Earth Vein Surge, Fortune and Misfortune Intertwined

"Holy shit! Do they really have to mess with me like this?!"

Xuanwei frantically cursed inwardly as his immortal qi body fled for its life through the absurdly narrow spirit vein passage, moving so fast it nearly left an afterimage—if gaseous lifeforms could even have afterimages.

Behind him, the greedy, enraged roars of the Earth Vein Rock Lizards mixed with the piercing scrape of their claws against stone, chasing him like death warrants. These big bastards usually slept underground and couldn't care less about the tragic tale of that Qilin next door, but the moment they caught a whiff of something tasty—namely, the freshly formed Wutu Source Core inside him—they ran faster than anyone! They were practically a gang of underground thugs!

[Warning! The Earth Vein Rock Lizard pack is now within fifty zhang!]

[Warning! Three branches ahead! Energy fluctuations are chaotic. Recommendation...]

"Recommendation my ass! Take the leftmost path! It feels like it has the weakest baleful aura!" Xuanwei had no time to listen to the system's leisurely analysis. Relying on his keen perception of earth-element spiritual power after merging with the Wutu Source Core, he made the choice almost instinctively.

Whoosh!

He plunged into the darker passage on the left, where the spiritual qi was comparatively gentler. The lizard pack behind him was clearly not as "small and nimble" as he was. The leading few burly fellows... no, burly lizards, slammed into the rock wall at the fork with a resounding crash, shaking the ground and sending gravel raining down. It temporarily impeded the troops behind them.

"Whew... I've shaken them off a little?" Xuanwei had barely sighed in relief.

The next second, he realized he had celebrated too soon.

This passage did indeed contain less baleful qi, but... damn it, it was a maze! It twisted and turned, with forks everywhere like an anthill! Worse still, the passage varied wildly in width. Sometimes it was broad enough to throw a party in, while other times it was so narrow that even his wisp of immortal qi had to suck in its gut to squeeze through!

"Does this count as... being forced to experience a Primordial World version of an obstacle course?" he thought as he desperately burrowed ahead. "No prize, but the punishment for losing is getting fed directly to lizards..."

[Energy Level: 8%... 9%...]

Within him, the Wutu Source Core continued releasing pure source power without pause, steadily driving up his energy level. It felt like running a marathon with a jetpack strapped to his back. It was exhilarating, sure, but exhausting too—and the key issue was that a pack of hungry wolves was still chasing him!

"No, I need to refine it quickly! Otherwise, I'm just a walking delicacy, and everyone will be eyeing me wherever I go!" Xuanwei gritted his teeth. While maintaining his high speed, he split off a thread of consciousness and began circulating the introductory technique Mo Xuan had taught him for the Nine Tribulations Earth-Guarding Body.

This technique was exceptionally profound. Its purpose was to draw in Wutu essence to temper the body, endure nine tribulations, and achieve the supreme Earth-Guarding Dao Body. Forget tempering a Dao Body—he did not even have a physical form yet. All he could do was try to guide that vast Wutu power to reinforce and solidify the source of his immortal qi.

It was extremely difficult at first. Trying to enter meditation and cultivate while moving at high speed and under such mental strain was sheer fantasy. Several times, he nearly crashed headfirst into suddenly protruding stalagmites or fell into chaotic spiritual qi currents because he got distracted.

Yet the enormous pressure of being hunted instead unleashed his potential. Gradually, he found a strange rhythm, barely combining the cadence of running—or floating?—with the circulation of the cultivation art.

"I absorb... I circulate... I refine... Hey, would you look at that, this 'parkour cultivation method' is actually pretty efficient!" He could feel his absorption of the Wutu Source Core's power speeding up noticeably. His immortal qi body became more condensed, and the pale yellow radiance settled within its pearly whiteness grew increasingly gentle and substantial.

Even his use of Deep Immortal Seclusion became more practiced under such pressure. Sometimes, he could almost perfectly disguise himself as an ordinary current of earth vein spiritual qi, fooling small underground creatures whose senses were not particularly sharp.

[Energy Level has surpassed 10%! Automatic analysis of the Qi-Guiding Chapter of the Chaos Heaven-Opening Art has increased!]

[Detected that the host has initially mastered the guiding method of the Nine Tribulations Earth-Guarding Body. Physical body (source) strength has increased slightly.]

The system notifications lifted his spirits. Sure enough, pressure was the best catalyst!

Just as he had begun to adapt somewhat to this insane rhythm of cultivating while fleeing for his life, the passage ahead abruptly came to an end!

It was not a dead end, but a... broader, stranger underground space!

This was no longer a simple rock formation. It was filled with all kinds of strange, faintly glowing crystals: pale blue ice crystals, fiery red flame crystals, and even more ochre spiritual crystals. Countless tiny spirit veins intertwined and coursed through this crystal forest like glowing blood vessels, forming a breathtaking yet perilous sight.

Most importantly, the spiritual qi here was incredibly mixed and exceptionally violent! Currents of different attributes collided with one another, occasionally exploding into small energy vortices with crackling pops.

"Good grief, did I fall into a spirit stone vein nest? And it comes in mixed flavors!" Xuanwei stopped at the passage exit, dumbfounded. This place looked beautiful, but it felt even more dangerous than that pack of rock lizards behind him!

The roars behind him drew near again. The rock lizards had clearly scented this rich mineral zone... as well as the scent of him, their "delicacy," and were pursuing him even more desperately.

Chaotic energy currents lay ahead; deadly pursuers chased from behind.

"Damn it! I'm doing it!" Xuanwei steeled himself. "Fortune is found in danger! Maybe there's a way out in there!"

He carefully controlled his immortal qi body like a surfer, waiting for the gap between two clashing currents of different spiritual qi attributes before plunging in!

The moment he entered the crystal forest, he felt as though he had fallen into a blender. One moment, scorching fire spiritual qi seared him with a sizzling sound; the next, freezing cold spiritual qi nearly solidified him. More often, all kinds of chaotic impacts battered him around like a ball.

"Hold steady! Hold steady! Xuanwei, you can do this! You're the man who will become a Dao Sovereign—how can you fall in a place like this?!" He encouraged himself, pushing Deep Immortal Seclusion and his newly comprehended "parkour cultivation method" to their limits as he struggled through the chaotic energy currents, weaving and dodging.

Several times, he nearly got swept into suddenly erupting energy vortices. Fortunately, the system warned him in time, and his reactions were quick enough for him to narrowly evade them.

The Earth Vein Rock Lizards that chased in were much less fortunate. They were huge, obvious targets, and nowhere near as "slippery" as Xuanwei. The moment they entered, they suffered indiscriminate attacks from the chaotic energy currents. Several rock lizards that charged too fiercely were blasted by exploding fire spiritual qi, their scales flying everywhere as they screamed and retreated. They could only rage helplessly around the edges.

"Hahaha! You big idiots, come in! Go on, come in!" Seeing this, Xuanwei immediately got cocky. He danced through the turbulent currents while mentally taunting them—though they could not hear him at all.

However, joy turned to sorrow.

He was so busy avoiding the obvious energy currents and mocking the rock lizards behind him that he failed to notice beneath him... no, below his body, a milky-white spirit vein that looked calm but concealed something mysterious.

When he inadvertently drifted over that spirit vein—

Bzz!

A powerful yet gentle suction force suddenly surged forth!

This power was not an attack. It was more like... guidance? It was as though the pure Innate Immortal Qi source within him and the Wutu Source Core had somehow resonated with this spirit vein!

"Huh? Hey, hey, hey?! What's going on? Don't suck me in! I don't taste good!" Xuanwei was horrified. He struggled desperately, only to discover that before this suction force, he was like an ant trying to shake a tree—utterly powerless to resist!

Whoosh!

His immortal qi body was directly seized by that suction force and dragged into the milky-white spirit vein, vanishing instantly!

The pursuing Earth Vein Rock Lizards watched helplessly as their "delicacy" disappeared into the spirit vein. They let out even angrier, more unwilling roars, yet they did not dare step into that milky-white spirit vein in the slightest, as though it contained something that terrified them.

At that moment, Xuanwei felt as though he had been stuffed into an incomparably smooth tube, speeding toward an unknown destination at a velocity far beyond his own flight!

The pressure around him was immense, but no longer aggressive. Instead, it felt warm and comforting, as though he were soaking in a hot spring. Incomparably pure spiritual qi, even purer and more tranquil than what the Wutu Source Core emitted, continuously nourished his source.

"What... what's happening now?" He was a little dazed. "I just escaped the wolf's den and entered... huh? This place actually feels pretty comfortable?"

His energy level continued to rise steadily, while the energy he had expended fleeing and resisting the chaotic currents was rapidly replenished.

After an unknown amount of time, a point of light suddenly appeared ahead and swiftly expanded!

Puff—

As though something had spat him out, he felt the weight around him vanish, and the suction force and pressure enveloping him abruptly disappeared.

He "looked" around and found himself in a... completely unexpected place.

This was no longer the dark, oppressive underground. It was a vast, naturally formed cavern. Countless stalactites emitting soft white light hung from the ceiling, illuminating the entire space as brightly as day. At the center of the cavern was a small pool of crystal-clear water, radiating incredibly dense Innate Spiritual Qi. A hazy spiritual mist had even formed above it!

And at the center of the pool grew a... plant?

It was only about three chi tall, lush green from top to bottom, with nine differently shaped leaves. Each leaf was naturally inscribed with profound runes, radiating dense life force and the rhythm of the Great Dao. At the top of the plant hung three scarlet fruits the size of longans. Faint dragon and phoenix phantoms coiled across their surfaces, and their fragrance was intoxicating!

Merely catching a trace of that fruit's fragrance made Xuanwei's immortal qi source leap with joy. All the exhaustion and hidden injuries from his escape were swept away in an instant!

"Did I... hit the jackpot?!" Xuanwei stared in shock, his eyes going wide—if he had eyes. "Could this be the legendary... Innate Spiritual Root?!"

He cautiously approached the pool, feeling the vast vitality and tranquil Dao Rhyme emanating from the spiritual root. Then he looked at his energy level, which had surged to nearly 15% thanks to the Wutu Source Core and all the nourishment along the way.

Did this count as... surviving a great calamity and receiving good fortune afterward?

However, just as he was considering how to "reasonably" pick one of the fruits for a taste—

[Warning! High-intensity life-protection field detected! Source: Innate Spiritual Root itself!]

[Warning! This spiritual root has developed preliminary intelligence and possesses natural protective restrictions! Forcibly approaching will trigger a violent counterattack!]

[Risk Assessment: Extremely high! Recommendation for host...]

The system warnings sounded again, but this time, Xuanwei sensed a hint of curiosity, vigilance, yet not outright hostility... watching him from among the swaying branches and leaves of the spiritual root?