15: Chapter 15 Brother, it turns out you're the real expert!

Tang Long returned to the mine cave and remained silent for a long while.

The Vulture had answered his previous questions, but it left him quite depressed because what he said made a hell of a lot of sense.

The cultivation technique was incomplete, so it was impossible to practice, because that was exactly how it was designed.

It allowed you to see in the dark, gave you more stamina, and let you be good beasts of burden, but it didn't allow you to become stronger.

It was just too damn reasonable.

Those sinful Blue Star people!

The problem now was that the path of martial arts cultivation had hit a major hurdle right at the beginning. To advance in rank, one had to change their Breathing Method, but where could one get such a thing?

The Martial Arts Academy was likely too far away, and Man Hai... was that even possible?

Besides, was what The Vulture said definitely correct?

It wasn't that Tang Long thought The Vulture was lying, but The Vulture himself was only at the second stage of Qi Manipulation. Did his saying it couldn't be practiced mean it definitely couldn't be practiced?

Logically speaking, as long as one could provide a strong enough source of spirit energy, there should definitely be room for improvement.

If spirit residue didn't work, what about spirit stones?

Just do it!

Tang Long immediately took out that spirit stone, held it in his hands, and began his Breathing Technique.

The spirit stone was indeed extraordinary, even more effective than he had imagined. The spirit energy it provided was both stable and powerful, far stronger than spirit residue.

It was just... a bit hard to bear.

His vitality was continuously draining, but correspondingly, his spirit energy intensity was also noticeably increasing.

Tang Long endured the immense pressure and practiced the Breathing Technique rapidly. His Spirit Ring gradually changed from murky to a crystalline, translucent fiery red.

He didn't know how much time had passed when his Spirit Ring suddenly shook, jolting Tang Long out of his Breathing Technique state.

He immediately discovered that the spirit stone in his hand had completely turned into a pile of gray dust.

However, when he circulated his energy, he was shocked to find that his spirit energy intensity had increased significantly.

Although there was still a considerable gap before reaching the second stage, compared to when he had just condensed his Spirit Ring, it had increased by almost double.

He grabbed a hard rock and squeezed it slightly, cracking it directly, and couldn't help but let his eyes light up.

"Extravagant, truly extravagant."

"Back when I played the game, I wasn't even willing to spend spirit stones at level thirty-something. I didn't expect my rerolled alt character to take off like this now."

"But... it's worth it!"

After a brief moment of reflection, Tang Long immediately turned his gaze to a corner of the mine cave.

Buried in that location was the last spirit stone in this mine cave, though it was buried very deep, likely close to three meters.

He probably wouldn't have any time to rest tonight.

...

The next morning, the atmosphere at the roll call was unusually serious. The Mine Manager, Man Hai, appeared with all six Overseers.

Finding an opportunity, Tang Long quietly asked The Vulture.

"Sir, what happened?"

The Vulture said with a gloomy face, "A heavenly change is forming nearby. It's very close to us, so try to stay in the cave for the next few days."

"What!"

Tang Long was greatly alarmed.

Just after the roll call finished, a strong wind began to blow through the mining area. People couldn't stand on flat ground, and the sky was filled with dust.

The airflow in the mine cave emitted demon-like hisses, making people feel restless.

In a corner of the East-8 mine cave, Hei Zi and a few subordinates gathered together once again, their faces quite excited.

"Boss, is the heavenly change coming?"

"Do you even need to ask? Didn't you see how nervous Man Hai and the others are?"

"Those damn Hetero-blood Species, the days of them riding on our heads and acting like tyrants are finally over."

"I haven't seen a woman in three years, tsk tsk~~"

"Look at you, you're pathetic, drooling already!"

Everyone burst into laughter, but Hei Zi waved his hand.

"Don't get happy too early. We aren't sure what kind of heavenly change this is yet, it might not be suitable for escaping."

This sentence was like a bucket of cold water poured over everyone's heads, and for a moment, there was silence.

Then Hei Zi added coldly, "If we can't leave for now, then 5726 must die. I'll go find him in a bit. After I take him down, I'll call you guys to collapse that mine cave and bury him inside. Once we confirm he's dead, we'll report it to the higher-ups."

Hearing him say this, the few mine slaves immediately perked up.

"Brother Hei is truly impressive, being able to come up with such a good plan."

"Good! I've been tolerating that kid for days! Should have killed him long ago!"

"Brother Hei's plan is foolproof. Even if we don't leave for now, that bald guy won't be able to blame us."

"It's just a pity about those three spirit stones."

...

Inside the mine cave, Tang Long was covered in sweat, holding the newly dug-out spirit stone in his dust-covered hands, sighing to himself.

If he hadn't consumed one earlier, adding this one would have made exactly five.

Moreover, the current situation didn't align with his plans.

Actually, he felt that developing here was quite good. If he could smoothly transition to level ten and reach the second or third stage of cultivation, that would be the ideal level.

But time waited for no one. The heavenly change came too fast, and Hei Zi and the others would likely make their move soon.

Tang Long actually had no objection to these people wanting to escape, and he tried his best not to interfere.

Because this was essentially a conflict between the oppressed masses of Blue Star and the evil slave owners. As an outsider, why bother getting involved? The key was how to ensure his own interests in what was about to happen.

Hei Zi still had a spirit stone; anyway, he didn't want to turn it in, so getting it shouldn't hinder his own plans.

Just as he was thinking this, footsteps came from outside. When he looked up, Hei Zi had already walked into the cave.

Tang Long smiled immediately, a very sincere smile.

"Brother Hei is here."

"Yeah, this strong wind is annoying. Came to chat with you."

Tang Long chuckled, "A heavenly change, it's normal. This is just the beginning; the wind will be even stronger at night. If you want to escape, a night like this is perfect."

Hei Zi was suddenly shocked, "What did you say?"

"Sneaking out through the tunnel, without anyone noticing. If your legs are fast enough, by the time of tomorrow morning's roll call, you'll be at least dozens of miles away."

Although Hei Zi couldn't figure out how the secret had leaked, Tang Long's words clearly indicated he already knew they were planning to escape.

His body trembled slightly, then a fierce glint appeared in his eyes, and he threw a punch at Tang Long.

This punch was fast and fierce.

But Tang Long, as if he had foreseen it, had already moved to parry it a step earlier.

He caught the punch, deflected it, and twisted, throwing Hei Zi to the ground. With a crack, Hei Zi's right shoulder was immediately dislocated.

He let out a muffled groan from the pain, but Tang Long's knee immediately pressed against his neck, and he slammed a digging shovel in front of him. The cold gleam of the blade made him tremble.

"You think you're smart, but you're actually an idiot."

"If one could escape just by relying on a mere tunnel, this mining area would have been empty long ago."

"Do you think the Duke's guards are just freeloaders? They might be idle most of the time, but once this happens, they will definitely come to hunt you down. These people are armed to the teeth, and any one of them is several times stronger than Man Hai. Do you think you can escape?"

"Escaping into the heavenly change is one way, but following your plan is a dead end. Everyone will be killed because of you."

Hei Zi never expected Tang Long to be this powerful. He himself had trained, yet he had absolutely no power to resist in front of him.

He was already terrified, but hearing Tang Long's words made him even more horrified, unable to figure out what was going on.

Tang Long lifted his knee slightly, letting him catch his breath.

He immediately asked, "How did you..."

"If all you can think of asking right now is this, then you might as well just die."

Hei Zi was still terrified, but he immediately realized that if Tang Long wanted to kill him, it would be extremely easy. He wouldn't even need to do it himself; just reporting it would be enough.

Since he hadn't done so, there must be a reason.

Could he also be one of his own kind?

"What is the way to survive?"

Hearing him ask this question, Tang Long smiled slightly, grabbed his arm, and pushed it upward. Amidst the intense pain, Hei Zi discovered his dislocated shoulder had been reset.

"Of course, it's to storm the watchtower."

Hei Zi shuddered upon hearing this; he felt extremely horrified by this gently delivered answer.

"Storm the watchtower? There are four Monster Hunter Crossbows up there, and Man Hai and the others are fully armed and all experts. You call this a way to survive?"

"Monster Hunter Crossbows are scary, but their firing frequency is very slow. Last time the Leopard-Tailed Dragon attacked, I counted carefully; the firing interval is over 30 seconds. There are over a thousand mine slaves in the mining area; how many can the Monster Hunter Crossbows kill?"

"Let me ask you, even if you escape into the heavenly change, without food or clothing, and only a little bit of hidden jerky and water, how many days can you last? What will you use to deal with demon beasts? A few hand picks, digging shovels, or those little broken knives you made from modified digging shovels?"

Speaking to this point, Tang Long suddenly shouted, "Answer me!"

Hei Zi was stunned by what he said, "But, will others be willing to do this with us? If too many people know, someone will definitely snitch. What should we do?"

Tang Long sneered, "Escaping is death, and being a mine slave is death sooner or later. Why wouldn't they be willing when given such an opportunity?"

"As for snitching, there is indeed that risk. But how the hell could there be no risk in such a damn thing? You want to gain freedom without taking any risks at all?"

"If you only tell a few people, they will inevitably be cowardly or even harbor ulterior motives. But if you let everyone know and have them supervise each other, the risk will naturally be much smaller."

"Taking a step back, even if someone wants to snitch, so what? Escaping is a capital crime. Knowing about it and not reporting it is equivalent to participating; they will be executed by association anyway. As long as you dare to announce it publicly, some people will have to participate even if they don't want to."

"When the time comes, use some strategy. Just say that everyone has already agreed to rise up, and only their cave is left. You might as well shout it out confidently; it both shows confidence and gives them confidence."

"We are all brothers suffering together. If we don't unite as one, how can we fight for a way to survive?"

"As long as you twist these thousands of people together, let alone storming the watchtower being easy, your ability to survive after escaping into the heavenly change will also be a hundred times stronger. Only then will you have the confidence to confront any threat."

"Right now, this strong wind will just happen to gather everyone in their respective mine caves. Man Hai and the others' attention will definitely be on the heavenly change. As long as the wind doesn't stop, they will probably only call the various cave leaders to distribute food at noon. If this guess holds true, then today is a god-given opportunity."

"There are twenty-two mine caves in total. As long as you are fast enough, you can establish momentum in an hour or two."

"You must make it clear: the lights turning on at the watchtower is the signal. Everyone attacks at the same time! Those who lag behind will be considered traitors, and each cave must execute them immediately!"

"As long as no one can snitch before the lights turn on, you win!"

Hearing this, Hei Zi was completely stunned and didn't recover for a long while.

"Brother, it turns out you are the true expert~!"

"You lead us and let's do it!"

Tang Long immediately shook his head.

"The core of success is not technique, but prestige."

"I am a notoriously known fool; who would be convinced? Only Brother Hei, you have the qualifications. One shout from you would make everyone respond."

"You must not tell anyone else that I am advising you. This would damage your prestige and be detrimental to the uprising."

"Also, I must remind you that even if we succeed, many people will die. Brother Hei must be mentally prepared for this, so don't lose your cool just because some of our brothers have fallen."

Hei Zi felt a chill down his spine, but at the same time, his blood was pumping. His eyes flickered with excitement and emotion, and he nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice.

He immediately stood up, but was pulled back by Tang Long, who then lowered his voice to remind him.

"When you initiate, don't be too hasty. It's nearly three hundred steps from the various mine caves to the watchtower, and it will take quite a few lives to fill that gap. Don't be stupid and lead the charge; let them go first! Do you understand?"

Tears almost welled up in Hei Zi's eyes, "Brother, let's not talk about the past. From now on, you are my own brother!"

Tang Long urged him again, "Remember my words, you absolutely cannot get into trouble. After it's done, if there is no one at the helm, it will still be a dead end."

Hei Zi nodded heavily, and with an extremely serious expression, turned and left the cave.