Chapter 23 The Spirit Vein Returns to Ruins, Primordial Chaos Flourishes

The dull thuds of the Mountain-Splitting Axe striking rock echoed throughout the Immortal Cave for a full half-day. Lin Yue's bare upper body was covered in a thin layer of sweat, his bronze skin gleaming healthily in the dim light. Each swing of the axe carried the force of a thousand catties, causing the hard rock to shatter layer by layer beneath his hands, with rubble and soil piling up into small mounds to the side.

Since this Spiritual Vein concerned everyone's path of cultivation, A He, naturally, would change her recipes every day, cooking various spirit foods for Lin Yue to consume and replenish his physical strength.

Su Qingyuan silently cleared the rubble blocking the way, and even the usually cold Luo Ningshuang would use her cauldron to refine Medicinal Pills for him to restore his spiritual power.

The former distance in the Immortal Cave was gone, replaced by a silent understanding and affection quietly flowing through the cave.

"Thud—"

The Mountain-Splitting Axe hacked fiercely into a dark green rock, which cracked upon impact. A faint milky-white spiritual light seeped out from the crevices, and the air was instantly filled with dense Spiritual Qi, several times purer than the Spiritual Qi in the inner Sect caves of the Qingyun Sect.

"A Spiritual Vein!" A He's eyes lit up as she shouted in surprise.

Lin Yue stood with his axe retracted, panting heavily, but his eyes were full of joy. He reached out to brush away the shattered rocks, and a branch of a Spiritual Vein as thick as a wrist appeared before him. Its body shimmered with a warm milky-white glow, and pure Spiritual Qi flowed slowly through it like a stream, causing the concentration of Spiritual Qi in the entire Immortal Cave to skyrocket instantly.

Luo Ningshuang stepped forward, her fingertips lightly touching the Spiritual Vein. A hint of wonder flashed in her cold eyes: "It's actually a Medium Grade Spiritual Vein branch. The Spiritual Qi is pure and free of impurities, even better than I expected."

Su Qingyuan also stopped her movements, feeling the abundant Spiritual Qi around her. Her crimson sword-like eyebrows relaxed slightly; such dense Spiritual Qi would be of great benefit to her cultivation of the Burning Heaven Sword Scripture.

Looking at the Spiritual Vein before him, Lin Yue's heart suddenly stirred. The Hongmeng Space within his Sea of Consciousness trembled slightly, as if it had a strong reaction to the Spiritual Qi of this Spiritual Vein.

[Ding! Medium Grade Spiritual Vein branch detected. The Hongmeng Space can absorb the Spiritual Vein's Spiritual Qi as its source of power. Establish a connection between the Spiritual Vein and the Hongmeng Space?]

[After connecting, the growth rate of the Spirit Medicines in the Medicine Plot will increase to thirty times that of the outside world, and the space will slowly expand on its own.]

"Connect!" Lin Yue thought without hesitation.

The next moment, a surge of pure Spiritual Qi gushed out from the Spiritual Vein, flowing into the Hongmeng Space along Lin Yue's Divine Sense. The boundaries of the Hongmeng Space trembled slightly, and the originally small area actually expanded by a circle. The Spirit Medicines in the Medicine Plot were instantly enveloped by Spiritual Qi, their leaves trembling slightly as they grew more robust at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The spirit gathering grass that had already seeded saw its seeds become even fuller, with the Spiritual Qi so dense it almost condensed into substance.

Lin Yue was overjoyed. This Spiritual Vein had become a natural source of spiritual power for the Hongmeng Space. With this boost, the speed at which A He cultivated Spirit Medicines would reach a new level, and they would never have to worry about cultivation resources again.

With a wave of his hand, a beam of spiritual light landed on the Spiritual Vein, setting up a simple Spirit Gathering Array to lock the Spiritual Qi within the Immortal Cave, only letting it dissipate slowly. This ensured everyone's cultivation while preventing the Spiritual Qi from leaking out and attracting unwanted attention.

Having done all this, Lin Yue breathed a sigh of relief. He took the Daoist robe handed to him by A He and put it on. Looking at the three women whose eyes were filled with joy, he smiled and said, "Alright, from now on, you can Cultivate here with peace of mind."

From then on, the cultivation atmosphere in the Immortal Cave became even more intense.

Nourished day and night by the pure Spiritual Qi of the Spiritual Vein, combined with the high-quality Spirit Medicines grown in the Hongmeng Space and the Medicinal Pills refined by Luo Ningshuang, the three women's cultivation progressed at a rapid pace.

A He's Azure Vine Mysterious Water Spiritual Root was already exceptionally compatible with wood-element and life-based Spiritual Qi. Under the dual enhancement of the Spiritual Vein and the Hongmeng Space, her Everspring Art circulated more and more smoothly.

In just a few months, she broke through from the second level of Qi Refining to the Qi Refining Level 4. The faint green spiritual light surrounding her became denser, and she could even draw upon the surrounding plant Spiritual Qi for her own use. With a wave of her hand, she could catalyze the growth of Spiritual Plants, bringing her talent for Spiritual Plant affinity into full play.

Su Qingyuan's Innate Sword Bone grew even stronger under the soaking of pure Spiritual Qi, and her mastery of the Burning Heaven Sword Scripture advanced by leaps and bounds.

The crimson-patterned flying sword turned into a streak of red light in her hand. Her Sword Qi was so sharp it could easily split rocks, and the Spiritual Qi from the Spiritual Vein added a touch of agility and purity to her Sword Qi.

Su Qingyuan successively broke through the third and fourth levels of Qi Refining, stepping into the Qi Refining Level 5.

Her sword momentum solidified, and she was already able to draw upon the fire spiritual power of heaven and earth. With one strike, the red Sword Qi could burn the heavens and split the earth, possessing terrifying power.

Luo Ningshuang benefited the most. Her Innate Pill Body already had an extreme capacity for absorbing Spiritual Qi. The pure Spiritual Qi of the Spiritual Vein, combined with the Nirvana Pill Canon, allowed her damaged Meridians to repair at a visible speed, and the Origin of her Innate Pill Body at her Dantian completely revived.

She used the Spiritual Vein's Spiritual Qi to refine pills every day. Her pill fire became purer, and the quality of the Medicinal Pills she refined improved day by day.

Her cultivation skyrocketed, recovering from the third level of Qi Refining to the Sixth Level of Qi Refining. Her meridian repair rate reached thirty percent, and her alchemy attainments grew accordingly, enabling her to refine Qi Gathering Pills and Yuan-Solidifying Pills suitable for Late Stage Qi Refining Cultivators.

The explosion in the three women's cultivation was continuously fed back to Lin Yue through the symbiotic cultivation mechanism.

A He's life Spiritual Qi, Su Qingyuan's Burning Heaven Sword Qi, and Luo Ningshuang's pill essence power, combined with the day-and-night nourishment of the Spiritual Vein's Spiritual Qi, merged perfectly within his Hundred Meridians Unblocked physique. This transformed into an even purer spiritual power that washed through his Spiritual Veins and nourished his Dantian.

Lin Yue's cultivation rose like a tide, breaking through from the Qi Refining Level 5 to the Ninth Level of Qi Refining. His Spiritual Vein blockage rate dropped to 50%, the total amount of spiritual power in his body multiplied, and its circulation speed became startlingly fast.

Under the nourishment of the Spiritual Vein and the three powers, his Hundred Meridians Unblocked physique became increasingly robust, to the point where his Physical Body could withstand attacks from Low Grade Magical Artifacts without a scratch.

To his surprise, due to the feedback of Su Qingyuan's Sword Qi, he had actually gained a preliminary mastery of the Burning Heaven Sword Qi. Although not as sharp as Su Qingyuan's, he could still manifest a trace of red Sword Qi, which, combined with his powerful Physical Body, greatly increased his combat power.

Luo Ningshuang's alchemy affinity talent also allowed him to easily distinguish the medicinal properties of Spirit Medicines, and his alchemy attainments advanced rapidly.

Even with his cultivation soaring, Lin Yue remained extremely low-key.

Every day, he still went to the Sect on time to complete his duties in the medicinal garden, maintaining his appearance of an aged man at Qi Refining Level 3. Aside from completing Sect missions, he stayed behind closed doors, cultivating diligently in his Immortal Cave.

He never sought trouble and never had much contact with other Sect Disciples.

For the monthly "wife support" fee, he went to the Deacon's Office exactly on time, paying forty Low-Grade Spirit Stones—not one more, not one less.

Zhou Biao tried to find opportunities to make things difficult for him several times, but because Lin Yue paid in full and on time every time, he couldn't find any fault and could only give up in frustration.

But the tree wants to be still, yet the wind keeps blowing.

Lin Yue's low profile ultimately failed to hide his anomalies.

The matter of Zhao Xiong being crippled had already spread like wildfire through the Qingyun Sect Outer Sect Disciple circles.

An "old Trash" at Qi Refining Level 3 sending a Body Refining expert at the Qi Refining Level 5 flying with one punch and shattering all his bones was simply too bizarre. Many Disciples were suspicious, speculating whether Lin Yue had obtained some Opportunity that greatly increased his strength.

And the rumors in the market made Lin Yue a "fat sheep" in the eyes of many.

Some said they saw him selling high-quality Spirit Medicines at the Baicao Hall, earning hundreds of Spirit Stones; some said he picked up treasures from street vendors and spent lavishly; others said the three women by his side, though seemingly of average Aptitude, were becoming increasingly radiant and were definitely not ordinary women.

These rumors intertwined, causing many ill-intentioned Outer Sect Disciples to harbor wicked thoughts.

Some envied his Opportunity, some coveted the Spirit Stones and treasures in his hands, and others lusted after the beauty of the three women. They all watched Lin Yue's Immortal Cave in secret, waiting for an Opportunity to strike.

Lin Yue was not unaware of all this.

Standing before the stone door of his Immortal Cave, he looked through the screen of Breath Concealment and Essence Hiding at several sneaky figures on the distant mountain path, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

He originally wanted to Cultivate low-key and live a peaceful life, but if someone insisted on provoking him, he wouldn't mind letting them know what it meant to be someone they couldn't afford to mess with.

With a Spiritual Vein by his side, Hongmeng as his foundation, and the three women accompanying him, the greatly strengthened Lin Yue was no longer that old Trash at Qi Refining Level 3 who could be bullied at will.

Now, he had enough strength to protect his wives and guard his Dao.

Those who plotted against him would eventually pay a heavy price for their greed.