Da Xuan Martial Saint

*Gurgle.*

Chen Mu exhaled another stream of bubbles from his mouth and nose. Martial Artists in the Five Viscera Realm could breathe underwater by circulating their Inner Breath with the natural world. However, the pressure was quite significant deep underground. If Chen Mu had just barely broken through to the Five Viscera Realm, he would have felt a bit of a burden when breathing here, but now, after undergoing two refinements, he felt no pressure at all.

He walked a few yards along the leftmost rock wall, then his gaze fell on a spot on the wall. Suddenly, he drew his sword and stabbed the rock wall. The stab was infused with the power of Yuan Gang True Essence but penetrated only three inches deep.

Chen Mu's expression did not change as he continued to wield his Flowing Fire Blade, chopping several times and digging out a piece of ore that appeared blue and silvery. He weighed it in his hand, feeling a cold touch.

"Is this a piece of Cold Jade Ore?"

He shook his head and casually tossed the Cold Jade away.

With the help of the Gen Mountain Artistic Conception, he could sense the flow of the Earth's Veins within the rock wall; thus, he easily detected some areas where the flow was sluggish and shallow, clearly not part of the integral structure of the wall.

However, this sense alone did not allow him to determine what exactly was inside the wall. The piece of Cold Jade he had just extracted was of medium quality and, if made into a Jade Pendant, would be worth dozens of Silver outside. But to Chen Mu now, it was naturally something to be discarded without a second thought, not worth keeping.

Chen Mu closed his eyes and continued to sense the rock wall, and then he walked along the wall, moving forward. After a while, he placed his hand on a bulging layer of rock and carefully sensed inside, vaguely feeling warmth coming from it.

"Is it Mysterious Fire Ore?"

Chen Mu's eyes flickered slightly, and he immediately started to excavate with his sword. However, after cutting twice and exposing a faint red structure inside, he stopped chopping and shook his head, moving forward.

It wasn't Mysterious Fire Ore but a piece of Flame Jade Ore. Though the quality seemed to be Superior Grade, he had an entire bed of it, and naturally, he was not interested in just a fist-sized piece.

The further he went inside,

the more Chen Mu marveled at the nature's magnificent feats in this world.

When he left this Stone Cave and entered another, even larger cavern with a radius of several dozen yards, he could clearly see that the walls of this cave were not made of the same stone as the previous one.

That is to say, although the underground structure was a whole, it was comprised of layers of various rocks, pressed together over countless years by the Power of the Earth's Veins, forming the underground cavern's structure.

"If a man possessed such might, he could almost move mountains and seas. Indeed, he would be no different from the gods and Buddhas of legend."

Chen Mu continued to step deeper in.

Soon, he arrived at a spot near the center of the Stone Cave, where the rock wall beneath his feet was rugged and uneven. After careful sensing, he raised his Flowing Fire Blade and chopped open a section of the wall beneath his feet. His eyes moved slightly.

He then swung his blade continuously again, excavating a pitch-black rock about the size of a fist.

It was extremely heavy!

It was only the size of a fist, but it felt as heavy as a massive grindstone.

"Heavy Stone."

The glint in Chen Mu's eyes flickered.

This was entirely different from the two pieces of Cold Jade Ore and Flame Jade Ore he had found before. It was one of the truly rare ores, its weight surpassing all common ores and serving as one of the core materials for forging heavy Treasured Artifacts!

For those skilled in Hammer Technique, when reaching the Five Viscera Realm, their strength would be immense, and naturally, the heavier the hammer, the greater its power. However, if the hammer were made too large, it would be inconvenient to wield even if one could swing it.

Heavy Stone was the core material for this type of Treasured Artifact. Just a fist-sized piece was incredibly heavy. If an entire artifact were forged from it, it would not need to be large to possess great heft and might.

"If I could train the Gen Mountain Artistic Conception to the second step, I could actually wield the power of the 'Heavy Saber.' However, the Flowing Fire Blade is already a top-grade Affinity Saber. Adding a piece of Heavy Stone to it would instead damage its quality…"

"Or perhaps, why not forge another blade?"

A sudden thought struck Chen Mu, considering it might be feasible.

One blade light, the other heavy—it would indeed be in harmonious accordance with the way of Qian Heaven and Kun Earth, suitable for him to exert his strength. For the moment, this was just an idea. Crafting a Treasured Artifact Heavy Saber with just this Heavy Stone, although doable, would not yield a high-quality result within the realm of Treasured Artifacts—it would need to be supplemented with other materials.

Regardless, it was a pleasant find. Chen Mu pondered for a moment and decided to take it with him. But it was too heavy, and he shook his head. Finally, he took out a strand of golden silkworm thread from his belt, tied the Heavy Stone with it, and hung it on his belt.

If only he had something specially for storage.

Chen Mu had this fleeting thought but soon shook his head and dismissed it.

He had once thought such a thing didn't exist, but later, when talking about 'Spiritual Artifacts' with Meng Danyun, he learned from Meng Danyun that among the world's most precious Spiritual Artifacts, there was one called 'Qiankun Pot.' It had no combative functions, but it did possess the 'storage' capability he mentioned.

This Spiritual Artifact had once been in the hands of the Da Xuan Imperial Court, serving as a logistical treasure for the four armies of the Azure Dragon and White Tiger, allowing them to roam the world without concern. However, it seemed to have been lost in one of the campaigns and its whereabouts became unknown.

Chen Mu certainly coveted such a treasure, but he was also very clear that, with his current level, even if he really got his hands on one of the top spiritual artifacts of the age, it might not necessarily be a good thing.

Even.

Not to mention himself, even a major sect like the Seven Profound Sect, which commanded a state, would attract endless trouble and covetous eyes from all directions if it possessed such an object. After all, with it, one could solve the greatest difficulty in transporting troops and provisions, and there was a chance to recreate the might of the Azure Dragon and White Tiger armies that once swept the world under the Da Xuan Dynasty Court. Who in the present world would not be envious?

"I wonder how a spiritual artifact that involves space characteristics is forged. But since it's called the Qiankun Pot, perhaps it has a certain connection to the Qiankun Artistic Conception."

Chen Mu mused in his heart.

But he soon cast these impractical thoughts aside and continued to delve deeper along the stone cave.

...

Gurgle gurgle.

Small bubbles emerged from Meng Danyun's mouth and nose.

Clutching a sword in her hand, she walked along a somewhat narrow corridor, quickly passed through, and arrived at a very spacious stone cave. Then her gaze sharpened as she saw several hanging stalactites in the middle of the cave.

These stalactites were silver-white, hanging from the ceiling of the cave like icicles. At the pointed ends of the lowest part, a few pearls that glowed and had the luster of white jade, round in shape, were condensed there.

"Qi Condensation Pearls."

"My perception was indeed not wrong."

A hint of joy flashed in Meng Danyun's eyes.

Qi Condensation Pearls, rumored to form deep within Earth's veins over tens of thousands of years through the extracting power of the Earth Pulse, contained a rich concentration of Heaven and Earth's Yuan Qi within and had a very mild nature. They were extremely beneficial for martial artists entering the Six Viscera Realm, greatly improving the accumulation of Six Viscera Vital Energy.

Although she didn't plan to step into the Six Viscera Realm too soon and wanted to cultivate in the Five Viscera Realm for another year or two, obtaining such spiritual objects was naturally very useful. When she entered the Six Viscera Realm in the future, she could at least save one or two years of effort.

Whoosh.

Meng Danyun stepped forward, and suddenly, she swam to the center of the cave, reached out with a grab and a pull, and took three Qi Condensation Pearls, one large and two small, into her hand, then stored them in the sachet close to her body.

But just at that moment, her expression shifted slightly as if she sensed something. Her entire body swiftly swam away in the water, retreating rapidly towards the corridor from which she came, and was about to retreat back into the passage in an instant.

But at this moment.

Sss!

The water suddenly split apart, and a point of blood-red light shone from the dark corridor. A light blue Emei dagger emerged from the darkness, stabbing straight at Meng Danyun and blocking her retreat.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Blood Hidden Pavilion!"

Meng Danyun's expression darkened slightly as she held the Silver Water Sword across her body. The water within several yards around her suddenly vibrated, unleashing the might of a torrent, leveraging the advantage of the terrain to shake a figure in a black robe out from the dark corridor. At the same time, her Silver Water Sword collided with the cold Emei dagger.

The figure in the black robe let out a muffled groan, seemingly unable to withstand the might of Meng Danyun's strike in the water, and was suddenly repelled back into the shadows of the corridor.

But.

With this blockage, Meng Danyun also lost the opportunity to retreat along the original corridor.

Just as she made a split-second decision to break through the Blood Hidden Pavilion assassin in the corridor, the water in the cave suddenly surged tumultuously. A pair of ring-shaped Mandarin Duck Axes, wrapped in a whistling Yuan Gang True Essence, broke through the water towards her.

If Meng Danyun were to rush back into the corridor now, she would not only have to confront the Blood Hidden Pavilion assassin lurking in the darkness ahead but also face this fierce strike from behind. Thus, she had no choice but to frown slightly, abandon the idea of retreating the way she came, and swung her Silver Water Sword, raising a curtain of water to momentarily block the incoming Mandarin Duck Axes. Then her entire body swam upwards.

Above the stone cave.

There was another tunnel, its destination unknown.

Having repelled the Blood Hidden Pavilion assassin in an instant, blocked the incoming Mandarin Duck Axes, and chosen to escape through another passageway, Meng Danyun made a flawless decision. As she was about to disappear into the tunnel above the cave like a swift fish, a jade-colored bamboo stick quickly blocked her path, striking down towards her head.

This blow not only carried the surging Yuan Gang True Essence but also spread a slight sense of warmth, seeming to instantly warm the water in the cave. It stirred up a warm current, falling head-on.

Meng Danyun's gaze turned even colder.

She lifted her Silver Water Sword, causing the water throughout the entire cave to surge turbulently, breaking through the head-on 'spring water', and at the same time, she deflected the jade-colored bamboo stick with her sword's edge.