"Three Metal Crystals, and four pieces of third-rank precious metals."
"This Metal vein truly lives up to its reputation," the Patriarch said excitedly as he looked at these treasures.
"With this vein, the Chen family is destined to prosper."
Elian also gazed at the treasures before him with excitement, unable to suppress his joy.
Among the seven third-rank treasures, the Metal Crystals were self-explanatory. The other four third-rank precious metals were equally remarkable.
These four precious metals were Purple Veined Azure Gold, Whiteblade Metal, Pure Water Gold, and a piece of Invisible Gold.
These treasures were extraordinarily valuable. Whiteblade Metal and Pure Water Gold were each worth around thirty thousand spirit stones.
The Purple Veined Azure Gold was worth more than fifty thousand spirit stones. Containing the properties of metal, fire, and wood, it was an exceptionally rare and valuable precious metal, capable of crafting mid-grade third-rank artifacts.
The Invisible Gold was the rarest. Transparent and imbued with stealth runes, it was nearly undetectable without careful observation, making it the ideal material for crafting an "Invisible Immortal Sword."
Legend had it that the clan leader of the Ji Clan, ruler of the Six Nations, used high-grade Invisible Gold as the main material to craft the fifth-rank "Sumeru Invisible Sword," with which they ambushed and killed a Nascent Soul Demon Emperor.
Although the piece of Invisible Gold before them was of a lower rank, crafting a third-rank sword from it would yield a deadly weapon, capable of assassinating even late-stage Purple Mansion cultivators.
"Patriarch, your breakthrough to the Purple Mansion is within reach now," Elian said as he handed the Metal Crystal to the Patriarch.
The Patriarch, visibly moved, accepted it. He had originally been fifty to sixty percent confident about advancing to the Purple Mansion. With the Metal Crystal in hand, his chances increased to seventy to eighty percent.
After securing the treasures nurtured by the Source Spring, the two did not leave immediately. Instead, they stayed in the vein for three days.
After three days, the Chen family members had finished cataloging the resources within the vein and gathered at its core for a meeting.
Chen Qinghao, smiling broadly, handed a ledger to Elian and the Patriarch.
"We've completed the inventory of the vein's resources. This is the record we've compiled."
"Very good."
The Patriarch took it, glanced at it, and then passed it to Elian.
Elian reviewed the ledger and smiled.
The haul was substantial. The most valuable item was undoubtedly the Sword Cleansing Pool, whose spiritual liquid had accumulated over many years, representing the vein's essence and being nearly priceless.
Next were the three Metal Crystals and four pieces of precious metals, the culmination of the vein's years of accumulation. These alone would significantly bolster the Chen family's foundation.
With these resources, the family could support several attempts at breakthroughs to the Purple Mansion stage in the future. They could also serve as resources for Elian and the Patriarch after their own breakthroughs.
Moreover, even after the treasures from the vein's Source Spring were taken, new Metal Crystals and third-rank precious metals would form in the future.
A Metal Crystal could form every sixty years, and even if the family had no suitable cultivator to use it, it could be traded at the Purple Mansion Exchange Conference for treasures like the Crystal of Blazing Flame.
Third-rank precious metals could form every thirty to forty years, gradually adding to the family's foundation over time.
In addition to these high-rank treasures, the mine veins within the Metal vein had also accumulated many natural and spiritual materials due to the tempering of Metal energy.
The family collected over a hundred portions of second-rank precious metals, worth more than one hundred thousand spirit stones.
They also discovered seven first-rank spirit mines, which were highly productive, capable of yielding materials sufficient to craft hundreds of first-rank magical artifacts annually.
Additionally, there were two second-rank mines: a Whiteblade Metal mine and a Blue Veined Mystic Steel mine.
These two mines were small, producing approximately three portions of materials annually, enough to craft three second-rank magical artifacts.
After reading through the report, Elian smiled and said, "With these seven first-rank spirit mines and two second-rank mines, we should be able to dominate the low-grade artifact market in the Bianzhou Region."
The others smiled at this as well.
First-rank magical artifacts had a short lifespan, typically no more than sixty years before wearing out.
Second-rank artifacts lasted longer but still suffered significant wear and tear after one or two centuries of use, potentially degrading to quasi-second-rank in power.
This was without factoring in frequent battles, which would accelerate the degradation of magical artifacts. Combat inevitably caused damage to artifacts.
During this campaign against the Metal vein, several second-rank artifacts belonging to the family's Foundation Establishment elders were destroyed by the Purple Mansion demon spirits, and many more were severely damaged.
A few years ago, during the beast uprising, the low-grade artifacts used by cultivators in Yu County suffered a destruction rate of over thirty to forty percent.
Third-rank artifacts had much longer lifespans, often lasting several centuries. If their materials were durable enough, their lifespan could extend even further.
For instance, the Grand Plough Celestial Sword, a superior-grade third-rank artifact, had remained powerful after a thousand years of proper maintenance.
With careful upkeep, the sword could last another three to five centuries, and at that point, portions of its third-rank materials could even be extracted and reused.
Thus, the low-grade artifact market was highly lucrative due to its large demand. With these nine mines in hand, the family could not only train skilled artifact refiners but also generate substantial profits.
According to Chen Qinghao's estimates, the annual output of precious metals from these mines, once forged into artifacts, could yield a yearly income of seven thousand spirit stones for the family.
Furthermore, with the presence of these second- and third-rank precious metals, the Yuyang Market would undoubtedly attract a large number of cultivators in the future, significantly increasing the family's annual tax revenue.
"This is indeed a bountiful harvest," the Patriarch said with a smile as he stroked his beard.
"In a few days, I will enter seclusion to break through to the Purple Mansion stage."
"After my breakthrough, I will rearrange the formations for Xuantie Mountain and the family's other spiritual veins."
"The spiritual vein at Xuantie Mountain needs to be enhanced. These treasures can be exchanged for spirit stones to support this endeavor."
Everyone nodded in agreement. After breaking through to the Purple Mansion stage, the family's status would be elevated significantly.
Pingyang City, Qingyuan Mountain, Linghu Isle, and Xuantie Mountain, where the Metal vein was located, were all vital to the family's prosperity. All these locations would need third-rank formations for protection.
Especially Pingyang City. Upon ascending to the status of a Purple Mansion Immortal Clan, the Chen family's mortal population would likely grow to three million. This would attract the attention of Purple Mansion demonic cultivators, necessitating third-rank formations and the cooperation of Purple Mansion cultivators to ensure the city's safety.
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I need POWAAA! Gimme Power Stones :D