Chapter 251: Big Brother, Please Spare Me
The mine wasn’t very far, and the journey was uneventful.
The mine was huge, much like First Mountain. In such a vast area, you might only find a single Cultivator wandering about, so you rarely ran into anyone.
Just extracting the ore with Spiritual Energy took half a day. Besides, most Cultivators who came here had secrets of their own, so very few worked together.
The mine here produced three types of ore: Phoenix Stone, Four Blood Stones, and Black Xuan Stone.
Phoenix Stone was a raw material used to produce a type of Flying Magical Treasure. Flying Magical Treasures refined from this stone were exceptionally fast.
Four Blood Stones were used to refine Attack Magical Treasures, and Black Xuan Stone was also a primary ore for them.
The Sea View Sect primarily needed the latter two.
It would be even better if she came across ore containing Dragon Breath Spirit.
On her first day, Song Jiulai spent some time getting acclimated. Mining purely with Spiritual Energy, without using a Magical Treasure, was quite strenuous.
However, her mining speed wasn’t slow, and she could take pills to replenish her energy. After calculating the consumption, Song Jiulai decided to slack off for a bit.
’Who works that hard on the first day anyway?’
’Of course, I should focus on stabilizing the Secret Technique I just acquired first!’
She found a secluded area of ore and stood inside a dug-out mining tunnel to cultivate the Nine Transformations Dragon Bone.
Running this mental method was painful at first, but the feeling faded as the circulation sped up.
Song Jiulai cultivated inside the mining tunnel for seven days.
With so much ore nearby, the Spiritual Energy was, to some extent, a little richer than it was outside.
When the flow of energy within her became increasingly familiar, and after it had circled ten full times within her Dantian, a fully formed, dragon-shaped phantom appeared above it.
The moment the dragon-shaped phantom took form, the faint sound of popping and cracking seemed to emanate from Song Jiulai’s bones.
One could also faintly hear an almost inaudible Dragon Roar.
At that same moment, the Spiritual Energy that had been filling her Dantian surged once more.
An intensely pleasant sensation spread throughout her body. Her senses sharpened in an instant, and she felt she could faintly perceive every sound within a thousand-meter radius.
She had officially broken through to the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment!
Now that Song Jiulai had a Sea of Consciousness, she already required more Spiritual Energy than an ordinary Cultivator. Her cultivation path might have seemed much slower, but each breakthrough she made was enormous.
"Hah!"
Song Jiulai opened her eyes. "How many days was I slacking off?"
The System said, "A week. It’s fine, you can slack off for another two. It’s a job, after all. No need to be so proactive."
Song Jiulai touched her face. Her consciousness could see the dragon-shaped phantom, but she wasn’t surprised by it.
After all, this Cultivation Technique was supposed to produce a Dragon Shadow.
Nan Qi had also said that the stronger the user, the more Dragon Shadows they could form, and the more solid those shadows would be.
’Does this mean a real dragon will appear in my Dantian if I cultivate to the final stages?’
Song Jiulai had yet to experience the wondrous applications of the Nine Dragons Bone Transformation Technique. Now that the first phantom was formed, it meant that, according to the Secret Technique’s manual, the first transformation was officially a success.
But to cultivate to the second transformation, she would need two dragons.
Song Jiulai glanced at the surrounding ore. She tentatively reached out, wrapping her fist in Spiritual Energy. Then, circulating the Dragon Transformation Bone mental method, she smashed it downward.
"BANG."
"CRACK—"
These ores, infused with Spiritual Energy, were incredibly hard. Ordinary tools couldn’t break through their protective layer of energy, which was why Cultivators had to use their own Spiritual Energy and Magical Treasures to excavate them. It was a task impossible for mortals.
And doing so with one’s bare hands was unheard of.
But when Song Jiulai’s fist smashed into it, the surface of the ore wall clearly fractured.
Shards of rock fell away.
This was pure physical strength, something ordinary Cultivators certainly lacked.
She had been prepared to grimace in pain, but she barely felt a thing.
’Awesome!’
’The change in my strength is obvious. No wonder this thing can supposedly block the power of a Magical Treasure later on.’
Just as she was celebrating, however, the System said, "I have some bad news. Two of your ’sons’ died while you were out."
"What?!"
Song Jiulai almost leaped to her feet. "Who? Who did it!"
’Zhen Weida dying once was one thing, but how did two new players die this time?’
The System said, "One of them was just asking for it. He went to fight a demon beast before he was ready and got himself killed. The other one died too fast. My connection was severed the instant he was ambushed and killed, so I didn’t have time to extend my energy to him. All I saw was a very plain-looking male Cultivator. If he shows up again, though, I’ll be able to analyze him."
The player died so quickly he didn’t leave behind a single word. He probably didn’t even realize how he died.
Song Jiulai frowned. "What about the body?"
System: "Not even dust remained."
"...Where did he die?"
"In the Sea View Sect’s territory."
Song Jiulai fell silent.
’The one who died was one of the players who’d chosen to join the Sea View Sect.’
’That territory is huge.’
’It could have been a Loose Cultivator or a Demon Cultivator.’
’Anyone who could instantly kill a player had to be at the Foundation Establishment Stage or higher.’
The System said, "It happened so suddenly that I didn’t have time to notify the other players. He posted about it online himself, though. Howling his heart out."
’Of course he was.’
’This player had underestimated just how dangerous the game was.’
’The previous players had been experts at laying low. The only ones who dared to venture out alone were confident in their own strength.’
’This player considered himself a wilderness survival expert in real life. His plan was to join the Sea View Sect, get his hands on the Early-stage Qi Refining Heart Method, and then find a way to join another Sect. He thought his future would be set.’
’It was just that the previous players had had it too easy. No one had ever died.’
’The only other death was someone who brought it on themselves.’
’This player had underestimated the fact that this was a real Cultivation World.’
’His killer didn’t need a reason. He was just killed, and not even a speck of his puppet body was left behind.’
’The only silver lining was that his killer probably didn’t know he was also a disciple of the Longevity Sect.’
Song Jiulai thought for a moment, then had the System relay a message: "Tell everyone to be careful. Apart from the few who are already strong, anyone in the Qi Refinement Realm should avoid acting alone."
But that was all she could do.
She couldn’t manage everything for the players. After all, she had to lay low herself.
The players had to lay even lower.
Just then, a flicker of instinct alerted Song Jiulai. She sensed someone approaching.
She sent out her Divine Sense and spotted a large, bearded man.
The man walked into the same mining tunnel. Their eyes met, and in that instant, they both understood.
They had found the right person.
The large man thought, ’Great, a Qi Refinement Realm weakling!’
Song Jiulai thought, ’Great, an Early-stage Foundation Establishment weakling!’
The large man sneered. "You. How much ore have you mined?"
Song Jiulai immediately put on a frightened act. "I... I just got here. I haven’t mined anything..."
"Bullshit! I saw you come to the mines seven days ago! Don’t tell me you’ve just been slacking off this whole time? At least put some effort into your lies!"
"!"
’Holy shit, this guy’s a genius! How did he know?’
Looking utterly miserable, Song Jiulai said, "Senior, I truly haven’t mined a single piece. How would this humble one dare lie to you!"
’Are you really going to start bullying people right inside the mine?!’
The man’s face darkened. "I give you an inch and you take a mile. If you’ve got the guts, then stay here for the next decade and don’t ever leave!"
’Cultivators still needed to return to the city for supplies eventually.’
Song Jiulai pleaded, "Senior, this junior truly doesn’t have a single ore! Please, spare me!"
The System commented, "Your acting skills are truly superb."