7: Chapter 7, another robbery!

Zhao Yi...

He could only say that this Spirit Stone had appeared at too coincidental a time; now, even if he wanted to stay low-key, he couldn't.

"Maybe it's the good luck brought by this hoe of yours."

Zhao Yi calmly picked up that Mid-Grade Spirit Stone.

Seeing Zhao Yi's cautious manner, Zhou Yan burst into laughter.

"Tch, what are you doing? Are you afraid I'll eat you?"

"Alright, you mine in peace. I'm leaving."

Zhao Yi watched Zhou Yan's departing figure and frowned; he always felt this female Cultivator wasn't as simple as she seemed.

"Sigh! I won't think about it. Mining is what's important. There are still two Spirit Stones left. I'll leave after digging them up."

As it turned out, this digging lasted until it was time to finish work.

Fortunately, he managed to dig out those two Spirit Stones before the end.

Having used the Approximation Technique twice today, Zhao Yi was exhausted. Naturally, he dragged his hoe and walked at the very back again.

As for Zhou Yan, Zhao Yi, who had been immersed in the great cause of mining, hadn't noticed at all when she had finished her work.

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

When the stiff and mechanical voice of the Formation Spirit came, the Cultivators who had already been leaving turned back one after another, looking at Zhao Yi as he stuffed the Spirit Stones into his robes.

"This guy dug up another Mid-Grade Spirit Stone?"

"Heavens, how can his luck be so good?"

Many mining Cultivators looked at Zhao Yi with envy. Ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones a day was equivalent to a thousand purple gold coins, which could be exchanged for ten thousand taels of gold. For an ordinary person, the earnings from this single day could last a lifetime.

Unfortunately, Zhao Yi was a Cultivator, and one who owed four thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones at that. Ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones a day really wasn't much.

Inside the cultivation room,

Zhao Yi looked at the System panel.

【Miner: Zhao Yi】

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

【experience points: 145/160】

【Rewards: None】

"I'm only fifteen experience points away from a Breakthrough to the Qi Refining Eighth Layer."

At the same time, he was also taking stock of his gains since he started mining.

In the two months since Zhao Yi entered the Lesser Strange Spirit Stone Mine to mine, he had dug up a total of two Mid-Grade Spirit Stones and ninety-five Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Zhao Yi himself only received twenty-nine Low-Grade Spirit Stones and fifty purple gold coins.

Renting this cultivation room for two months had cost him three Low-Grade Spirit Stones, and his first use of the Approximation Technique had cost him one.

After subtracting food, drink, and replacing his hoe, Zhao Yi only had twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones left in his hand.

"Twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones in two months, and I have to pay back four thousand. How many years will that take?"

"Four hundred months?"

"Thirty-three years!"

If you don't calculate, you don't know, but once you calculate, you just want to sleep.

Zhao Yi felt he was already working hard. If he really couldn't pay it back by then, at worst, death would be better than living like this.

He thought this in his heart, but the next day, Zhao Yi was still the first one to enter the mine.

Behind him, Zhou Yan followed at a leisurely pace.

"Here's your hoe. Thanks for yesterday."

"What? You're brushing me off with just a 'thank you'?"

Zhao Yi frowned.

"Then what do you want?"

"Take me mining with you."

Zhao Yi...

"Just kidding. I'm already following you to mine. I dug up three Low-Grade Spirit Stones yesterday."

"Just treat me to dinner tonight."

"Fine, no problem."

One after the other, the two walked toward yesterday's Branch Mine.

Before reaching the mine tunnel, the sound of 'thump thump' could be heard. Zhao Yi suddenly had an ominous premonition.

Sure enough, when they reached that Branch Mine, Bai Jia Gang was already sitting at the entrance.

"This Branch Mine is already occupied. You two go mine somewhere else."

"Bai Jia Gang—"

"How did you get in?"

Zhao Yi had been timing it perfectly. When the mining time arrived, he hadn't delayed for even a second.

Bai Jia Gang had actually entered the mine before him, which was why he asked.

Over the past few days, Bai Jia Gang's injuries had fully healed. He was now leaning lazily against the mountain rocks and said languidly, "I walked in, of course."

"See clearly? This Branch Mine is now occupied. Leave quickly."

As he spoke, he even adjusted his shadow recording hat, nearly disgusting Zhao Yi to death.

"Fine! You're really something—"

Seeing Bai Jia Gang like this, Zhao Yi really wanted to go up and hack him to death.

But being inside the mine tunnel, he had no choice but to endure.

"This is too much."

"I'm going to find the Mine Owner. How can you enter the mine ahead of time?"

Zhou Yan, who was behind Zhao Yi, spoke up.

"Yo, you poor ghost actually found yourself a little lady?"

“Tsk tsk, is this a washboard?"

"Even if you gave her to me for free, I wouldn't be interested. Zhao Yi, right? Your taste is really poor."

Zhao Yi...

Zhou Yan...

"Arghhh—"

"This old lady will kill you!"

"Great Rain Blade!"

A flash of blade light appeared.

"Wait, wait, wait—"

"You can't fight here."

Zhao Yi hurriedly stopped Zhou Yan and pointed at the shadow recording hat on her head.

"Hmph!"

Zhou Yan's face was flushed red. She gave Bai Jia Gang a fierce glare and turned to leave.

"Boys, hurry up and dig for me. When you dig out Spirit Stones, Master Bai will take you to Lichun Pavilion tonight."

"The little vixens in there are much more flavorful than this washboard."

A burst of laughter erupted in the mine tunnel.

Zhao Yi's fingers gripping the hoe handle had turned white.

"Mining Spirit Stones is what's important."

After taking a deep breath, he turned to go to another mine tunnel.

There might be several thousand Cultivators digging for Spirit Stones in the first layer of the Lesser Strange Spirit Stone Mine, but the number of Branch Mines on this layer was as many as tens of thousands.

In just the time it took to turn around, Zhao Yi had already lost sight of Zhou Yan.

Branch Mine No. 7787. This place was already very far from the Branch Mine Zhao Yi had dug in yesterday.

Cultivators who hadn't reached the Qi Refining Seventh Layer rarely came to such a deep mine tunnel.

Zhao Yi was also desperate. Having his spot stolen twice in a row by Bai Jia Gang, he had no choice but to go deeper along the main mine tunnel.

This Branch Mine No. 7787 was already the limit of how deep Zhao Yi could go. Any deeper and he wouldn't have time to mine.

Inside the Branch Mine, Zhao Yi stood against the wall as if he were resting.

In his mind, he said, "Approximation Technique."

"Within twenty meters."

"The Great Dao is Simple, the approximation is naturally formed... rounding off, the universe is fixed."

"Approximate: eighteen Low-Grade Spirit Stones."

"Holy cow!"

"So many Spirit Stones?"

"It's just that time is limited."

Returning to the mine entrance from here would take twice as long as before. Combined with the time wasted at the original Branch Mine, Zhao Yi was really afraid he wouldn't finish digging through the twenty-meter radius.

Thump, thump, thump...

Zhao Yi swung his hoe frantically, not daring to stop for a single moment.

Three hours later, Zhao Yi finally heard the System prompt.

【You dug up a Low-Grade Spirit Stone, experience points +1.】

Zhao Yi had originally thought all the Spirit Stones should be near here, but as it turned out, the next five hours were empty-handed.

"Oh my god, if I didn't know there were eighteen Spirit Stones within this twenty-meter range, I wouldn't dare to keep digging now no matter what."

From here to the mine entrance, the round trip took three hours. Zhao Yi had already been digging for eight hours, which meant he only had one hour left.

Fortunately, only the last two meters of those twenty meters remained.

"Pui, pui—"

Zhao Yi spat a bit of saliva into his palms, rubbed them together, and then swung his hoe for the final sprint—

"Spirit Stones, come out for me!"