Early the next morning, Lin Zufeng followed the river upstream to investigate, stopping and going, occasionally taking water to check the concentration of Spiritual Qi.
The situation along the way was similar, and no special features were found. The further upstream he went, the more abundant the Spiritual Qi became. So Lin Zufeng continued upstream, walking about twenty li until he reached Chessboard Mountain Mountaintop. At the source of the river was a pond, which the Family named Xiangshuitan. It was the main water source for Chessboard Mountain. Xiangshuitan was not large, about thirty zhang in diameter, and an estimated fifty zhang deep. The pond water was clear to the bottom, and the Spiritual Qi in the water was more concentrated than in the river, reaching the level of a High Grade Spiritual Vein. This place was far from the High Grade Spiritual Vein of the Spirit Fields, so the Spiritual Qi from that Spiritual Vein could not affect it. Since it wasn't due to a Spiritual Vein, there must be some treasure containing Spiritual Qi in the water, otherwise, the Spiritual Qi in the pond water could not reach the level of a High Grade. It seemed he would have to go deep into the pond to find the specific reason.
Calming his excited mood, Lin Zufeng plunged into the pond and dived down. He found nothing in the water or at the bottom of the pond, feeling very puzzled. “That’s not right, it’s impossible. Could my judgment be wrong? Then where is the source of the Spiritual Qi? I need to investigate more carefully.”
So Lin Zufeng closed his eyes and searched along the concentration of Spiritual Qi in the water. His Divine Sense also spread out, not missing a single trace. As his Divine Sense continued to spread, he finally found a subtle anomaly in a crevice of the pond wall: a white pearl, egg-sized, stuck in the rock crevice. On the surface, the pearl looked very ordinary, emitting a faint white light, very soft. Strands of Spiritual Qi continuously overflowed from the pearl into the pond water. It seemed that the high quality of Spiritual Qi in the pond was caused by it. Regardless, he would take it out and examine it first.
It took him a long time and a lot of effort to insert his Qingfeng Sword into the crevice. He even returned to the surface to catch his breath midway and had to dive a second time to retrieve the Jade Pearl.
Back on shore, he couldn't immediately discern the pearl's function, but he felt that this pearl was not simple. He decided to put it away for now. Then he returned along the river channel.
Upon returning to his Immortal Cave, he first cooked a meal of Spirit Rice to fill his stomach. After a brief rest, he took out the Jade Pearl and observed it carefully. The surface of the Jade Pearl seemed to depict mountains and water. Lin Zufeng tried to infuse Spiritual Qi into the Jade Pearl, but it showed no reaction. He then tried to cut it with a knife, but it was indestructible and could not be harmed in the slightest. Next, he tried burning it with fire, but its color remained unchanged, still with no reaction. Lin Zufeng was puzzled, wondering what was going on. Could it be a Spiritual Artifact, requiring a drop of blood for recognition? Regardless, he decided to try it.
He bit the tip of his tongue, and a mouthful of vital blood spurted onto the Jade Pearl. A red light flashed on the Jade Pearl, and the bloodstain instantly vanished, replaced by a dazzling white light that spun continuously. Lin Zufeng was thrilled; the recognition method was correct, the pearl was a Spiritual Artifact. He then spurted another mouthful of vital blood onto the pearl, which was directly absorbed by the white pearl, followed by two more mouthfuls of vital blood. At this point, due to excessive consumption of vital blood, Lin Zufeng's face turned pale. After all, he was barely thirteen years old, and his vital blood was not abundant. After absorbing the vital blood, the pearl flew towards Lin Zufeng's face, disappearing from his forehead in a blink of an eye. At this moment, Lin Zufeng's face changed drastically, his brain felt dizzy, and he fainted to the ground, losing consciousness.
After an unknown period, Lin Zufeng slowly woke up, feeling extremely weak. Recalling the situation before he fainted, he was still horrified. It was too risky, too careless. He couldn't be so reckless in the future; losing his life over this would be too uneconomical. Hmm, where's the pearl? Why is it gone? No, that's not right, how could it disappear into thin air? He carefully recalled the moment before he fainted; it seemed to have flown into his brain. Lin Zufeng quickly introspected his Sea of Consciousness and indeed found the Jade Pearl, which was currently resting in the very center of his Sea of Consciousness. Lin Zufeng then thought, wasn't it said that after a Spiritual Artifact recognizes its master, it should be nurtured in the Dantian? How did it get into my Sea of Consciousness? Could it not be a Spiritual Artifact? Lin Zufeng's Divine Sense continuously approached the Jade Pearl. Suddenly, his Divine Sense became uncontrollable and was sucked into the pearl, making Lin Zufeng cry out in alarm. Fortunately, there was no real danger, and at this moment, the world within the pearl was presented before Lin Zufeng's eyes.
In the center of the space was a grand hall, named Wu Tian Hall. In front of the hall were a thousand mu of Spirit Fields, appearing to be at least two-tier, or even three-tier Spirit Fields. On either side of Wu Tian Hall were two Spiritual Mountains, each over a hundred mu, with rich Spiritual Qi. At the foot of both Spiritual Mountains, a river encircled them, though they were bare. The entire Jade Pearl Space was currently dark and silent, utterly devoid of any Life Qi. Lin Zufeng wanted to enter Wu Tian Hall's main gate to explore, but he couldn't push it open, so he had to temporarily give up. To one side of the main hall was an annex room called the Storage Room. It opened with a push, but it was empty, with nothing inside except seven or eight rows of wooden shelves, clearly for categorizing and placing various items. He went to the Spirit Fields and felt them carefully; the soil was fertile. If only he could truly plant things there, that would be great. Now, how to get out was the problem. The moment he thought of leaving, his Divine Sense returned to his body, bringing him back to the real world.
“Alas, if the Jade Pearl Space were real, with its abundant Spiritual Qi, Spiritual Mountains, and Spirit Fields, an Immortal Master entering it would truly strike it rich.” The moment this thought appeared, Lin Zufeng himself vanished. In the Jade Pearl Space, Lin Zufeng stood once again before Wu Tian Hall, his mouth wide open, a look of disbelief on his face. Outside, a white pearl hung suspended, slowly rotating. Lin Zufeng fiercely pinched his own thigh; it hurt, very much so—it wasn't an illusion. He had truly entered, and not just his Divine Sense; his two Storage Pouches had come in with him too. This was it, he was rich! Lin Zufeng burst into laughter, though his voice sounded very childish. He quickly calmed himself, forcing himself to be composed. Such a Divine Artifact must never be known by others, otherwise, it would bring disaster. He couldn't tell anyone, not even his Lin Clan. He understood the principle that an innocent man holding a treasure invites trouble.
Step by step, he walked towards the Spirit Fields, took out a spiritual pickaxe, and with one swing, the clods of earth that turned up were all black spiritual soil, rich in spiritual power, at least two-tier Spirit Fields. His heart was filled with excitement. He looked up and saw that there were at least a thousand mu of Spirit Fields in front of Wu Tian Hall. How long would it take to turn all of them? Ten mu a day, to turn all the Spirit Fields would take over three months. Plus, watering, seeding, managing, and harvesting, he wouldn't have time to Cultivate all year round. Alas, having too many Spirit Fields was also a headache. He couldn't possibly invite others in to help farm, as that secret wouldn't be kept, and it would instead invite a deadly disaster. If only he could control it with his mind, the moment this thought appeared, the Spirit Fields churned, and in less than ten minutes, all thousand mu of Spirit Fields were plowed and ready.
Ah, for a moment, Lin Zufeng stood frozen in place. This, this, this was a Divine Artifact! It could actually control everything in the space through his mind. This was great, no more worries! It turned out he really could control it with his mind. Unfortunately, there was nothing to plant for now. No, didn't he just harvest Spirit Valley? A thousand mu would require eight hundred jin of Spirit Valley seeds for planting. With a thought, he took out eight hundred jin of seeds and went to the river at the foot of the Spiritual Mountain to soak them, waiting for them to sprout.
“With a thought, exit,” he returned to reality. Lin Zufeng muttered to himself, “My treasure, truly a good treasure.” First, he cooked rice. After cooking the Spirit Rice, he quickly finished it. Full and ready to work, he went to the edge of the Spirit Fields and looked at the thriving Spirit Medicine. What would happen if he transplanted the medicinal herbs into the Jade Pearl Space? Once the idea appeared, he couldn't stop thinking about it.
He decided to act immediately. He couldn't touch the Family tasks, or he wouldn't be able to complete them if something went wrong. He would first take ten Spiritual Plants that were later replanted to try; even if it failed, the loss wouldn't be significant. He carefully dug out ten Spirit Medicine and entered the Jade Pearl Space. He dug holes and planted them. The ten Spirit Medicine were planted in a short while. He carefully checked the Spirit Medicine and, seeing nothing amiss, he felt relieved.
