55: Mining newbie Gu Jianxian

Meanwhile, in a corner of the Immortal Domain 9527 Mine.

Gu Qingtian's hand, gripping the pickaxe, paused. He raised his hand and scratched his itchy scalp with his rough palm.

"Crack!" A dark brown whip shadow struck his thin back heavily, instantly leaving a red, swollen mark.

"Are you courting death? You dare to stop and slack off!"

The overseer's gravelly voice slammed over: "Gu Qingtian, you've been in the Immortal Domain 9527 Mine for a full month, and you've only mined a single Immortal Stone."

He stepped forward and poked Gu Qingtian's head with the tip of his whip: "Can you still work or not? If you can't hand over fifty Immortal Stones a year from now, don't blame me for serving you the ultimate punishment."

Upon hearing this, Gu Qingtian clenched his fists tightly, his eyes flashing with deep unwillingness.

He had thought that after Ascension, the Dao would be wide open for him to soar, but who would have thought he would be captured to mine here the moment he arrived.

He had resisted, but his True Immortal cultivation, even if he was famed as invincible among his peers, could not stir up even a ripple here.

At first, when he heard he needed to gather 100,000 Immortal Stones, he didn't care, thinking he could finish mining them in a year at most.

Only after arriving did he realize that the Immortal Stones were ridiculously hard to mine.

With True Immortal cultivation, it usually takes two thousand years to gather 100,000 Immortal Stones.

If those two thousand years could be used to Cultivate, even if he couldn't reach the Peak of the world, he would at least be a powerhouse in his own right.

He suddenly missed the days in the Spirit Realm. If he had known that Ascension was suffering, it would have been better not to Breakthrough and just be an underground emperor down below.

Familiar figures flashed before his eyes one after another.

Qingcheng, it's been a month; you must be in seclusion trying to Breakthrough to Great Emperor, right?

Yue'er, I heard Ling Shuang has a sweetheart, though I haven't met him. As her mother, you must help her vet him well; don't let her follow the wrong person.

Li'er, for these past hundred years, you've been cold to me and wouldn't even let me touch you, yet my love for you all has never wavered.

What are you doing now? Do you miss me? I miss you so much.

Yun'er, you must have become the Clan Chief by now, right? Don't let your father down.

Fenger, you've inherited your father-in-law's position, haven't you?

Ling Shuang, Dad cannot attend your wedding; I am very sorry.

Yiner, I heard some boy is chasing you; you must not agree easily.

Yingying, are you still being naughty?

And Bu'er, don't blame your foster father for being heartless; it's just that you were too loyal, so loyal that it made your foster father a bit afraid.

Don't worry, when your foster father escapes from this mine, I will burn paper money for you.

Oh right, you're still single; do you want some women?

Your foster father will burn a hundred for you then.

"Crack." Another whip lashed onto Gu Qingtian, pulling him back from his memories.

"Damn it, what the hell are you still standing there for?"

The overseer's spit splattered onto his face.

Gu Qingtian gritted his teeth and said nothing, picking up the pickaxe to continue mining; the tip of the pickaxe struck the Ore, sending sparks flying.

The overseer snorted coldly and turned to leave.

Among the hundreds of people who had ascended recently, this Gu Qingtian was the one most in need of a beating.

Gu Qingtian glanced at the overseer's back and burned his appearance deep into his mind.

One day, he would definitely make this bastard pay the price.

Just then, a thin, wiry worker leaned over and whispered: "Gu Qingtian, I heard you come from the Spirit Realm?"

Gu Qingtian didn't stop his hands and said calmly: "And who is Senior?"

The wiry worker smiled, his pickaxe not resting either: "I also come from the Spirit Realm, having ascended one hundred thousand years before you."

Gu Qingtian's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked in a low voice: "May I ask for Senior's name? Also, why have you stayed here for one hundred thousand years?"

The wiry worker lowered his voice: "My name is Yun An, from the Yunxiao Pavilion in Yun Prefecture. I don't know if that force is still around."

Gu Qingtian's pupils constricted, his eyes filled with surprise: "Are you the third Cloud Emperor of the Yunxiao Pavilion from one hundred thousand years ago?"

The fatigue on Yun An's face faded slightly, and his voice trembled: "So, the Yunxiao Pavilion is still around?"

"It is!" Gu Qingtian nodded, his voice filled with excitement: "Not only is it still there, but my son also married the daughter of the current Cloud Emperor."

The two did not stop the pickaxes in their hands, chatting back and forth.

The frustration of a month finally had an outlet.

An hour later, Gu Qingtian finished explaining the current situation of the Spirit Realm.

Yun An nodded and let out a long sigh of relief: "As long as it's still there, that's good. My Yunxiao Pavilion made quite a few enemies back then; being able to last until now is the greatest stroke of luck amidst misfortune."

Gu Qingtian remembered his previous question and asked: "By the way, Senior Yun, you said you've stayed in the mine for one hundred thousand years; what exactly is going on?"

Yun An put away his smile, leaned close to Gu Qingtian's ear, and lowered his voice significantly: "For the sake of being fellow countrymen, I'll tell you the truth: don't think you can leave just by mining 100,000 Immortal Stones."

Gu Qingtian frowned: "What do you mean by that, Senior?"

Yun An explained: "After you finish mining 100,000 Immortal Stones, they will extract your memories of these past few thousand years and then send you to another mine."

He pointed at his feet: "This place is the fiftieth mine I've stayed in."

Gu Qingtian gasped, his pickaxe almost slipping from his hand.

By this calculation, he was afraid he would be trapped in the mines for the rest of his life.

"Don't be afraid." Yun An changed the subject, a glint flashing in his eyes: "Since we've met, I'll look out for you."

"I've already found a way to escape, and I'll take you with me when the time comes."

"As for why my memories haven't been extracted, that's a secret; you understand."

Gu Qingtian nodded hurriedly: "Then this junior thanks you in advance, Senior!"

"When fellow countrymen meet, eyes fill with tears; there's no need for courtesy."

Yun An waved his hand and reminded him again: "However, you need to increase your mining speed now, otherwise, in a year, you won't be able to escape the ultimate punishment."

Gu Qingtian said hurriedly: "I ask for your guidance, Senior."

"I have created a method for mining; watch closely."

As he spoke, Yun An began to teach Gu Qingtian the movements.

Gu Qingtian learned with extreme seriousness.

This concerned the rest of his life; he dared not be the slightest bit careless.

"Come, try it yourself, and let me see how your Comprehension Ability is." Yun An stepped back half a step.

Gu Qingtian immediately did as he was told, picked up the pickaxe, and began to mine the Immortal Stone earnestly.

"Not bad, not bad." Yun An nodded with satisfaction, his gaze falling on Gu Qingtian, a flicker of evil light flashing in his eyes.

He licked his cracked lips and silently spat out two words: "Top-grade!"