174: Chapter 174 Mining Preparation

After obtaining the Teleportation Array from Bai Qian,

Ye Jing headed back home, going directly to Lingyun Valley.

At this time, his two daughters-in-law were busy—one refining Spirit Pills and the other tempering weapons. Seeing Ye Jing arrive, they hurriedly stepped forward: "Father, you're back."

Ye Jing nodded, then waved his hand. A formation array flew out and landed on the ground. He then said to Wu Guiyun: "Gui Yun, I requested this Teleportation Array from the Market Master of Tiangong Market to place here. In a few days, I will teleport some Gold Spirit Mine over; you and Xianglan must carefully take inventory of it."

"Gold Spirit Mine?" Wu Guiyun was startled, finding it somewhat hard to believe.

Ye Jing looked at his daughters-in-law's furnace room and the stiff Corpse People nearby, then said: "Xianglan, go get Yier and come with me!"

Liu Xianglan nodded, then called for Ye Yi, who was teaching his grandson at home, and together they followed Ye Jing to the Ore vein.

On the way, Ye Yi was naturally overjoyed to hear that his father had actually secured a spiritual Ore vein.

However, when he landed and saw the surrounding wasteland, he couldn't help but feel strange: "Father, where is the spiritual Ore you mentioned? I can't feel even a hint of spiritual energy fluctuations!"

Ye Jing smiled slightly: "Just watch your father."

With that, he exerted his spiritual energy. Several small golden insects crawled out of the soil, followed by dense swarms. Gradually, the previously flat wilderness was gnawed into a large hole by these tiny insects.

A human-sized Golden Erosion Insect surged out of the hole, bringing all the smaller insects with it.

The small insects surrounded Ye Jing, being exceptionally obedient. The Insect Queen emitted a highly oppressive spiritual energy, which stunned both Ye Yi and Liu Xianglan.

This Insect Queen was actually a First-Order Mid-Stage Yao Beast.

"Father! Have you tamed another Yao Beast?" Ye Yi asked in surprise.

Ye Jing chuckled and said: "Think of it as me finding a helper. Follow me inside; the Gold Spirit Mine here is very abundant. I will set up a Teleportation Array inside and have you come to help with the mining."

"Father, isn't this a bit too much trouble? Why not have Eldest Brother bring people from the palace to help?"

Ye Yi asked curiously.

Currently, Ye Xuan was assisting the Emperor in the imperial palace, holding a high position and commanding many soldiers. If those people could be brought in to help mine, wouldn't it save a lot of effort?

Liu Xianglan also nodded in agreement from the side, her delicate brows furrowing slightly: "Father, Brother Yi has a point. Those soldiers could save us a lot of time."

She was meticulous, thinking that the Family already had to help refine Spirit Pills and Corpse People. If they were further distracted by mining the Ore vein, she feared they wouldn't be able to manage both.

Hearing this, Ye Jing slowly shook his head. His gaze swept over the docile Golden Erosion Insect beside him, then toward the golden glow emanating from the mouth of the Ore vein.

His tone was steady: "This Gold Spirit Mine was obtained by me through a stroke of luck. What you don't know is that this place is not far from the Lingxiao Sect. If this leaks out, our Ye Family will be in peril."

He paused, then added: "In the imperial palace, there are many eyes and ears. If we let palace people come to mine in large quantities, the news will spread sooner or later."

One must know that there were many abandoned mine shafts nearby that had been mined out. This was enough to show how much trouble an outsider knowing about a rich Ore deposit would bring.

Hearing this, the joy on Ye Yi's face faded, replaced by a touch of solemnity.

He said: "Father, it was my lack of foresight."

Although he was somewhat impulsive by nature, having followed his father for so long, he knew the law of the jungle in the cultivation world.

If their Family obtained such a rich Opportunity but didn't have enough strength to protect it, they would only end up being wiped out in the end.

Liu Xianglan also instantly understood Ye Jing's intention. She couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration in her heart and quickly bowed, saying: "Father's considerations are thorough; it was your daughter-in-law's lack of thought."

Ye Jing waved his hand, his tone softening quite a bit: "You don't need to blame yourselves; this isn't your fault."

I'm not letting outsiders get involved not just because I'm worried about the news of the spiritual Ore leaking, but for another reason as well."

As he spoke, he pointed at the dense swarms of Golden Erosion Insects: "These Golden Erosion Insects are born experts at mining Gold Spirit Mine. They feed on the Ore, so mining with them is not only time-saving and effortless, but a hundred times better than manual labor."

After saying that, Ye Jing naturally didn't forget that Liu Xianglan needed to refine pills and Corpse People daily. He said: "Xianglan, I know your burden is heavy and I don't want to trouble you too much. You only need to leave a few Corpse People to be responsible for transporting the mined Ore."

Hearing this, Liu Xianglan nodded without objection: "Thank you for your understanding, Father. As long as it's for the Family, I'm not afraid of being tired!"

Hearing his daughter-in-law speak this way, Ye Jing's eyes were full of gratification. After instructing his second son and second daughter-in-law on some matters, he set the anchor point for the Teleportation Array there.

All the mined Gold Spirit Mine would be teleported to Lingyun Valley.

The most unfortunate part was that this Teleportation Array couldn't transport too many goods at once, but that was a minor issue.

Ye Jing left the management of this spiritual Ore business to Ye Yi to handle properly.

After completing all this, Ye Jing quickly hurried back home.

He had been busy all these years, yet no one nearby knew that the Old Ancestor of the Ye Family had even gone on a long journey.

The high walls of the Ye Family estate stood tall. Ye Jing went to the side room where he usually sat in meditation and began to rest his eyes and mind.

Inside the Qingyun Sect.

Within his Immortal Cave, Ye Tianhao closed his eyes and felt the spiritual energy constantly flowing within his body. The bottleneck that had kept him stuck at Qi Refining Eighth Layer for many days was now making faint cracking sounds under continuous tempering and accumulation, like thin ice about to break.

This sensation allowed Ye Tianhao to perceive his Meridians expanding once again.

But he held his focus tightly, following the Qingyun Sect's breathing Mind-Cultivation Technique, and then surged forward.

In an instant, Ye Tianhao's body felt light, and he suddenly felt spiritual energy surging into his body without obstruction.

He immediately opened his eyes, patting his solid arms, his eyes full of wonder.

"I'm at Qi Refining Level 9!"

The spiritual energy in this Qingyun Sect Immortal Cave was indeed substantial, allowing him to Breakthrough from the Qi Refining Eighth Layer in just two short months.

However, Ye Tianhao did not slack off. He needed to intensify his cultivation to stand out in the upcoming Sect Grand Competition and obtain a foundation establishment pill.

He continued to sit cross-legged and Cultivate, not relaxing just because of the Breakthrough.

"My Qi Refining Level 9 Foundation is now stable. Next, I must polish my spiritual energy, familiarize myself with the new Realm, and then look for an Opportunity to strike for the Peak."

Ye Tianhao murmured to himself, a flash of determination in his eyes.

He knew well that his Family had always been under the shadow of the Xuanyou Sect. Only by becoming a Foundation Establishment Cultivator for the Family could he provide more protection, make his grandfather proud, and strengthen the Family!

Therefore, Ye Tianhao was extremely hardworking. Aside from basic needs like eating and attending Elder lectures, he basically never left his Immortal Cave, constantly training hard there.

After sunset, Ye Tianhao walked out of his Immortal Cave, preparing to go to the Sect cafeteria for a meal as usual.

Just as he stepped onto the bluestone path outside the Immortal Cave, a cool breeze carrying the fragrance of mountain Spiritual Plants brushed against his face, blowing away the fatigue of many days of hard cultivation.

Ye Tianhao raised his hand to rub his brow. Feeling the still-surging yet increasingly steady spiritual energy in his body, he felt much more refreshed.

He encountered many Disciples on the way, but Ye Tianhao was habitually steady and not good at small talk. When he met those who greeted him, he merely gave a slight nod before heading straight toward the cafeteria.

Those in the Qi Refining stage still needed to eat, so the Sect provided a cafeteria for the Disciples. Every day, they were supplied with food containing spiritual energy, and this was also a rare place where outer Disciples, inner Disciples, and laborers mingled.