Dragon veins are born hidden, capable of evading all known detection techniques. Only through terrain analysis and mastery of geomancy can one roughly determine their presence.
Even then, it's just an approximation. To truly uncover one, one must descend and search inch by inch. It's said that anyone who lays eyes on a dragon vein is destined for great fortune.
Beneath Spiritridge City, however, there were only ordinary earth veins and multiple spirit veins. The strongest among them was merely a mid-grade tier-three spirit vein. Wang Yu had studied the [Violet Dragon Earth-Walking Technique]—a variant of earth escape. Even a basic grasp was enough for use here.
The spirit vein's surrounding layout had been arranged by experts from the Blood Reversal Sect.
Not only was it highly concealed, but it also possessed formidable defenses. In emergencies, it could even activate itself, adapting to threats autonomously.
A true testament to the wisdom of predecessors.
Wang Yu led Snow Jade, his four disciples, and a dense crowd of miners through a side hall near the primary vault, descending into the depths via a hidden passage.
The underground was a maze of dark caverns. The walls had been scraped and polished over decades, gleaming like a well-worn string of prayer beads.
With a wave of his hand, all the ever-burning lamps lit up.
"Let's go. Stay close."
The caves were also guarded by bats controlled via corpse beetles. These creatures neither ate nor drank, but their innate ability allowed them to monitor all sounds within the caverns—an effective anti-intrusion measure.
After half an hour of travel, they reached their destination.
Before them lay an ancient underground plaza. Stone buildings, built into the walls like miniature towers, were coated in dust.
These were relics of the past. Wang Yu simply made use of them. After expending a bit of spiritual sense to activate his [Mountain-Seeking Demon] technique and confirm the area was secure, he gave his orders.
"Guan Yingdong, Guan Yingxue, Jiang Li, Jiang Chuan—you four will stay here and oversee the miners. Meals will be delivered to the tunnel entrance. This place is yours to manage."
"Yes, Master."
With that settled, Wang Yu continued deeper with Snow Jade.
Soon—
A radiant blue glow illuminated a man-sized tunnel ahead, casting a dreamy halo. As he approached—
It was as if a starry sky unfolded before him. The entire space resembled a translucent blue river, both liquid and gaseous, filled with countless shimmering specks.
Swirling vortexes danced around it, as beautiful and mysterious as the cosmos itself—imbued with the miracle of heaven and earth.
This—was a spirit vein.
Legend holds that regardless of grade, any spirit or earth vein has a minuscule chance of developing sentience. Such a phenomenon becomes a sovereign of spiritual energy.
Once born, it possesses power equal to a Nascent Soul cultivator. If one could absorb and refine it, even immortals would benefit immensely. It is the pinnacle of fortune.
The most recent record dates back to the ancient era, when a blood demon shattered the heavens and descended upon this realm.
Ancient sects and lower-realm immortals joined forces to resist—but failed. An immortal scoured the realm for spiritual treasures and found a fire vein spirit. Upon consuming it, he incinerated the blood sea and sealed the demon—[Blood]—in the abyss.
That abyss became the Blood Reversal Sect's sacred training ground: [Blood Abyss].
Wang Yu currently knew of three such demons: [Life], [Desire], and [Blood]—the origin of this realm's demonic path, spread by these near-immortal beings.
His current cultivation method, [Heavenly Cold Yin Blood Art], wasn't a true demonic technique. He merely resided within the demonic path.
True demonic arts require absorption of "demonic qi," which is exceedingly rare and gated by Nascent Soul cultivation. What they practiced were diluted versions.
Modern demonic inheritances often trace back to these sealed demons.
Of course, these techniques weren't spread by the demons themselves.
Rather, sentient beings coveted their power and imitated it. These tales and secrets added layers of mystique to this world.
With Wang Yu's current Blood Reversal Sect clearance, he only had access to brief outlines of these ancient stories. Perhaps once he became a Core Formation elder, he'd learn more.
Back to the present—
Centered around the dazzling spirit vein, the surrounding spiritual energy was overwhelmingly dense. As it settled into the stone, it formed spirit stones.
That's how spirit stone mines work. Within a certain radius, spirit stones continuously form. Miners don't need to see the vein itself.
Predecessors had placed small formations nearby to attract spiritual energy, creating fixed mining zones.
In truth—
There are three simple methods of producing spirit stones.
Aside from cultivation loss and spirit vein generation, there's also the use of massive spirit-gathering formations to artificially produce low- and mid-grade spirit stones.
This method was developed in the Lakeheart Domain, mimicking spirit vein properties.
The demonic path adopted it too, though it came with side effects.
Because the formation forcibly siphons spiritual energy, cultivators within its range cannot absorb any of it.
Thus, these "spirit stone printing presses" are placed in remote, sparsely populated areas. Only external guards are stationed; cultivation within is impossible.
The downside of these formations is environmental damage.
One of the demonic overlords, Nether Spring Temple, has its sect gate facing one of the realm's largest deserts—[Desolate Sand Sea].
It's said that this area was once lush and full of spiritual energy. But Nether Spring Temple installed 30,000 giant spirit-gathering formations, draining it for ten thousand years.
Now it's a lifeless desert.
Since their founding, they've drained the land dry. Though some spiritual energy remains, there are no spirit veins underground. Even the earth veins have turned to sand.
This has triggered various natural disasters—enough to threaten Core Formation cultivators. It's even showing signs of becoming another Endless Icefield.
This transformation was gradual but obvious. Other demonic powers have since ceased using such formations, relocating them to the Chaotic Ancient Sea.
Only Nether Spring Temple continues. Perhaps they're deliberately creating a dead zone. Who knows?
…
In the cavern—
Wang Yu found a suitable spot and instructed, "Snow Jade, carve out a cave residence near the spirit vein."
"Wu—"
"Hurry. I'll be making pills for you soon. Supreme Snow Fox Pills, Jade Moistening Pills, Fragrant Fox Pills—everything you need."
"Wu~ (●°u°●)"
The majestic snow-white fox, who could also serve as a mount, extended its paw pads and swiftly carved out a neat, simple cave.
No need for a door. Wang Yu entered and spent half a day preparing before officially beginning his alchemy.
Tier-two cold flame paired with [Cold Flood Alchemy Arts] could boost the potency of ice-element pills by nearly 50%. This applied to Snow Jade's pills as well.
The creator of this technique was clearly a master of the ice path.
Cultivation pills are notoriously hard to digest. One pill can last years, with excellent effects on cultivation.
Ice Spirit Pills take three years to digest. Supreme-grade pills only need two years and can increase true essence by around 100 drops.
High-grade Ice Spirit Pills sell for nearly 40,000 spirit stones. They're rare and boost true essence by about 50 drops. Not expensive—just 80 times the cost of a Qi Refining pill.
Foundation Establishment cultivators earn far more. Buying two pills could help one break through to the second layer in a few years.
Escaping the weakness of early Foundation Establishment is absolutely worth it.
The problem is supply. Even when available, they're often sold at inflated prices. A true treasure with value but no availability. In the demonic path, only places like Cold Blood Peak have reserves.
Standard five-element cultivation pills are cheaper and more abundant.
After all, wind, ice, lightning, yin… these are rare elemental roots—minority traits.
With tier-two perfected alchemy and cold flame support, Wang Yu's crafting of ice-element pills was like divine assistance. Not only easier, but more potent.
He was going all out. If all went well, this would be a period of rapid cultivation growth—slowing only at late Foundation Establishment.
At that stage, accumulating true essence becomes astronomical. Not to mention the bottleneck of "Essence Condensation."
Calming his mind, Wang Yu began.
Don't be fooled by the placement panel's dozens of refinements per day. In reality, each batch took time.
He couldn't match the panel's peak-state, tireless, unthinking rhythm.
Refining, fusing, condensing, infusing—four steps.
Just refining and fusing took several days. These were the simplest stages. Condensing was the most mentally taxing.
He rotated through various condensation seals, constantly monitoring flame temperature and intensity. This step was brief—but decisive.
It drained spiritual sense heavily. The final infusion stage was more relaxed. Skilled alchemists could even nap during it.
Not Wang Yu. He had to watch the cold flame.
The essence of [Cold Flood Alchemy Arts] lay in infusion. Whether the cold flame could dramatically enhance the pill depended on this step.
"Infusion"—a word of profound mystery.
Fire-style alchemy was fierce and fast. Infusion was brief but potent—emphasizing efficiency.
Water-style alchemy was gentle and steady. Low failure rate Water-style alchemy was gentle and steady. It had a low failure rate but consumed far more time. Its secret also lay in the word "infusion."
It's said that in ancient times, a master of water-style alchemy once infused a pill for a hundred years, using a tier-four recipe to craft a top-grade tier-five treasure pill—surpassing the limits of his cultivation realm.
That's the mystery of "infusion."
It may also involve auxiliary techniques like pill furnaces, talismans, formations, and more. The results are often astonishing, proving just how deep the art of alchemy truly runs.
Most people spend their entire lives just scratching the surface.
Wang Yu's ability to craft supreme-grade pills was thanks to the placement panel's constant refinement and feedback. But it still relied on his own comprehension. In a way, it was his talent that made it possible.
How could it not count?
Compared to most cultivators, his alchemy was already at a master's level. He had a solid chance of crafting tier-three pills—though the quality might vary, with most being low-grade.
Ten days later—
The pill furnace radiated waves of spiritual light. Wang Yu's eyes gleamed as he opened the lid.
One transparent, radiant, spirit-infused supreme-grade Ice Spirit Pill.
Five shimmering, pale-blue high-grade Ice Spirit Pills.
Six pills in total.
"Not bad, not bad. Wasted a bit of medicinal potency, though."
After a moment of reflection, Wang Yu swallowed the lone supreme-grade Ice Spirit Pill.
Soon—
"I can't believe it actually increased…"
(End of Chapter)