Advancing to the Fire Vein
The boundary of the Muddy Swamp.
Ling Penglin, Second Grade Middle Rank Array Formation, piloted a flying boat and carried a map. After comparing the maps, he finally landed on the shore of a lake in the center of a deserted island.
She gazed at the small lake before her and muttered something to herself.
"This should be the entrance where Eighth Sister-in-law- in-law discovered the Fire Essence Spirit Pool."
After saying that, she waved her hand and conjured a water sphere that enveloped her before jumping into the lake.
Following the tributary of the Underground River in the center of the lake, they entered the Main Vein of the Underground River deep underground. Not far away, on the cliff of the Main Vein of the Underground River, they found the fire python's nest that Yan Siyi had discovered not long ago and entered it.
The nest extends upwards and then into the cliff face. At the deepest part of the nest, there is no water and it is very dry.
Finally, Ling Penglin stood beside the Fire Essence Spirit Pool, a First-Tier Superior-Grade pool, about ten feet wide.
After confirming the authenticity of the spirit pool, she used her Divine Sense to probe deep into the pool's depths to investigate the resistance of the First Rank High Grade Fire Vein.
When she realized that the fire vein deep underground had reached the peak of the First-Tier Superior-Grade and was only one step away from the Second Rank Spirit Vein, her expression brightened slightly.
"Given that the fire vein deep underground has already reached the peak of the First-Tier Superior-Grade realm, we can use Spirit Stone to set up Second Grade Spirit Ascension Array here to help raise the grade of that fire vein to the second-tier realm."
"In this way, the First Rank High Grade Fire Essence Spirit Pool, which is of the same lineage as the Spirit Vein, can also rely on the feedback from the Spirit Vein's advancement and will most likely break through to the second-grade realm, bringing more benefits to the Lineage."
"The Lineage can also have another source of Second Rank Heaven and Earth Spiritual Water."
With the addition of this First-Tier Superior-Grade Fire Essence Spirit Pool, the Ling Clan now occupies two spirit pools capable of producing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Water.
The other spiritual pool was the First-Tier Superior-Grade Dark Ice Spirit Pool that Ling Pengyun discovered in his early years in the territory of the Tiger's Roar Liu Clan clan in Huai River County.
However, more than a decade ago, Ling Penglin used Spirit Stone to set up Spirit Ascension Array at that spirit pool, which helped it rise to the second rank.
The improved grade of that spiritual pool brought immense value to the Ling Clan.
Every year, that place can produce hundreds of mouthfuls of First Rank Low Grade spiritual water, which is equivalent to the First Rank Low Grade cultivation pill, Qi Refining Pill.
Over a century, it can produce dozens of mouthfuls of second-grade Nether Dark Ice Spirit Water equivalent to cultivation pills of the same level.
Nowadays, the secluded location of that Dark Ice Spirit Pool is guarded year-round by an elderly cultivator from the Ling Clan who is at the Qi Training Late Stage.
At the same time, a second-order formation was also set up there. With that formation and the second-order Water Vein of that place, it would be extremely difficult for even Foundation Establishment Cultivator to break through.
As for Ling Yunxi, the previous Fifth Elder who was originally stationed at that Dark Ice Spirit Pool, he died more than twenty years ago due to the exhaustion of his lifespan.
Before Ling Penglin came here, she had no intention of advancing the Spirit Vein of this place.
To upgrade an ordinary First-Tier Superior-Grade Spirit Vein to the second grade using the Spirit Ascension Array, at least 30,000 Spirit Stone are required.
However, if one wants to rely on the nourishing effect of the Spirit Vein to improve the grade of the Fire Essence Spirit Pool, at least 20,000 Spirit Stone will be needed.
With the two combined, to advance the grade of the Fire Essence Spirit Pool through the Spirit Vein's feedback, at least 50,000 Spirit Stone would be required.
This amount of Spirit Stone is not a small sum even by today's Spirit Stone.
Even if there were a Fire Essence Spirit Pool in the area where this fire vein is located, it wouldn't be worth the Ling Clan spending such a huge price to upgrade the grade of this Spirit Vein.
However, the fact that the Spirit Vein here are of the highest grade of the First-Tier Superior-Grade is a different matter entirely.
Under these circumstances, the amount of Spirit Stone required to upgrade this Spirit Vein can be reduced by at least 30% to 40%, requiring only about 35,000 Spirit Stone to upgrade the Spirit Vein and the spiritual pool to the second level by relying on the great formation.
Fifteen thousand Spirit Stone is a lot; it's enough to buy three second-rate Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object Spirit Stone, which can increase the probability of Qi Refining cultivator breaking through to Foundation Establishment by 15%.
If used to purchase cultivation-related spiritual items and train Qi Refining cultivators, this amount of Spirit Stone could train about five cultivators with good aptitude to cultivate from the Qi Refining First Layer to the ninth level of Qi Training Ninth Layer.
After Ling Penglin used the local Spirit Vein to set up another Second Grade Endless Flame Fire Array Formation to protect the place, she hurriedly left and found Ling Pengyun, who was leading people to clear away the Black Mud. She told Ling Pengyun about her desire to upgrade the Spirit Vein of the Fire Essence Spirit Pool and asked for the opinion of the true sovereign of the Lineage on the upgrade of the Spirit Vein.
After all, the amount of Spirit Stone required for the advancement of Spirit Vein is enormous.
"If the spirit pool's grade can be advanced to the second tier through the feedback from the Spirit Vein, it will be of great benefit to the Lineage."
"The Lineage can barely afford 35,000 Spirit Stone, but I don't have that Spirit Stone. You'll need to go to the Lingyun Island clan territory and retrieve them from the Clan Repository."
Ling Pengyun replied.
Ling Penglin nodded slightly, then took her leave of Ling Pengyun and returned to the Lineage's ancestral land, Lingyun Island. After saying goodbye to the steward, Ling Pengshan, she went into the Clan Repository and took the 35,000 Spirit Stone she needed, as well as the Second Grade Middle Rank Spirit Ascension Array Formation she had refined for the Lineage in her early years.
This back and forth took nearly seven days before Ling Penglin finally returned to the First-Tier Superior-Grade Fire Spirit Vein, which was located in a hidden cave deep underground in the Underground River.
Without delay, she immediately set up the Spirit Ascension Array on the First-Tier Superior-Grade Fire Spirit Vein.
He then activated the formation using the 35,000 Spirit Stone he possessed.
Within the vast expanse, a large number of Spirit Stone were refined into rich Spiritual Qi by the Spirit Ascension Array and poured into the First-Tier Superior-Grade Fire Spirit Vein deep underground.
As time went by, the Fire Spirit Vein that had been stuck at the peak of the First-Tier Superior-Grade -grade realm for years gradually broke through its bottleneck with the help of a continuous stream of Spiritual Qi.
After refining over 33,000 Spirit Stone, the Fire Spirit Vein Fire Spirit Vein finally broke through its bottleneck, its aura gradually rising, and it entered the second-tier realm.
Its size also grew rapidly, reaching a length of nine zhang (approximately 33 meters).
At that moment, the ground inexplicably began to shake.
Outside this cave, deep beneath the massive Main Vein of the Underground River, a surge of intense fire suddenly appeared.
Before Ling Penglin could react, the thin wisp of fire that had appeared deep underground erupted from the depths, blasting a hole the size of a human head into the riverbed of the Underground River, from which a blue flame emerged.
The blue flame was extremely hot, and the surrounding river water was instantly burned away by it. The river water further away was also boiled by the blue flame containing extremely high temperature.
Ling Penglin sensed the movement and immediately left the cave, diving into the Underground River Mainstream.
She was startled when she saw the blue flame that was burning deep in the river.
"Subterranean fire?"
This guess was immediately dismissed by Ling Penglin.
She had seen the Earth Fire Cave on the "Earth Fire Island" where the Lineage's Alchemist lived, and the earth fire that spewed out from that Earth Fire Cave did not look like this.
Earth fire is Red Crab in color and looks similar to ordinary flames, except that it is hotter.
For a moment, Ling Penglin became even more puzzled.