A daily divination, from family tortoise shells to immortal clans.

Typical copper ore appears dark red because the vein contains stone impurities and small amounts of other metals.

The reddish-brown color that suddenly appeared in the ore pile was pure and unadulterated, without any other colors.

Chen Qingmo took out a hammer and pickaxe from his storage bag. He sometimes helped with mining and always carried these tools with him.

He carefully cleared away the surrounding rubble until the crimson red color was fully exposed.

"Red Copper Mother!"

Chen Qingmo was pleasantly surprised. During his six months at the mine, he had read many books and was deeply impressed by the red copper mother.

Red copper takes ten years to become refined and a hundred years to become its mother.

This only happens with a small probability in copper veins; normally, it takes human effort to refine a large amount of copper to obtain a piece of red essence.

Even a piece of Chijing (赤精) would be an extremely rare and excellent material in Linyuan County.

The Crimson Copper Mother has never existed before, and if it does appear, it will likely cause Foundation Establishment families to fight desperately for it.

This item requires many years of nurturing in a red copper vein to appear, and even a small piece can sell for thousands of spirit stones.

The piece of land in front of them, which looks about the size of a fist, is probably worth more than all of the Chen family's current assets combined.

Red Copper Mother is already a high-grade spiritual material that can be used to refine magical treasures for Golden Core cultivators.

Its nature is associated with metal and fire, and after being refined, it has a restraining effect on evil spirits and demonic techniques.

Chen Qingmo picked it up and immediately felt that it weighed several hundred pounds.

He discovered this item in the family's mine, and he did not consider it his private property, intending to report it back.

Just as he stepped out of the mine, a mortal martial artist hurriedly approached him.

"Master, an old Taoist priest has appeared outside the maze, saying he wants to come in."

"An old Taoist priest? I'll go take a look."

Chen Qingmo immediately walked outside.

The fact that the old Taoist priest didn't come in directly indicates that he wasn't a member of the family; all the family members who come here have a token from the maze formation.

They didn't force their way in, whether because they weren't strong enough or because they meant no harm.

Regardless, the other party is still polite, so he should go out and meet them to find out the specifics.

Outside the formation, an elderly man dressed in a dark blue Taoist robe was waiting quietly.

"Sir, I heard you want to go into the mine to take a look. May I ask what brings you here?"

Chen Qingmo cupped his hands in greeting and asked, but the other person did not exist in his perception at all. If there hadn't been a living person standing in front of him, he would not have believed it.

The opponent is extremely strong, even stronger than his master, Iron Sword Master.

"Young friend, may I come in and have a cup of tea, and then we can talk in more detail?"

The old Taoist priest did not answer directly.

"It's my fault for being so negligent, sir. Please come in."

Chen Qingmo led him into the village. Since the other party had no ill intentions, he treated him well.

In his room, Chen Qingmo brewed a pot of spiritual flower tea and then took out some food and set it out.

Seeing that the old Taoist had finished his cup of tea, he asked again:

"May I ask your name, sir, and why you have come to this barren mine?"

The old Taoist priest smiled slightly:

"I am an old man who has wandered here. I am not a celebrity. Call me whatever you like."

"But you're wrong about one thing, young friend. This mineral vein is not barren."

Chen Qingmo was startled and tentatively spoke:

"What do you mean, sir?"

"Red Copper Mother!"

"Just as I thought!" Chen Qingmo's pupils contracted slightly as he thought to himself, but he said aloud:

"What is this?"

He looked puzzled and then fell silent.

"Young friend, there's no need to hide it. I sensed long ago that you had taken the Crimson Copper Mother."

"This item is useless to you; it would be more worthwhile to give it to me in exchange for some treasures."

The old Taoist priest saw that Chen Qingmo was pretending to be stupid and immediately saw through his act.

Seeing that he could not hide it from the other party, Chen Qingmo said seriously:

"Old sir, the red copper mother is produced by my family's mine and belongs to the family. Whether or not it can be exchanged is not something I can decide alone."

"If you are truly eager to have it, could you please wait a few days while I send a message to my family to request permission? If my family agrees, we can then exchange it with you."

The Red Essence Copper Mother was too precious for him to make a decision on his own.

"I still have some time. Young friend, please feel free to report to your family."

"You can add a few words to the letter, saying that I am willing to exchange a spot to enter the Three Yuan Forbidden Land."

The old Taoist priest demonstrated his sincerity.

Although Chen Qingmo couldn't understand it, seeing the old Taoist's confidence, he could figure out that this forbidden area must be much more powerful than the Hundred Spirits Secret Realm.

He took out paper and pen, wrote the letter, and then had a cultivator in the early stage of Qi Refining deliver it back to his clan.

Two days later, the clan replied.

When Chen Qingmo opened it, he saw that the clan leader and elders had chosen to exchange with the old Taoist.

The letter mentioned that even if the family kept the Crimson Copper Mother, they might not be able to sell it, let alone refine it—that was just wishful thinking.

This is something even more coveted than the Earth Spirit Fruit. If it were discovered by someone with ulterior motives, the family would be in crisis.

Exchanging with the old Taoist priest would not offend him, and he could obtain a spot in the Three Realms Forbidden Land, which would be more useful to his family.

Seeing that the elders had all agreed, Chen Qingmo took out the Red Essence Copper Mother and placed it on the table.

"I didn't expect it to be this big."

The size of the Red Essence Copper Mother was somewhat beyond the old Taoist's expectations. He could only sense the object but could not determine its dimensions.

He paused for a moment, then continued:

"I dislike owing people things and getting involved in karma, but I can only give one spot in the forbidden area, so I'll also give you this 'Spirit Tempering Secret Technique'."

After saying that, he took out three items: a map, a jade slip, and a token.

"With this token, you may enter the Three Yuan Forbidden Land. I don't know if you have been there before, but the location is marked on the map."

"The jade slip contains a secret technique; you'll see its specific effects as soon as you look at it."

"Now that the cause and effect are settled, I shall depart."

Just as Chen Qingmo was about to say goodbye, he looked up and saw that the old Taoist had disappeared from the spot, and no one knew where he had gone.

He picked up the jade slip and probed it with his divine sense to read it.

"The success rate of Foundation Establishment has increased by 15%?!"

The "Secret Method of Spirit Tempering" in the jade slip can purify a cultivator's spiritual power and broaden and strengthen their meridians.

Although the process is slow and accompanied by excruciating pain, its effects are truly terrifying.

"Who exactly is that old Taoist priest? Does he think such secret techniques are something he can just exchange with anyone? He must be a master."

Knowing that the clan leader Chen Ming was on the verge of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, Chen Qingmo quickly wrote another letter and sent it to him.

He carefully put away the three items and waited quietly for someone from the clan to come over.

The next day, Chen Qingmo was cultivating when he suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps outside the door.

He got up and opened the door, facing Chen Mingzheng who had just arrived at the door.

"Chieftain, you've come in person?"

Chen Qingmo was somewhat surprised, not expecting the clan leader to attach so much importance to this matter.

He thought it would be an elder or his eleventh uncle from the clan who would come, since the clan leader still needed to adjust his own condition.

Seemingly sensing his thoughts, Chen Mingzheng said helplessly:

"These past few days have been full of surprises, I have no mood to go into seclusion anymore."

"Qingmo, quickly take the thing out and let me see it!"

By the end, his breathing had become somewhat rapid.

Chen Qingmo took out the three items given to him by the old Taoist priest and handed them to the clan leader.

Chen Mingzheng didn't even bother with the token and map, and went straight to the jade slip.

After a while.

"Hahaha, Heaven favors our race!"

Chen Mingzheng laughed loudly, his face beaming with joy.

"With this secret technique, combined with the Foundation Establishment Pill, my chances of breaking through are as high as 55%."

This probability is already very high for a cultivator with three spiritual roots, especially since Chen Mingzheng has been comprehending the Great Perfection of Qi Refining for several years.

"Qingmo, I'm afraid you'll need to stay at the mine for a while longer, as cultivating this secret technique will take a long time."

Chen Mingzheng felt somewhat guilty. He had originally planned to have Chen Qingmo oversee the project for a year before replacing him, and he didn't want to delay the younger generation's cultivation.

Now that Chen Qingmo has secured such a great opportunity for the family, his term of office is to be extended. Chen Mingzheng doesn't know how to compensate him.