46: Chapter 46 Late Stage of Golden Core

He reacted immediately after that.

"Damn it."

"Why should I go out?"

"This is a Spirit Stone Mine."

"With Spirit Stones, I can live here until I die."

Before digging for Spirit Stones, Zhao Yi first checked the System panel.

【Miner: Zhao Yi】

【Cultivation: Middle Golden Core Stage (Insufficient experience, cannot upgrade)】

【experience points: 104/200】

【Reward: None】

To Breakthrough to the Late Golden Core stage, he only needed to dig up ninety-six Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. If he wanted to reach the Nascent Soul Stage, following the System's pattern of doubling experience points, Zhao Yi would have to dig up four hundred and ninety-six Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.

Of course, if his Luck was Heaven-Defying, just five High-Grade Spirit Stones would be enough.

"Heh heh! Once I reach the Nascent Soul Stage..."

Thinking of Bai Miyao, Zhao Yi wished he could go out right now and just beat her to death.

"Better to save up enough experience points first."

Fearing discovery by Ye Qingyang, Zhao Yi went directly into the deepest part of the third level of the mine shaft.

Bang!

Rocks splattered, and Zhao Yi immediately saw an exposed Low-Grade Spirit Stone.

"Is this a turn of fortune?"

Picking up the Spirit Stone, Zhao Yi placed it in his palm; a moment later, it turned to ash.

And his dried-up Dantian finally recovered a trace of Golden Core Power.

"Again!"

...

In the Lingran Illusion Realm,

Ye Qingyang's face was so dark it looked like it could drip water.

"How many Cultivators escaped?"

Bai Chuanzhu and Bai Chuanfa lowered their heads.

"When the Formation was broken, we were caught off guard. Nearly a hundred people escaped."

"Over this past month and a half, we've hunted down dozens, but nearly thirty or forty managed to get away."

"You..."

Ye Qingyang looked at the two coldly.

Bai Chuanfa's cultivation was lower and he couldn't withstand the pressure of the Nascent Soul Stage. His body stiffened, and he was actually scared to death on the spot.

?

"What a waste!"

"How did I end up supporting such useless pieces of trash like you?"

Ye Qingyang was furious.

When a Nascent Soul expert is angry, the heavens and earth change color.

The entire Lingran Illusion Realm was filled with a chilling aura.

The remaining Bai Family Cultivators all knelt on the ground, heads bowed, not daring to speak.

"A sudden disaster occurred at the Lesser Strange Spirit Stone Mine. We were unable to provide timely rescue, and countless Cultivators perished within."

"This is my fault."

Ye Qingyang's voice suddenly became devoid of emotion.

"Many Bai Family Cultivators performed their duties faithfully; in order to save the mining Cultivators, more than half of them also perished."

"Give me the list of the fallen shortly."

"I will personally make a trip to Pingcheng County."

Bai Yunping trembled and bowed respectfully, "Yes."

Soon, the entire Pingcheng County knew that a disaster had struck the Lesser Strange Spirit Stone Mine, and nearly a hundred thousand Cultivators had perished.

Of course, some Cultivators spread rumors that Ye Qingyang was refining azure blood pills, but they couldn't make any waves and were drowned out by the general consensus.

When Ye Qingyang announced that the Lesser Strange Spirit Stone Mine would be free of all charges for two years, allowing Cultivators to dig for Spirit Stones freely,

All dissent vanished as if it had never existed.

Lingran Illusion Realm.

Ye Qingyang looked at Bai Yunping and Bai Miyao.

"Although things within Anning Prefecture have been settled, the azure blood pill refinement failed. I cannot give an account to Ninth Master."

"Mi Yao, you are already a Golden Core True Person, and Ninth Master just happens to be missing a maidservant."

"Go. Depart tomorrow. Everything has been arranged with the main Bai family branch."

"I will listen to brother-in-law."

Bai Miyao had a look of joy on her face.

...

In the third level of the mine shaft, Zhao Yi was disheveled.

The exit was sealed, and the air in the mine shaft could not circulate at all.

Furthermore, Zhao Yi lacked the ability to set up a Formation, so the excavated rocks and dust filled the entire shaft.

"System,"

【Miner: Zhao Yi】

【Cultivation: Middle Golden Core Stage (Insufficient experience, cannot upgrade)】

【experience points: 199/200】

【Reward: None】

Looking at the System, Zhao Yi muttered to himself,

"Just one more Mid-Grade Spirit Stone, and I can Breakthrough to the Late Golden Core stage."

He lost track of time in the mine shaft; only the great sumeru treasure hoe accompanied him. The loneliness was beyond words.

Bang! Bang!

"Pui! Pui~"

After two swings of the hoe, Zhao Yi had to spit out the dust in his mouth.

"Strange, the Approximation Technique clearly indicated there was a Mid-Grade Spirit Stone here. Where did it go?"

After digging a dozen more times, the System notification arrived.

【You have excavated one Mid-Grade Spirit Stone. experience points +1.】

"System,"

【Miner: Zhao Yi】

【Cultivation: Middle Golden Core Stage (Upgradable)】

【experience points: 200/200】

【Reward: None】

Zhao Yi took a deep breath.

"The experience points are finally enough."

Looking at this branch of the mine shaft, there weren't many rocks.

Zhao Yi blocked the exit and said without hesitation, "System, upgrade cultivation!"

Ordinary Cultivators cannot Cultivate naturally in a mine shaft; to Cultivate or recover cultivation, the only way is to absorb Spirit Stones.

However, when Zhao Yi used the System to Breakthrough, Spiritual Qi appeared out of thin air within his body. He needed neither Medicinal Pills nor to absorb Spiritual Qi from the air.

Therefore, breaking through in the mine shaft had no negative impact.

In fact, it was just as Zhao Yi guessed.

As the experience points on the System panel rapidly dropped to zero, a steady stream of Spiritual Qi appeared out of thin air in Zhao Yi's Dantian.

As soon as this Spiritual Qi entered his Dantian, it began to move according to the Azure Spirit Scripture. During its circulation, it was converted into true essence, then compressed into Golden Core Power, and finally merged into his Golden Core.

His Golden Core, continuously devouring Golden Core Power, grew larger slowly but steadily.

Time flowed on. Only when a wave of swelling pain arrived did Zhao Yi wake up from his cultivation.

The Golden Core, which was originally the size of a fist, now occupied almost the entire Dantian.

Zhao Yi...

"This?"

"Is this right?"

Zhao Yi was a bit confused. Is a Golden Core in the Late Golden Core stage this large?

He felt something was off, but no matter how hard he tried to remember, he had no knowledge regarding the Late Golden Core stage in his mind.

It made sense; at the Cultivation Academy, he was just a minor Qi Refinement Cultivator. The knowledge he had of the Golden Core Stage was fragmented and he had never studied it systematically.

"System,"

【Miner: Zhao Yi】

【Cultivation: Late Golden Core stage (Insufficient experience, cannot upgrade)】

【experience points: 0/400】

【Reward: None】

"Whatever."

"The System has authenticated it, so what's there to worry about?"

"Digging Spirit Stones is what matters."

"Approximation Technique,"

"Within ten meters,"

No problem. Zhao Yi increased the distance.

Within twenty meters was also no problem.

At forty meters, his heart felt flustered.

Thirty-nine meters...

Thirty-eight meters...

Zhao Yi tested it meter by meter, finally settling on thirty-one meters.

"Within thirty-one meters,"

"The Great Dao is Simple, approximations are naturally formed, numbers are born from the heart, and all things take shape. With a single thought, the world becomes hazy; rounding up or down, the universe's fate is fixed."

"Approximate: one gold flame stone, two Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, thirteen Low-Grade Spirit Stones."

"Hmm?"

"gold flame stone?"

Zhao Yi didn't expect that the first time he used the Approximation Technique after reaching the Late Golden Core stage, he would actually detect a gold flame stone.

Setting aside the price of the gold flame stone for now, just the reward for the first time digging it up was something Zhao Yi looked forward to.

"I really hope to reach the Nascent Soul Stage soon."

Zhao Yi raised his hoe and dug into the mine wall.

Soon, the thumping sound echoed in the branch tunnel.

The sound was muffled yet rhythmic.

"The two Mid-Grade Spirit Stones and thirteen Low-Grade Spirit Stones have all been dug out. Where is the gold flame stone?"

Zhao Yi was frustrated; the more he looked forward to something, the more it eluded him.

"Damn!"

"I'll dig it all out!"

It was only thirty-one meters; he would just dig until it was gone.

Before he could finish his thought, the System notification arrived.