Walking into the mine, the previously pitch-dark tunnel no longer required oil lamps. Because as the Divine Ore was exposed from the rock layer, the light it emitted gradually enveloped most of the mine.

Approaching the spot, only a small part of the purple Divine Ore was embedded in the rock layer. The tiny figure hidden deep within the ore's profound star-patterns, however, still remained blurred.

Wang Mu pondered for a moment, then swung his pickaxe, continuing his excavation. He controlled every bit of his strength exquisitely, fearing the slightest damage to the Divine Ore.

「Several hours later.」

When the rock surrounding the Divine Ore had been completely cleared and excavated, the ore fell from the rock layer. The head-sized ore hit the ground, emitting a crisp sound. The next moment, the Divine Ore actually cracked...

Wang Mu froze. What?

Damn it all! I've been toiling for two months, worn out several pickaxes, all because I was afraid of nicking it! Seriously? After all that effort, it just cracks open as soon as I dig it out?

At that moment, Wang Mu instantly felt the world go dark.

His complexion darkened as he looked at the gradually fracturing Divine Ore. A lightning-shaped crack formed in its center and steadily widened. It continued to expand until a large gap appeared, at which point its growth halted.

"Huh..." Wang Mu found it strange; the crack seemed to be moving.

"Could this Divine Ore be nurturing life inside?" Wang Mu squatted down, deep in thought.

Having dug for two months, Wang Mu had pondered the mysteries inside the Divine Ore and considered the possibility that it might be nurturing some form of life. In the Immortal World, mountains, rivers, and vegetation could all become sentient.

According to the Village Chief, in the distant past, every corner of the world harbored various Innate Spirits, all possessing extraordinary and mysterious powers, coveted by all Cultivators. Later, when Wang Mu asked for specifics about their powers, the Village Chief hemmed and hawed, unable to explain. Finally, he dismissed the question with a wave of his sleeve, saying, "How would I know so much? I'm not a Cultivator, am I?"

"Hmm..." Wang Mu muttered, staring at the crack. What use is this?

After some thought, Wang Mu took out a piece of Mystic Iron Ore and threw it in.

The palm-sized ore expanded the crack slightly as it entered, like a deep abyss's gaping mouth, and swallowed the Mystic Iron Ore whole. After it was swallowed, the entire Divine Ore flashed briefly, then the light faded.

Wang Mu frowned. That's it? Nothing else happened!

"But it can swallow ore..." Wang Mu muttered, extremely puzzled. "What on earth is hidden inside this Divine Ore?"

After some more thought, he took out a piece of Blood Jade Ore and threw it in. These special ores were rare materials for forging divine weapons in the mortal world. Wang Mu had quite a stash on him, so he could throw them in without worry.

After he tossed it in, the Divine Ore flashed again, but then there was no further reaction.

"Hmm..." Wang Mu had a peculiar feeling. This time, he took out a piece of Spiritual Ore and threw it in.

The faintly glowing Spiritual Ore, brimming with rich Spiritual Energy, fell into the opening.

GULP... Like a mouth, the opening swiftly gaped and snapped shut.

And this time, the Divine Ore stayed lit for a good while, then gradually went dark.

"Still no other reaction?" Wang Mu frowned. "How can you just keep eating without giving anything back? Aren't you ashamed, a Divine Ore, to be consuming other ores like this?"

Surely, after all my hard work digging it out, I don't have to keep feeding it more ores, do I?

Thinking this, Wang Mu felt somewhat amused. So, he took a strip of dried fish from his Space Bracelet and tossed it in.

BLECH... This time, the Divine Ore consumed it quickly but spat it out just as fast. No sooner had it been swallowed than it was expelled.

Wang Mu was speechless.

What in the world is this thing? And it's a picky eater, too?

Wang Mu thought for a moment and decided to try out various things from his Space Bracelet. Aside from the dried fish, he had his bow and arrows. There were also some materials from disassembled prey, furs, and some common resources collected from the Divine Wood Forest. Besides that, there was nothing else.

The results of his tests were disheartening: the dried fish was eaten then immediately spat out, and the disassembled prey materials suffered the same fate. It seemed that, except for ores, everything else would be regurgitated.

By now, Wang Mu held little hope, so he carelessly tossed an arrow in.

This time, the Divine Ore immediately lit up with a special radiance, glowing from within with a purplish-gold light!

The Divine Ore shook a couple of times, and one could vaguely see the small figure inside moving, like a phantom.

Moments later, the arrow was spat out from the crack.

"Spit out again..." Wang Mu shook his head.

However, when he picked up the arrow, he was instantly stunned.

The arrow was faintly glowing. It was enveloped in a dim light, especially the arrowhead, which shone with an extremely sharp brilliance!

Wang Mu stared. What? What's going on here?

Could it have been enhanced? was the first thought that crossed his mind.

He examined the arrow closely. The weight hadn't changed much, but it was clearly stronger than before. This was particularly true for the arrowhead, which exuded a piercing Geng Metal Qi, seeming capable of piercing clouds and splitting the sky.

"It really has been enhanced..." Wang Mu looked shocked. "Stronger than the special arrowheads Uncle Tie Hu forged!"

Moreover, this was an enhancement to its original state.

"Could there be a Kelly hidden inside this Divine Ore?" Wang Mu tapped the Divine Ore, pondered for a moment, and then threw the Qingmu Bow he had first used for hunting into it.

HUMMM... The Divine Ore immediately lit up with a unique glow. It wasn't purplish-gold this time, but a pale white.

Moments later, the Qingmu Bow was spat out, its body emitting a faint white light.

Wang Mu held it in his hands and could feel it had indeed been strengthened, though not by a large margin.

「After a series of experiments.」

"So, it can enhance various weapons based on their original state?" Wang Mu looked at the Divine Ore, wondering for a moment whether he had unearthed a treasure or a bottomless pit. Moreover, the degree of enhancement seemed to be related to the ores and materials thrown in.

What kind of Innate Spirit possesses such power?

"If I were to cultivate and become an Artifact Refiner, this thing would be a perfect match."

"Leaving aside its other potential abilities, this characteristic alone makes it a treasure many Cultivators dream of."

Wang Mu scratched his head.

Imagine an Artifact Refiner who could create powerful Magic Artifacts. After crafting them, they could then have this Divine Ore enhance them further. Even without knowing the limits of the enhancement... that would be incredibly potent!

"Innate Spirit..." he murmured. "This really is an Innate Spirit; I've got to protect it well."

Wang Mu put the Divine Ore into his Space Bracelet. There was still plenty of room inside, more than enough to accommodate such a large piece of Divine Ore.

"There are quite a few ores in the Space Bracelet; I just hope it doesn't devour them indiscriminately."

Wang Mu felt there might be other abilities within this Divine Ore, but set that aside for now. Being able to enhance weapons was the best news for now.

The time to hunt the Flame King Human-faced Lion was fast approaching. Stronger arrows and a better bow would greatly increase his chances of successfully completing Anle Village's hidden mission.

"In little over a month, I will have been in the village for two years."

Wang Mu walked out of the mine; it was already noon.

His dedicated mining expedition would pause here for now.

On the way back to the village, Wang Mu summarized his current Skill development situation:

[Action points: 0]

[Skills: Chopping (15), Fishing (14), Mining (20), Hunting (19), Turtle Breathing and Life Nourishing Skill (10), Tiger Crane Seven Forms (10)]

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