Lan Tian placed the piece of ore on the table in his workshop and examined it closely for quite some time.
The ore was grayish-brown throughout, with a rough surface marked by several natural cracks and dull spots. It looked little different from the ordinary stones found everywhere along the roadside.
Had the perception of his Blue Silver God Domain not clearly detected that exceedingly faint ripple of life energy deep within the ore, he probably would not have given the stone a second glance.
He raised his right hand, and several fine strands of the Blue Silver God Vine emerged from his palm and wound around the ore's surface.
Blue Silver God Power seeped into the ore through the vines, but the instant it touched the outer shell, an invisible barrier repelled it.
The shell was hard and dense. Ordinary Soul Power could not penetrate it at all.
He increased his strength, channeling a strand of life law power into the ore through the vines. Like an invisible key, that power dissolved the barrier the moment it touched it.
Fine cracks began to appear across the ore's surface, and its shell peeled away layer by layer from the center outward. Fragments fell onto the table with faint pattering sounds.
When the final layer of the shell shattered, a burst of golden-green light blossomed from within, illuminating the entire workshop.
The light lasted several breaths before slowly fading, leaving a golden-green stone about the size of a fist resting quietly in his palm.
The stone's surface was smooth as a mirror, and rich, pure life energy flowed within it. Its aura was even older than that of the golden ancient tree, carrying a profound quality from the distant past.
As he studied the stone, a piece of information suddenly surfaced