Chapter 428 – Tianyuan's Great Power, Ore Vein Relocation

Dawn light filtered through the window as Lord Mu awoke in his bedroom.

He drew the curtains open, welcoming the radiant day.

“My sleep quality has been truly excellent these past few days. No longer do I need to worry about being startled awake by alarm sirens while resting.”

Though dangers still lurked in the Wilderness—remnants of the Great Serpent Clan might secretly stir trouble—compared to the initial period when Tianyuan City lacked Legendary Realm guardians and had to tremble in hiding before Monster Overlords, when he feared the city might fall between one blink and the next… now…

The situation had stabilized by at least several dozen times.

Mu Yuan extended his hand, gathering water elemental particles from the atmosphere to form a crystal-clear sphere floating before him.

He submerged half his face into the water sphere, then snapped his fingers lightly. The interior began vibrating and churning like a washing machine.

Instantly, he felt thoroughly cleansed and refreshed, every trace of drowsiness vanishing without a trace.

With a flick of his finger, the water sphere contracted then shot forward, disappearing into the distant washroom with a whoosh.

He dried his face using wind and fire elements, then beckoned with his hand. The feathered white robe hanging on the clothes rack flew toward him. Mu Yuan spread his arms and spun mid-air two and a half times before landing, now fully dressed in his everyday Excellent-grade robe.

This was combat attire.

Only in these recent peaceful days could he dress so casually. Previously, he’d slept in his clothes, with visits to his bedroom being few and far between over the past months.

“I truly have been excessively diligent. All my current achievements stem from my own relentless efforts.”

Mu Yuan stepped out of his bedroom.

This area behind the City Lord’s Mansion served as the rest, living, and entertainment quarters—tranquil and serene. The front section housed the administrative offices.

A sound-dampening barrier normally separated the two zones to ensure the living area remained undisturbed.

Mu Yuan had kept it deactivated, concerned he might miss important developments while resting.

Walking down the sunlit corridor, he descended to the first floor where the mansion’s dining hall was located.

Life maids had already served breakfast.

They wore traditional black-and-white dresses, though the hem shimmered with metallic luster and concealed retractable blades at the edges. Mu Yuan knew well that these ‘maid uniforms’ could deploy combined sickles from the back and concealed at least two or three daggers within. After all, he had personally reviewed the equipment’s design and approval.

—Armed Maid Combat Attire.

On the Eternal Continent, the ‘Armed Maid’ troop type genuinely existed as a rare two-star rank.

Isloria had referenced their standard equipment and enhanced it further in her designs.

Suddenly, a psychic message came through.

Mu Yuan accepted the connection.

His assistant Moli spoke from the other end, “You have new documents requiring timely processing—39 in total.”

“Uh…”

Wasn’t it just past four in the morning?

But since the pending documents had already been delivered, it meant his assistant had risen even earlier, already laboring by lamplight.

Very well.

Mu Yuan scanned the dining table, grabbing several Dragon Fish Crystal Dumplings while picking up a plate of Honey-Glazed Phoenix King Claws and a box of Immortal Lotus Pastries. Munching as he walked, he headed toward the front sections of the City Lord’s Mansion.

With these highly nutritious foods settling in his stomach, Mu Yuan naturally circulated his Secret Method to absorb their nourishment.By the time he reached his office, he had almost digested everything.

Morning cultivation complete, what followed was the dreaded work period.

Mu Yuan loaded the Isloria template and, with several poofs, manifested three Starlight Avatars. They took their positions one by one and began swiftly reviewing the dazzling stack of documents piled here.

“Lord, there is a relatively important matter here.”

Moli approached and said, “Lady Isloria has compiled the resource sites discovered so far and has finalized these three resource sites as the first batch for relocation targets.”

“Specifically: one small Soul Sand Mine; one grove of Six-Colored Elemental Fruit trees; and one Elementary Breakthrough Materials mine.”

“The Exploration Corps discovered a medium-sized Soul Sand Mine with half its reserves remaining within a large tribe under the Great Serpent Clan’s rule. However, Lady Isloria judged that Tianyuan City currently does not meet the conditions to relocate a medium-sized Soul Sand Mine, so it has been temporarily set aside.”

Mu Yuan nodded slightly.

He had naturally already discussed this matter with Isloria, Deadbone, and others. He had asked Isloria to see if she could come up with a feasible plan.

It seemed now that there were no issues.

Mine relocation refers to the method of using great power to move a mine and transfer it within one’s own territory.

This method is not exactly rare—many lords have used it, meaning they hire others to perform the relocation. The benefits of moving a mine next to one’s own city are self-evident.

But saying it’s easy is naturally not accurate.

“The basic conditions are to have Legendary Realm masters who control the power of heaven and earth, and at least three or four Legends must act simultaneously, along with corresponding plans and equipment.”

Such conditions are already sky-high for the vast majority of lords. If they can’t even cultivate one Legendary Realm expert themselves, how could they possibly muster a lineup of several Legends to exert such great power?

But this doesn’t matter.

Within the Taixuan Alliance, many large groups offer such ‘mine relocation’ advanced services externally.

If a lord lacks sufficient funds and can’t afford the high service fee? That doesn’t matter either; the large groups thoughtfully provide loan services or financing options, deducting costs based on shares of the mine.

“How very considerate, heh.”

Mu Yuan had already sent someone to the Secret Realm to fetch the current advertisements from various groups.

Since many large groups offer this service, it doesn’t require spending Alliance Contribution Points; payment can be made with ordinary currency.

It’s just, really not cheap.

「Red Lotus Group: A reputable large group with sixty years of experience, credibility guaranteed. Single relocation service starting at 12,000 Soul Crystal Coins, includes: four skilled Legendary Realm professionals, one Excellent Earth Pulse Relocation Secret Method, one Excellent Earth Pulse Stabilization Array, and 3 Excellent Materials, with several Rare and Common auxiliary materials.」

「Nine Profound Group: XXX…XXX, single relocation service starting at 12,000 Soul Crystal Coins, includes: …」

「White Shark Group: White Shark Group wholeheartedly serves lords from all regions, top-tier credibility, reliable service. Single relocation service starting at 10,000 Soul Crystal Coins, includes: four Legendary Realm experts of 2,000 meters or above, one Excellent Grade Great River/Heavenly Water/Giant Shark Earth Pulse Relocation Secret Method, one Excellent Grade Earth Pulse Stabilization Array (optional: …), and materials …」”Mianyun Group: Mianyun Group operates businesses in multiple regions, possessing extensive earth vein relocation methods and first-class services. Order now to enjoy a 10% discount, with single relocation services starting from just 9,000 Soul Crystal Coins, including: …”

“Baishi Group: …”

“Jiuhua Group: …”

After browsing through them all, Mu Yuan found that prices ranged from 8,800 to 12,000.

The starting price here depended on the specific specifications of the mineral vein. Generally, relocating a small Soul Sand Mine would cost the starting price.

However, relocating medium-sized Soul Sand Mines or resource sites like elemental fruit groves that required specialized services would demand higher fees.

Additionally, the cost varied based on specific location and distance.

“The industry standard seems to be that if the distance between the resource site and the territory exceeds a thousand kilometers, additional charges apply.”

“Moreover, some groups have limited service ranges, confined to just one or two Great Domains, while others operate across the entire Taixuan.”

Red Lotus Group and Nine Profound Group were among the largest corporations in Taixuan, with businesses covering the Alliance and extending to multiple countries and regions.

Their relocation service fees were also the highest.

White Shark Group was an emerging, relatively smaller major corporation, offering significantly cheaper service fees—engaging in price wars.

“However…”

“Red Lotus and Nine Profound Groups charge more for good reasons. Firstly, their credibility is reliable. Secondly, they possess multiple earth vein relocation Secret Methods and various types of stabilization arrays suitable for all kinds of environments. The Legendary Realm experts they dispatch are also stronger, ensuring a more secure relocation process for resource sites.”

“If the relocation team has limited methods or inadequate auxiliary tools, the process could cause irreversible damage to the resource site, drastically reducing its output.”

“White Shark Group’s capabilities might be more average, and as for Mianyun Group, which is even cheaper than White Shark…”

Mu Yuan had also heard that some groups set traps in contracts to exploit ordinary Lords with limited insight and inability to protest, using various means to seize mineral veins.

Instances of territories being hollowed out or seized were not uncommon, let alone a mere mineral vein.

Seeking cheap deals was not advisable.

“Overall, relocating a resource site would cost over ten thousand Soul Crystals. Of course, fully mining a small Soul Sand Mine could yield tens of thousands of Soul Crystals in total. Even after deducting labor and material costs for mining, relocating the mineral vein would still be cost-effective.”

This was for ordinary territories.

For Tianyuan City, there was no need to relocate the several rich resource sites previously occupied.

These areas were not far from Tianyuan City, and they had been able to defend them before, let alone now.

What he intended to relocate were the mineral deposits and treasure groves located within the territories of the Black Crow Clan and Great Serpent Clan in the Northern Lands. These resource sites were too distant, making defense difficult and extraction and transportation challenging.

Relocating more resource sites back might even improve the surrounding environment of Tianyuan City.

“Hiring others is out of the question. Tianyuan City is located in the Ten Directions Island Region, and the relocation distance spans tens of thousands of miles. Wouldn’t a single relocation trip cost twenty to thirty thousand Soul Crystals? It’s also possible that no group would take on such a distant job.”

“Besides, Tianyuan City has plenty of Legendary Realm experts. Why let outsiders profit from this?”Thinking of this, Mu Yuan had Daisy, who was still in Boulder City, find the local Nine Profound Group representative to place an order and purchase:

One Nine Profound Leyline Migration Secret Method, including six spell-imprinted stone slabs;

Two sets of the Nine Profound Grand Formation, one set of the Verdant Wood Grand Formation, each containing 36 disposable foundation stones;

Three sets of various auxiliary materials.

In total…

The cost exceeded 18,000+ Soul Crystals.

“Expensive, truly expensive! The most costly part of migration services should be the Legendary Realm expert’s fee, yet even without that service, it’s still this pricey! And this is already discounted!”

The Nine Profound Group had their reasoning.

They were selling secret arts and knowledge.

While there were many leylines migration secret methods available for purchase within the Taixuan Alliance, the Nine Profound Leyline Migration Method stood as first-class among them. It could be applied to various resource lands, making it highly cost-effective.

The Soul Crystals and other valuables carried by Daisy’s trade caravan fell far short of 18,000 Soul Crystals combined.

Mu Yuan initially planned to send some through the Secret Realm, but the Nine Profound Group representative stated that the remaining payment could be settled upon their next visit.

“With other lords, we naturally require payment upon delivery, but your lord is the renowned Tianyuan. Our group naturally trusts Tianyuan.”

Suddenly, Mu Yuan felt that spending these eighteen thousand was quite worthwhile.

A week later, Daisy’s trade caravan returned to Tianyuan City, bringing back the ‘Complete Mineral Vein Migration Set’ along with many scarce resources the territory needed.

Mu Yuan first picked up the Leyline Migration Secret Method to examine.

He thoroughly reviewed it from start to finish, ensuring he had completely memorized and understood it.

But this alone wasn’t enough.

He only grasped the theory of this secret method without possessing the actual skill.

Mu Yuan then picked up the spell-imprinted stone slabs sealed within containers. Each slab was individually packaged, and as he touched them, he could feel the power of the sealing spell on them.

There was an accompanying instruction note:

“After opening, please use the slab promptly. The method of use is to inject Mental Energy for comprehension. If the slab remains unused for more than three days after opening, causing skill Awakening failure due to power dissipation, the Nine Profound Group assumes no responsibility.”

“Note: The skill Awakening rate for Legendary Realm practitioners comprehending this Spell Imprint Slab is 53%. If multiple slabs are used consecutively without successful skill Awakening, the Nine Profound Group is not responsible.”

Mu Yuan had previously obtained Skill Steles.

Skill Steles could help one Awaken a specific skill and could be used permanently. Spell Imprint Slabs were far inferior by comparison—they were disposable items—but they had a slight advantage: they were easier to comprehend.

Mu Yuan picked up an Imprint Slab.

It was engraved with an incredibly profound symbol. At first glance, it looked like the character for “nine”; at second glance, it resembled “lot”; by the third glance, the character became completely unrecognizable, growing increasingly mysterious and obscure.

He channeled his Mental Energy into it, resonating with the incredible power contained within the slab.

Immediately,

“I’ve comprehended it! This lord has comprehended it!”

「Prompt: You have comprehended the Spell Slab and Awakened the Advanced Skill ‘Nine Profound Leyline Migration Method’.」

He opened his eyes.

Before him, the mysterious symbol on the slab, which had contained miraculous power, was rapidly fading and disappearing. Soon, all he held in his hand was an ordinary, blank stone slab.

Isloria, Deadbone, and Dolai each picked up a slab to use as well.

A certain General did not disappoint, Awakening the skill on the first try.Mu Yuan looked at Deadbone.

Without needing to speak, Deadbone understood what he wanted to ask. “No problem. Copying techniques requires specific materials and cultivating a technique to Great Perfection. Bone can do it. Give Bone three days.”

“Ahem…”

Mu Yuan said, “There’s no need to rush that much.”

He then turned his gaze to Isloria.

Having worked together for a long time, Isloria immediately understood his meaning. “No problem. With the Nine Mysteries Secret Method and our current lineup, we can relocate ordinary resource sites. However, limited by experience, our relocation process might not be perfect, and some losses are inevitable.”

“I suggest we start by relocating a small Soul Sand Mine. If the attempt goes well, we can then proceed to relocate the Six-Colored Fruit Grove.”

Mu Yuan understood.

Practice makes perfect.

After all, Soul Sand Mines aren’t particularly rare deposits. Over twenty micro and small Soul Sand Mines have been discovered so far in the entire Ten Directions Island Region. Even if one gets ruined, it’s not a big deal.

The Six-Colored Fruit Grove is much rarer. The fruits produced there can enhance the eater’s affinity with a specific element.

It’s also a quite valuable treasure.

…

The next day,

Northern Domain, Ten Directions Island Region.

Dolai, Isloria, Mu Yuan, Deadbone, and Lu Liu—all Legendary Realm experts—were present.

Tree Spirit Grandma’s Incarnation had also arrived.

“Our primary goal this time is practice, but we must also remain vigilant against attacks from remnants of the Monster Overlords. If… if enemies attack, then annihilating them becomes our top priority.”

For this reason, Uta, Sophia, Rakshasa, and Sickle Moon—these low-profile yet powerful Fourth-Order Experts—also came to the site.

The main force for relocation was Dolai.

General Dolai donned the epic treasure Sovereign Crown. Empowered by this treasure, it lightly clenched its hand and effortlessly grasped the elemental forces within a radius of tens of thousands of miles.

This range firmly enveloped the small Soul Sand Mine as well.

Thus, Dolai alone possessed the tremendous power to move the mineral vein. Moreover, having one person handle it caused less damage to the vein during practical operation compared to coordination among several people, making it theoretically the superior solution… provided the individual’s energy consumption could be sustained.

Isloria split into thirteen incarnations, swiftly setting up the stabilization array and auxiliary materials.

After a while.

“We can begin now.”

“Mmm.”

Dolai looked serious, its hands beginning to lift upward as if holding something.

Its body was like a furnace, devouring the rolling flow of heaven and earth energy.

“Rise—”

Rumble—

The earth trembled. On the small hill where the mineral vein was attached, rocks clattered down, and soon the mountain body cracked with alarming fissures.

Then, the entire small hill shattered completely.

Amid the broken mountains, a mineral vein, restrained by the array, secret methods, and the power of heaven and earth, glowed and slowly floated upward.

The vein seemed to alternate between tangible and intangible states, gradually detaching from this land.

As it rose, the glow on it flickered uncertainly.

It seemed on the verge of collapse and damage at any moment.

Lu Liu and Isloria took action one after another to assist from the side, but they only managed to stabilize the vein slightly.

Losses were still hard to avoid.

At that moment,

Hum—

Deadbone made his move.

A vast, bone-littered mountain range spanned the sky, as if suppressing the nine heavens and ten earths, also stabilizing this unstable mineral vein.

Half an hour later, with assistance from multiple parties, Dolai finally extracted the mineral vein.”This Secret Method and grand array are incredibly profound. Though they don’t involve concepts directly, they cleverly confine the concept of the mineral vein itself to preserve the vein as a complete entity.”

Deadbone pondered.

If he had enough power, could he directly extract the concept of the mineral vein and relocate it within moments?

He believed it was possible, but his strength was insufficient. He truly was still too weak.

After extracting the mineral vein, the subsequent work should have been much simpler.

Mu Yuan had initially thought so.

The operational procedures also stated as much.

However, this small Soul Sand Mine was located extremely far from Tianyuan City.

By the time they had traveled three thousand li, Lu Liu and Isloria had already exhausted over half of their energy reserves.

Among them, Dolai had borne the majority of the pressure.

Fortunately, Dolai not only possessed energy reserves dozens of times greater than others of the same rank, but its recovery speed was also unparalleled within the Legendary Realm.

It claimed it wasn’t even breathing hard.

But while Dolai could endure, the array confining and stabilizing the mineral vein was struggling to hold up.

The glow on the mineral vein gradually dimmed, making it nearly impossible to sustain until reaching the Tianyuan City Region.

Deadbone intervened once more.

The journey to the mine had taken them most of a day, but the return trip consumed a full two days and two nights.

By the time they arrived at the Tianyuan City Region, even Dolai expressed that it was almost at its limit.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Dolai, carrying the mineral vein, resembled a colossal giant holding up the sky, causing the earth and heavens to tremble with each step.

“What is that?”

A powerful figure from the Winged-People Kingdom visiting Tianyuan City widened his eyes in astonishment. “What tremendous power!”

A Legendary Realm expert from the Gem Principality, who had just arrived in Tianyuan City, gazed into the distance and murmured, “Is that a mineral vein relocation? Are those figures carrying the vein the Legendary Realm experts of Tianyuan City?”

“I must memorize each of Tianyuan City’s Legendary Realm experts. Rumors say Tianyuan City has three Legendary Realm figures, but it seems there are indeed more.”

The Golden Grand Duke was still lingering in Tianyuan City.

He glanced at the Gem Principality’s Legendary Realm expert in the distance, let out a light humph, and couldn’t help but feel pleased.

“Though your Gem Principality established contact with Tianyuan City earlier, only I, the Golden Grand Duke, truly know that Tianyuan City’s power extends far beyond just a few Legendary Realm experts.”

5.5K, will strive to update even more tomorrow.

So…

Brothers, got any monthly votes? (Expectant face)

(End of Chapter)