24: Chapter 24 The middle stage of foundation building

【You dug up a Medium Grade Spirit Stone, experience points + 100.】

"Another Medium Grade Spirit Stone. Does this mean I have enough experience points?"

【Miner: Zhao Yi】

【Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Early Stage (Insufficient experience points, cannot advance)】

【experience points: 1276 / 1280】

【Reward: None】

"Damn it,"

Looking at the experience points on the System panel, Zhao Yi almost threw up.

"It's only four points short! How am I supposed to deal with this?"

What was most frustrating was that Zhao Yi's True Qi was also running low; he wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer.

"Give it my all!"

Was Zhao Yi the type of person to give up easily?

But as his True Qi was consumed bit by bit, Zhao Yi felt the hoe in his hand getting heavier and the rock getting harder.

"Bang!"

Finally, after Zhao Yi drove the hoe into the rock, he couldn't pull it back out.

"Forget it. This must be fate; I'll just have to come back next time."

Zhou Muyu had just said that once they finished digging this patch of rock, they would return to the surface to rest and also handle the funeral arrangements for the female Cultivator surnamed Chen.

"Get out."

Zhao Yi felt dizzy, his vision blurred, but he squeezed out the last bit of True Qi in his body and finally pried the rock loose.

【You dug up a Medium Grade Spirit Stone, experience points + 100.】

"Good, good, good!"

"I actually dug out another Medium Grade Spirit Stone..."

Zhao Yi sat down hard on the rocks, completely exhausted.

"Are you okay?"

Hu Kun always appeared exactly when Zhao Yi needed him; compared to him, Mi Yao was more than a beat slower.

"I'm fine, just exhausted from running out of True Qi."

At this moment, Zhou Muyu also walked over, limping.

"Since that's the case, let's pack it up."

"Everyone, go up and get some rest. If you still want to dig for Spirit Stones, meet at the entrance of the second-level mine in seven days."

Zhou Muyu's voice wasn't loud, but it rang in the ears of every Cultivator.

"Come over and divide the Spirit Stones."

The mine, which had been echoing with bangs, suddenly went silent.

"I wonder how many Spirit Stones we'll get this time?"

"I reckon it'll be close to a hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones, after all, we dug up over twenty Medium Grade Spirit Stones."

Zhao Yi was also calculating; he estimated there would be a hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones, since he alone had dug up six Medium Grade Spirit Stones.

Sure enough, when Zhou Muyu announced that everyone would receive one hundred and nine Low-Grade Spirit Stones, a cheer erupted throughout the mine.

"Alright, take your Spirit Stones and get up there quickly, lest complications arise."

Zhao Yi took the Spirit Stones and, with Hu Kun's support, left the first-level mine. Just as they left, Bai Chuanzhi appeared in the mine with a group of people.

Seeing that it was empty, Bai Chuanzhi roared in anger: "Where are the people?"

"Who was on watch?"

A short Cultivator stepped out and said: "Bai, Master Bai, it was me..."

"What were you doing just now?"

"I, I had a stomach upset."

The short Cultivator's legs started to tremble.

"A stomach upset, huh? That's good."

"When nature calls, no one is exempt."

"Come closer, I don't eat people..."

The short Cultivator tremblingly approached Bai Chuanzhi.

"Did you really have a stomach upset?"

"It, it's true!"

Bai Chuanzhi patted the Cultivator's shoulder.

After three pats, the Cultivator collapsed like a leaking sandbag, instantly shrinking down until only a set of clothes remained on the rocks.

"Stubborn bastard, a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator getting a stomach upset? Do you take me for a fool?"

He reached out, fished a Storage Pouch out of the pile of clothes,

and said to the other Cultivators: "Can't let you all make this trip for nothing, take it and split it."

"Oh, I'll personally sponsor you all with fifty more Low-Grade Spirit Stones each."

The many Cultivators following Bai Chuanzhi immediately cheered.

"Master Bai is generous!"

...

Back in the cultivation room, Zhao Yi naturally didn't know what had happened in the mine.

He was taking stock of his gains from the second-level mine.

He had saved up enough experience points for a Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment Mid-stage.

One hundred and fifty-five Low-Grade Spirit Stones; he used one for cultivation, and after deducting the mining entry fee, fifty-four remained.

Plus one Gold Spirit Stone worth ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Counting it all up, Zhao Yi had a total of sixty-four Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

"Six days, it seems like less Spirit Stones than in the first-level mine."

Zhao Yi shook his head. Although there weren't many Spirit Stones, the experience points were high.

Besides, if he had run into that Lesser Strange Demon, he definitely wouldn't have been a match for it.

"System,"

【Miner: Zhao Yi】

【Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Early Stage (Can advance)】

【experience points: 1376 / 1280】

【Reward: None】

"Advance my cultivation!"

In less than half a month, Zhao Yi was about to break through from Foundation Establishment Early Stage to Foundation Establishment Mid-stage again.

"If this were at the Cultivation Academy, I'd probably be dragged off to be sliced up and studied, right?"

As the experience points on the System panel rapidly disappeared, vast amounts of Spiritual Qi appeared out of thin air inside Zhao Yi's body.

Subsequently, following the circulation path of the Azure Spirit Scripture, it compressed into liquid True Qi.

This compression took an unknown amount of time; only when there was no more Spiritual Qi in his body did Zhao Yi stop.

At this moment, Zhao Yi's Dantian was almost filled with True Qi; his strength was more than three times what it was at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage.

"Is the disparity in strength between Foundation Establishment Early Stage and Foundation Establishment Mid-stage really this vast?"

For the first time, Zhao Yi had a clear understanding of cultivation at the Foundation Establishment Realm.

"System,"

【Miner: Zhao Yi】

【Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Mid-stage (Insufficient experience points, cannot advance)】

【experience points: 96 / 2560】

【Reward: None】

Looking at the System panel, Zhao Yi remained silent for a long time; the joy of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Mid-stage had completely vanished.

Two thousand five hundred and sixty experience points—even digging up Medium Grade Spirit Stones would require twenty-six of them. This was truly a bit difficult.

"No, I'm being too impatient."

Recently, breaking through his cultivation consecutively had made Zhao Yi's state of mind a bit unstable.

Think about how long he had been at the Lesser Strange Spirit Stone Mine; all in all, it hadn't even been a year.

In one year, going from Qi Refining Third Layer to Foundation Establishment Mid-stage—this cultivation speed was simply shocking. Perhaps only the legendary Demonic Cultivators could rival Zhao Yi.

"Having more experience points is fine, too; I also need to consolidate my foundation."

Before Zhao Yi could even step out of the cultivation room, he saw a familiar figure.

"Zhou Yan?"

"Where have you been lately?"

Zhou Yan looked exhausted.

"Have you been cultivating for the past three days?"

"You haven't been messing around with any female Cultivators, have you?"

Unaccountably, Mi Yao's figure flashed through Zhao Yi's mind.

"What are you talking about? I really was cultivating."

"Where have you been all these days?"

"Your cultivation?"

"Foundation Establishment?"

What was Zhou Yan's cultivation before?

For some reason, Zhao Yi's mind went blank; it was as if he had never known Zhou Yan's exact cultivation level.

"Yeah, I went out to achieve a Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment these past few days."

Zhou Yan smiled sweetly and pulled Zhao Yi into the cultivation room.

How could Zhao Yi not understand such an obvious hint?

He immediately reached out, eager and impatient.

"Don't rush, I have a surprise for you~"

"You are the biggest surprise..."

...

Three days later.

"What is this surprise you mentioned?"

Zhou Yan...

"Take a look~"

She brought out a jade bottle as if presenting a treasure.

"Ta-da~"

"foundation establishment pill!"

"Surprised? Unexpected, right?"