136: Chapter 136 You say I didn't try?

Zhao Yi was stunned. Kicked out of Baiyu Mountain?

Wouldn't that be the end of everything?

"You need Spirit Stones?"

"Aren't there plenty of Spirit Stones on the second floor?"

Li Yingzhen...

He grabbed Zhao Yi by the neck.

"So you're saying..."

"All your Spirit Stones were kept on the second floor?"

"Ah, damn it! Do you know how I've lived these past 113 years?"

"Motherfucker, to keep Baiyu Mountain, I even mortgaged the Green Maple Garden!"

"And now you tell me the Spirit Stones were on the second floor?"

Li Yingzhen was truly going mad.

He swore he would never let Zhao Yi touch any spiritual wine again—none at all!

It delayed things far too much.

Knowing there were Spirit Stones on the second floor, Li Yingzhen's figure vanished.

Opening the two rooms on the second floor, Li Yingzhen gave himself a sharp slap. Good heavens, what kind of stupidity had he committed?

Why hadn't he come up to the second floor to take a look?

Especially upon seeing those nine Top-Grade Spirit Stones shrouded in mist, Li Yingzhen was left speechless.

He couldn't fathom how carefree Zhao Yi's heart could be.

Top-Grade Spirit Stones should be kept close to one's person, yet they were just piled here?

With a wave of his hand, he collected all the Spirit Stones in the room.

He reappeared before the dazed Zhao Yi.

"What are you standing there for?"

"Hurry up and go mine some Spirit Stones!"

"By the way, I'm considering these Spirit Stones a loan from you."

"Once you mine more, I'll deduct it from the total."

Having said that, Li Yingzhen vanished in a frantic rush.

Zhao Yi...

His reaction time was a bit slow.

"113 years?"

"How has it been 113 years?"

He clearly felt as if only a moment had passed.

"System,"

[Miner: Zhao Yi]

[Cultivation: Late Integration Stage (Insufficient experience, cannot level up)]

[experience points: 0/100]

[Rewards: None]

"Damn it, I haven't mined for 113 years, and these stats haven't moved an inch?"

"What a waste of all that time."

"Where is Approximate?"

Specks of golden characters formed the brilliantly golden Approximate.

"Holy crap."

"You..."

"You evolved?"

The current Approximate was glowing brightly, looking exactly like a walking golden dog.

"Let's go, time to mine."

Zhao Yi originally wanted to reward Approximate with a Spirit Stone, but his hand met empty air. He then remembered that all the Spirit Stones had been borrowed by Li Yingzhen.

Fortunately, Approximate seemed like he had been cooped up for too long; as soon as he was released, he headed straight for the mine, sparing Zhao Yi the embarrassment.

Inside the mine, Zhao Yi took out his great sumeru treasure hoe. Just as he was about to start, a figure flashed into view.

"Who is it?"

"Old Ancestor Zhao, I have finally found you."

"I am Disciple Wu Chuan, formerly a Cultivator of the Wuxiang Sect. I wish to take you as my Master. I beg the Old Ancestor to take me in."

"So it's you!"

A hundred years ago, Wu Chuan had been the first to jump out and strike Bai Chuanyu's head. Zhao Yi's impression of him was quite deep.

"Take me as your Master?"

Zhao Yi found it strange. Although he was at the Late Integration Stage, because he was a Death Cultivator, no one had ever come to seek apprenticeship.

"Wasn't the Wuxiang Sect quite good? Why aren't you there? Doesn't this count as betraying your sect?"

Zhao Yi did not like traitors.

Wu Chuan knelt, his voice carrying a hint of bitterness.

"The Wuxiang Sect..."

"Was disbanded a hundred years ago."

"Disbanded?"

Zhao Yi realized it wasn't surprising. After being repeatedly suppressed and schemed against, it was only natural for the Wuxiang Sect to disband.

"I am merely a Death Cultivator and do not understand cultivation. Even if I take you as a Disciple, what could I teach you?"

"Teach you how to mine Spirit Stones?"

As he spoke, Zhao Yi laughed at the thought.

"You've come to the wrong person. Hurry up and leave, don't delay my mining."

Zhao Yi actually had a good impression of Wu Chuan, and precisely because of that, he couldn't take him in.

To his surprise, Wu Chuan didn't seem to care and simply kept kowtowing.

"I beg the Old Ancestor for mercy. This Disciple has been waiting here for a hundred years."

"My heart for apprenticeship can be witnessed by the sun and moon. I beg the Old Ancestor."

Wu Chuan kowtowed until blood began to flow.

"You rascal, can one even force an apprenticeship?"

The most critical point was that Zhao Yi truly had nothing to teach.

Wouldn't taking a Disciple just be leading them astray?

"Just leave!"

Zhao Yi didn't even look at Wu Chuan, taking out his great sumeru treasure hoe to begin mining.

Wu Chuan looked at Zhao Yi despondently, not moving for a long time.

Although Zhao Yi felt a bit soft-hearted, he did not turn around.

Clang, clang, clang—the sounds echoed throughout the mine.

In the blink of an eye, a day passed.

Looking at the two Low-Grade Spirit Stones in the corner, Zhao Yi felt something was wrong.

"Approximation Technique,"

"Within a hundred meters,"

"The Great Dao is Simple, approximation is naturally formed..."

Specks of characters once again formed a teacup-sized Approximate.

"Heh heh, doggy, are there Spirit Stones here?"

"The big Top-Grade Spirit Stones?"

The suddenly shrunken Approximate rolled his eyes at Zhao Yi and extended his left front paw.

"Woof~"

"Oh, oh, oh, just dig straight ahead!"

"Thank you, Big Brother, for showing me the way."

Zhao Yi set Approximate down and restored him to normal size before resuming his digging.

Not far away, Wu Chuan watched Approximate, who was manifested from characters, with a light in his eyes. This was exactly what he wanted to learn.

As time passed, more and more rocks piled up behind Zhao Yi. Wu Chuan said nothing and began moving them.

Fortunately, there was a Teleportation Array nearby; otherwise, Wu Chuan could never have finished the work previously done by over three hundred people.

Zhao Yi glanced at Wu Chuan but did not refuse his help.

"Hmph, even with a Teleportation Array, the work of three hundred people isn't something one person can handle. Once he can't take it anymore, he'll probably leave on his own."

Then, Zhao Yi began his grand streak of coming up empty-handed.

Yes, a grand streak of nothing.

On the second day, not a single Low-Grade Spirit Stone was found. Zhao Yi didn't mind, thinking perhaps he had mined the Top-Grade Spirit Stones too aggressively a hundred years ago.

On the third day, the streak continued. Zhao Yi's entire focus was on his hoe.

...

On the tenth day, still nothing. Zhao Yi dug incessantly, losing all sense of time.

...

On the hundredth day, the System still hadn't made a sound. Zhao Yi looked back at the rocks behind him.

With Approximate's cooperation, Wu Chuan had surprisingly prevented the rocks from piling up too much.

He continued his efforts.

In the blink of an eye, a year had passed. Looking at the twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones in the corner, Zhao Yi felt a bit doubtful.

He wondered if the Spirit Stones had grown legs, or if they had been scared off by Bai Chuanyu and the others.

Although he knew Top-Grade Spirit Stones were hard to find, coming up empty for a year was truly hard for Zhao Yi to accept.

The most crucial point was that in this entire year, he hadn't even found a Medium Grade Spirit Stone. This was just ridiculous.

He reached out and grabbed Approximate.

"Dead Dog, are you sure there are Top-Grade Spirit Stones here?"

"Woof~"

Approximate meant that Zhao Yi should just keep digging; there were definitely Top-Grade Spirit Stones.

Zhao Yi...

"Fine, I'll trust you one more time."

Another year passed.

Zhao Yi grabbed Approximate with both hands.

"Dead Dog, speak!"

"Are you fooling me?"

"It's been another damn year of nothing! What are you doing?"

Approximate's eyes bulged from being squeezed, his long tongue hanging out as if he were about to die.

Wu Chuan, standing nearby, grew anxious.

"Master, stop! If you keep squeezing, you'll kill Senior Brother Approximate!"

"Don't call me that! Who is your Master? Call me Old Ancestor Zhao!"

"And you're not ashamed to call a dog your Senior Brother?"

After two years of finding nothing, Zhao Yi was starting to lose his cool.

"I'm not ashamed,"

Wu Chuan said softly.

"What? What did you say?"

"What kind of benefits did this Dead Dog give you?"

Zhao Yi's anger flared.

"Silly Dog, get lost!"

Approximate, who had been tossed far away, barked furiously at Zhao Yi.

He was practically spitting in rage.

Even Wu Chuan, who couldn't understand dog language, knew he was cursing Zhao Yi, let alone Zhao Yi himself.

Zhao Yi gripped the great sumeru treasure hoe, his hair standing on end from anger.

"What?"

"You're saying I haven't been trying?"