Elder Wang Yun meanwhile, was busy on Earth vein.
Within the fertile land of the Wang Family territory, hidden beneath the roots of the mountain, lay a vein of spiritual energy. It was a pulsating artery of the Earth, a confluence of Qi that had been accumulating for ages. It was a fragment of the Earth's life force.
What is Earth Vein and how is it formed?
Earth Veins are literal veins of the world, the channels through which the energy of Heaven reaches the Earth's core.
Energy from Heaven gathers at a single point within the Golden Pie Circle, then pierces downward, carving a linear path into the land.
As the Earth absorbs this heavenly energy, it releases its own in return, like a living body drawing breath.
In short, the Earth vein is also a rare deposit of concentrated spiritual energy that can be found in the ground. But the "Earth vein" cultivators talked about is mostly the ruptured vein causing the massive spiritual energy to leak into the environment, and the energy of heaven can no longer enter the earth's core thus it just gathers at a certain point, creating a natural Qi-gathering array that can best cultivation speed by ten to five hundred times based on the golden pi ratio.
Earth veins aren't permanent either, a normal low-quality earth vein might last a few centuries before it's completely exhausted, while a high-quality earth vein can last even hundreds of thousands of years.
This is a mid-grade earth vein, it may last for fifty thousand years to sixty thousand years.
Elder Wang Yun with a few others were trying to create cultivation caves for the family members. They had already dug out the main chamber, a cavernous space that glowed with the pulsating green light of the exposed Earth Vein. The air here was so dense with spiritual energy that it felt viscous, heavy in the lungs like breathing syrup.
"Elder," a servant called out, his voice echoing slightly against the stone walls. "We have hit a layer of Black Spiritual Obsidian. The excavation tools are struggling to penetrate it."
Wang Yun frowned, wiping sweat and dust from his brow. Black spiritual Obsidian was a spirit-conductive material, excellent for formations, but notoriously difficult to mine without shattering the surrounding rock and destabilizing the Qi flow.
Wang Yun stepped forward, his eyes narrowing as he inspected the glossy, black surface blocking their path. It wasn't merely stone; it was a barrier, a natural seal placed by the earth to protect the precious flow of energy within.
Wang Yun placed a hand on the obsidian barrier. It was cold, unnaturally so, draining the heat from his palm. But beneath that cold, he could feel a rhythmic thrumming—the heartbeat of the Earth Vein.
"We cannot shatter it," Wang Yun said, his voice low and thoughtful, his eyes wandering somewhere with shrunken pupils.
"To use force here would be like cutting our own throat to cure a headache. The obsidian is acting as a natural dam. If we break it, the Qi will flood out violently, creating a turbulent vortex that would tear apart the meridians of any cultivator trying to meditate here. It seems only ten cultivation caves can be created here not fifteen..."
It seems that the Li patriarch made a miscalculation. However, ten cultivation caves in also a decent number since the cultivation speed here would be fifty times higher compared to the Wang family hall.
Wang Yun turned to the workers, his expression stern. "Abandon the expansion plan. Do not touch the obsidian barrier. We will carve ten caves into the circumference of the main chamber, utilizing the natural flow rather than forcing a new one."
By night, everything will be completely settled.
***
Madam Zhu knelt in the center of her private cultivation chamber, her posture rigid, her hands resting on her knees in the standard meditation posture. The room was simple, carved from polished black stone, illuminated only by the faint, pulsating green light of the Spirit Gathering Formation etched into the floor.
She started the breathing technique Tianmo had bestowed upon the family.
Hummm.
The spiritual energy in the room stirred, responding to her call. It rushed toward her, but not in a gentle stream rather in a turbulent vortex. It swirled around her body, seeking entrance through her pores, her nose, her mouth.
But then, it stopped.
The energy hovered at the surface of her skin, repelled by an invisible barrier. It was like trying to pour water into a cup that was already filled with oil. The Yin poison had been purged, yes, but the damage it had wrought over the years remained. Her meridians were scarred, her Dantian was shallow, and her spiritual roots, though formed, were unstable.
She pushed harder, gritting her teeth, forcing the energy inward.
Snap!
A sharp pain shot through her chest, like a red-hot needle piercing her lung. She gasped, her eyes flying open, breaking the meditation. The vortex collapsed, the scattered spiritual energy dissipating harmlessly back into the room.
She coughed, a wet, ragged sound, clutching her chest. Tears of frustration welled in her eyes.
"Why?!" she hissed, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and despair. "I have the resources. I have the technique. I have the spirit roots! Why can't I cultivate?!"
She looked at her hands, the hands that had touched the divine, that had been marked by the Young Master. They were trembling. She felt like a fraud. She had been given a key to the heavens, but the door was locked, and she lacked the strength to turn it.
She remembered the feeling of Tianmo's essence inside her, the burning heat that had reshaped her womb. It had felt like power, like the very essence of life. But now, without him, she felt cold. Empty. The memory of that heat was the only thing keeping the void at bay.
She needed more. She needed him to fill her again, not just with his seed, but with his Qi, or else what was even the point of trying to seduce him.
"No this can't be... I need to make progress, I need to cultivate. Let me try once more, if I fail again, I will see Tianmo's help..."
Madam Zhu steeled herself, wiping the sweat from her brow with a trembling hand. She could not go to Tianmo again so soon. To appear before him without results, having failed to even circulate the Qi once, would be to admit incompetence. She had seen his ruthlessness, something that greatly attracted her. If she were to be useless, he wouldn't even bat an eye before neglecting her.
She once again sat straight in the center of her chamber, the cold black stone seeping into her knees, but she paid it no mind. Her eyes were closed, her breathing rhythmic, forced into a pattern that mimicked the cultivation manual Tianmo had provided.
Hummm!
The spiritual energy in the room swirled, invisible to the naked eye but palpable to her senses. It was thick, viscous, like trying to stir honey with a spoon. She visualized the energy as a stream of clear water, flowing into her body through the pores of her skin, traveling down her meridians, and settling into her Dantian.
Snap.
A sharp, stinging pain shot through her chest, causing her to gasp. The visualization shattered. The stream of water turned into a torrent of jagged ice shards, tearing at the insides of her energy channels.
"Ugh... Pfft!" She clutched her chest, her fingernails digging into her skin, leaving crescent-moon welts. She also coughed up blood.
The metallic taste of blood filled Madam Zhu's mouth. She stared at the crimson droplets staining the pristine floor of her chamber, her breath hitching in ragged gasps.
"No... I cannot be useless," she uttered, her voice trembling with a desperate intensity. She wiped the blood from her lips with the back of her hand, her eyes hardening. "If I cannot walk the path of cultivation on my own, then I must use what I have. I must use him."
In life, only cows and women are loved unconditionally; men must earn their place through strength. It's the truth, those who failed to understand it are nothing but fools.
Madam Zhu took a deep, shuddering breath, forcing her trembling heart to steady. She stood up, her legs weak, and walked to the bronze mirror standing in the corner of her room. The reflection staring back was pale, her lips stained with fresh blood, her eyes wide and frantic. It was the face of a victim, not a seductress.
With shaking hands, she reached for the jar of 'Rouge of the Crimson Moon' on her vanity. She applied it thickly, painting over the pallor of her skin, highlighting her cheekbones to give her face a sharper, more alluring structure. She used a dark kohl to line her eyes, making them look larger, more desperate, and infinitely more seductive.
She loosened her robes, letting the silk hang off her shoulders, exposing the swell of her breasts, which were still faintly marked with the bruises from their previous encounter.
The bruises were not ugly; they were badges of ownership. They were proof that she had been touched by the dragon.
She pinched her cheeks hard, bringing a flush to her skin, and bit her lips until they were swollen and red. She needed to look like a woman burning with feverish need, a woman whose body was crying out for the only cure in the world.
"Forgive this concubine, Young Master," she whispered to her reflection, her voice hardening into resolve. "For I am about to sell you a lie wrapped in the truth... But my heart remained pure. I just hope I can get pregnant as soon as possible with your child..."
However, would he even care about the child or the connection!? Wang Xuhan for instance cares for the mother of his children.
She stepped out of her chambers, the warm air biting at her exposed skin. She walked slowly, the pain between her legs was still there causing her to limp slightly.
She arrived at the courtyard where Tianmo was sitting on a stone bench, reading a jade slip. The sunlight cast a pale glow over his features, highlighting the sharp angles of his face and the cold indifference in his eyes. He didn't look up as she approached, but she knew he was aware of her every movement.
"Young Master..." she called out softly, her voice trembling with a carefully rehearsed vulnerability.
Tianmo didn't raise his head from the jade slip. "Speak."
Madam Zhu took a deep breath, forcing the tears to well up in her eyes. "This concubine... this concubine has failed you."
Tianmo's eyes flicked upward, the jade slip in his hand lowering slowly. His gaze was not angry; it was disappointingly calm, like a glass of water left undisturbed for too long. It was a look that stripped away her rouge, her kohl, and her carefully rehearsed vulnerability, seeing straight to the trembling core of her fear.
"Failed?" he repeated, his voice soft, yet it carried the weight of a judgment day gavel.
Madam Zhu fell to her knees, the impact jarring her bruised body, sending a sharp jolt of pain up her spine. She didn't dare look up; she pressed her forehead against the cold stone of the courtyard path.
"This concubine is useless!" she sobbed, her voice cracking with genuine despair. "My meridians... they are scarred from years of Yin poisoning. When I try to guide the Qi, it feels like pouring water into a sieve. The energy tears at me, Young Master. I cannot hold it. I am... I am a broken vessel."
She waited for the blow. She waited for him to summon the Shadow Serpent Whip again, or perhaps to simply extinguish her life with a flick of his finger as he had done to Chen Mo.
Instead, she heard the rustle of fabric.
"Stand up," Tianmo commanded.
Madam Zhu hesitated, then slowly rose to her feet, her head bowed. Tianmo stepped closer. He reached out, his hand gripping her chin, forcing her to look at him. His touch was cool, clinical.
"You possess Earth-grade Serpent twin spirit roots with Yin and poison affinity... You can be a good furnace for me," Tianmo said, his voice devoid of warmth, yet it carried a terrifying weight. "But a furnace with blocked meridians is like a cup filled with cracks. It leaks before it can be poured."
Madam Zhu trembled, his grip on her chin tightening slightly, not enough to bruise, but enough to remind her of the power he held over her. She looked into his eyes, seeing not a lover, nor a savior, but a craftsman evaluating a flawed tool.
"Please... Young Master," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Fix this vessel. Make it... usable."
Tianmo released her chin and took a step back. "Strip."
Madam Zhu didn't hesitate. The silk robe slid off her shoulders, pooling at her feet, leaving her naked under the sunlight. It was broad day within the family courtyard, and though the walls were high, the exposure sent a thrill of shame and heat through her veins. She stood before him, her body trembling slightly, the bruises from their previous coupling mottling her skin like dark flowers.
"Sit here," Tianmo commanded, pointing to the stone bench he had just vacated.
Madam Zhu obeyed, her posture rigid, her hands resting on her knees. She felt vulnerable, exposed, like a slab of meat laid out on a butcher's block.
Taianmo got behind her, his palm pressed against her back. "Relax... I will pour my Qi into your body."
Tianmo's palm was not warm; it was cold, like a block of ancient ice pressed against her feverish skin. The contrast made Madam Zhu shiver.
"Relax," he commanded again, his voice vibrating directly into her spine. "If you resist, the Qi will shatter your meridians. You will become a cripple, if not a corpse."
Madam Zhu squeezed her eyes shut, forcing her muscles to unclench, surrendering her body to his will. She felt a sudden, sharp pressure at the center of her back, between her shoulder blades.
"Hnnn...♡"
A low moan escaped her lips as a stream of pure, condensed Qi surged from his palm into her body. It wasn't the gentle flow of spiritual energy she was used to feeling in the atmosphere; this was a drill, a relentless spike of energy piercing through her flesh.
The energy hit the first blockage—a scar in her meridian caused by years of Yin accumulation. The collision was violent. It felt like molten lead being poured into a narrow glass tube.
"Ahhh!♡ It... it hurts!♡"
"Silence," Tianmo said, his voice unbothered by her pain. "Pain is merely the sensation of weakness leaving the body."
He increased the output. The Qi drilled through the blockage, shattering the scar tissue. The sensation was blinding, a mix of agony and a strange, electrifying relief. Madam Zhu's back arched, her fingers digging into the stone bench, her knuckles turning white.
Crack.
A sound echoed inside her body, like a dry twig snapping. The first blockage was gone.
The Qi surged forward, rushing toward the next obstacle. Tianmo was methodical, ruthless. He treated her meridians not as delicate channels of life, but as clogged pipes that needed to be cleared with high-pressure water. He guided the energy through her Governing Vessel, the main meridian that ran up her spine, clearing the path with brutal efficiency.
"Haaaaah... Haaaaah...♡"
Madam Zhu panted, her body drenched in sweat. The pain was morphing into a strange heat. As the blockages shattered, the Qi began to circulate, carrying with it the vital essence she had been starving for. She could feel her Dantian, previously a dry, shallow pit, beginning to moisten and expand.
Tianmo's other hand moved to her lower abdomen, pressing down just below her navel.
"Hold it here," he ordered.
He pushed a massive amount of Yang energy directly into her womb. It was the same energy he had used during their encounter, but this time, it was focused solely on cultivation, not pleasure. However, the effect on her body was involuntary.
The Yin nature of her Twin Serpent Spirit Root reacted instinctively to the influx of Yang. It didn't just absorb the energy; it craved it. The walls of her womb clenched rhythmically, trying to milk the energy source, confusing the cultivation session with the act of mating.
"Uuuu...♡"
Madam Zhu's body betrayed her, arching into his touch like a flower seeking the sun. Her toes curled, her thighs trembling as the Yang energy flooded her system, mixing with the Yin nature of her spirit roots. It was a chemical reaction of the highest order, a volatile blend that threatened to burn her sanity to ash.
Tianmo watched her reaction with a cold, analytical gaze. He saw the flush spreading across her skin, the way her pupils dilated, the rapid rise and fall of her chest. She was mistaking the refinement process for pleasure, a common side effect for those with Yin-affinity bodies when subjected to pure Yang essence.
"Focus," he commanded, his voice sharp, cutting through the haze of lust. "Guide the energy to your Dantian. Do not let it dissipate into your flesh."
"I... I am trying, Young Master!♡" Madam Zhu gasped, her voice cracking. She squeezed her eyes shut, fighting against the waves of ecstasy that threatened to drown her consciousness. She visualized the energy as a golden river, diverting it away from her nerves and directing it toward the pit of her stomach.
The Qi rushed downward, crashing into her Dantian like a tidal wave. The impact was jarring. Her Dantian, previously weak and shallow, struggled to contain the influx. It felt like trying to pour a lake into a teacup.
"It's... too much!♡ I'm going to break!" she screamed, her hands clawing at the stone bench.
"Then expand," Tianmo said simply.
He pushed harder.
Crack!
A sound like tearing fabric echoed within her body. Madam Zhu's eyes bulged, her mouth opening in a silent scream. The walls of her Dantian were forced apart, stretched to their absolute limit by the sheer volume of Qi. It was a sensation of being hollowed out, of having her very core reshaped by an external will.
But the pain was fleeting. As the walls expanded, the Qi settled, filling the newly created space with a warm, heavy glow. The feeling of fullness was intoxicating, a sense of power she had never known before.
The Qi began to rotate on its own, forming a vortex—the sign of a successful Qi Refining cultivator.
"Haaaaah... Haaaaah..." Madam Zhu collapsed forward, her head resting on Tianmo's shoulder, her body limp and trembling. She was gasping for air, her skin glistening with a layer of sweat and spiritual residue.
Tianmo withdrew his hands, the connection was severed. The cold air rushed in, making her shiver.
"First Stage of Qi Refining," Tianmo stated, looking down at her with a detached satisfaction. "Your foundation is unstable, but it exists. You are no longer a mortal."
Madam Zhu looked up at him, her eyes swimming with tears of gratitude and lingering arousal. She reached out, her hand trembling as it touched his chest.
"Thank you... Thank you, Young Master," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "This concubine is yours... body, soul, and cultivation."