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"What on earth is this?" Qin Yu furrowed his brow, carefully examining every part of the red crystal he held in his hands, "This crystal is surprisingly heavy and can emit a fiery red glow; the crystal itself is still warm."
Qin Yu had seen many treasures in the Prince Mansion's Treasure House and had read a lot of books at Cloud Mist Villa. He knew about some of the treasures on the Hidden Dragon Continent; however, regarding this red crystal, Qin Yu had not a single clue.
Qin Yu put down the red crystal with a bang and it landed on the ground with a startling heaviness.
"Let's first test how hard it is. This crystal is so heavy, and when I struck with my palm, the boulder shattered, but this crystal didn't break—it must be very hard," Qin Yu extended his hand to form a claw and exhibited the Eagle Claw Skill, suddenly grabbing at the red crystal.
A sound like metal striking metal rang out, with the red crystal not bearing even a mark.
"Hiss—" Qin Yu sucked in a breath of cold air, feeling a numbness in the five fingers of his striking hand. His full-strength claw hadn't left a trace, which led him to imagine the crystal's hardness. Frowning in contemplation, he suddenly turned his head and said, "Little Black, come and try. Let's see just how hard this crystal really is."
Little Black shook its head excitedly a couple of times, flapped its wings, and soared into the sky before diving down, mercilessly grabbing at the crystal with its sharp claws.
Again, a clang of metal on metal, and the crystal was without a single scratch. Little Black landed, blinked at Qin Yu, looking quite dejected as though it felt frustrated by the failure of its claws.
Qin Yu watched, dumbfounded, before his eyes lit up with excitement, "Haha, jackpot, jackpot. Little Black's Eagle Claw can easily tear through Xuantie as if it were paper, its hardness comparable to that of an Immortal Item. If even his Eagle Claw can't tear through it, this crystal is at least a rare material for Artifact Refining. Hmm, let's try the Fish Intestine Sword."
"Whoosh!"
Qin Yu waved his hand and a streak of black light flashed, fiercely striking the red crystal. The ringing sound echoed, and Qin Yu, holding the Fish Intestine Sword in his hand, excitedly looked at the red crystal in front of him, "Such a large top-grade ore is definitely a priceless treasure. It might even be refined into an Immortal Upper Grade Weapon."
The Fish Intestine Sword, a Lower Immortal Grade Weapon.
Ores, after many complex procedures, are finally refined into weapons, which are much harder than the original ores. For example, the meteorite that had been refined into the Fish Intestine Sword absolutely could not withstand its slashing. This red crystal didn't even show the slightest mark under the assault of the Fish Intestine Sword, indicating its hardness had reached an astonishing level.
Even ores in the Immortal Middle Stage are estimated to bear marks under the slash of the Fish Intestine Sword, so what about this red crystal?
"An Immortal Upper Grade ore, it might... even be higher," Qin Yu's eyes shone. The pursuit of a top-grade weapon by a cultivation expert was beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Qin Yu, of course, dreamed of obtaining an absolute Divine Weapon.
Just the crystal itself was far harder than the Fish Intestine Sword. If it could be refined into a weapon, then...
"Little Black, let's head back to the villa," Qin Yu took off his coat to cover the red crystal and then hoisted it up. Such a treasure, Qin Yu knew, should not become widely known. Although he didn't care, he was aware of the rules of the Prince Mansion. Even a weapon like the Fish Intestine Sword had to be kept secret, let alone an even more precious red crystal.
Carrying a two-thousand-catty crystal, Qin Yu immediately headed for Cloud Mist Villa, perhaps only someone as monstrous as he could move this crystal.
Within Cloud Mist Villa, Qin Yu came out of the underground chamber feeling light and relaxed.
"Carrying two thousand catties from the deep mountains and rushing back, I am indeed a bit tired," Qin Yu flexed his arms, but his face was smiling. His mood was very good having acquired such a treasure, "If Father knew about this, he would be very happy."
Qin Yu walked towards Lian Yan's residence with a smile, when suddenly two people approached him from the shadows: a young man slightly taller than Qin Yu and a frail-looking girl in green. The young man was robust, and the girl had delicate features. The most striking thing about her was her fragile demeanor.
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"Brother Yu."
The girl in green's eyes lit up when she saw Qin Yu, and she quickly ran over, "Brother Yu, you've been out training for almost several days now, and you haven't come to see me once." The girl pouted as she spoke.
"Little Lu, once I have some free time, I will definitely spend more time with you." Qin Yu affectionately touched Little Lu's head.
The girl in green was indeed Little Lu, and the young man beside her was Tie Shan. They, as siblings, had taken Lian Yan as their master. Little Lu disliked fighting and killing, preferring only to practice Inner Strength and usually played the flute. The Jade Flute at her waist was a gift from Qin Yu.
"You're always saying 'when you're free,' but you're never actually free. Brother Yu, can't you take a break?" Little Lu showed a trace of discontent; her Brother Yu often said he would spend time with her when he was free, but when had her Brother Yu ever actually been free?
"Take a break?" Qin Yu was momentarily startled. From the time he was an eight-year-old child until now, at eighteen, the times Qin Yu had truly taken a break could be counted on one hand. His heart was always set on practicing hard, striving to help his father as soon as possible, aiming to become his father's right-hand man.
"Little Lu, don't be naughty," Tie Shan scolded before turning to Qin Yu with a smile, "Little Yu, you were looking for the Master, right? He is resting in the courtyard right now."
"All right, I'll go find Grandpa Lian now." After greeting them, Qin Yu headed toward Lian Yan's residence.
Meanwhile, Little Lu frowned as she watched Qin Yu's retreating figure, her nose wrinkling slightly. "Brother Yu is always so busy, I wonder when he'll be able to take a break." Little Lu had been at Cloud Mist Villa for almost five years and naturally knew how hard Qin Yu worked at his cultivation.
"Little Lu, you shouldn't say that. Little Yu is different from us. Although he is the honored Third Son of Prince Zhen Dong, the Outer Strength he practices is the most miserably hard. Remember when I first arrived, I saw him shoveling iron sand with his hands!" Tie Shan seemed to recall the scene. Shoveling iron sand was something Qin Yu began practicing only after his Finger Force had reached an extremely high level. If one started with iron sand right away, their fingers would be utterly ruined.
Tie Shan's eyes were filled with astonishment. "Shoveling iron sand, the fingers hurt as though being pricked by needles. The ten fingers are connected to the heart; the pain is unimaginable to you, Little Lu. Yet, every day he trains, exercising his Finger Force, which is just one of many extreme training routines that push the limits of his body, from dawn to dusk. Every single exercise Little Yu undertakes pushes his physical limits. And he has been enduring such training since he was eight."
All Tie Shan felt towards Qin Yu's departing figure was admiration.
Little Lu looked at Qin Yu's retreating back, her eyes shimmering with colorful lights.
In her heart, Brother Yu would always be cheerful, extremely kind to everyone, like the sun, warm and comforting. And it was this very Brother Yu, a Princely Heir of Prince Zhen Dong, who had been enduring such extreme physical torment since the age of eight.
Although he had the Meteor Tear, to fully utilize its power, Qin Yu had to push himself to physiological limits. His fingers trained until they were agonizingly painful, squat exercises done until his leg muscles cramped and his head throbbed... It was only by reaching these physical limits that the Meteor Tear would unleash its miraculous effects.
To gain something, one must pay a price.
Qin Yu had reached such a realm only by paying many, many prices.
In Lian Yan's courtyard, Lian Yan lay on a lounge chair, sipping tea, enjoying the tranquility.
"Grandpa Lian."
At the sound of that familiar voice, Lian Yan smiled, his eyes crinkling into slits as he turned his head toward Qin Yu and chuckled, "Little Yu, how rare. You've finished training and returned while it's still daylight." Seeing Qin Yu, Lian Yan couldn't help but feel overjoyed, just as any grandfather would be uncontrollably happy to see his grandson.
Qin Yu walked into the courtyard. With the Red Crystal in his possession, Qin Yu now needed to find an Artifact Refining Master, and of course, the first person he thought to consult was Lian Yan.