Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!-Chapter 669 - 658: Cold Jade and Gold at the Bottom of the Spring (Part 2)
He always thought it was a photoshopped image, and now he encountered the real version.
Moonlight spilled onto the water, and the shimmering surface of the water, stirred, resonated with the gold at the bottom of the spring. For a moment, it felt like being in a world of shimmering gold, making it difficult to distinguish up from down, left from right.
Fortunately, with the assistance of system data, the values would change the moment he swam in the wrong direction, so he kept a close watch, fearing he might make a mistake.
"To dive this deep and still be so steady, unaffected by the spring water, that's rare!" Zhiming exclaimed softly from the shore.
When the temple needed it, they would send Buddhist Cultivators to dive and mine the gold at the bottom of the spring or Cold Jade. He would usually serve as a Protector, so he was quite aware of what reactions someone should have after diving for a certain period.
If it were the temple's Buddhist Cultivators, with Magical Treasure to mark the direction and empower them, they would still need to rest and take Elixirs; otherwise, they couldn't maintain it.
But this young Human Race Cultivator, relying only on two fish for slight protection, single-mindedly dived deeper, with a determination as if he knew the Cold Pool like the back of his hand!
"Finally made it!" Jiang Yuan said, as he touched the golden bottom at a depth of 157 meters according to the water depth data.
The deeper the water, the more health he lost, and now he suffered an attack every five seconds, losing 160 health each time after counteracting with some Willpower and Damage Reduction.
Moreover, the system's immunity left him feeling the water only slightly cool, avoiding the piercing pain that other cultivators had to face, which made it much easier in comparison.
Retrieving the newly upgraded Gold Crystal Mining Pickaxe from his Storage Bag, Jiang Yuan aimed at a piece of gold at the bottom of the spring, and after ten hits, a ball of golden light flickered before being stored in his Storage Bag.
[Spring Bottom Gold +3]
The harvest was good, so he took a few more steps forward and continued banging away.
After all, he could just take a Blood Replenishing Pill when his health bar dropped to half. Might as well take the opportunity to mine more Refining Materials, even if they weren't needed immediately, they could be stored for later.
Every trip consumed the energy of a Teleportation Scroll, so as long as he was there, he had to make it worth it.
"Hiss!" Zhiming, observing clearly from the shore, couldn't help but take a deep breath, "Where did this cultivator come from, to be so formidable? Everyone knows how hard the gold at the bottom of the spring is; mining a small piece each time is rare. Could he be using a Divine Artifact?"
However, upon closer inspection, the young man's mining pickaxe was simple, even the handle was made of wood, yet he could mine such large pieces with each hit!
Having settled for over ten thousand years in the Cold Spring Deep Pool, there was no worry of the gold at the bottom being entirely extracted, but if other Demon Cultivators saw his speed and demeanor, they might give rise to some unsavory ideas driven by greed.
"Once he surfaces, invite him to rest in the Zen Room to avoid attracting the attention of those with ill intent," Zhiming thought to himself, and with a wave of his hand, set up a Barrier nearby to keep others from seeing.
Jiang Yuan, happily mining away with a carefree smile, had no idea that someone above was quietly watching him and even helping as a Protector.
It felt just like being in a game, immersed in the work, when he suddenly discovered a patch of emerald green Cold Jade in an unremarkable corner, making him even happier!
But as he stepped forward, he unexpectedly stepped into nothingness, diving deeper before touching the Cold Jade.
At this point, the attack every five seconds now caused a drop of 220 health each time.
The system truly wasn't lying; the Cold Jade was positioned much deeper than the Spring Bottom Gold, and in the murky depths of the pool, without system support, it would be easy to get caught unawares.
Jiang Yuan sighed and continued to work diligently.
Zhiming on the shore was stunned. What kind of Cultivation Technique was this person practicing? He didn't appear to be a Body Cultivator from his physique, so how could he be so formidable?
To continuously mine a piece of Spring Bottom Gold, even for the highest Realm Buddhist Cultivator in the temple using the Daluo Golden Immortal Body or a Divine Manifestation was the limit. Yet, the young man continued without pause, diving deeper to mine the more challenging Cold Jade!
"Senior Brother, quickly come to the Cold Spring Deep Pool and witness this spectacle!"
"Junior Brother, quickly come to the Cold Spring Deep Pool, hurry up!"
......
In theory, a Buddhist Cultivator of Zhiming's Realm should have a heart as still as water, unshaken even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him.
But even he was repeatedly shocked, hastily taking out a Communication Stone to call others to witness the spectacle—at least, until now, it was an achievement that no Buddhist Cultivator in the Cold Spring Temple had been able to accomplish!
The temple's Buddhist Cultivators received the communication almost simultaneously and thought someone had fallen into the Cold Pool needing rescue, only to rush over and join Zhiming in watching the daring individual mining Cold Jade at the bottom of the pool.
"Is he a Human Race Cultivator? Senior Brother, did you say he's been at the bottom of the pool for almost an hour?"
"Even with Elixirs, he couldn't endure so long; how is he doing it?"
"I'm suddenly a bit worried; if this young man gets too enthusiastic, won't he end up mining all the Spring Bottom Gold and Cold Jade?"
"Junior Brother, you're overthinking."
"The essence of cultivation is to rid oneself of the three poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance. Junior Brother, with such thoughts, you should study more Buddhist scriptures..."
......
Seven rarely-seen senior monks gathered, fortunately, Zhiming had set up a Barrier earlier to shield their view from the outside, otherwise, even Jiang Yuan's low profile would have been noticed and watched.
[Cold Jade +5]
[Cold Jade +2]
......
After banging away for a while, Jiang Yuan saw that he had two stacks each of Spring Bottom Gold and Cold Jade in his Storage Bag, enough for a long time, so he reluctantly stopped.
Since this place didn't charge a fee, he could always come back for more when needed; greed shouldn't drive a person.
Putting away the mining pickaxe, amidst the golden light shimmering in all directions, he found his bearings and swam straight to the surface, only to find a group of Buddhist Cultivators standing on the shore!
Oh no! Did he get caught mining too much at once? Could they be waiting to charge him?
"Layman, please come ashore; the water in the pool is cold," Zhiming took a step forward, pressed his palms together, and said, "We unintentionally discovered your effortless mining at the bottom of the pool, which is quite rare, so I invited my senior and junior brothers to come as Protectors to prevent any conflict over treasure from ill-intentioned individuals."
He patiently explained and made a gesture of invitation, "May I trouble you to come to the temple for a while, to chat over a cup of hot tea, dispel the cold, recover your Physical Strength, and then leave at your leisure. This way, you will be more secure, how would you feel about this, Layman?" 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢
After scanning through the details in front of him, Jiang Yuan realized that the monks were all good people, none of them were like the Demon Monk Guang Hui.
And since he had a Jade Throne Golden Buddha to return, he jumped ashore and politely bowed, "I have long heard of the famous Cold Spring Temple. Today, I am honored to visit and take a tour."
Seeing him come ashore without panting and looking bright-eyed, with no hint of fatigue, as if he hadn't just been mining precious treasure at the bottom of the cold pool a moment ago.
Several Buddhist Cultivators couldn't help but widen their pupils in shock; Human Race Cultivators were this terrifying?!
As Jiang Yuan followed them towards the temple, he pondered how to return the Jade Throne Golden Buddha. He couldn't simply say that what they had venerated for so long was a fake, could he? Where would the face of the Buddhists go?
Moreover, while he had the system for identification, the temple's monks didn't, so how would he prove what he brought was genuine, and theirs was not?
If they could tell the difference, they wouldn't have gone all these years without noticing it was a counterfeit.
"Master, I heard that the Mage Guang Hui once practiced in Cold Spring Temple?" Jiang Yuan thought about it and decided to probe them to see how informed they were.
Zhiming nodded, "Indeed, over a thousand years ago, he practiced in Cold Spring Temple and even held lectures here. He was well-versed in Buddhist teachings, eloquent, and was enlightening for many Buddhist Cultivators, unfortunately..."
With a heavy sigh, he said, "I heard that in pursuit of immortality, Guang Hui used human lives to nourish a demon tree. Alas! In the end, he could not free himself from the three poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance, sacrificing countless lives for his desires—a tragedy of the mortal world."
Great, it seems they are well-informed and know the fate of Demon Monk Guang Hui.
Now, how should he lead them to suspect that the Jade Throne Golden Buddha in the main hall is fake?
As they conversed, they arrived at the temple.
After witnessing his formidable power, the easygoing Buddhist Cultivators said their farewells and returned to their tasks, while Master Zhiming led him towards the quiet Zen Room at the back.
"Master, is this the temple's treasure, the Jade Throne Golden Buddha?" Jiang Yuan, having seen the counterfeit when he first entered the temple, naturally wanted to introduce the topic and examine it carefully again.
Zhiming, from afar, performed a respectful bow towards the statue, "Indeed so. Does the layman know the origin of the Jade Throne Golden Buddha?"
