Spiritual Sense Seeks the Strange Stone, Blazing Flames Concealed in Cloud Mist

At the first light of dawn, Cloud Mist Villa was shrouded in morning mist. The air was filled with the refreshing scent of vegetation and a faint trace of spiritual energy, soothing to the soul. Qin Yu rose on time to practice the Heaven-Reaching Chart in the small courtyard. Every move and stance became increasingly refined; his physical body drove the circulation of his Xiantian energy, and the whistling of his fists was enough to scatter the surrounding morning mist. Xiao Hei circled overhead, occasionally letting out a crisp cry to cheer him on.

Yun Ce sat on a stone stool in the courtyard, holding a cup of spiritual tea. His gaze rested on Qin Yu, his eyes filled with approval. After just one night of nourishment, the energy of the Meteor Tear within Qin Yu had completely fused with his flesh and meridians. His aura at the peak of the late Xiantian stage had become increasingly steady, and his physical strength had improved even further compared to yesterday. Given time, breaking through to the peak of External Martial Arts would be a natural progression.

Just as Qin Yu finished his routine and began to regulate his breathing, a thought suddenly flashed through Yun Ce's mind, and his eyes lit up—he remembered another early opportunity for Qin Yu from the original story: the Stone-Embedded Yan Chi Iron hidden within the stone forest of Yunlan Mountain.

The Stone-Embedded Yan Chi Iron is a rare material in heaven and earth, containing vast fire-attribute spiritual energy, making it an excellent material for forging spiritual weapons for cultivators. Weapons forged from ordinary iron, no matter how sharp, cannot withstand the infusion of a cultivator's spiritual power. However, once the Stone-Embedded Yan Chi Iron is refined with a cultivator's True Fire, it can be forged into various spiritual weapons such as blades, spears, swords, or halberds. Not only are they incredibly durable, but they can also amplify fire-attribute power, perfectly suiting Qin Yu's future path of cultivation and serving as a major asset for his early days in the cultivation world and the upcoming Conquest of Chu.

Now that Qin Yu had obtained the Meteor Tear and his body and meridians had been nourished to the extreme, it was the perfect time to find him a suitable weapon. Although the Stone-Embedded Yan Chi Iron was hidden deep within the stone forest and difficult for ordinary cultivators to detect, it was no challenge for his spiritual sense at the peak of the Nascent Soul Late Stage.

Thinking of this, Yun Ce did not hesitate. He slowly set down his spiritual tea, his aura shifted slightly, and his spiritual sense at the peak of the Nascent Soul Late Stage quietly expanded. Like an invisible net, it slowly spread out, covering the entire Cloud Mist Villa before extending toward Yunlan Mountain.

Yunlan Mountain was rugged and lush, with its depths filled with jagged, strange rocks that formed a vast stone forest. This stone forest was rarely visited, and the spiritual energy there was denser than elsewhere. However, due to the complex terrain and hidden dangers, ordinary cultivators dared not venture deep—which was precisely why the Stone-Embedded Yan Chi Iron had remained undiscovered to this day.

Yun Ce's spiritual sense flowed like water, slowly sweeping over every inch of Yunlan Mountain, carefully probing every strange rock in the stone forest. Although the Stone-Embedded Yan Chi Iron was hidden within ordinary rock, it emitted a faint yet unique fire-attribute spiritual energy, distinct from the surrounding aura. Even wrapped in stone, it could not escape the detection of a peak Nascent Soul Late Stage spiritual sense.

Qin Yu finished his breathing exercises and saw Yun Ce with his eyes closed, his aura steady yet emitting faint ripples of spiritual sense. Realizing his master was probing something, he did not step forward to disturb him. Instead, he took Xiao Hei to the side and continued to polish his techniques, occasionally looking up at Yun Ce with eyes full of respect.

Time passed bit by bit. Yun Ce's spiritual sense searched slowly through the stone forest of Yunlan Mountain, from the edges to the depths, not missing a single detail. At first, the rocks he probed were all ordinary, containing only common earth or stone-attribute spiritual energy, with no trace of fire-attribute energy. But Yun Ce did not grow impatient; he continued to search with patience—he knew that the Stone-Embedded Yan Chi Iron was rare and deeply hidden, and finding it required a calm mind.

Xiao Hei seemed to sense Yun Ce's actions; it stopped circling and landed on Qin Yu's shoulder, its sharp eagle eyes fixed in the direction of Yunlan Mountain, as if helping with the search.

About half an hour later, when Yun Ce's spiritual sense probed a giant boulder in the deepest part of the Yunlan Mountain stone forest, he finally detected a faint yet pure fire-attribute spiritual energy. The energy was wrapped in layers of thick rock, almost impossible to detect without careful scrutiny—it was the aura emitted by the Stone-Embedded Yan Chi Iron! Yun Ce felt a surge of joy. He stood up, his figure flickered, and his peak Nascent Soul Late Stage aura quietly manifested. With a flash of spiritual light beneath his feet, he flew at high speed to the deepest part of the stone forest and landed before the giant boulder. The boulder weighed about ten thousand jin, was gray-black in color, and covered in moss, indistinguishable from the surrounding rocks. Had his spiritual sense not been sharp, he would never have detected the rare material hidden within.

Yun Ce looked at the boulder before him, a knowing smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He raised his hand and struck with his palm, his peak Nascent Soul Late Stage spiritual power concentrated in his palm without a shred of wasted force, striking the surface of the boulder with precision. With a loud "Boom—," the entire stone forest trembled, stone chips flew everywhere, and the ten-thousand-jin boulder was instantly shattered into dust. As the dust settled, a fist-sized, crimson crystal emitting a faint fire-attribute aura lay quietly in the pile of rubble—it was the fire-red crystal, the Stone-Embedded Yan Chi Iron!

Yun Ce waved his hand to brush away the surrounding debris, and the fire-red crystal was gradually revealed. Its appearance was quite unique: it was about half the height of Qin Yu, shaped into a regular cylinder. To be precise, it was shaped like a staff, though much thicker and shorter than an ordinary one, roughly the thickness of an adult's thigh. It was crimson like a blazing flame, its surface glowing with a warm luster, and it was faintly wreathed in vast fire-attribute spiritual energy, even purer and denser than the Stone-Embedded Yan Chi Iron itself. "I didn't expect such a harvest," Yun Ce whispered to himself, a flash of surprise in his eyes. He bent down and grasped the fire-red crystal staff with both hands. The moment he touched it, a warm sensation spread from his palms through his entire body—not scorching, but like the warmth of the sun, gentle yet substantial. He secretly channeled his spiritual power to weigh it, and his heart was clear—this crystal staff weighed a full two thousand jin!

Yun Ce stored the Stone-Embedded Yan Chi Iron in his storage ring and moved, returning to the small courtyard of Cloud Mist Villa. Qin Yu, having heard the loud noise from afar, was full of confusion. Seeing Yun Ce return holding a half-man-high, thigh-thick fire-red crystal staff, his eyes lit up. He quickly stopped his training, walked forward, and bowed, asking, "Master, what did you find? Was that loud noise from earlier caused by you?" His gaze remained fixed on the fire-red crystal staff; he could clearly feel the vast fire-attribute spiritual energy contained within, and his heart was filled with shock.

Looking at Qin Yu's curious expression, Yun Ce did not hide anything and said in a gentle tone, "I found a rare material in the depths of the Yunlan Mountain stone forest called Stone-Embedded Yan Chi Iron. This fire-red crystal is an excellent material for forging spiritual weapons. The loud noise earlier was me shattering a ten-thousand-jin boulder to retrieve it. I discovered this crystal by accident; it was hidden in the very core of the boulder and weighs a full two thousand jin. It is a rare material containing pure fire-attribute spiritual energy." As he spoke, Yun Ce placed the Stone-Embedded Yan Chi Iron on the ground with a dull "thud," causing the ground to tremble slightly.

"A ten-thousand-jin boulder! A two-thousand-jin piece of Stone-Embedded Yan Chi Iron!" Qin Yu's eyes were full of shock. He instinctively reached out to touch the crystal, but as soon as he made contact, he was startled by the warm sensation and quickly pulled his hand back. "So heavy! Such powerful fire-attribute spiritual energy! Master, can this crystal really be used to forge a spiritual weapon?" Although he hadn't tried to lift it, he could feel the weight of the crystal staff from the vibration of the ground, and his respect for Yun Ce's strength grew even deeper—to be able to shatter a ten-thousand-jin boulder with a casual strike, this was the strength of a peak Nascent Soul Late Stage expert!

Xiao Hei seemed to understand the word "weapon" and let out a loud cry, spreading its wings and circling the small courtyard, appearing exceptionally excited.

Yun Ce nodded slightly, his gaze falling on the fire-red crystal, a hint of deep meaning in his eyes. "The Stone-Embedded Yan Chi Iron has been found. Using this, I will forge a suitable weapon for you that matches your current physical strength. The material of this Stone-Embedded Yan Chi Iron is extremely special; the fire-attribute spiritual energy it contains is very pure, and its shape is regular. Once you break through to the peak of External Martial Arts and your body advances further, I will forge a spiritual weapon for you that perfectly fits your cultivation path. Now that you have the nourishment of the Meteor Tear, your cultivation speed has increased significantly. I believe it won't be long before you reach the peak of External Martial Arts. By then, with a spiritual weapon in hand and your powerful body, your combat prowess will surely reach a new level."

The morning mist gradually dissipated, and the sunlight shone through the gaps in the leaves, spilling into the courtyard of Cloud Mist Villa. It illuminated Qin Yu's determined face and the fire-red crystal, which glowed with a dazzling red light. He looked at the crystal, then at Yun Ce, his heart filled with anticipation—anticipation for the day he would break through to the peak of External Martial Arts, anticipation for owning his own weapon, and even more anticipation for four years later, when he could hold his spiritual weapon, lead his army to conquer Chu, and avenge his mother.

Yun Ce stood to the side, watching Qin Yu, his eyes full of expectation. He knew that Qin Yu's path of growth had only just begun. The Meteor Tear was an opportunity, and the Stone-Embedded Yan Chi Iron was also an opportunity. All he could do was pave the way for Qin Yu and accompany him step by step as he grew until he could stand on his own.