"Is something strange?"
Chu Qingyun asked casually, glancing over at the mine entrance.
While he was picking the Primordial Spirit Fruits, he had vaguely sensed something.
Deep within the Elemental Ore Rat Swarm, there was an exceedingly strange feeling, one that even caused his mysterious Devouring Martial Soul to tremble slightly.
However, Chu Qingyun was only a Level 1 Martial Artist. His Primordial Power was too weak to maintain his Martial Soul for very long.
So he didn't entertain the thought of exploring any deeper.
"Of course it's strange! I've seen plenty of binding and control-type Martial Souls."
"But I doubt even high-level Martial Artists could control theirs as perfectly as you just did."
"You must have a secret. Tell me! I still can't use the power of my Earth Element Sword Martial Soul very well!"
Ye Qi grabbed Chu Qingyun's arm, her face flush with excitement as she chattered on.
"There's no secret. I just practiced for an afternoon and got the hang of it."
Chu Qingyun answered perfunctorily.
He hadn't even told his own parents the secret of his Devouring Martial Soul, let alone anyone else.
"Right. We got five Primordial Spirit Fruits in total. I'll take three and you take two. Sound good?"
Changing the subject, Chu Qingyun took out all the Primordial Spirit Fruits and handed two to Ye Qi.
Naturally, Ye Qi had no objection.
Chu Qingyun was the one who had risked life and limb; she had merely assisted him with a single Soul Technique.
After they divided the Primordial Spirit Fruits, Chu Qingyun found a relatively hidden spot and began to cultivate.
Both Ye Qi at his side and Zhao Guangshui, the Young Fortress Lord of Zhao Family Castle, put immense pressure on him.
The strength of a Level 1 Martial Artist was simply too weak.
'This kid, he doesn't even take a break before he starts cultivating. He's really driven…'
Ye Qi grumbled to herself, but she quietly stood guard beside Chu Qingyun, keeping watch for him.
The Primordial Spirit Fruit was a milky-white Spirit Fruit about the size of a fist. It gave off a fresh fragrance that was crisp and invigorating.
CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH. In a few bites, Chu Qingyun devoured a Primordial Spirit Fruit.
The Spirit Fruit melted the moment it entered his mouth, transforming into gentle, pure streams of Primordial Power that flowed into his body.
Chu Qingyun didn't dare to be careless. He focused his full attention on using this surge of Primordial Power to break through his second meridian.
With the help of the Primordial Spirit Fruit's power, the second meridian was forced open, inch by inch.
Finally, after nearly two hours, his second meridian was completely opened.
Primordial Power surged through his two meridians, and Chu Qingyun could clearly feel his strength had increased significantly.
'A Level 2 Martial Artist… It's still not enough.'
Chu Qingyun took out the remaining two Primordial Spirit Fruits and ate them both.
An even more powerful surge of Primordial Power flooded his two open meridians.
It stretched the two meridians to the point of a faint, throbbing ache.
Chu Qingyun controlled this powerful surge of Primordial Power and directed it to assault his third meridian.
However, the third meridian proved more difficult than Chu Qingyun had anticipated.
After he had exhausted all the Primordial Power from the two fruits, the final section of his third meridian remained stubbornly blocked.
'Damn it! Is it all going to be for nothing?'
'I've wasted two Primordial Spirit Fruits!'
Chu Qingyun thought, his heart aching at the loss.
When breaking through meridians, if you couldn't open it all in one go, the parts that were already cleared would close up again without a flow of Primordial Power.
Not only would this waste precious cultivation resources, but it would also make the meridian even more difficult to break through in the future.
Just then, Ye Qi suddenly offered him a Primordial Spirit Fruit. "Chu Qingyun, quick, use this!"
At this critical moment, Chu Qingyun didn't hesitate. He took the Primordial Spirit Fruit and devoured it in a couple of bites.
With this new reinforcement, Chu Qingyun pushed through in one final effort, instantly breaking through his third meridian.
"Hah…"
Opening his eyes, Chu Qingyun let out a long breath and shot Ye Qi a grateful look.
If she hadn't stepped in at the critical moment, he would have failed his breakthrough.
"Ye Qi, thank you. I'll be sure to pay you back for the Primordial Spirit Fruit in the future," Chu Qingyun said.
But Ye Qi just waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. It's just one Primordial Spirit Fruit."
She had only come to the Yuan Stone Ore Vein for fun, unlike the others who had come to fight for cultivation resources.
With his cultivation complete, Chu Qingyun decided to head back.
Back at the Primordial Spirit Fruit Tree, the Elemental Ore Rat swarm was in an uproar. It probably wouldn't quiet down for another ten to fifteen days.
It would be far too dangerous to go back now.
Besides, that strange feeling he'd gotten from deep within the swarm had put him on high alert.
As for mining Primordial Stones, even if he dug for a whole month, he probably couldn't collect enough to advance to a Level 4 Martial Artist.
So, Chu Qingyun decided to head back.
Although his trip to the abandoned Yuan Stone Ore Vein had lasted less than a day, his rewards had been immense.
Ye Qi had been here for a few days and was getting bored, so she decided to leave with Chu Qingyun.
In the outer region, near the exit, they came across two groups locked in a confrontation.
Chu Qingyun recognized one of the groups—they were from Chu Family Village.
In fact, one of them was Chu Xingwei, who had his Martial Soul tested at the same time as Chu Qingyun.
"Zhao Lan, we gave you the Primordial Stones! What more do you want!?"
The leader of the Chu Family Village group roared in anger.
Chu Qingyun recognized him as well—it was Chu Lie, a Level 3 Martial Artist.
"What more do I want? Tsk, tsk. Let me think…"
"How about this, Chu Lie? The three of you line up and crawl between my legs. Do that, and I'll let you go today."
The leader from Zhao Family Castle said with a sinister smirk.
The other two with him burst into raucous laughter.
"In your dreams, Zhao Lan!"
"Don't even think about it!"
"The men of Chu Family Village would rather die on their feet than live on their knees!"
Chu Lie and his two companions were all seething with rage.
"Die on your feet? Heh heh. The other day, that Chu Meng from your village said the same thing. And then… he died."
As Zhao Lan spoke, a hint of murderous Evil Qi flashed in his eyes.
"Meng… you're the one who killed him!?"
Chu Lie and his two companions were both shocked and enraged.
Young men are hot-blooded, and the Chu Family Village chief, fearing they would cause trouble, had not publicly revealed who killed Chu Meng.
"That's right. I'm the one who killed that piece of trash. What are you going to do about it?"
"You didn't know, did you? That piece of trash Chu Meng didn't know what was good for him, just like you. So, I kicked in all his ribs, then I stomped on his knees and elbows until they broke…"
"You bastard! I'll kill you!"
Halfway through Zhao Lan's sentence, Chu Lie let out a furious roar. A faint white light glowed around his fist as he lunged forward, throwing a punch straight at him.
In a small village, the people are simple and honest; there isn't much scheming and backstabbing.
People of the same generation in the village, especially Martial Artists who had faced life and death together, shared deep bonds.
For Zhao Lan to describe how he killed Chu Meng right to Chu Lie's face was enough to drive him into a blind rage.
"Hmph. Courting death."
Facing the enraged Chu Lie, Zhao Lan just snorted, his eyes filled with contempt.
As a Level 4 Martial Artist, he was far stronger than Chu Lie.
BANG!
Zhao Lan easily dodged Chu Lie's punch, then ruthlessly kicked him in the chest. The blow sent him flying backward, and he crashed heavily onto the ground.