Riu Xian sat in his cave abode, deep in thought. The steady flow of Qi in the air felt comforting, but it also made him curious. Why was this area so much richer in spiritual energy compared to others? He decided it was time to investigate and uncover the source of the abundant Qi.
“I need to check a wide area to figure out which places have more Qi and which have less,” he murmured to himself.
As a cultivator, expanding his spiritual sense to scan the surrounding area was an easy task. However, moving over a vast region without proper tools was another issue. In the cultivation world, most people used flying swords to travel long distances, but Riu Xian didn’t own one. His gaze fell on his boat ring.
“If my boat can travel underground without being noticed, could it also let me fly?”
He decided to test his idea. Without transforming the ring into the full boat form, he activated its flying ability. A subtle hum filled the air as the ring began to lift him off the ground. Slowly but steadily, he floated higher, his surroundings growing smaller beneath him.
“It works,” Riu Xian said with a smirk, though his excitement dimmed a little when he noticed how quickly the boat was consuming spirit stones. “The only drawback is that it uses far more spirit stones for flying than it does for underground travel. I’ll need to be careful about how much I use it.”
From the air, Riu Xian expanded his spiritual sense to scan the land below. His senses brushed over fields, forests, and rivers, seeking areas where the Qi was strongest. The deeper he scanned, the more patterns he noticed. Some areas were nearly devoid of Qi, while others pulsed faintly with spiritual energy.
After hours of careful observation, Riu Xian detected a particularly strong flow of Qi. The source seemed to be coming from the river, about 15 kilometers away from his cave.
“Interesting,” he muttered. “Could the river itself be the source of this abundance?”
Guided by his spiritual sense, Riu Xian floated toward the location. When he arrived, the Qi felt even denser than he had expected. It was as though the energy flowed straight from the riverbed, saturating the surrounding air.
He descended to the ground and stood by the river’s edge, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the water. “The source is definitely beneath the riverbed.”
Activating his boat ring, he commanded it to carry him underground. The earth shifted effortlessly around him as the boat carved a path beneath the river. Deeper and deeper he went, following the strong currents of Qi until he finally reached the source.
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Riu Xian’s breath caught as he beheld what lay before him—a newly forming spirit vein. It stretched for 500 meters in length and about 50 meters in width, glowing faintly with spiritual energy.
“A spirit vein,” he whispered, his voice filled with awe. “No wonder the Qi here is so abundant. It’s still young, about 500 years old, but in another thousand years, it will fully mature.”
Riu Xian paced around the vein, deep in thought. A spirit vein like this could support a small sect and would undoubtedly become a prized resource in the future.
“This vein will attract cultivators eventually,” he said to himself. “Leaving it here means war. Even in a mortal town like this, once cultivators find out about it, they’ll fight for control. For them, a thousand years is nothing.”
An idea struck him. “Can I take it with me?”
He activated his boat ring and focused its energy on the spirit vein. Absorbing something of this scale wasn’t easy, but the spatial capabilities of his boat were extraordinary.
Two days passed as Riu Xian worked tirelessly, channelling the boat’s energy to store the vein within its spatial space. Finally, with one last surge of power, the spirit vein vanished, safely contained within the ring.
Riu Xian held the ring in his hand, feeling its weight and the energy pulsing within. “Now it’s mine. I can use it to support my cultivation or nurture it further wherever I settle. If I leave that place, I’ll take this vein with me.”
He stood beneath the riverbed, gazing at the now-empty space where the spirit vein had been. The faint glow was gone, leaving only stillness.
“This vein could have sparked countless battles,” he said quietly. “But now it’s safe. And so am I.”
With a satisfied nod, Riu Xian returned to his cave abode, his mind already planning his next steps. The spirit vein was a valuable treasure, but it also carried responsibility. Protecting it while using it wisely could greatly enhance his cultivation journey.
As he sat cross-legged in the quiet of his cave, he took a deep breath, calming his thoughts. "Now that I have secured the spirit vein, it’s time to focus on the next phase of my journey," he murmured. His eyes gleamed with determination. "I should start heading toward the Azure Immortal Sect."
He summoned a map from his spatial ring, spreading it out on the stone floor before him. The map was old but detailed, marked with the key locations of the Azure Cloud Continent. He traced a finger along the route from his current location to the Azure Immortal Sect. The sect was situated far to the northeast, nestled in a mountain range rich in Qi. The journey would be long and perilous, passing through treacherous terrains and areas known for rogue cultivators.
"I need to avoid major conflicts and focus on reaching the sect," Riu Xian thought aloud. "The path through the Silent Forest seems the most direct, but it’s also rumored to be home to fierce beasts. Alternatively, the longer route through the Rolling Plains might be safer, though it would take more time."
He studied the map carefully, weighing his options. The Azure Immortal Sect was not just a destination; it represented an opportunity to deepen his cultivation, gain knowledge, and build connections with other cultivators. The Supreme-grade technique he planned to gift to Xiao Ming would serve as a gesture of goodwill and perhaps open doors to new alliances.
Riu Xian rolled up the map and placed it back into his ring. "The journey will not be easy, but with the spirit vein as my foundation and the treasures I’ve collected, I’m more prepared than ever."
He stood, his resolve firm. "It’s time to move forward."