Qin Dexin was looking for the kids.

She had heard that they were goofing off, not training, and going on some treasure hunt instead.

She had decided to find them and give them a good scolding.

Just as she was thinking this, her communication jade slip suddenly lit up. Qirong was actually calling her back.

“Mom! We’ve made a major discovery here, and it might be a world-shaking treasure! Now, my sister, third sister, and I are all here guarding it, not daring to act rashly. What should we do next? Please advise!”

Qin Dexin was riding her flying sword, frowning deeply.

What trick is this?

This doesn’t sound like something Qi Rong would say.

However, the words “world-shaking treasure” caught her attention.

These kids weren’t the type to lie.

Qin Dexin’s anger subsided a bit, and she replied, “Give me your location, then hide yourselves and wait for me to arrive.”

After hearing their location, she turned her flying sword and headed straight for the western cliff.

When she arrived, Qin Dexin flew around for a while before finding a narrow cave halfway up the cliff.

She squeezed in sideways and saw the three kids lined up, standing obediently and waiting for her.

She wasn’t in a hurry to check out the so-called “world-shaking treasure.”

Instead, she glanced at their round heads and asked casually, “Was that message just now Qirong’s idea?”

Qin Qirong was shocked and lifted his head to glance at his mother, then lowered it again, thinking he couldn’t betray his sister.

Just as he was about to take the blame, Qin Ruqing spoke up first, “Auntie, it was me. I gave him the idea, and Qirong just repeated it.”

Qirong kept quiet after that.

Qin Dexin already knowing it was this girl’s doing!

Among the Qin family’s younger generation, Qirong was simple-minded, Luwei was stubborn, and only Ruqing was cunning and clever, full of schemes.

Qin Ruqing smiled sweetly at Qin Dexin and pulled her along, “Auntie, this time it’s really urgent. We’re not lying. Come and see for yourself. This place is definitely unusual!”

She dragged Qin Dexin to the small hole they had blasted open.

Without needing any explanation, Qin Dexin immediately noticed something.

Such dense spiritual energy!

The spiritual energy inside the secret realm was already much higher than outside, but the energy inside this small hole was even stronger, almost tangible!

Qin Dexin’s face became serious. “Step back a bit.”

Watching them retreat, Qin Dexin swung her sword.

The hole, originally the size of a face, was blasted open to be as wide as a person.

Looking inside, it wasn’t really a “cave” but a very narrow crevice that needed to be widened for passage.

“I’ll clear the way in front. You follow behind me.” Just as she was about to proceed, Qin Dexin seemed to think of something and went to the outermost cave entrance.

She cut out a round stone and used it to block the entrance from the inside.

Feeling reassured, she lifted her sword and said sternly, “Let’s go!”

Qin Ruqing watched this and nodded to herself.

Now that’s what you call professional!

Qin Dexin wielded her spiritual sword like an automatic excavator, effortlessly carving out a path.

The four of them walked through, almost reaching the center of the cliff.

They followed the sound of dripping water, which grew louder but still remained elusive.

It seemed like they were going in circles within the cliff.

They approached another fork in the narrow crevice.

The sound suggested they should go right, but Qin Ruqing felt something was off.

She tugged on Qin Dexin’s sleeve, “Auntie, I don’t think we should go that way.”

Qin Dexin halted her spiritual sword and turned to look at her, “Why do you say that?”

“I suspect that the source of the dripping water isn’t getting closer. It might actually be getting further away,” Qin Ruqing said, gesturing with her hand.

“The water flow doesn’t have to be a straight line. It could be above us or below us. And with so many crevices here, any of them could be making the dripping sound. So, relying solely on the sound to determine direction is inaccurate.”

Qin Dexin listened carefully and didn’t dismiss her words due to her young age.

After hearing her out, she said, “What you say makes sense, but we’re inside the cliff and it’s easy to get lost. If we don’t rely on the sound of the dripping water, what should we rely on?”

Qin Ruqing spoke clearly, “We rely on spiritual energy.”

“Spiritual energy?” Qin Dexin didn’t quite understand.

However, the little chubby boy’s eyes lit up immediately. He chimed in, “Yes, spiritual energy! Mom, you don’t know this, but Ruqing is very sensitive to spiritual energy.

She was the one who noticed the anomaly in this cave earlier.

She said the spiritual energy here was denser than elsewhere, and when we dug in, we found it to be true.”

Qin Luwei also nodded vigorously to confirm Qirong’s words.

“I see.” Qin Dexin pondered for a moment, not pursuing why Qin Ruqing was so sensitive to spiritual energy.

She simply nodded and said, “Alright, Ruqing, you’ll lead the way from now on.”

Qin Ruqing nodded and pointed to the right, “This way. The spiritual energy is denser over here.”

The team began moving in the direction Qin Ruqing indicated.

However, the further they went, the narrower the crevice became.

Eventually, it disappeared completely.

With the crevice gone, they had to rely entirely on Qin Dexin’s efforts to dig.

Qin Dexin didn’t find it strenuous, but she wondered if this meant they were on the wrong path.

Previously, when following the sound, they could at least see the crevice.

Now, there was nothing.

Qin Dexin glanced at Qin Ruqing, noticing her calm and composed demeanor, showing no signs of panic.

She then looked at Qirong and Luwei, standing on either side of Qin Ruqing, attentively observing their surroundings.

They seemed to have great confidence in Qin Ruqing’s judgment.

What Qin Dexin didn’t know was that Qirong and Luwei had also had their doubts earlier.

However, after three days of “treasure hunting,” they found Qin Ruqing’s sensitivity to heavenly treasures and earthly treasures was almost beyond belief, almost like pointing out exactly where they were.

If she said there was something good somewhere, there indeed was.

Young people’s trust and obedience are easy to build.

They believed in “strength” and “absolute power.”

Over the past few days, their faith in Qin Ruqing’s abilities had grown stronger than Qin Ruqing’s faith in herself.

In the narrow cave, no one spoke, making it very quiet.

Only the sound of the spiritual sword cutting through the rock and the falling debris could be heard.

Suddenly, Qin Ruqing stopped, her fair face slightly serious.

She said, “I feel it’s just ahead.”

In front of them, Qin Dexin didn’t say a word.

First, she summoned her spirit sword back to her hand, then she called out to the three young ones, “Follow me.”

Holding the spirit sword, she swung it in a powerful slash.

Everyone watched as the stone wall in front of them shattered like a thin layer of paper.

With a loud crash, the sound of crumbling rocks filled the air, and dust rose, blocking their view.

When the dust settled, everyone looked ahead, their eyes widening in shock.

They all stood frozen in place.

They were inside a narrow cave, but now they saw bright daylight in front of them, revealing a magnificent underground cavern.

White stalactites hung from above, forming jade-like stone pillars. Looking around, there were hundreds of these pillars.

A misty haze surrounded them, like a fairyland.

Taking a deep breath, they realized this white mist was actually condensed spiritual energy.

The three young ones, even Qin Ruqing, who knew this place was special, stood in awe.

Such a grand and beautiful sight was something one might only see once in a lifetime.

Qin Dexin took a deep breath, her expression more serious than ever.

She immediately took out a jade slip and spoke quickly, “I am in the cliff cave on the west side of the base. There is an urgent matter concerning the whole clan. Come quickly!”

The jade slip flashed twice before returning to silence, indicating she had sent a message to two people.

Qin Dexin’s actions seemed to signify something important.

Qin Qirong snapped out of his daze and asked, swallowing hard, “Mother, what is this place?”

Qin Dexin exhaled slowly, as if only then could she speak clearly.

Looking at the numerous stone pillars, she said solemnly, “If I’m not mistaken, this should be the Legendary Stalactite Spirit Cave.”

She pointed to the stalactites hanging from above and explained, “The spiritual water dripping from the top gradually solidifies into stalactites and stone pillars. If collected just as it drips, it becomes an extremely gentle and precious natural treasure, capable of cleansing the body.”

“Do you remember the spiritual milk tea you drank every day from the ancestors? It was made from this.

Diluted spiritual milk is the raw material for refining the body-cleansing spiritual liquid.”

If Qin Dexin’s earlier explanation wasn’t clear enough, mentioning “spiritual milk tea” and “body-cleansing spiritual liquid” made it more relatable.

Qin Ruqing and Qirong exchanged shocked glances.

This was the spiritual medicine they needed during their spirit cultivation period.

They knew that the body-cleansing spiritual liquid was very expensive.

It had cost their ancestor an eighth-grade magical artifact to produce just four bottles.

Looking at the dozens or even hundreds of white stone pillars, Qin Ruqing exclaimed, “Does that mean these stone pillars are made from the raw materials for the body-cleansing spiritual liquid? Isn’t that a huge waste!”

That’s a lot of money!

Qin Dexin knocked Qin Ruqing on the head, “You silly child, is money all you think about? The value of spiritual milk stones cannot be measured by simple spirit gold or spirit stones. Do you know where the condensed spiritual energy comes from? Training here should yield twice the results with half the effort.”

Qin Ruqing was about to say something when they suddenly heard a loud rumble, as if someone was moving the huge stone at the outer entrance of the cave.

Qin Dexin quickly raised her sword.

Qin Dexin’s gaze turned sharp, and she warned them, “You three stay here and find a place to hide. If you don’t hear my voice, don’t come out.”

The three of them hid behind a huge stalactite pillar. Qin Luowei was worried, “Sister Qingqing, what if the people coming aren’t from our Qin family?”

Qin Ruqing was also nervous.

Even if people were coming from the base, they couldn’t have arrived so quickly.

But she reassured, “No, the entrance to the cave is well-hidden, and Third Aunt sealed it with a stone from the inside. Even if someone passes by, they wouldn’t find it.”

Qirong nodded in agreement, “Right! Don’t be afraid, Third Sister.”

Qin Luowei wasn’t scared, but she wasn’t convinced either.

If no one could find it, how did they get here? What if someone with keen senses, like Qingqing, was around?

She hugged her sword tightly, deciding that if the people who came weren’t her Third Aunt, she would rush out to distract the enemies and give her younger siblings a chance to escape.

The spirit cave fell silent, with only the sound of spiritual milk dripping.

Soon, they heard hurried and chaotic footsteps at the cave entrance.

The three of them huddled closer together, wondering who it could be…

“Qirong, Qingqing, Weiwei, come out. It’s the Second Elder!”

The Second Elder!

They all breathed a sigh of relief.

Qin Ruqing was the first to stand up and walk over.

Indeed, she saw the Second Elder staring at the place in awe.

She asked, “Second Elder, weren’t you on duty at the spirit stone mine? How did you get here so quickly?”

The Second Elder was still staring in amazement at the spiritual water and stone pillars, “Don’t you know? This place is just on the other side of the mountain from the spirit stone mine.”

What?

Qin Ruqing stammered, “You mean this place and the spirit stone mine are in the same mountain?!”

Seeing the Second Elder nod, Qin Ruqing said, “The spirit stone mine has been in operation for years. How did no one discover this place?”

The Second Elder blushed and awkwardly replied, “Do you think everyone has a nose as sharp as yours?”

On the way, Qin Dexin had already explained how the three had discovered the anomaly and reported it promptly.

Realizing the scale of this place, the Second Elder could imagine how much it would change the Qin family.

He wiped his face and asked worriedly, “Did you inform the Qin family? This matter is very important, and the Ancestor should be called over.”

Qin Dexin replied, “Don’t you trust me to handle things? I informed the Clan Leader, and he should notify the Ancestor. Whether the Ancestor comes or not, I don’t know.”

The Second Elder frowned, “Dexin, that slowpoke might take forever to get here.”

Qin Ruqing cleared her throat loudly. “Second Elder, even though you’re a senior, you shouldn’t call my father slow in front of me. He’s still the Clean Leader, after all.”

The Second Elder guiltily looked away.

Fortunately, at that crucial moment, Qin Deming never let them down.

He understood the urgency from Qin Dexin’s message, especially since she used the words “concerning the entire clan.”

Qin Deming thought Qin Dexin was in mortal danger, so he didn’t dare delay.

He reported to the Ancestor and quickly…

…headed in this direction.

When Qin Deming arrived, he finally understood what Qin Dexin meant by “concerning the entire clan.”

A spirit stalactite cave of such magnitude truly was a matter concerning the whole clan!

Ancestor’s face lit up with joy, and she exclaimed three times, “Good! Good! Good! Whoever discovered this place, the Qin family must reward her generously!”

Qirong and Luwei both pointed at Qin Ruqing. “Ancestor, it was Qingqing.”

Qin Dexin nodded in affirmation and added with a mix of surprise and curiosity, “Qingqing seems to have an extraordinary sensitivity to spiritual energy. Earlier, when we almost got lost outside the cave, it was Qingqing who guided us based on the varying concentrations of spiritual energy.”

The Ancestor wasn’t surprised but rather smiled knowingly, “I see… Besides her parents, I haven’t told anyone else that Qingqing attained a state of innate perfection during her nurturing period.”

“Innate perfection!” Qin Dexin and the Second Elder exclaimed in unison.

The Second Elder realized, “No wonder… an innate perfect body has an extraordinary affinity with spiritual energy, almost immune to its repulsion.

It’s not surprising that Qingqing could find this place through her sensitivity to spiritual energy.”

Seeing them rationalize her treasure-hunting ability, Qin Ruqing silently lowered her head.

Indeed, her ability to find this place was due to her innate perfect body.

However, it was also fortunate they reached this conclusion, sparing her from having to explain it.

As everyone contemplated, Qin Deming seemed to recall something and whispered, “Ancestor, could such a large stalactite possibly produce…”

“Spirit milk jade marrow!” Qin Dexin realized, looking at the Ancestor with surprise and delight. “If there’s really spirit milk jade marrow, then your injuries…”

Qin Ruqing and the others didn’t fully understand, but they gathered that this place might produce something called “spirit milk jade marrow” that could help the Ancestor’s injuries.

The Ancestor sighed instead of showing joy, “Let’s search and see.”

The group moved towards the largest stalactite pillar in the cave’s center.

The pillar was about as thick as three adults could encircle.

It was wide at the top and bottom, thin in the middle, as if the spirit milk from the top dripped down and elongated, while the droplets at the bottom gathered and raised, finally merging.

Qin Ruqing sniffed the air, sensing something unusual about this pillar.

The Ancestor spoke solemnly, “Cut through the thinnest part in the middle. If there’s jade marrow, there will be. If not… then there’s none in the entire cave.”

Everyone’s expressions grew serious.

Qin Dexin summoned her spirit sword and was about to step forward, but the Ancestor stopped her.

“Cutting the pillar requires extremely precise control of spiritual energy. A slight mistake could damage the jade marrow. Let me do it.”

Qin Dexin felt no offense.

The Ancestor, at the peak of her foundation-building stage, had far greater cultivation and insight than her.

She would follow his lead.

The Ancestor summoned her life spirit sword, a slender and elegant blade.

She held the sword, sensing the pillar’s center but hesitated to act.

Suddenly, her gaze shifted to Qin Ruqing, and he called her over.

“Qingqing, with your sensitivity, where do you think the jade marrow would be?”

Qin Ruqing felt nervous.

From the way the Ancestor and the others acted, she knew the jade marrow was extremely rare and precious.

If she pointed to the wrong spot and the Patriarch cut through it…

But Qin Ruqing also knew that with her innate perfect body, she should rise to the occasion.

Without further hesitation, she placed her hand firmly on the pillar and carefully sensed.

After a moment, she opened her eyes and solemnly said, “Here!”

The Ancestor raised hrr voice, “Are you sure?”

Qin Ruqing loudly affirmed, “I’m sure!”

The Ancestor no longer hesitated and cut three inches above the spot Qin Ruqing indicated.

As the cut portion was removed, what lay before them was a pool of glistening, emerald-green liquid.