Withdrawing his Divine Sense from the Chaos Space, Ye Wushuang saw the others still busy gathering Spirit Medicines and called out, "Everyone, come over here for a moment."

Hearing his voice, they stopped what they were doing and gathered around.

Ye Wushuang distributed the Earth Escape Talismans to the nine of them, saying, "These are for you. In a moment, infuse them with True Essence, stick them to your bodies, and follow me."

"What is this?"

The others took the Jade Talismans, their curiosity piqued.

Dii Qingxue examined the Jade Talisman and explained, "This is a Talisman, a single-use treasure created through special methods. They were common in the Ancient Era, but are very rare now."

Ye Wushuang elaborated, "That’s right. The Jade Talismans you’re holding are Earth Escape Talismans. They allow you to easily travel underground."

"Go underground? Are they really that magical?"

Amazed, the others stared at the Jade Talismans, examining them repeatedly in disbelief.

Chengg Tao asked in confusion, "Right, Captain, why are we going underground?"

"You’ll find out soon enough." Ye Wushuang offered no explanation. He infused his True Essence into the Jade Talisman, and the markings on its surface instantly came to life.

He applied it to his body, and an earthy-yellow halo enveloped him. The light flared, piercing through the ground below.

WHOOSH!

Ye Wushuang’s figure abruptly vanished. The others watched in astonishment before quickly following suit, their bodies sinking into the earth as well.

A short while later, the ten of them appeared in an underground cavern.

Inside the cavern, the Spiritual Qi was so dense it had liquefied. Every breath was nothing but pure Spiritual Qi.

They were all astonished. None of them had expected to find a place so abundant in Spiritual Qi deep underground. A single month of cultivation here would be better than a year on the outside.

"SQUEAK SQUEAK!"

The Treasure-Seeking Rat, which had been staying close to Ye Rou, began to squeak with delight, bringing smiles to the faces of Ye Rou, Yangg Qing’er, and the others.

The Treasure-Seeking Rat’s extreme excitement could only mean there was treasure nearby.

Ye Wushuang glanced at the Treasure-Seeking Rat with a faint smile and started walking. After passing through a winding, rugged section of the cavern, a band of light appeared before him.

This band of light was shaped like a dragon, hundreds of yards long. It was like a Star River lying dormant deep underground, its starlight brilliant and dazzling.

GULP, GULP!

Staring at the band of light, Meng Fanx and the others swallowed hard, their eyes filled with feverish excitement.

"It’s a Spirit Vein!"

Meng Fanx cried out in astonishment.

The others were shocked as well. Just by being near it, they could feel the dense Spiritual Qi causing their own Cultivation to stir and strengthen.

"Wait, no, that’s not right. This isn’t a Spirit Vein. A Spirit Vein wouldn’t be this small." Still surprised, Meng Fanx quickly sensed that something was off.

The Ancient Spirit Sect had a Spirit Vein beneath it that was countless times larger than this one. The one before them was far too small. Besides, he could sense a special kind of power within it, one that was vastly different from Spiritual Qi.

Ye Wushuang explained, "This is an Earth Spirit Vein. It contains pure, surging Spiritual Qi and a large amount of Star Essence Qi. Typically, only shattered continents drifting through Outer Heaven can give birth to them."

"An Earth Spirit Vein!"

The others were baffled; it was the first time they had ever heard of such a thing. Qianling asked, "Junior Brother Ye, why would an underground Spirit Vein contain Star Essence Qi?"

Ye Wushuang explained, "The Ninth Pass was refined from a shattered continent from Outer Heaven. As these continents drift through the cosmos, their lands absorb Star Power, which then merges with their Spirit Veins. After settling for eons, this becomes Star Essence Qi. This type of Essence Qi can be used to temper a Cultivator’s body and enhance their Cultivation. It offers many benefits."

Hearing this, the group grew even more excited, but they managed to contain themselves and turned to look at Ye Wushuang, waiting for him to speak.

Looking at their eager gazes, Ye Wushuang couldn’t help but smile. "Well, since this Earth Spirit Vein can improve your Cultivation, what are you all waiting for? Seize this opportunity and raise your cultivation levels."

"SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK!" The moment it had Ye Wushuang’s permission, the Treasure-Seeking Rat scurried over excitedly and bathed in the Earth Spirit Vein, where it was instantly enveloped by brilliant starlight.

A tri-colored halo immediately enveloped its body, making it look utterly adorable.

Ye Rou, Yangg Qing’er, and Qianling walked over. The Spiritual Qi in the Earth Spirit Vein was terrifyingly potent; they feared their bodies would explode if they stepped right in. They could only stop at the very edge and sit down cross-legged.

Meng Fanx, Chengg Tao, and the other team members also walked over excitedly, settled down on the spot, and began their Cultivation with great eagerness.

Dii Qingxue and Ye Wushuang exchanged a glance and also strode toward the Earth Spirit Vein.

Unlike the others, Ye Wushuang required dozens of times more energy than a normal person. Furthermore, with the Chaos Dragon Tomb to help him, he had no fear of his body bursting from the influx.

Watching Ye Wushuang step directly into the Earth Spirit Vein, the others were stunned. They shook their heads with wry smiles. ’Only a monster like him could step right into that.’

Taking a deep breath, they all quickly entered a state of cultivation.

Dii Qingxue also stepped into the vein, sitting cross-legged within the Earth Spirit Vein as the faint image of a clear moon appeared behind her, enveloping her in its light.

Bathing in the Star Essence Qi, Ye Wushuang felt as if he had entered a wondrous realm. His entire body felt comfortable, and even his very soul felt light and transcendent.

The Chaos Dragon Tomb stirred as well, furtively drawing the Star Essence Qi into itself, where it formed peculiar motes of light within the Chaos Space.

These motes of light hovered around the Little Sun, spreading out yet arranging themselves into a highly regular pattern.

Ye Wushuang didn’t understand this strange phenomenon, so for the moment, he simply focused on circulating the Heaven-Devouring Dragon Technique and the Ultimate Yang Technique, devouring and performing Refinement on the Spiritual Qi and Star Essence Qi and channeling them into his Dantian. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

In the Spiritual Spring Realm, the first surge from the spring marks the First Layer, and the second surge marks the Second Layer. With each surge, the "spring’s eye" at the center of the Qi Vortex doubles in size.

The body is a microcosm, a condensed "Little Universe," and the spring’s eye is the conduit that connects it. True Essence circulates through it, nourishing the body or being converted into power. Reaching this stage also grants a massive increase in lifespan.

「Three days passed in the blink of an eye.」

BUZZ!

BUZZ!

An astonishing scene was unfolding in the cavern. The bodies of the figures shrouded in starlight began to emit a low hum.

Their auras grew increasingly powerful.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Suddenly, pair after pair of eyes snapped open, shooting forth beams of starlight.

"Peak of the True Essence Ninth Layer!"

"Spiritual Spring First Layer!"

"Spiritual Spring First Layer!"

A series of joyous cries echoed throughout the cavern.

Within the Earth Spirit Vein, Ye Wushuang and Dii Qingxue also opened their eyes. They stepped out from the starlight, met each other’s gaze, and saw the clear delight reflected there.

Indeed, this time, everyone had made astonishing gains.

These gains came from the Earth Spirit Vein. Its unique Star Essence Qi had allowed Ye Wushuang to complete his second "spring surge," advancing to the Spiritual Spring Second Layer.

The same was true for Dii Qingxue; her Cultivation had grown even more profound, and it was clear she had benefited immensely.

"Brother Ye, I’ve broken through to the Spiritual Spring Realm too!" Yangg Qing’er exclaimed with a joyous smile. The Star Essence Qi from the Earth Spirit Vein was so miraculous that it had allowed her to advance from the True Essence Ninth Layer to the Spiritual Spring First Layer.

It wasn’t just Yangg Qing’er. Qianling and Ye Rou had also achieved the same breakthrough.

Meng Fanx and Chengg Tao had also broken through to the Spiritual Spring First Layer. The other three team members—Yinqing, Yixing, and Xiao Hongyi—were slightly behind but had still reached the Peak of the True Essence Ninth Layer.

"Looks like everyone made some significant gains."

Ye Wushuang could see their cultivation levels clearly with just a glance.

"Heh heh!" Meng Fanx and the others grinned, filled with excitement. "Following the captain not only gets us points but also boosts our Cultivation. This is awesome!"

"Yeah! These past few days have saved me several years of hard work."

Chengg Tao was also overjoyed. He had been at the True Essence Ninth Layer, and with normal cultivation, he feared it would have taken him several years to break through to the Spiritual Spring Realm.

But now, following Ye Wushuang, he had broken through with ease in just a few days. The feeling was truly exhilarating.