Big Data Cultivation

Chapter 162: Ugly Spirit Stone (1st update, congratulations to Tai Zhong 2/5)

Feng Jun decided not to use spatial means to transfer the rubble, not for lack of energy points. The key concern was that he wasn’t sure if among these rocks, there might be some difficult bacteria or viruses.

Resisting the invasion of foreign species is everyone’s responsibility. Feng has always been particular about such matters.

However, without using such methods, clearing the rubble would not be a task that could be finished in a short time.

After some thought, Feng Jun abandoned the idea of summoning the Tian Family members for assistance—explosions were fine, but having others remove the rubble and continuing with the explosions would likely lead everyone to guess that there might be something underground that he wanted to obtain.

Are the treasures desired by an Immortal easy to obtain? It wasn’t easy to say whether Tian Yangni, who seemed respectful, could resist the temptation.

Feng Jun vaguely remembered a saying he saw in the Earth Realm: never test the human heart, as the consequences might be something you refuse or even fail to accept.

He didn’t want to test the human heart either. Thus, he had no choice but to bend down and start clearing the stones himself.

Seeing him re-enter the pit, the Tian Family members two miles away looked at each other in disbelief. It took a while before someone whispered, “Is he… going to continue?”

A martial master from the third squad couldn’t help but murmur, “If you ask me, there might be treasures in that hole, that guy…”

Before he could finish, a muffled ‘thud’ rang out, and he was sent flying backward.

Tian Yangni’s face turned iron-blue as he retracted his fist, his voice chillingly firm, “If you wish to seek death, no one will stop you. But if you plan to drag the entire Tian Family into this… then I can only do my duty, even at the expense of our ties. Remember, you won’t get a second chance!”

His punch was meant to establish authority. Its force was incredibly fierce; while not lethal, it was certain to require a few months of recovery for the recipient.

As stern as Tian Yangni’s actions were, they were a necessity. As an elder of the Tian Family, he knew all too well the horrors of greed and had witnessed far too many tragedies.

In his opinion, while the significant sounds coming from the pit where Feng Jun was might indeed be from unearthing treasures, could it not be that he was testing Cultivation Techniques or equipment?

Even if he were very certain that there were treasures in the pit that would make Immortals jealous, he may not have the courage to oppose an Immortal, not to mention it was only a possibility.

However, this finesse was clear in his mind, not necessarily so to his clan members. Hence, when he heard mentions of possible treasures in the pit, his first reaction was to discipline without mercy—this was the essence of an elder’s existence.

To be honest, without taking decisive action, he was quite concerned that even he could be swayed by greed.

After his forceful punch, many of the Tian Family members were startled, then their eyes drooped as they did their best to appear calm.

Unaware of the incident not far off, Feng Jun swiftly cleared more small areas of the pit and continued digging with the spikes of the Spiritual Hedgehog.

Although there were many rocks in the pit, clearing a few small patches was not a big issue. The previous considerations that the rubble must be cleared stemmed from the fact that… after two or three explosions, cleaning would inevitably be necessary; it was just a question of sooner or later.

This time, he steeled his resolve and buried all four kilograms of TNT he had left, thinking to himself that if this didn’t work, he would just exit to the real world, try to acquire a large amount of TNT, then come back after charging for half a month to continue.

The Tian Family members, seeing Feng Jun leave the pit once again, felt somewhat puzzled inside but didn’t think much of it.

However, when everyone saw that Feng Jun had retreated three hundred meters and was still moving backward, some of their expressions changed instantly, and someone decisively shouted, “Cover your ears!”

This timely suggestion came just before the explosion sounded again—this time, the blast was much louder than before, with rocks flung as far as one and a half miles away.

The martial master from the third squad, who was sitting cross-legged treating his wounds, suddenly opened his eyes wide and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Upon seeing Feng Jun turn around once more, heading toward the pit, his expression changed dramatically. Forgoing any further talk, he used his scabbard to help himself stand with difficulty, then began to walk away—if there were to be a third time, he suspected this place might not be safe either.

Others followed suit and began to retreat, including Tian Yangni.

Feng Jun entered the pit again, shaking his head slightly as he saw the scattered rubble—the power was considerable, but in terms of breaking rocks, the effect was… just so-so.

He couldn’t help but recall a certain scene from the Earth Realm where tens of thousands of shells were fired at a mountain, lowering the peak’s altitude by several meters—indeed, this was also capable of blasting only a few meters’ depth into a pit.

So, if the explosives were well-placed, a large amount of ore could be blown up, but for excavating tunnels, the effect was rather average—at least not as effective as he had imagined.

It seems I have to consider a trip back to the Earth Realm, Feng Jun sighed with some regret.

But the next moment, he paused, “Eh? This feeling… this feeling…”

The imprint of the Stone Ring on his wrist was actually feeling slightly warm!

With that, his excitement surged, and while holding the spike of the Spiritual Hedgehog, he carefully tracked the source of the warmth.

He quickly chose his spot to dig and, as he went deeper, the warmth on his wrist grew stronger.

When he dug down to a depth of over three meters, he finally unearthed a Spirit Stone—or at least a rock that appeared to be one.

Why “appeared” to be? Because the stone was brownish, not the vibrant ruby-red like the Spirit Stones he had seen before. It was roughly half a cubic meter in size and approximately egg-shaped, though its form was irregular.

If not for the familiar warmth on his wrist telling him that there was energy within the stone, he would not have shown the slightest interest in this stubborn rock just by its appearance.

Is this truly a Spirit Stone? Feng Jun was uncertain. Could a Spirit Stone be this unattractive?

Or could it be like jade, where one must cut it open to see the true essence within?

Either way, Feng Jun was certain that the energy contained in this stone far surpassed that of the Spirit Stone he had obtained last time. By how much, he couldn’t precisely say, but at least… it was two to three times more.

He was struggling with whether or not to cut the stone open when he suddenly felt that something was off.

Upon closer inspection, he was shocked to find that the energy within the stone seemed to be slowly leaking out, quickly dissipating into the environment.

This revelation alarmed him… So the energy in a Spirit Stone could vanish as well?

At that point, he couldn’t worry about the consequences. He immediately stretched out his left hand and pressed it against the unsightly stone. The next moment, he felt the familiar, almost unbearably painful surge of energy, “Hiss… Oh~~~”

Given that his body had grown much stronger since he first entered this realm, one would think his tolerance for pain had increased significantly too. Unfortunately, this time the energy strike was far more intense and wilder than the last.

Considering that members of the Tian Family were within two kilometers, he clenched his teeth tightly, striving to make no sound.

Even so, he couldn’t help but let out a stifled groan through his nose, while a wild roar was firmly suppressed in his throat.

This is just too miserable, Feng Jun thought bitterly… The next time he returned to Earth, he definitely needed to buy some anesthetics.

But given his current physical condition, would anesthetics even work?

Essentially, anesthetics numb the pain nerves, which aren’t supposed to be good for the body…

As he distracted himself with these thoughts while enduring the agony, time passed without him knowing how long. Eventually, Feng Jun noticed the weight on his hand lighten until he could no longer feel any energy. The stubborn stone he had been touching showed no noticeable changes.

However, the next moment, with a slight movement of his wrist, the stubborn stone instantly turned to dust, rustling as it fell into the pit.

Glancing at the Stone Ring mark on his wrist, which now shined with a dark purplish hue, he roughly estimated there were about five to six hundred energy points.

Then, he took a look at his meridians and saw that they were filled with many tiny fractures—the signs of internal injuries.

But such injuries were not difficult to nurse back to health; one Meridian Opening Pill was more than enough, and maybe he wouldn’t even need a whole one.

Checking the time on his mobile phone, he realized it had taken him less than five minutes to absorb the Spirit Stone.

Indeed, replenishing energy points with a Spirit Stone was incredibly fast.

He composed himself and carefully felt the surroundings, hoping to find another Spirit Stone, but sadly, he couldn’t sense its presence.

After pondering briefly, he stepped out and soon left the big pit behind.

Beside the pit, Feng Jun found a stone to sit on, absentmindedly scanning the area while lighting up a cigarette—he needed a moment of quiet to sort out the issues he had encountered.

First, he had to admit that the depth at which the ugly Spirit Stone was located had surprised him. He had thought the Spirit Stone would be hidden deep within a layer of rock, a hundred and eighty meters down perhaps?

But as it turned out, it was just around ten meters deep. How could it be so shallow? Could others really not have discovered it?

Then again, he quickly realized, if this Spirit Stone could radiate energy outward, then given its unattractive appearance, it could very likely be overlooked by others.

Most of those who excavate stones are laborers who couldn’t possibly sense the escaping energy, or spiritual energy. Even if a martial master were present, they might not be able to detect it either.

Lang Zhen had once said he wouldn’t recognize an Immortal Crystal, suggesting that a martial master might not sense it even if it were right in front of them, unless they held it in their hands.

Meaning, even if this unsightly Spirit Stone was discovered and excavated by stone workers, the energy might have dissipated completely during the process.

That’s what makes it a truly unobtrusive treasure~

(Extra chapter in honor of Chen Taizhong’s generous nature, currently progress 2/5, calling for monthly votes.)