To Fin, these exiled miners were nothing but weeds. Armed with the Black Flood Dragon Shears, he naturally viewed their incompetent efforts with contempt. His harsh methods kept the miners trembling as they searched for Leo, while also keeping their distance from Fin himself.

  Nearly another year passed. Aside from wounding Leo twice, Fin had nothing to show for his efforts. Suddenly recalling that his two-year agreement with Mist was nearly up, he reluctantly left the Black Water Stockade Mine.

  At Azure Lotus Peak, Mist listened impassively as Fin recounted his two years in the mine. Fin spoke until his mouth was dry, describing the mine's complex terrain, the countless branching tunnels, and Leo's cunning.

  "I see. Return the Black Flood Dragon Shears and withdraw." After a long silence, Mist finally spoke. Though he knew Fin spoke the truth—tossing thousands of men into that mine would barely cause a ripple, let alone find one man determined to hide—after two years of such useless results, Mist couldn't hide his displeasure. But he was about to depart and had no more time to waste on a mere Qi Refining cultivator like Leo.

  Mist gestured, and the Black Flood Dragon Shears flew from Fin's person.

  Fin's heart ached with reluctance. The thrill of dominating the mine, of having life and death power over the miners, had come largely from these shears. Without them, even Leo's talismans would have given him trouble. But the shears were not his. Reluctant as he was, he had no choice.

  What Fin didn't know was that after he left Mist's cave dwelling, Mist snorted coldly and pointed at the shears hovering in the air. A black crystal suddenly emerged from the handle.

  If Fin had been there, he would have died of fright. Mist had placed a Memory Stone on the Black Flood Dragon Shears. Whenever Fin used the shears, his spiritual power would also activate the Memory Stone, recording everything that happened in the mine.

  Indeed, as Mist activated it now, the Memory Stone projected several beams of light. Within the light, shadowy figures moved—the scene of Fin's first clash with Leo.

  "Oh? You've reached the seventh layer? Advancing to late-stage in such a short time—remarkable. It seems that old bastard Mist was right. You do possess some extraordinary treasure."

  "Once you're dead, your storage pouch is mine. That old fool Mist, with all his scheming, never imagined he'd be dressing me for success."

  The images showed Fin's arrogance and overweening pride. If not for the Memory Stone's recording, Mist would never have imagined that the groveling Fin before him could be so treacherous and conceited.

  Then came the fight, Leo's use of talismans and Smoke Mist Fruits to escape, followed by a scene of thick black smoke.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  There were also images of Fin using the Black Flood Dragon Shears to kill miners.

  "Damn it!" Mist's face darkened as he crushed the Memory Stone to powder. After a long moment, his expression turned coldly amused. "A mere Qi Refining insect dares play games with me? I've forgotten more than you'll ever know. Truly courting death. Still, Leo's rapid advancement is suspicious. When I return, I'll force him to submit."

  Fin greedily breathed the fresh air outside. Two years in the mine had nearly driven him mad. Though he hadn't completed his mission, he had lost nothing. The pills Mist provided had even accelerated his cultivation. His only regret was failing to capture Leo and claim his treasure.

  Little did Fin know that his every scheme was already known to Mist. Memory Stones weren't common, but they weren't extraordinary treasures either. Mist's method of concealing it was clever, though it couldn't fool a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Some top Qi Refining experts might also detect it. Fin was not among them.

  "Becoming Mist's disciple is out of the question now. I'll rest a few days, then check the Chores Hall for suitable work." Fin sighed.

  Days later, while riding a spirit crane, Fin's heart suddenly clenched in agony. Overcome with pain, he fell from the crane and died on impact.

  Though several cultivators close to Fin found it strange—no Palace disciple had ever fallen from a crane—the most peculiar detail was that Fin's corpse seemed poisoned. But his body was quickly claimed and cremated.

  Those in the know vaguely connected the incident to Mist. But without evidence, and with Mist a Foundation Establishment cultivator beyond their reach, the matter became idle gossip among Palace disciples and was soon forgotten.

  Unlike Fin, Leo had narrowly escaped death several times, each time turning disaster into fortune. By chance, he discovered a secret mine tunnel rich in spiritual energy.

  "Black Flower Pill!" Leo joyfully picked up a round, gleaming black pill. From now on, this pill would accompany him until Foundation Establishment.

  With Black Flower Pills refined, his cultivation accelerated further. The boundary space was always filled with dense spiritual energy. In his remaining time, Leo tirelessly practiced the Puppet Shadow Art and various low-grade spells. A cultivator's combat power lay in techniques and spells. As spirit stones grew scarce, most cultivators turned to technique cultivation, which consumed fewer stones.

  Leo's Primordial Chaos Scripture lacked matching combat techniques. Apart from the Puppet Shadow Art, he had only low-grade spells. Fortunately, the mine produced various spirit stones. With large amount of stones to consume, his spell mastery transformed, advancing by leaps and bounds.

  "Who?" One day, as Leo opened his furnace, a strange sound came from a distant tunnel. His gaze sharpened. He put away his pills and furnace and rose.

  "It's... it's us, Master Leo. Hann and his nephews." A weak, aged voice came from the darkness.

  After confirming no one followed, Leo emerged from hiding. The three looked terrible. Kolin and Kory were disheveled and in a wretched state. Hann had a deep, bone-deep wound on his chest, likely from a mining pick. They had clearly clashed with other miners.

  "Master Leo, this old man finally found you. After you left, we lived in fear, hunted everywhere." Tears nearly fell from Hann's eyes at the sight of Leo.

  "It's you. How did you know I was here?" Leo asked.

  "We smelled the fragrance of pills and guessed you were refining again. Forgive our presumption, but only near your stone chambers did we often smell that intoxicating scent. Though we couldn't see you, we guessed you were nearby." Kory explained.

  "Yes, Master Leo, don't worry. We've been fleeing ever since your enemy left. With so many mine bosses dead, the mine's power structure is in chaos. That's how this old man was wounded. You're safe now, Master Leo. And your ice silk—this old man has kept it safe." Hann tremblingly produced a bundle of ice silk from his robes. "Would you consider reorganizing the mine?"

  "You've done well. I'm refining new pills. We'll discuss reorganizing the mine later."

  Leo considered for a moment. His boundary space still held large amount of spirit stones, enough to last a while. He couldn't be sure Fin had truly left—it might be a trap. He needed to investigate further. He had narrowly escaped Fin several times, each more dangerous than the last.

  The closest call was six months ago, when he had even used his Fortifying Element Array. The array, capable of trapping a Great Perfection Qi Refining cultivator, lasted only three breaths against the Black Flood Dragon Shears before the formation flags were completely destroyed. But those precious moments gave Leo enough distance to escape using Smoke Mist Fruits, disappearing into a branching tunnel.