Possessing this mithril ore vein would be equivalent to owning a mountain of gold and silver.
Therefore, Ye Ningze knew what he had to do: enter this world and seize all its resources.
Ye Ningze slowly walked towards the palace but was stopped by Su Xue.
Su Xue said with a matter-of-fact expression:
"Why do you think our Su clan found this place?"
Ye Ningze was also curious, but he knew that if the Su clan, or rather Su Xue, was unwilling to speak about certain things, it would be inappropriate for him to pry.
Su Xue recounted the events of the past to Ye Ningze. It turned out that Su Xue's grandfather, from the Su clan, had visited this place years ago.
He had discovered the mithril ore vein and originally intended to bring it back.
After all, mithril ore was exceedingly rare. However, who could have predicted that he would eventually encounter a black tiger? This black tiger not only attacked them.
More importantly, the black tiger could also devour mithril ore, transforming the ore's power into armor for itself.
This made the tiger impervious to weapons, and thus, the tiger was incredibly formidable.
It was by no means comparable to ordinary beings. Furthermore, there was a crucial point: the longer this creature lived, the stronger it became.
As Su Xue's grandfather's strength was too weak back then, he couldn't ascertain the species of this black tiger.
Therefore, to this day, they had not found any way to deal with this tiger.
In fact, they still believed that this tiger was a mutated beast within the secret realm.
Ye Ningze looked at Su Xue and said calmly:
"Are you worried about something? Or do you believe that even with both of us combined, we cannot defeat this tiger?"
Su Xue did not hide her fear. The truth was exactly as Ye Ningze had stated.
Her fear was that even their combined strength would not be enough to defeat the black tiger.
After sixty years, to what extent could that tiger have evolved?
Even Su Xue was highly uncertain. Moreover, there was a critical factor: it was a female tiger. She wondered if, after sixty years, it would bring its cubs to fight Ye Ningze and herself.
If the other party truly brought its cubs to fight them, they would have no chance of winning.
After all, the black tiger's combat power was exceptionally strong, and it could increase its strength by devouring mithril ore.
Over the years, they didn't know how much mithril ore they had consumed, so their strength needed to be thoroughly tested first. Otherwise, they might suffer an unexpected defeat.
Su Xue conveyed her worries one by one to Ye Ningze, who simply shook his head and flashed a brilliant smile:
"Since we have come this far, there is no way we will leave empty-handed. I've thought of the simplest way to solve the current problem."
Su Xue perked up her ears, ready to listen to his suggestion.
Ye Ningze's proposal was singular: he would go and test the opponent's strength himself.
However, testing the opponent's strength could lead to an extremely dangerous situation.
Su Xue was naturally not qualified for such a task; only Ye Ningze was.
Therefore, Ye Ningze intended to take the risk. If Ye Ningze were to take such a risk, they would be in a very passive position because if anything happened to Ye Ningze, Su Xue would be unable to return to reality.
This was because, in this place, it would be difficult for Su Xue to defeat the monsters before her alone. Thus, the only way was to cooperate with Ye Ningze.
It was precisely for this reason that she did not want Ye Ningze to get hurt. As soon as her injuries healed.
They could explore further, and even if they couldn't defeat the black tiger, they could at least retreat safely.
But if Ye Ningze were to act alone and get injured, it would definitely not be a good thing for Su Xue.
Therefore, Su Xue hoped Ye Ningze would seriously consider it. However, Ye Ningze had already made up his mind; if he didn't try to gauge the black tiger's strength, he wouldn't be at ease.
Ye Ningze gently patted Su Xue's shoulder and said:
"Don't worry, I'm just going to take a look, so you don't need to worry about my safety."
After speaking, Ye Ningze prepared to depart with flair. For him, the black tiger might be powerful.
But Ye Ningze absolutely did not believe that he lacked the ability to protect himself from its clutches.
Ye Ningze walked into the cave, where mithril ore veins were distributed everywhere. These priceless mithril ores were scattered about like garbage.
This made it difficult to describe the shock he felt.
Ye Ningze continued to walk, but after a moment, he discovered a scene that brought him even greater joy.
He found that amidst these mithril ores, there were actually mithril crystals. It was important to note that mithril ore and mithril crystals were entirely different concepts.
If mithril ore was the most durable substance in this world, then mithril crystal was the existence that could completely destroy the most durable substance in this world.
Therefore, mithril crystal was countless times more special than mithril ore. It was precisely for this reason that mithril crystal, once discovered, would be a priceless treasure.
Ye Ningze looked at the mithril crystal before him, realizing he had truly struck gold.
In fact, that wasn't all. Mithril crystal had another effect: it could help people cultivate with twice the result for half the effort.
Therefore, mithril crystal was truly a rare and invaluable item.
Thus, once Ye Ningze encountered this item, he would absolutely not let it slip through his fingers. As the saying goes, people die for wealth, just as birds die for food. Such an item was enough for him to risk his life for.
However, what puzzled Ye Ningze was why the black tiger hadn't swallowed this mithril crystal.
If it had swallowed this mithril crystal, its strength would have greatly increased.
Could it be that mithril crystals, like fruits, bloomed and bore fruit only once every few years?
Therefore, before it matured, even the black tiger would not swallow it.
Ye Ningze slowly approached the mithril crystal. Just as his hand was about to touch it,
a figure suddenly appeared before him, opening its massive maw and preparing to bite him.