Chapter 716 - 360: 15 Spirit Veins

Chapter 716: Chapter 360: 15 Spirit Veins

Time flew, and a month passed in a flash.

After meticulously scouting eighteen First, Second, and Third Grade Spirit Veins, gathering intelligence, and preparing his Arrays, Cheng Zongyang finally launched his plan to harvest them.

He first set his sights on a First Grade Spirit Vein.

Cheng Zongyang knew that to take a Spirit Vein without a trace, he needed to be thoroughly prepared. This First Grade vein was just for practice.

Ahead, in a small mountain several miles away, was the territory of a small, One-Star Level family. They had occupied this First Grade Spirit Vein for over five years.

During his month of scouting, he had investigated the faction controlling the Spirit Vein. He had a basic understanding of their situation.

He waited no longer. After equipping a Magical Treasure that shielded against Divine Sense probes, he sped toward the family’s estate.

"Come out."

At the foot of the mountain, he gave a light wave of his hand, and two Mole Beasts appeared before him.

The Mole Beasts were also prepared. At a signal from Cheng Zongyang, they immediately dug a small cave in a remote area at the foot of the mountain.

Afterward, Cheng Zongyang set up a simple Array Plate to conceal their auras. Even if someone happened to pass by, it would be nearly impossible for them to detect the secret operation taking place underground.

The small cave was quickly formed. Cheng Zongyang took out the Spirit Testing Disc to determine the primary direction of the Spirit Vein, then ordered the Mole Beasts to start digging.

The Mole Beasts dug with astonishing speed, like two tireless little excavators. Before long, a deep tunnel led directly to the Spirit Vein’s location.

Cheng Zongyang followed cautiously behind. Upon discovering a warning Array set by the family, he took out a Tier Five Array Entry Order he had bought for Fifty Thousand Points.

While holding the Array Entry Order, any Array below Tier Six was rendered completely ineffective.

When he finally reached the vicinity of the Spirit Vein, he immediately felt an incredibly dense Spiritual Qi.

He used his Divine Sense to carefully observe the environment around the underground Spirit Vein, checking every corner. Only after confirming there were no anomalies did he begin to focus on setting up the Tier Six Array and determining its effective range.

Setting up a Tier Six Array was an extremely delicate task, and doing it underground on someone else’s property required utmost caution.

Even though he was treating this first attempt as practice, Cheng Zongyang didn’t dare to be the least bit careless.

’Cut corners once, and you’ll cut corners every time. That’s unacceptable.’

By the time he had steadily placed the Array Hub in the most suitable position, two days had passed. The setup for a Tier Six Array was extremely complex. Once the Array was in place, he stood at the Array Hub and cast a series of Techniques.

As he cast the Techniques, the Array Plate slowly activated. Mysterious, unfathomable runes emerged like brilliant stars, completely enveloping the Spirit Vein.

"Good. Very smooth!" After rewarding the two Mole Beasts with Red Blood Pills, Cheng Zongyang recalled them into the Realm of Ten Thousand Races.

Next, Cheng Zongyang took out the Earth Treasure Gourd.

This Earth Treasure Gourd was the key to collecting Spirit Veins, possessing an incredibly powerful ability to absorb them.

Cheng Zongyang aimed the Earth Treasure Gourd steadily at the center of the Spirit Vein, then carefully injected a wisp of Spiritual Power.

Instantly, the Earth Treasure Gourd emitted a dazzling light, as if it had been awakened, and began to greedily absorb the Spirit Vein’s Spiritual Qi.

Seeing this, Cheng Zongyang felt at ease and began setting up a Teleportation Array. Afterward, he sat cross-legged to the side to meditate, waiting for the Earth Treasure Gourd to finish its absorption.

Over the past month or so of study, he had also come to understand what Spirit Veins were.

They can be seen as channels in nature where Spiritual Qi gathers and flows, much like the meridians of the human body, transporting Spiritual Qi to different locations.

Spirit Veins are typically formed by the condensation and sedimentation of pure Spiritual Qi over long periods under specific geological conditions. These conditions may include a combination of factors such as unique mountain range formations, the distribution of underground water sources, and mysterious geomagnetic fields.

Underground, Spirit Veins usually exhibit a vein-like distribution, varying in shape and size.

Some Spirit Veins may be like a thin thread stretching for miles, while others might resemble a colossal dragon running through an entire mountain range.

The depth of Spirit Veins also differs. Some are near the surface, easy to find and exploit, while others lie buried deep underground, requiring special methods to detect.

If these Spirit Veins exist for a long time, they have a high chance of interacting with Jade or water sources, evolving into Spirit Stone Ore, Spiritual Spring Water, and the like.

It is precisely because of the varying concentrations of these underground Spirit Veins that they are classified by Grade.

For Cultivation Immortality Sects and families, Spirit Veins are the foundation of their survival and growth.

A Sect or family possessing a Spirit Vein can attract more Cultivators to join, thus strengthening their forces. At the same time, the Spirit Vein provides the Sect or family with a stable supply of Spiritual Qi, ensuring the Cultivation and progress of its disciples.

Furthermore, the presence of a Spirit Vein also affects the surrounding environment. The land near a Spirit Vein typically contains richer Spiritual Qi, making it suitable for growing various kinds of Spirit Grass and Spirit Medicine. These can be used to refine Elixirs and also serve as a family’s Cultivation Resources.

The Spirit Vein here had been designated as First Grade precisely because its concentration was lacking.

A First Grade Spirit Vein has the lowest Spiritual Qi content and the least value. In contrast, a Ninth Grade Spirit Vein is the most precious, with extremely high Spiritual Qi content, and can even nurture valuable Spiritual Items and Treasures. This is why the higher a Spirit Vein’s Grade, the more intensely it is fought over.