Chapter 101: An Unexpected Windfall

Yun Keke nodded and said, “Come with me in the beast carriage.”

Now that Lin Xiaobao had become her master, she naturally could not sit alone in the carriage while he walked beside it.

“No need.” As he spoke, Lin Xiaobao sent out his spiritual power, lifting Yun Keke directly as he sped forward.

“Aah...” Suddenly finding herself flying through the air, Yun Keke let out a shriek. Only then did she realize that a powerful spiritual force was enveloping her from all sides, so steady and secure that even the fierce wind from their rapid movement could not reach her.

As they moved along so calmly, Yun Keke could not wait to begin studying the Heart-Linking Charm Art that Lin Xiaobao had planted into her mind.

Once Lin Xiaobao unfolded his movement technique, his speed was naturally nothing like the sluggish pace of those past few days. In only half a day, he had already arrived at the map location indicated by the man who had sold him the Spiritual Exquisite Vine.

At this moment, Yun Keke had fallen into a state of comprehension regarding the Heart-Linking Charm Art. Even when Lin Xiaobao stopped, she remained utterly unaware.

After setting Yun Keke down, Lin Xiaobao casually scattered several spirit jades around her to isolate her from the outside world, then began to observe his surroundings.

He released his spiritual sense, instantly covering an area of dozens of yards in every direction. What disappointed Lin Xiaobao was that he did not discover any trace of the Spiritual Exquisite Vine, but he still refused to give up and sent his spiritual sense into the earth below.

However, the ground was solid matter, not the air of empty space. Even though Lin Xiaobao's Mind Wave Technique had already been cultivated to the great accomplishment of its second level, at this moment he could only probe a few feet underground.

“Elder Wu, isn't it time for you to make your move?” After searching fruitlessly, Lin Xiaobao began to flatter Wu Lao. He knew that the two old fellows seemed to be rather susceptible to this sort of thing.

“This has nothing to do with your life or death. Do it yourself,” Wu Lao said bluntly, seeming rather displeased with Lin Xiaobao's flattery this time.

“How could it have nothing to do with life or death?” Lin Xiaobao said with a grin. “If I have spirit stones, the speed of my cultivation will naturally increase, and then my room to survive will only grow larger!”

“What he means is that you should use the knowledge you have learned to search carefully. We two old fellows cannot help you for your entire life,” Mo Lao kindly reminded him.

“I understand!” Though the two elders had not said it outright, Lin Xiaobao still took their tone as confirmation that a spirit mine must indeed exist here. He said no more, and once again spread out his spiritual sense, carefully savoring every detail that had entered his mind.

As expected, Lin Xiaobao discovered that the ground ahead seemed slightly less dense than the surrounding earth. Though the difference was exceedingly subtle, so subtle that even walking upon it would not reveal anything, under his keen spiritual sense and careful perception it could not hide.

His mind stirred, and the Azure Flame Holy Sword that Chen Chong had refined for him appeared in his hand. With spiritual power poured into it, a scorching force spread across the sword, and the temperature around him immediately began to rise.

Lin Xiaobao slowly rose into the air, gripped the holy sword with both hands, and drove it fiercely into the ground. Countless fissures swiftly spread outward from the sword's point of impact. With a booming crash, a massive pit several yards across and dozens of feet deep appeared beneath Lin Xiaobao's feet.

Hovering in midair, Lin Xiaobao once again extended his spiritual sense into the pit, and immediately sensed a faint presence of spiritual energy deep underground. It was indeed here!

Joy surged through Lin Xiaobao's heart. However, he did not begin mining at once. Instead, he took out the last several dozen spirit jades in the Star Peak Ring and arranged a vast concealment formation around the area, hiding everything within several hundred yards.

Although this place was already off the main road of Black Wind Mountain, the ever-cautious Lin Xiaobao still felt it best to be careful. Besides, if there truly was a spirit mine below, then the spirit jades on his person were practically trash by comparison.

After finishing all this, Lin Xiaobao glanced at Yun Keke and saw that she was still immersed in comprehension, so he did not disturb her. Holding the Azure Flame Holy Sword, he cautiously began digging downward.

About half an hour later, when Lin Xiaobao thrust the Azure Flame Holy Sword into the earth below, he clearly felt a slight force of rebound coming from the blade. Delight surged through him, and he immediately changed from stabbing to digging. After several strikes, a patch of emerald-green spirit stones appeared before his eyes.

Struck rich! That was Lin Xiaobao's first thought. Though the pile before him was mostly low-grade spirit stones, it was still mixed with some mid-grade ones, and he even found one or two high-grade spirit stones. As for top-grade spirit stones, he did not see even one.

With this discovery, Lin Xiaobao hurriedly stored the spirit stones before him into the Star Peak Ring and continued digging. Though this spirit vein was not long, even with Lin Xiaobao's speed it still took him a full half day to mine it to completion.

After all, if this place truly contained such a rich spirit vein, then its aura would already have been detected by the Wind-Snow Pavilion or one of the great powers of the Blood Victory Empire. It would naturally not have fallen to Lin Xiaobao to reap the benefits now.

Of course, what was not considered abundant here was only in relation to a sect. If such a haul of spirit stones were placed in the hands of an individual, it would be an absolute fortune. One only had to look at the brilliant smile on Lin Xiaobao's face to know how delighted he was.

Having gathered himself, Lin Xiaobao looked at Yun Keke and found that she was still lost in comprehension. He could not help feeling somewhat puzzled. How had she achieved such deep realization at this very moment?

However, he did not dwell on it. Yun Keke's immersion in comprehension was, for him, a good thing after all. At least at a time like this, she did not need to sleep, which made traveling even easier for him. Thinking of this, he swept her up once more with spiritual power and set out again.

With the spirit mine obtained, Lin Xiaobao had no more concerns weighing on his mind, and his speed became even swifter. Even so, Yun Keke, supported by his spiritual power, remained steady and serene.

“Huh... we've already reached outside Blood Wind City?” Yun Keke finally woke from her comprehension. Looking at Lin Xiaobao's back as he stood on the mountaintop, she asked, “How long did I spend in that state?”

“About three days,” Lin Xiaobao replied, turning back.

“Only three days?” Yun Keke could not help but be astonished. Before she had entered her state of comprehension, the two of them had only just left the borders of Ningfeng Kingdom. For Lin Xiaobao to bring her here in just three days, he must at least possess the cultivation of the fourth stage of the spirit path or above. Yet he was still so young.

Of course, Yun Keke did not know that Lin Xiaobao had also spent more than half a day mining the spirit vein. Otherwise, her evaluation of him would have been even higher.

“You seem to have changed a little?” As for the fact that his own speed surpassed that of ordinary people, Lin Xiaobao did not like to explain it much. After all, he had only trained so hard in movement and speed for the sake of surviving.

“Yes. The Heart-Linking Charm Art is indeed the supreme mental art of the charm clan. I never expected that in just three days, I would already have advanced two full stages and entered the Heart-Observing realm!” Feeling her own changes, Yun Keke still found it somewhat unreal. By her own calculations, she had once been quite satisfied with the prospect of cultivating the Heart-Linking Art to the Heart-Observing realm within twenty years. She never imagined it would take only three days this time.