Traveling day and night in desperate haste, Ling Pengyun crossed more than two thousand li in just two days and returned to Lingxiao Mountain.
Upon returning to Lingxiao Mountain, Ling Pengyun immediately went to the General Affairs Hall halfway up the mountain and sought out its Hall Master, the Lineage's Grand Elder, Ling Ruda.
Not long after Ling Pengyun found Ling Ruda, Ling Ruda excitedly and hurriedly led him up to the summit of Lingxiao Mountain, a place reserved for the Lineage's elders. There, they found Ling Yunhong, who was in seclusion within the only cave residence on the mountaintop, the Lingxiao Cave Residence.
Having just emerged from the Lingxiao Cave Residence, Ling Yunhong saw Ling Ruda's excited expression and Ling Pengyun—who should have been stationed at a low-grade spirit mountain outside—returning to the mountain and seeking him out. He was immediately puzzled and asked,
"Pengyun, weren't you stationed at Azure Stone Mountain? What is this about?"
"Yunhong, we'll speak inside the cave residence. It isn't safe here!" Ling Ruda said mysteriously, glancing around with vigilance.
Ling Yunhong had served as the Ling Clan's Clan Head for several decades and was quite close to Ling Ruda, so he naturally understood what Ling Ruda meant.
Ling Ruda feared that what they were about to say might be overheard, even by their own clansmen.
That meant the matter Ling Ruda wished to discuss was extraordinarily important.
"Come in," Ling Yunhong said solemnly with a nod.
The three sat around a small table in the main hall of the Lingxiao Cave Residence. Ling Yunhong waved his hand and set up a Soundproof Restriction around the cave residence, then curiously asked Ling Ruda,
"Eleventh Uncle, what urgent matter do you and Pengyun have to discuss?"
"Let Pengyun explain," Ling Ruda said, turning his gaze toward Ling Pengyun.
Ling Pengyun nodded lightly and briefly recounted how he had discovered a Mystic Water Iron Mine that was at least of miniature scale.
"Is this true?" Even Ling Yunhong, with his Foundation Establishment cultivation, was greatly shocked upon hearing that a Mystic Water Iron Mine had appeared within their territory. He rose directly from his stool and urgently questioned Ling Pengyun.
"Third Grandfather, every word this grandson has spoken is true! Please examine this ore!" Ling Pengyun patted his Storage Bag, summoned a piece of Mystic Water Iron Ore he had collected earlier, and solemnly handed it to Ling Yunhong.
When Ling Yunhong saw that the ore Ling Pengyun handed him was indeed Mystic Water Iron Raw Ore, he immediately placed absolute faith in the matter of the mine.
The matter of a mine was of tremendous importance. Ling Pengyun had no reason to lie; its truth or falsehood could be verified afterward.
"I never expected the Underground River in the great lake beside Azure Stone Mountain to contain a Mystic Water Iron Mine. When I led our clansmen to wipe out the snake demon colony in those mountains, I entered the lake's Underground River and investigated it myself. Yet I never saw the Azure Scale Water Python's nest. It seems that the Azure Scale Water Python only found that mine while you, Pengyun, were stationed at Azure Stone Mountain! If not for that demon serpent, even if our Ling Clan possessed this mine, we might never have found such an opportunity. Looking at it this way, the Lineage has inherited your fortuitous encounter!" Ling Yunhong said to Ling Pengyun with a smile.
No matter what kind of mine it was, a special layer of rock would form over its surface, concealing the mine's aura.
Under normal circumstances, mines were exceedingly difficult to discover. Only those exposed above the ground had any chance of being found by cultivators.
As for why Ling Yunhong, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator with powerful spiritual sense, had failed to find the Mystic Water Iron Mine in that Underground River, while the Azure Scale Water Python with its extremely weak spiritual sense had found it, perhaps that too had been its fortuitous encounter.
Based on Ling Pengyun's own speculation, the demon serpent might have happened to carve out its nest in that location and accidentally shattered the rocky layer concealing the Mystic Water Iron Mine's aura. Drawn by the mine's pure Water Spiritual Energy, it then opened another passage within its nest and dug deep into the mine.
"Third Grandfather, you overpraise me. I am a Ling Clan member, raised by the Lineage. Without the Lineage, there would be no me. My fortuitous encounter is no different from the Lineage's fortuitous encounter!"
Ling Yunhong was immensely satisfied upon hearing Ling Pengyun's answer. He silently praised Ling Pengyun in his heart, then said with a smile, "Pengyun, you have rendered great merit this time. We can discuss the reward for discovering the mine and your share of its profits later. Investigating the scale of this Mystic Water Iron Mine is the top priority now! Come with me and show me the way!"
"Alright!" Ling Pengyun answered.
Seeing Ling Pengyun agree, Ling Yunhong immediately called him out of the Lingxiao Cave Residence and summoned an Immortal Spirit Crane King resting in Lingxiao Back Mountain, one whose cultivation had reached Qi Training Completion.
After all, the Ling Clan had endured for more than two hundred years, longer than the founding history of ordinary Foundation Establishment Families. Naturally, it possessed some foundations.
That Immortal Spirit Crane King at Qi Training Completion was the ruler of a small flock of twelve Immortal Spirit Cranes that the Ling Clan had raised for over a century.
Immortal Spirit Cranes were demon beasts with graceful forms and formidable combat strength. They possessed some renown among demon beasts of the same rank, especially in speed, where they could be considered among the very best of their rank.
Given the strength of an Immortal Spirit Crane King at Qi Training Completion, traveling five thousand li in a day was no problem at all.
Ling Yunhong and Ling Pengyun rode together upon the Immortal Spirit Crane King and hurried toward Azure Stone Mountain.
In less than half a day, the two arrived at Azure Stone Lake. Led by Ling Pengyun, they entered the Underground River beneath the lake, entered the demon serpent's nest, and found the location of the Mystic Water Iron Mine.
As Ling Yunhong looked at the large stretches of Mystic Water Iron Raw Ore surrounding the small passage, wild joy surged in his heart. Even though he noticed that the passage floor was exceptionally clean—a highly abnormal sight—and guessed that Ling Pengyun might have picked up some ore fragments, he said nothing.
Even if Ling Pengyun had taken some, it was what he deserved.
At that moment, the Mystic Water Iron Mine was the only thing in his mind.
For a newly established Foundation Establishment Family, having one more mine was enormously beneficial.
Suppressing the joy in his heart, he mobilized the powerful spiritual sense of his Foundation Establishment realm and followed the direction in which the mine extended, probing onward.
Ten breaths later, after Ling Yunhong had investigated the Mystic Water Iron Mine's full scale, the joy in his heart could no longer be restrained, and he burst into laughter.
"Our Ling Clan shall rise! Ha! Ha! Ha!"
Only after quite some time did he return to normal.
Based on Ling Yunhong's expression, Ling Pengyun also guessed a few things. This Profound Water Mineral Vein was likely larger than the "miniature scale" he had initially estimated; otherwise, why would Ling Yunhong look so overjoyed?
He asked with great curiosity, "Third Grandfather, just how large is this Profound Water Mineral Vein?"
Ling Yunhong did not conceal anything. Ling Pengyun was the discoverer of this mine and ought to know its true condition.
"The Profound Water Mineral Vein extends more than four hundred and eighty zhang eastward, and its mineral reserves are extremely abundant. It can already be considered a rather good small-scale Mystic Water Iron Mine. If this mine is fully excavated, it should yield at least nearly one hundred thousand jin of Profound Iron Raw Ore. Once refined into Mystic Water Iron, there will be at least nearly eight or nine thousand jin."
"The mine is actually this large!" Ling Pengyun cried out. A smile appeared on his face as he began calculating how many Spirit Stones he could obtain from this mine.
After making some calculations, Ling Pengyun was already blooming with joy inside.
"Pengyun, your contribution this time is immense. I imagine that when you reported this mine to the Lineage, you had already decided that the Lineage would organize people to excavate it, while you would receive ten percent of its profits, correct?" Ling Yunhong said with a smile.
Ling Pengyun said nothing, but he nodded in acknowledgment.
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