The Sixth Stage breakthrough was a seismic shift. Jiang Yi's spiritual senses were so sharp he could now hear the very hum of the Formation Arrays running beneath the Outer Court. His physical strength was immense, far surpassing any other Sixth Stage disciple in the Outer Court.
The problem remained the Seventh Stage Body Tempering. This stage was known as The Mineral Weave. It required the cultivator to refine the Spiritual Seed with rare, specialized Spirit Ores—metallic compounds that reinforced the core, allowing it to begin drawing and condensing Earth Qi. Without the ore, the core would remain brittle and prone to deviation.
Jiang Yi needed a specific type of ore, and he couldn't simply scavenge for it; it had to be mined and refined.
He used his official title. He requested access to the Sect's geological archives, claiming he needed to understand the mineral composition of the mountain to better repair the Dormant Array.
The records led him to an abandoned, remote mining site known only as the Black Rock Mine. The mine had been sealed fifty years ago after the Qi veins were deemed "exhausted" and too dangerous for continued use due to deep, erratic magma pockets.
Perfect. The perfect environment for high-grade spiritual essence, protected by natural hazards.
Jiang Yi waited until night and executed the Spider Step deep into the wilderness of the lower peaks. He found the mine entrance—a crumbling, rune-etched archway sealed with a heavy, rusted iron grate.
He forced the grate open with a silent, brute application of his Sixth Stage strength. He plunged into the darkness, navigating the ancient tunnels using his profound spiritual senses.
The air in the mine was thick and heavy, saturated with raw Earth Qi and the metallic tang of unrefined minerals. He reached the main shaft, which descended into the mountain's spiritual core. The silence was absolute, broken only by the faint, rhythmic dripping of water.
He activated the Minor Flow Convergence Array with a thread of his refined azure Qi. The Array responded instantly, not pulling Qi, but mapping the structure of the tunnels.
The map revealed the truth: the Qi veins were not exhausted. They were blocked. A massive spiritual pressure from an ancient, deep-lying pocket of Magma Earth Qi had solidified a thick vein of rock, sealing the rich ore reserves below.
This solidified rock was the key. Within the rock, sealed under immense pressure, was a high concentration of Shadow Steel Ore—the precise mineral needed for his Seventh Stage breakthrough.
Getting the ore required confronting the magma pressure.
Jiang Yi descended into the deep, sealed section. The heat became unbearable, even for his refined body. He reached the solidified rock vein. The surface radiated the immense, scorching pressure of the Magma Earth Qi.
He placed his hands on the rock. This was not a quick siphon; this was a mining operation using spiritual energy.
He engaged the Azure Stabilization Method at maximum power. He used the Sphere's ability not to filter the Qi, but to filter the pressure. He created a tiny, microscopic spiritual bubble of equilibrium directly at the point of contact, neutralizing the Magma Earth Qi's violent force.
Once the pressure was neutralized, he initiated a sustained, focused spiritual drill, driving the Azure Qi filament deep into the solidified vein.
SCREEEEECH.
The rock slowly began to crack, shedding tiny crystalline shards of Shadow Steel Ore. The moment the shard was exposed, the Azure Sphere instantly pulled it into his palm, refining the heavy, pure mineral essence and funneling it into his Spiritual Seed.
The process was slow, painful, and terrifyingly hot. Jiang Yi endured the magma heat, steadily drilling, refining, and consolidating his core with the mineral essence.
An hour passed. Jiang Yi's Spiritual Seed, now infused with the dense, dark Shadow Steel, became heavy and unbreakable, transforming into a true Mineral Core.
He had enough. He pulled back his spiritual drill, sealing the tiny hole with a simple, common rock. He was now at the peak of the Sixth Stage, ready for the Seventh.
As he turned to leave the deep shaft, a single piece of paper, stuck to the rough wall by a thread of ancient, faded Qi, caught his eye. It was a centuries-old mining report.
He used a thread of Azure Qi to delicately peel it off. The ink was faded, but legible.
The Black Rock Mine was abandoned not because the veins were exhausted, but because the mine's original owner, a Foundation Master named Elder Qiu, sealed the Shadow Steel vein with Magma Qi, intending to return decades later after stabilizing his own Foundation Core. The mine is Elder Qiu's private reserve.
Jiang Yi smiled coldly in the darkness. He hadn't just stolen ore; he had stolen a Foundation Master's retirement fund.
The game was escalating.