18: Chapter 18 The Lunar Calendar: Secrets of Mineral Crystals

In the twenty acres of newly reclaimed low-tier spiritual fields on the back mountain, the qi condensing grass has already grown to half a foot tall.

The dewdrops rolling on the leaves refracted fragmented Spiritual Qi in the morning sun—

This was the thirtieth day of watering with the plane's spirit spring water; the Spiritual Plant's Spiritual Qi concentration was nearly twenty percent higher than those grown through ordinary cultivation.

"Clan Chief, the people from the Black Stone Chamber of Commerce have arrived."

Lin Hu's voice rang out from outside the courtyard, carrying a hint of excitement.

Lin Yue put down the "Green Vein Pill Scripture" in his hand and stood up to straighten his long robe.

A month had passed since returning from Black Stone City last time, and according to the agreement with Steward Liu,

today was the day the chamber of commerce would send someone to settle the accounts for the spirit iron ore.

He walked into the courtyard and saw three Cultivators dressed in the chamber of commerce's green martial attire standing by the threshing floor.

The leader was a stranger, but he recognized the Lin Family's flag and was currently conversing with Lin Cang.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, I hope you have been well."

Seeing Lin Yue come out, the man quickly cupped his hands in greeting. "I am Deacon Zhang, responsible for the chamber of commerce's external trade.

Steward Liu is busy with many affairs, so he specially ordered me to come for the handover."

Lin Yue returned the greeting and said, "Deacon Zhang is too polite. Please follow me to the storehouse to take stock."

The Lin Family storehouse was a newly renovated stone building, with a warning Formation that Lin Cang had just perfected set up at the entrance.

Lin Yue took out a token to undo the Formation. Inside, over seven hundred catties of companion spirit iron ore were stacked neatly, the Spiritual Qi on the Ore's surface appearing even more mellow than last month—

this was because Lin Yue had specifically asked Lin Shi to perform a preliminary purification according to the methods in the General Outline of Basic Artifact Refining.

The two guards brought by Deacon Zhang stepped forward to weigh the Ore, their spiritual power sweeping over it as surprise appeared on their faces:

"Deacon Zhang, the purity of this Ore... is slightly higher than last month's."

Deacon Zhang personally stepped forward to inspect it. After probing the Ore with his fingertips for a moment, he smiled at Lin Yue:

"Fellow Daoist Lin truly has impressive methods.

To be able to purify Medium Grade high-tier companion spirit iron ore to such an extent, I'm afraid even the old miners of the chamber of commerce would feel inferior."

Lin Yue smiled and did not explain.

These Ores originally came from the plane's Ore vein and had been soaked in spirit spring water by him for three days, so their purity was naturally extraordinary.

"A total of seven hundred and sixty catties. At twenty-four Low-Grade Spirit Stones per catty, the total comes to eighteen thousand two hundred and forty Low-Grade Spirit Stones."

Deacon Zhang took out a Storage Pouch.

"This is half of the Spirit Stones, nine thousand one hundred and twenty pieces;

the other half has been converted into Spiritual Plant seeds and Artifact Refining Materials as per your request. Here is the list."

Lin Yue took the Storage Pouch and the list.

The list detailed twenty seeds of Rank 3 "profound ice grass" and three hundred catties of Rank 3 "Red Copper,"

as well as some Low Grade Materials for repairing Formation Plates. The value of the Alchemy medicinal herbs was exactly equivalent to nine thousand one hundred and twenty Spirit Stones.

He nodded and said, "I've troubled Deacon Zhang with this."

"It's all in a day's work."

Deacon Zhang handed over a jade slip. "Steward Liu asked me to pass this to you, saying that you might find it useful."

Lin Yue injected spiritual power to check. Inside the jade slip was a message from Steward Liu mentioning the recent situation in Black Stone City:

The conflict between the Iron Fist Gang and the Green Robe Hall had been mediated by the City Lord's Mansion, but both factions suffered heavy losses and would likely be unable to covet the Ore veins of the Black Wind Forest for the time being;

additionally, the chamber of commerce's storehouse had received a new batch of Rank 2 Yao Beast inner cores. If Fellow Daoist Lin needed them, they could be reserved for the next transaction.

"Thank Steward Liu for me."

Lin Yue put away the jade slip, his heart settling slightly.

It seemed that the Green Robe Hall's previous interception was just a minor skirmish. With the City Lord's Mansion keeping them in check, the forces of Black Stone City wouldn't dare to easily affect Sunset Town in the short term.

After seeing off Deacon Zhang's group, Lin Yue returned to his study and poured out the Spirit Stones from the Storage Pouch.

Nine thousand one hundred and twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones were piled on the table, shimmering with a translucent white luster. Combined with the daily accumulation from the plane,

the Spirit Stones in the Storage Pouch were nearly nine thousand pieces, only one step away from the ten thousand pieces required for the plane upgrade.

"Clan Chief, the Second Elder says the newly refined qi condensing pills are ready and wants you to take a look."

Lin Hu ran in again, holding a jade box in his hands.

Lin Yue took the jade box. Inside were twelve qi condensing pills, their Spiritual Qi even more condensed than last month's—

these were refined using the newly harvested qi condensing grass from the spiritual fields, and their medicinal efficacy had increased by nearly thirty percent.

He nodded with satisfaction. "Have the Guard Team distribute them. They are to be collected according to cultivation level, and remember, they must not be wasted."

Once Lin Hu left, Lin Yue locked his door and flashed into the plane.

[ruined plane (Rank: 4)]

[Spiritual Qi Concentration: 33 (External ordinary environment is 1)]

[spirit soil Area: 100 square meters (Including 50 square meters of mid-tier spiritual fields and 50 square meters of low-tier spiritual fields)]

[New Function: spirit spring (Produces 10 liters of spirit spring water daily);]

[Ore Vein: companion spirit iron ore vein (Produces 25 catties daily), Low-Tier Spirit Stone Vein (Produces 10 pieces daily)]

[Status: Stable (Upgradable, requires 10,000 Low-Grade Spirit Stones or equivalent spiritual Materials)]

The Spiritual Qi concentration had risen by another 2 points compared to last month, likely due to the feedback effect from the external spiritual fields.

Lin Yue walked to the Ore vein area and watched the daily output of companion spirit iron ore pile up into a small hill,

when he suddenly remembered the companion ore crystal he had bought from the youth in Black Stone City.

He took out that half-piece of Ore crystal from his Storage Pouch. After a month of being soaked in spirit spring water,

the mottled Spiritual Qi on the Ore's surface had faded considerably, revealing a very fine golden vein inside.

Lin Yue tried injecting spiritual power into the Ore crystal, then guided it to touch the Origin of the companion spirit iron ore vein—

the black stone crevice where the Ore was produced daily.

The moment the Ore crystal came into contact with the crevice, a strange scene occurred:

the golden vein on the surface of the Ore crystal suddenly lit up, turning into a fine line that bored into the stone crevice. The Ore vein, which originally produced twenty-five catties of Ore daily,

actually trembled slightly, and the Spiritual Qi gushing from the crevice suddenly became significantly denser.

Lin Yue quickly checked the plane panel and saw an extra line of small text after the description of the "companion spirit iron ore vein":

"Origin nourished by Ore crystal, daily production temporarily increased to 30 catties (lasts 24 hours)."

"So that's how it is..."

A flash of realization crossed Lin Yue's eyes. Although this companion ore crystal had mottled Spiritual Qi, it contained a trace of the Ore vein's Origin aura, which could briefly stimulate the vein's potential.

If it were nourished with Ore crystals over the long term, could it perhaps permanently increase the daily production of the Ore vein?

He placed the Ore crystal beside the stone crevice and watched as the golden vein seeped into the Ore vein bit by bit, a plan forming in his mind.

The effect of this Ore crystal on the plane was actually comparable to the effect of spirit soil on spiritual fields; both increased output from the Origin.

It was just that the effect of the Ore crystal was gentler and required long-term nourishment to manifest.

At this moment, Lin Yue suddenly remembered the Spirit Stones handed over by Deacon Zhang—

including the nine thousand one hundred and twenty pieces that arrived today, the Spirit Stones in the Storage Pouch had reached nine thousand seven hundred pieces,

only three hundred away from ten thousand.

His fingertips rubbed the Ore crystal, but he did not immediately gather the remaining Spirit Stones to upgrade the plane.

Upgrading the plane was a major event and required thorough preparation.

Currently, the Family had just gotten on the right track, with the spiritual fields, alchemy room, and artifact refining workshop all operating steadily.

If a rash upgrade caused instability in the plane, it would instead affect the resource output.

It would be better to wait another month and make plans after the next transaction with the chamber of commerce when Spirit Stones were more abundant.

He put away the Ore crystal and turned to walk towards the spiritual fields.

In the mid-tier spiritual fields, the purple leaf orchids had already bloomed, their pale purple petals surrounded by pure Spiritual Qi, making them excellent Materials for refining Purple Leaf Pills.

Lin Yue plucked a few petals, intending to let Lin De try refining them—

with this batch of purple leaf orchids, he and the Grand Elder would have a few more degrees of certainty in breaking through to the Middle Foundation Establishment Stage later on.

When he left the plane, the setting sun was dyeing the earthen walls of Sunset Town red.

In the Technique Pavilion, several youths were gathered around the General Outline of Basic Artifact Refining, discussing in low voices. One of them, a handsome youth, pointed at the annotations on a diagram and said to his companions:

"Look here, it says companion spirit iron ore must be fused with Red Copper in a seven-to-three ratio to reduce flaws in the Magical Artifact..."

That was Lin Shi's son, named Lin Xiaowen. His Spiritual Root Aptitude was mediocre, but he had an extraordinary passion for Artifact Refining.

Lin Yue stood outside the window and watched for a moment, a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

A Family's development never relied solely on a few geniuses, but more on these ordinary disciples who quietly studied in the Technique Pavilion and spiritual fields.

Just like the growth of the plane, it required the nourishment of the spirit spring and spirit soil, but it also couldn't do without the Origin enhancement of that seemingly unremarkable companion ore crystal.

He turned and walked towards the spiritual fields. The evening breeze brushed past, bringing the fragrance of qi condensing grass.

The moonlight gradually rose, illuminating a newly placed wooden sign in the spiritual field with the words "profound ice grass" written on it—

those were the seeds exchanged from the chamber of commerce today, to be planted tomorrow.

Everything was developing in a good direction.

Transactions with Black Stone City provided stable resources, the plane's foundation was quietly thickening, and the clansmen's strength was steadily improving.

Lin Yue gripped the Storage Pouch in his hand, feeling the weight of the Spirit Stones, his heart filled with certainty.

Wait one more month. Once the next transaction was completed, it would be time to upgrade the plane.