BOOM... BOOM... BOOM...

The deafening roar assaulted Shen Haoran and Changmao’s senses. Staring at the magnificent scene before them, they were both speechless for a long time. In all his life, Shen Haoran had never seen anything so majestic.

’Could this be the Spirit Vein from the Red Flame Mountain Range?!’ A thought suddenly struck Shen Haoran.

’The Cultivation Rooms in the Celestial Essence Hall were built on top of the Spirit Vein in the Red Flame Mountain Range. I came down from the Celestial Essence Hall, so this must be the inside of that Spirit Vein. Besides, what other place could possibly hold such a terrifying amount of Spiritual Power?’

He looked up at the faintly visible patterns of the array above, growing even more certain. ’This is the Spirit Vein of the Red Flame Mountain Range. That array must be what the ancestors of the Five Elements Sect used to draw out the Spiritual Power from the Spirit Vein.’

At this thought, Changmao and Shen Haoran exchanged a look, both seeing the shock in the other’s eyes. ’A Spirit Vein... the source of all the Energy in the Red Flame Mountain Range. I can’t believe Changmao actually brought me inside it.’ 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Changmao, the treasure you mentioned... it isn’t this Spirit Vein, is it?" Shen Haoran asked in disbelief. ’Changmao can’t possibly want me to absorb this entire thing, can it? If that’s the case, then I came down here for nothing. This is a vast ocean of Spiritual Power. A single small wave nearly smashed me to death against the stone wall, let alone trying to absorb the whole Spirit Vein!’

’Besides, this Spirit Vein is the very foundation of the Five Elements Sect. If anything went wrong, the sect would probably be destroyed at my hands. I’m a member of the Five Elements Sect, after all. I would never do something like that.’

Seeing that Shen Haoran had misunderstood, Changmao quickly explained, "Of course it’s not the Spirit Vein. The treasure I was talking about is *in* the Spirit Vein." With that, Changmao pointed his paw toward the depths of the Spiritual Power ocean.

Shen Haoran gazed into the distance. Black flames flared in his eyes, piercing through the layers of Spiritual Power mist to see where Changmao was pointing.

There, a fist-sized Crystal Stone was suspended in the center of the Spirit Sea, shimmering with a faint light. Whenever the violent Spiritual Power surged near it, it would strangely turn docile, gently caressing the unknown Crystal Stone.

"What is that?" Shen Haoran asked curiously upon seeing the strange Crystal Stone.

"I don’t know, but I know it’s something good. Even I want it!" Changmao said, shaking his head.

"Sigh... If only Elder Yan were here. He’s so knowledgeable, he’d definitely know what this is," Shen Haoran muttered. He had left Elder Yan behind in the cave to protect his physical body, so he hadn’t come down with them.

"Who cares what it is? Shouldn’t we just get our hands on it first?" Changmao asked, eagerly rubbing his paws together.

Hearing this, Shen Haoran furrowed his brow slightly. He stared at the turbulent ocean of Spiritual Power and said in a low voice, "That’s going to be difficult. The Crystal Stone is in the depths of that ocean. With such violent tides of Spiritual Power, it’ll be hard to push through."

Changmao’s face fell. He stared at the Crystal Stone with a bitter expression and said, "Then what do we do? We can’t just give up, can we? I have a feeling this thing would be a huge help to you!"

Shen Haoran smiled faintly. "We don’t have to give up just yet. Let’s observe for a while first. I also think there’s more to this Crystal Stone than meets the eye."

With that, Shen Haoran and Changmao began to carefully observe the ocean of Spiritual Power.

After a while, Changmao rubbed his sore eyes and said helplessly, "I can’t see anything useful. This Spirit Tide is just too ferocious. It never stops!"

Shen Haoran pondered for a moment before saying calmly, "That’s not entirely true. The Spirit Tide’s outbursts have a pattern. After about every seventeen surges, there’s a calm period that lasts for a dozen or so seconds. We just need to grab the Crystal Stone during that stable window."

"A dozen or so seconds? Isn’t that too short? It’s pretty far from here to the Crystal Stone!" Changmao said with a frown.

"Hmm... It’s worth a try!" Shen Haoran calculated the distance, rubbing his chin as he spoke softly. ’My Nine Heavens Shocking Cloud Step has already reached the Second Layer. A dozen or so seconds... I can definitely risk it!’

"Alright, be careful!" Changmao urged, standing aside to watch Shen Haoran quietly.

WHOOSH... Shen Haoran stared at the churning ocean of Spiritual Power, took a deep breath, and began to carefully count the time.

’Now!’ At that moment, the churning ocean of Spiritual Power suddenly became calm. At the same time, Shen Haoran’s figure vanished, charging toward the Crystal Stone!

SWOOSH!

His terrifying speed kicked up waves of Spiritual Power, leaving a long wake behind him.

’Ten, nine, eight...’ Shen Haoran counted down mentally as he rushed forward. By the time he reached five, he was still several hundred meters away from the Crystal Stone.

Seeing this, Shen Haoran’s brow furrowed. ’Although I could cover several hundred meters in just three or four seconds, there’s no time to keep going. The next Spirit Tide is about to hit.’ With this thought, he decisively gave up and turned to race back.

BOOM!

Just as Shen Haoran escaped the ocean of Spiritual Power, the calm Spirit Sea began to churn violently once more.

"It didn’t work?" Changmao asked, looking at the empty-handed Shen Haoran with some disappointment.

"Don’t be anxious. This was just a test run. Let’s wait a bit longer," Shen Haoran said, pondering as he watched the roaring Spirit Tide.

The calm periods of the Spirit Tide varied in length, with the longest lasting up to twenty-five seconds. All Shen Haoran could do now was wait.

Over the next few lulls, Shen Haoran charged out to try again each time the Spirit Tide calmed. But every attempt ended in failure. One time, he was a mere hand’s breadth from touching the Crystal Stone, but he still had to give up in the end. There simply wasn’t enough time for him to grab it and get back.

WHOOSH... After another failed attempt, Shen Haoran sat on the stone platform, panting. These repeated tries had consumed a terrifying amount of his Spiritual Thought, causing his body to grow even more ethereal.

"Still no good!" Shen Haoran looked down at his own translucent body and gave a bitter smile. "This body can’t take many more attempts. If I fail again, I’m afraid it will dissipate completely."

Seeing Shen Haoran’s exhausted figure, Changmao stepped forward and said, "Why don’t I go?"

But Shen Haoran immediately shot him down. "Speed isn’t your strong suit. If something goes wrong, you’ll be a goner. As much as you annoy me, I don’t want to lose you."

"You..." A warmth spread through Changmao’s heart.

"Don’t worry. Next time, I will succeed!" Shen Haoran declared, watching the churning ocean of Spiritual Power as a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. After dozens of attempts, Shen Haoran knew he had to risk it all on this next one.

SHHH... SHHH... SHHH...

Slowly, the Spirit Tide began to subside once more. Shen Haoran’s gaze fell upon the Crystal Stone, his eyes firm with resolve. He whispered, "This time, I will have you."

With that, his figure flickered and vanished from sight...

[Author’s Note: A huge thank you to reader "Mei You Yong!!" for the 20,000-coin donation! I was supposed to release an extra Chapter for you, but I’ve been busy with exams recently, so I have to postpone it. However, I promise right here that I will make it up to you next Wednesday by releasing two extra Chapters in your honor! Thank you again, and thanks to all my readers for your support!!]