43: Chapter 43 Initial Exploration of Earth Veins

Lin Muchen opened his eyes and sat up from the bed.

The warm feeling in his Dantian was still there; the 7% feedback was like a small furnace, continuously charging him.

"System, the Fire Attribute Node is stable. The next step is to find the Earth Vein, right?" He moved his shoulders.

[Correct.]

[The Five Elements generate each other; Fire generates Earth.]

[After the Fire Attribute Node operates stably, its dissipated pure fire Spiritual Qi has a natural nourishing and attracting effect on Earth-attribute Spiritual Veins.]

[Looking for the Earth Vein now will yield twice the result with half the effort.]

"Got it, it's just like baiting the spot before fishing." Lin Muchen got out of bed and walked to his broken table, where a few old books borrowed from the Sect's Library Pavilion were piled.

They were all miscellaneous records about the geography and distribution of spiritual items around the Qinglan Sect.

"Thick Earth Rock Forest... Thick Earth Rock Forest..." He muttered while flipping through the books, "System, scan these records and see if there are any more specific clues."

[Scanning and analyzing...]

[The "qinglan records of wonders: Back Mountain Chapter" records: On the northern foot of the Back Mountain, there is a valley named 'Chen Tu', its earth and stones are heavy and solid, the Spiritual Qi is stagnant and difficult to rise, vegetation is sparse, and it mostly produces Earth and Metal attribute spiritual materials such as 'Thick Earth Rock' and 'Sinking Iron Stone'.]

[Combined with information circulating among Outer Sect Disciples, 'Thick Earth Rock Forest' refers to the rock forest area on the outskirts of 'Chen Tu Valley'.]

[Comprehensive judgment: The probability of Chen Tu Valley being a potential area for an Earth-attribute Spiritual Vein is 78%.]

"Chen Tu Valley..." Lin Muchen tapped the page with his finger. "The name is quite appropriate. Stagnant Spiritual Qi—sounds like a place where a country bumpkin would stay."

He closed the book.

"I'll go there. System, how do I find it? You can't expect me to carry a hoe and start digging, right?"

[Special means are required to detect Earth-attribute Spiritual Veins.]

[It is suggested to exchange for an 'Earth Vein Sensing Talisman' (Elementary).]

[Once activated, it can perceive weak fluctuations of underground Spiritual Veins within a hundred-meter radius and display the approximate direction and depth.]

[Exchange required points: 150 points.]

Lin Muchen glanced at his points balance.

-23.

"Big brother, I still owe you money." His mouth twitched.

[Based on the Host's credit and the importance of this exploration to the Origin Star's evolution, the System can provide an additional temporary points limit of 50 points for exchanging necessary items.]

[But please note, the temporary limit must be returned within three days.]

[Otherwise, a 'late fee' of 10% per day will be charged, and all exchange functions will be suspended.]

"...You really are a profiteer." Lin Muchen was speechless. "Fine, fine, fine, exchange it! Put it on my tab. Once I find the Earth Vein, maybe the System will have a 'discovery reward'?"

[Exchange for 'Earth Vein Sensing Talisman (Elementary)' successful.]

[Consumed points: 150 points.]

[Current points balance: -173 points (including 50 points of temporary limit).]

[Temporary limit return countdown: 71 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds.]

[Item has been issued.]

An earthy yellow Talisman paper appeared in Lin Muchen's hand.

The Talisman paper felt a bit rough, with complex patterns drawn in dark brown pigment, and it carried a faint, heavy scent of earth.

"How do I use this? Stick it on my forehead?"

[Place it in your palm and inject Spiritual Qi to activate it.]

[Once activated, the Talisman will briefly connect with the Host's consciousness, feeding back the perceived Earth Vein fluctuations in the form of 'light spots' in the Host's field of vision.]

[The brighter the light spot, the higher the quality of the Spiritual Vein or the closer the distance.]

"Understood, it's just like a metal detector." Lin Muchen tucked the Talisman paper into his robe. "No time to lose, I'll go to Chen Tu Valley and check it out now."

He packed up, took some dry rations and fresh water, and checked the star dagger.

Then he pushed the door and went out.

He hadn't been to the northern part of the Back Mountain much before.

This area was far from the Sect's main activity zones, and the Spiritual Qi was relatively thin, so usually, no one came here.

The further north he went, the harder the ground beneath his feet became.

The trees became short and sparse, and their leaves were a dusty gray.

A smell of dust floated in the air, making his nose feel a bit dry as he inhaled.

"This place is the complete opposite of Chiyan Valley." Lin Muchen muttered. "One is hot enough to burst into flames, and the other is dry enough to crumble into dust."

After walking for about an hour, a peculiar sight appeared before him.

Huge, grayish-brown rocks stood like a forest, layered upon each other, forming a natural rock maze.

The rock surfaces were rough and covered with signs of weathering, with only some drought-resistant moss and low shrubs growing in the cracks.

Silence.

Even the sound of birds was rare.

[Arrived at the rock forest area on the outskirts of Chen Tu Valley.]

[Starting to scan the environmental Spiritual Qi distribution.]

Lin Muchen stopped and observed carefully.

The Spiritual Qi here... was very strange.

It wasn't lively and flowing like in other places.

Instead, it was heavy, like mercury, flowing slowly along the ground, making it difficult to rise into the air.

Taking a breath, he felt that the speed at which the Spiritual Qi entered his body was much slower.

"System, is this phenomenon of stagnant Spiritual Qi a characteristic of the Earth attribute?"

[Yes.]

[The Earth attribute is heavy, carrying, and stable.]

[Spiritual Qi often sinks to the ground; its fluidity is poor, but it is extremely pure and condensed.]

[In such an environment, the probability of nurturing an Earth-attribute Spiritual Vein is very high.]

"Then I haven't found the wrong place." Lin Muchen's spirits rose as he took out the Earth Vein Sensing Talisman from his robe.

Following the System's instructions, he placed the Talisman paper on his right palm and injected a trace of Spiritual Qi.

Hum...

The patterns on the Talisman paper lit up with a dark yellow light.

Immediately after, Lin Muchen felt a heat in his palm, and a peculiar perception spread along his arm, then diffused into the earth beneath his feet.

He "saw" it.

Not with his eyes, but through some deeper perception.

The thick earth beneath his feet turned into a dark yellow "ocean" of varying depths in his consciousness.

And in the depths of the "ocean," about two hundred meters to the front-left, toward the valley floor where the rock forest was denser, there was a small, stable, bright yellow light spot slowly pulsating.

Like a heart sleeping deep underground.

"Found it!" Lin Muchen's eyes lit up. "It's right ahead at the bottom of the valley!"

He put away the Talisman paper; the Talisman's light dimmed, but that vague perception of the Earth Vein remained.

He quickened his pace, moving toward the direction of the light spot.

The rock forest was difficult to navigate, with giant rocks crisscrossing and narrow gaps.

Lin Muchen often had to climb or take detours.

The further he went toward the valley floor, the thicker the stagnant earth Spiritual Qi became.

Breathing became a bit difficult, as if the air was mixed with sand.

Finally, he passed through the last section of the stone forest, and the view suddenly opened up.

A small valley basin appeared before him.

The center of the basin was flat, compacted hard earth, where not a single blade of grass grew.

High rock walls surrounded the valley tightly on all sides.

It was terrifyingly silent.

[Arrived at the core area of Chen Tu Valley.]

[Strong accumulation of Earth-attribute Spiritual Qi detected.]

[It is suggested to activate the Earth Vein Sensing Talisman again for precise positioning.]

Lin Muchen activated the Talisman once more.

This time, the perception was even clearer.

That bright yellow light spot was right beneath his feet, at a depth of about ten zhang.

The light spot wasn't large, but its light was condensed and stable, emitting pure and heavy earth Spiritual Qi.

"It's right down here!" Lin Muchen crouched down, pressing his hand against the hard ground.

[Confirmed: A small Earth-attribute Spiritual Vein node exists.]

[The scale is similar to the previously discovered Fire Attribute Node, and the quality is pure.]

[But...]

"But what?" Lin Muchen asked.

[Scanning reveals that the Spiritual Vein node is completely encased and locked by a dense, natural 'xuan tie rock layer'.]

[The rock layer is about three zhang thick, extremely hard, and has a very strong blocking effect on Spiritual Qi.]

[With the Host's current strength, it cannot be broken through by force.]

"It's wrapped up?" Lin Muchen frowned. "Like a walnut, the meat is inside, but the shell is incredibly hard?"

[An appropriate metaphor.]

[A special method is needed to 'break the shell'.]

"What method?"

[Exchange for 'Rock Breaking Technique' (Elementary).]

[A specialized Earth-System auxiliary Spell for hard rock layers, which can slightly soften and decompose specific types of rock. Exchange requires 300 points.]

[Or, look for natural fissures or weak points, but the probability is extremely low.]

"300 points..." Lin Muchen looked at his balance of -173 and smiled bitterly. "Even if I sold myself, it wouldn't be enough."

He tried poking the ground with the star dagger.

The tip of the dagger only left a white mark on the hard earth; it couldn't pierce in at all.

He circulated his Spiritual Qi and threw a punch downward.

Bang!

His hand went numb from the shock, and the ground didn't budge.

"Damn, it's really hard." Lin Muchen shook his hand.

He was a bit unwilling to give up.

The Earth Vein was right beneath his feet, yet he couldn't get it.

At that moment, his Dantian vibrated slightly.

It was the Origin Star.

The three-colored nexus light ball, especially the red part representing the Fire attribute, lit up slightly.

Immediately after, he felt a faint, warm fluctuation transmitted from the Origin Star, flowing through his Meridians to his palm, and then seeping into the earth beneath his feet.

Hum...

Deep underground, that yellow light spot encased in the rock layer seemed to... tremble slightly.

As if it had produced a faint resonance with this "fire"-carrying aura.

[Initial resonance between the Origin Star world will and the embryonic Earth Attribute Node detected!]

[Fire generates Earth; the aura of the Origin Star's Fire Attribute Node has a natural attraction to the underground Earth Vein.]

[But due to the blockage of the rock layer, the resonance is extremely weak, and energy cannot be directly guided.]

"As long as there's a reaction!" Lin Muchen's eyes lit up. "This shows that the approach is correct! Fire generates Earth; my Fire Attribute Node is the best 'bait'!"]

He stood up and brushed the dirt off his hands.

"System, mark these coordinates. The Earth Vein's location is confirmed. Although I can't get it now, at least I know where it is."

[Coordinates marked: Chen Tu Valley core basin, ten zhang underground, locked by xuan tie rock layer.]

[Five Elements collection progress: Earth (Location confirmed, pending acquisition).]

"Alright, this trip wasn't in vain." Lin Muchen looked around. "I'll head back first, earn some points, and learn the Rock Breaking Technique."

"I'll dig out this Earth Vein sooner or later!"

He turned around and left Chen Tu Valley along the path he came.

On the way back, his steps were much lighter.

Although his points were still negative and the Earth Vein was still encased in a hard shell.

At least the direction was clear.

He had the Fire, and the location of the Earth was found.

The collection of the Five Elements had finally taken a solid first step.

"System, once we're back, keep an eye on the Ore Vein and have the Stone Puppets dig like crazy! Also, look for any tasks that pay quickly!"

[Understood.]

[Warning]

[Temporary limit return countdown: 71 hours, 30 minutes, 15 seconds.]

"...I know, I know, stop nagging!" Lin Muchen quickened his pace.

He touched the now-useless Earth Vein Sensing Talisman in his robe, which had turned into ordinary waste paper.

He then felt the Fire Attribute Node in his Dantian, which was slightly active due to the weak resonance with the distant Earth Vein.

"Earth clod, just you wait."

"Once I save up enough money and buy the 'Rock Breaking Technique', I'll come to take you home."