C41 A Spirit Stone That Could Increase the Speed of Cultivation

"Patriarch, please wait a moment. I'll retrieve the Spirit Ore," the High Priest said quickly, noticing Jiang Que's keen interest.

"Go ahead," Jiang Que nodded in approval.

After bowing, the High Priest briskly made his way to the Spirit Ore storage.

"From the look on Jiang Que's face earlier, he seemed quite excited. But he's in for a disappointment," someone remarked.

"I was just examining the map of the eastern mines. It's merely an energy stone mine," a spectator commented.

"What's an energy stone?"

Most of the audience appeared confused.

"An energy stone is a type of ore created from Spiritual Energy. When the Human Race first ventured beyond Blue Star, we found this ore on other colonial planets. Initially, the Federation's Research Institute attempted to use these energy stones as a primary energy source," someone explained.

"They abandoned the idea quickly, mainly because the stones' stability was very poor, and they couldn't be used for multiple energy conversions. They were suitable for civilian energy needs but not for military applications."

"Moreover, the energy yield from energy stones pales in comparison to nuclear power, so the Research Institute ceased further investigation."

"I see!" Everyone nodded in understanding.

"So, you're saying that this energy stone isn't an ore that can be used to manufacture weapons? It's simply a crystallization of Spiritual Energy?"

"Exactly! Jiang Que has been collecting various Spirit Ores in hopes of experimenting with them, possibly combining them to forge weapons."

"The melting point of this energy stone exceeds 20,000 degrees Celsius, which is beyond the Flame Mountain Tribe's current forging capabilities."

"Even if they manage to melt it, the energy stone would simply break down into energy, meaning the Spiritual Energy would dissipate into the air."

"Well then, it looks like Jiang Que is out of luck."

"The Scanner indicates that while the Flame Mountain Range is rich with mineral deposits, most are deep underground with very few accessible on the surface."

"They finally come across a surface deposit, and Jiang Que is undoubtedly determined to mine this energy stone."

"Yet, when they finally extract the energy stone, they'll find it impossible to melt."

"And if they do attempt to melt it, they'll end up even more frustrated as the energy stone will simply evaporate away."

Life in the Wilderness Era was truly challenging. If Jiang Que were with us, he wouldn't have to exert so much effort gathering bits and pieces of Spirit Ore.

"Regardless of the type of weapon he desired, any steel mill could easily mass-produce them."

The audience began to sympathize with Jiang Que.

The female viewers, in particular, felt deeply for him.

The thought of Jiang Que's future look of disappointment filled them with sadness.

"Patriarch!"

The High Priest quickly arrived with the energy stone that the audience had mentioned.

It was a stone of milky white hue.

As he handed the stone to Jiang Que, the High Priest explained, "This Spirit Ore is quite peculiar. It's not very hard; I can mark it with just ordinary iron tools. Yet, no matter how intense the flame, it refuses to melt."

"Moreover, while other Spirit Ores contain Spiritual Energy, none are as plentiful and pure as this one. I believe this Spirit Ore is composed entirely of concentrated Spiritual Energy."

"It's made of concentrated Spiritual Energy?" Jiang Que was taken aback.

He accepted the milky-white stone.

Spirit Power surged within him.

He sensed an outpouring of rich, pure Spiritual Energy from the stone in his hand.

Wasn't this the Spirit Stone found in countless fantasy novels?

Without a second thought, he sat down, placing the stone beside him.

He quickly entered a meditative state.

As the Spirit Power flowed through his meridians, the Spiritual Energy from the stone seemed to be drawn out by some mysterious force, increasing its dispersion rate exponentially. The Spirit Power then converged on Jiang Que's body.

Like the Spiritual Energy in the air, it entered through his skin and traveled through his meridians.

As the Spirit Power moved, it journeyed through his meridians and finally into his Qi Sea, where it was converted into pure Spirit Power.

A look of wild joy spread across Jiang Que's face.

It was indeed a Spirit Stone!

This was the Spirit Stone that could accelerate his cultivation speed.

He estimated that with the Spirit Stone's assistance, his cultivation speed could potentially double!

This was, without a doubt, fantastic news.

Given his talent, the actual increase in cultivation speed was inconsequential.

After all, even now at the Spirit Release Stage Level 6, advancing through a minor realm would take him just over ten days.

As Jiang Que's strength increased, so too did the sphere of influence of the Flame Mountain Tribe. With this expansion, his innate talent grew ever stronger. He was not only capable of devising more powerful cultivation methods, but his rate of cultivation was also set to accelerate.

Doubling his own cultivation speed wasn't particularly significant for him. However, for the Flame Mountain Tribe, the benefits were immeasurable. Most of the Flame Mountain Tribe's clansmen possessed only average talent. For them, advancing from Energy Condensation Stage Level 1 to Level 2 required about a month. To date, their average level had plateaued at Energy Condensation Stage Level 5. Advancing to Spirit Release Stage Level 1 would typically take them at least half a year.

With the Spirit Stone, the timeframe would be halved, allowing the Flame Mountain Tribe's members to reach Spirit Release Stage Level 1 in just three months. Once they achieved this level, they could quickly master the full Cloud Stepping Spell and the new sword technique Jiang Que was on the verge of creating, which would further surge their collective power.

The significant boost in the average strength of the Flame Mountain Tribe's people was undoubtedly a tremendous aid in Jiang Que's quest to expand his sphere of influence. Moreover, should Jiang Que develop a magic formation in the future, the Spirit Stone would become an essential energy source. In essence, the Spirit Stone was an extraordinary asset for him.

"Patriarch, what has come over you?" The High Priest asked, his eyes round with astonishment upon witnessing Jiang Que's look of wild joy. He had always seen the Patriarch as someone who rarely smiled and was ruthlessly decisive.

This was the first time he had ever seen Jiang Que so visibly shaken.

"What's happening here?"

"I'd like to know too, what's going on?"

The viewers in the live broadcast were equally perplexed. They were aware that Jiang Que, though a figure of ambition, did not possess the cold and merciless demeanor typical of many ambitious leaders. Jiang Que's usual lack of smiles within the tribe was simply because he was preoccupied with cultivation and developing new cultivation methods, leaving little time for socializing with the clansmen, which made him seem unapproachable.

Yet, this was the first time they had ever witnessed Jiang Que so overtaken by emotion.

To the entire Human Race, Jiang Que was a paragon of exceptional self-control.

Even when Pann Qiu, a woman of unparalleled beauty, was ready to fall into his embrace, Jiang Que managed to maintain his composure.

Typically, a hint of a smile would only grace Jiang Que's face when he succeeded in devising new cultivation methods.