Chapter 17: Borrowing a Knife to Kill

This is practically a carp leaping through the dragon's gate!

A small mine vein is nothing special, but a medium mine vein is extraordinarily precious.

Even a powerful force like Qingyun Sect only has one medium mine vein in their hands.

Now, as long as Lin Feng is willing to add Qi Luck Value, he can upgrade the mine vein to medium grade, or even higher.

Isn't this just turning stone into gold?

"Bring the clan members, head to Ziyun Mountain Mine Vein—quickly!"

"And seal off the area immediately. No one is allowed to enter!"

Lin Feng's breathing quickened, and he immediately gave orders to Lin Hai.

"Yes! Clan Leader!"

Although Lin Hai didn't know why his own Clan Leader was suddenly so worked up, since it was something Lin Feng had ordered, he went to handle it right away.

The Ziyun Mountain Mine Vein would become the key to the Lin Family's rise.

Possessing a medium Spirit Stone Vein was equivalent to having abundant resources, enough to even compete with Qingyun Sect.

The news of the Wang and Yang Families being driven out spread throughout all of Ziyun City in the blink of an eye.

The two once-glorious great families were now like stray dogs, fleeing in panic without daring to take anything, escaping Ziyun City directly.

Such a commotion inevitably drew onlookers.

At the same time, Yang Mingxuan's hatred for Lin Feng reached its peak.

Outside the city, within the Yang Family's caravan.

"Clan Leader! Are we really going to hand over all the businesses we've run for so long?"

"I really can't swallow this anger…"

"Let's go beg the Main Family for help!"

When have the Yang Family disciples ever suffered such a huge loss?

They all wore long faces, but upon seeing Yang Mingxuan's dark, water-like expression, they all shut their mouths.

Now Yang Mingxuan was burning with rage, clutching his severed arm, wishing he could devour Lin Feng alive.

"Lin Family, I won't let you off easy!"

Yang Mingxuan gritted his teeth, forcing out those words one syllable at a time.

By coincidence, their group was passing by Ziyun Mountain at this moment.

Yang Mingxuan looked toward the depths of Ziyun Mountain, a glint flashing through his eyes.

"Was the information we received earlier accurate? Is the Spirit Mine the Lin Family discovered really on Ziyun Mountain?" Yang Mingxuan asked the Elder of the Yang Family beside him.

The Elder nodded repeatedly: "That's right, the Lin Family's Spirit Mine is on Ziyun Mountain. Clan Leader, should we rush over and snatch their Spirit Stones before we leave?"

Even if they had to run, they couldn't let the Lin Family have it easy.

Hearing these words, Yang Mingxuan shook his head.

They'd already been driven out by the Lin Family—going to seize the Spirit Mine would be seeking their own death, wouldn't it?

But…

A flash crossed Yang Mingxuan's eyes, and a scheme rose in his mind.

They couldn't go themselves, but that didn't mean others couldn't.

"Go, send someone to the Zhou Family in Liuhuo City, and spread the news of the Ziyun Mountain Spirit Mine to them."

"Also, remember to say the Spirit Mine here is a medium Spirit Mine!"

The corners of Yang Mingxuan's mouth curled up, exposing two rows of ghastly white teeth.

"Lin Feng, oh Lin Feng, you drove my Yang Family away and really think you can dominate this region? This Clan Leader only needs a small trick, and I can make trouble for your Lin Family endlessly!"

"The Zhou Family is extremely powerful. I heard their Ancestor became a Wudao Realm powerhouse ten years ago…"

Yang Mingxuan laughed sinisterly. The Zhou Family had recently run into some trouble and needed a large amount of Spirit Stones.

With news of a medium Spirit Mine laid before them at this moment, how could they not be tempted?

……

The Lin Family took over all the shops and marketplaces in Ziyun City.

And all the properties of the Qin, Yang, and Wang Families were seized in full—Ziyun City was bustling with activity.

At this moment, Elder Lin Hai personally led the way, with Lin Feng following behind.

The most elite batch of Lin Family disciples all mobilized, their target aimed straight at the Ziyun Mountain Mine Vein.

"Clan Leader, the Spirit Mine we discovered hasn't been mined yet, and no one knows about it, so there's no need to worry." Seeing the Clan Leader so eager, Lin Hai immediately offered some reassurance.

Lin Feng couldn't be bothered to reply. If Lin Hai knew that Spirit Mine wasn't small but medium, he'd probably summon every single person in the Lin Family.

He'd even wish he could relocate the entire Lin Family clan up onto Ziyun Mountain.

"This Clan Leader isn't worried, I just want to go see what a Spirit Mine looks like."

Naturally, Lin Feng couldn't tell Lin Hai the truth—he couldn't exactly say he knew the small Spirit Mine had become a medium Spirit Mine.

Before long, the Lin Family group arrived at Ziyun Mountain.

The mining area here was vast, and some Lin Family members had already begun construction work here, which was quite well-developed.

"We're here, this is the spot."

Excitement covered Lin Hai's old face. Quite a few of the Lin Family's miners had already begun digging for Spirit Stones.

Lin Feng said nothing and headed straight for the mine entrance.

The moment he stepped into the cave, a dense wave of Spirit Qi rushed toward him.

Worthy of a Spirit Stone Vein—the thick Spirit Qi inside was so intoxicating that even a single breath felt rapturous.

"We're rich!"

Lin Feng's lips curved. He had only just stepped into the mine tunnel when he saw the stone walls densely covered with tiny blue stones.

Wisps of blue light flowed among those stones, dazzling and enchanting.

He reached out and gently touched one, and found he could faintly absorb the Spirit Qi within. Letting that Spirit Qi enter his body, he felt a slight coolness that refreshed both heart and mind, and he was reluctant to let go.

This was a Spirit Stone.

Hard currency among cultivators — a treasure every cultivator needed for cultivation. Maintaining a family's prosperity also depended on holding vast quantities of Spirit Stones.

Take the Lin Family, for instance. Ordinary Clan Members received a monthly stipend of just three Spirit Stones.

Those with outstanding cultivation talent received more — reaching the level of five. Elders received a monthly stipend of ten.

The numbers might not seem large, but the Lin Family had many members. Add it up, and just the Spirit Stones distributed to Clan Members each month came to nearly ten thousand.

Who among ordinary people could bear that cost?

Even though the Lin Family turned a profit every year and earned quite a bit from trade, they could only barely sustain such enormous expenses.

Now, with a Spirit Stone Vein — a Medium Spirit Mine — the pressure going forward would undoubtedly be far less.

There might even be a considerable surplus.

At that moment, Elder Lin Hai walked in. The moment he entered the mine tunnel, the dense Spirit Qi hit him and flushed his face red.

When he saw the dazzling Spirit Stones on the stone walls, his old eyes narrowed sharply.

"Clan… Clan Leader, what is going on here!"

"Wasn't this a small Spirit Mine? How can there be so many Spirit Stones!"

"With this abundance of resources, it has to be at least a Medium Spirit Mine!"

Lin Hai was well-traveled and knowledgeable — he had actually recognized this as a Medium Mine Vein.

The Lin Family members who had followed him in were all stunned too, each rooted to the spot like wooden chickens. But soon, delight broke across their faces.

We're rich now — fantastically rich!

"What if I told you I have a Stone-to-Metal Dao art, that I turned this place into a Medium Spirit Mine — would you believe me?"

Lin Feng curved his lips, his face full of playful amusement.

Lin Hai shook his head repeatedly: "Clan Leader, you do love to joke."

Sometimes when you told the truth, no one believed you. Lin Feng couldn't be bothered to explain.

"Elder, this is a Medium Spirit Mine, and it has not been mined."

"From now on, the Lin Family's focus will be here. We must extract every single Spirit Stone."

"Also, seal off all news of this place immediately. Not a single word is to leak!"

Lin Feng said with a solemn expression, every word weighted with meaning.