As Zhiran got rid of the wolf and extracted its brain, he then collected the monster core first before incinerating its body to cinders.

Only after all of its traces were removed did he walk into the depths of the cave.

From the wolf's appearance to killing and incinerating its entire body, Zhiran didn't even take two minutes.

So, he was still ahead of the others.

As Zhiran entered the depths of the cave, he saw that there were no other monsters around.

It seemed the Wolf King never expected them to be this fast and only left that one here to guard.

It might also be because of the absence of cubs. If there had been one here, the situation would have become extremely difficult.

There was no way the Wolf King would leave its lair empty like this in that case, no matter what.

'So many stones just wasted.'

Zhiran could see that although the cave had a high concentration of spiritual energy, all the mid-grade and low-grade spirit stones outside were already absorbed completely, leaving the walls bare.

Only when he left the cave and entered the tunnel leading downward did he begin to see spirit stones embedded in the walls, glimmering with faint light.

But Zhiran didn't care about those and went deeper, using his Divine Sense to scan each tunnel and its forks.

He felt that without his Divine Sense, he might have been lost in the mine, as there were too many forks.

Since this was a mid-grade spirit stone mine, it was naturally different from any other mine.

Where other mines needed to be excavated slowly, taking ore bit by bit, spirit stone mines were quite different.

Especially from mid-grade onward, they generally had a core chamber where the spiritual veins converged, forming as a whole.

That was also the place where the precious stuff could be found; far more than mere mid-grade spirit stones.

However, taking those things wasn't easy. Otherwise, wouldn't the Wolf King have done so already?

"Hmm?"

Just as Zhiran descended rapidly using his newly learned Wolf Shadow Step, he suddenly sensed an unusual chamber in a corner.

The chamber was so small and unremarkable that even when he saw it with his Divine Sense, he didn't pay much attention.

But he stopped in his tracks as he felt the presence of an unusual substance inside.

'A... talisman?'

It was unusual because its appearance inside a spirit mine was so random.

After all, who would have thought a talisman could be found in such a place?

But it was there, placed on a raised platform made of mid-grade spirit stones.

It was almost as if it were a...

'Trick? Or a trap?'

Zhiran thought at first, but then his face quickly turned solemn as soon as he scanned it with his Divine Sense.

"How is this possible? Such a coincidence?"

The moment he looked at the talisman carefully, Zhiran couldn't help but mumble in disbelief.

"How can the pattern on its surface be exactly the same as that Divine Sense method?"

He mumbled again, finding it absurd.

Even feeling that he might have made a mistake, he took out the jade he got from Elder Shuren and compared the star pattern inside to the talisman's surface, only to reach the same conclusion.

The pattern was exactly similar, just more condensed.

But he was absolutely sure that this talisman was somehow connected to the jade he possessed.

"Swish!"

As if to confirm his suspicion, the moment Zhiran took out the jade from his storage ring, the talisman disappeared from the chamber.

Then, to his surprise, it appeared right in front of him, floating silently as if being summoned.

"What is this?"

Zhiran found the situation too absurd and stepped back a little. Then he cautiously scanned the talisman again with his Divine Sense to see if there was anything untoward.

But no matter what he did, he found that it was just a simple paper with complex symbols engraved on it, with an unknown purpose. He didn't sense any danger whatsoever.

'Hmm... it might be related to that secret realm. Although it is odd to encounter like this, let's keep it for now.'

Zhiran didn't have time to dawdle, as he could already feel the presence of a few cultivators behind him.

So, making a decision in a split second, he grabbed the talisman and stuffed it inside his storage ring.

After that, he immediately walked toward the core of the mine with extreme speed, using his Divine Sense continuously.

While doing so, he didn't forget to embed the newly made Yin Soul Bead at random, inconspicuous yet key locations.

'Finally!'

With the help of Divine Sense, it didn't take long for Zhiran to reach the core of the mine.

It was a huge chamber filled with extremely dense spiritual energy, so much so that he could already see the white mist hanging in the air.

To be honest, just by breathing it in a little, Zhiran could feel his cultivation making slight progress.

However, he wasn't in the mood to enjoy it, as, besides the dense spiritual energy, he could also sense something different from anywhere he had been before.

It was the heat!

Searing heat so palpable that it pressed against his skin, making every step toward the center feel heavier and more dangerous.

Zhiran was already sweating profusely before even entering the core chamber.

He felt that without using the barrier of the spiritual energy, he mightn't even be able to step inside.

'No wonder the Wolf King didn't show any interest in the core.'

Zhiran thought bitterly, finally seeing the cause of such searing heat with his naked eyes.

"Intruder! You are not welcome here. Leave before I get angry!"

It was an elemental hovering at the center of the chamber, shrouded in swirling white and red mist. Its aura was so powerful that it rivaled a late-stage Foundation Realm cultivator.

This was the guardian of the mid-grade spirit stone mine, or more precisely, the protector of its spiritual veins.

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