Chapter 713: A Century-Old Mineral Vein

"Give up!"

In the study of the Yutang Prince's mansion, Princess Zhu Zhu Linxiao's voice rang out with absolute decisiveness.

Plump Yutang Prince Zhu Zhu Shizhen was sunk deep into his chair, his round face heavy with gloom. "They really picked a perfect moment—just as the hundred-year ban on those few Yuigui mineral veins in the Xiayu Star Region is about to end, they come to pluck the fruit. Clearly, this was all planned."

"Not just planned—it's 100% got an inside traitor!"

"Otherwise, how could it be this coincidental?"

"According to our secret records, the sealing of those mineral veins that once produced ninth-rank star crystals was top secret—only a handful of people knew."

"That's precisely why we must give up!"

Princess Zhu Zhu Linxiao's voice grew even firmer. "Without an inside traitor, our chances of countering their scheme are already slim. Now that there's a traitor aiding them, it's even harder."

"How many of our junior star lords have died in battle—or vanished mysteriously—over these past years?"

"Give up. Wait—"

"Huh? What are you two giving up on?"

Outside the door, Xu Jin's voice suddenly rang out. Zhu Zhu Linxiao glanced at Zhu Zhu Shizhen, as if asking a question. Zhu Zhu Shizhen spread his hands in innocent confusion—he hadn't notified his brother-in-law.

Princess Zhu Zhu Linxiao rose instantly and opened the door, welcoming Xu Jin, who carried a wine jar, into the study. Zhu Zhu Shizhen's bulky frame sprang from his chair with surprising agility, his gloom replaced by a smile. "Brother-in-law, you've come."

"I just came to drink and chat with you. Heard you were handling state affairs—didn't interrupt, did I?"

Long before Xu Jin entered the mansion, Prince Zhu Zhu Shizhen had clearly declared that Xu Jin was also a master of the Yutang True Person's Mansion, free to move about anywhere without reporting.

Thus, Xu Jin had arrived at their meeting room, and neither of them had known.

Of course, Xu Jin's arrival was quite deliberate.

Over the past few days, under the broad sensing of the Mingji Star Pattern, Xu Jin learned that the Yutang Prince's Mansion had recently encountered some troubles. He saw this as an opportunity and deliberately came over.

"Brother-in-law, you're being too formal!"

"If I weren't afraid of disturbing your cultivation, I'd hand over all the affairs of this mansion to you! You have no idea how miserable I am handling these duties!" cried Prince Zhu Zhu Shizhen.

"How miserable? Tell me." Xu Jin smiled.

On the other side, Princess Zhu Zhu Linxiao had already taken Xu Jin's wine jar with great tact, pouring wine for both men, then summoning snacks from the kitchen.

After three small cups of wine, Prince Zhu Zhu Shizhen began pouring out his grievances to Xu Jin, detailing the Yutang True Person's Mansion's helplessness.

As he poured cup after cup, Xu Jin gradually understood the full situation.

The domain lord and military commander of the Xiayu Star Region, subordinate to the Yutang True Person's Mansion, both urgently reported that two tenth-rank junior star lords had invaded Xiayu, and they requested support from the Yutang True Person's Mansion.

For the Yutang True Person's Mansion, such incidents were routine.

Over the past few decades, this had happened dozens—even hundreds—of times, causing the mansion to lose over a hundred star regions. Originally, the mansion had forty-seven tenth-rank junior star lords stationed across various small-world star regions.

Though all had ascended through celestial authority, their combat power exceeded that of ninth-rank peak cultivators.

But over these years, under deliberate targeting by factions led by the Bi Chu Xuan True Person's Mansion, these forty-seven tenth-rank junior star lords had either died in battle or defected.

Now, the Yutang True Person's Mansion had only one mobile tenth-rank junior star lord left.

Eleven more tenth-rank junior star lords were stationed in critical star regions and could not be moved.

Thus, the number of small-world star regions actually controlled had steadily dwindled.

Yet the most productive and valuable small-world star regions still remained under the Yutang True Person's Mansion's control.

Especially the celestial authorities of these regions—so long as the Yutang True Person's Mansion held them, other factions could not easily seize them.

Even without a tenth-rank strong cultivator present, a ninth-rank peak cultivator, wielding three or five celestial authorities, could easily resist a tenth-rank junior star lord. With additional eighth- and ninth-rank elite troops forming battle arrays, they could hold off two or three such invaders.

Yet the Xiayu Star Region was in an emergency simply because two junior star lords had invaded.

Almost certainly, there was a traitor.

Prince Zhu Zhu Shizhen had experienced this many times before.

Human hearts shift. As the Yutang True Person's Mansion weakens day by day, those beneath grow restless, and such incidents naturally arise.

In the past, Zhu Zhu Shizhen had been furious beyond measure, wanting to devour the traitors' flesh and blood. Now, he had grown somewhat resigned.

After all, people climb toward higher ground.

But the problem was—Xiayu Star Region was a vital stronghold of the Yutang True Person's Mansion, housing five Yuigui mineral veins that once produced abundant high-rank star jade, even ninth-rank star crystals.

Even though the Yutang True Person's Mansion still controlled over a hundred star regions, those producing ninth-rank star crystals were few and far between.

The output of ninth-rank star crystals from Xiayu Star Region ranked among the top five in the Zhu family's controlled territories.

Most crucially, a century ago, to boost ninth-rank star crystal output, the Yutang True Person's Mansion had secretly sealed the Yuigui mineral veins in Xiayu.

Now, as the sealing period neared its end, this happened.

Prince Zhu Zhu Shizhen's fury was understandable.

They were coming straight to snatch the fruit—and in the process, stomping on the already fallen face of the Yutang True Person's Mansion.

Know this: ninth-rank star crystals, in a sense, were the most valuable cultivation resource beneath the Zhou Tian Star Dew.

More valuable by far than Seven-Star Xuanhuang Pills.

The reason was simple: pills cannot be taken consecutively.

Two per day was the limit; a third would waste over half the efficacy—even the True Person's Mansion dared not waste so recklessly.

Under these conditions, the value of ninth-rank star crystals became clear.

Used with a ninth-rank Star Gathering Array Plate, ninth-rank star crystals could rapidly boost cultivation in a short time.

With just a thousand of them, they became strategic-level resources, worth roughly twenty to thirty drops of Zhou Tian Star Dew.

Yet now, at harvest time, they were about to be snatched away.

How could one not be furious?

In fact, Xu Jin had already experienced the effect of ninth-rank star crystals.

The cultivation speed was indeed extremely fast.

It was the fastest way to increase cultivation base, second only to Zhou Tian Star Dew.

Using a ninth-rank Star Gathering Array Plate with nine eighth-rank star jade pieces, Xu Jin could forge one layer of Zhai Xing Lou in two and a half to three days.

A few days ago, Xu Jin tentatively used ninth-rank star crystals for cultivation—less than a day and a half, he forged one layer of Zhai Xing Lou. The speed was astonishing.

Unfortunately, Xu Jin possessed almost no ninth-rank star crystals. Including those seized earlier and those given by Prince Zhu Zhu Shizhen, he had only thirty-eight.

One and a half days to forge one layer of Zhai Xing Lou—he had already used eighteen.

After hearing Prince Zhu Zhu Shizhen's complaints, Xu Jin set down his cup and asked softly, "Have you estimated how many ninth-rank star crystals these sealed Yuigui mineral veins in Xiayu Star Region could produce?"

"Hard to say! Star crystals are ultimate treasures—the denser the star force, the faster the conversion."

"After a hundred years of sealing, with great arrays concentrating star force, plus the natural star force emitted by the Yuigui veins, the output would certainly be substantial."

"We've done this in other star regions. Even mineral veins of lower quality than Xiayu's, sealed for a hundred years, yielded at least a hundred star crystals, sometimes over two hundred."

"Theoretically, the five sealed Yuigui veins in Xiayu Star Region could produce at least seven hundred star crystals over a century. A thousand would be normal."

"Even two thousand is possible," sighed Prince Zhu Zhu Shizhen.

"That much?"

Xu Jin feigned shock. "When you raised cultivation resources for me earlier, you sold two small-world star regions and got only three drops of Zhou Tian Star Dew and thirty bottles of Seven-Star Xuanhuang Pills. That's roughly two to three hundred star crystals total, right?"

Zhu Zhu Shizhen was stunned. "Brother-in-law, I never calculated it like that! But if you say it this way, these five sealed veins alone are worth five or six small-world star regions!"

"Those bastards are ruthless—they just cut away so many of my star regions in one stroke!"

"That's a massive loss," Xu Jin exclaimed.

"But what can we do?"

Zhu Zhu Shizhen frowned. "Brother-in-law, our only mobile junior star lord is Zhu Zhu Fuze. The other eleven are all bound by celestial authority—they can't be moved."

"If we send Zhu Zhu Fuze there, we'll likely lose another star lord."

"If these five veins' star crystals came into my hands, my cultivation would surge dramatically!"

"To lose them like this… it's such a waste!"

"What if I go myself?" Xu Jin probed.

"No!"

Before Zhu Zhu Shizhen could speak, Princess Zhu Zhu Linxiao, who had been quietly serving them wine, suddenly cut in with absolute finality. "Husband, absolutely not—it's far too dangerous!"

"Exactly! The risk is too great, brother-in-law!" Zhu Zhu Shizhen chuckled bitterly. "Even if a small-world star region produces abundantly, we can afford to lose it. But you—we truly can't afford to lose you."

Xu Jin frowned deeply, pondering a strategy.

If he wanted to go out, he had to convince these two.

This journey was extremely important to Xu Jin.

If he could retrieve the cultivation resources Master Master Fenghua Emperor had prepared for him, his strength would advance further.

Once his divine skill was complete, he'd have real confidence in survival.

Moreover, if he could successfully leave and return safely, he would gain sufficient autonomy within the Yutang True Person's Mansion.

He could basically do whatever he wanted.

If he didn't seize this chance,

he'd become a golden-caged bird—these two would never let him leave until he reached tenth-rank junior star lord.

That would be terrible.

That would make him a golden cage bird raised in Master Zhu Yutang's mansion; neither of them would let him step outside until he broke through to the Tenth-Rank Tianyang Xingjun.

"Where in this world is there no risk?"

"You can choke on water. Even cultivating at home, disaster can strike from the heavens!"

"Just like when I went to the Law Path recently and gained some fortune—you two nearly went to war with Commander Tian Zhang True Person."

Even drinking water can choke you to death; cultivating at home can bring disaster from the heavens!

It's like the other day when I went to the Lawful Heavenly Path and gained a bit of opportunity—you all were terrified, nearly ready to turn against True Person Commander Tian Zhang.

"Brother-in-law, but this—"

"Zhu Shizhen, cultivation base is cultivated, but strength is won through battle, won through killing!"

"Locking yourself away in relentless practice won't make you a true expert—you should understand this, right?" Xu Jin said.

"Brother-in-law speaks truly, but…" Zhu Zhu Shizhen glanced helplessly at his sister, Zhu Zhu Linxiao.

"Zhu Shizhen, during the Dao Heir ranking battle, you said Yuan Yuan Chengfa possessed the combat power of a Tenth-Rank Minor Tianyang Xingjun, even approaching that of a Tenth-Rank Major Tianyang Xingjun."

"My victory or defeat against Yuan Yuan Chengfa hung by a thread—my combat power isn't inferior, is it?" Xu Jin said.

"But brother-in-law, at least two Minor Star Lords and one traitor must be dealt with—there could be dozens, even hundreds of experts behind them!" Zhu Zhu Shizhen chuckled bitterly.

Looking at Zhu Zhu Shizhen's bitter smile, Xu Jin held up two fingers. "You're right—but first, three months ago, when I fought Yuan Yuan Chengfa, my cultivation base was only Eighth-Rank early stage. Now, it's Eighth-Rank peak, and my mastery of cosmic laws surpasses what it was—I should give it a try."

"Second, I'm proficient in Spatial Star Arts—you've seen them. If I can't win, escaping is absolutely no problem."

"So, I have a seventy percent chance of resolving this issue in the Xia Zhu Star Region!"

"Of course, when the time comes, I hope most of the Star Crystals go to me—to help me raise my cultivation base," Xu Jin requested.

"Brother-in-law, Star Crystals are trivial—the key is your safety!" With that, Zhu Zhu Shizhen's gaze turned to Zhu Zhu Linxiao.

He wanted to agree, but without his sister's approval, he dared not.

Seeing this, Xu Jin turned directly to Zhu Zhu Linxiao. "Liner, make the arrangements—I plan to travel to the Xia Zhu Star Region soon and resolve this matter if possible."

"If I can't resolve it, I can still return unharmed," Xu Jin said, deliberately changing his address.

Princess Zhu Zhu Linxiao's eyes darkened with worry, yet she understood Xu Jin's meaning.

She nodded obediently. "Since my husband has made up his mind, I shall arrange your journey to the Xia Zhu Star Region. But please grant me one day to prepare."

"Especially the celestial authority over parts of the Xia Zhu Star Region—you must refine it. It will surely aid you."

"Mm, good!"

Beside them, Prince Zhu Yutang stared, dumbfounded.

The hardest hurdle in his eyes had just been cleared—like that?

Just one sentence?

Was this still the sister he knew?

(End of Chapter)