Chapter 77: Meta-Magnetic Earth Pearl!

"How did he jump down?"

In the Earth Cave, Song Xuan and Song He, who had been slowly practicing Pile Gong, wore expressions as if they had seen a ghost, and hurried to the cave entrance to get a clear view of the situation below.

However, as soon as the two approached, they encountered a burst of mysterious substance, and the Yuan Magnetic Force within the Earth Cave surged violently, pressing them both flat to the ground.

After the mysterious substance eruption ended, the gravitational field inside the Earth Cave returned to normal, and the two hurriedly retreated to the edge of the cave.

"What a dense concentration of mysterious substance!"

"The pressure in the lower layer of the Earth Cave is likely twice that of our layer, and ten times that of the surface!"

Song Xuan and Song He were still shaken with fear.

Just that moment of field disturbance nearly caused internal injuries to the two, leaving them seriously wounded.

It's hard to imagine how much pressure Qin Shuo, currently in the second layer of the Earth Cave, must be enduring.

"What a freak!" Song Xuan muttered.

Song He remained silent, his expression inscrutable.

He and Qin Shuo were not close, but he knew that the other was the junior disciple of his elder sister Song Yan, and a future enemy from their collateral branch.

The stronger Qin Shuo became, the smaller the chance for their collateral branch to rise by treading on the main line.

Thinking of this, Song He couldn't help but flash a hint of killing intent in his eyes, though it quickly vanished.

With his current strength, he couldn't even defeat Song Xuan, so attempting to act against Qin Shuo would be nothing short of seeking his own death.

However, he could bring back the news of Qin Shuo's recent breakthrough to prevent the Second Elder and his grandfather from misjudging when they act against him.

Second Layer of the Earth Cave.

As soon as Qin Shuo landed, the familiar sense of oppression struck again.

As Song Xuan had thought, the pressure in this second layer of the Earth Cave is nearly double that of the first layer, and ten times that of the surface.

Such pressure would be unbearable even for a Tongmai Realm expert, unless Qin Shuo had cultivated the Longxiang Golden Body.

Compared to the first layer, the concentration of mysterious substance here has more than doubled.

But the space has also halved, only the size of an ordinary bedroom, and there is also a downward entrance at the center of the cave.

This entrance is very small, allowing only one person to pass through alone.

Qin Shuo extended one arm into the entrance, found the pressure not unbearable, and decisively jumped in.

Thud!

Originally thinking he would be pressed flat by the super-strong gravity.

As a result, Qin Shuo only felt his whole body lighten, as if he had returned to the ground.

"Huh? Gravity has returned to normal!" Qin Shuo exclaimed in astonishment.

He looked around and discovered that this third layer of the Earth Cave is less than ten square meters in size.

In the center of the cave, there is no downward entrance, only a stone platform about three chi high.

Suspended above the stone platform floats a lustrous blue pearl, glowing brightly and illuminating the cave.

Upon close observation, one can see that the mysterious substance in the first and second layers is precisely emitted by this blue pearl.

Those mysterious substances resemble blue sand grains, each crystal clear, condensing into a blue light beam that pierces through the two upper layers of the Earth Cave, reaching the mountain cave halfway up Yingti Mountain.

Qin Shuo stepped forward, just about to examine what this blue pearl actually was, when a string of prompts suddenly appeared before his eyes:

【Ingredient Discovered: Meta-Magnetic Earth Pearl】

【Refining Yields Yuan Magnetic Force】

【Yuan Magnetic Force can be used to temper the flesh, alter one's field, or control weapons!】

"Meta-Magnetic Earth Pearl?"

Qin Shuo's eyes lit up—this is a good thing!

A pearl entirely condensed from mysterious substance, if fully refined, would likely be enough to elevate his Longxiang Golden Body to the Great Achievement realm.

However, following the nature of the Taotie Cauldron, the Meta-Magnetic Earth Pearl does not list specific refining conditions, obviously requiring his body to slowly absorb it.

Exactly how long it will take to fully absorb is likely also related to the strength of his physical body.

Qin Shuo walked to the stone platform, reached out and grasped the Meta-Magnetic Earth Pearl, intending to take it away.

However, no matter how hard he tried, the Meta-Magnetic Earth Pearl remained utterly motionless, as if welded in midair, impossible to move.

"I don't believe it!" Qin Shuo raised his eyebrows.

With his current strength, even a ten-thousand-jin boulder could be easily lifted by him—there's no reason he should be stumped by such a small pearl.

But the very next moment, he was slapped in the face.

He was indeed stumped.

This Meta-Magnetic Earth Pearl, the size of a ping-pong ball, seemed to weigh millions of jin; no matter how he exerted his strength, even using the Longxiang Golden Body, he could not budge it in the slightest.

"Is my method wrong?"

Qin Shuo furrowed his brow, pondering for a long time.

Suddenly, a thought struck him—the Taotie Cauldron violently trembled, as if straining greatly, but ultimately still swallowed this Meta-Magnetic Earth Pearl into the cauldron.

Thud!

As the Meta-Magnetic Earth Pearl was taken in, the Yuan Magnetic Force penetrating the entire Earth Cave instantly vanished.

In the mountain cave, the black boulder that had originally been suspended in midair suddenly plummeted, completely blocking the Earth Cave entrance.

"What's going on?"

Song Tianhao, who had been standing guard in the mountain cave without leaving, suddenly sprang to his feet, his face drastically changing.

According to estimates, the Yuan Magnetic Force inside the Earth Cave could sustain three Inner Strength Great Perfection martial artists in training for five to seven days.

This is only the fourth day—how did the Earth Cave suddenly get sealed?

Moreover, the disappearance of this Yuan Magnetic Force is too strange—without any omen, unlike the first activation, which had a gradual weakening process.

"What should we do? Qin Senior Brother and A Xuan are still down there." Song Yan said anxiously.

Since Qin Shuo entered the Earth Cave, she has been standing here, worried about an accident.

I didn't expect something to really happen!

"Don't panic, I'll try to push this stone open. If I can't, I'll summon the Second Elder and Third Elder to help." Song Tianhao said solemnly.

He gathered his strength and struck the black boulder sealing the entrance with a heavy palm, but the boulder didn't budge.

Song Tianhao's face darkened slightly.

This black boulder looks only the size of a bed, but its density is extraordinarily high, extremely heavy; with his strength alone, he cannot move it at all.

"Liu Sheng, hurry back to the family and fetch the Second Elder and Third Elder to assist."

Song Tianhao instructed the martial artist guarding the cave entrance nearby.

"Yes!"

Liu Sheng acknowledged and was about to step away.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, the entire cave shuddered violently.

The black boulder that even Song Tianhao could not move shook violently.

"Someone is striking the black stone—it must be Qin Shuo and them!" Song Yan exclaimed joyfully.

She had originally thought something had changed in the Earth Cave, her heart burning with anxiety.

Now seeing someone striking the black stone from inside, her heart settled instantly.

Song Tianhao beside her flashed a strange look in his eyes.

That black boulder, which even he could not move,

Qin Shuo inside actually managed to shake it—could he have already broken through to the Tongmai Realm?

Thinking this, he quickly circulated his Inner Qi and shouted loudly toward the depths of the Earth Cave:

"Qin Xiaoxiong, can you hear me? Wait a moment, we'll work together to push the stone and open the cave entrance."

"No need, you all step back!"

A response came from inside the Earth Cave—Qin Shuo's voice, firm and confident.

Song Tianhao and Song Yan exchanged a glance, both seeing astonishment in each other's eyes.

Even several Tongmai Realm experts working together might not be able to break open this boulder.

Otherwise, the Song Family and Fang Family wouldn't have waited three years in vain, just for this Earth Cave to open on its own.

Now Qin Shuo actually intends to open it by his own strength—how could this be possible?

Though they didn't believe it, Song Tianhao and Song Yan still followed his instructions, signaling the other Song Family martial artists to disperse.

Boom!

Like a heavy hammer striking a bronze drum, a deep, heavy impact sound came from below the Earth Cave.

Immediately, under the astonished gazes of the crowd, the black boulder was flung high into the air.

Three figures leapt out from inside the Earth Cave.

One figure, his whole body wrapped in blue light, struck the base of the black boulder with a heavy palm, lifting it another notch, then used the rebound to flash to the side of the cave.

The other two figures followed closely, also striking the base of the boulder, using the rebound to shift direction, and left the Earth Cave.

Boom!

After the three landed safely, the black boulder fell back down, shaking the entire cave violently, nearly causing it to collapse.