5: Chapter 5 First Acquisition of the Spirit Stone

Yun Song followed closely behind the man, weaving and winding through the intestinal-like mine tunnels, having walked for nearly half an hour without realizing it.

The man's previously steady pace suddenly stopped, and he looked up to carefully examine the surrounding stone walls.

A layer of dampness permeated the stone walls, with fine droplets quietly oozing out, slowly sliding down the uneven, vein-like textures, eventually gathering into a small, clear puddle on the ground.

The man nodded slightly, a trace of satisfaction flashing in his eyes: "This position is just right. If we go any further in, the dampness will be too heavy."

"I told you before, if the stone wall is too dry, you can't see the textures clearly, and if it's too wet, it's also not good for digging Spirit Stones. If the moisture is too heavy, the vein textures of the Spirit Stone are easily blurred, and the stone wall will be covered in mud, increasing the difficulty of mining."

After speaking, he turned his head to look at Yun Song, his expression serious: "Come, move closer, I will teach you the actual technique for digging Spirit Stones."

Yun Song hurriedly stepped forward and leaned down slightly.

The man raised his hand and pointed to the stone wall: "Look carefully here."

Yun Song followed his instructions and gazed intently. Although the light from the Night Pearl was dim and yellow, the textures on the stone wall were still faintly discernible.

The man turned his head and asked: "Do you see anything?"

"There are textures on the stone wall." Yun Song answered immediately.

"Correct, this is the Spirit Stone vein texture," the man nodded, "As long as this kind of texture appears, there is an eighty percent chance that a Spirit Stone is hidden underneath."

"These textures are formed by the Spirit Stone gradually dissipating Spiritual Qi over long years.

Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi seeps out along the veins of the stone wall, and over time, it leaves behind unique traces."

"I will teach you a second method. Place your palm gently against the stone wall with the textures and feel carefully."

Yun Song put down the mining hoe, slowly placed his palm against the stone wall, and felt silently for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Except for the coolness of the stone, he did not detect anything unusual.

"Do you have any special feelings?" the man asked.

Yun Song shook his head, looking somewhat dejected: "No."

"Go to the side where there are no textures and try it, then come back and feel again."

Yun Song followed his instructions and tried two places, but still could not detect a difference, and could not help but show a look of difficulty: "Big Brother, I still can't feel the difference..."

"Oh..." the man realized, slapping his forehead, "Look at my memory, both you and I are people without a Spiritual Root, so naturally, we cannot sense the fluctuations of Spiritual Qi."

"If one has a Spiritual Root, by placing the palm against the wall, one can judge from the subtle Spiritual Qi emitted by the Spirit Stone how far it is from the surface and whether it is worth digging."

"However, don't worry. As long as you remember the method of looking at the textures, you can still dig up Spirit Stones."

The man's expression became focused: "I will demonstrate once, watch carefully."

He took the mining hoe from Yun Song and gently pressed the tip against the texture: "The application of force should be like a spring breeze brushing the ground, continuous and unending; you cannot be impatient or violent."

"Follow the trend of the texture to carve, slowly widening and deepening it."

He spoke while acting, his movements steady and smooth, and the mining hoe seemed to come alive in his hands.

"After the texture is deep enough, find a spot where the stone wall is thin and soft. Tilt the tip of the mining hoe, keep it at a semi-oblique angle to the stone wall, and slowly apply force to dig in."

The man did not stop, continuing to demonstrate calmly.

"When the mining hoe is about half buried in the stone wall, change the way you apply force; you must stir the mining hoe swiftly and powerfully, just like this..."

As his voice fell, his wrist suddenly turned, and the hoe body stirred rapidly within the stone wall.

"Click, click..."

Accompanied by subtle sounds, the stone surface centered on the texture gradually pried open.

A moment later, the stone block broke free from some invisible restraint, and a whole piece of the rock wall peeled off, flipping and falling to the ground.

Inside the center of the stone block, an object the size of a thumb was firmly embedded, golden and brilliant, with a texture as warm and smooth as jade.

"Look, this is a Metal-attribute Spirit Stone." The man said while using the mining hoe to push aside the rubble, skillfully picking up the Spirit Stone, placing it in his palm, and handing it to Yun Song with a smile on his face.

Yun Song opened his eyes wide, both incredulous and pleasantly surprised, staring at the golden Spirit Stone and unable to take his eyes off it.

He thought of the difficulty of his previous mining, having gained nothing for several days in a row, while the man before him had so easily dug one out, and a deep sense of admiration welled up in his heart.

However, before Yun Song could recover, the man had already neatly put the Spirit Stone into his pocket: "Did you see clearly? Just do it like this."

He handed the mining hoe back to Yun Song and took out a wooden token: "Hang this token on your waist. Wearing it, the Miners here won't dare to trouble you."

"I am usually over by the cave entrance. Every month, you give me fifty Spirit Stones; as for the rest you dig up, take them to hand in for your tasks."

"Yes." Yun Song replied, taking the wooden token, and saw a lifelike and imposing tiger head carved on it.

"I have things to do, I'm leaving first." The man's tone was indifferent.

"Take care, Big Brother!" Yun Song hurriedly and respectfully saw him off.

Afterwards, he tied the wooden token to his waist, recalled the details of the man's movements, and gripped the mining hoe to begin attempting it.

At first, he thought that by following the demonstration steps, even if it wasn't easy, it shouldn't be too difficult.

But when he actually started, he realized it was far from as simple as it appeared on the surface.

He followed what the man taught, pressing the tip of the mining hoe against the Spirit Stone vein, attempting to apply continuous force and carve along the texture.

But the mining hoe seemed to weigh a thousand catties in his hands, and every movement was clumsy and stumbling.

A full hour passed before he could barely widen and deepen the texture by a little bit.

Having finally carved the texture, finding the weak spot of the stone wall became another problem. In the dim light, the stone wall looked flat and uniform, making it difficult to distinguish reality from illusion.

He frowned, having no choice but to choose a spot based on feeling, adjusting the mining hoe to a semi-oblique angle, and digging towards the stone wall.

The mining hoe sank into the stone wall bit by bit, and after another long while, when the hoe body was about half buried, he switched to using greater force to stir.

But his body was still too thin, and even if he tried his best, the stone wall only loosened slightly, far from how the man had been able to dig out a whole piece earlier.

Time passed quietly; dense sweat oozed from his forehead, and the clothes on his back gradually soaked through.

Just when he was almost in despair, the crack in the stone wall finally widened, and the rock slowly pried open.

Hope flashed in his eyes, his hands gripped the mining hoe tightly, and he pushed forward with all his strength.

With a "clatter," a large piece of rock peeled off in response.

In the center of the stone block, a jade-green, crystal-clear, thumb-sized Wood-attribute Spirit Stone quietly came into view.

His tensed nerves suddenly relaxed, and a look of relief finally bloomed on his face.