon Valley was once a star silver mine operated by the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion. Beneath it lay a branch of the first-tier spiritual vein of Phoenix Landing Mountain.
This was why Uncle Mi Hua had specifically rented this place to process the collected herbs.
Moreover, Luo Chen saw many other things.
The blue light barrier came from several array flags, which drew their energy from several low-grade spirit stones.
Outside the barrier, the cultivators gathered at the Alchemy Hall.
Each of them emitted a light aura, in various colors, corresponding to the five elements of spiritual energy.
Gazing at this new world, Luo Chen felt a sense of dizziness.
The Ling Eye Technique had upgraded to the Master level!
This technique, which he had obtained later, had been used frequently due to his constant pill refinement.
Now, it had finally upgraded.
But the manifestation of the upgrade was different from other techniques like Fireball, Free Roaming, and Wind Riding.
A Master-level Fireball Technique could release ten fireballs simultaneously.
Wind Riding reduced the spiritual energy consumption.
Free Roaming had no additional benefits, just greater proficiency.
Perhaps this was because Free Roaming wasn’t a spell but a secular lightness technique.
The Ling Eye Technique, however, seemed to have performed a surgery on his eyes.
After the "surgery," Luo Chen realized he no longer needed to actively form the hand seals and channel spiritual energy into his eyes.
The technique was now embedded in his eyes.
Whenever he wanted, he could activate the Ling Eye Technique without others noticing.
Even if he maintained it constantly, cultivators of the same rank would find it hard to detect, and even those one rank higher, like Foundation Establishment cultivators, would struggle to notice.
Moreover, his sensitivity to spiritual energy fluctuations had increased tenfold.
His gaze wandered, darting up, down, left, right, near, and far.
Suddenly, Luo Chen’s gaze fixed on the ground.
He seemed to see through countless layers of thick rock, reaching the depths of the spiritual vein.
Such a dense accumulation of spiritual energy?
(End of Chapter)
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