Midnight Mining

Boom!

Boom!

Two consecutive explosions rang out. Mu Chen's robes billowed as streams of Heavenly Source Qi surged into his body like a flock racing toward food.

At the same time, a layer of purple misty radiance swirled around his body, making it seem as though he were draped in purple qi and lending him an air of mystery and nobility.

After two successive surges, Mu Chen's aura had risen dramatically. Streaks of light flowed around his skin as an invisible fluctuation spread from his body.

Six Meridians.

That was Mu Chen's current cultivation. After digesting the Essence of Jade Marrow he had devoured over the past few days, he had directly opened two more meridians. The Source Qi within him had increased greatly, and among those at the Eight Meridians stage, his physical constitution should now be unmatched.

Mu Chen had also temporarily surpassed Su Youwei's progress, which gave him no small sense of accomplishment.

He had been kept beneath Su Youwei's shadow all this time. He had his pride, too.

However, the remaining two meridians required more energy than the Essence of Jade Marrow from the Jade Spirit Waterfall could provide. He still had the Ancestral Symbols of Life and Death and Ice. He wondered what grade of Qi Mansion he would open.

"Yaoyao, can you extract Essence of Jade Marrow from Purple Spirit Jade Marrow?" Mu Chen asked.

"What, are you setting your sights on the ore there? I can extract it." Yaoyao held out her hand toward Mu Chen. Her little hand was slender and fair, glowing with a jade-like luster, exceptionally beautiful.

Mu Chen glanced at it a moment longer. He had never been obsessed with hands before, but now he was. Su Youwei's and Yaoyao's hands each possessed their own unique charm.

"Here you go."

Mu Chen readily took out three bottles of fine wine. Zhou Yuan had brought them from the royal treasury. According to Zhou Yuan, Zhou Qing had even given him a lesson under the pretext of training because of it.

Looking at the three bottles on the table, Yaoyao felt that she had asked for too little. Judging from Mu Chen's manner, he had definitely stashed away plenty of fine wine, and she could not help feeling a little regretful.

But there was plenty of time ahead. Sooner or later, it would all be offered to her anyway.

Once Yaoyao agreed, Mu Chen headed straight to the royal palace to bring Zhou Yuan along. His junior brother would certainly have a use for it, and one more pair of hands would make things easier.

That night, Mu Chen and Zhou Yuan concealed themselves in the darkness. Dressed in matching black clothes, they blended perfectly into their surroundings.

Zhou Yuan did not know how he had agreed to do such a thing in a moment of impulse. He was the prince of Great Zhou. If he were exposed while sneaking around like this, he would surely become a laughingstock.

"Quit looking so unwilling. You've experienced the effects of Essence of Jade Marrow before. Purple Spirit Jade Marrow will definitely work even better, allowing us to open all Eight Meridians smoothly and quickly." Mu Chen shot Zhou Yuan an annoyed look.

"You're only at Four Meridians now. If you don't want to be left behind, you can only rely on something like Purple Spirit Jade Marrow."

"Fine, Mu Chen. I'll do it with you." Thinking of his own Four Meridians, Zhou Yuan realized that he truly had fallen far behind. He gritted his teeth. There was no one patrolling here anyway; they just had to keep the noise down and leave once they had taken what they needed.

When they arrived beneath the Jade Spirit Waterfall, it was impossible to see during the day, but at night, a swath of purple glow drifted above the waterfall. Like an aurora, it was brilliant and ethereal, carrying a rather mystical quality.

The two climbed atop the waterfall. Before them lay a stretch of purple mineral veins as vast amounts of Heavenly Source Qi gathered there, tempering the Purple Spirit Jade Marrow.

The ceaseless river washed over the mineral veins day and night, but compared to the entire vein, the Essence of Jade Marrow it carried away was practically insignificant.

"Gasp, there's so much. Then why doesn't Great Zhou Mansion mine it?" Zhou Yuan sucked in a breath.

Clink, clink.

"This Purple Spirit Jade Marrow ore is extremely hard. It's not that it can't be mined; the returns are simply too low." Mu Chen tapped it with his hand, producing a sound like metal.

Ordinary tools could not mine it. Even if they managed to dig out a little at a time, what use would that be?

"Start digging. It's such a large deposit that even if a portion goes missing, no one will notice."

Mu Chen drew Heaven Abyss and began prying loose the Purple Spirit Jade Marrow, which resembled purple crystal, while Zhou Yuan was responsible for bagging it.

They divided the work and cooperated seamlessly.

Who knew how much Essence of Jade Marrow could be extracted from a fist-sized piece of Purple Spirit Jade Marrow?

No, it should not be Essence of Jade Marrow, but Jade Marrow Spirit Liquid. It would definitely be enough to open all Eight Meridians smoothly.

As the morning sun rose, rays of sunlight shone upon the earth. Mist curled through the air, and the distant scenery was hazy.

After working all night, the two left in exhaustion, yet their faces were filled with satisfied smiles.

The ore they had gathered was more than enough for the few of them to use.

From now on, whoever wanted to visit the Jade Spirit Waterfall could do so. The few of them had no need for it anymore.

Mu Chen would not let Su Youwei come here. How could he allow other men to see such a tantalizing sight as her clothes getting soaked?

"Are you trying to work me to death?" Yaoyao raised a brow. She was not some emotionless machine.

"Forget it. I'll demonstrate once, and you can handle the rest yourselves."

Yaoyao picked up the Origin Pattern Brush and inscribed Origin Patterns onto the Purple Spirit Jade Marrow. As Pattern Traces appeared one after another, a First-grade Origin Pattern emerged. When the final stroke fell, the palm-sized crystal suddenly bloomed with purple light.

Transparent purple spirit liquid slowly dripped into the cup on the table.

After the final drop fell, the Purple Spirit Jade Marrow in Yaoyao's palm had completely lost its purple color and become transparent, no different from an ordinary crystal.

Only one-twentieth of it was Jade Marrow Spirit Liquid; the rest was merely stone that stored the liquid. By rough estimation, they could obtain around three jin of spirit liquid.

Though that did not seem like much, it was countless times more concentrated than the Essence of Jade Marrow diluted in the water.

Let alone the three of them, it would be more than enough even if several more people joined them.

"Alright, this Origin Pattern can refine the essence from minerals. Inscribing it won't be difficult for you. It won't take long to extract everything." Yaoyao sat to one side, leaving the rest to Mu Chen and the others.

The two brothers in misery exchanged a glance and could only begin refining. After all, it would ultimately be used on them.

Three days later, the two were so exhausted that their souls ached and swelled. They had barely stopped; aside from time spent catching their breath, they had been inscribing Origin Patterns nonstop.

Each of them could ultimately receive one jin. This was concentrated Jade Marrow Spirit Liquid, enough to open all Eight Meridians in a short time.

The method of use was the same as for Ancestral Stone Spirit Liquid. Fill a bathtub with water, add drops of Jade Marrow Spirit Liquid, and then soak in it. It would enter the body through the pores of the skin and strike at the unopened Eight Meridians.

As for Mu Chen, he did not actually need a medicinal bath. He could simply absorb it with the Devouring Ancestral Symbol. Still, soaking in a bath felt pleasant, so there was no need to skip that step.

"Mu Chen, Senior Sister Yao Yao, Su Youwei, I'm heading back first. Once I've opened all Eight Meridians, I'll come find you again." Zhou Yuan left for the royal palace. His Meridian Opening was more difficult than that of ordinary people, so it would take him longer.

When the Grand Examination came, his Eight Meridians cultivation would blind Qi Yue's dog eyes and show him how someone he had once looked down upon could surpass him.