"Fireball Technique!" Leo flicked his wrist.

  "Oh!" A moment later, Leo gasped in surprise. The fireball he had cast was the size of a large bowl, nearly twice as fast as before. With a thunderous boom, it blasted a massive ore block into powder. The sheer power left him stunned.

  At the same time, he felt a subtle fluctuation within his elixir field, as if something had suddenly appeared.

  Leo quickly turned his spiritual sense inward. There, within his elixir field, floated a gleaming, circular red mark.

  "A dharma seal!" Leo scoured his memory and finally recalled an ancient text describing such phenomena in the elixir field. In ancient times, when spirit stones were abundant, there existed a class of exceptionally powerful dharma cultivators. Their spells, honed to the extreme, could overturn rivers and seas, rivaling even those who followed the path of martial techniques. The most formidable dharma cultivators often held immense advantage over their peers. Their most distinctive feature was the formation of dharma seals within the elixir field.

  Forging a dharma seal required years of relentless cultivation and deepening understanding of spells.

  But in the present age, dharma cultivators had virtually vanished. The primary reason was that spirit stones were far scarcer than in ancient times. Through countless generations of cultivators, various spiritual treasures had dwindled. In antiquity, Foundation Establishment Pills were easier to obtain, and even Golden Core cultivators were far more numerous. Thus, cultivators could pursue their path without distraction.

  Leo made a rough calculation. The spirit stones he had consumed merely practicing spells in the mine already exceeded ten thousand. Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would struggle to produce such a sum. As for giving it to a descendant or disciple solely for spell cultivation—that was nearly impossible.

  Fin had spent nearly two years in the mine. Two years after his departure, another four years had passed.

  "Roar!" A leopard's cry, chilling to every miner, echoed through over a dozen tunnels. Times had changed. Fed large quantities of high-grade Beast Spirit Pills, the leopard had grown into a peak third-grade spirit beast. Within the mine, it was invincible. Even Leo would need considerable effort to subdue it.

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  Hann, accompanied by the leopard and carrying two bags of spirit stones, respectfully approached a secret cave entrance. Since the leopard's rise, it had intimidated the various mine bosses, and Leo's appearances grew even rarer. The mine had enjoyed unprecedented peace these past years.

  "Master Leo!" Hann called softly outside the cave.

  Before Hann could react, a dark figure flashed, and Leo stood within a few meters of him.

  Startled, Hann quickly composed himself. Six years had passed since Leo entered the mine. The once-youthful boy had grown into a tall young man. His features hadn't changed much—not handsome, but still retaining a trace of youthful delicacy. Back then, though Leo was only at the sixth layer of Qi Refining, his sharpness was already apparent to Hann.

  But now, Hann, himself at the seventh layer, couldn't sense Leo's exact cultivation. Shock filled him. Leo seemed unfathomably deep.

  A slight smile played on Leo's lips. He had just used a combination of Lightbody and Wind Riding Techniques, nearly twice as fast as Wind Riding alone.

  Nearly six years. He had consumed hundreds of thousands of spirit stones from the mine—an astronomical sum even for a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Finally, he had forged dharma seals for all five elemental spells. He had also gained considerable proficiency in wind, thunder, and ice spells.

  For him, everything was aimed at increasing his strength for the upcoming sect minor competition. In the mine, he couldn't practice martial techniques. Under Mist's threat, he dared not leave the mine freely, lest he invite disaster. His circumstances forced him to focus on spells.

  Since forging the five elemental dharma seals, he could cast low-grade spells almost instantly, several times faster than other cultivators. Their power had increased, yet they consumed far less spiritual energy.

  The sect minor competition forbade magic artifacts. Otherwise, Foundation Establishment Pills would be reserved for the disciples or blood relatives of Foundation Establishment masters, and loose cultivators wouldn't bother joining sects.

  Now, Leo was confident that his spell mastery alone would secure him a place in the competition. He had also prepared several trump cards for critical moments.

  "Master Leo, this month's tribute from the mine bosses." Hann handed the bags to Leo.

  "Keep this spirit sword and these pills as compensation for your services these past years." Leo gave Hann his high-grade spirit sword and a bottle of Black Flower Pills for late-stage Qi Refining.

  "Master... Master Leo, you're leaving the mine." Hann trembled. He understood what this meant.

  "Yes. The sect minor competition begins in six months. Only by obtaining Foundation Establishment Pills there can I hope to form my foundation."

  Leo nodded. Over six years had passed since he entered the mine. With top-grade pills like White Dew and Black Flower, his cultivation had soared from the sixth to the thirteenth layer of Qi Refining. Now twenty years old, he had reached the Great Perfection stage. He had been too weak for the last competition. Now, after six years of effort, his strength was incomparable. He would secure a place.

  Before the competition, he needed to prepare and gather detailed information on the Palace's top Qi Refining experts. The Black Water Stockade Mine no longer served any purpose.

  Giving his only high-grade spirit sword to Hann was compensation for years of service, saving him much trouble. But it was also a test.

  He always felt Hann harbored secrets. The man was not as simple as he appeared. Another might have been tempted by greed and attacked, seeing Leo unarmed. Hann was now at late-stage Qi Refining, and the high-grade spirit sword could bridge the gap. Before entering the mine, Hann had even been a seasoned Great Perfection cultivator, reduced by Mist's treachery. He must have retained some methods.

  But to Leo's surprise, he sensed no killing intent from Hann. He had given the sword knowing he could handle Hann or anyone else if necessary.