Which bastard would stoop to such sneaky, underhanded tactics?

We must skin him alive!

Everyone had been fighting over the spirit vein, never expecting it to be stolen in secret. They were all deeply upset.

“It’s done!”

Underground, Chen Qingyuan severed the spirit vein with two swift sword strikes and stored it in a new Xumi Ring he had prepared in advance.

Normally, extracting a spirit vein requires a lot of effort and is no easy task.

Chen Qingyuan managed to take it so easily thanks to his accumulated skills.

Having spent many years at the Academy, do you think he focused solely on swordsmanship and offensive supernatural powers?

No.

Half of his time was spent studying an ancient scripture.

The Art of Source Extraction!

A treasured technique of the Spirit Harvesting lineage.

Similar to Feng Shui, but infinitely more profound.

Mastering the Art of Source Extraction allows one to sense the presence of spirit veins, see through their structure and the terrain, and extract them in the simplest way without damaging their essence.

Typically, a spirit vein can yield a hundred thousand spirit stones. If carefully nurtured, a small portion can be harvested periodically for a long-term supply.

Top-grade spirit veins are rare in the world.

Even the top forces in the Imperial Province can’t afford to squander them.

If the essence is damaged during extraction, many spirit stones will lose their spiritual energy and become non-renewable, resulting in severe losses.

“When my Art of Source Extraction reaches perfection, I will be able to take any spirit vein in the world.”

This was Chen Qingyuan’s dream, to acquire as many resources as he desired.

The Art of Source Extraction not only details how to extract spirit veins from various terrains but also how to preserve and cultivate them.

This Dao technique cannot be explained in a few words.

With Chen Qingyuan’s talent, he has only grasped the basics of the Art of Source Extraction.

If he truly mastered it, he could turn stones into spirit stones or set up a grand formation to gather the world’s spiritual energy for his own use.

This is just a theory, as even the founder of the Spirit Harvesting lineage never reached perfection, and the latter parts were all theoretical extrapolations, never practiced.

“We’ve been discovered, time to run.”

Chen Qingyuan didn’t dare linger. He dashed out of the crevice and saw more than twenty people rushing towards him.

Whoosh!

Given some time, Chen Qingyuan could certainly deal with these people. However, he didn’t want to fight; he was solely focused on escaping.

The feeling of successfully pulling off such a trick is something ordinary people wouldn’t understand.

If he fought and defeated everyone, it would be no fun at all.

“Junior Sister, run!”

Just as he emerged from the valley, Chen Qingyuan turned and shouted towards Song Ningyan, who was hiding in the shadows.

At first, Song Ningyan was confused.

But when she saw a large group of people charging out in anger, she immediately understood.

Turning her head, she saw that Chen Qingyuan had already disappeared.

“That bastard…”

Song Ningyan didn’t dare stay and hurriedly fled.

The group of more than twenty people split into two, one chasing Chen Qingyuan and the other chasing Song Ningyan.

This diversion reduced the pressure on Chen Qingyuan significantly.

Two hours later, Chen Qingyuan had completely shaken off his pursuers. He rested against a rock at the foot of a mountain and sent a wisp of his consciousness into the Xumi Ring, feeling very satisfied with his spoils.

Before long, a thousand-pound boulder fell from the sky, aiming straight for Chen Qingyuan’s head.

“Thud!”

Luckily, Chen Qingyuan dodged quickly, or he would have been in a sorry state.

The boulder hit the ground, creating a deep pit.

“Junior Sister, are you trying to kill me?”

Chen Qingyuan accused, playing the victim.

At this moment, Song Ningyan appeared, her face dark: “Chen Qingyuan, is this how you treat people?”

“It’s a tactic,” Chen Qingyuan said with a thick-skinned grin.

“In that case, where’s my share?”

Song Ningyan flashed to Chen Qingyuan’s side, extending her hand.

“Junior Sister, there’s no need to be so formal.”

Chen Qingyuan smiled brightly.

“Even brothers settle accounts clearly, let alone us as senior and junior.”

Song Ningyan wouldn’t back down.

“Alright!” Chen Qingyuan felt a pang of pain in his heart but couldn’t argue.

After some friendly negotiation, they settled on a seventy-thirty split.

The top-grade spirit vein was divided, with Song Ningyan receiving thirty thousand spirit stones. To put it mildly, these spirit stones were equivalent to the entire wealth of a third-rate power in the Northern Wilderness.

“Senior Brother, don’t look so glum, cheer up.”

Song Ningyan was now in high spirits, her heart full of joy.

“By the way, how did you shake off those pursuers?”

Chen Qingyuan asked curiously.

“Simple,” Song Ningyan said calmly. “I beat them into submission.”

Hearing this, Chen Qingyuan gave her a thumbs-up, expressing his admiration.

The two continued searching for resources in the Wan Hua Mountain Range, reaping a bountiful harvest.

Two months later, they gathered with everyone at a starry sky near the Wan Hua Mountain Range.

Chen Qingyuan had acquired many spirit herbs, two top-grade spirit veins, and some rare minerals.

Outside, it would be impossible to gather so many resources.

Zhangsun Fengye and others had also gained fortunes, each with a joyful expression.

“Madman, what good stuff did you get? Care to share?”

Chen Qingyuan put his arm around Zhangsun Fengye’s shoulder and whispered.

“No.”

Zhangsun Fengye refused without hesitation.

“Tch!” Chen Qingyuan immediately let go and turned to Wu Junyan. “Old Wu, I seem to have sustained some hidden injuries from the last fight with the Holy Son of the Star-Plucking Tower. I need some medicinal herbs to heal.”

“……”

Wu Junyan silently stared at Chen Qingyuan.

“Brother Chen, the Academy holds a transcendent position in the Northern Wilderness, with unfathomable heritage. As the personal disciple of the Vice Dean, you can’t be that poor!”

Zhangsun Qian had always been curious about this and couldn’t help but ask today.

“Spirit stones earned by oneself are used with peace of mind. I’m not like you, born into top forces with everything you need.”

Since Chen Qingyuan could remember, he had been self-reliant. Besides that, he also had to look out for the elders and disciples of the Mystic Azure Sect, supporting half the sect on his own, which was no easy task.

The high-ranking members of the Mystic Azure Sect were all laid-back, never competing with others, living a frugal life relying on a few spirit veins.

It wasn’t until Chen Qingyuan appeared that the situation of the Mystic Azure Sect changed.

“You’re not earning money; you’re swindling it.”

Zhangsun Qian retorted.

“Nonsense,” Chen Qingyuan snorted, then secretly transmitted a message: “Holy Maiden, I’m Old Wu’s only brother. Don’t insult my character.”

“Sorry, I was wrong.”

Having heard this, Zhangsun Qian’s heart skipped a beat, and she immediately bowed and apologized to Chen Qingyuan without hesitation.

Everyone who saw this had a strange expression.

Wu Junyan gave Chen Qingyuan a deep look, feeling that it must have something to do with him.

“Boom——”

A loud explosion suddenly echoed, and terrifying law fluctuations spread to every corner of the ancient secret realm.

Chen Qingyuan and the others stopped joking, their expressions turning serious, their bodies tensed.