I Pick up a Lost Godhood

Chapter 135 - 133: Truly "Humorous

Guo Rongjin was a unique figure in Hengshan Hall. He was famous, but rarely seen. Even Tang Wei had to show him some respect. He was strong and had seniority, but he simply wasn’t interested in managing Hengshan Hall. He preferred the way of cultivating in the Fire Cloud Cave.

Wang Meng’s Golden Palace Technique was already circulating as he sensed the changes in the ore veins. His original intention had been to use his Insight into the Metal of the Five Elements to find some high-quality ore, but now, it was a different matter entirely.

His Spiritual Sense spread out, working in tandem with his Cultivation Technique. The ore veins appeared vaguely before him, but this was only a superficial view. What he wanted to sense was the very essence of the Metal of the Five Elements. Naturally formed ore veins were a physical manifestation of the essence of the Heaven and Earth Five Elements. ’But how do they form?’

’The Five Elements are still present, yet they stand out. The balance, however, remains unbroken.’

The more Wang Meng pondered it, the more interesting it became. ’This Five Elements Dao is truly a Great Dao. It already surpasses the simple, singular pursuit of power that most Cultivators follow.’

Lost in thought, a contemplative smile graced Wang Meng’s lips.

"Junior Brother Wang doesn’t seem to talk much," Guo Rongjin commented.

"He’s an odd one," Yang Ying said. It was clear that Wang Meng could be very talkative at times; Yang Ying simply still didn’t understand what kind of person he truly was.

The two followed Guo Rongjin through the Fire Cloud Cave. Guo Rongjin clearly knew the place like the back of his hand. After many twists and turns, they saw fewer and fewer people.

"This is it. It’s a good spot I found recently. The ore yield is quite high. If you’re looking for something around the Third Grade, just leave it to me."

Guo Rongjin declared boisterously, and neither Yang Ying nor Wang Meng stood on ceremony.

Guo Rongjin took a deep breath and began to furiously pound against the ore wall. His brutal force sent rubble flying everywhere, and glints of light were mixed in with the debris. This was at least First-Grade Ore; the yield was indeed very high.

Wang Meng, however, just watched quietly. Guo Rongjin explained as he smashed away, "Mining is really just manual labor; there aren’t many tricks to it. It’s finding the ore that requires a few little techniques. Ore is divided into surface ore and deep ore. Some places look like they have a high yield on the surface, but inside, it’s all just rock. Other places are rock on the surface but contain rich deposits within."

"Then how do you tell them apart?"

"Haha, well, that’s the complicated part. You have to rely on experience, and also your sensitivity to the Metal of the Five Elements. But even then, I still make mistakes often. I was probably a miner in my past life. What others see as hard labor, I see as fun. Occasionally finding a piece of Sixth-Grade or Seventh-Grade Ore is a wonderful surprise."

Guo Rongjin continued. Forging didn’t require such high-quality ore, but anything Fifth Grade or above was highly valuable, and Fire Cloud Hall was never stingy with its purchase prices.

Yang Ying glanced at Wang Meng. She had intentionally asked the question for his benefit, but he seemed a bit dazed, just staring blankly as Guo Rongjin mined with frantic energy. It had to be said, his ferocity was quite intimidating. A Sword Cultivator could never hope to match that kind of frequency.

"Heh. Truth be told, Body Cultivators and Power Cultivators have the biggest advantage when it comes to mining. With Junior Brother Guo’s help this time, we can already consider it a success. We can try negotiating with Song Zhong again. This isn’t something that can be settled in one go, anyway."

Yang Ying said. In her eyes, Wang Meng had already given up.

But Wang Meng remained silent, still looking dazed. Inside, however, he was pleasantly surprised. ’My Spiritual Sense is gradually growing stronger. Divine Sense is an ability akin to a Divine Artifact, possessed only by the top experts of the Grand Thousand World, but bringing such an ability down to a Lower Realm could easily trigger a Celestial Tribulation. However, as my comprehension of the Five Elements Technique has deepened, especially after grasping the Five Elements Flame, my Insight into my surroundings has improved again. Although it can’t be compared to Divine Sense, it has a similarly wondrous effect.’

’I thought this feeling would be useful for Alchemy, but when forging, that clear-mirror state of mind was hard to grasp. I never expected it to return while sensing the ore veins.’

The range wasn’t very large, but his perception had gone from blurry to clear. Wang Meng hadn’t moved because he was busy stabilizing this new sensation, faintly sensing a breakthrough point for the Metal of the Five Elements.

Time seemed to pass slowly, but half a day had already gone by. Although Guo Rongjin was very strong, the constant barrage was starting to exhaust him. However, his harvest was quite abundant; he had found ores ranging from First to Third Grade. While it was a far cry from what Thunderlight Hall needed, it was enough for Wang Meng to use for a while.

With his final powerful strike, he actually unearthed a piece of Fourth-Grade Ore. A smile couldn’t help but spread across Guo Rongjin’s face. This was pretty good luck; not only was the grade high, but the piece was also quite substantial.

Yang Ying also showed a hint of pleasant surprise. This would be enough for Wang Meng to use for a few days. In truth, she didn’t want him to spend too much energy on forging. Alchemy was one thing—after all, he had Zhou Feng’s guidance and genuine talent—but forging was an entirely different matter. And even if he mastered it, so what?

Unless he reached the level where he could forge a Divine Sword, forging was just a trade for a Cultivator to make a living, not something the truly strong pursued.

Just then, Wang Meng picked up a pickaxe and walked toward a wall behind them.

Chapter Three: The First Time

Yang Ying was about to speak, but Guo Rongjin just smiled. "This is probably Junior Brother Wang’s first time here. Let him have a try."

Guo Rongjin’s strength might not have ranked in the top ten within the Holy Hall, but when it came to knowledge of the Fire Cloud Cave, no one else could compare. And as for Forging Skill, he was currently number one in the Holy Hall’s Jiufen Hall.

With his talent for identifying ores and forging, Guo Rongjin could naturally become a Holy Hall Elder once he reached a certain level. But clearly, what Guo Rongjin sought was more than just the empty title of an ordinary Elder.

Wang Meng tapped the pickaxe repeatedly against the wall, actually looking like he knew what he was doing.

"Senior Sister, what is your relationship with this Junior Brother Wang?" Guo Rongjin asked, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Mining wasn’t a treasure hunt; you couldn’t rely on speculation. To put it bluntly, it was manual labor, which was why only Body Cultivators could stick with it.

"Partners."

"Oh... Huh?" Guo Rongjin was so startled he practically jumped. His jaw dropped as if he’d just witnessed the most unbelievable thing in the world.

Speechlessly, he pointed at Wang Meng, then back at Yang Ying. ’...How in the world does that compute?’

Yang Ying, however, didn’t dwell on the topic. Watching Wang Meng tap his way along the wall, she said, "We still need to deal with Song Zhong to resolve this. If we can’t do it today, we can always come back."

Wang Meng’s pickaxe came to a stop. "This should be the spot!"

He swung the pickaxe and began digging furiously. This was certainly awkward work for a Sword Cultivator; his frequency and power couldn’t compare to Guo Rongjin’s in the slightest.

Guo Rongjin watched intently for a while. ’To have caught Yang Ying’s eye, this man must be exceptionally talented.’ But the time it took for an incense stick to burn passed, and Wang Meng was still just chipping away at rocks.

’What is this nonsense? He’s a perfectly good Sword Cultivator. Why is he here acting like a clown?’

"Senior Sister, your... friend... has quite the sense of humor."

Guo Rongjin really couldn’t find a more suitable word.

Yang Ying, on the other hand, was quite calm. By now, she had become completely composed. ’Wang Meng wouldn’t do this on a whim. He must have some other purpose.’

Just then, a slight smile touched Wang Meng’s lips. He was also in the process of verifying whether his feeling was correct.

BOOM—

The force of that blow was absolutely extraordinary. Most importantly, the sound of the impact was completely different from before. Guo Rongjin’s expression changed in an instant.

A crack opened up. The glittering points on the ore were not only dense, but their color was also far more brilliant.

"Fifth-Grade Ore!"

Guo Rongjin blurted out. With his experience, he was quite certain.

Wang Meng dusted off his hands. They were actually a little sore. He had to admit, mining really wasn’t for him.

’I’ve more or less grasped the feeling of the Metal of the Five Elements. So that’s all there is to it, nothing more.’

In the eyes of other Cultivators, things like ores and Pills were all inanimate objects. No life meant no soul. But in Wang Meng’s perception, it was completely different. ’Whether something is living or not, its essence is the same. Everything must follow the fundamental laws; they just manifest in different ways.’

Different grades of ore contained completely different concentrations of the Metal of the Five Elements. When searching, someone like Guo Rongjin had to rely on a fickle Innate sense that was sometimes reliable and sometimes not. But Wang Meng was different. There was no Metal of the Five Elements in ordinary stone; what he had to do was identify the high-quality types from among the various concentrations of it.

"He hit a lode! His luck is off the charts, this actually worked!" Guo Rongjin exclaimed. ’No wonder they say beginners have all the luck. I’ve got no choice but to believe it now.’

Generally speaking, when you find a piece of high-quality ore, you should keep digging in the same spot. There’s usually more than one piece; that’s a basic principle.

But Wang Meng simply collected the ore. "Let’s look around some more."

Guo Rongjin was stunned. "Hey, don’t go! If you keep digging here, you might find more."

Wang Meng shook his head and continued deeper into the cave. ’Fifth Grade is enough for most people,’ he thought, ’but to withstand my tempering, I’ll need something even better.’

Yang Ying and Guo Rongjin could only follow. This time, Wang Meng tapped the walls far less often and moved much faster, but the ambient pressure was clearly growing stronger.

’This Fire Cloud Cave is probably no ordinary mine,’ Wang Meng mused. ’I encountered places like this in my past life. Some of them even housed powerful Demon Beasts, but the Fire Cloud Cave clearly doesn’t. This strange pressure is probably the reason why.’

You couldn’t just brute-force your way through such rigid pressure with Elemental Power, especially not at Wang Meng’s current level. It required a certain degree of skill. The seemingly formless pressure, in fact, still had form.

As they went deeper, Yang Ying had to start releasing her Elemental Power to resist the force. They were now at the far end of Zone B. Guo Rongjin was still doing fine; as a Power Cultivator, although he focused on offense, his body was also tempered quite well. Having endured this pressure long-term, he was far more accustomed to it than a newcomer would be.

"Wang Meng, don’t push yourself. It’ll be dangerous if we go any deeper," Yang Ying warned.

Wang Meng smiled. "I know. We’re almost there."

’We’re almost at a focal point,’ he thought. ’The Metal of the Five Elements is more concentrated here, so there should be something of higher quality.’

He didn’t go much further before stopping. After tapping around for a bit, he began to dig again. The deeper they were, the more strenuous the digging became, consuming a great deal of energy. Fortunately, it didn’t take too long this time. With a loud BANG, Wang Meng smashed another large chunk from the wall. This piece, however, didn’t seem as good as the last. It was very shiny, but the color was off.

Guo Rongjin’s jaw dropped to the floor. He immediately lunged forward. "Th-this is a Seventh-Grade Ore! Holy shit! I’ve only managed to dig up one of these in a whole year! Holy shit!"

(Author’s Note: Just got home, so the update is late. My apologies!) (To be continued. If you enjoy this novel, please show your support by casting recommendation votes and monthly passes on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation!)