"Someone actually coming here at a time like this. How strange." Moritz stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Though young, his two stark white eyebrows were remarkably conspicuous. Like the other cultivators, he was at the Qi Refining stage, but his aura clearly surpassed the others.

  "It is rather odd. Looks like a little mid-stage Qi Refining fellow." A young female cultivator beside him smiled gracefully. "But you should worry about yourself. Master specifically sent me to check on your cultivation progress. If you don't secure a place in this sect's minor competition, your chances for Foundation Establishment won't be good. Why put yourself through this? Just go back and apologize to Master. Do you really want to remain at odds with him for your entire life?"

  "A youth must have his pride. If I bow my head so easily, even if I barely form my Foundation, I'll be stuck at that level for the rest of my life." Moritz shook his head.

  "Very well, I knew I couldn't persuade you. But I held out some hope before coming. How is your Blazing Fire Pearl coming along? Do you need any help?" The young woman shrugged.

  "Yes. I still need two pieces of Blazing Flame Soul Stone, the main material. Once I have those, it will be complete. Tell my father that when you go back." Moritz hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke.

  "Then I can return and report to Master." The young woman breathed a sigh of relief. Though Moritz was proud, at least he wasn't completely intractable.

  The spirit crane let out a clear cry and began to descend. Perhaps, after the long flight, having finally reached its destination, the crane also seemed relieved.

  Over a hundred Qi Refining cultivators guarded the vicinity of the Black Water Stockade Mine. In reality, apart from those rotating on patrol duty, most were busy with their own affairs. Some were cultivating, others were even refining pills out in the open.

  "Who goes there!" As soon as the spirit crane landed, a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator stepped forward and demanded.

  "Leo, a newly admitted disciple from the Azure Lotus Peak domain. I've accepted the mining chore." Leo presented his wooden disciple token.

  "Another fresh face who hasn't tasted hardship. Old Raven, care to make a bet? Will this one last three days, or five?" A black-robed cultivator who had been refining pills looked up and chuckled.

  "Who knows? Maybe just a day or two." The cultivator named Raven, who was questioning Leo, replied.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Leo was speechless. Being teased by two late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, he had nothing to say. Even Rove at the Chores Hall, who knew him fairly well, didn't think he would last long.

  "You two have too much time on your hands?" Moritz strolled over casually.

  "Senior Brother Moritz!" The two who had been joking immediately straightened up, their expressions turning serious.

  "Several senior brothers, when may I enter the mine?" Leo cupped his hands.

  "No need to be impatient. I'm sure the Chores Hall has already briefed you. All spirit stones in the mine belong to the sect. Compensation is based on work completed. Don't try any tricks. Several fellows before you who thought they were clever had their cultivation crippled and were expelled from the sect." Moritz tossed a storage pouch to Leo.

  "Thank you for the warning, Senior Brother. I understand the consequences." Leo cupped his hands again.

  "Good. Go on in." Moritz nodded.

  Leo took the storage pouch and entered the mine. Rove had already told him everything he needed to know. There was no point in staying here to be teased by these older cultivators. However, this white-browed youth gave him a decent impression.

  What Leo didn't know was that shortly after he entered the mine, Fin arrived on a spirit eagle.

  "How strange. Normally, we go ages without seeing a single disciple enter the mine, and today two show up. Is something going on?" The pill-refining cultivator who had teased Leo earlier couldn't help but gossip. As he wondered, Fin also disappeared into the mine.

  "This is a mess. How am I supposed to find Leo in here?"

  Fin entered the mine. Though it was dark, his Mystical Sight Technique allowed him to see clearly. At certain intervals, luminous stones were embedded in the walls, casting a faint glow. But right where he stood, several tunnels branched off. After walking a bit, even more forks appeared.

  "Only a Foundation Establishment cultivator with powerful spiritual sense sweeping through could barely locate him." Fin smiled bitterly.

  Meanwhile, deep in the mine, Leo was quite satisfied with his current environment. Not because it was comfortable, but because in such a complex labyrinth, simply finding him would be extremely difficult. It seemed he wouldn't have to worry about being threatened for a considerable time.

  The tunnels were deep and winding, with forks leading to more forks. To avoid getting lost, Leo carefully mapped his route as he went.

  The Black Water Stockade Mine had been worked for so long that after walking for nearly an hour, he hadn't found a single spirit stone.

  "Hmm? A few low-grade metal-attributed spirit stones." After exploring several more forks, Leo spotted several stones embedded in a patch of rock radiating a sharp, metallic aura. A slight smile crossed his face. However, where metal-attributed stones appeared, the rock was usually incredibly hard. Extracting them would take some effort.

  Leo took his mining pick from the storage pouch and approached the metal-attributed stones.

  Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh! The sharp sound of several projectiles cutting through the air. The force behind them was astonishing.

  Several mining picks, arranged in a triangular formation, flew straight at Leo's vital spots.

  But the picks passed straight through Leo's body, striking the cave wall behind without any sound of flesh being pierced or bones breaking. The picks passed through the dark shadow and clattered against the rock.

  "Damn, we've been tricked! Retreat!" The faces of two mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators and one early-stage cultivator changed simultaneously. They turned to flee.

  Thump, thump!

  "Ouch!" The two were sent flying by Leo's kick. The third tried to rise but found a cold blade pressed against his neck.

  "Are... are you man or ghost?" The bald old man with the blade at his throat stammered in terror.

  "What do you think?" Leo snorted coldly. Even as he spotted those metal-attributed stones, he had noticed a faint shadow on the ground. Though it was barely visible in the dim mine, his keen observation caught it. Having endured the treacherous, life-and-death struggles in the Moonwatch Mountain Range, where one misstep meant death, Leo wasn't about to let his guard down for a few low-grade metal-attributed stones.

  In this environment, his not-yet-fully-mastered Puppet Shadow Art proved quite useful, especially against low-level cultivators. In the dim tunnel light, even with Mystical Sight Technique, their vision was impaired, making it hard to distinguish illusion from reality.