He inhaled deeply.
He discovered it had a nerve-paralyzing effect.
"It’s a specially made Mafei Soup. One bowl a day, and over time, it will turn them into puppets."
Noticing Chu Lingguang’s confusion, Lin Shirong voluntarily explained.
"I see."
Chu Lingguang nodded. The world was a cruel place, with no fairness to speak of. Regardless of whether these men had been wrongly accused, they had been sent here, and his superiors had ordered him to supervise them. The only thing he could do was carry out his orders to the end and avoid causing trouble for himself.
He had no intention of taking pity on the laborers and stopping them from drinking the Mafei Soup. It wasn’t that he was heartless, but the heavy responsibilities on his shoulders wouldn’t allow it.
If any major problems arose, he wouldn’t be the only one to be punished.
"What a rich energy."
By this point, Chu Lingguang had followed Lin Shirong to the base of the mine. He sensed a pleasant energy and took a deep breath. The energy entered his body and, without the help of his Inner Power Heart Method, it actually converted into power that was absorbed by his Dantian.
"It’s Spiritual Qi."
"Spiritual Qi accumulates in every stone mine."
"Unfortunately, we don’t have the cultivation technique to convert this Spiritual Qi into Spiritual Power, which would help us break through the True Martial Realm and reach the Qi Refining Realm."
Lin Shirong explained.
As he spoke, he released a wave of Palm Force, striking the mountainside from a distance. A chunk of ore with the consistency of Profound Iron immediately shattered to pieces.
Chu Lingguang’s Sea of Consciousness was powerful, and he was able to perceive that Lin Shirong’s palm strike had not only drawn upon the power within his Dantian but had also instantly pulled in the surrounding Spiritual Qi, condensing it all into a single Palm Seal to effortlessly shatter the ore from afar.
Such immense power... a single palm strike like that would be enough to heavily wound the Cloud Mist Flood Dragon.
However, back at Xiazigou, without such a rich supply of Spiritual Qi to draw upon, Lin Shirong’s ranged palm strike wouldn’t possess this level of power. Defeating the Cloud Mist Flood Dragon would still require considerable effort.
But Lin Shirong had been here a long time and understood how to better utilize the surrounding Spiritual Qi. Chu Lingguang, having just arrived, wouldn’t be able to control that power with any proficiency in a short amount of time. If the two of them were to fight, Chu Lingguang felt that he would be no match for Lin Shirong.
"With your talent, Lin, if you could obtain a cultivation technique like that, you would have become an expert above the Qi Refining Realm long ago."
Chu Lingguang said sincerely.
Lin Shirong was about the same age as Mo Shan, and his talent surpassed Guo Wei’s.
"Sigh, I’ve already lost my chance. I hope that one day, you’ll be able to enter Yuanchu Mountain and obtain a technique like that. When you achieve Perfection in the future, you must let your old brother here see just how powerful a Qi Refining expert truly is."
Lin Shirong said with a long sigh.
This wasn’t the first time Chu Lingguang had heard such words.
Liu Ziyun had said as much, too.
None of them could step into the Qi Refining Realm, so they all shared an obsession with the power of that state, even willing to give their lives just to experience it for a moment.
"You’re in your prime, Lin. I’m sure you’ll have a chance in the future."
Chu Lingguang could only offer some words of comfort.
In truth, seeing so many people stuck at the peak of the True Martial Realm, unable to step into the Qi Refining Realm—and now even Lin Shirong, who guarded Wolf Valley Pass and could absorb Spiritual Qi, was lamenting that he had no hope of ever advancing—made Chu Lingguang feel his own chances were slim.
He could only hope that one day, he might be able to rely on his Favor Points to obtain such a Cultivation Technique and successfully step into the Qi Refining Realm.
SLITHER!
Suddenly, a sound like a rope sliding across the ground echoed out.
"What was that?"
Chu Lingguang saw a green figure dart from the left and disappear into a crevice in the rock.
He went over to investigate.
"This is...?"
He saw a rat, strangled by a vine. The vine’s tendrils and leaves had enveloped the creature and were absorbing its flesh and blood as nutrients.
"That’s a Demon Cloud Vine. The Holy Emperor requested an expert from Yuanchu Mountain to plant it here. It’s all over the place beneath the mountain, and it can automatically identify demons and any creature that can gnaw on the ore, like rats."
"As long as you don’t provoke it, it won’t attack us."
"If you accidentally anger it, open this box."
Lin Shirong explained, handing Chu Lingguang a box. Inside was a green caterpillar that was emitting a layer of green light and giving off a strange fluctuation.
The Demon Cloud Vine seemed to sense it and retreated deeper into the stone crevice.
"This..."
Chu Lingguang was dumbfounded.
’Could it be...?’
He recalled the message inside the Jade Box. ’Could it be that the heart Yang Lijun’s family spoke of is inside a vine? That it was carried away by a vine that can move?’
’Just like this Demon Cloud Vine.’
’Is that why I couldn’t find the heart?’
’But if that’s true, how am I ever going to find that heart?’
"Lin, did you just say the Demon Cloud Vine was planted here by an expert from Yuanchu Mountain?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Then how large is this Demon Cloud Vine’s range of movement?"
"That depends on how far its root system spreads. The one you just saw, for instance, has roots that have already permeated the two Wolf Head Mountains, so you can see it all over them. But only a few of its vines are sentient and capable of attacking. It can easily move to other parts of its body."
Lin Shirong explained patiently.
"Aside from devouring demons, does it eat other things? For example, animal organs?"
Chu Lingguang asked again.
"It does. Eats them so clean not even the bones are left."
Lin Shirong confirmed.
Chu Lingguang froze again. If the vine that Yang Lijun’s family had mentioned was a Demon Cloud Vine, then the heart capable of awakening all responses had likely already been devoured by it.