The Five Element Spirit Veins are born from the essence of the elemental forces in heaven and earth. They often lie hidden deep within great rivers or towering mountains. As spiritual phenomena, they instinctively conceal themselves undeveloped spirit veins are typically shrouded in a natural barrier that isolates them from the outside world.
To enter such a place, one must first find the correct entrance. This was precisely why, upon discovering a Wood Spirit Vein, Song Changsheng chose to report it to the clan instead of acting alone.
It wasn't that he didn't want to secure some benefits for himself, but rather that he was powerless to do so. A geomancer or a barrier master is required to locate the proper entrance.
And that was just one reason. A more important one was the presence of elemental spirit creatures within the Five Element Spirit Veins. These beings, while not true demons are condensed from pure elemental energy. They have no sentience or emotions but are highly dangerous.
The Wood Spirit Vein gives rise to wood-element spirit creatures. They are numerous, and before the vein can be properly developed, these beings must be cleared out.
According to ancient records, a second-tier Wood Spirit Vein will at minimum produce several second-tier wood-element creatures, each comparable to a Foundation Establishment cultivator. While they are the weakest of such, if they attack in numbers, even Song Changsheng would be overwhelmed.
"Everyone, we've located the entrance to the spirit vein. Please join forces to strike the barrier and open a breach!" Song Luyou shouted.
Hearing this, Song Changsheng and the other two immediately stepped forward. Channeling their spiritual power, they struck the barrier in unison. In an instant, dragons roared and phoenixes cried as their spiritual energy condensed into a flood dragon in midair.
Boom!
The flood dragon slammed into the barrier, causing ripples to spread across its surface. After five rounds of continuous attacks, the once-sturdy barrier finally shattered, leaving a gaping hole.
Song Changsheng quickly took out a formation base and several array flags, setting up a stable formation at the breach to ensure a secure retreat path.
"Changda, Changxue, the two of you stay outside and don't let anyone approach. The rest, follow us in," Xia Yunxue ordered, designating two younger enforcers to guard the entrance while leading the others inside the barrier.
The moment Song Changsheng stepped through the barrier, his view transformed completely. The dull earth and rocks vanished, replaced by a vibrant paradise full of birdsong and blooming flowers. As far as the eye could see, spirit herbs covered the hills.
"No wonder this is a second-tier Wood Spirit Vein the sheer number of spirit herbs is astounding. Not even the Wutong Secret Realm can compare," Song Luhuai marveled, his eyes glowing with excitement.
"Indeed, the vitality here is overwhelming. I can even feel my cultivation bottleneck loosening," said Xia Yunxue, who possessed a Wood Spiritual Root, giving her an especially strong sensitivity to the vein.
"Mother, Uncle Twelve look over there," Song Changsheng suddenly pointed to a distant hillside.
Xia Yunxue looked in the direction he indicated and saw three semi-transparent, humanoid figures floating in the air, emanating faint spiritual fluctuations akin to Qi Refining cultivators.
"Those must be the wood-element spirit creatures. Neither human, nor ghost, nor beast, nor spirit is truly strange," Song Luhuai remarked as he stroked his beard.
"Save your wonder, Uncle. Let's clean them out first before anything unexpected happens," Song Changsheng said, pulling out the [Water-Cutting Spear] he had seized from Zhang Chenlong, clearly eager for battle.
"Changsheng's right. Enforcers, split into pairs and eliminate the first-tier spirit creatures. Prioritize safety but work as quickly as possible," Xia Yunxue commanded.
"Yes, ma'am!"
The eighteen enforcers immediately formed nine groups and scattered in different directions.
Meanwhile, the three of them Song Changsheng, Xia Yunxue, and Song Luhuai split up to hunt for second-tier spirit creatures. Though the spirit vein was not large, spanning only a few kilometers, it contained no small number of these beings.
Song Changsheng flew low, skimming over the ground on his lotus platform. Along the way, he casually dispatched any spirit creatures he encountered. These entities lacked intelligence and had only basic attacks. At the same cultivation level, any Song clan disciple could easily take on two or three of them.
Upon being slain, these spirit creatures would dissolve into pure wood-element essence. Whether used for cultivation or alchemy, the essence was quite valuable just frustratingly sparse. The remains of a first-tier creature yielded no more than a fingernail-sized drop of essence.
Whoosh
Suddenly, a blast of spiritual energy shot toward Song Changsheng. With a twist of his palm, a spiritual shield appeared in front of him, blocking the attack.
He gripped his spear and swept it horizontally. The weapon struck something solid a wood-element creature that flew backward and slammed heavily into a nearby slope.
"A second-tier spirit creature? So weak it's not even as strong as Qu Jinsheng," Song Changsheng muttered with a raised brow.
Roar
The creature let out a muffled growl and lunged at him again. Its vitality was astonishing; the wounds it had sustained moments ago had already completely healed.
Song Changsheng charged forward with his spear. In just a dozen or so exchanges, he successfully slew the second-tier elemental spirit. Upon its death, the creature condensed into a fist-sized lump of Wood Spirit Essence, which Song Changsheng carefully stored in his spatial pouch before continuing his search for more spirit beasts.
Roughly two hours later, all the spirit creatures within the Wood Spirit Vein had been cleared out. Song Changsheng had slain three second-tier creatures, while Song Luhuai and Xia Yunxue each killed two.
In addition, they had eliminated over a hundred first-tier creatures. The price paid for this victory was two clan members lost and five wounded a cost that was still considered acceptable.
It was said that when the Li clan developed a large first-tier Wood Spirit Vein in the past, their lack of preparation resulted in severe casualties. Compared to that, the Song clan's losses this time were minimal.
What came next was the harvesting of spiritual herbs. During his earlier search for spirit beasts, Song Changsheng had already noted the locations of several rare second-tier herbs each of them highly prized and seldom seen on the market.
No one knew how many years this Wood Spirit Vein had been gestating. Not only was the quantity of spiritual herbs remarkable, but their age and potency were also exceptional.
After collecting the herbs, they would also replant the seeds, allowing the herbs to grow again after a few years. Once a sustainable cycle was established, the Song clan could begin expanding into the spiritual herb trade.
Song Changsheng had high standards he only collected second-tier herbs. Before long, a short fruit tree caught his attention. As he approached, a look of regret appeared in his eyes.
Before him stood a rare Red Jade Vermilion Fruit Tree bearing three plump, crimson fruits. A sweet fragrance wafted from them, making them incredibly enticing.
What frustrated Song Changsheng was that this tree should have borne nine fruits in one cycle but only three remained. The other six had already ripened long ago and fallen to the ground, where they were absorbed by the soil.
This was a significant loss. The Red Jade Vermilion Fruit was an extremely rare spiritual plant, and its fruit could be used to refine the Ascending Dragon Pill, which helps Foundation Establishment cultivators break through their bottlenecks an extraordinarily valuable resource.
Song Changsheng quickly took out three purple jade boxes, carefully picking the three fruits and sealing them away. If used wisely, these three fruits could bring a substantial boost to the clan's overall strength.
He also left a marker at the site, planning to transplant the tree back to the clan later. Although the Wood Spirit Vein was more suitable for its growth, this area was still beyond the clan's stronghold if anything were to go wrong, the loss would be unbearable.
Just as he finished handling the matter and hadn't gone far, he received good news from his mother, Xia Yunxue. She had discovered a Foundation Establishment Fruit Tree!
Delighted, Song Changsheng rushed over and found a half-human-height tree bathed in a soft glow. Its leaves resembled human palms, each one displaying unique vein patterns.
Nestled in its crown were two smooth, golden-yellow fruits the legendary Foundation Fruits that countless cultivators dreamed of!
"Heaven blesses the Song clan! Our foundation just got another solid boost!" Song Luhuai exclaimed as he arrived, his beard trembling with excitement.
Song Changsheng was filled with joy as well. As the name implied, Foundation Fruits were one of the three main ingredients for refining Foundation Establishment Pills.
These three main ingredients were incredibly rare and had extremely long growth cycles. They were virtually unseen on the market and tightly controlled. Every time one surfaced, it caused a small-scale uproar.
After all, the allure of a Foundation Establishment Pill was simply too powerful.
Even a clan like the Song clan, with a history spanning hundreds of years, still couldn't produce these pills on their own. They had to rely on the goodwill of other powers, which was a constant source of frustration.
For centuries, the Song clan had been gathering the necessary herbs for refining the Foundation Pill. They had already collected and successfully cultivated dozens of auxiliary ingredients. They had even obtained the pill recipe.
But they had been stuck on these three main ingredients. So far, the Song clan has only acquired one Star-Tempering Flower. Now, they finally had a Foundation Fruit Tree as well. Only one remained: the Dragonblood Ginseng.
Once all three were in hand, the Song clan would have the ability to independently produce Foundation Establishment Pills!
This would mark a monumental leap for the clan. After all, even in the vast Qi Kingdom cultivation world, very few forces could accomplish this.
It wasn't just about cultivating Foundation Establishment cultivators in bulk it also represented tremendous profit!
Just imagine: a single batch of ingredients, handed to a skilled alchemist, could yield three pills. A single Foundation Establishment Pill typically sold for 30,000 spirit stones, sometimes even approaching 40,000 as was the case with the one Song Changsheng carried.
That's right pure profit.
When cultivating your herbs, the cost of one batch of pill ingredients wouldn't exceed 30,000 low-grade spirit stones. One pill was enough to break even, and the remaining two meant 60,000 spirit stones in pure earnings per batch.
And this was just the minimum real profits that could easily be doubled!
Even if none were sold and all were used internally, it would save the clan an enormous amount. If not for the ongoing need to purchase Foundation Pills, the Song clan's finances wouldn't be nearly so strained.
In short, any force capable of refining their own Foundation Pills is neither weak nor poor!
That's why they were all so ecstatic at the sight of this Foundation Fruit Tree it was the very cornerstone of a powerful clan, one that would benefit their descendants for generations to come.
"Just this alone is enough to satisfy me!" Song Luhuai exclaimed, barely able to contain his excitement. "Once we get the Dragonblood Ginseng, we'll no longer have to bow to anyone!"
"We will," Song Changsheng replied firmly. "The clan will surely grow stronger, step by step, rise to glory, and even surpass its former peak!"
"Yes, that day will come," Song Luhuai nodded deeply, then looked at Song Changsheng with a mixture of pride and expectation. "But that all depends on you youngsters now."
"Alright, let's get back to business before dreams turn into disappointment," Xia Yunxue gently chided, a playful look in her eyes.
"Exactly, exactly! There are so many spiritual herbs in this Wood Spirit Vein. Who knows maybe we'll find the Dragonblood Ginseng?" Song Luhuai was full of fighting spirit. Discovering the Foundation Fruit Tree had made him feel decades younger.
Song Changsheng let out a helpless chuckle. He knew perfectly well that Dragonblood Ginseng couldn't possibly grow in this place. Each of the three main ingredients of the Foundation Establishment Pill had very specific growing conditions.
Star-Tempering Flower required areas rich in starlight, Foundation Fruit needed abundant spiritual energy, but Dragonblood Ginseng was the most unique it could only grow nourished by dragon's blood. There was no way it could exist in a Wood Spirit Vein like this.
Still, he didn't say it aloud. No need to dampen the old man's enthusiasm. The group split into three once again to continue harvesting spiritual herbs. But it seemed their luck had run out after that, they didn't find anything particularly rare or valuable for quite a while.
Instead, they harvested large quantities of first-tier herbs such as Spirit-Gathering Grass, Marrow-Cleansing Flower, and Yellow Sprout Herb each still considered precious among first-tier materials.
Just as they were nearing the end of their collection efforts, Song Changsheng noticed something odd in a nondescript patch of soil. It felt as though something hidden inside was calling to him.
He furrowed his brow in curiosity could there be some treasure buried in the earth?
Probing the ground with his spear, he struck something hard. Reducing the force in his hands, he carefully dug further until he unearthed a strangely shaped stone, roughly the height of a grown man.
The moment it was unearthed, Song Changsheng felt it absorbing the surrounding Wood Spirit Qi.
"What in the world? This thing is radiating an even stronger life force than Wood Spirit Essence!" Song Changsheng was stunned to find such potent vitality emanating from a mere stone.
"The outer shell is just regular basalt. Whatever's special must be inside."
He began carefully peeling away the layer of basalt. After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, a faintly glowing crystal was revealed.
The crystal was entirely emerald green, about the size of an adult's fist, but the life force it exuded made Song Changsheng gasp in astonishment.
"Twelfth Uncle, you've seen much in your years. Have you ever heard of something like this?" Song Changsheng asked as Song Luhuai, who had already rushed over, examined it with him.
Stroking his beard with a frown, Song Luhuai fell into deep thought. After a long silence, he finally shook his head. Even he had never heard of such a thing.
Xia Yunxue, however, seemed to recall something. She said hesitantly, "Could this be the legendary Wood Essence Jade Marrow?"
"Wood Essence Jade Marrow?" Song Changsheng and Song Luhuai exchanged surprised glances they had never heard of it.
Xia Yunxue nodded, then said, "Before I married into the clan, I once heard your grandfather mention it. It's said to be a rare treasure found within Wood Spirit Veins. For wood-element cultivators, it can increase the success rate of Foundation Establishment."
"It's also considered a supreme healing treasure. If this truly is Wood Essence Jade Marrow, then… your grandfather's injuries might finally be healed!"
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