doesn't seem to be a visitor coming to pay respects at the mountain.

"This is... authentic merit?"

Shi Yuan was overjoyed.

He knew very well that he had transformed an ordinary mountain and river into a blessed land, especially by creating a spiritual spring out of thin air, which made the place constantly full of spiritual energy. This in itself was a blessing to heaven and earth.

Heaven and earth are moved, and it is only natural that the earth's veins would reward merit.

For him, this was a completely unexpected gain.

For a moment, Shi Yuan even felt an impulse.

He desperately wanted to pour the last wisp of primordial energy he possessed into it. Perhaps a burst of luck would cause the spiritual spring to undergo a qualitative change, transforming it into a primordial spiritual spring.

If he really reaches that point, the merit he can gain will probably increase several times over.

However, after calming down, he suppressed the thought.

If innate spiritual springs were truly so easy to form, they wouldn't be so rare in the Three Realms. The chances of success with just a wisp of innate Qi are slim.

Moreover, he doesn't have much innate Qi left, so he has to keep a wisp for any eventuality.

We'll talk about it later.

Having made up his mind, Shi Yuan raised his hand and gently touched the now-renewed Yuanquan Mountain. As his magical power flowed, the soil beside the Creation Spring began to churn.

As golden light appeared, a simple and elegant pavilion quickly took shape beside the spring.

And right above that pavilion, three large characters are clearly engraved: Shiyuan Pavilion.

"From this day forward, this will be my training ground."

Shi Yuan laughed loudly, then stepped into the pavilion.

at the same time.

Inside Zouyi City, at the residence of the High Minister.

Logically speaking, although a high-ranking official holds the highest position among ministers, he is still ultimately just a subject, and the scale and regulations of his residence should not exceed those of the monarch of a country.

In the State of Lu, however, this rule had long been rendered meaningless.

Qingfu, a high-ranking official of the State of Lu, was the younger brother of the former ruler, Duke Zhuang of Lu. After Duke Zhuang's death, he first secretly poisoned Prince Ban, who was supposed to succeed him, and then supported the young Prince Qi to ascend to the throne, who is now Duke Min of Lu.

To put it bluntly, he had long since seized control of the power to depose and install emperors in the State of Lu.

Now, the government of Lu is almost entirely in Qingfu's hands. Even the "Seal of the Human Court," which symbolizes the authority of the Human Court and can be used to communicate with the gods in the upper realm, has fallen into his control.

This seal is a symbol of the Zhou royal family's nobility and a testament to their so-called "divine lineage." With this seal, coupled with Qingfu's own lineage, he could bestow titles and command the mountain gods, river gods, city gods, and land gods within the territory of the State of Lu.

But at this moment, this once powerful minister was unusually not indulging in wine and women.

His face flushed red, his expression was unusually excited, and his eyes were fixed on a point of emptiness in front of him.

Is this true?

"A divine vein has actually been born within the borders of my State of Lu?"

To mortals, that void is empty.

However, a cultivator could clearly see that there stood a being wearing a priest's robe and a divine crown, surrounded by earth energy, with a mountain range faintly appearing behind him.

This is a mountain god.

"Your Excellency is wise; how could I, a lowly deity, dare to deceive you?"

The mountain god spoke humbly and appeared obsequious.

"I am the mountain god of Fuxu Mountain. Some time ago, the earth veins of Yuanquan Mountain suddenly underwent a strange change, and the entire mountain range transformed into a blessed land that is hard to find in the Three Realms."

"I noticed something was amiss, which is why I rushed here to report to you, Your Excellency."

His words were extremely respectful.

These mountain gods were appointed by the human court through incense offerings and good fortune. Although they were called deities, their status was actually lower than that of the local earth gods officially registered in the Heavenly Court. Their true forms were mostly just spirits or monsters of the mountains, and their life and death depended entirely on the whims of mortals and nobles.

As long as Qingfu uses the imperial seal, he can abolish his divine status with a single imperial edict, label him a heretical and wild god, and demolish his temple and destroy his body.

"Okay, okay, okay!"

Upon hearing this, Qingfu burst into laughter.

"I will remember this merit, and you will surely be rewarded in the future."

He looked excited and waved his hand to give the order.

"You lead the way, and I will immediately send men with you to Yuanquan Mountain to seize this spiritual vein!"

For the State of Lu, this sacred mountain and its spiritual veins held extraordinary significance.

Leaving aside the rare and precious materials that may be found within, the spiritual vein itself greatly enhances the fortune of a nation. If one were to further utilize the secret methods of the Human Dynasty to extract the fortune and spiritual essence from it, it would be enough to seize the very essence of heaven and earth.

Perhaps, his father could also use this opportunity to embark on the right path of cultivation and seek immortality.

But at that moment, the mountain god of Fuxu Mountain hesitated and spoke.

"Your Excellency... this matter is probably not appropriate."

"When I arrived, I discovered that a Taoist priest had already entered Yuanquan Mountain."

"It seems they sensed that Yuanquan Mountain was about to become a sacred land and came to occupy it in advance."

These words are not entirely true.

In fact, what the mountain god saw was that the Taoist entered Yuanquan Mountain first, and then the entire mountain range underwent a transformation. But in his view, it was utterly absurd for one person to alter the landscape.

In contrast, he was more inclined to believe that the Taoist priest was simply lucky and had sensed the change in advance.

"snort."

Qingfu sneered, his expression full of arrogance.

"How dare a wandering Taoist priest of unknown origin occupy this sacred mountain and blessed land?"

The arrogance of the immortal descendants was on full display at this moment.

"In that case, I will go there myself."

As soon as he finished speaking, he stood up, his eyes filled with greed.

Seven days later.

In Yuanquan Mountain, clouds and mist swirl around.

Shi Yuan sat cross-legged beside the Creation Spring, carefully sensing the changes in the spring water, his brows sometimes relaxing and sometimes furrowing slightly.

"Besides enhancing magical power and tempering the physical body... it even carries a bit of the power of creation."

He muttered to himself.

In the past few days, he had devoted almost all his attention to this spiritual spring, repeatedly experimenting and trying to understand its effects, and finally grasped most of its benefits. The water of the Creation Spring, once consumed, could not only steadily increase magical power, but also cleanse the body, providing considerable benefits to the physical body.

More importantly, this spring water also has a certain nourishing effect on the primordial spirit.

While it may not be an exaggeration, its strength lies in its comprehensiveness.

"That's certainly fitting."

With that in mind, Shi Yuan simply named this spiritual spring... Creation Spring.

Gazing at the shimmering light flowing in the spring water, he couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.

"If one day it could truly transform into a primordial spiritual spring, I wonder what it would be like."

But soon he shook his head.

He had invested all the merit he had gained in the Earthly Realm a few days ago into the Shiyuan Realm, but unfortunately, it still failed to trigger the next world transformation, nor did any new innate Qi emerge.

In other words, this longing can only remain a thought for now.

Just then, his expression suddenly changed.

"Um?"

Shi Yuan slowly raised his head, his gaze passing over the forest and looking towards the outer perimeter of Yuanquan Mountain.

Having received the array formation inheritance from the Tongtian Sect Master, he had already set up a protective array here. Now that the array had been activated, it naturally attracted his attention immediately.

"Someone's coming."

His expression was calm, but a hint of coldness appeared in his eyes.

"Judging from their appearance, they don't seem to be well-meaning guests who have come to pay their respects at the mountain."

Before he finished speaking, his figure had already transformed into a gentle breeze and quietly disappeared from the spot.