Chapter 312: After the modification - 311 Earth Spirit Marrow (1st Update)

Words : 1883 Updated : Sep 27th, 2025

Chapter 312: After the modification: Chapter 311 Earth Spirit Marrow (1st Update) "Fellow Daoist Bai, congratulations on arriving at our Demon Ridge Ore Vein. In the coming period, we’ll need to support each other." After a satisfying meal, Wu Zonghui looked at Bai Ziyue with a smile and spoke. Bai Ziyue nodded, but did not speak. "The entire Demon Ridge Ore Vein, belonging to our Sunrise Daoist Sect, consists of three veins: the Spirit Stone Ore Vein, the Secret Silver Ore Vein, and the Black Crystal Ore Vein. Fellow Daoist Chen used to manage the Spirit Stone Ore Vein. However, recently, Fellow Daoist Chen met with an accident, encountering a Spirit Communication Great Demon and perished unexpectedly. To prevent the Spirit Stone Ore Vein from falling into chaos, I am temporarily taking over its management. Originally, since Fellow Daoist Bai has arrived and is taking on Fellow Daoist Chen’s position, it would be logical for him to take over the Spirit Stone Ore Vein." Wu Zonghui paused slightly. Seeing Bai Ziyue still expressionless, he furrowed his brow slightly but continued, "However, this Spirit Stone Ore Vein happens to be situated within the influence range of the Grand Daoist Sect. Additionally, the Grand Daoist Sect discovered another Spirit Stone Ore Vein just two mountain peaks away from ours. The proximity of these two veins naturally complicated relations. Therefore, after a discussion with Fellow Daoist Wang, we’ve decided that I’ll continue to manage the Spirit Stone Ore Vein for the time being." "Indeed, The Immortal Master Fang Ping of the Grand Daoist Sect has a fiery and domineering temperament. Only Fellow Daoist Wu could handle interactions with him, avoiding intense conflicts. Entrusting Fellow Daoist Wu with the Spirit Stone Ore Vein is indeed the most appropriate choice." Wang Ming also consistently echoed. "Oh? What about the remaining two veins?" Bai Ziyue’s eyes flickered slightly as he asked. "As for the Secret Silver Ore Vein, Fellow Daoist Wang has always been in charge. As the saying goes, better the devil you know, so naturally, it should remain with Fellow Daoist Wang for peace of mind. Thus, we can only trouble Fellow Daoist Bai to take up the management of the Black Crystal Ore Vein." Saying this, Wu Zonghui and Wang Ming both turned their gazes to Bai Ziyue. "Listening to you, it does sound somewhat reasonable." Bai Ziyue chuckled slightly, speaking in a tone that betrayed no clear intent. Before coming here, he had naturally gathered some understanding about these three veins belonging to the Sunrise Daoist Sect. He knew that the Spirit Stone Ore Vein here was a medium-sized vein. Although only half could be mined due to its division with the Grand Daoist Sect, it could still yield about 300,000 Lower Grade Spirit Stones annually. Managing such a vein allowed for numerous opportunities to gain benefits, naturally making it a lucrative role. The Secret Silver Ore Vein produced secret silver, which was highly conductive to spiritual power and essential for cultivators in crafting Magical Artifacts and Spiritual Artifacts. While not as lucrative as a Middle-grade Spirit Stone Ore Vein, it was still significantly rewarding. As for the Black Crystal Ore Vein... The Black Crystal itself wasn’t of low value, being necessary in the crafting of puppets, large Magical Artifacts, and various Array Discs. However, the Black Crystal Ore Vein here was not only smaller compared to the other two, but it had also been mined for over a century, making it relatively barren with few opportunities for gain. Bai Ziyue naturally saw clearly that Wu Zonghui and Wang Ming had already colluded and conspired together. If given a choice, any ordinary cultivator would never agree to such a distribution. However, Bai Ziyue was not an ordinary cultivator. The purpose of his coming to the Demon Ridge Ore Vein was not for the interests of these veins. These benefits might be very tempting for ordinary cultivators, but to him, they were insignificant. His main reason for coming here was for Soul Energy. He hoped to quickly increase his Soul Energy by taking advantage of the many heinous perpetrators and demons at the Demon Ridge Ore Vein, thereby rapidly enhancing his strength. The second reason was that this location was very close to the Grand Daoist Sect. There were some accounts he naturally had to settle. Thus, his expression remained unchanged as he nodded and said, "So be it, I agree." "I knew Fellow Daoist Bai is a person of great righteousness." Wu Zonghui and Wang Ming immediately showed smiles. Bai Ziyue smiled indifferently, agreeing meant being a person of great righteousness, disagreeing meant harboring deep hatred? "Additionally, it’s worth mentioning that every six months, the sect sends personnel to collect the ore materials. The task is not heavy, but there is a set quota each time. There are still three months until the next collection. Due to lax management, the mining work at the Black Crystal Ore Vein has been somewhat slack. After Fellow Daoist Bai takes office, supervision is still needed." Wu Zonghui seemed to recall something and reminded. "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Wu, for the reminder." Bai Ziyue smiled slightly and said. ... "It’s actually still a bit regrettable that Bai Ziyue came too soon. The Black Crystal produced by the Black Crystal Ore Vein isn’t much, but the Companion Ore within, the Earth Spirit Marrow, is definitely precious. A small piece contains frighteningly pure energy. After absorption, it can directly transform into Primordial Power, enhancing cultivation. It also possesses a special power for refining the physique; after using just three or four thumb-sized pieces of Earth Spirit Marrow, I’ve already felt my Physical Strength increase by three or four levels compared to before. Now that we’ve handed over management rights to him, trying to obtain this Earth Spirit Marrow again will be difficult." On the way back, Wang Ming said with a look of regret. As he spoke, he cast an envious glance at Wu Zonghui. Wu Zonghui’s talent in cultivation was not even as good as his; he had only broken through to the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation at the age of seventy. It took him eight years to accumulate enough Good Deeds and ten years waiting in line to exchange for the Enlightenment Pill, nearly reaching the age of ninety before breaking through to the Enlightenment Realm. Yet, it took him only five years to reach the Mid-stage Enlightenment Realm. The reason for this was precisely the Earth Spirit Marrow. He estimated that compared to Immortal Technique power, Senior Brother Wu’s physical strength must have been even more terrifying. "Actually, it’s not difficult. Don’t forget that I’ve spent a full five years at the Black Crystal Ore Vein. The stewards there are practically all my people. Do you believe that if something were to happen at the Black Crystal Ore Vein, I would definitely know about it before Bai Ziyue? For small pieces of Earth Spirit Marrow, just let him have them. You can’t leave him with nothing. But if there were any Earth Spirit Marrow the size of a fist or larger, I would naturally have a way to get it into my hands." Wu Zonghui smiled confidently as he spoke. "Indeed, Senior Brother Wu, you are truly formidable. That Bai Ziyue is completely at your mercy and doesn’t even realize it." Wang Ming looked at Wu Zonghui with admiration, but his brows quickly furrowed as he hesitated, "But what if the items fall into Bai Ziyue’s hands first? We are still some distance away from the Black Crystal Ore Vein; even at full speed, it will take us the time of one incense stick burning..." "Today, we pushed him so hard, and he didn’t dare to resist, proving that he is surely a weak person. At that time, if we both step forward, would he still dare to refuse? At worst, it will be as if another Spirit Communication Great Demon appeared. If that Fellow Daoist Chen hadn’t been so greedy, demanding as much as fifty percent of the gains, I wouldn’t have taken action against him," Wu Zonghui said dismissively. ... The next day, just at dawn, Bai Ziyue stepped on the Spell-Dodging Divine Sword and flew with Sword Control, transforming into a stream of light, leaving the Ministry of Mines. Soon, he descended into a large mining area. The previous day, someone from the Ministry of Mines had notified this location, so shortly after, a group of stewards from the Black Crystal Ore Vein gathered. For a long time, there had been an Inspectorate within the Black Crystal Ore Vein. This residence was originally a temporary villa for successive inspectors. When Wu Zonghui, the inspector before Bai Ziyue, moved out, it naturally became vacant. Now, with Bai Ziyue’s arrival, the Inspectorate welcomed a new master. Bai Ziyue quickly settled in, familiarizing himself with the place, and began the routine inquiry and inventory. "The Black Crystal Ore Vein has been mined for a hundred years, spreading over three large mountain peaks. Although it cannot compare to the Secret Silver Ore Vein and the spirit stone ore vein, its output has always been stable, with about 300,000 jin of black crystal produced every month." "The entire mining area employs around 1,500 miners, most of whom have more or less mastered some martial arts. Among them, there are about two hundred martial artists at the Inner Power Realm or above. Some are second-rate, first-class experts, and there is even an early-stage Innate Realm martial artist." "Every six months, someone is sent to collect ore materials, with a minimum expectation of 1.5 million jin each time. Now, only three months remain until the next collection." "There is a special accompanying treasure within the Black Crystal Ore Vein, the Earth Spirit Marrow, reputed to be incredibly powerful in effect..." ... In the living room of the Inspectorate courtyard, eight stewards cautiously fixed their gaze on Bai Ziyue, who remained calm, and began their reports sequentially. Bai Ziyue remained silent for a while before suddenly asking, "How much black crystal has been mined in our storehouse so far?" "Thir... thirty thousand jin..." One person hesitated as they answered. "Huh? Why is there so little?" Bai Ziyue immediately furrowed his brows. In three months, only thirty thousand jin—if 1.5 million jin were required every six months, it was far from sufficient. The room fell silent. All the stewards remained voiceless, seeming to partake in silent resistance, or perhaps they were concealing something. Bai Ziyue’s eyes turned cold as he suddenly recalled something Wu Zonghui had deliberately mentioned, leading him to suspect that this matter was most likely the handiwork of the latter. "How much silver do we have in the treasury?" Bai Ziyue continued to ask. In the Sunrise Daoist Sect, although most transactions were conducted using Spirit Stones, in the mines, where most were ordinary martial artists, they naturally used silver instead. "One hundred thousand taels of silver." One person’s voice grew even drier. One hundred thousand taels of silver might be a lot for an individual, but compared to a mining area overseeing 1,500 people, it was astonishingly scarce, unable even to cover the month-end wages. Yet, at this moment, Bai Ziyue’s expression grew even calmer.

Chapter 312: After the modification - 311 Earth Spirit Marrow (1st Update)

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