235: Chapter 233 Ye Ming's Surprising Discovery.

Zhao Qi felt as if he had become Wu Gang.

Yes, that Wu Gang from Chinese mythology who chopped the laurel tree outside Guanghan Palace.

Both were punished to chop a tree that could never be cut down.

However, after thinking it over, Zhao Qi felt he was even more pitiful than that old brother.

After all, Wu Gang had Chang'e by his side, while he only had a greasy middle-aged uncle.

"Time to eat!" Yue Ruo shouted as she saw a feather floating down from the sky, running over to catch it with both hands.

Zhao Qi stopped his swinging axe and his wandering thoughts, joining the others to help.

The feather landed steadily in more than ten pairs of hands. Once it was on the ground, everyone grabbed a tuft of the fluff and kneaded it.

"Brother Zhao, why were you sighing just now?" Luo Xiling licked her hand, glancing at him.

"I was wondering when we'll finally be able to chop this tree down."

Five days had passed, and he had only made some messy dents on the trunk. Forget cutting it down, there weren't even proper axe marks.

Most importantly, Immortal Xu would have the Kunpeng deliver one of its feathers every day. Licking the moisture within the fluff not only replenished their physical strength and vitality but also restored their energy.

Simply put, they didn't need to sleep.

Thus, in these five days, they only did two things—"eating" and chopping trees.

Sighing deeply again, Zhao Qi let go: "Director, you were frowning in deep thought this morning. What were you thinking about?"

Their trees weren't far apart, so they could clearly see each other's expressions.

"I think I understand why we've ended up in this situation."

"Oh?!"

The others immediately lost interest in licking their hands and stared at him expectantly.

Looking around at everyone's expectant gazes, the Director smiled proudly: "We must have upset Immortal Xu somewhere."

Isn't that obvious?

Everyone rolled their eyes and lowered their heads to continue licking.

The muscles in Zhao Qi's cheeks twitched: "We're not stupid, do you really need to say that?"

"Eh?" The Director was a bit surprised, "You all know?"

"Of course." Yue Ruo had eaten her fill. She grabbed some weeds from the ground to dry her wet palms. "Immortal Xu knows we can't do anything to these trees, so he tricked us into participating in some 'reward and punishment cultivation' beforehand. He even said joining was up to our own will."

"It's obvious he's unhappy."

Luo Xiling added: "He even gave us a batch of indestructible iron axes, and the trees were even planted overnight. How exactly did we offend Master?"

"Brother Ye? Any thoughts?"

"Ah?" Squatting to one side, Ye Ming snapped out of his trance while staring at the axe blade. "Maybe... Immortal Xu has his own intentions."

Luo Xiling grew interested in his behavior of staring blankly at the axe. She stood up and ran over to squat in front of him.

"Is your axe different?"

"Exactly the same as yours."

Why is Brother Ye always so strange? Immortal Xu said he could go chop ordinary trees, yet he insists on suffering with us.

She noticed Ye Ming's thumb lightly grazing the axe blade and muttered to herself before saying: "Be careful, don't cut your hand."

Looking over, Zhao Qi asked: "Is there something wrong with the axe blade?"

"It's very hard."

"I've been chopping trees with it for three days, I know it's hard."

Ye Ming flicked the blade, which hadn't chipped at all despite days of frantic chopping. With a mysterious look in his eyes, he asked: "Brother Zhao, what are the main factors limiting the development of modern technology?"

"Energy, materials, and humanity itself..."

Halfway through, Zhao Qi and the others froze.

Except for energy, which they hadn't encountered yet, the others... the Mountain Gate seemed to have them all?

Seeing their stunned expressions, Ye Ming smiled: "That's right, just as you're thinking."

The Director stood up, his face solemn: "Little Ye, are you saying the greatest benefit of the Mountain Gate isn't teaching us immortal methods, but..."

"Yes." Ye Ming held up the axe, showing the pristine blade to everyone. "If—and I mean if—"

"There was a tank made of the same material as this iron axe, what kind of armor-piercing shell could blow through its armor?"

"Not just that." Yue Ruo's expression also turned serious. "If the material is hard and strong enough, the thickness can be reduced, which lightens the vehicle and increases the ammunition capacity limit."

"Extending this to other fields, aviation engines have always struggled to break through bottlenecks because they can't find suitable high-temperature resistant materials."

At this point, Ye Ming stopped talking. It wasn't that he couldn't think of more, but this was already enough for them to ponder deeply.

Zhao Qi thought to himself that if the hardness of a fighter jet's airframe increased, its speed could be faster, and its performance could completely outstrip all current advanced fighter jets.

For a moment, everyone fell silent, lost in their own thoughts.

"Everyone, have you completed your goals?"

A familiar voice, usually gentle but now sounding like a devil's, rang out behind them. Everyone shuddered and, without even looking back, instinctively picked up their iron axes and rushed to their trees to start swinging.

Except for Ye Ming.

Firstly, he was just here to experience it, and secondly...

His previous discovery made his heart race; he simply couldn't restrain himself.

"Immortal Xu, I have something I'd like to ask you."

"Please."

"Um..." Ye Ming handed the axe to Xu, who had walked closer. "Did you find the material used to forge this on Blue Star, Immortal Xu?"

Xu didn't take it, just glanced at it. He had already guessed Ye Ming's purpose: "No."

Just as I thought!

Feeling a bit excited, he quickly asked: "What is it called? Is it iron?"

The axe was made of iron, but it was different from Blue Star's.

This iron was an associated mineral of magic crystals. Perhaps because it had absorbed a tiny bit of magic power, its texture was exceptionally hard.

The higher quality ones even possessed a certain degree of toughness.

Xu smiled and said: "It is iron, but it is somewhat different from the iron you know."

As he spoke, he spread the five fingers of his right hand, palm up, and a translucent crystal appeared.

The crystal was a sharply defined cube with high transparency, and inside, several streams of water intertwined and flowed.

"This is 'Stone', buried deep underground.

We cultivators use it for our practice. The iron you asked about is a byproduct of its mining."

"An associated mineral?"

"Indeed."

"Is the output high? What are the varieties? Is it renewable?"

"Abundant. Yes."

The concise answers made Ye Ming's hands tremble.

Abundant and renewable meant it had value for research and development.

"Immortal Xu, China hopes to trade with your Mountain Gate for the associated minerals of the 'Stone'."

Although he was very interested in the "Stone", he knew that such a thing must be extremely precious to the Mountain Gate as well.

Therefore, he didn't even mention whether they could buy the "Stone", to avoid upsetting others or failing to get any benefits.

"Trade?" Xu clenched his right hand into a fist, and the crystal quickly disappeared. "I am not in charge of such matters. If you are interested, you may go to Qingshui Hall on Yuzhang Mountain to inquire."

"Thank you, Immortal Xu!"

Ye Ming's figure disappeared down the narrow mountain path amidst the bushes. Zhang Mu withdrew his gaze.

He knew Senior Brother would be interested in materials.

The reason he had replaced everyone's axes with iron ones was indeed partly to make things difficult for them, but the main reason was to quickly collect resources.

He believed that once they took the iron ore back to Blue Star and finished testing it, and then saw the exchange list he had prepared, the ones delivering resources in the future would be fleets of trucks.

With a slight smile, Zhang Mu pushed aside his thoughts and looked at the group wiping away sweat. His expression quickly darkened. Keep chopping, you lot.

With a single thought, his figure instantly appeared in the void space.

He closed his eyes tightly, his Mental Energy connecting to the puppet inside Qingfeng Hall.

...

Learning that the Mountain Gate did not forbid the sale of minerals, Ye Ming found Lin Miao chopping trees halfway up the mountain and told her everything.

She naturally understood the importance of this, and the two of them immediately ran down the mountain.

But when they reached the main hall, Ye Ming remembered that he had forgotten to ask for the specific location of Qingfeng Hall.

It would take a lot of time to return to the mountain top, and Immortal Xu might not be there anymore.

So they ran to the training field and asked Fellow Daoist Liu, who was practicing swordplay, to help lead the way.

Fellow Daoist Liu "happened" to have finished his cultivation class and had nothing to do, so he simply accompanied the two of them.

When they arrived at the entrance of Qingfeng Hall, the three of them stepped up the stone stairs and entered, standing before the counter of the person in charge.

"Senior Brother Zhou." Fellow Daoist Liu bowed to the young disciple behind the long counter. "These two are honored guests of Martial Uncle Xu. They have some business to trouble you with, Senior Brother Zhou."

The young disciple stood up and returned the bow. After sitting back down, he looked at the two of them: "What is the matter?"

"It's like this." Ye Ming took a step forward and pondered for a few seconds. "Immortal Xu told me that your Mountain Gate can conduct trade with outsiders,"

"I would like to... exchange for some of the associated iron ore of the 'Stone'."

Senior Brother Zhou opened his mouth, appearing a bit surprised.

Seeing this, Ye Ming's heart tightened, and he asked nervously: "What's wrong?"

"A misunderstanding, you've misunderstood." He regained his composure and laughed, waving his hand. "It's just that it's been a long time since an outsider came to the Mountain Gate to exchange for items. Hearing your words, sir, I was momentarily struck by emotion."

"I thought there was a problem." Lin Miao quietly patted her chest.

Ye Ming also breathed a sigh of relief: "Senior Brother Zhou, is there a list for the items you mentioned?"

"A list?" He frowned in confusion, then realized after a moment, "A catalog?"

"Yes!"

"Of course there is." He took out a blue-covered paper book about a finger thick from a wooden cabinet drawer, half-rose, and handed it forward. "You may look through it at your leisure, sir."

Taking the book, Ye Ming was about to flip it open immediately, but Fellow Daoist Liu pressed his hand on the cover. "It's time to go to the canteen."

Go to the canteen? It's time for dinner?

What does... Senior Brother Zhou is getting off work?

Coming to his senses, he gave an apologetic smile: "Sorry, Senior Brother Zhou. I'll take it back and look at it slowly."

After saying that, he pulled Lin Miao back to the small courtyard. They sat at the stone table in the corner, and he flipped the book open flat on the table.

His index finger slid down the left side of the neatly arranged column of names, muttering: "Heart-Burning Grass... Seven-Leaf Flower... Brittle Stone..."

"Ironstone!"

Lin Miao, who was dozing off with her chin in her hands next to him, was startled awake by the loud voice and hurriedly leaned over: "You found it?"

"Look at the description in the last entry: 'The material is solid, nearly identical in appearance to iron, obtained during the mining of Stone'."

"That's it, this is the one." Lin Miao happily clapped her hands together, but her expression suddenly became heavy again. "It doesn't say how to exchange it."

"The Mountain Gate definitely won't want money, right?"

"Of course not."

Ye Ming closed the book: "I didn't see 'Stone' in this list. I suspect the main currency of the Mountain Gate is that thing."

"What is that?"

"Hmm..." He recalled the crystal cube lying in Immortal Xu's palm. "It should be a type of ore containing energy. Immortal Xu said it can help with cultivation."

"It sounds a lot like the spirit stones in cultivation novels."

"That's true. It has irreplaceable practical value and can also serve as the main currency."

"That's a problem. We don't have a single piece."

"Would Blue Star have any?"

"Unlikely. The 'Stone' is crystal clear, with no light source visible in the center, yet it's surrounded by a dim glow. It fits human aesthetics perfectly."

"If Blue Star really had them, it's impossible that there wouldn't be any related records after thousands of years, not to mention that modern humans have dug holes all over Blue Star and still haven't encountered a single one."

"Then what should we do? Should we ask Immortal Xu for a favor?"

Shaking his head, Ye Ming explained: "Immortal Xu has an easygoing personality. If we ask, he'll probably help a bit for Luo Xiling's sake. But we need to know our propriety; being too greedy is not good."

"Besides, just a little bit is useless."

"Ironstone isn't just for research; it needs to be mass-produced."

The situation seemed to have hit a dead end. The two of them sat in silence for a long time without coming up with any ideas.

Finally, they decided to go ask Senior Brother Zhou tomorrow, hoping the Mountain Gate would accept other currencies besides 'Stone'.

The next morning.

After Ye Ming and Lin Miao got up and washed, they went to the canteen first.

According to Fellow Daoist Liu, the disciples of Qingfeng Hall go to work after eating breakfast. Going too early would just mean waiting, so they might as well fill their stomachs first.

After eating, the two of them went to Qingfeng Hall together.

After standing at the door for a while, Senior Brother Zhou came walking from afar.

When he reached them, he cupped his hands and asked: "You two are..."

"Senior Brother Zhou, I finished reading the list last night and have some questions I'd like to ask."

"I see. Please, come inside." He gestured with his hand toward the room.

The three of them entered the front hall of Qingfeng Hall. Senior Brother Zhou sat behind the long counter and waved his hand. Two wooden chairs floated over and landed behind the two of them.

"Sit and talk."

Ye Ming didn't stand on ceremony and sat down: "Senior Brother Zhou, what is used as currency for the items the Mountain Gate exchanges?"

"I heard from Martial Uncle Xu before that some places use barter, but the Mountain Gate has no such rule. We only use Stone."

"Only one type of currency?"

"Indeed."

Their hearts sank.

Before going to sleep last night, Ye Ming had been dreaming about various high-tech inventions being born in his hands, but it was over before it even began.

After gritting his teeth for a long time, he asked unwillingly: "Besides Stone, nothing else will do?"

"Indeed."

It's over.

Their spirits quickly plummeted to rock bottom. They looked dejected and sat in silence with their heads bowed.

"What is the matter with you two?"

Raising his head, Ye Ming said with a bitter smile: "Senior Brother Zhou, there's something you don't know."

"There is no more 'Stone' outside the Mountain Gate, so..."

"Does that have anything to do with your trade, sir?"

"Uh, could you elaborate?"

Senior Brother Zhou said cheerfully: "Qingfeng Hall is responsible for the storage and exchange of the Mountain Gate's resources; we both accept Stone from others in exchange for items, and accept items from others in exchange for Stone."

Light returned to Ye Ming's eyes: "What does the Mountain Gate accept?"

"Anything at all, as long as it catches our eye."

"Have you heard of playing cards, sir?"

"Sir," Senior Brother Zhou was a bit helpless. "Though we have lived in the Mountain Gate for a long time, our Martial Uncles often go out and bring back interesting little trinkets."

Scratching his head awkwardly, he asked: "What is the standard for distinguishing the value of items?"

"There are vast differences across the world, but the underlying principle is not so."

Senior Brother Zhou smiled and said: "Rarity makes a thing precious; it is the same everywhere."