Chapter 1132
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Chapter 1132: Exploring the Mine!
“A third-rate power?” Su Yi was taken aback.
From a great distance, for a faction that wasn’t particularly powerful, it could be considered right under the other faction’s nose.
It might even be said that the mine possibly falls within that faction’s jurisdiction.
If that’s truly the case, any disturbance could very well attract trouble!
“Yes, a third-rate faction called the Sky Spider Sect. Overall, they’re on a similar level to the Golden Sword Sect,” Nangong Ningyue added.
Su Yi furrowed his brow slightly. He still had some recollection of the Sky Spider Sect; he had observed them during the preliminary selection at the alliance convention.
However, this faction isn’t particularly strong—at best, it ranks in the middle tier of third-rate factions. They didn’t qualify for the later stages of the convention to become one of the top ten strongest third-rate factions.
“Let’s be cautious and avoid unnecessary complications,” Su Yi thought for a moment and said.
A third-rate faction like the Overlord Sect no longer posed a threat worth fearing, but if news of the Yuan Stone mine were to leak, that would be the real trouble.
For now, though, there isn’t a better solution. Some risks can only be mitigated with care, but if problems do arise, Su Yi wouldn’t be afraid.
A group of people rode on a flying magical creature known as a demon beast, traveling swiftly.
Under Su Yi’s orders, creatures like the Flame Wing Demon Tiger and the Golden Gryphon remained discreet, concealing their grandeur to avoid attracting attention.
Along the way, they encountered some weak demon beasts, but these creatures didn’t dare act presumptuously in their presence, choosing instead to steer clear.
Just as Nangong Ningyue had said, it took them nearly a day to finally reach a mountain range.
“This place is called the Fēnglíng Mountains, somewhat famous in the area because many high-level spiritual herbs have been found here, though nothing truly extraordinary. So, the mountain range is only mildly renowned and may be a rare treasure-hunting spot for wandering cultivators, but larger sects might not pay much attention to it!”
On the back of the Flame Wing Demon Tiger, Nangong Ningyue turned her head and explained to Su Yi and the others.
Under everyone’s gaze, the vast expanse of mountains below stretched like coiling dragons, extending to the distant horizon with no end in sight.
Atop the mountains, clusters of vegetation flourished, including towering trees and tangled bushes.
In some valleys, faint glimpses of demon beasts could be seen, though their overall strength wasn’t particularly impressive.
In short, as Su Yi and the others surveyed the mountains, they found them quite ordinary. At most, they could note that the spiritual energy was slightly more concentrated. While such places weren’t ubiquitous, they were also not difficult to come by.
Hearing Nangong Ningyue’s words, Su Yi understood that this location typically held little interest for most people. At best, some young sect disciples might come here for minor training, but it wasn’t of great significance.
“Where exactly is the Yuan Stone mine? Let’s go survey it first!” Su Yi nodded and asked directly.
“It’s a bit farther ahead. Initially, I only roughly identified some details before I was chased by people from the Seven Star Sword Sect. So, this time, we need to explore again to fully understand the mine’s specific conditions.”
Nangong Ningyue spoke, gesturing for several demon beasts to land on the ground. Dozens of people stood in a valley surrounded by endless dense forests.
Nangong Ningyue retrieved an object resembling a compass from her space bag, about the size of two palms, and held it in her hands.
When spiritual energy was infused into it, a faint light emanated from the compass. Brighter dots, like playful little insects, darted across its surface, exuding a mysterious aura.
“This is probably somewhat akin to cartography methods from my past life, isn’t it?”
Watching Nangong Ningyue’s actions, Su Yi couldn’t help but think this.
Nangong Ningyue explained that this skill was passed down in her family, known to very few, and she considered herself merely a novice.
Su Yi knew that methods to actively locate Yuan Stone deposits were scarce in this world, though he believed powerful factions likely possessed their own techniques.
“Swish, swish, swish…”
On the compass in Nangong Ningyue’s hand, the dots continued flashing and shifting. Sweat beaded on her face, and her energy drained rapidly.
After about half an incense stick’s worth of time, all the dots on the compass finally settled.
There were roughly seven or eight dots arranged in an odd pattern, forming a mysterious design.
Su Yi glanced at it and found himself utterly clueless. The others, including Xi Wuqing, were equally baffled, unable to make sense of it no matter how hard they tried.
“Hoo…”
Nangong Ningyue exhaled deeply, rested briefly, then leapt onto a small hill ahead.
“Dig down five zhang here!”
Nangong Ningyue pointed and directed the Overlord Sect disciples to begin digging.
Dozens of people followed her orders, spending some time excavating a five-zhang-deep hole on the hillside, exposing layers of rock.
Nangong Ningyue jumped directly into the pit, smashed some rocks, and examined them carefully in her hands.
“Let’s go!”
After a while, Nangong Ningyue sprang out of the hole and swiftly moved to another spot. Su Yi, Xi Wuqing, Su Xiaoshuai, the Purple Elephant Emperor, and the others followed suit.
They changed locations, and Nangong Ningyue took out her compass again, infusing it with her qi.
Not long after, she instructed them to dig another large hole. After entering it, she even tasted the soil inside.
In this manner, Nangong Ningyue shifted locations dozens of times, repeating these steps at each one.
Her energy was heavily depleted. At first, she managed with Qi-restoring pills to recover, but gradually, the pills couldn’t keep up.
Su Yi simply handed her a bottle of Spiritual Essence, allowing Nangong Ningyue to restore her strength quickly.
Time passed swiftly; before they knew it, night deepened, and soon dawn broke.
It took nearly an entire day to complete the work, and Su Yi and the others noticed a look of relief mixed with excitement on Nangong Ningyue’s face.
“Master, I’ve surveyed the approximate location of the Yuan Stone mine! Generally, the mining area spans a radius of about ten miles, and there should be a considerable amount of Yuan Stone!” Nangong Ningyue announced.
“A mining area with a radius of ten miles!”
Upon hearing this, Su Yi, Xi Wuqing, and the others were stunned.
This was undeniably a vast mining area, significant in scale. Barring any unforeseen issues, they stood to harvest a substantial amount of Yuan Stone.
“Very good!”
Su Yi nodded excitedly and asked, “Can you determine the grade of this Yuan Stone? Are there second-grade, third-grade, or even fourth-grade stones?”
His eyes gleamed as he eagerly looked at the woman before him.
Nangong Ningyue squirmed slightly under Su Yi’s gaze and sighed helplessly. “Master, you can’t expect high-grade Yuan Stones to be as common as cabbages in the ground. Mines typically yield first-grade Yuan Stones, with a few second-grade ones if we’re fortunate. Third-grade Yuan Stones are rare. But you’re asking about fourth-grade Yuan Stones right away, which…”
Not only Nangong Ningyue, but Xi Wuqing, the Purple Elephant Emperor, and the others also rolled their eyes at their master. His ambitions seemed rather lofty.
“Hehe…”
Su Yi chuckled awkwardly and refrained from saying more.
He knew he’d gotten carried away, but he couldn’t help feeling thrilled at the prospect.
“We’ll gain a clearer understanding of the Yuan Stones’ specific grades once we begin mining. High-grade Yuan Stones might exist, but we shouldn’t set our hopes too high. They’re scarce and difficult to obtain.”
Nangong Ningyue spoke again, noting that since they hadn’t started mining yet, she couldn’t say much definitively.
“Okay, let’s start preparing for mining!”
Su Yi nodded, tempering his excitement as he began assessing their surroundings.
Normally, this mountain range wouldn’t see many visitors, but once the Overlord Sect began mining Yuan Stone, it might remain discreet for a short time. Over time, however, more people would inevitably take notice.
Thus, defense here was a concern.
Moreover, the Overlord Sect currently lacked sufficient manpower, so they might need to recruit wandering cultivators to serve as miners.
“I’ll explore further to determine the best place to start mining!” Nangong Ningyue said.
With that, she set off again to continue her investigation.
Su Yi and the others couldn’t offer much help but followed behind.
The group began moving within the area, and it was during this time that another group of people arrived nearby.
This group was led by an old man, accompanied by five or six hundred young and middle-aged individuals—a sizable crowd.
Most striking were their mounts: enormous spiders, each at least ten feet tall, adorned with black and red stripes, exuding an intimidating presence!
There were over a hundred of these spiders in total.
“Elder, is the information our sect obtained accurate? Have we truly discovered a Yuan Stone mine?”
From atop one of the spiders, a young person spoke up, addressing the old man leading them.
Their words carried a strong sense of excitement.
“Of course it’s true. We’re here to establish a foothold and fully secure this place to prevent any uncertainties.”
The white-bearded old man nodded confidently and said, “There’s no need to doubt this. For our Sky Spider Sect, this is a tremendous opportunity! Strong experts have already surveyed it and confirmed that the mine’s grade is quite high and its scale substantial!”
“That’s wonderful!” Many disciples around the old man beamed with delight.
“You young ones, do your best. As long as we succeed here, you’ll surely reap the rewards!”
The old man glanced at those around him and said as much.
“Yes, Elder Xun!” All the disciples responded respectfully.
During a mine’s excavation, as long as they performed well, they too could gain significant benefits.
