Ironwood Manor was mostly forest, and it was the kind of forest that remained quite primitive.
The Lei Family had focused all their attention on the Ironwood trees. They clearly had not paid much attention to the forest formed by ordinary trees farther back.
As Lin Yi made his way deeper into the forest, he released his Spiritual Energy and carefully probed his surroundings.
Lin Yi remembered that the area where the Yang Yuan Stone vein was located had two Black Iron Demonic Leopards.
Therefore, as long as he found the Black Iron Demonic Leopards, he would not be far from finding the Yang Yuan Stone vein.
Lin Yi carefully searched for nearly an hour. Suddenly, he discovered that the woodland ahead seemed to have reached its end. At the same time, he faintly caught the scent of beasts.
I found it!
Lin Yi's thoughts stirred. He became even more cautious, releasing his Spiritual Energy to its limit. He soon discovered that at the end of the woodland was a slightly sunken valley.
Deep in the valley, there were indeed two Black Iron Demonic Leopards comparable to Heaven Origin Realm experts!
Since he had found the Black Iron Demonic Leopards, that meant the Yang Yuan Stone vein was in this area!
Lin Yi bent down and grabbed a handful of soil. He could clearly sense the Yang Gang Qi contained within it!
Immediately afterward, Lin Yi placed his right palm on the ground and slowly changed its position.
Suddenly, Lin Yi sensed a strange fluctuation coming from his palm. The Stone Talisman had clearly reacted.
Lin Yi quietly sensed that fluctuation as his body and palm continued moving. After a while, he finally stopped at a slightly sunken spot.
Looking at the somewhat sunken area, Lin Yi punched down. As the soil flew in all directions, a hole about a foot across was revealed.
The hole had clearly existed for a long time; it had merely been buried beneath the surface layer of soil.
When the hole appeared, the Stone Talisman's fluctuation intensified somewhat.
Lin Yi immediately thrust his arm into the hole and kept digging deeper.
Nearly fifteen minutes later, the palm he had thrust into the hole suddenly grabbed a stone radiating a faint warmth.
The moment the stone entered his hand, the fluctuation from the Stone Talisman in Lin Yi's palm finally ceased.
"I finally found it..."
Sensing the change in the Stone Talisman, joy filled Lin Yi's heart. He hurriedly pulled his arm back, and a pale-red stone appeared before his eyes. It was the Yang Yuan Stone!
"It's already getting late. Tomorrow, I'll bring Grandpa and Father here and excavate the vein!"
Lin Yi put the Yang Yuan Stone he had dug out himself into the Universe Ring, patted the dirt from his hands, and then turned to return to the manor.
The next day, when Lin Zhentian learned that Lin Yi might have discovered a Yang Yuan Stone vein, his face flushed with excitement. "Yi'er, you said you discovered a Yang Yuan Stone vein?"
Lin Xiao was equally shaken by the news, and his emotions surged.
A Yang Yuan Stone vein might not be much to those major powers, but to the Lin Family, it was immensely important!
Lin Yi nodded. "I carefully sensed it. That area contains an abundance of Yang Gang Qi. Moreover, I only dug around casually for a while and already unearthed a Yang Yuan Stone."
As he spoke, Lin Yi reached into his robes and took out the Yang Yuan Stone he had dug up the previous evening. Quite a bit of dirt still clung to it.
"It really is a Yang Yuan Stone!"
Lin Zhentian and Lin Xiao looked at the Yang Yuan Stone in Lin Yi's hand, and the joy on their faces became even more apparent.
Lin Yi smiled. "Grandpa, Father, you should know that Yang Yuan Stones rarely appear individually. Moreover, the Yang Gang Qi in that area is extremely dense, so there must be a Yang Yuan Stone vein there."
"Take me to see that place!"
Lin Zhentian's breathing grew somewhat hurried as he spoke urgently to Lin Yi.
Lin Yi nodded slightly, then reminded him, "However, there are two adult Black Iron Demonic Leopards there."
"Oh?"
Upon hearing that there were two Black Iron Demonic Leopards, Lin Zhentian's expression changed as well. He gritted his teeth and said:
"If there really is a Yang Yuan Stone vein there, let alone two Black Iron Demonic Leopards—even if there were more, we would have to find a way to eliminate them!"
Hearing this, Lin Yi nodded again. He turned around to lead Lin Zhentian and Lin Xiao, and the three of them brought shovels as they swiftly dashed toward the depths of the manor.
With the three of them traveling at full speed, they reached the place where Lin Yi had discovered the Yang Yuan Stone in barely more than ten minutes.
"As expected, they're Black Iron Demonic Leopards." Standing above the valley entrance, Lin Zhentian looked at the two Black Iron Demonic Leopards at the bottom and nodded solemnly.
Both Black Iron Demonic Leopards were adults and comparable to human Heaven Origin Realm experts. Dealing with them would be somewhat troublesome.
However, once the Yang Yuan Stone vein was confirmed, they would have to deal with them no matter how troublesome it was.
Next, the three of them used shovels, starting from the hole where Lin Yi had dug out the Yang Yuan Stone. They gradually dug downward and expanded the excavation area.
After digging continuously for more than half an hour, the hole, which had originally been only a foot across, had become a large pit more than a dozen yards wide.
"Clang!"
When Lin Yi brought his shovel down once more, a crisp sound suddenly rang out through the quiet forest.
Upon hearing that sound, Lin Zhentian and Lin Xiao's bodies shook, and their gazes instantly turned toward Lin Yi's shovel.
There was actually a faint red radiance flickering beneath the soil.
A moment later, the excited Lin Zhentian directly threw away his shovel. With a sweep of his broad sleeve, a fierce wind surged forth and flipped away the entire layer of soil.
As the soil receded, a sheet of red light immediately entered the three men's eyes. It was a layer of pale-red rock.
The rock layer was somewhat transparent. Looking inside, one could vaguely see pale-red crystals embedded deep within it. They looked like gems, sparkling brightly.
"It really is... a Yang Yuan Stone vein!"
Lin Xiao stared blankly at the red rock layer, his body trembling from overwhelming excitement.
"May Heaven bless our Lin Family!"
Lin Zhentian tilted his head back, tears of excitement streaming down his aged face. With this vein, the Lin Family would experience explosive growth!
By then, it would not only be Qingyang Town. Even in Flame City and throughout Tiandu Prefecture, the Lin Family would possess considerable renown.
Looking at the excited grandfather and father, a faint smile also appeared on Lin Yi's face.
At that moment, the system's childish voice rang out in Lin Yi's mind once more.
[Clang! The host has discovered a Yang Yuan Stone vein and made a major contribution to the family. Reward: one Spirit Nourishing Pill! Note: Consuming this pill can greatly increase Spiritual Energy!]
Not a bad reward!
Lin Yi had been cultivating Spiritual Energy for nearly five months, yet he had never used a pill related to it.
The Spirit Medicine he had purchased in Flame City last time had already been used up. He had been planning to go to Flame City to buy more Spirit Medicine in a few days and select some that could promote the growth of his Spiritual Energy.
Now, he could try this Spirit Nourishing Pill first and see how much it would increase his Spiritual Energy.
"Let's go. We'll return first." After Lin Zhentian's excitement subsided, he spoke to Lin Xiao and Lin Yi.
After returning to the manor, Lin Zhentian and Lin Xiao began mobilizing the family's forces and completely sealing off Ironwood Manor.
With nothing else to do, Lin Yi found a quiet room in Ironwood Manor, locked the door, sat cross-legged, and took the Spirit Nourishing Pill from the Universe Ring before placing it into his mouth...
Before you continue