The Ninety-eighth Spirit Stone Vein

Although cultivators on the Divine Continent practice different techniques, most carry a reliable weapon. Take, for instance, the Cold Soul Blade that Qi Fei borrowed from the Marquis of Might’s estate. However, such top-tier magical artifacts are not something everyone can possess. Setting aside the difficulty of forging them, the sheer quantity of spirit stones required is beyond the reach of ordinary people. Furthermore, the quality of an artifact is directly tied to the quantity and grade of the spirit stones used in its creation. Consequently, most cultivators carry hidden weapons in their daily lives to prepare for emergencies.

At this moment, the mysterious, massive object before Qi Fei appeared to be a steel dart. While it did not seem as ordinary as it looked on the surface, its exterior felt incredibly hard when touched. Yet, as Qi Fei’s hand carefully probed it, he felt as though he were touching a block of soft tofu. With only the slightest exertion of force, he watched as his hand sank several feet deep into the massive dart.

Seeing this, Qi Fei’s attention was instantly captured, and he momentarily forgot about his pursuit of the Spirit Silver Wolf King.

Qi Fei shook his head slightly, stunned and solemn. He turned to Tong He and asked, "Old Man Tong, what kind of thing is this soft dart?"

Tong He, usually a man of vast knowledge, hesitated for a moment before speaking with astonishment: "This is a spirit stone saturated with spiritual power!" He then manifested his human form and reached out to touch the stone himself. Only then did he say with absolute certainty, "Indeed, a spirit stone has actually gestated here. It seems you are in great luck, kid! Beneath this vein, there must be a rich deposit of spirit stones; there might even be supreme spirit essences hidden here!"

Upon hearing this, Qi Fei jumped three feet high, laughing, "Really? There might be supreme spirit essences inside?" Thinking to himself that his luck was truly remarkable, he prepared to follow the example of the Spirit Silver Wolf King and crash his body directly into the stone to pass through it. Since Tong He mentioned it was likely a vein, there must be a cavern beneath the spirit stone, and the Spirit Silver Wolf King must have escaped into it.

However, just as he moved, Tong He hurriedly shouted, "Wait!"

Qi Fei stopped, puzzled, and asked, "What is it? Is there something you need to remind me of?" Knowing the Spirit Silver Wolf King had burrowed inside, he naturally wanted to go in and capture it immediately. After all, the little creature, unlike this stationary vein, might vanish without a trace if he lagged behind even for a moment.

Tong He did not waste words, simply instructing, "First, extract this spirit stone and place it into the Spirit-Connecting Jade."

"It’s dead; it won’t run away. There’s no rush, right? Leaving it here could act as... oh, it’s useless anyway." Qi Fei had intended to say it could serve as a barrier to block the Spirit Silver Wolf King, but before he could finish, he realized that with such a material, it wouldn't stop the wolf—it might not even stop an ant. He stopped mid-sentence and, following Tong He’s instructions, dug out the stone, which appeared to be a full ten feet in circumference.

A stone that size would normally weigh hundreds or even thousands of pounds. However, when Qi Fei lifted it, he discovered that while it was called a "stone," it was not only light but strangely airy. He weighed it in his hand and estimated it was only three or four pounds. Surprised, he asked Tong He, "What exactly is this spirit stone? You looked at it with such glowing eyes, as if it were a treasure. Is it that hard to find?"

"Sigh, your ignorance is showing," Tong He explained. "It’s not exactly a rare treasure, but its uses are incredibly versatile. For example, forging a top-tier flying sword usually requires mixing in some of this. The same goes for high-quality armor and most magical treasures or eccentric artifacts. It is an indispensable auxiliary material for anything forged with spiritual properties."

"Ah! I thought it was something extraordinary, but it turns out to be common stuff found everywhere!" Qi Fei scoffed dismissively. "The more useful a thing is, the more specialized and valuable it should be. Something that can be mixed into anything is just ordinary. If it’s common, there’s no point in hoarding it!"

"What do you know!" Tong He retorted angrily. "Did I say it was common? I said it’s an essential auxiliary material, but I never said it was ordinary. The conditions for its formation are extremely harsh. Where I come from, its value is several times higher than that of extraterrestrial meteorite iron! You know nothing, yet you dare to look down on it—have you no shame?"

Seeing Qi Fei lower his head in embarrassment, Tong He softened his tone. "Of course, you aren't entirely wrong. It lacks specificity, and adding it only boosts an item's performance by ten percent. But because it is so rare, it absolutely qualifies as a treasure. Even in my hundred years of life, I’ve only ever obtained a piece the size of a palm."

"Oh, I see. So it’s like a platinum ingot—it can be used for everything, but it doesn't drastically increase the power of any single item," Qi Fei said, processing the information. "If that’s the case, it’s optional. You can forge items without it, and adding it only provides marginal benefits. It’s like a chicken rib—tasteless to eat but a waste to throw away!"

"Kid, you’re looking a gift horse in the mouth! Have you ever seen such a high-level ability?" Tong He glared at him. "A ten-percent increase is neither large nor small, but in critical situations, that extra bit could be the difference between life and death. You’ve forgotten what it’s like to be poor. Others would treat this as a supreme treasure, yet you call it a chicken rib. I don’t even know what to say to you."

The old man flicked his sleeve and retreated into the Spirit-Connecting Jade, ignoring Qi Fei. When Qi Fei projected his consciousness into the jade, he saw Tong He circling the stone, eyes gleaming with excitement as if it were indeed a priceless treasure. Qi Fei muttered disdainfully, "Could this thing possibly be more precious than ten-thousand-year cold iron?"

It was like cooking: compared to a bun, meat is always meat, whereas a bun can be paired with many different delicacies. Which is more important to the diner is a difficult question. Their applications and specializations differ, and they belong to different categories.

Qi Fei steadied his mind, cast aside his wandering thoughts, and turned his attention back to the hole left by the spirit stone. Unlike an ordinary cave, this was not a flat passage but a deep, vertical shaft.

Peering down, Qi Fei saw only a bottomless, pitch-black pit. Even with his spiritual sense extended to its fifteen-zhang limit, he could not reach the bottom. It was unnervingly deep.

Reluctantly, Qi Fei dropped a stone into the hole. It took ten full breaths before a faint sound of impact echoed up, leaving Qi Fei deeply shaken. He estimated the depth to be at least a hundred zhang. He grimaced; it was fortunate he hadn't tried to jump through the spirit stone earlier, or he would have fallen into the abyss.

"Phew, that was close," he murmured, rubbing his cold neck. "Old Man Tong, come out. I can’t go down a pit this deep on my own."

Tong He, despite his research, had been monitoring the situation. He drifted out and, upon seeing the bottomless pit, casually told Qi Fei to hold steady. He transformed into a stream of black ink, coiled around Qi Fei, and dragged him directly down into the darkness without any defensive measures.

Qi Fei had wanted to cry out in alarm, but once they were inside, he realized they weren't in freefall; Tong He was controlling their descent. His anxiety subsided.

As they descended, Qi Fei took the opportunity to observe his surroundings. To his surprise, the cave walls were exceptionally smooth, as if frequently traveled, and emitted a faint, dull, dark-blue light. After a few breaths, as Tong He paused to adjust their posture, Qi Fei reached out to touch the wall. He was shocked to feel that the entire tunnel seemed to be made of spiritual iron!

"Old Man Tong, is this a vein or something else?" Qi Fei whispered in shock. "I feel like we’re inside a giant iron cavern, and this passage is just a small hole in it. Feel these walls—they’re all spiritual iron! Where is the iron ore?"

"Don't guess wildly!" Tong He replied while continuing the descent. After falling another few zhang, he suddenly wrinkled his nose. "This is bad, kid. You may have stumbled into a beast's lair. The air down here is foul!"

Qi Fei smelled it too—a pungent, musky odor so strong it made him want to retch.

"Thud!" Tong He landed him at the bottom of the pit. Feeling solid ground, Qi Fei breathed a sigh of relief and immediately drew his Slaughter-Heart Sword. In this unknown, dangerous place—likely an animal lair—he dared not be careless, even with Tong He’s protection.

He had considered whether this was the true lair of the Spirit Silver Wolf, but the foul, musky scent didn't match the clean-freak nature of that little beast. There was definitely another creature here. The fact that the wolf fled here at the critical moment suggested that the beast in this cave was likely its ally, or perhaps even its protector.

Still, having come this far, Qi Fei had no intention of giving up. Besides, Tong He had mentioned the possibility of ten-thousand-year cold iron being here. He had to press on. Gripping his sword, he looked around. Why "look"? Because while the shaft was pitch-black, the bottom was surprisingly illuminated.

Though the light was dim, it was enough for Qi Fei to observe his surroundings.

The shaft, which had been only a zhang in diameter, widened significantly at the bottom. It looked like a stone chamber at least ten zhang wide, with stone doors on all four sides.

Yes, there were four identical, uniform stone doors.

The faint light that allowed him to see came from behind the stone door directly opposite him. Faced with four identical choices, Qi Fei naturally gravitated toward the light. Seeking light in the darkness was not only an animal instinct but also a natural human inclination.

However, just as Qi Fei moved, Tong He transformed into his human form and blocked him. "Kid, this place is full of诡异 (bizarre) anomalies. Stay here while I go investigate."

Without waiting for a response, he curled into a ball of thick, ink-like smoke and drifted toward the door with the light.

"Boom!"

A thunderous sound echoed through the cave.

Just as the ink reached the door, Qi Fei was shocked to see blinding, white-hot arcs of lightning erupt before the door, weaving into a net that trapped the ink-like mass of Tong He.

Tong He’s startled cry rang out, laced with a hint of agony: "Ah! Primordial Spirit Imprisonment!"

"Hey, get out of there!" Seeing the lightning net—which remained glowing and crackling with blue and white arcs—Qi Fei shouted in panic. He moved to rush forward with his sword to hack the net apart.

But Tong He, trapped inside, shouted in alarm, "You brat, don't move! If your sword strike triggers the thunder net, I’ll be wiped out of existence! I don't know if I’m unlucky or you’re lucky, but to find a restriction from my home continent here on the Divine Continent... there must be some inevitable connection between the two."

"Our two worlds are connected?" Qi Fei was stunned, but his thoughts quickly returned to the immediate danger. "Old Man Tong, what are you waiting for? Turn into a stream of ink and slip through the net!"

"You think I don't want to?" Tong He’s face manifested within the smoke, bitter and pained. "This Primordial Spirit Imprisonment is specifically designed to suppress spirits. Once I entered in this state, I cannot change my form. Do you think I’m stupid enough to stay trapped if I could just slip out?"

Qi Fei asked in a panic, "Then... what do we do now?"