Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Weight of Pressure

At the end of a fissure, Yi Feng discovered the presence of raw stones, suggesting the likely existence of a yuan vein mine. This revelation stunned everyone present; joy, excitement, and boundless exhilaration surged through them. If a yuan vein mine truly existed, it meant they would possess an inexhaustible resource of yuan stones for cultivation, allowing their strength to soar.

Yi Tian was the first to regain his composure.

First, he needed to confirm whether the yuan vein mine truly existed; otherwise, it would be nothing more than a fleeting dream. If it was real, he must determine if it was a small, medium, or large yuan vein mine; the difference in value between them was as vast as heaven and earth.

Led by Yi Feng, Yi Tian and his companions traversed the long, narrow fissure and finally reached its end.

It was a space of less than ten square meters. Within this underground chamber, raw stones were embedded in the stone walls, their surfaces gleaming with a jade-like luster and possessing a hard texture. The concentration of yuan energy here was at least ten times greater than outside.

As they entered, a refreshing clarity washed over them, the air incomparably pure.

The six of them immediately began digging with their weapons. Their formidable strength allowed them to break apart massive chunks of rock, collecting the raw stones as they went.

After half a day of labor, they had excavated over a hundred raw stones, forming a small pile that expanded the space.

However, when they tested each raw stone with their yuan energy, most crumbled into dust; among the hundred or so, only a single yuan stone was found.

Fortunately, that one yuan stone spared them from a fruitless day.

This proved they were still at the very edge of the yuan vein mine, far from the core where true yuan stones were formed. The overwhelming majority of the raw stones were useless.

"The yuan stones from this mine will be divided equally among us. I'll take this first one, and the next ones can be distributed among you. What do you think?" Yi Tian asked.

Yi Feng and the others voiced no objections.

Yi Tian then insisted on strict secrecy. The news must not be leaked. Even the tribe would be kept in the dark for a time, allowing them to secure a portion of the yuan stones first. If the tribe was notified, too many people would know, increasing the risk of disastrous exposure. They planned to use the resources within the yuan vein mine to strengthen themselves, only revealing their discovery when the time was right.

When Yi Tian shared his intentions with Yi Feng, Yi Shan, and the others, everyone agreed, including Yi Kuang and Yi Hong.

Faced with such a treasure, selflessness was out of the question. If the yuan vein mine was disclosed to the tribe, their share of yuan stones would likely be far less than imagined.

Naturally, they intended to fill their own coffers before sharing the mine's bounty with the tribe.

Thus, in the days that followed, Yi Tian and his companions labored within the fissure hundreds of meters underground. Despite the hardship, nothing could dampen their fervor.

One yuan stone after another was unearthed and divided among Yi Feng, Yi Shan, and the rest.

At first, they produced only one or two yuan stones per day. Later, four or five emerged daily.

Most of their time was spent mining; the rest was devoted to cultivation using the newly acquired yuan stones. Even so, their cultivation speed doubled.

In this way, Yi Tian and his team worked together, pouring all their efforts into mining the yuan vein.

A year swiftly passed.

Through frequent cooperation, Yi Feng, Yi Shan, Yi Kuang, and Yi Hong gradually set aside their differences. This small team came to be known as the Samsara Squad.

The name "Samsara Squad" was Yi Tian's idea. In his mind, being reborn into this world was a kind of reincarnation, and their team, comprised of six members, fit the legend of the Six Paths of Reincarnation from his previous life. Thus, Yi Tian decided on the name.

After Yi Tian explained the meaning of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, the others became fond of the bold name, especially Yi Feng and Yi Kuang, whose personalities aligned perfectly with its grand connotations.

In this brief year, the Samsara Squad took shape.

They mined over three thousand yuan stones from the vein. With such abundance, their cultivation advanced rapidly, each member rising by at least one or two ranks within a single year.

This speed was astonishing. Most of them had been at the fourth or fifth rank, and now, within a year, they reached the peak of the sixth rank—just a step away from becoming advanced warriors, saving at least a decade of arduous effort.

Yi Feng, Yi Shan, Yi Li, Yi Kuang, and Yi Hong all broke through to the peak of the sixth rank. Yet, to advance to the seventh rank required a significant period to refine their dantian and temper their yuan energy.

As for Yi Tian, his cultivation lagged behind, only at the mid-sixth rank.

After his fifth dantian transformation, his dantian space expanded more than tenfold, meaning his capacity for yuan energy at this stage exceeded even that of seventh or eighth rank warriors. He consumed several times more yuan stones than the others, especially since his Star Mud clone was also a voracious absorber of energy, leaving him without a single extra yuan stone.

The other five, however, had saved up considerable reserves, each holding three or four hundred yuan stones—a wealth beyond measure.

Yi Tian deeply regretted his earlier decision to divide the stones equally.

"Captain, we've mined ten miles and still haven't reached the center of the yuan vein. This may not just be a medium-sized vein—it could be a large-scale yuan vein!" Yi Kuang reported gravely upon returning from the mine.

"I know. A large yuan vein is a perilous treasure. If word leaks, not only Jingmu County but the entire Tianfeng Empire and even the sects will take action. For now, we can only proceed cautiously, strengthening ourselves as much as possible. If we can keep this secret for a year, so much the better."

Yi Tian and the others had anticipated this, but confirming it was truly a large yuan vein weighed heavily on their hearts.

A small yuan vein might span a few miles or a dozen miles, yielding tens of thousands or perhaps hundreds of thousands of yuan stones. A medium vein could stretch tens of miles, producing hundreds of thousands, even a million stones. A large yuan vein, however, would run for hundreds of miles, formed over hundreds of millions of years, containing tens of millions, even hundreds of millions of yuan stones.

Moreover, large veins contained not only low-grade yuan stones, but also medium and high-grade stones, and even rare yuan crystals. In the very heart of such veins, there was a slim chance of nurturing a treasure of heaven and earth, of immeasurable value.

A small vein might only attract local attention, causing a sensation in Jingmu County and little more. The county's powers would prevent outsiders from dividing the spoils.

But a large yuan vein was far beyond what Jingmu County could bear. Even Tianfeng Empire would struggle to claim it alone. At that point, the great sects and ancient families would emerge from hiding.

Their six-member Samsara Squad, or even the Yi Clan and the entire Black Dragon City, were but ants before those forces—easily crushed in an instant.

Yi Tian and his companions guarded their secret with utmost caution, not daring to reveal a single word, burdened by immense pressure.