Siheyuan: tomb robbing? I am serious about hunting.

Chapter 1161 What

There's a small town called Qingshi Town. Built into the mountainside, its houses are mostly constructed of mountain bluestone, their roofs covered in dark brown tiles, gleaming with an ancient sheen in the sunlight. At the town's entrance stands a thousand-year-old locust tree, its trunk so thick that five people need to hold it together to walk cautiously. The mine tunnel is narrow and winding, with only enough room for one person to pass sideways at its narrowest point. Water drips from the rock face from time to time, its "tick, tick" sound echoing distinctly through the empty mine. Yunchen gripped his pick, the cool touch against his fingertips relaxing his tense nerves. After walking for about a cup of tea, the mine tunnel gradually widened, forming a space large enough to accommodate dozens of people. This is the main mining area for the miners. Numerous ores and tools are scattered on the ground, and the rock walls are covered with traces of mining. "Alright, everyone, mine here. Don't go too deep, and be careful!" said Lao Wang, taking the lead and smashing the pick against a rock face. The miners dispersed, searching for suitable locations for mining. Yun Kaishan led Yun Chen to a rock face that appeared relatively soft. "Chen'er, look at this rock face. It's darker than the surrounding area, and there are many small cracks on the surface. There's a good chance spiritual iron ore is hidden within. Try striking it with your pickaxe, but don't use too much force to avoid breaking the ore." Yun Chen nodded, took the pickaxe from his father, took a deep breath, and aimed it at the crack in the rock face. He closed his eyes, recalling the techniques his father had taught him. Then, opening them suddenly, he exerted force with his arm and brought the pickaxe down hard. With a crisp "ding," the pickaxe landed on the rock face, sending up tiny stone chips. A small pit appeared in the rock face, revealing the dark gray ore within. "Not bad, just the right pressure!" The spiritual energy within his dantian seemed richer than before. "Could it be that my body can absorb the spiritual energy from the blood of demon beasts?" Yun Chen was filled with doubt, but he kept his discovery to himself, keeping it to himself. After dealing with the Black Wind Bear's corpse, the two continued on their journey. Over the next few days, they encountered several more waves of demonic beasts and several miasma-infected areas, but under Lin Feng's protection and guidance, they were able to escape danger without incident. During this process, Yun Chen gradually mastered the technique of absorbing spiritual energy, and the spiritual energy within his dantian grew increasingly dense. Yun Chen arrived at a corner of the yard, where several pieces of ore previously brought back from the mine were piled. The largest piece was half a man's height and weighed at least 200 kilograms. Previously, he and his father had only been able to move it a short distance. Yun Chen took a deep breath, walked over to the large piece of ore, grasped it with both hands, and lifted it with all his strength. A miracle happened! He lifted the 200-kilogram piece of ore with ease, and it felt effortless, like lifting an ordinary stone. Yun Kaishan stood by, stunned, muttering, "How is this possible? How is this possible..." Besides his increased strength, Yun Chen also noticed that his vision and hearing had become incredibly sharp. That afternoon, Yun Chen sat on a stone bench in the yard, basking in the sun, gazing idly at the distant forest. Before, he could only make out the general outlines of the forest, but now, he could clearly see every leaf on the trees, even the veins on the leaves, and even the birds perched on the branches, the color and shape of their feathers clearly visible. He also tried to listen to the sounds around him. Before, he could only hear the louder sounds in town, such as the pounding of the blacksmith's iron and the cries of the vendors. But now, he could hear the subtle clink of iron blocks against hammers in the town's blacksmith shop, the voices of neighbors nearby, and even the subtle rustling of ants crawling in the corners of his own wall. These strange changes surprised and excited Yun Chen. He began to realize that the black crystal had brought him more than just a thrilling experience; it also gave him an unprecedented ability. Even more astonishing, he could sense an invisible energy in the air around him. This energy was very thin, like a transparent mist, permeating the sky and earth. He reached out to touch it, but felt nothing. But when he concentrated, closed his eyes, and felt it with his heart, he could clearly sense its presence. He discovered that he could actually absorb this invisible energy into his body. Every time he took a deep breath, he could feel a faint energy entering his body through his nose, then blending into the warm stream within him, enriching it. He had no idea what this energy was or what it would do, but he could feel that as he absorbed it, his body became lighter and his energy grew. For the next few days, Yun Chen would spend some time each day closing his eyes and concentrating on absorbing the invisible energy around him. He discovered that the invisible energy in the air was more concentrated in the early morning and evening, especially near the mountains and forests, where the concentration was highest. So, every morning, he would go to the forest outside the town to absorb the invisible energy, feeling the gradual increase in his energy, filled with anticipation. He had tried to mention this invisible energy to his father, but he simply smiled and said he had just woken up and his mind was still unclear, and asked him to get some rest. Yun Chen knew his father was an ordinary person and couldn't sense this energy, so he kept it to himself, exploring the mystery of this energy on his own. Until one day, a cultivator passing through Qingshi Town completely changed Yun Chen's fate. That morning, Yun Chen was as usual, with a strong fishy smell. But the moment blood touched his skin, the spiritual energy within him suddenly became active, flowing rapidly through the meridians in his arms. Startled, Yun Chen quickly focused his mind, guiding the vibrant spiritual energy through his body. This time, the spiritual energy flowed exceptionally smoothly, not dissipating midway as before, but quickly converging into his dantian. He could sense Yun Kaishan's gratified voice, "Keep going, chisel down along the crack, and try to remove the entire piece of ore." Encouraged, Yun Chen chiseled even more intently. His movements were skillful and powerful, each swing of the pick landing precisely on the cracks in the ore. The sound of the pick hitting the rock wall echoed relentlessly throughout the mine. Soon, a fist-sized piece of ore was chiseled out. Yun Chen picked up the ore and examined it carefully.