Chapter 97

Deep underground in Xieyue Valley, there was actually a place with such dense spiritual energy?

Luo Chen was very surprised, and then he seemed to realize something.

However, he was not in a hurry to go down and explore.

Instead, he went out first and showed his face in front of Gu Caiyi and the others to indicate that he was fine.

He knew very well that if he really had any trouble, Mi Shuhua would definitely come to visit him.

At that time, his findings from the exploration would likely be exposed completely.

By evening, the cultivators of the Alchemy Hall had mostly left, and the elixirs refined today had also been specially stored in the Elixir Storage Room.

Luo Chen greeted Gu Caiyi, saying he would be back late tonight as he wanted to try refining Yusu Elixirs.

Gu Caiyi naturally had no objections.

Currently, the Yusu Elixir refining work was being done by Luo Chen alone.

Other medicine apprentices and fire-tenders were only learning some of the techniques he had imparted.

After the Alchemy Hall cultivators had mostly left, leaving only a team of guards, Luo Chen returned to the stone house.

"Let me see if this first-tier spirit vein branch underneath really exists!"

Lifting the stone slab, Luo Chen descended into the underground mine tunnel.

Choosing a mine tunnel that extended downwards, he released his small puppet to follow closely behind.

"Is it blocked?"

"This path is also blocked; let's change to another mine tunnel."

"The direction seems to have deviated."

"It seems I must use some means!"

After being blocked at the end of a closed mine tunnel once again, Luo Chen realized that this place should not have been discovered by anyone yet.

Therefore, there was no direct mine tunnel leading to it.

If it were before, he would have needed to use a magic tool to clear the way and dig the tunnel bit by bit.

But now, he happened to have another method.

Mountain-Splitting and Monument-Breaking Palm!

Surging spiritual power gushed out along his meridians.

As Luo Chen struck the ground with his palm, a dull thud suddenly sounded.

Large pieces of rubble exploded; Luo Chen didn't dodge, letting the rubble hit his body.

Then, under the defensive light shield of his mid-grade magic robe, they fell with a rustle.

"It seems to be very deep!"

After sighing, Luo Chen continued to repeat this action.

One palm, another palm, and another!

Occasionally encountering some star-silver ore that hadn't been mined clean, Luo Chen would use his Jade Blade magic tool to cut it away with difficulty.

In this process, the proficiency of the Mountain-Splitting and Monument-Breaking Palm also began to increase continuously.

"It is, after all, a secular martial art; the utilization of spiritual power is still somewhat shallow."

"But this is also good; it doesn't consume that much spiritual power."

Luo Chen glanced at the attribute panel and nodded with satisfaction as he watched the proficiency of the Mountain-Splitting and Monument-Breaking Palm increase.

About an hour later, Luo Chen had to stop this action.

"Damn, why is it so deep!"

"I'm afraid I won't be able to break through today; I'll continue tomorrow!"

If he delayed any longer, it would be too late to go home.

His two bodyguards, Zhou Yuanli and Liu Qiang, were still waiting for him in Xieyue Valley.

Luo Chen stopped, turned around, and left this narrow mine tunnel.

Before leaving, he even used a giant rock to block the mine tunnel.

……

"Luo Chen went to the main altar to find me today?"

Mi Shuhua had just finished communicating with a newly moved-in Foundation Establishment cultivator when he heard Mi Junping's report.

He was full of curiosity.

"What did that kid want with me?"

Mi Junping really disliked Luo Chen; the benefits the other party had received from the gang were simply too many.

And he still had an unsatisfied look on his face.

Compared to the benefits he had received, the value he was currently creating for the Poshan Gang and the Mi family was still far from enough.

"Pfft, what could he want? He must be looking for more benefits from you again. That guy is simply insatiable!"

Seeing her daughter's behavior, Mi Shuhua couldn't help but frown.

His daughter was ultimately too small-minded.

She only cared about immediate gains and losses, unable to see the long-term benefits.

Compared to what he was paying now, the value Luo Chen could bring in the future was immeasurable!

And Mi Junping, in her early years, couldn't control herself, fell in love with a cultivator, and even had a child.

As a result, despite having his full cultivation, she would never be able to advance to the Foundation Establishment stage in this lifetime.

Forcing Mi Shuhua to have no choice but to take the Foundation Establishment Pill he had obtained with great difficulty and use it as a reward.

The second generation of the Mi family was lacking!

Fortunately, among the children of the third generation, there were still a few worth sculpting.

After thinking for a while, Mi Shuhua said, "Mili has returned home, right? Call her over; I have something to ask."

Mi Junping didn't really like her own daughter.

It was because of that man and this daughter that she had no hope of advancing to Foundation Establishment.

But under the gaze of her Foundation Establishment father, she still had to go and find Mili.

Before long, Mi Shuhua learned most of what Luo Chen had done in the Alchemy Hall today.

Promoting an old cultivator to be the fire-tending squad leader, kind-hearted?

That squad leader had gone out with Luo Chen once; it was said that the other party had asked questions about cultivation realms, so it seemed Luo Chen was encountering confusion in his cultivation.

Hmm, in that case, the reason he was looking for him lay here.

"Hall Master Luo successfully refined a batch of Yusu Elixirs this afternoon," Mili said softly.

"He is indeed very talented in alchemy; at the very least, the second and third generations of my Mi family are far inferior to him."

Mi Shuhua sighed.

"The refining process seemed to have some problems; Hall Master Luo's eyes were bleeding."

When he heard this news, Mi Shuhua couldn't sit still.

"What's going on?"

That urgent, concerned expression was not fake at all.

Mili pursed her lips, feeling a bit sad in her heart.

Her own grandfather had never cared about her like this.

She managed to say, "Hall Master Luo said it was because he had been refining elixirs too much lately and had been using the Spirit Eye Spell constantly, leading to eye strain."

Mi Shuhua paced back and forth in the room, his brows tightly locked.

This was indeed a problem.

Although the Spirit Eye Spell was simple, it was actually a very dangerous one among low-level spells.

It was said that in sects, elders would teach disciples not to use it frequently.

For one, it was easy to offend high-level cultivators.

For another, it was easy to damage one's own eyes.

He had been too anxious after all!

Luo Chen was still just a child at the sixth layer of Qi Refining; making him refine elixirs every day would indeed hurt him.

He had previously thought Mi Junping was small-minded, but now it seemed he was also somewhat short-sighted.

Which family didn't spend ten or a hundred years cultivating an alchemist?

After thinking for a while, Mi Shuhua took a jade bottle from his storage bag.

"Mili, give this to Luo Chen tomorrow and tell him to put a drop in his eyes every time he finishes refining elixirs."

Seeing the jade bottle, Mi Junping was shocked and blurted out.

"Father, this is the Runming Pearl Liquid you obtained from the auction; why give it to that kid!"

Mi Shuhua glanced at her and said coldly, "This item has no help for cultivation, and I have no use for it, so why can't I give it to him?"

Mi Junping stammered, only muttering that it must have cost quite a few spirit stones.

Sighing, Mi Shuhua couldn't help himself in the end.

"Junping, be more generous in your dealings with people. Recently, someone has already reacted to me, saying you are too harsh on the cultivators in the gang, and the rewards that should be given to them are always reduced or even not issued."

"Father, those loose cultivators don't deserve..."

"If this continues, the Mi family will lose the hearts of the people in the Poshan Gang."

"But with you, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, what does it matter if you lose the hearts of the people?"

"Then how long do you think I can live?"

Once these words were spoken, Mi Junping covered her mouth, and a terrifying thought emerged.

Was her father running out of lifespan?

Mi Shuhua shook his head, not explaining further, and signaled for them to leave.

Mili pulled her distraught mother away, clutching the jade bottle in her hand.

Under the moonlight, she glanced at the courtyard where Mi Shuhua was, feeling some panic in her heart.

In recent days, the Mi family, as a local Foundation Establishment family, and also controlling the Poshan Gang, had been in the limelight.

Usually welcoming and sending off guests, it could be called flowers on brocade and fire cooking oil.

But if Mi Shuhua fell, what would the whole family become?

She didn't dare to continue thinking.

…….

…….

"Given to me by the Gang Leader?"

Before alchemy began, Luo Chen curiously took the jade bottle.

Shaking it, the echo of rippling water came from inside.

Mili said softly, "This is Runming Pearl Liquid; Hall Master, you can put a drop in your eyes every day after refining elixirs, which can effectively relieve eye fatigue."

Runming Pearl Liquid!

Hearing this name, Luo Chen froze for a moment.

This was good stuff!

The Qingyuan Elixir Solution recorded this kind of spiritual medicine.

It had an excellent auxiliary effect for low-level alchemists.

However, ordinary alchemists could rarely afford it.

The reason was simple: this spiritual liquid came from the Yuding Domain's largest sect—the Yuding Sword Sect!

As a sword-cultivating sect, the Yuding Sword Sect was often known for its combat power and had nothing worth mentioning in terms of elixirs.

But as a large sect, it was naturally impossible to be constrained by others in everything.

They also had their own alchemists who served the Sword Sect.

Runming Pearl Liquid was a spiritual medicine they had developed.

Or rather, it wasn't Runming Pearl Liquid, but Tongming Liquid!

When sword cultivators fought, they used sword pellets as their means.

The method of controlling sword pellets relied primarily on spiritual sense.

But there were some enemies that couldn't be dealt with by spiritual sense alone, and they needed the help of eyes and ears.

Therefore, the alchemists of the Yuding Sword Sect researched the spiritual medicine Tongming Liquid.

Long-term use would cause the sword cultivator's eyes to undergo incredible changes—piercing through truth and falsehood, and seeing through the void.

Tongming Liquid was a top-tier spiritual medicine, often supplied only to Foundation Establishment disciples and Core Formation True Persons.

But if an elixir could only serve internal needs, it would lose too much value.

So, Yuding alchemists added and deleted medicinal materials and researched a weakened version of Tongming Liquid: Runming Pearl Liquid.

This spiritual medicine was not only supplied to internal disciples but also sold externally.

The market was average, but the spirit stones earned could more or less compensate for the losses in refining Tongming Liquid.

Runming Pearl Liquid had no effect on high-level cultivators, but for Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators, the effect was very good.

Using it occasionally would relieve eye fatigue.

Long-term use could allow cultivators to easily distinguish between yin energy, turbid energy, evil energy, and many other filthy energies.

It was said that this was because one of the main ingredients was the rare Hanyan Pearl nurtured by the yin beast Hanyan Shell.

It was precisely because of this that it was named Runming Pearl Liquid.

Some formation masters often purchased this spiritual medicine in bulk.

Holding the jade bottle, Luo Chen was ecstatic in his heart.

He didn't have any eye fatigue.

As early as when his Spirit Eye Spell proficiency reached the perfect level, this shortcoming had already been solved.

The bleeding eyes yesterday were caused by the Spirit Eye Spell upgrading to the Grandmaster level and taking root in his eyes.

But he naturally wouldn't push such good stuff away.

After all, this was Mi Shuhua's heartfelt intention!

"I didn't even take the initiative to fleece him, and he delivered it to my door."

"Why didn't I meet such a good boss in my previous life?"

After sighing, Luo Chen happily accepted the medicine bottle.

He decided to use it when he had time; after all, the book said it was good for alchemists to use it frequently.

"What are you all standing there for? Start the fire, refine the elixirs!"

Luo Chen shouted at the large crowd.

Everyone busied themselves, and Gu Caiyi directed the medicine apprentices to move medicinal materials into the elixir room.

Qu Hancheng, the new fire-tending squad leader, also assigned six fire-tenders to enter each elixir room.

Two cultivators were responsible for watching the fire, so even if one had a problem, another could take over at any time.

Moreover, Luo Chen was wandering among them to ensure no mistakes were made.

…….

After eating, Luo Chen sat in the room.

He first checked the medicine bottle, confirmed there were no problems with his knowledge of elixirs, and then put a drop into each of his two eyes.

After dripping it, he blinked.

"It's cool and refreshing."

"Other than that, it doesn't seem like there's any change?"

"This eye drop has a big reputation, but it doesn't have an immediate effect."

Curling his lips, Luo Chen put the medicine bottle away.

It was Mi Shuhua's good intention, so he would just put a drop in now and then!

Just this one bottle would be enough for a month.

After putting the medicine bottle away, Luo Chen rubbed his hands and dived into the mine tunnel.

Continuing today's Gold Miner game!

Start digging!

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Because he was deep underground, the sound caused by Luo Chen using the Mountain-Splitting and Monument-Breaking Palm would not reach Xieyue Valley.

Especially since he had blocked that narrow mine tunnel, it was even more foolproof.

An hour later, Luo Chen straightened his back.

"It's damn deep!"

"But it's almost broken through; I'll continue tonight!"

In the afternoon alchemy, Luo Chen truly put his heart into it.

Having taken so many benefits from Mi Shuhua, he had to let the other party see some results!

Otherwise, if the other party couldn't see progress and became discouraged and disbanded the Alchemy Hall, where would he go to fleece them in the future?

It had to be said that he was used to having a group of people do the chores for him.

If Luo Chen had to return to the life of processing medicinal materials, watching the fire, and refining elixirs by himself, he wouldn't be willing.

Moreover, even after refining the elixirs, he would still have to spend effort collecting and bottling them, and then go out to sell them himself.

Just thinking about it felt troublesome; how could it be as easy as it was now?

……

"Finally about to break through!"

Time had passed unknowingly, and it was already late at night.

He had told the two bodyguards that he would stay in the Alchemy Hall tonight, so no one should come to disturb him.

Luo Chen took a deep breath and struck down with the Mountain-Splitting and Monument-Breaking Palm, which had reached the proficiency level.

A stream of spiritual energy gathered into a pale green transparent palm print that suddenly appeared and then pressed down.

Pfft!

As if an eggshell had broken, the last layer of rock wall completely shattered.

Almost at the same time, a stream of dense spiritual energy gushed out.

Luo Chen was startled; his already activated magic robe moved without wind to prevent any danger.

Very good, there were no accidents.

Luo Chen landed directly deep underground and looked around; it was a cave with a diameter of two meters.

It was a bit cramped, but it was more than enough to accommodate Luo Chen.

His gaze shifted, and Luo Chen's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Spirit stones!"

On the floor of the cave, there was a patch of exposed crystalline ore, with dots of silver light scattered on it.

Those crystalline ores were clearly the embryonic form of spirit stones.

Calling them spirit stones was incorrect.

To be precise, these were spirit stone raw ores!

The spirit stones circulating in the cultivation world, whether in specification, size, or the spiritual energy contained within, were almost the same.

It was said that spirit stones were produced in spirit veins.

Large sects occupying spirit veins would mine them and use unique methods to cut pieces of spirit stone raw ore into spirit stones of the same specification and size.

Then, they would use spirit stones as currency to circulate in the cultivation world and purchase resources from others.

The spiritual energy contained in those spirit stones was full of impurities and extremely violent.

So much so that ordinary cultivators couldn't absorb it directly and could only use it as currency for trading.

Only some large sect cultivators had both the methods to produce spirit stones and the means to extract pure spiritual energy from them.

Even if they weren't in a place with a spirit vein, they could extract spiritual energy from the spirit stones they carried to cultivate.

Luo Chen didn't have such means; the spirit stones he earned could only be used to buy expensive Nourishing Qi Elixirs.

But now it was different!

In front of him was a natural spirit vein!

The spiritual energy emitted by the spirit stone raw ore in a natural spirit vein could be absorbed directly.

That was why major sect forces established their sect grounds on spirit veins of various tiers.

Luo Chen now possessed such a spirit vein.

Although it was very small, just an insignificant branch of the first-tier spirit vein in Dahe Market.

But it didn't need to support many people's cultivation!

"Sure enough, my guess was correct!"

Luo Chen took a deep breath and felt that the spiritual power all over his body had become active.

The spiritual power consumed by using the Mountain-Splitting and Monument-Breaking Palm to break through the ground today seemed to have recovered quite a bit.

"This place is not large, and the spirit stone raw ore contained is not much."

"But it is enough to support my cultivation for a period of time!"

Luo Chen had no intention of mining the spirit stone raw ore and selling it.

For one, he didn't have the means to produce standard spirit stones.

Even if he sold them to the Yuding Sword Pavilion and got a large sum of spirit stones, wouldn't he still have to buy elixirs for cultivation?

How much price difference would be generated in the process?

It would all be earned by those black-hearted profiteers.

Secondly, natural spirit stone raw ore was like a small spirit-gathering formation, which would naturally attract free spiritual energy from heaven and earth and gather it together.

The reason those large sects established their sect grounds on spirit veins was also because as long as the spirit veins were not excessively mined, they could give birth to spirit stones again after a sufficiently long period of nurturing.

Leaving this large piece of spirit stone raw ore would not only absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth.

It could even absorb some spiritual energy from the source of the spirit vein.

"I've fleeced Old Man Mi too much recently; I can stop a little."

"Fleeing the spirit vein of the Yuding Sword Sect is always possible."

Thinking this, Luo Chen became happy.

But soon, he shook his head.

What do you mean by fleecing!

This was clearly something that originally belonged to him.

After all, he had paid rent in the inner city but hadn't enjoyed a real first-tier spirit vein.

That spiritual energy had all been circled by various shops and even the Yuding Sword Pavilion using formations.

What was left for ordinary residents like Luo Chen was just a tiny bit.

The concentration of spiritual energy in this cave now belonged to a real first-tier spirit vein place!

Having figured this out, Luo Chen no longer had any moral shackles, although he didn't have any to begin with.

"Let me see how much spiritual power I can increase by cultivating Changchun Gong in this kind of place!"

Sitting cross-legged, five hearts facing the sky, tongue against the roof of his mouth.

The Grandmaster-level Changchun Gong was already circulating.