Facing this pressure, Xu Changqing did not shrink back.
For now, Middle Qi Refining could indeed withstand it.
The pressure was there, but it was not too great.
It had not reached an unbearable level.
As he walked, a sign appeared ahead.
Four large characters were written on it: [Earth Vein Level 1].
Below was a line of small print: (Every 100 meters deeper +1 level).
He had not expected that, even after going this deep, he was only at Earth Vein Level 1.
After some thought, Xu Changqing took the Communication Talisman from his small storage pouch.
He had planned to contact Hu Man again.
But the signal was poor.
Several attempts in a row ended in failure.
"Forget it. I'll talk to him after I finish taking care of it." Xu Changqing put the Communication Talisman away again.
Then, he continued down the passage.
Every 100 meters deeper added one level.
He soon reached Earth Vein Level 10.
Converted into depth, that was a full 1,000 meters.
And that was not counted from the surface, but from after entering the sinkhole.
In other words, the true depth was definitely more than 1,000 meters.
The crushing pressure had already made Xu Changqing break into a light sweat.
But fortunately, he was not at Middle Qi Refining.
He was at Late Qi Refining.
He had more spiritual power to support him.
When he reached Earth Vein Level 10, the view ahead suddenly opened up.
It was no longer a dim passage.
Instead, it was a vast underground world.
Xu Changqing continued forward until he reached a plank path beside a cliff.
If he took even one step to the left, he would fall into a bottomless abyss and be smashed to death.
He could only press himself against the cold rock wall on the right to ensure his safety.
Strangely, this underground world was not pitch-black.
It glimmered with lights of every color.
Xu Changqing barely made out the scene in the distance.
Rolling mineral veins stretched one after another, like slumbering Earth Dragons.
Some were white dragons.
Some were yellow dragons.
The exposed portions alone were at least several hundred zhang long.
From time to time, a wisp of yellow mist drifted out from some corner.
If he listened carefully, he could also hear faint clanging sounds coming from the depths.
"So... this is an Earth Vein?" Xu Changqing felt a powerful visual shock.
This was completely different from the Earth Veins he had imagined.
He had thought they would be one mine tunnel after another.
He had never expected such a sight.
It took him a full minute to recover from his shock.
Then he continued down along the plank path.
[Earth Vein Level 11]
[Earth Vein Level 15]
[Earth Vein Level 18]
He had finally reached his destination.
But by then, the pressure had become incomparably heavy.
Every step he took left a clear footprint in the ground.
Huff!
Huff!
Panting heavily, Xu Changqing took out the Communication Talisman again.
Its surface soon began to flicker with light.
Following its guidance, he came before a rock wall.
At first glance, there was nothing there.
But when Xu Changqing approached, it opened with a rumble.
A spacious interior immediately came into view.
If he was not mistaken, this should be Hu Man's cave abode.
If Hu Man stayed here every day,
that meant he had to endure tremendous pressure at all times.
Anyone with another kind of Spiritual Root simply would not be able to bear it.
All he could say was that an Earth Spirit Root truly had some skill to it.
Xu Changqing swept his gaze around and found that the target he was meant to tend this time was on the other side of the cave abode.
There was a spring there.
What rose from it was not springwater, but Earth Qi.
It surged upward continuously, then spread outward in ripples.
Gradually, it became an earthen-yellow lotus.
Clearly, this was the Earth-Spouting Lotus.
"Does this count as a spirit plant?" Xu Changqing sat down cross-legged in confusion, then released his spiritual power.
As everyone knew, different Spiritual Roots absorbed different spiritual qi.
Thus, the spiritual power within the body also possessed different attributes.
Xu Changqing had a Wood Spirit Root, and the power he circulated was Wood Spiritual Power.
Once released, it glimmered with a faint azure light.
When it was injected into the Earth-Spouting Lotus, the original earthen-yellow color began to fade.
It gradually dyed into a green lotus, radiating dazzling spiritual light.
At that moment, Xu Changqing discovered in surprise
that the aura released by the Earth-Spouting Lotus had changed from earth to wood.
On one side was Wood Spiritual Power.
On the other was Earth Qi.
Not only did they not repel each other, they gradually fused together.
Little by little, it changed from its original gaseous state into something tangible.
But after that, no matter how much Wood Spiritual Power Xu Changqing poured into it, there was no further change.
It seemed he could only tend it this far.
Or perhaps it had reached its current threshold.
Then, he gradually reduced the flow of Wood Spiritual Power.
In the end, he cut it off completely.
Yet the Earth-Spouting Lotus remained in the form of a green lotus, showing no sign of reverting.
It was as though it had already taken shape.
"Should be fine." Xu Changqing rose from the ground.
He did not linger.
He did not even spare a glance at the things around him.
He walked straight out of the cave abode.
The moment he stepped outside, the entrance immediately closed.
It sealed shut without the slightest gap, as though it had never opened.
One shichen later, Xu Changqing returned to the bottom of the pit.
The moment he came out, the crushing pressure weighing on him instantly lessened by more than half.
His whole body felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted.
Shan Fei asked with a half-smile, "You're out?"
Xu Changqing lowered his head and examined himself. "Why haven't I turned yellow?"
Shan Fei shrugged. "You haven't awakened an Earth Spirit Root, so you can't carry Earth Qi."
Xu Changqing came to a realization.
So that was why the skin of those Earth Spirit Root disciples had a yellowish tint.
It was because their bodies carried Earth Qi.
"If there's nothing else, hurry up and go back up." Shan Fei urged him.
But Xu Changqing waved his hand. "No rush."
He took out Hu Man's Communication Talisman again.
He injected a thread of spiritual power into it.
Sure enough, the signal was unaffected here.
"Hello?"
"Senior Brother Hu, it's Xu Changqing!"
"How did it go?"
"I've already finished tending the Earth-Spouting Lotus."
"So fast?"
"But..."
"But what?"
"It costs extra!!!"
Xu Changqing was not the kind of person who swallowed a loss in silence.
From the Spirit Fields to the Earth Vein, then up and down again,
each trip took two shichen, which was four hours.
If it was only:
(10 points per day)
(10 Low-Grade Spirit Stones per day)
then what difference was there between that and being a beast of burden worked to death?
"Paying extra is fine." Hu Man was not surprised in the slightest when he heard this. He did not even care.
In its gaseous state, the Earth-Spouting Lotus was not a spirit plant at all.
Only after spiritual power of a different attribute was injected into it would it solidify.
It would transform into various forms, such as green lotuses, fire lotuses, water lotuses, and so on.
The current price of a single plant was 50 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.
Converted into Low-Grade Spirit Stones, that was a full 5,000.
But that was not all. It was also one of the main ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill.
If it was refined into pills, the price would increase fivefold.
A single pill would cost 250 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.
So he was not afraid of Xu Changqing asking for more money. He would profit regardless.
Of course, cultivating an Earth-Spouting Lotus was not easy either.
It took three years just for it to take shape, and it had to be watered with one's own Earth Spiritual Power almost every day.
Only when it turned into a lotus while still in its gaseous state could it be transformed.
However, Xu Changqing's next words directly left him dumbfounded.
"100 points per day!"
"1 Mid-Grade Spirit Stone per day!!!"
Before you continue