Chapter 72 – Spirit Energy Stones (Bonus Chapter Seeking Favorites)

Perhaps the heavens were answering Cheng Yang’s prayers. Just as he launched his final ice sphere, another massive rat emerged from the stone cave.

Cheng Yang’s composure wavered. His earlier comment about stumbling upon a rat’s nest had been mere sarcasm. If there truly was a horde of late-stage Tier 1 rats here, he would have fled without hesitation. While confident in his strength among combatants, facing a swarm of late-stage Tier 1 demonic beasts was beyond his capabilities.

As Cheng Yang attacked the rat, he retreated cautiously. After two strikes, another rat emerged from the cave, clearly having detected Cheng Yang and giving chase.

A thought struck Cheng Yang – could the treasure he sought be connected to these rats? If so, fleeing would be pointless.

Cheng Yang hurled another ice sphere, eliminating the lead rat, then scanned his surroundings for a suitable hiding spot. The terrain favored him with numerous stone caves, though he needed to ensure their stability.

Before finding a suitable cave, Cheng Yang noticed the pursuing rat had turned back, meeting another emerging rat. The two massive creatures now guarded the cave entrance.

*There’s definitely something fishy here,* Cheng Yang thought. The rats’ behavior suggested more than just protecting their nest.

Abandoning his search for a hiding spot, Cheng Yang cautiously approached the cave. As he drew closer, the rats emitted piercing screeches. Within seconds, two more rats emerged from the cave.

All were late-stage Tier 1 creatures. The three Cheng Yang had already killed, plus these four, could likely destroy an entire main city.

Cheng Yang slowly advanced, testing the rats’ aggro range.

80 meters…

60 meters…

50 meters…

The rats’ screeches grew sharper, unsettling Cheng Yang. Undeterred, he continued forward. At 40 meters, the four rats charged.

Cheng Yang was prepared. As they closed in, he waved his bone staff, conjuring an ice sphere that struck the central rat. The lucky hit triggered a slow effect, leaving that rat behind.

The remaining three charged relentlessly. Cheng Yang used Frostbite to freeze one, then retreated while attacking the last two. His retreat speed was half the rats’, but he managed to kill one before the final rat closed in.

The rat’s explosive hind leg power was terrifying. Before Cheng Yang could react, it slammed into him, sending him flying backward. The impact drained 14 points of his vitality – a testament to the late-stage Tier 1 demonic beast’s power.

Though the chest pain was intense, such experiences were routine for Cheng Yang. Breaking free, he circled a stone pillar to the left, launching another ice sphere…

Meanwhile, the two slowed rats recovered and gave chase. Cheng Yang fought while retreating, eliminating the rat that had hit him before retreating nearly 100 meters. Surprisingly, the remaining two rats returned to the cave entrance.

“Just as I thought,” Cheng Yang sneered, then began meditating to recover. Once his mana was fully restored, he returned to provoke the rats.

This time, the two remaining rats didn’t call for reinforcements – perhaps they had none left. After easily dispatching them, Cheng Yang faced a new dilemma: no more monsters appeared. Would he have to enter the cave?

Steeling himself, Cheng Yang ventured into the dark cave. The first few meters were visible, but further in, he had to feel his way along the walls.

Cheng Yang’s unease grew. In light, he could handle seven or eight giant rats. But here, with the rats’ night vision, he’d be at a severe disadvantage.

However, retreat wasn’t in Cheng Yang’s nature. Besides, he still had several life potions. Even if more rats awaited, he could withstand their attacks and escape.

After nearly a minute, Cheng Yang noticed a faint glow ahead, extending far into the cave.

“What’s this…?” Cheng Yang murmured, bewildered.

Seeing no demonic beasts ahead, Cheng Yang hurried forward. What he saw left him speechless.

“How can this be? How can there be so many?” Cheng Yang’s expression mixed joy with frustration.

The glowing objects were Spirit Energy Stones – ores containing spirit energy. The amount of energy varied with the stone’s grade.

In his previous life, Cheng Yang had seen forum posts about these stones, complete with pictures identical to the ores before him. However, that person had only found a few Level 1 stones, each containing a mere 10 points of spirit energy. While minimal, it had hinted at an alternative way to obtain spirit energy.

Until his death in his previous life, humanity had never discovered a viable Spirit Energy Stone mine.

Now, just ten days into the apocalypse and his rebirth, Cheng Yang stood before an entire Spirit Energy Stone mine. The excitement was overwhelming, yet frustrating – he had no way to exploit this treasure trove.

Without mining skills and limited by the random teleportation gate, Cheng Yang’s options were limited. Even with Level 1 mining skills, how much could he extract in four or five hours? The game’s rules required extracting stones to absorb their energy – rules Cheng Yang couldn’t bypass.

As Cheng Yang pondered, he noticed several glowing objects on the ground ahead. Picking them up, he confirmed they were Spirit Energy Stones.

Cheng Yang began to understand – these stones were likely the reward for entering this random teleportation gate. The question was: how many were there? A small quantity wouldn’t be worth much.

Holding a stone, Cheng Yang focused, extracting its energy. The 10 points transferred to his account, and the stone crumbled to dust.

While Cheng Yang had known about this method in his previous life, this was his first practical experience. Successfully extracting the energy gave him a sense of accomplishment.

Estimating at least twenty stones in sight – over 200 points of spirit energy – Cheng Yang wasted no time collecting and absorbing them.

As he progressed, Cheng Yang found more stones scattered along the path. He theorized they might have been intentionally placed during the world’s transformation or transferred from an active mining site during the apocalypse’s onset.

Regardless of their origin, the stones were a boon for Cheng Yang. He longed to surpass 100,000 spirit energy points to unlock eightfold cultivation speed. Moreover, Spirit Energy Stones weren’t just for personal use – they could be offered to territories to increase their spirit energy reserves.

If not for their fist-sized bulk limiting how many he could carry, Cheng Yang would have taken them all to boost his territory’s energy.

After advancing over 100 meters and collecting more than 100 stones – adding over 1,000 points to his spirit energy – Cheng Yang noticed a change in the wall’s stones. Among the glowing white ores appeared smoother, pale blue stones.

Cheng Yang’s mind raced. These new stones, intermingled with the Spirit Energy Stones, were likely higher-grade variants.

[System: Higher-Grade Spirit Energy Stones Detected!]

Spirit Energy Collected: 1,200+
Stones Absorbed: 120+