10: Chapter 10: The female cultivator ultimately affected the mining speed.

"No matter, take my token and go find him."

"Also..."

"This is a foundation establishment pill; take it to him as well."

Bai Chuanfeng was finally bleeding.

"A foundation establishment pill?"

Bai Chuanfa was stunned again.

"Alright, I've put the nineteenth brother to great expense."

"Once I have avenged Gang'er, I will surely repay you handsomely."

Taking the foundation establishment pill, Bai Chuanfa turned to leave, though his silhouette seemed a bit hesitant.

...

The next day.

Zhao Yi thought Bai Chuanfeng would target him, but to his surprise, Bai Chuanfeng sat there as usual, indifferent, showing no signs of anything unusual.

Mine Shaft No. 7787,

When Zhao Yi arrived, Zhou Yan had already started digging.

Mountain dust and smoke flew, obscuring her delicate features.

After having a meal last night, the two had become more familiar.

"So late today?"

"You didn't go out to fool around after eating the war sheep group meat, did you?"

These words made Zhao Yi's face turn bright red; he was now a Cultivator at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer, capable of acting with restraint—how could he possibly lose control?

"Go, go, go~"

"Ivory doesn't grow in a dog's mouth; just focus on your mining."

"Oh~"

"I understand."

Zhou Yan teased.

Zhao Yi fled in embarrassment.

In the forty-meter-long tunnel that Zhao Yi had dug yesterday, only two people could pass side-by-side, with a height of two meters.

Zhao Yi pressed against the wall and went all out.

"Approximation Technique,"

"Within twenty meters,"

"The Great Dao is Simple, approximations are naturally formed... rounding off, the universe's fate is fixed."

"Approximate: twenty-one Low-Grade Spirit Stones."

"Holy moly."

"What's the situation?"

"These Spirit Stones actually like to cluster!"

"Hurry up and dig."

Zhao Yi brandished his hoe,

Half an hour later, the System notification sound appeared,

[You mined a Low-Grade Spirit Stone, experience points +1.]

His Qi Refining Eighth Layer cultivation allowed Zhao Yi's hoe to sink completely into the mountain rock. Each time, he could pry off large chunks. His digging speed was at least ten percent faster compared to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer.

As the System continued to notify him, Spirit Stones were continuously unearthed by Zhao Yi.

By noon, all twenty-one Low-Grade Spirit Stones had been dug out by Zhao Yi.

"This is so damn exhausting."

Throughout the morning, Zhao Yi didn't rest for a single minute; even the blade of his hoe had been chipped from his digging,

However, he had prepared a spare hoe this time; otherwise, it would have been another distressing day.

"How many did you dig this morning?"

"Twenty-one."

"Braggart!"

Zhao Yi and Zhou Yan sat opposite each other, each holding a Fasting Pill. It was impossible to eat a meal in the mine shaft, so they could only make do with these hunger-satisfying Medicinal Pills.

"I dug two this morning; you better work hard!"

It had to be said, with Zhou Yan as a mining partner, the emotional value Zhao Yi received was truly maximized.

"Alright, work hard!"

Beyond the forty-meter tunnel was a large cavern twenty meters in diameter; this was Zhao Yi's masterpiece from the morning.

After wandering around for a while, Zhao Yi chose a direction he considered the luckiest,

Leaning against the stone wall, he used the Approximation Technique again,

"Approximation Technique,"

"Within twenty meters,"

"The Great Dao is Simple, approximations are naturally formed... rounding off, the universe's fate is fixed."

"Approximate: eleven Low-Grade Spirit Stones."

"Eleven Low-Grade Spirit Stones?"

"Has my luck turned?"

Zhao Yi scratched his head,

But since he was sure there were Spirit Stones here, what else was there to say?

Dig!

Bang!

Zhao Yi slammed his hoe into the mountain wall. With a surge of strength from both arms, large pieces of rock fell away,

Forty minutes later,

[You mined a Low-Grade Spirit Stone, experience points +1.]

"Here it comes."

Zhao Yi picked up the Spirit Stone,

Over the next three hours, the other ten Spirit Stones were also unearthed by Zhao Yi one after another.

Today, he mined a total of thirty-two Low-Grade Spirit Stones, with a net income of three Low-Grade Spirit Stones and twenty purple gold coins.

In the mine shaft,

Zhao Yi sat on a rock, watching Zhou Yan brandish her hoe from a distance,

Perhaps because he had been single for too long, watching Zhou Yan's busy figure, Zhao Yi actually became dazed for a moment.

"Crazy~"

"Instead of digging for Spirit Stones, why are you sitting there staring blankly?"

Zhao Yi...

"I had a sudden realization; I feel like my Realm is loosening."

Zhou Yan gave Zhao Yi a sidelong glance,

"Look at you, acting all capable. Can looking at a female Cultivator help you Breakthrough your Realm?"

The two walked shoulder to shoulder as the surrounding scenery receded rapidly; a beautiful day had come to an end.

At the exit of the main mine shaft,

"Zhao Yi, thirty-two Low-Grade Spirit Stones. Wages: three Low-Grade Spirit Stones and twenty purple gold coins."

Zhou Yan, walking in front, was startled. She turned back to look at Zhao Yi,

"You really dug twenty-one Low-Grade Spirit Stones this morning?"

Zhao Yi spread his hands,

"Evidently~"

Zhou Yan's eyes lit up, flashing with something called hope.

Meanwhile, the originally reclining Bai Chuanfeng suddenly sat up, his eyes looking at Zhao Yi sharply.

Then, as if realizing where he was, he lay back down.

But his fingers, which kept tapping, showed that his mind was not at peace.

Declining Zhou Yan's invitation, Zhao Yi returned to the cultivation room.

He was worried about the Bai family's revenge; it definitely wasn't because he was afraid of eating that war sheep group meat...

"System!"

[Miner: Zhao Yi]

[Cultivation: Qi Refining Eighth Layer (Insufficient experience, cannot level up)]

[experience points: 35/320]

[Rewards: None]

Looking at those thirty-five experience points, Zhao Yi felt a bit melancholy,

"If only I could dig thirty-odd Spirit Stones every day, I could Breakthrough the Qi Refining Eighth Layer in just ten days."

Was it possible?

Zhao Yi didn't know.

He slept deeply through the night,

The next day, Zhao Yi carried three hoes and entered the Spirit Stone Mine again.

In the mine shaft, a dense crowd of Cultivators gathered together again.

As soon as Zhao Yi entered the mine shaft, the Cultivators who were either sitting or chatting stopped instantly.

Given the situation, how could Zhao Yi not understand?

The news of him digging thirty-two Low-Grade Spirit Stones yesterday must have been spread again by someone with ulterior motives.

"Collapse Step!"

Spiritual Qi gathered in his legs,

With a boom,

Zhao Yi vanished, leaving many Cultivators staring at each other in shock,

A Qi Refining Eighth Layer cultivation in the first level of the mine shaft was definitely as rare as a Phoenix feather.

Mine Shaft No. 7787.

There was no banging sound of mining; Zhou Yan hadn't come,

"Did she oversleep?"

This day, with the help of the Approximation Technique, Zhao Yi dug thirteen Low-Grade Spirit Stones,

For an ordinary Cultivator, this was a good harvest, but for Zhao Yi, it was just average.

On the second day, Zhou Yan still didn't appear. That day, Zhao Yi dug six Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

On the third day, Zhao Yi came up empty.

"Darn it!"

"Is it just because I didn't accompany her for a meal? Are female Cultivators so petty?"

"Dammit, I'm finished."

"After all, a female Cultivator affected the speed of my mining."

"No, I must change!"

Fourth day, empty!

Fifth day, empty again!

Sixth day, still empty!

Seventh day, deathly empty!

Zhao Yi was numb.

Looking at the tunnels dug in all directions, Zhao Yi shook his head.

"I can't just hang myself on one tree."

"Tomorrow is the last day. If I still can't dig any Spirit Stones, I'll change locations."

"This place is too unlucky."

On the eighth day, before Zhao Yi even reached Mine Shaft No. 7787, he heard a banging sound coming from the shaft from afar,

"Could it be?"