The woman before him was undeniably attractive, yet her demanding nature was even more severe than his own attempts at blackmail. "You can never judge a book by its cover," Zhong Shenxiu thought wryly, feeling a pang of inadequacy. He sighed inwardly, realizing his skills at extorting others still needed a serious upgrade.

"Robin, give her one gold coin," Zhong Shenxiu commanded coolly.

No one could discern his thoughts from his tone, not even the notoriously sharp-minded woman.

Hearing Zhong Shenxiu actually agree to spend a gold coin just to glance at the map in her hand, Lisa wore an expression of utter defeat. She began to wonder if the young boy had lost his mind. She had only been teasing him; she never expected him to take it seriously.

Didn't he understand the value of a gold coin? Good heavens! Didn't he know this very map could be bought for just ten silver coins?

Lisa mechanically accepted the gold coin tossed over by Robin.

"Now, may I see it?" Zhong Shenxiu inquired.

"If you want to look, just take it and go. I can't accept this money!" Lisa was hardly someone who lacked funds; which magician ever did?

"My word is my bond!" Zhong Shenxiu neither took the map nor the coin. After sweeping his eyes over the map once, he turned and left.

Lisa stared after the departing Zhong Shenxiu, looking almost stunned. The more she watched him, the more mysterious and unusual this young boy seemed.

If only Lisa knew that with Zhong Shenxiu’s abnormal memory and scanning abilities, a single glance was more than enough for him to memorize the entire map. And she certainly couldn't fathom the meaning behind the enigmatic smile that flashed across his face the moment he turned away.

Having reviewed the map, Zhong Shenxiu led Robin directly into the wooden cabin. He now began contemplating his new objectives.

From the map, Zhong Shenxiu learned that the small town nearby was named "Riva Town," a place as small as one could imagine. Originally, Zhong Shenxiu hadn't thought Riva Town was insignificant, but after seeing the map, he realized how incredibly naive that assumption was.

Compared to other towns, Riva Town was merely a fly resting upon a watermelon.

Furthermore, the map revealed a location that piqued his interest immensely: by heading north through this forest, there was a high mountain. Crossing that mountain led to a Magical Beast Forest.

A Magical Beast Forest, as the name clearly implied, contained magical beasts! Zhong Shenxiu wasn't foolish; he understood the literal meaning immediately.

Such a prime location actually existed! The blood of the obsessive researcher within Zhong Shenxiu began to boil once more. He intensely desired to witness what the so-called magical beasts of this forest looked like, wondering how they might differ from the demonic beasts of the Cultivation Realm.

It turned out that the Magical Beast Forest Zhong Shenxiu saw on the map was an obscure one. It lacked any truly powerful magical beasts; the highest tier within rarely exceeded level four or five, unlike the renowned forests that boasted level nine or even higher beasts, which is why it carried no distinct, famous title.

Magical Beast Forests possessing formidable creatures, however, were known by striking names—such as the Forest of No Return, the Bewitching Forest, or the Perilous Forest.

The night passed peacefully. When Zhong Shenxiu awoke the next day, the Cross Sword Mercenary Group had long since departed.

After a night of deep reflection, Zhong Shenxiu finally decided to set his sights on that Magical Beast Forest.

Thus, Zhong Shenxiu and Robin began packing for their new journey, discarding anything deemed useless. As for the rare herbs and spiritual flora, they packed every bit they could carry.

Since the road ahead was unsuitable for a carriage, Zhong Shenxiu had no choice but to abandon it, leading his horse on foot instead.

Because they carried many supplies and were leading a horse, Zhong Shenxiu and Robin made slow progress, taking a full twenty days to traverse the entire wooded area.

However, upon reaching the foot of the high mountain, Zhong Shenxiu froze.

What was this? Heavens above! Wasn't this "Luminite Ore"? So much Luminite Ore! Was he dreaming?

In the Cultivation Realm, Luminite Ore was a famous refining mineral, a crucial choice material for forging numerous magical treasures and artifacts, highly prized among cultivators. Zhong Shenxiu's immortal sword, "Spirit Slayer," had been forged from Luminite Ore.

Even with Zhong Shenxiu’s considerable self-control, the sight of a mountain-sized deposit of Luminite Ore left him utterly shaken.

In that moment, Zhong Shenxiu offered sincere, heartfelt thanks to his ancestors from eight generations back, grateful that they had guided him to such a miraculous world.

At this instant, Zhong Shenxiu felt completely devoid of any lingering resentment over his transmigration to this other world.

"Robin, do you know what these are?" Zhong Shenxiu asked, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.

"Stones. Why?" Robin didn't understand her master's sudden agitation and looked at him blankly.

"These aren't ordinary stones. Remember those refining minerals I told you about? This is the famous 'Luminite Ore'."

"Master, you mean all of this is Luminite Ore?" Robin finally grasped the implication and grew excited along with him. Zhong Shenxiu had often spoken to her about the Cultivation Realm, frequently bringing up the art of artifact forging, where Luminite Ore was mentioned most often.

"Master, since these are all Luminite Ore, we must hide them quickly!" Robin suggested naively.

"No need to worry. I believe besides you and me, no one in this world knows how precious this ore is. And even if they did know, they wouldn't know how to use it," Zhong Shenxiu explained.

To use Luminite Ore for forging, it required constant purification with Samadhi True Fire; ordinary flames could never refine it completely. Luminite Ore had a peculiar trait: if not perfectly purified, it was no better than scrap metal. But once perfectly refined, it possessed the ability to shatter all defenses.

Hiding an entire mountain of Luminite Ore was clearly impractical, and unnecessary anyway. To others, this ore looked no different from any common rubble. Why expend effort hiding what held no apparent value to them? For now, all he needed was to memorize the location. Once Zhong Shenxiu mastered the "Cosmic Domain," he could simply sweep his hand and collect it all in one go—how much simpler would that be?

"Let's go, let's climb the mountain and see if there are any other astonishing things," Zhong Shenxiu declared.

"Master, aren't we taking any of this Luminite Ore?" Robin asked with genuine regret.

"Taking it now is useless. It's not too late to retrieve it when I can actually perform refinement." With that, Zhong Shenxiu casually strode toward the mountain peak.