Cultivation Begins From The Desert-Chapter 684 - 668: Change!
When Zhouyang personally set foot into the Giant Spirit Stone Ore, he realized the rumors were true.
It was said that the spiritual ore magnetism inside the Giant Spirit Stone Ore suppressed a cultivator's Divine Sense, to the extent that even Nascent Soul Stage cultivators would be greatly affected.
This was indeed the case.
With his powerful Divine Sense comparable to that of a Late-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator, Zhouyang found he could only extend it less than two hundred zhang inside the Giant Spirit Stone Ore!
Whereas outside, he could extend his Divine Sense for two hundred li!
Besides the suppression of Divine Sense, which made it uncomfortable for the high-tier cultivators entering the mine, the Spiritual Qi within the Giant Spirit Stone Ore was as dense as the rumors suggested.
Even though Zhouyang was not yet in the deepest part of the mine, the density of Spiritual Qi here matched that of a Tier Five High-Grade Spiritual Vein like Chongxuan Mountain. It could be imagined that the concentration of Spiritual Qi in the depths of the mine was comparable to a Tier Six Spiritual Vein. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
In fact, it could be said that aside from being unable to plant various Spirit Plants and having to endure the discomfort of Divine Sense suppression, this Giant Spirit Stone Vein was actually a sacred ground for cultivation.
However, the Spiritual Qi stored in this ore vein could never compare to that of a Spirit Vein.
As long as a Spirit Vein remained undamaged, its Spiritual Qi would be generated continuously, but the Spiritual Qi within a Spirit Stone Vein would only dissipate without replenishment.
Once the ore vein was fully mined, or if too much of its Spiritual Qi was absorbed and refined, the concentration of Spiritual Qi inside would decrease until it completely turned to ordinary earth.
The Guo Family had been extracting from this ore vein for over a thousand years. Even though they had sealed the entrance to the mine with stone doors made from Sealing Spirit Stone to prevent the leakage of Spiritual Qi, the concentration of Spiritual Qi within the mine has still been gradually decreasing over the millennia.
Otherwise, with the accumulated reserves of a Giant Spirit Stone Ore, how could its Spiritual Qi concentration only equate to a Tier Five High-Grade Spiritual Vein?
And after a thousand years of extraction by the Guo Family cultivators, the mine tunnel Zhouyang was now in had already reached a depth of over a hundred li underground.
"Though the Giant Spirit Stone Ore is rich in spirit stone reserves, the outer regions near the surface are still primarily composed of lower-grade spirit stones, while the top-grade spirit stones are buried deep underground, scattered in fragmented distributions."
"As for the top-grade spirit stone in Senior's possession, it was discovered by chance within a large block of middle-grade spirit stone during the opening of a new mine path."
Inside the Spirit Stone Mine, Guo Xianlong guided Zhouyang and lowly introduced the situation within the mine paths.
The Zhou Family cultivators that Zhouyang had brought were outside the mine, listening to the Guo Family's stationed cultivator explaining the precautions for mining in the mine.
Mining in this Giant Spirit Stone Ore was no easy task.
Due to the high concentration of Spiritual Qi nourishment, the soil and rocks inside the Giant Spirit Stone Ore were as hard as iron, making them extremely difficult to excavate.
A Foundation Establishment Early-Stage Cultivator, even with a Tier Three Spiritual Artifact, could at most excavate a depth of ten zhang before exhausting their magical power.
Switch to a Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivator, and they might not even achieve ten zhang in a whole day.
Zhouyang took this into consideration and brought only Foundation Establishment cultivators and Purple Mansion cultivators to mine.
Moreover, mining is an art; knowing which direction has higher ore content, how to carefully separate raw spirit stone from soil without damaging it, and how to open a stable mine path, all require skill and knowledge.
The Guo Family cultivators have been mining here for over a thousand years, accumulating substantial experience. Every Guo Family cultivator who came to mine here for the first time would undergo training before starting actual mining.
Listening to Guo Xianlong's introduction, Zhouyang's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he suddenly said to the other, "Fellow Daoist Guo, may I trouble you to take me to the site where the top-grade spirit stone emerged?"
Guo Xianlong seemed to have expected Zhouyang to ask this and immediately replied, "Of course, senior, please follow me."
Under his guidance, they ventured deeper into the mine, eventually stopping in a wide cave chamber.
"This is where the top-grade spirit stone was unearthed. Back then, after discovering the top-grade spirit stone here, the Guo Family used it as a center to dig around it. Unfortunately, as you can see, even after excavating over a thousand zhang around, no other top-grade spirit stones were found, and even the top-grade spirit stones were scarce."
In the cave chamber, Guo Xianlong pointed at the uneven cave walls around and explained, full of regret.
In fact, he had a hand in making the chamber this large.
Almost every Guo Family cultivator who knew of the existence of the top-grade spirit stone would come here to try their luck at mining.
Zhouyang ignored Guo Xianlong's words and focused on extending his Divine Sense into the cave walls.
Despite the obstruction of soil and rock, along with the restriction of spiritual ore magnetism, Zhouyang's powerful Divine Sense could only penetrate twenty to thirty zhang into the walls.
Within this range, although he discovered numerous raw spirit stones, and even top-grade raw spirit stones, he indeed did not find any trace of other top-grade spirit stones as Guo Xianlong had claimed.
"It's a pity that the Water-Resistant Golden-Eyed Beast is still in a state of slumber and evolution; otherwise, with its treasure-finding talents, it might help me locate those top-grade spirit stones in the mine!"
With a sigh of regret, Zhouyang retracted his Divine Sense, nodded slightly towards Guo Xianlong, and said, "Let's go, we'll discuss it outside the cave."
Since he couldn't directly find the top-grade spirit stones hidden in the ore vein with his Divine Sense, Zhouyang obviously did not wish to personally wield the pickaxe as a miner here.
Anyway, the ore vein is not going anywhere; as long as the Zhou Family's cultivators keep digging, they will eventually find those top-grade spirit stones.
Outside the mine, Zhouyang called all the Zhou Family cultivators he brought along together.
"As you probably all know now, this is a Giant Spirit Stone Ore unknown to outsiders. My purpose in bringing you here is to have you extract spirit stones for the clan."
"To prevent any leaks, I will implant a Divine Soul Restriction on each of you, ensuring that even under Soul Searching Skill, the location of the ore vein will remain a secret."
"Of course, to compensate for the years you won't be able to leave, each of you mining here will have your annual clan stipend doubled, and upon your return, you will each receive a block of top-grade spirit stone!"
Since they were informed beforehand about the extended absence from the clan, when Zhouyang announced this, none of the twenty-two Zhou Family cultivators showed any sign of unrest.
Regarding the Giant Spirit Stone Ore, they had already been shocked and excited upon learning from the Guo Family cultivators, and were now calmed down.
Seeing this, Zhouyang nodded approvingly to himself.
His gaze swept across the faces of these juniors, and he continued, "Lastly, I can assure you, whoever can mine a block of top-grade spirit stone will receive a piece of Purple Heart Jade Marrow upon return, with no limit."
Boom!
Upon these words, the faces of the Zhou Family cultivators finally couldn't maintain their composure.
Undoubtedly, even in the present Zhou Family, Purple Heart Jade Marrow, which aids in opening the Purple Mansion, remains an extremely rare Spiritual Object.
Despite Zhouyang's efforts to purchase some Purple Heart Jade Marrow every few years through his connections with the Profound Sun Immortal Sect, and the Zhou Family's continuous purchases over the years to strengthen their foundation, the acquired Purple Heart Jade Marrow was still only enough for a select few individuals to use.
Many Zhou Clan Ninth-Layer Foundation Establishment Cultivators opt for items such as the [Purple Cloud Pill] to assist in opening their Purple Mansion.
Among these, the failure rate is naturally high, with few successes.
However, now, by excavating a piece of Top-grade Spirit Stone from this Giant Spirit Stone Ore, one can directly exchange it with the clan for a portion of [Purple Heart Jade Marrow]. This is nothing less than divine blessing for the twenty Foundation Establishment Cultivators stationed here for mining.
Instantly, the enthusiasm of all the Zhou Family Cultivators was inflamed, eager to immediately delve into the mine and work tirelessly.
Facing the fervent gazes of those Foundation Establishment Cultivators, Zhouyang directed his attention towards two Zhou Clan Purple Mansion Cultivators, Zhou Zehong, and Zhou Wancheng, and said sternly, "You two, keep a close watch on the Guo Family. Everyone mining has to hand over their spirit stones to you for unified counting upon emergence. I will leave the Golden Roc here to oversee. If anyone dares break the rules, seek it out for handling!"
"We will strictly adhere to the orders of the ancestor."
The two Zhou Clan Purple Mansion Cultivators exchanged a glance and responded solemnly in unison.
After instructing these younger clan members, Zhouyang released the Golden-winged Thunder Eagle, now promoted to Tier Five Middle-Grade Demon Beast, from the [Exquisite Jade Bracelet] and discreetly reminded it, "Golden Roc, for the next few decades, you will oversee here on my behalf. Without my token, any Zhou Family Cultivator unauthorized to leave the island can be captured or killed by you. Ensure any outsiders coming ashore are retained too!"
"Golden Roc understands, and will certainly fulfill the owner's trust."
The Golden-winged Thunder Eagle slightly nodded, sweeping its eagle gaze across the Zhou Clan Members, easily grasping the purpose behind Zhouyang's actions.
Thereafter, Zhouyang imposed Divine Soul Restrictions upon each Zhou Family Cultivator as a precaution.
The Divine Soul Restriction isn't truly mystifying; it just has stringent cultivation requirements—without forming Nascent Soul, one absolutely cannot wield this skill.
Once this task was completed, Zhouyang departed the Spirit Stone Vein with Guo Xianlong.
"Fellow Daoist Guo, I assume you understand the significance of the Giant Spirit Stone Ore. My actions with the Zhou Clan should be clear to you. I'm counting on you to tightly supervise and instruct on the Guo family's side too. Do not let the intrusion of Zhou family cause some of your clan members to commit foolish acts!"
Outside the [Mystic Poison Swamp], when the Silver Flying Vehicle emerged from the colorful miasma of the swamp, Zhouyang stopped the vehicle and gravely issued a warning and reminder to Guo Xianlong.
Guo Xianlong understood the deep meaning behind Zhouyang's words.
Previously, the Guo Family exclusively controlled the Spirit Stone Vein, and those informed cultivators of Guo Family would certainly keep the secret, even at the cost of life.
But now, Guo Family is forced to share this Spirit Stone Vein with Zhou Family, losing significant assets like the Top-grade Spirit Stones and [Spirit Marrow Stone] to Zhou Family; thus, there's a risk that disgruntled Guo Family cultivators might leak the information to other powers.
Once such leaks occur, it is evidently detrimental, yielding no benefits to either Guo Family or Zhouyang.
Guo Xianlong, as the clan leader, naturally understands the gravity of the matter.
Upon hearing Zhouyang's warning and reminder, he solemnly responds: "Rest assured, Elder Zhou. This concerns the life and death of the Guo Family. I know what to do!"
"It's good you understand!"
Zhouyang nodded and then waved his hand, saying, "I have further matters in the Wilderness Jungle, so I won't escort you back. You should return to the Guo Family on your own."
Upon hearing this, Guo Xianlong promptly gave a courteous bow and said: "I wouldn't dare trouble Elder. Farewell!"
Initially, when Jiang Fengxian departed Chongxuan Mountain, she mentioned waiting in the Wilderness Jungle for Zhouyang for thirty years. Now, with only a few years remaining in the thirty-year rendezvous, Zhouyang specifically visits the Wilderness Jungle, ready to fulfill this promise ahead of schedule.
Prior to coming, he informed his Dao Companion Xiao Ying and son Zhou Guangcheng about his whereabouts to keep them apprised.
After parting with Guo Xianlong, Zhouyang promptly proceeded to Jiang Fengxian's dwelling in the Wilderness Jungle.
Having been to Jiang Fengxian's dwelling within the Wilderness Jungle several times before, Zhouyang knew the way well.
In just over a month, he smoothly arrived outside the dwelling.
"Child greets father. Mother is currently cultivating in seclusion, so only the child can welcome you into the residence."
Outside the dwelling, upon learning of her father Zhouyang's arrival, Jiang Yufeng promptly emerged to invite Zhouyang inside.
After more than twenty years, her cultivation has achieved another breakthrough, now reaching Golden Core Seventh Layer, almost catching up with Xiao Ying!
"Feng'Er, isn't your cultivation progressing too fast? Better to be stable; you're still young, with plenty of time to prepare for Nascent Soul formation!"
Zhouyang frowned while examining his daughter, feeling quite uneasy about the rocket-like pace of her cultivation.
It's rather exaggerated!
Even in his time, when consuming various Refining Cultivation Spiritual Pills like candies, his cultivation speed wasn't as fast as Jiang Yufeng's.
"Father, you're overthinking it. Most of my cultivation is accomplished independently, without any issue of unstable foundations, besides who would complain about an early Nascent Soul formation?"
Jiang Yufeng shook her head slightly, not taking Zhouyang's words to heart, clearly having her own plans.
Zhouyang, witnessing this, opened his mouth, unsure how to refute.
Although he had given Jiang Yufeng numerous refining cultivation elixirs, the rapid advancement of her cultivation wasn't majorly attributed to the elixir's power.
Zhouyang had observed his daughter's cultivation situation, where her absorption and refinement speed of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was several times quicker than cultivators of the same realm, which was the primary reason for her swift cultivation progress.
The root of all this seems to be in the [True Phoenix Body] itself.
Considering the unexpected formation of [True Phoenix Body] in his daughter, Zhouyang's expression shifted, and he couldn't help but ask his daughter, "How is the Demon Pill within your body?"
The fact that his daughter had formed a Demon Pill within her body had always been a worry for Zhouyang.
Despite the fact that over the years, the Demon Pill hadn't caused Jiang Yufeng any negative impact, Zhouyang always felt uneasy thinking about it.
Jiang Yufeng herself didn't see it as an issue. Upon hearing this, she just slightly shook her head and replied, "It's still the same. The power of the Demon Pill increases with my cultivation realm, but I still can't utilize its force. Mother said she would take me to the [Celestial Phoenix Race] to see if a solution could be found!"
"Take you to the [Celestial Phoenix Race]?"
Zhouyang was slightly stunned, then his face hardened, and he said sternly: "Your mother didn't mention this to me earlier. Has something happened here in the Wilderness Jungle over the years?"
"The child isn't sure. Eight years ago, Mother went out once and upon returning, she mentioned this to me!"
Jiang Yufeng hesitated briefly but ultimately spoke in a lowered voice about what little she knew.
"I understand. I will inquire about this matter with your mother."
With a fleeting hint of doubt in his eyes, Zhouyang gently nodded and refrained from further inquiry on the matter.
