Chapter Twenty-One: The Veins of Earthly Flame

The previous chapter had a few revisions; I’m not sure if this version is better, but I hope everyone will continue reading and share your thoughts. I also humbly ask for your support—please click, recommend, and lend your encouragement in every way!

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The Juying Sect, one of the three great factions of the Ten Thousand Fathoms Mountain Range, is nestled deep within its heart, where spiritual energy is abundant. Anchored by the towering Juying Peak, which rises a thousand feet into the clouds, its influence radiates outward to surrounding summits.

On this day, near the summit of Juying Peak, a young man arrived. Though his figure was slender and delicate, his stride was vigorous and assured. Had anyone seen him ascend from the mountain’s base to its pinnacle in just a few breaths, they would scarcely believe that this refined youth possessed such a formidable physique.

This youth was none other than Yang Xiao, who had just completed his cultivation in his own chamber. He had come to the mountaintop for the sake of the subterranean Fire Vein located there.

Throughout his ascent, Yang Xiao deliberately pushed himself to his utmost speed, both to test the fruits of his recent training and to treat the journey as an exercise in itself.

Reflecting on the tremendous progress he’d made over the past few months through relentless effort, Yang Xiao couldn’t help but sigh. Since his rebirth, his once-crippled constitution had improved beyond measure. Now, even among all the disciples of the sect, he would rank at least in the middle tier—perhaps even better than many of his peers.

This brought Yang Xiao a sense of comfort at last.

Of course, while he could move at full speed on the way up, as he neared the summit, his pace naturally slowed. He did not wish to reveal the full extent of his strength just yet. Despite his progress, there was still a considerable gap between him and the elite disciples. It was too soon to expose his abilities; better to wait until he had truly grown powerful, then dazzle everyone in one fell swoop—only then would he truly command awe.

Yang Xiao’s aim was to achieve a strong result in the sect’s annual grand competition. Then, all would view him in a new light, and he would shed the label of “useless” forever, rising to become one of the true elite disciples.

This time, Yang Xiao’s goal was the Earth Fire Vein near the summit. This vein, formed by the perpetual eruption of subterranean flames, was somewhat akin to a spiritual vein. On Juying Peak, the Earth Fire Vein lay close to an underground spiritual vein, and the interplay between them created a superb Fire Spirit Vein. Such a vein was especially beneficial for alchemy and forging, superior even to ordinary Earth Fire Veins by a considerable margin.

Yang Xiao had come here to forge the Dragon-Serpent Sword, as well as to refine a certain medicinal pill.

From a distance, he gazed toward the summit, where a grand hall stood—the residence and cultivation retreat of the Juying Sect’s master, Master Lingfeng, who was also Yang Xiao’s teacher. However, Master Lingfeng was often preoccupied with his own cultivation and rarely received disciples, emerging only for significant occasions.

Still, some advanced disciples were permitted to seek instruction from Master Lingfeng on the mountaintop, though those of lower rank had no such privilege.

Some of the more accomplished disciples even resided atop Juying Peak itself, as the rich spiritual energy greatly aided their cultivation. In contrast, those with lesser skill could not approach without specific summons from Master Lingfeng.

Thus, a stark divide emerged between the sect’s elite and its ordinary disciples. The higher one’s cultivation, the more resources one received, accelerating their progress. The less talented, by contrast, gained little and often stagnated.

Unfortunately, Yang Xiao had long been counted among the lowest of the low. Many who joined after him had already surpassed him in cultivation, and under such circumstances, he naturally received no attention from the sect.

It was almost laughable: the last time Yang Xiao had seen his master, Master Lingfeng, was a year ago at the grand competition—the only time when the master would appear and even low-ranked disciples could participate.

Remembering this, Yang Xiao could not help but feel a twinge of emotion.

When he arrived at the entrance to the Earth Fire Vein, he found two disciples standing guard. They looked surprised to see Yang Xiao; evidently, they hadn’t expected him to show up here.

“Isn’t this Brother Yang? What brings you to the summit today? I recall that disciples of your rank only come up here during the grand competition,” one of the guards said, clearly recognizing Yang Xiao and teasing him lightly.

The other guard, too, found Yang Xiao’s presence here somewhat amusing.

Places like the Earth Fire Vein were typically reserved for senior disciples. The temperatures within were so high that those at the first or second level of Spiritual Awareness risked serious injury. Although numerous safety measures were in place, and lower-ranked disciples could forcibly enter, very few would dare risk it. Usually, even if such disciples managed to gather rare herbs, they would ask higher-ranked members to refine them. Some, unwilling to pay for such favors, simply consumed the raw herbs, though this was less effective. After all, no one would do such work for free.

Thus, the two guards were naturally curious about Yang Xiao’s intentions.

“Brothers, I’m here to refine some pills,” Yang Xiao replied sincerely, unfazed by their teasing. “Could you tell me what the rules are for using the Earth Fire Vein for alchemy?”

“You plan to refine pills here? Surely you jest! With your cultivation, it would be dangerous to enter. I advise you to seek help from a more advanced brother,” the first guard said, shaking his head.

“What cultivation level must one have to enter?” Yang Xiao asked again.

“At least the fourth level of Spiritual Awareness, like us. At that level, you can just manage to stay inside for several days. Otherwise, it’s truly dangerous—those at the second or third level can hardly last a quarter of an hour before succumbing to the heat. If you insist on going in, don’t say we didn’t warn you—no one will come to your rescue. And if you want to enter, you’ll need to pay one spirit stone as a deposit for each day you stay. Settle up when you leave,” the other guard explained in detail.

“Very well, I’ll give you ten spirit stones now and settle up the rest when I return,” Yang Xiao said, handing over ten spirit stones.

“Surely you’re not serious about going in?” the first guard, who had been teasing Yang Xiao, could not help but widen his eyes in disbelief at this unexpected turn of events.