Chapter 503 - 472: A High-Grade Mine

Song Ciwan hadn’t used only Five Elements Magic to kill the Demon Insects.

Of the Five Elements Magic she currently knew, the Blazing Flame Technique was one, belonging to the Fire Attribute.

Call Wind and Rain was likely Water Attribute, but the technique was too ostentatious and lacked any subtlety, making it unsuitable for use during a tracking mission.

Song Ciwan hadn’t used this Daoist Skill in a long time. Even though it was a Celestial Spirit Daoist Skill, she couldn’t be bothered with it unless absolutely necessary.

Using it carried the risk of revealing an old affair—that she was the one who had killed "the Second Young Master."

If trouble could be avoided, Song Ciwan was more than willing to avoid it.

The Blazing Flame Technique was common; too many people knew it. It wasn’t a signature move, so she could use it without any worries.

As for other attributes, Song Ciwan only knew one Earth Attribute Magic, the Earth Escape Technique. She knew no Gold Attribute Magic, and as for Wood Attribute Magic—

In terms of the Wood Attribute, while Song Ciwan had never learned any specific Daoist Skill, she did know the Wood Rune Technique and the Forest Rune Technique. Both Character Techniques had their own profound mysteries and were far superior to ordinary Low Level Daoist skills.

’Should I seek out some other Five Elements Dao Skills to learn?’ Song Ciwan began to wonder.

It was said that one shouldn’t bite off more than they can chew, but it was also said that you could never have too many skills.

She had plenty of time for Cultivation, so being a jack-of-all-trades and master of none wasn’t really a concern. She could afford to learn more things to be prepared for any situation.

As she was pondering this, Master Chen, who had been running arduously for some time, finally stopped.

He came to a halt on a pile of "rubble" about a hundred feet high, his gaze sweeping in all directions.

He was extremely cautious, but unfortunately for him, Song Ciwan had used the Shadow Tracking Technique. Even if she were standing right in front of him, he wouldn’t be able to see her.

Master Chen saw neither Song Ciwan nor any other living creature. Above the top of the giant flower stalk, in the sky obscured by layers of petals and leaves, elf men and women occasionally flew by.

But the elves, riding on butterflies and dragonflies, were not in the habit of exploring the world beneath the flowers and leaves.

It was just like in the Mortal World, where no one would pay any mind to the rubble on the ground.

After scanning his surroundings, Master Chen knelt down at the base of a huge piece of rubble and held out five Five Elements Crystal Pearls.

These five Crystal Pearls were white, green, black, red, and yellow, representing the Five Elements of Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.

Master Chen arranged the five Crystal Pearls in a twisted circular pattern at the base of the rubble, then raised his hand and knocked three times.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—

The sound of his fingers tapping the stone surface wasn’t crisp; on the contrary, it was rather dull.

After the three knocks, the light at the base of the rubble suddenly distorted slightly. Soon, a dark cave entrance, tall enough for two men, appeared before Master Chen!

Master Chen breathed a sigh of relief, quickly gathered the five Five Elements Crystal Pearls, and rushed into the cave at top speed.

Just as he charged into the opening, Song Ciwan, who was behind him, transformed into a wisp of shadow, merged with his own shadow, and followed him right inside.

The scene inside the cave was not the gloom Song Ciwan had imagined; it was surprisingly bright!

Multicolor Crystal Pearls were embedded in the cave walls ahead, shimmering in and out of sight and emitting specks of colorful light that made the entire cavern look like a dream.

Master Chen’s arduous, time-consuming, and exhausting climb had clearly not been in vain.

Great risks lead to wondrous places. Not only was the scenery beautiful, but more importantly, this was a Crystal Pearl Ore!

What an astonishing fortune! If word of this got out, even the Court would probably dispatch soldiers to seize it.

Song Ciwan was dazzled by the Crystal Pearl Ore for a moment, but she quickly regained her focus.

The next moment, she noticed a dark figure sitting cross-legged around a bend deeper inside the mine.

It was an old woman in black robes, with a full head of silver hair and kindly wrinkles on her face.

The old woman held a small pickaxe, a gentle smile on her face. But at her feet lay a long-haired maiden with pointed ears and a delicate nose, so beautiful she seemed like a fantasy.

The maiden’s eyes were shut tight, as if she had lost consciousness. Her limp body was curled up on the ground, one fair arm resting to the side, with blood gushing from her wrist.

The old woman, meanwhile, was repeatedly dipping the small pickaxe in the maiden’s blood—

She would dip the pickaxe in blood, then strike the cave wall.

Usually, after five or six strikes, she would be able to chip off a Five Elements Crystal Pearl.

The scene made it instantly clear: the old woman was likely using the Elf Maiden’s blood to mine the Five Elements Crystal Pearl Ore!

’But why?’

’Is there some special restriction on the Five Elements Crystal Pearl Ore? Does it require the blood of an Elf Maiden to be mined successfully?’

As Song Ciwan silently speculated, she watched Master Chen enter the mine and run toward the old woman around the bend. He slid into a kneel before her and started wailing, "Grandmother, your grandson has news today! Those Sects from the Nine Provinces are going too far!"

Song Ciwan: "..."

Watching this from the rear, Song Ciwan was instantly covered in goosebumps. As worldly as she was, she was still taken aback by Master Chen’s sudden outburst of tears.

’I never would have guessed. So this is what he’s really like behind the scenes.’

Master Chen knelt on the ground, crying and wiping away tears. He tilted his head up slightly to look at the seated old woman, his expression both obedient and devout, just like a grandson full of adoration.

The old woman had been focused on her mining. Even with Master Chen’s sudden, tearful arrival, her expression remained calm.

By the time Master Chen finished his adoring lament, she had just finished mining a green Five Elements Crystal Pearl.

This green Crystal Pearl was exceptionally deep and pure. The old woman caught the falling pearl in her palm, a pleased look appearing on her face. "Not bad. This Wood Element Crystal Pearl is Four-star Level. This truly is a top-tier mine!"

Yes, Five Elements Crystal Pearls were also graded by Level.

The lowest was Two-star Level, while higher ones were said to reach Five-star Level or even Six-star Level. As for anything higher... that was an unknown. It was impossible to say if they existed or not.

Perhaps they did, perhaps they didn’t.

In any case, there was no talk of them in the ordinary Cultivation Realm.

The old woman placed the Four-star Level Five Elements Crystal Pearl into a Storage Talisman, then turned, her eyes narrowed in a kindly smile as she spoke to Master Chen. "You silly child. What’s such a small matter worth getting so worked up about that you cry? Good boy, come here. Come to Grandmother..."

She beckoned as she spoke. At the same time, the wound on the wrist of the Elf Maiden lying before her, which had been cut open, had already healed itself in that short time!

With the wound on the Elf Maiden’s wrist healed, the blood naturally stopped flowing.

The old woman set her small pickaxe aside, gently caressed the Elf Maiden’s wrist, and sighed. "What a uniquely blessed race. Not only are they born beautiful and retain their youthful looks, but they can even heal their own wounds.

"A state that we of the Human Race might never achieve despite a thousand hardships and all kinds of Cultivation, their Spirit Star Race possesses from birth. How unfair!"