Chapter 11 : Mystery Stone

"Hot!" Zhou Tong exclaimed and quickly let go.

The fiery red color of the stone became even brighter, and the surrounding space began to distort. It was clear that it had reached its limit, and if Zhou Tong stayed for another half a minute, he would be burnt alive by the Yang Qi of the stone.

"Amazing Yang Qi." Zhou Tong sighed in awe.

The quality of this stone was obviously superior to ordinary Yang Element Stones. Zhou Tong stared at the stone for a while before confirming that it was a Yang Yuan Crystal. This excited Zhou Tong immensely.

The Yang Yuan Crystal was the top existence among spiritual stones, much more precious than ordinary Yang Element Stones. In general, the value of one Yang Yuan Crystal was enough to exchange for ten thousand Yang Element Stones.

Apart from being used for cultivation, the Yang Yuan Crystal could also be used as a material for refining pills. By condensing the energy within ten Yang Element Stones, one could refine a Yang Element Pill that had a significant effect on cultivators below the Elemental Dan Realm. However, the Yang Yuan Crystal was different. Due to the violent Yang Qi inside, ordinary people dared not absorb it directly. It could only be incorporated into the body with the help of spirit medicine.

Warriors refined the Yang Yuan Crystal into Yang Qi Pills, which could directly enhance the cultivation of warriors in the Sky Element Realm without any side effects. It allowed warriors to reduce their cultivation time and even increase the Yang Qi in their bodies, laying the foundation for future breakthroughs in the Elemental Dan Realm. For any Sky Element Realm warrior, such pills were highly sought after, and even in the Zhou family, they were extremely rare.

"Why would there be a Yang Yuan Crystal here? It's only two or three zhang deep from the surface, far from meeting the conditions for the growth of Yang Yuan Crystals." Zhou Tong pondered for a moment, shaking his head.

Yang Yuan Crystals could only form at a depth of a thousand meters underground. This Yang Yuan Crystal was buried only about three zhang deep, clearly lacking the conditions to grow.

"Never mind, I won't dwell on this. Now that I have the Yang Yuan Crystal, why not use it to try the second move of the Desolate Void Fist."

In these three days, Zhou Tong had attempted to perform the second move but failed each time. Either the Yang Qi was not strong enough to activate the second move of the Desolate Void Fist, or he couldn't control the surging Yang Qi, ending in failure. However, Zhou Tong was not disheartened because the power of this move already far surpassed the first move, the Void Punch.

Zhou Tong closed his eyes, adjusting the true essence in his body, preparing to gather strength. Placing his palm on the Yang Yuan Crystal, he continuously absorbed the Yang Qi.

Time passed slowly, and after a quarter of an hour:

"Exhale!"

Zhou Tong took a deep breath. "Almost!"

Zhou Tong opened his eyes, focusing on the damaged part of the stone wall. "The second move, Shattered Void Fist!" With his right fist clenched, he struck out forcefully. This time, he concentrated all his attention on his right arm, allowing the true essence in his body to continuously gather on it. In an instant, Zhou Tong's right fist transformed into a scorching sun, dazzlingly bright.

"Bang!"

"Ah!" As soon as Zhou Tong's right fist collided with the stone wall, a tearing pain spread throughout his body. He couldn't help but let out a miserable cry, blood splattering. A painful expression appeared on Zhou Tong's face.

"Damn, why isn't it working?" Zhou Tong roared in his mind. A burning pain surged through his entire arm, and his facial muscles twitched.

The Yang Qi was too aggressive, and it had injured him.

Enduring the pain, Zhou Tong infused his arms with elemental power. His muscles swelled, veins bulged, and the elemental power around him boiled. He gritted his teeth, suppressing the pain, and launched another punch.

"Break for me!" Zhou Tong shouted, striking the stone wall with all his might.

"Boom!"

With a muffled sound, Zhou Tong was sent flying, crashing to the ground heavily, his entire arm hanging limply.

Zhou Tong got up from the ground, sat cross-legged, and rested for a long time before regaining some elemental power.

"Damn, still a failure. It seems I'll have to put this second move on hold for now. I'll try again when I reach the mid-stage of the Sky Element Realm. First, let's heal the injuries. The clan competition is in the afternoon, and I need to restore my body to its optimal condition." Zhou Tong thought to himself.

Zhou Tong lifted his hand and examined it. Although his right arm felt a bit weak and sore, he hadn't lost his combat ability. He took out a healing ointment from his storage pouch and applied it to the wound. Immediately, the pain in his arm subsided.

While Zhou Tong was restoring his elemental power, his gaze fell on the Yang Yuan Crystal not far away. There was an endless desire in his heart. Such a large Yang Yuan Crystal would be enough for him to use for a long time. If he could bring it back to the Zhou family, it would undoubtedly be of great benefit to his future cultivation.

Zhou Tong did not act recklessly. He knew the preciousness of such a treasure. For a Sky Element Realm cultivator like him, it was worth a fortune, and even for some Elemental Dan Realm powerhouses, it was highly attractive. The earlier one laid the foundation for future breakthroughs when cultivating, the better. Only those who reached the Elemental Dan Realm could secure a place among the strong in the Tianlin Dynasty.

Because of the awareness of the preciousness of such a treasure, Zhou Tong did not dare to act impulsively. Instead, he found himself caught in a dilemma.

"This is a rare opportunity, but doing this might bring me trouble."

"Oh well, let's take a gamble. Hopefully, this Yang Yuan Crystal can help me." Zhou Tong muttered to himself.

"Swish!" Zhou Tong stood up and took a step toward the Yang Yuan Crystal. He reached out and grabbed it.

In the moment Zhou Tong grabbed the Yang Yuan Crystal, a strange fluctuation penetrated through his fingertips and entered his sea of consciousness.

"What's this?" Zhou Tong furrowed his brows.

The next moment, Zhou Tong's pupils contracted. The outer layer of the Yang Yuan Crystal suddenly cracked open, revealing a brilliant, fiery light inside. The light, which seemed to have been in slumber, suddenly opened, emitting a dazzling radiance that made Zhou Tong squint.

"What is this..." Zhou Tong widened his eyes. The radiant light gradually solidified into a pearl the size of a cherry, resembling a red agate, emitting a soft and gentle glow as it floated in his sea of consciousness.

"What is this?" Zhou Tong was astonished. The pearl continued to sway, and he reached out to touch it. A fine thread leaked from the pearl and approached Zhou Tong.

Unprepared, Zhou Tong allowed the thread to enter his body, and he felt the injuries from his earlier attempts at the Shattered Void Fist slowly recovering.

"Is there Yang Qi in this pearl?" Zhou Tong sensed the energy and was amazed. This pearl could actually heal injuries?

Suddenly, as Zhou Tong was contemplating, he heard the bell of

 the Zhou family in his ears. It was a reminder that the clan competition was about to begin.

"I have to go back. If I don't, I won't make it to the clan competition." Zhou Tong put the pearl into his spatial pouch and headed towards the cave entrance.