Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World

Chapter 417: Chapter 232: Mining Spirit Stones_2

In this battle against the bloodthirsty beasts, Gu Sheng didn’t hold back, using nearly all his skills. Without his full-force assistance, even if the disciples of Haoyang Sect could kill all the beasts, they would still suffer severe injuries in the end.

After this battle, the goodwill of Haoyang Sect’s disciples toward Gu Sheng skyrocketed, and many began actively engaging him in conversation.

After the fight ended, Gu Sheng instructed the Haoyang Sect members to clean the battlefield while he approached Lin Tianhao.

”Thank you!”

Lin Tianhao had taken full note of Gu Sheng’s actions. When he saw Gu Sheng coming over, Lin Tianhao expressed heartfelt gratitude from the bottom of his heart.

Gu Sheng, without much regard for appearances, slumped down beside Lin Tianhao and pulled out two power-restoring pills. He consumed one himself and tossed the other directly into Lin Tianhao’s mouth.

”Thank me for what? This Spirit Stone mine vein is of monumental significance to any power. Not only are you willing to share it with me, but you’ve also sent so many people to assist. If I were to hide my abilities now, could I still call myself human?”

Lin Tianhao, hearing this, laughed heartily. ”Brother Gu, you’re truly a straightforward man.”

Lin Tianhao was seriously injured. Even after consuming the pills Gu Sheng provided, short-term recovery would be difficult. Fortunately, aside from those bloodthirsty beasts, there were no other threats requiring battle within this valley.

After a brief rest, they moved toward the depths of the valley.

The valley wasn’t very large; after walking merely a few hundred meters, they reached the end.

The mountain wall at the far end of the valley was entirely white at its base, with Spiritual Energy on its surface so dense that it was practically condensing into liquid.

”The Spirit Stone vein is within this mountain wall. Time is tight; let’s begin excavation according to the original plan.”

Lin Tianhao stared at the stone wall, his inner thoughts filled with excitement.

Among the disciples of Haoyang Sect, aside from those with severe injuries, the others quickly pulled out specialized tools for mining Spirit Stones from their backpacks.

Mining is a skillful task. Gu Sheng initially wanted to lend a hand, but unfortunately, he lacked talent and expertise in this area. After bustling about for a while, not only was he of no help, but he also inadvertently made things harder.

Seeing Gu Sheng sweating profusely and looking embarrassed, the disciples of Haoyang Sect warmly tried to dissuade him, saying, ”Junior Brother Gu, leave these menial tasks to us! The earlier battle already drained you—go and rest!”

Gu Sheng chuckled awkwardly, reluctantly setting down the pickaxe and going over to rest beside Lin Tianhao.

”Although we’ve discovered the Spirit Stone vein, extracting the Spirit Stones won’t be easy. Unless something unexpected happens, we likely won’t leave this place until the Red Cloud Secret Realm closes. Mining is a demanding skill; they’ve undergone specialized training in the sect; their techniques are top-notch. Don’t worry—when the time comes, you’ll get all the Spirit Stones I promised you, not one short! Meanwhile, you should focus on your cultivation around here.”

Initially, Gu Sheng was curious, not taking his eyes off Haoyang Sect’s disciples digging the mine tunnels. However, as time went on, he gradually lost interest and found himself a spot to start cultivating.

After entering the Golden Bone Realm, one needs the Guiding Method to lead Spiritual Power into the body to continue advancing. Gu Sheng had just broken through after entering the Red Cloud Secret Realm, but he didn’t yet have the Guiding Method in hand. Unable to refine himself with Spiritual Power, Gu Sheng instead focused on practicing martial techniques.

After fusing the three refining martial arts into the Mixed Element Body Refining Skill, its effectiveness significantly improved. Since Haoyang Sect’s disciples were busy excavating mine tunnels, practicing other martial arts would cause too much disruption, so Gu Sheng focused on training Mixed Element Body Refining Skill, occasionally sparing time to work on Shadow Concealment Skill.

During this period, Gu Sheng frequently used various martial arts techniques. Thanks to the cultivation interface’s system, this also functioned as a form of practice, resulting in substantial progress across the board.

[Name]: Gu Sheng

[Age]: 18

[Realm]: Bone Refining Realm (Golden Bone)

[Martial Techniques]: Chopping Wood (First-level Tear), Archery (First-level Penetration), Mixed Element Body Refining Skill (First-level 70%, Initial Bloodburst), Shapeshifting (First-level Strong Body), Snake Breath Skill (First-level Snake Breath), Three Styles of Furious Blood (Perfect 68%), Helian Weapon Casting Skill (Small Success 75%), Blood Activation Skill (Great Success 2%), Shadow Concealment Skill (Small Success 5%), Sword Aura (Entry-level 8%), Gale Nine Swords (Entry-level 13%)

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Progress in Mixed Element Body Refining Skill directly increased by twenty percent. Although Gu Sheng hadn’t yet tried Initial Bloodburst, the description alone—which indicated a thirty percent boost to stamina, strength, and speed—was already incredibly remarkable. Moreover, the skill interface mentioned no adverse side effects. Considering the wonders of the cultivation panel, it was highly likely that Bloodburst indeed came without repercussions!

It’s worth noting that temporary strength-enhancing pills like the ones Lu Shu and Lin Tianhao had consumed not only came at great expense and with severe side effects but also provided boosts no better than Initial Bloodburst. Meanwhile, this Bloodburst appeared to have tiers—its current ”first degree” implied that even higher levels might exist.

Given a thirty percent power increase from the first degree, the potential boosts of the second degree or third degree Bloodburst would certainly be terrifying!

This kind of temporary strength-enhancing method can serve as a second life at critical moments, and Gu Sheng regarded it with great importance.

Beyond Mixed Element Body Refining Skill, skills like Blood Activation Skill, Shadow Concealment Skill, Sword Aura, and Gale Nine Swords also showed growth, although the gains weren’t as pronounced.

Gu Sheng suspected this might be due to the Spirit-Aiding Jade Pendant.

Mixed Element Body Refining Skill is a refining martial art; cultivating involves using Power to temper flesh, blood, and bones. The Spirit-Aiding Jade Pendant allowed the Mixed Element Body Refining Skill to operate continuously, saving Gu Sheng considerable effort in arduous training.

In the days that followed, Gu Sheng spent his time focused on these martial arts, while the Spirit Stone excavation proceeded steadily.

Four days later, a Haoyang Sect disciple emerged from the mine tunnel in high spirits, visibly thrilled.

”Brother Lin! We found Spirit Stones! We found Spirit Stones!”

Lin Tianhao was exchanging cultivation insights when he heard the news. Both immediately showed expressions of joy, rising hastily to their feet and looking eagerly at the individual. ”You’ve mined Spirit Stones? Where are they? Quickly, let me see!”

The disciple promptly produced a palm-sized, pristine white stone and handed it to Lin Tianhao.

Lin Tianhao, visibly excited, took the stone and examined it thoroughly. ”Good! Good! Good! This quality far surpasses what we’ve obtained from the ruins of small sects in the past! Since Spirit Stones have started appearing, it means we’ve reached the main vein. Hurry up the mining process and aim to extract all the Spirit Stones as soon as possible!”

The Haoyang Sect disciple nodded enthusiastically. ”Alright! We’ll put all our effort into this. The mine tunnel isn’t very large and permits at most three people to excavate simultaneously. Shortly, we’ll arrange shifts—three members per group—working in rotation to maintain round-the-clock activity!”

After the reporting disciple returned to the mine tunnel, Lin Tianhao handed the newly excavated Spirit Stone to Gu Sheng.

”Junior Brother Gu, the quality of this Spirit Stone is astonishingly high. We’ve truly hit the jackpot this time!”

Gu Sheng accepted the Spirit Stone and instantly sensed the abundant Spiritual Power within it.

The Spiritual Energy in this single Spirit Stone exceeded the combined amount from the four spiritual bags extracted from the Blackwater Worm.

Currently, Gu Sheng’s equipment, such as the Gravity Field of the Water Cold Sword and the functioning of the Demon Suppression Golden Scroll, required Spiritual Power to operate.

Although the Demon Suppression Golden Scroll’s suppressive effects are indiscriminate, as demonstrated in the previous experience, when Gu Sheng’s body reached its limit, the Vajra Demon Suppression Bell within him still lent its support.

Considering all this, the Demon Suppression Golden Scroll was now Gu Sheng’s strongest trump card!

As long as he had enough Spirit Stones, even should a Marrow Refining Realm practitioner arrive—provided they didn’t defeat him instantly—Gu Sheng was confident he could suppress them using the Demon Suppression Golden Scroll!

Looking at the Spirit Stone in his hand, Gu Sheng couldn’t help but laugh with satisfaction.

”The quality of this Spirit Stone is indeed excellent. Now the question is: how much reserve does this vein have?”

Hearing this, Lin Tianhao confidently patted Gu Sheng’s shoulder. ”Don’t worry! Judging by the Spiritual Energy present in this valley and the strength of those bloodthirsty beasts, I estimate this Spirit Stone vein contains no fewer than a thousand stones of this high quality! This is a conservative estimate—aside from such premium stones, there are surely many of slightly lower quality nearby. Even splitting this with both our factions, the total amount would far exceed what we’ve gained from the Red Cloud Secret Realm over four or five years!”