Born with immortal seed

Chapter 162: Alternative Genius
According to the rules of Qingfeng Sect, disciples who discover various mineral veins will be rewarded with varying contribution points or even a higher status, depending on the value of the mineral veins they discover.

For example, outer disciples can be directly promoted to inner disciples without having to go through the sect's small competition.

Alternatively, as a manager, one can receive Foundation Establishment Pills directly without having to wait in line.

However, at the Foundation Establishment Elder level, there are different ways to handle such situations.

If they can complete the preliminary work such as exploration and development on their own, handing it over to the sect would mean a stable mineral vein waiting to be mined.

Therefore, the elder would not receive a fixed reward, but rather two to three tenths of the total revenue from the mine.

The spirit stone vein that Mingluan discovered was too close to Hejian County, making it impossible to excavate it secretly.

Otherwise, that miniature spirit stone vein could have brought her a dividend of over 100,000 spirit stones.

Therefore, after discovering the suspected mineral vein, Zhou Suqing's first thought was to take control of it.

As a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator who still held onto the hope of forming her core, she was naturally aware of the massive resources required for the core formation process.

The Core Formation Spiritual Object is only one aspect.

For example, the Mind-Stabilizing Pill can stabilize the sea of ​​consciousness and prevent its collapse should the formation of the Golden Core fail.

If the transformation of spiritual liquid into magical power fails, the immense magical power is very likely to destroy the meridians throughout the body, which is why the meridian-protecting pills are used to strengthen the meridians.

They were all third-tier pills, and their prices could bankrupt an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Although Master Yang told her that he would provide some financial assistance, Zhou Suqing still wanted to raise as much as possible on her own.

However, his own combat strength is really not up to par. Even when facing a second-tier low-grade demon beast, he can only suppress it with his realm advantage and cannot achieve a quick victory.

This led to a strange scene: a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator invited two newly promoted elders and an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator to explore the mineral vein together.

"A mineral vein?"

Bai Zichen's heart stirred; the time since Jade Moon Lake had fallen into the hands of the sect was still relatively short.

In addition, in recent years, the main focus has been on Lingtian, which has slowed down the survey of various resources in the surrounding area.

It's quite normal for several mineral veins to form nearby from a third-tier high-grade spiritual vein.

"I wonder what grade and type of ore vein it is?"

Bai Zichen currently earns tens of thousands of spirit stones every year, so an ordinary first-tier mine would definitely not be able to tempt him.

"I accidentally entered a valley while trying to pick a few Taiyin Crescent Grasses... The valley was filled with extremely strong Yin energy and never saw the sun. I dug around and picked up a few pieces of ore. Junior Brother Bai can take a look."

Zhou Suqing opened her palm, and three or four gray crystals of varying sizes fell onto the table.

Bai Zichen picked up a piece, but couldn't sense any spiritual energy. He squeezed the gray crystal hard, and it turned into powder.

"What kind of mineral is this? It doesn't seem to be one of the more common spiritual materials."

Bai Zichen knew nothing about weapon crafting; all his knowledge of minerals came from books.

"It's not a spiritual material, but an ordinary stone that has been tainted with a trace of Yin energy and is undergoing crystallization... Junior Brother Bai, did you notice that your skin felt a slight erosion and stinging when you crushed it? That's because of the Yin energy emanating from the crystal."

Although Zhou Suqing was weak in combat, she was skilled in everything else.

He is proficient in magic, created his own Qi cultivation method, and is also good at teaching and imparting knowledge.

He also studied formations and quickly became a second-tier formation master, surpassing many in the Formation Hall who dedicated their entire lives to the study.

He was a voracious reader, and it is said that he had read all the tens of thousands of miscellaneous books in the Hall of Transmission of Merit, earning him the title of a walking encyclopedia.

If there hadn't been no more books to read in the Hall of Transmission, she might not have moved to Jade Moon Lake.

"So it was Yin energy. Could there be a fissure in that valley that leads to the depths of the earth's core?"

When Bai Zichen crushed the gray crystal, a barely perceptible stream of air did indeed escape.

But I didn't feel any stinging sensation on my skin, and I didn't associate it with any evil energy.

It's estimated that the amount was too small, and it was directly absorbed by the glass body.

"There are two possibilities: there is one or more Yin veins in the valley, where Yin energy is leaking out. Or there is a Netherworld Stone vein underground, which would also gather Yin energy."

Among the sect elders, apart from Zhou Suqing, there are very few who truly understand knowledge about mountains, rivers, and geological formations.

She spoke up and expressed her judgment, which was reasonable and well-founded.

"As for connecting to the depths of the Earth's core, the probability is low... If it does happen, it will definitely be accompanied by the Earth's core poisonous flames, turning that valley into a dead end!"

The Earthly Fiend Yin Vein only requires simple care. By extracting the fiendish energy from it using special methods, one can obtain a powerful fiendish energy every so often.

Depending on the Yin Meridian's attributes, the types of Qi Sha obtained vary, such as the Pure Yang Qi Sha of the Qingfeng Sect, the Black Water Qi Sha hidden in the Transmission Hall, and the Profound Yin Qi Sha of the Ghost Spirit Sect...

Each elemental aura can be refined into a spiritual weapon of matching attributes, slightly amplifying the weapon's power.

However, its more widespread use is as a foundation-building spiritual object, which is consumed and refined using secret methods.

"If the Yin vein of the Earthly Fiends is good, one can harvest a Foundation Establishment spiritual item every ten years... As for Netherworld Stones, it depends on the size of the vein; mining less than 100,000 catties is not very meaningful."

Bai Zichen tapped his fingers lightly. Ever since he had Dragon Tooth Rice, a stable treasure trove, his horizons had broadened.

It takes ten years to create a Foundation Establishment artifact, which is then divided among three people, with Zhou Suqing taking the lion's share.

In terms of spirit stones, it's really not worth much.

However, what Bai Zichen valued was the scarcity of Foundation Establishment spiritual objects. Since he couldn't use them himself, he could bestow them upon his disciples and future generations.

Compared to the uncertainty of Foundation Establishment Pills, the stable production of Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects is more practical for ordinary Qi Refining cultivators.

Netherworld Stone is a very common second-tier mineral that can be used as an auxiliary material for magical artifacts, but it certainly has no market within the Black Mountain region.

It's not a particularly rare mineral, and it's not worthwhile to transport it to other states and counties to sell.

Even if they were mined, they could only be sold cheaply to Wanbaoge, whose extensive distribution channels would naturally be able to absorb the Netherworld Stones.

The initial exploration was followed by formal mining by the sect, and the elders who carried out the excavation also had the responsibility of guarding and protecting it.

The Netherworld Stone is useless to the Azure Maple Sect, so the sect will not send too many people to produce it, with a maximum output of a few thousand catties per year.

After deducting all costs, the maximum amount of spirit stones that can be distributed to one person is one or two thousand.

There's no simpler way than discovering the Yin Veins of Earthly Fiends, setting up arrays and restrictions, and extracting the fiendish energy every ten years.

Moreover, unlike mineral veins, earthly yin veins are not shared by sects with their discoverers.

Zhou Suqing and Su Li's expressions changed. In their hearts, they naturally hoped it was the Netherworld Stone mine.

"I quickly explored about a third of the valley before leaving. Before I left, I heard several low hisses, and judging from the pressure they emitted, they should be from second-tier low-grade demonic beasts. But at the same time, they came from three or four directions, and there were quite a few of them..."

Bai Zichen was speechless. This Senior Sister Zhou was a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, so why was she forced away by a few low-grade second-tier demonic beasts?

They also need to find helpers to form a team and share the profits.

"We should be prepared for the worst. We estimate there are five low-grade second-tier demonic beasts in the valley. I can hold off two of them with my talisman techniques. Senior Sister Zhou... your cultivation level is higher, so holding off two shouldn't be a problem?"

As Su Li spoke, she glanced at Zhou Suqing with some uncertainty.

Zhou Suqing's past achievements were simply too astonishing. She was forced to a draw by the Qi Refining Great Perfection stage in the early Foundation Establishment stage, and was no match for the Golden-Winged Thunder Roc in the mid Foundation Establishment stage. She fled back to the mountain gate with the help of defensive spiritual artifacts.

"It should be possible... I am already a second-tier high-grade array master. Ancestor Yang taught me the skill of instantly setting up arrays, and I have a rudimentary understanding of it."

Zhou Suqing hesitated slightly, then nodded firmly.

"I've set up a low-grade second-tier formation to trap the demonic beasts; they definitely won't escape within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea!"

"That's good. Senior Brother Bai is a sword cultivator with amazing combat power... He has a record of killing a second-tier demonic beast during the pioneering war. As long as we quickly kill the remaining demonic beast and then send one of us to support him, we can defeat them one by one!"

Su Li clapped his hands and laughed, "This can be done."

"If there are fewer than five monsters in the valley, that would be best, making things much easier for us."

Bai Zichen held his forehead, a thousand words swirling in his mouth, but in the end, they all turned into a sigh.

"Senior Sister Zhou, you're already a second-tier high-grade array master?"

If there are only a few low-grade second-tier demonic beasts, then there's no need for any preparations; just go and kill them with your sword.

Being cautious also depends on the opponent. Several years ago, during the pioneering war, my strength was far inferior to what it is now, yet I was still able to kill the Golden-Winged Thunder Roc and the White Ape on my own, let alone now.

What made his heart skip a beat was the phrase "second-tier high-grade array master".

If I remember correctly, when we returned from the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, Zhou Suqing took over the control of the 3,600-ring Water Smoke Array on behalf of Old Ancestor Yang. At that time, she was still a mid-grade second-tier array mage.

In just a few years, even with sudden enlightenment, one cannot improve in the art of formations like this.

"That's right. Over the years, I have focused my main efforts on formations... With the careful instruction of Elder Yang, I have made some progress."

Zhou Suqing remained calm, showing no signs of pride in her array formation skills.

No wonder Elder Yang didn't press me about my progress in formations. With such a successor, why would he care about a disciple with naturally strong spiritual sense...

Bai Zichen, reflecting on his own situation, also spent some time studying formations in his spare time.

So far, I can barely set up a mid-grade first-level formation, and I'm still not very proficient at it; I have to try repeatedly.

"Let's set off. It's only a few hundred miles away from Jade Moon Lake. There shouldn't be any powerful demonic beasts there... otherwise, Old Ancestor Yang would have sensed them long ago, and they wouldn't have survived until today."

Bai Zichen sighed, "There are always people more capable than you," and got up to leave.

Two fellow disciples from neighboring schools came to him seeking help, and regardless of whether there was any benefit in it, he was willing to make the trip.

It's a good opportunity to find a demonic beast to test the sword's effectiveness after years of seclusion.

A third-tier demon king has a strong sense of territory and also needs a large enough territory to provide food.

From this perspective, it is impossible for a third-tier demon beast to appear within a thousand miles of Jade Moon Lake.

Even the probability of encountering a peak second-tier monster is extremely low.

With a distance of seven hundred miles, Bai Zichen could easily return to the protective range of the three thousand six hundred rings of the Water Smoke Array by flying on his sword, allowing him to act freely.

"Alright, with two junior brothers accompanying us, our chances of success on this trip are greatly increased! The harvest from the valley will be divided into four portions. I will take two portions, and Junior Brother Bai and Junior Brother Su will each take one portion."

Zhou Suqing slammed her hand on the table and stood up as well.

"Does Junior Brother have any objections to this allocation method?"

Su Li must have discussed it with Zhou Suqing before coming, so naturally she wouldn't have any other ideas.

Bai Zichen hesitated for a moment, then immediately agreed.

As the discoverer and advocate, Zhou Suqing deserves more credit.

Or rather, if it weren't for her ridiculously weak points, she could have taken over this valley all by herself.

For Bai Zichen, this trip was more like a test of his skills after a long period of seclusion; how much he gained was not important.

(End of this chapter)