Kamimine

Chapter 179 Seeking the Path to Ore

Liu Chengfeng refused to give up and continued to listen and call out, but there was no response.

"What is this?"

Liu Chengfeng was curious; he was absolutely certain that he wasn't mistaken, and there must be a voice hidden in the Sword Forging Ritual Plain.

After listening to the calls for a long time, Liu Chengfeng heard another voice.

"Heartbeat?"

Liu Chengfeng was dumbfounded, thinking he had misheard, and continued to listen and perceive.

It was indeed a heartbeat, a heartbeat that seemed to come from a very, very distant place.

"Something's wrong."

He was exploring the Sword Forging Plains, not some distant place, but the sound of his heartbeat came from a faraway place.

Liu Chengfeng tried to communicate with the heartbeat, but it did not respond.

"It's right here at the Sword Forging Ritual Plain."

Liu Chengfeng was quite certain that whether it was a faint sound or a heartbeat, it should be coming from the Sword Forging Ritual Plain.

"Mountain worship is the realm of divine sacrifice."

Liu Chengfeng felt a chill run down his spine, guessing that the virus most likely originated from one of these two places.

Both places are under lockdown, which explains why they are so far apart and almost inaudible.

"How did that black energy get in? Does the Divine Dynasty allow such sinister forces to enter the place where its ancestors rose to power?"

Liu Chengfeng had an uneasy suspicion.

Thinking of how the War Emperor Jinyu used karmic fire and evil to destroy the Nine Heavens Ancient Glory Kingdom, I felt that the Divine Dynasty was in great danger.

"Is the Six Central Divine Dynasty up to some earth-shattering conspiracy?"

Liu Chengfeng had a bold guess in his mind.

The thought that War Emperor Jinyu could even destroy his own divine dynasty's ancient kingdom made Liu Chengfeng even more vigilant.

Beware of War Emperor Jinyu!

Liu Chengfeng silently reminded himself.

“You cheap aunt must know something, you little vixen, but you just won’t say.”

Liu Chengfeng was seething with hatred. Ye Huijian must have had a reason for sending him.

Unable to communicate, Liu Chengfeng ultimately had no choice but to give up.

With the divine bestowal ceremony approaching, he must maintain his best condition and go all out to ensure that Su Nianyu obtains the divinely bestowed qualification.

The divine ceremony began, and the sound of drums echoed throughout the entire territory of Jiyuan Qianfu.

"The Sword Pavilion has summoned you; go quickly."

All qualified swordsmiths rushed to the scene immediately upon hearing the sound of the clang.

Liu Chengfeng and Su Nianyu also rushed over.

Su Nianyu could have chosen not to go, but out of concern for Liu Chengfeng's safety, she went along.

The Sword Pavilion held a grand ceremony on the edge of the Sword Forging Ritual Plain, summoning all the swordsmiths.

On the sacrificial plain, the grand ceremony began, and all the swordsmiths flocked to the site. Regardless of whether they had employers or not, as long as they registered, they were eligible to participate.

Swordsmiths of all levels are available, and those at the third and fourth levels are employed by the three great divine kingdoms.

"The vein exploration and ore locking are about to begin."

Everyone gathered on the Sword Forging Ritual Plain, waiting for a command to plunge into the plain and lock onto the Dao Mine.

Exploring the veins and locking the mines, venturing into the entire Sword Forging Plains, a vast land spanning tens of thousands of miles, makes it difficult for individual swordsmiths to compete.

Therefore, everyone forms teams and cooperates by dividing the work.

The sword-forging team composed of the three great divine kingdoms was the largest, encompassing almost all the third and fourth-level sword-forging masters who participated.

Fourth-level swordsmiths are extremely rare, numbering only three or four; the vast majority are second or third-level swordsmiths.

The third-level swordsmiths employed by the Divine Kingdom all serve the fourth-level swordsmiths.

The swordsmiths of the Tiankui Divine Kingdom are led by Xiao Hanye, and their large force is particularly eye-catching.

Xiao Hanye took the lead, riding a divine steed, clad in soft armor and black clothes, displaying extraordinary style.

He was surrounded by dozens of swordsmiths.

Even the Sword Emperor of the Far Desert joined the Heavenly Kui Divine Kingdom.

He had no choice; to receive the divinely granted opportunity, he had to rely on the one who held the divine command.

The son of the Heavenly Emperor is ambitious and desires more than just a divinely granted opportunity.

This is also why Xiao Hanye, who came from the Sword Pavilion, and the Sword Emperor of the Distant Desert joined him.

As long as they lock onto enough Dao minerals, they can forge several low-grade third-tier divine artifacts and obtain several divinely bestowed qualifications.

Those two fourth-level swordsmiths will surely be granted the divinely bestowed qualification.

As for the three-stage swordsmiths, they don't have that opportunity; they can only work for the Divine Kingdom.

The swordsmiths of the ancient Shun Divine Kingdom were led by a handsome young gentleman.

This young gentleman, dressed in snow-white robes, was as beautiful as a young girl, with skin as smooth as jade and handsome features.

If it weren't for his sharp, cold eyebrows and mature demeanor, one would easily mistake him for a girl.

The Fuguang Divine Kingdom also has a fourth-level swordsmith, whose strength is comparable to that of the Ancient Shun Divine Kingdom.

Of the three great divine kingdoms, the most powerful is the Heavenly Kui Divine Kingdom. The Heavenly Kui Emperor's son is so powerful that he seems to overshadow the ancient goddess Shun.

Of the four holders of the divine tokens, Yanxi Kingdom is the weakest, with only Liu Chengfeng and Su Nianyu, making their team look rather pathetic.

As holders of the divine decree, the Heavenly Emperor's son and the Ancient Goddess Shun never revealed their faces; they only appeared when the decree was bestowed by the gods.

Su Nianyu, as the Empress of Yanxi, came in person, only to be outshone by the three great divine kingdoms.

"The State of Yanxi has fallen from grace; it was once a powerful and influential nation."

The disciples of the Divine Dynasty couldn't help but sigh, as the Yanxi Kingdom, once a divine kingdom, only had two participants, which was hardly worthy of being mentioned.

Upon seeing Liu Chengfeng, the Sword Emperor of the Distant Desert's eyes blazed with murderous intent, wishing he could tear Liu Chengfeng to pieces on the spot.

The hatred for killing my son is irreconcilable; I will surely take his head to avenge my son!

Xiao Hanye stared coldly at Liu Chengfeng, his arm burned by Liu Chengfeng's explosion, and he vowed to avenge this.

"Your Majesty Yanxi, Young Master Liu, how about joining us and going to the mountain for the sacrificial ceremony together?"

The handsome young swordsmith from the ancient Shun Kingdom extended an invitation to Liu Cheng and his companion.

His name is Xia Fengyu. Despite his young age, he is a generation older than Xiao Hanye and Yuanmo Sword Emperor.

He, however, acted like a young man, yet his demeanor was that of a seasoned old man.

Xia Fengyu is a prominent figure in the ancient Jingkun Kingdom, one of the nine great kingdoms.

He is not only powerful, but also a mid-grade fourth-level swordsmith.

"No need."

Su Nianyu refused.

"Many hands make light work. With just the two of you, Your Majesty, locking down the mine will likely be difficult."

Xia Fengyu refused to give up.

"Locking down the mine is nothing difficult, just a small favor."

Liu Chengfeng laughed loudly.

"You're that capable?"

Xia Fengyu looked at Liu Chengfeng with skepticism. "Even a master swordsmith who has refined three times can speak so arrogantly?"

"What arrogance! The Sword Forging Ceremony was originally sealed by the main god, making it difficult to explore the land. Locking up the Dao Mine is more difficult than anywhere else."

The Sword Emperor of the Distant Desert sneered.

What he said makes sense. The Divine Dynasty sealed off the land to prevent the theft of mineral veins, but this also increased the difficulty of detecting and locking the veins. "A weakling at the fourth level has no right to talk nonsense."

Liu Chengfeng waved his hand, as if shooing away flies.

"you--"

Liu Chengfeng's words angered everyone, not only Yuanmo Sword Emperor and Xiao Hanye, but also all the swordsmiths present glared at him.

"This is the first time I've ever seen anyone dare to look down on a fourth-level swordsmith."

Xia Fengyu burst into laughter, unconvinced.

"That's what you think you're so great about. In my eyes, you're nothing."

Liu Chengfeng, fearless and arrogant, laughed loudly, looking down on the crowd.

Everyone was furious and wanted to teach this arrogant fellow a lesson.

Wei Rourou, who was hosting the ceremony, looked at Liu Chengfeng with great interest and was very curious about his abilities.

"The ceremony is about to begin. The rules remain the same: all swordsmiths are only responsible for probing the veins and locking the ore; they cannot take it away or forge it."

"Based on the branding mark on the sword, the locked minerals can be traded among themselves or sold to the Divine Dynasty."

"Swordsmiths, unless they are willing to die, must not be harmed by anyone, not even the divine kingdom."

Wei Rourou's last sentence was a special reminder.

No one dared to say a word; even the Heavenly Prince and the Ancient Goddess Shun remained silent.

Ever since Master Xu slapped Xu Xin away, even the most important figures in the Divine Kingdom and the son of the Supreme God Emperor dared not be arrogant towards the Sword Pavilion.

"Let's begin now—"

At Wei Rourou's announcement, all the swordsmiths were greatly encouraged, roaring and rushing into the Sword Forging Ritual Plain.

Even those swordsmiths who are not favored by the divine kingdom still have a chance.

The mineral resources they targeted could be handed over to the Divine Dynasty or traded with the Divine Kingdom.

Although the Divine Dynasty suppressed the Sword Casting Sacrifice Plain, there are still a large number of underground mineral deposits that need to be explored and located by sword casters.

"Before the end, young master must secure twenty mines to guarantee his divinely bestowed qualification."

Wei Rourou reminded Liu Chengfeng.

It would be difficult for him to secure twenty low-grade mines on his own.

Exploring veins and locking in mines is difficult enough, but the suppressed Sword Forging Sacrifice Plains would be many times more difficult.

This is also why the divine kingdom employs a large number of swordsmiths.

It is impossible for a single fourth-level swordsmith to lock in twenty low-grade Dao mines within the allotted time.

An entry ticket plus a divinely granted spot requires at least twenty low-grade ores.

"A mere twenty low-grade mines are easily within reach."

Liu Chengfeng laughed loudly, not taking it seriously.

Wei Rourou's eyes lit up; it was the first time she had heard such confident words.

"Young master, do you really mean what you say?"

Wei Rourou gently brushed her hair aside, tucking it behind her ear, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Liu Chengfeng.

"Is such a trivial matter worth bragging about?"

Liu Chengfeng disagreed. He wasn't bragging, saying he could lock down the entire Shenchuan province on his own.

Locking down twenty mines was indeed a piece of cake for him.

"That's just empty boasting. No one in the Qingmeng Realm can lock up twenty mines with ease."

Xiao Hanye, who hadn't left yet, gave a cold laugh.

Seeing Liu Chengfeng and Wei Rourou chatting happily, he was consumed by jealousy.

"I'd like to know if I can trade the top-grade mineral veins to the Divine Dynasty?"

Liu Chengfeng wanted to extract the top-grade Dao vein from the Divine Dynasty.

"Apart from what is needed for the Divine Gift Ceremony, you cannot take anything away unless you trade the lock with someone else."

Wei Rourou ignored Xiao Hanye.

Xiao Hanye gritted his teeth in hatred, muttered a curse, and turned to leave with his men.

"Trading with others".

Liu Chengfeng had an idea.

By taking the locked Dao minerals and trading them with others, you might be able to obtain the top-quality Dao minerals you need.

“Young Master, even in the Divine Dynasty, I’m afraid only the Divine Kingdom can produce top-grade Dao minerals.”

Wei Rourou saw through Liu Chengfeng's plan and gave him a reminder.

"Let's secure the road and mine first."

Liu Chengfeng laughed and entered the Sword Casting Ritual Plain with Su Nianyu.

"Lock in the highest grade of minerals."

Liu Chengfeng needs top-grade minerals, and Su Nianyu will let him decide.

Liu Chengfeng glanced around, turned the Heavenly Hill, and used the "Peeping into Creation Technique" to sweep away the Sword Forging Sacrifice Plain.

Prior to this, Liu Chengfeng had already surveyed the Sword Casting Sacrifice Plain and knew its mineral veins like the back of his hand.

Moreover, his "True Creation Technique" is a hundred times more powerful than the swordsmith's vein-finding and mineral-seeking techniques, and he also has the Sky Eye to assist him.

For Liu Chengfeng, prospecting for minerals and finding veins was as natural as drinking water and eating; no swordsmith could compare to him.

With his Eye of the Sky open and the Creation Technique of Peeping at Truth sweeping across the area, Liu Chengfeng immediately discovered the nearest top-grade Dao ore.

"right here."

Liu Chengfeng led Su Nianyu over.

Before they could even descend into the mine to lock in the veins, the nearby Desert Sword Emperor arrived with a team rushing over.

There are traces here.

The Sword Emperor of the Far Desert struck first, using his pulse-finding and pulse-exploring techniques to find traces. Relying on his superior numbers, he immediately claimed territory and demarcated boundaries.

"This place belongs to the distant desert kingdom; others, step back."

Just as Liu Chengfeng was about to lock down the mine, the Imperial Preceptor, who had come with the Sword Emperor of the Distant Desert, immediately led over a thousand men to stop him.

The Sword Emperor of the Far Desert brought his own team, including three thousand top experts from the Far Desert Ancient Kingdom. They were powerful and had a formidable presence.

"When did it become part of the Faraway Kingdom?"

Liu Chengfeng's face darkened.

"We were the first to discover this mine."

Su Nianyu's expression also turned cold.

"We find it first, it belongs to us, everyone else step aside."

The Grand Preceptor of the Far Desert exuded an imposing aura; though his cloak and hat concealed his presence, the divine light emanating from his eyes was awe-inspiring.

"You claim you discovered it first, what evidence do you have?"

The Sword Emperor of the Distant Desert had already left his mark. He sneered and declared his territory, forbidding Liu Chengfeng from entering.

"Trying to steal our mine? You'll be slaughtered!"

Liu Chengfeng was no saint; his murderous intent rose.

They were the ones who discovered it first, but the Sword Emperor of the Far Desert claimed the territory first and won.

"Hey, you're incompetent at the third level of refinement. You can't even discover the Dao mineral yourself, so you want to steal someone else's discovery. If you don't believe me, let the Sword Pavilion come and appraise it."

The Sword Emperor of the Distant Desert sneered, "Please come to the Sword Pavilion for appraisal."

(End of this chapter)