Previously, the group was able to reach this iron mine very quickly because Ling Hanyan possessed the seventh-grade spiritual artifact, the Cloud Sea Boat.

Ling Hanyan did not go with them this time, and the iron mine was located at the intersection of the territories of the Ziwei Sect and the Tianxuan Sect, and there was no teleportation array here.

Therefore, Qin Xin, Xiahou Chu, and Yang Ruoyi could only fly all the way, stopping occasionally to rest in some towns.

Although the journey was rather boring, and they would occasionally encounter some demonic beasts, with Yang Ruoyi and Xiahou Chu, two experts at the Solid Core Realm, Qin Xin didn't need to lift a finger along the way.

Some bandits and powerful families along the way gave way after seeing that Qin Xin and his two companions were all disciples of the Tianxuan Sect. After all, this was Tianxuan Sect territory, and even powerful families that dominated a region would give way.

After traveling for about three days, Qin Xin truly experienced the local customs and culture of Zhongzhou.

Compared to the Eastern Wilderness, the Central Plains is known for its martial spirit. The number of martial artists there is far greater than in the Eastern Wilderness, and their strength is also much stronger. This is partly due to the richer spiritual energy of the Central Plains.

Of course, after reaching the ninth level of the Yuanfu Realm, Qin Xin was also seeking an opportunity to break through, but he could never find that feeling of breakthrough.

Whether it's after activating the Martial Spirit or through cultivation using the Nourishing Yuan Pill, once the Yuan Power in the Yuan Mansion is fully replenished, any excess Yuan Power will dissipate on its own without any retention.

This situation of not making any progress despite continuous cultivation was giving Qin Xin a headache. He asked Yang Ruoyi and Xiahou Chu about it, but they were completely unaware of his situation.

When they broke through from the Yuanfu Realm to the Xudan Realm, they had never encountered this situation before.

However, Qin Xin himself knew that his situation was rather special. In addition to the fact that his fire and wood dual-attribute Yuan Mansion contained more Yuan power, he was also a spiritual cultivator.

The three of them stopped in Blue Moon City, a town with a relatively large area. During their journey, they had eaten and slept in the open, and the excessive consumption of their Yuan energy had left them somewhat exhausted.

After entering Blue Moon City, Qin Xin learned that this was the city where Yang Ruoyi's family lived, but Yang Ruoyi did not take them back to her family.

Seeing that neither of them explained the reason, Qin Xin didn't press further, but he roughly knew that Yang Ruoyi seemed to have some conflicts with his family.

Now, it only takes about half a day to travel east from this town to reach the iron ore mine. Once they arrive at the iron ore mine, the three of them will probably have little time to rest properly.

Due to the appearance of the Heavenly Spirit Crystal, the conflict in the iron mine has become even more intense. In addition to the Heavenly Profound Sect, disciples from the Purple Kui Sect, Weapon Martial Sect, Spirit Beast Sect, and Profound Heaven Sword Sect are all vying for the Heavenly Spirit Crystal.

Because the Heavenly Spirit Crystal is located deep underground in the iron ore mine, and all sects are prohibited from sending experts at the Dharma Aspect Realm or above into it, this is to avoid escalating the conflict. However, even so, many disciples have died one after another in this iron ore mine, according to the news sent back from there.

Currently, there are nearly sixty disciples in the iron mine, of whom five have gone deep into the mine and have not returned, and have been judged to have died deep in the iron mine.

Although the Tianxuan Sect knew that most of the dead disciples were killed because of the Xuantian Sword Sect, they had no conclusive evidence. Moreover, many of the disciples sent by the Xuantian Sword Sect had also died deep in the iron mine.

In order to prepare for the upcoming conflict, the three planned to stay in Blue Moon City for one night to make adjustments before heading directly to the Iron Mine the next day to join the competition for the Celestial Crystal.

The three remained silent throughout the night, each cultivating and adjusting in their own rooms.

Because of his keen spiritual sense, Qin Xin noticed that the group seemed to be being watched as soon as they entered Blue Moon City. Whether in the restaurant or the surrounding area, Qin Xin could always sense fluctuations in aura, as if they were being monitored.

Of course, all of this became a reality the very next day.

The next day, as soon as the three of them, who had just finished resting, stepped out, a group of uniformed guards immediately surrounded them.

These people all had the same insignia on their chests, so they must have come from the same family.

Qin Xin immediately activated his martial spirit, preparing to fight this group of suddenly appearing guys, but Yang Ruoyi suddenly reached out and stopped Qin Xin, and frowned and said, "It's okay, they are all guards of my family."

At the same time, the head guard knelt down in front of Yang Ruoyi, cupped his fist with one hand, and said, "Miss, I have been instructed by the master to ask you to return to the family."

"I hope Miss won't make things difficult for us."

This guard was extremely loyal. After hearing Yang Ruoyi's words, Qin Xin and Xiahou Chu looked at each other, unsure of what to do. They both kept their eyes on Yang Ruoyi, waiting for her decision.

Yang Ruoyi seemed unwilling, but seeing the guard's pleading, she sighed helplessly and said to Qin Xin and Xiahou Chu, "You two go to the iron mine first. I'll be right back. We'll meet at the Iron Manor."

“I’ll go with you. There’s no rush to get to the iron ore mine.” Xiahou Chu seemed to know something about Yang Ruoyi and chose to accompany her back to the family.

Seeing that the two of them had already gone, Qin Xin felt a little embarrassed to go to the iron mine alone, so he decided to go with them. If anything happened, he might be able to lend a hand. He said frankly, "Senior Sister, I'll go with you too."

Seeing that the two had already sat down and made their decision, Yang Ruoyi was initially a little reluctant, but she could only nod in agreement.

The group of people walked towards the center of Blue Moon City, attracting many gazes along the way.

Qin Xin noticed the fear on the faces of the martial artists when they saw the guards from Yang Ruoyi's family, and he became curious about the power of Yang Ruoyi's family.

Upon arriving in the city center and seeing an extremely large courtyard, Qin Xin realized the immense size of Yang Ruoyi's family.

Through his spiritual sense, Qin Xin could clearly sense the auras of several Dharma Aspect Realm martial artists within the Yang Clan, and these auras were extremely distinct and powerful.

After arriving at the entrance of the Yang Clan Manor, the three of them looked at the gilded characters on the gate. Qin Xin and Xiahou Chu were both curious and looked Yang Ruoyi up and down, seemingly not expecting her family to be so wealthy and powerful.

"Let's go in together, but remember not to talk too much, there are too many rules here."

Before entering the courtyard, Yang Ruoyi reminded Qin Xin and Xiahou Chu, with particular emphasis on Xiahou Chu, as she was worried he might say something he shouldn't.