madnovel Chapter 4 Earth's Essence
Chapter 4 Earth's Essence
Crunch! Sizzle!
The harsh scraping of stone slabs and the creaking of wooden cabinets moving from above the cellar startled Yang Jin, who was in a light sleep.
"Holy crap! The Japanese devils are here?!"
He suddenly opened his eyes, sprang up from the bed, instinctively tensed his body, and stared at the cellar ceiling.
Fortunately, it wasn't the Japanese devils; it was the familiar sound of footsteps. Shi Gong had come down.
As the cellar planks opened, the dim sunlight shone in first, and shadows of people pierced through the entrance.
Shi Jian, with his hunched back, carried a rough wooden tray and walked down the stone steps one by one.
On the tray were two dark, multigrain pancakes and a bowl of steaming vegetable soup.
"You're awake? Perfect timing, eat it while it's hot."
Shi Jian placed the tray on the old wooden box next to Yang Jin, his voice still hoarse, but filled with undeniable concern.
Yang Jin nodded, thanked him again, and then looked at the multigrain pancakes and vegetable soup.
The pancakes were freshly made and still steaming hot; they smelled delicious.
As for the soup... the broth was cloudy like swill, with a few leaves of wild vegetables whose names I didn't know floating on it. However, there was a piece of pale yellow ginger about the size of a thumb sitting in it!
Ginger?!
In my memory, this was a rare find.
Everyone knows that ginger soup has the effect of dispelling cold and warming the body.
In the resource-scarce Heishan'ao Village, a piece of ginger may not be as rare as ginseng, but this thoughtful care warmed Yang Jin's heart.
Shi Jian turned his head and saw the fist-sized hole that Yang Jin had "dug" leading to the mine tunnel last night, along with piles of wet soil and pottery shards next to it.
He stared at the cave entrance with his cloudy eyes for a few seconds, then looked at Yang Jin. His face was expressionless, and he simply nodded slightly, as if he had expected it and thought that this was just Yang Jin's way of saving himself in a desperate situation.
"Digging a bit is good, it'll stretch your muscles and find a way out. It's better than lying still." Shi Jian didn't ask any more questions, but only gave instructions, "However, you should think it over carefully. If you absolutely have to, don't go in. It's dark down there, it collapsed before, and it's not sturdy... The most important thing is to heal your injuries first."
He paused, then said, "Just eating flatbread and drinking vegetable soup won't help me recover quickly. I'll go up the mountain later and see if I can bring back some food. A little meat will help me recover faster."
Yang Jin nodded, knowing that Shi Jian was going out to hunt in the wild. Given his current condition, where he had to use a cane to walk, it was hard to say who would fight whom if he went out to hunt in the wild.
Yang Jin hurriedly said, "Master Shi, there's no need..."
"Stop talking nonsense, eat your food." Shi Jian interrupted him, his tone leaving no room for argument, "Your father helped me fend off a bear back then, and I remember that favor."
After saying that, he said no more and turned to walk up the stone steps.
The light at the cellar entrance disappeared again as the stone slabs closed and the wooden cabinet moved. The footsteps gradually faded away, and the room returned to silence, with only the oil lamp that Yang Jin had just lit swaying in the breeze of the mine tunnel.
Yang Jin ate the multigrain pancakes and drank the ginger and vegetable soup, knowing that Shi Jian was doing it all for his own good.
This old man... is indeed more reliable than Widow Li.
He picked up the hot soup and took a sip.
The slightly spicy, ginger-flavored warmth slid down my throat, instantly dispelling the chill from the damp cellar.
Warm! Solid!
If you were to have a scallion pancake with beef hot and sour soup, that would be even better.
He didn't cherish what he had before, and now that he's lost it, all he wants to say to the spicy soup and beef is... I, Yang Jin, really love you!
He was thinking about the beef hot and sour soup, slowly eating the flatbread with the soup, feeling the warmth of the food and the strength that was gradually returning to him.
After eating, I definitely felt much better than last night.
This is not only due to the effects of ginger soup; Shi Jian's "black gypsum" ointment seems to not only heal wounds but also have a certain effect of strengthening the body's foundation and nourishing the vital energy.
In short, his injuries were improving and his strength was recovering, but the sense of urgency in his heart did not decrease at all; on the contrary, it became stronger and stronger.
He's a grown man, how could he let an old man support him?!
Sister Li's actions were based on her own abilities... But beating up old men is something only young women with a penchant for such things do.
He couldn't hide here forever, relying on Shi Gong's protection and charity to survive.
He needs to stand up straight; he still needs revenge.
Strength was his only reliance.
His gaze fell once again on the small hole in the earthen wall.
His consciousness sank into his sea of consciousness, communicating with the mountain cauldron and connecting with the loyal hound lurking near the cave entrance—the Stone-Carving Earthworm.
"Continue... forward... to the place where the 'sweet' scent was strongest last night... dig and dig... see what we can dig out..."
Yang Jin transmitted clear commands through the mental link.
The rock-spinning earthworm conveyed a simple emotion of understanding and obedience, immediately turned around, and wriggled its slippery body back into the narrow, dark passage, this time faster than the night before.
Perhaps it was because Yang Jin was in a better mental state, the connection was more stable, and the shared perception was clearer.
The dark passage stretched out in the rock-drilling earthworm's "vision," as it skillfully avoided the loose soil and rocks, crawling deeper into the mine.
About two minutes later, it emerged from the narrow "worm tunnel" and entered a relatively open branch of an abandoned mine tunnel.
The smell here is different from that in the insect tunnels; the faint sulfurous mineral scent is stronger, mixed with a slightly metallic, sweet, and fishy smell.
In the rock-carving earthworm's perception, there was an area on the side of the rock wall that was emitting a strong "attraction"—the scent of "food" that it instinctively craved.
Yang Jin ordered it to move closer to that rock wall.
The rock-cutter raised its head, and the dark red, file-like jaws around its mouthparts began to rotate and rub at high speed, making a low "click" sound, easily biting into the hard rock.
Gravel fell in a flurry, more than dandruff.
Soon, a piece of ore slightly larger than a fist, a mixture of dark red and iron gray with a faint metallic luster, was "carried" out by the stone-carrying earthworm using its mouthparts.
The surface of the ore is uneven and pitted, it feels heavy in the hand, and its temperature is much higher than that of the surrounding rocks.
that's it!
Through the "mouthparts" of the rock-carving earthworm, Yang Jin could more clearly perceive that the inside of this ore contained a faint but pure warm energy that could subtly resonate with the pulse of the earth—the essence of the earth veins!
With a thought, he communicated with the mountain cauldron and ordered the rock-carrying earthworm to "carry" back the ore.
After he got the ore, he held it in his hand and pressed it against his forehead.
The illusory image of the mountain cauldron in his sea of consciousness trembled slightly, and an invisible suction force emerged.
On the surface of the ore, several extremely tiny pale yellow specks of light quietly emerged. Drawn by the suction force emanating from the mountain cauldron, they detached from the ore, entered Yang Jin's brow, and finally merged into the mountain cauldron.
[Earth Essence +0.05]
It really does contain the essence of the earth's veins!
Yang Jin was overjoyed, even happier than if he had found a hundred yuan.
"Keep going! Quickly! Go collect more of this ore! The more the better!"
Upon receiving the order, the rock-scarving earthworm turned around and began to work even more diligently.
It has a natural interest in finding these energy-rich minerals, just as crows like to collect shiny things, it also likes to collect these minerals.
Pieces of ore, varying in size but similar in color and texture, were peeled off the rock face and dragged to Yang Jin's front.
Yang Jin kept "absorbing" the energy, one piece after another, without stopping.
The points of the earth's essence are steadily increasing: 0.05, 0.03, 0.07, 0.04...
After the Stone-Carving Earthworm had scavenged all the easily obtainable ores in the vicinity, Yang Jin's accumulated Earth Vein Essence reached 0.35 points.
Although this amount of ley line essence is negligible compared to the 100 points required for the Stone Golem to evolve... this is the first time he has truly obtained ley line essence!
More importantly, he found a way to reliably obtain the essence of the earth's veins!
Next, it's time to use it.
Yang Jin focused his consciousness on the mountain cauldron, thinking about "increasing the cauldron spirit fusion level".
The mountain cauldron responded to his thoughts, its body shimmering with light. The accumulated 0.35 points of earth vein essence transformed into a warm current, purer and more concentrated than when absorbed naturally, surging out of the cauldron and nourishing him. It began to merge with the illusory image of the cauldron spirit, the Earth-Walking Marmoset, in his sea of consciousness.
However, the expected surge in integration did not occur.
After the warm current circulated through his body a few times, the illusory image of the cauldron did solidify slightly, but its integration with his body was like water droplets seeping into parched land, without producing any immediate changes.
The information from the mountain cauldron was also very vague. It seemed that strengthening the body not only required the "injection" of energy, but also required Yang Jin to "adapt," "bear," and "stimulate."
"Just adding skill points isn't enough; you also have to practice on your own?"
"What a crappy system... such a crappy system... Look at the others next door... and then look at yourself... Aren't you ashamed!"
Yang Jin cursed and swore, but he had no choice but to accept reality.
He thought about it and decided he still needed to practice.
However, my injuries haven't healed yet, so I definitely can't just go straight for a set of military boxing or bandit-themed boxing...
The cramped cellar didn't allow for much physical exertion, but it did provide an opportunity to practice the earth-walking marmoset's superpower, "weak rock manipulation."
This ability doesn't require physical exertion; you can do it simply by thinking.
So, Yang Jin sat on the bed, closed his eyes, and began to use his superpower, Weak Stone Control.
His goal wasn't to unleash a cataclysmic attack like the prince's ultimate move, but rather to control a small patch of damp soil, deform it, and even attempt to shape it.
It was definitely very difficult at first; after all, everything is difficult at the beginning. It was his first time, he lacked experience, and his skills weren't good enough...
Fortunately, damp soil is not like a woman; it doesn't laugh at people.
Although Yang Jin's mental energy was quickly depleted when he used his abilities, he could only make the damp soil swell slightly or roll gently.
But the feeling of using superpowers was so exhilarating that he felt like he was flying.
Don't even mention it, if this one move were filmed and posted online, he could live off it for life... collecting all the Cullinan fragments wouldn't be a dream...
Before long, Yang Jin was so tired that his head felt heavy, looking like he had been completely drained by Sister Li.
Spiritual power, such an ethereal and elusive thing, is indeed difficult to deal with.
I checked the time, only ten minutes had passed... Damn it, I'll be scooped up with steel wool in that short time.
Unable to use his superpowers, Yang Jin sat in the cellar with nothing to do, yet he was anxious.
After hesitating for a few moments, he decided to stretch his body.
Although I am still recovering from a serious injury and cannot do strenuous activities, I can still do some simple stretching and exertion.
The superpower "Weak Rock Skin" given to him by the Earth-Walking Marmoset Spirit seems to be even tighter than before.
Then, Yang Jin started doing radio calisthenics in the cellar, transmitting the warmth of nine years of compulsory education to another world.
Surprisingly, it actually works somewhat.
My body feels warm, and my heart feels red.
After a while, my mental energy will have recovered.
Yang Jin then tried to activate his second superpower, "Vibration Perception".
This time, he did not passively receive the vibrations, but actively extended his senses as "tentacles" to the surrounding soil and rocks, trying to listen to the echoes of the vibrations from further away.
This is also extremely mentally taxing, but much easier than controlling stones.
Each time his antennae sensed a vibration, he gained insight and understanding of vibration perception and the surrounding soil environment.
Of course, with the owner working so hard, the rock-carving earthworm couldn't be idle either.
With no more ore nearby, Yang Jin instructed it to expand outwards along the narrow worm tunnel, reinforce the edges of the tunnel, dig a few more caves for emergency shelter, and mark the coordinates of several areas prone to collapse.
Doing this serves two purposes: firstly, it hones the ability to chisel rocks, and secondly, it familiarizes one with abandoned mines, allowing for hiding or escape at any time.
Time slipped away quietly in the dim light of the cellar.
The oil lamp was refilled twice, and Shi Jian came down again to bring water and cakes. Seeing that Yang Jin was resting with his eyes closed, he didn't disturb him, put down the things, and quietly left.
Yang Jin was completely immersed in this state of "absorption-training-adaptation," which was much more interesting than going to work or playing games.
He could vaguely sense that the "energy" provided by the earth's vein essence was like a highly efficient fuel, and that his training, use of superpowers, and interaction with the rock-splitting earthworms could all accelerate the combustion of this fuel.
The effect is very remarkable.
First is the degree of integration.
After a long day of continuous training, 0.2 points of earth vein essence were consumed, and the fusion rate increased from 3.5% to 4.1%!
The increase far exceeds natural growth!
Secondly, it's about ability.
The stone control is more "obedient". Although the range of influence and weight increase are not significant, the control precision and endurance have been improved.
He can now manipulate the soil to form a mud ball.
The range of vibration perception expanded to nearly four zhang (approximately 13 meters), equivalent to a large truck with four front and eight rear sections. His analysis of the soil and rock structure also became clearer, and he was able to clearly determine where the rocks were hard and where they were soft.
The slight increase in toughness from the subtle rock texture makes it feel a bit like polished sandpaper.
What surprised Yang Jin the most was... the changes in his body!
"I've become stronger!"
"Not bald!"
His physical strength has recovered considerably, his spirits have become more vigorous, and even the numbness and itching sensation in the wound on his left arm has become more intense, as if flesh and blood are growing and healing at a speed far exceeding normal!
The essence of the earth veins not only enhances the fusion level of the earth-walking marmoset, but the increased fusion level also benefits the body and abilities, meaning improved abilities, physical fitness, and faster recovery from injuries.
This is fantastic!
Yang Jin estimated that the wound, which originally would have taken ten days to half a month to heal, should be mostly healed in three to five days at this rate!
The essence of the earth's veins is truly amazing.
"Wonderful! Extraordinary abilities are truly wonderful!"
Despite still being injured and potentially being dragged out and killed by Sun Yaozu at any moment, Yang Jin was as excited as a madman who had just bought a Master of Extraordinary Arts.
He looked at the rock-carving earthworm quietly lurking at the entrance of the cave, and he was even more excited than when he saw the beautiful new girl in the shop.
This little thing may be ugly, but it's really reliable.
"From now on, I'll call you 'A-Tu'."
Yang Jin gave the Stone-Carving Earthworm a name through a mental connection.
Earthworm chiseling stone—A-Tu!
Atu tilted his head, emanating a cheerful and affectionate emotional fluctuation. His jaws around his mouthparts gently rubbed against the ground, as if in response.
"Hmm? Atu, you seem to have gotten smarter?"
"Is it because of the mountain cauldron?"
"Who cares, as long as it's a good thing."
Yang Jin didn't care about so much. Now, as long as it was a good thing, he was too lazy to investigate it. He'd rather waste his brain mining, train more, and practice his superpowers.
Now that he has the essence of the earth veins, a clear training method, and a powerful pet like Atu, becoming stronger is no longer just empty talk, but a path right in front of him!
The road is under your feet, just go for it.
Yang Jin leaned against the earthen wall, sweat mixed with medication dripping down his neck after exercise.
Although the cellar was still cold and damp, his heart was burning with passion.
He knew he was recovering and that it wouldn't be long before he could take down that bastard Sun Yaozu.
Above the cellar, the faint sound of stone slabs rubbing together could be heard again.
This time, there was also a faint, almost imperceptible smell of fresh blood.
Is Master Shi... back from hunting?
"We're getting meat?!"