4: Chapter 4, Qi Refining Level 7, Approximate Technique

"System."

【Miner: Zhao Yi】

【Cultivation: Qi Refining Fifth Layer (Upgradable)】

【experience points: 140/40】

【Reward: Approximation Technique】

Zhao Yi first checked his experience points; they were already enough to break through the Qi Refining Fifth Layer. Then he looked at the reward,

"Approximation Technique? What on earth is that? Why didn't I get a good luck card?"

Zhao Yi only gave the System panel a casual glance. His most important task right now was still mining Spirit Stones; he could only Breakthrough his cultivation after returning at night.

Stowing away the Spirit Stones, Zhao Yi completely ignored Bai Jia Gang's presence nearby and continued mining, swinging his hoe.

Beside him, Bai Jia Gang was nearly snapping the handle of his hoe in his grip.

That was a Mid-Grade Spirit Stone! If Zhao Yi had obediently left, that Spirit Stone would be his now.

"Damn it."

Bai Jia Gang could barely suppress his killing intent.

Watching Zhao Yi's mining figure, his eyes darted around as an idea formed.

With two loud bangs,

The sudden appearance of mountain rocks startled Zhao Yi in the middle of his mining.

"What do you think you're doing?"

It was Bai Jia Gang. He was now less than ten centimeters away from Zhao Yi. At such close range, the rocks he dug out were mixed with those Zhao Yi dug. If a Spirit Stone appeared, it would be hard to tell whose it was.

"Doing?"

"Mining Spirit Stones, naturally."

"What's with that expression? Don't tell me you want to start something with me?"

"Come on, come on~"

"Hit me."

Bai Jia Gang slapped his own cheek arrogantly.

"You—"

Zhao Yi glared at Bai Jia Gang, taking quite a while to calm down. It wasn't worth fighting in the mine, especially since he had just dug up a Mid-Grade Spirit Stone and hadn't received his wages yet.

“Hmph!”

Shouldering his hoe, Zhao Yi chose to back down for now.

This was the first time in over forty days that Zhao Yi had left the mine shaft early.

Because the Spirit Stone Mine had been open for less than two hours, people were still trickling in, but Zhao Yi was the only one coming out.

"Zhao Yi: one Mid-Grade Spirit Stone, two Low-Grade Spirit Stones. Wages: ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones and twenty purple gold coins."

When the Formation spirit announced one Mid-Grade Spirit Stone and two Low-Grade Spirit Stones, all the Cultivators stopped in their tracks.

"A Mid-Grade Spirit Stone?"

They looked up to confirm it was indeed the entrance to the first layer of the mine shaft.

"A Mid-Grade Spirit Stone was dug out of the first layer?"

A wave of chaos immediately followed.

"Who was it?"

"Such Heaven-Defying Luck?"

Seeing the Cultivators at the entrance about to vault over the barriers toward the exit, Bai Chuanfeng's cold voice rang out,

"What are you all doing? Get back to mining!"

The spectating Cultivators scattered in a flurry.

Watching the departing Cultivators, Zhao Yi's eyes brightened.

Silently circulating his Spiritual Qi, he shouted, "Manager Bai, I dug up that Mid-Grade Spirit Stone in branch shaft number seventeen!"

Bai Chuanfeng looked at Zhao Yi, his face so dark it looked like it could drip water.

"Who told you to be so loud?"

Zhao Yi was startled inwardly. He had been truly foolish; Bai Chuanfeng and Bai Jia Gang both shared the surname Bai. Looking at Bai Chuanfeng's expression, it was self-evident who had instructed Bai Jia Gang.

Placing the Mid-Grade Spirit Stone into the Formation slot, Zhao Yi took his own Spirit Stones.

He turned and stepped into a cultivation room.

These cultivation rooms were built by the Great Yin Immortal Dynasty next to the Spirit Stone Mine and were perfectly secure.

"Surname Bai?"

Since arriving at the Lesser Strange Spirit Stone Mine, Zhao Yi had been obsessed with mining Spirit Stones and had no idea how much influence the Bai family wielded here.

"Worrying won't help solve the problem. I'd better Breakthrough my cultivation first."

It took half a day for Zhao Yi's mood to finally settle down.

"System, upgrade cultivation."

Spiritual Qi appearing out of thin air surged rapidly along the path of the Azure Spirit Scripture. As the circulation accelerated, the Spiritual Qi soon entered some unfamiliar Meridians.

During the circulation of Spiritual Qi, the bottleneck of the Qi Refining Sixth Layer seemed non-existent.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhao Yi finally woke from his cultivation.

"System."

If he hadn't miscalculated, his current experience points should still be enough for another Breakthrough.

【Miner: Zhao Yi】

【Cultivation: Qi Refining Sixth Layer (Upgradable)】

【experience points: 100/80】

【Reward: Approximation Technique】

"Even though the experience requirement doubled, the experience points from one Mid-Grade Spirit Stone are still enough to break through the Qi Refining Sixth Layer."

"In that case,"

"what is there to hesitate about?"

"System, upgrade my cultivation again."

A massive amount of Spiritual Qi appeared once more, and Zhao Yi fell back into a state of cultivation.

Five days passed in the blink of an eye.

"Whew—"

Zhao Yi let out a long breath.

"Body Protection Technique."

A faint light appeared outside his body.

Being able to cast the Body Protection Technique was precisely the hallmark of the Qi Refining Middle Stage.

"How long has it been?"

"In less than two months, I've gone straight from the Qi Refining Third Layer to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer?"

"In these last five days, I've even broken through two Realms in a row. With my current speed of cultivation, I'd be among the best even in the Cultivation Academy."

"Hehe!"

"Let's set a small goal first: Golden Core True Person."

At this moment, Zhao Yi was filled with soaring ambition.

"System."

【Miner: Zhao Yi】

【Cultivation: Qi Refining Seventh Layer (Insufficient experience points, cannot upgrade)】

【experience points: 20/160】

【Reward: Approximation Technique】

Zhao Yi looked at the System panel.

"Approximation Technique?"

"System, claim reward."

An inexplicable Concept descended upon Zhao Yi.

"This is—"

He involuntarily formed hand seals, his body crouching down uncontrollably,

until his entire body was pressed against the ground. A mysterious incantation appeared in his mind:

"Within a hundred meters,"

"The Great Dao is Simple, approximations are formed by heaven, numbers are born from the heart, and all things take shape. With a single thought, heaven and earth become hazy; rounding off, the universe's fate is fixed."

"Approximate: Eight taels of gold."

Zhao Yi suddenly understood. Within thirty meters of him, the total value of all items was approximately eight taels of gold.

"Holy crap, what kind of Spell is this?"

"Most importantly, why does it consume so much Spiritual Qi?"

The originally thick Spiritual Qi in his body had completely vanished along with the Spell just now.

In other words, with a Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivation, he could only cast the Approximation Technique once.

"That's too exaggerated."

With his Spiritual Qi exhausted, Zhao Yi had no choice but to use Spirit Stones to recover.

Looking at the stone dust in his hand, Zhao Yi shook his head.

Cultivation really costs too many Spirit Stones. One Low-Grade Spirit Stone only restored a small fraction of the Spiritual Qi in his body.

"Approximation Technique? Dammit, it's not even as good as a good luck card. Big Brother System, don't you know the Spirit Stone Mine is a place where magic is forbidden?"

While grumbling, Zhao Yi made his way to the Spirit Stone Mine.

"Stop right there!"

"I've been waiting for you for three whole days."

Zhao Yi looked at the Cultivator in front of him, who was wrapped up like a mummy; he looked a bit familiar.

"You are—"

"Bai"

"Jia"

"Gang"

Bai Jia Gang said each word individually.

"Oh, oh, so it's Fellow Daoist Bai. What happened to you?"

"Isn't it all your fault? If you hadn't revealed that a Mid-Grade Spirit Stone was dug out of the seventeenth branch shaft, how would I have ended up like this?"

Zhao Yi was completely bewildered.

"What kind of logic is that? Why can't I say where I dug up a Spirit Stone?"

"Hmph, I don't care. Anyway, I became like this because of you. You have to compensate me..."

"Ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones will do."

Zhao Yi...

He was almost driven to laughter by the absurdity. Bai Jia Gang had stolen his mine shaft, and now he wanted compensation in Spirit Stones?

Where in the world was there such logic?

"Idiot!"

He couldn't be bothered with Bai Jia Gang. Right now, testing the Approximation Technique in the mine was more important.

"You can't leave."

"Hurry up and pay me my Spirit Stones."

Seeing Zhao Yi about to leave, Bai Jia Gang actually grabbed Zhao Yi's wrist.

"Compensate me with Spirit Stones—"