Goal: Surpass the Shi Clan!

All the elders, including the First Elder, fell silent.

Chu Xinghe's actions may not have been intentionally aimed at winning people's hearts, but they certainly had that effect.

In this situation, it would be absolutely outrageous for anyone else.

However, the sect leader was not angry at Chu Xinghe's actions; on the contrary, he was extremely pleased.

Everyone knew that the sect leader was already grooming Chu Xinghe as his successor.

Therefore, the more outstanding Chu Xinghe was, the happier he was.

"No one should give any reply to the other sects. When did my Vast Heaven Sect ever need to explain ourselves to others? Who do they think they are!"

The sect leader suddenly unleashed a powerful aura that seemed to shake the entire Haotian Grand Hall.

"As for how the various sects will react next, hehe... I'd like to see too. No one should go; leave it to Xinghe. Opportunities to deal with the sects like this don't come often. Let this child experience it beforehand; it's not a bad thing to let him spar with the sects. As for those who don't want to cooperate, just tell them they won't cooperate. As for the Shi Clan, they're unwilling to continue providing stones for my Vast Heaven Sect, then tell Shi Clan the contract is null and void!"

"What? Does the Vast Heaven Sect have no one to refine stones for us now that we've left the Shi Clan family?"

After finishing speaking, the sect leader stood up and left without looking back.

Only after the sect leader left did everyone dare to breathe heavily.

Even the Grand Elder looked on in disbelief.

Don't be fooled by the sect leader's gentle demeanor; remember, he is the Great Emperor Haotian of the Vast Heaven Sect, the number one person on the Heavenly Dao Ranking!

The sect leader has been keeping a low profile for many years, and the Vast Heaven Sect has remained peaceful. However, this does not mean that the Vast Heaven Sect is easy to bully. The prestige of the number one sect in the world is not something that anyone has the right to challenge.

Whether it's the Shi Clan or other sects, they all seem to have forgotten that an enraged Vast Heaven Sect has the power to stir up the winds and clouds of the world!

The Vast Heaven Sect is not only gentle; the sects Vast Heaven Sect has slaughtered could circle the Blazing Sun Continent three times if lined up!

All the sects are waiting for the Vast Heaven Sect to go to Spirit City to deal with Chu Xinghe.

Chu Xinghe himself was also waiting!

It must be the Grand Elder who has arrived, right?

Why doesn't the sect leader come in person?

Good grief, what kind of punishment will I receive?

Chu Xinghe definitely wouldn't believe the rumors of him being killed on the spot.

Stripped of his personal discipleship and relegated to the outer sect?

Would they even directly make him a miner's apprentice?

It's not impossible.

Now, who can stop me from being punished?!

However, Chu Xinghe waited expectantly for many days, but Vast Heaven Sect made no move at all.

Not only did the sect leader come in person, but not even a single disciple came to deliver a message?

Chu Xinghe was dumbfounded... Was the sect's communication system really that underdeveloped?

Or is the teleportation array broken? But even if we walked, we still got here, right?

What does it mean that there's been absolutely no response? I've already caused a huge uproar, and the Vast Heaven Sect has become the target of everyone's anger!

But there's no use in being anxious. Qin Xiangqian, however, brought some good news!

"Senior Brother Xinghe, bad news! All the sects have canceled their cooperation with our chamber of commerce, and the contract between the Shi Clan and us has also been voided. Now... we are completely isolated!"

Chu Xinghe was overjoyed!

Is this bad news?

A lucky general is indeed a lucky general; the first thing he says is incredibly good news.

"Cooperations with the other sects are fine, but the contract with the Shi Clan..."

Qin Xiangqian was in a dilemma.

The Shi Clan is the number one stone-transforming Lineage in the world. More than 70% of the raw stones in the world are transformed into spiritual stones by the skillful hands of the Shi Clan.

Now that the Shi Clan refuses to provide the Vast Heaven Sect with a special stone, the Vast Heaven Sect is truly in trouble.

"Heh... can't we eat a hairy pig without Shi the Butcher?" Chu Xinghe scoffed.

Qin Xiangqian helplessly, "Besides the Shi Clan, there are some other Lineage that also have the Stone-Pointing Technique, but they don't offer as many spirit stones as the Shi Clan, and their fees are much higher. As a result, the sect will probably suffer losses."

Very good!

Chu Xinghe was overjoyed. Spirit City was a wonderful place; good news had been pouring in ever since he arrived.

So, we're going to suffer losses again! Then how do we maximize those losses?

"Does our Vast Heaven Sect have no way to conjure stones ourselves?" Chu Xinghe asked tentatively.

"Senior Brother Xinghe, you may not know this, but turning stones into stones is not that simple. To train a stone-turning master, one not only needs the Stone-Pointing Technique, but also needs to find an exceptional candidate with the talent for it."

"The Stone-Pointing Technique is alright. Although it's hard to find outside, my Vast Heaven Sect could acquire it if we were to spend a great deal. However, the skill of turning stones into gold depends on talent. Finding a good one is as difficult as climbing to the heavens."

Chu Xinghe was excited after hearing this.

Huge cost? Impossible?

Does that mean it's very easy to skip a step?

What are we waiting for? If we don't train our own Stone Masters now, we'll end up with nothing.

"It's better to rely on yourself than on others. No matter the cost, buy the Stone-Pointing Technique immediately."

"Huh?" Qin Xiangqian was dumbfounded.

But seeing the gleaming Haotian Token, Qin Xiangqian could only nod.

"As for the selection of the Stone Master, I will take care of it."

Chu Xinghe confident, because he had already decided on the candidate for the Stone Master.

What? Ma Liang and the others?

Absolutely not! These guys are all incredibly talented; who knows if they have some kind of genius?

If Ma Liang, who is a fake lucky general, were to actually be presented to himself as a one-in-a-million genius who can turn stones into gold, he would have nowhere to turn to cry.

So after much thought, Chu Xinghe came up with an exceptionally good candidate.

Wang Tieniu!

Masters rely on talent for their livelihood, but look at Wang Tieniu's talent... haha...

A master craftsman needs to be clever and quick-witted, but look at Wang Tieniu! Perfect!

A master of turning stones needs a boost of luck. Even disregarding the first two factors, just considering Tieniu's luck, there's no one else who can compare.

Someone who doesn't even understand quarrying, you're asking him to teach stone-making? I'll tell you, how am I supposed to lose this round?!

If this Stone-Pointing Technique didn't go to waste, Chu Xinghe would feel he was doing a disservice to Wang Tieniu's extraordinary talent!

Qin Xiangqian went to purchase the Stone-Pointing Technique, while Chu Xinghe summoned Wang Tieniu.

"Senior Brother Xinghe, I'm here! What do you want from me? Just tell me, even a frown from me is your son's fault!"

"Tieniu Niu, a very important and historically significant task is now being entrusted to you. Do you think you are capable of handling it?"

"That's definitely no problem! Leave it to me!"

Look! Chu Xinghe is satisfied.

If it were anyone else, upon hearing of such an important mission, they would at least ask what it was about. But look at our Tieniu, he agreed without hesitation. You can only ask if he's reliable.

"Good! I'm very pleased to hear you say that, Tieniu. Go back now, I'll call you when the matter arises."

"Alright! Senior Brother Xinghe, I'm off."

With Tieniu gone, Chu Xinghe was even more satisfied.

This junior brother is reliable! He doesn't ask a single question, and he doesn't even make me make up an excuse. Where can you find such a worry-free junior brother?

Unlike Ma Liang, who only ever caused trouble for himself.

In the past two days, the spirit mines of various sects have been in turmoil again.

What happened to the promise that Chu Xinghe would be severely punished, putting everyone back on equal footing and starting afresh?

But what's with the Vast Heaven Sect's current reverse involution?

In the past few days, quite a few miners have gone to the Vast Heaven Sect's spirit mine to check on the situation.

You won't believe it until you see it! It's truly amazing!

The miner disciples of the Vast Heaven Sect were all dressed in brand-new miner disciple uniforms. These uniforms were not crudely made; they were all made of the same fabric as those used by the outer disciples of the Vast Heaven Sect.

The two most famous chefs in Spirit City were invited by the Vast Heaven Sect to cook at the Ling Mine.

The braised pork belly with its rich, fatty layers, the various stir-fried dishes that were perfect in color, aroma, and taste, the exquisitely crafted snacks, and even the drinks?

This is absolutely divine food!

The Vast Heaven Sect even had dormitories rebuilt for the miners' disciples, four people to a room with complete beds, and each miner's disciple could rest for an hour after lunch.

Is this how a human being lives?

Then look at some miners who have started their vacation mode, and surprisingly, this vacation mode doesn't deduct any resources?

All the disciples of the various mining sects had bloodshot eyes.

Look at the miners' disciples of the Vast Heaven Sect, and then look at us. Is this even a comparison between people?

This is a comparison between a human and a slave!

They're both apprentices of miners, so why is there such a big difference in their treatment?

The disciples of the various mining sects were outraged.

What happened to the promise to kill Chu Xinghe?

So what happened to everyone starting from the same point? It seems like we're the only ones suffering, while everyone else is treated like royalty.

The miners' disciples from all sects were in an uproar, and the first major strike broke out.

Despite various threats and inducements from different sects, the miners were determined to go all out this time.

We might as well quit!

Let the sect abolish our cultivation, let's go to the Vast Heaven Sect and start over!

Faced with the counterattack from the miners' disciples, the various sects began to shift the pressure to the Vast Heaven Sect.

All collaborations were cancelled, and rumors of the Vast Heaven Sect's hypocrisy were even spread everywhere.

Unlike the spirit mines of other sects, all the miners and disciples of the Vast Heaven Sect were moved to tears after receiving the guaranteed treatment from Senior Brother Xinghe.

"Ma Laosan! How dare you slack off! How can you face Senior Brother Xinghe?!"

"Ma Laosan, someone like you doesn't deserve to stay in the Spirit Mine!"

"I'm so sorry... I was blinded by greed just now, I'll never do it again!"

"Ma Laosan, if this happens again, we will never forgive you!"

Previously, the Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce had to keep a close eye on these miners at all times, fearing that they would slack off and reduce production.

But these past few days, there's absolutely no need for that. If anyone tries to slack off, the other miners' disciples will immediately give them a big beating without even the Chamber of Commerce having to say a word.

How can you face Senior Brother Xinghe?

This sentence became the motto in the hearts of every miner's apprentice!

Now is the time for the miners to rest properly, but when they're working, they're truly giving it their all.

For several days in a row, the people in charge of collecting raw ore suddenly discovered something very strange.

The miners' apprentices were working much less time than before, but... the output hadn't decreased at all; in fact... it had increased by 30%?

What the hell is this?

I don't understand it at all!

When the news reached Qin Xiangqian was completely bewildered. However, Qin Xiangqian didn't report it to Chu Xinghe, intending to observe it further. After all, it's possible for the output of a certain section of a ore vein to increase, so further observation was necessary.

While observing, Qin Xiangqian finally spent Stone-Pointing Technique.

But when Qin Xiangqian cautiously inquired about the candidate for the Stone Master that Senior Brother Xinghe had mentioned, he was dumbfounded.

"Wang Tieniu? Wang Tieniu, plagued by bad luck? Senior Brother Xinghe, are you sure you're not joking with me?"

"It's Tieniu! He's the one in a million who can become a master of spiritual transformation! Believe me, and believe in Tieniu! Surpassing the Shi Clan in the future depends on Tieniu!"

Qin Xiangqian was dumbfounded...

Surpassing Shi Clan?

It seems the money spent on this Stone-Pointing Technique is completely wasted...