Translator: AnubisTL
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In the dim, pitch-black mine tunnel, the crisp collision of metal against rock echoed incessantly.
Amidst this steady and rhythmic percussion, occasional dissonant sounds would pierce the air.
Clang!
A flash of dazzling, clear light briefly illuminated the scene, revealing a corner of two irregular stone fragments radiating a hazy glow.
"Hmph!"
With a heavy breath, Li Qing wiped the sweat from his forehead and collected the newly unearthed spirit stones.
"This mine is rather barren, not a so-called rich vein. Even with brute strength alone, I can't extract many spirit stones."
Li Qing had been digging continuously for seven days. During those seven days, he had barely closed his eyes, relying on his Grandmaster-level physical constitution to carve a massive gap into the Mine Pit.
Ninety-two spirit stones—that was his total haul from those sleepless, relentless days.
Through continuous digging and Old Zhou's mining experience, Li Qing had become increasingly skilled.
Hiss~
As Li Qing paused to catch his breath, a peculiar sound suddenly echoed through the mine tunnel.
His eyes lit up at the sound. He immediately sprang into action, executing the Shadow-Seeking Footwork to swiftly capture the source of the noise in his hand.
It's a Spirit-Eating Lizard!
This small reptile isn't aggressive, but it's a rare spiritual object found in mine tunnels. It grows by absorbing heaven and earth spiritual energy, and its body contains no impurities.
Don't let its size fool you—it's packed with essence. Eating just one can restore a significant amount of spiritual energy and even alleviate physical fatigue and soreness.
Li Qing's ability to endure seven days of full-throttle Spirit Stone mining was largely due to capturing two of these creatures during that time.
Boom!
Li Qing channeled his spiritual energy, conjuring a small, scorching fireball that thoroughly roasted the Spirit-Eating Lizard.
The first time he tasted such a creature, Li Qing was utterly disgusted and couldn't adapt.
But after eating it, he immediately raved about it.
The texture was remarkably unique, completely unlike eating real meat. It was more akin to chewing on a crisp, crunchy nut.
In truth, his roasting was entirely unnecessary, a mere psychological comfort.
Most Old Miners, upon capturing a Spirit-Eating Lizard, simply swallowed it whole without wasting spiritual energy on preparation.
Crunch!
After a few casual chews, Li Qing swallowed the crisp, crunchy creature.
Soon, pure spiritual energy rapidly settled into his dantian, while the stamina he had just expended began to recover swiftly.
"Not bad luck, I suppose. It's not a rich vein, but catching three Spirit-Eating Lizards is some consolation."
Li Qing sighed, feeling the spiritual energy in his body gradually replenish and his stamina rapidly recover. He swung his inferior pickaxe again, starting to dig furiously at the Mine Pit, hoping to unearth more ore.
Truth be told, Li Qing believed his choice to become a spiritual mine worker had been the right one.
Setting aside all other considerations, his physique alone—stronger than many Qi Refining Realm cultivators—gave him a significant advantage.
Grandmasters, above all else, were durable!
"If Ning Yuan ever found out that after searching for so long, I finally found the cultivation world only to end up as a miner in this godforsaken place, he'd probably never stop mocking me."
Li Qing forced a bitter smile, inexplicably thinking of Ning Yuan, that carefree rogue.
Here he was, a Grandmaster standing at the pinnacle of the mortal realm, in the prime of his life.
He should have been looking down on the entire Martial World, with all Martial Artists dependent on his every breath to survive.
Li Qing couldn't believe that he, a martial arts master who once stood at the pinnacle of the human realm, was now reduced to digging for spirit stones in such a wretched place. It was utterly unacceptable!
As Li Qing seethed with resentment, another crisp clang echoed through the mine tunnel.
"Huh, luck's on my side! Found another spirit stone so quickly. That makes ninety-three!"
"Excellent, excellent! Keep up the good work!"
With a satisfied grin, Li Qing carefully stored the spirit stone in the spirit stone storage pouch issued by the Heavenly River Sect. His expression was one of pure contentment.
This is so satisfying!
Li Qing continued to work tirelessly for two more days, finally approaching the day he was scheduled to leave the mine tunnel.
One hundred and twenty-six spirit stones!
For a first-time spirit stone miner with no prior experience, this was an astonishing number that would make anyone's jaw drop.
Typically, newcomers to the mine found the dim, monotonous environment unbearable. Physical exhaustion and mental isolation would quickly set in, making the ten-day ordeal a grueling test of endurance for anyone.
Under the dual assault of physical and mental strain, many miners would give up after just one attempt at digging for spirit stones.
Moreover, to ensure a steady monthly supply of spirit stones, the Heavenly River Sect rarely assigned newcomers like Li Qing to rich mining areas. Instead, they were usually assigned to the barren Mine Pits.
So, generally, a newcomer's first time mining would be considered quite good if they managed to dig up twenty or thirty Spirit Stones in ten days.
But Li Qing was different. His physical body was incredibly robust, even capable of sparring with a Mid Qi Refining Realm body cultivator. Having survived for a long time in the World of Eternal Night, the ten days of darkness in the mine tunnel were hardly a torture for him.
Fueled by the thrill of his abundant harvest, Li Qing worked like a man possessed, barely resting for nine days straight. He managed to dig up a staggering one hundred and twenty-six Spirit Stones.
"If I hand this over, I'll only get twelve Spirit Stones. The rest—over a hundred of them—will have to go to the sect."
Gazing at the fruits of his nine days of sleepless toil, his hands now covered in calluses, Li Qing naturally felt reluctant to surrender his hard-earned treasure.
With a sudden resolve, Li Qing clenched his teeth and abruptly closed his eyes!
In moments, the world around him rippled like water's surface.
The sky remained pitch-black, but the air was frigid, even colder than in the mine tunnel!
He had succeeded! He had crossed over into the World of Eternal Night!
Li Qing's heart skipped a beat. Gazing at the familiar surroundings, he immediately took out a hundred spirit stones without hesitation.
"As expected, the spiritual energy within the spirit stones is slowly dissipating," Li Qing murmured, though there was little regret in his eyes.
"But the rate of dissipation is acceptable. It's slow enough that it will take about two or three months for the spiritual energy to completely vanish."
"As long as I bring the spirit stones back within ten days, the difference shouldn't be too significant!"
With that, Li Qing exhaled in relief and returned to the mine tunnel with the remaining twenty-six spirit stones.
After completing everything and confirming that there were no anomalies around, Li Qing let out a long breath, his emotions surging.
"If I go out, I can still get a share of two spirit stones. That means I'll have earned a hundred and two spirit stones in these ten days. Over a year, that's over twelve hundred spirit stones!"
This was no small fortune. For any Qi Refining Realm cultivator, a thousand spirit stones was a substantial sum, a veritable fortune.
Make a fortune in silence!
"That felt good. There's nothing quite like shearing the wool off the backs of the big powers!" Li Qing chuckled contentedly. With less than a day left, he decided not to dig any further.
He was exhausted!
Even as a Grandmaster, nine consecutive days of relentless digging for Spirit Stones had taken its toll.
With that, Li Qing collapsed against the hard rock wall and closed his eyes to rest.
As Li Qing slept soundly, the Liu Clan's monthly ten-day mining period finally came to an end.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A series of soul-piercing bell chimes suddenly rang out, signaling the end of the shift. All the Spirit Stone miners in the mine tunnel immediately stopped working, tucked their pouches of Spirit Stones into their belts, and began to leave.
Li Qing, jolted awake from his deep slumber, took a deep breath and sprinted toward the mine tunnel exit.
As he neared the exit, he instinctively covered his eyes. The blinding light outside was too harsh for his eyes to bear.
After spending so long in darkness, even a Grandmaster would struggle to adjust to such intense light.
After a long while, once his eyes had adjusted to the light, Li Qing emerged from the Mine Pit.
Outside, a chorus of voices filled the air. The miners' tones ranged from surprise and elation to disappointment and utter exhaustion.
"Ugh, this Mine Pit was barren. I only dug up 160 Spirit Stones."
"Hahaha! I struck it rich this time! I found a Mid-Grade Spirit Stone—a stroke of luck I haven't seen in years!"
"I'm so tired. My luck was terrible this time. Didn't even catch a single Spirit-Eating Lizard."
"..."
Listening to the chatter and feeling the bright world outside the mine tunnel, Li Qing couldn't help but smile wryly.
Soon, someone noticed the soot-covered Li Qing.
"Hey, isn't that the newbie Old Zhou brought? He actually survived! That's quite impressive."
"Hahaha! Shui Sheng, want to make a bet? I bet his haul won't exceed thirty Spirit Stones this time."
"Get out of here! Who'd bet with you? You only dug up about thirty Spirit Stones your first time down the mine too!"
Li Qing paid no mind to the murmurs and curious glances. He had no desire to show off.
Let others gossip and look down on him. Keeping his head down and making a fortune in silence—that was the way of life he preferred.
Not long after, Old Zhou emerged gracefully from another Spirit Stone Mine. Seeing this, Li Qing immediately plastered on a smile and hurried forward.
"Senior Zhou!"
Zhou Tong glanced at Li Qing, who was covered in dust and grime, and asked, "How many Spirit Stones did you dig up this time?"
Li Qing replied "truthfully": "Not many, just twenty-six."
"That's a bit too few," Zhou Tong said casually.
Li Qing's heart skipped a beat. He quickly scratched his head sheepishly and explained, "It was too tiring and dark in the mine tunnel. Plus, the Spirit Stone deposits in my tunnel are extremely sparse. Even after putting in a lot of effort, I could barely dig up a few."
Hearing this, Old Zhou chuckled and shook his head. "As an inexperienced newcomer like you, why would the Heavenly River Sect assign you a rich mining area? Keep working for a while. Once you gain experience, you'll naturally be assigned to a more lucrative area."
This was the truth. New miners like Li Qing weren't meant to be the main workforce. Even if he were assigned to a rich mining area, he'd likely only manage to dig up fifty or sixty Spirit Stones at most.
Rather than this, it would be better to send experienced miners in the Mid Qi Refining Realm with deeper cultivation to the rich mining areas.
For seasoned Spirit Stone Miners like Old Zhou, if assigned to a prosperous mining area, digging over three hundred Spirit Stones in ten days wouldn't be difficult.
Of course, by the Mid Qi Refining Realm, earning just over three hundred Spirit Stones a year solely from mining was already a rare income.
Fortunately, Spirit Stone Miners had ample free time. They only needed to spend ten days a month in the mines, leaving the rest of the time for other pursuits.
Therefore, Li Qing's ability to earn over a hundred Spirit Stones in one go far surpassed any of the Old Miners present.
After all, no one had ever dug a thousand Spirit Stones in ten days!
Since the Heavenly River Sect began excavating this Spirit Stone Mine, the most anyone had ever unearthed was a stroke of incredible luck—someone had struck three Mid-Grade Spirit Stones at once, yielding a total of nearly six hundred Spirit Stones!
This set a new historical record.
Soon, Li Qing followed Zhou Tong to hand over their Spirit Stones, which would then be distributed by the cultivators from the upper sect.
Watching Zhou Tong pour out over two hundred Spirit Stones from his storage pouch, Li Qing couldn't help but be secretly astonished. He truly deserved his reputation as an Old Miner in the Mid Qi Refining Realm. Even if Li Qing had been assigned to a rich mining area, he doubted he could match Zhou Tong's haul without working day and night for ten days straight.
Next, when it was Li Qing's turn to pour out his spirit stones, many people glanced at him with curiosity.
Li Qing put on a deeply embarrassed expression, fumbling awkwardly as he poured out a pitiful twenty-six spirit stones.
This display immediately set off a wave of laughter.
"Hahaha, twenty-six! I knew it!"
"Hahaha, actually, that's not too bad. I remember someone a few years ago, I think it was their first time in the mine, they only dug up eleven spirit stones. They couldn't take it and switched to being a spirit farmer."
"For a newbie in the mine, digging in a poor vein, twenty-six spirit stones is actually quite decent."
"..."
The Heavenly River Sect disciple in charge of inspecting the spirit stones simply shook his head with a light chuckle before handing Li Qing his share.
"Take it. Every little bit helps."
Li Qing, who appeared flustered on the surface but remained completely calm inside, silently took the two spirit stones belonging to him and left without a word.
After passing through the array's inspection, confirming he wasn't hiding any spirit stones, Li Qing was released.
Mounting his spirit horse, Li Qing now wanted nothing more than to race back to his small courtyard and retrieve all the spirit stones he had stored in the World of Eternal Night.
After a while, once all the miners had emerged, Liu Haitian waved his hand, leading everyone toward Longevity Valley.
Hooves thundered, kicking up dust as they charged forward like the wind!
(End of the Chapter)
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