Successful Soul Searching

Time passed quickly, and when Chen Ze woke up, his Soul Searching Technique had successfully advanced to the proficiency level.

However, Chen Ze was in no rush to perform the Soul Searching Technique on Shopkeeper Tong.

Now that Shopkeeper Tong, his greatest hidden threat, was under his control, he had plenty of time to play with him at his leisure.

Like Chen Fan and Zhao Yun, who were guarding him, Shopkeeper Tong had not closed his eyes all night, still trapped in the depths of despair.

"Chen Fan, go make some food."

"Yes, Master."

Chen Ze arranged for his doppelganger, Chen Fan, to cook while he went to wash up, not even sparing a glance at Shopkeeper Tong.

Soon, Chen Ze finished washing up, but the meal from his doppelganger, Chen Fan, was not yet ready.

Chen Ze waited for Chen Fan to finish cooking while practicing his Soul Searching Technique to increase his proficiency.

Not long after, Chen Fan's meal was ready and brought to the table in the main hall, waiting for Chen Ze to dine.

Eating the sumptuous meal, Chen Ze felt satisfied.

Although the dishes were made from ordinary ingredients, they had the advantage of tasting quite good.

But that bowl of rice was cooked with Spirit Rice; not only did it taste good, but a wisp of Spiritual Energy also flowed into his Dantian.

Just then, Chen Ze felt the aura throughout his body jolt, and his entire being felt refreshed.

My cultivation has broken through again.

Looking at Chen Fan and Zhao Yun, their auras were also climbing; their cultivation levels had broken through along with his.

Shopkeeper Tong, who had been in despair just moments ago, suddenly felt three auras rising and stared around in confusion.

With his Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivation, he immediately sensed that it was Chen Ze and the other two breaking through.

However, he could not tell what realm the three had reached, as the aura had only flickered for an instant before vanishing.

Still, Shopkeeper Tong looked at Chen Ze in astonishment, his heart filled with doubt and suspicion.

Is this still the Chen Ze I know?

How can he break through just by eating a meal?

Isn't he the trash who was kicked off the mountain by the Qingyun Sect?

Even with his cultivation breakthrough, Chen Ze did not stop eating; this was all within his expectations.

As long as he calculated carefully, he could determine exactly how long it would take to break through.

Not dwelling on these thoughts, Chen Ze continued to eat, as there were other things to do once he finished.

Before long, Chen Ze finished his meal and had Chen Fan come over to clear the table.

After eating, Chen Ze was in no hurry to perform the Soul Searching Technique on Shopkeeper Tong. Instead, he sat on a lounge chair in the courtyard, leisurely lying down to bask in the morning sun.

Why do this?

In Chen Ze's own words, "What is more comfortable than spacing out after a full meal? No matter how big the matter is, it can wait a little longer."

Soon, Chen Fan finished cleaning up and returned to Shopkeeper Tong's side to continue his watch.

After relaxing for a while, Chen Ze rose from the lounge chair and walked over to Shopkeeper Tong.

"I've let you live one more night; now, are you ready?"

Shopkeeper Tong begged for mercy again, but unfortunately, his mouth was gagged, and he could only emit "woo-woo" sounds.

Ignoring him, Chen Ze activated the Soul Searching Technique, his palm pressing down onto the top of Shopkeeper Tong's head.

A look of agony appeared on Shopkeeper Tong's face once more.

This time, Chen Ze's soul searching was finally successful.

All the memories in Shopkeeper Tong's mind were gradually merging into Chen Ze's own.

Time passed quickly, and Chen Ze completed the soul search.

Shopkeeper Tong, however, seemed to have suffered a massive mental shock, his eyes turning dull and vacant.

Chen Ze glanced at the now-demented Shopkeeper Tong and said nonchalantly, "Kill him. Make it clean."

"Yes." Chen Fan and Zhao Yun responded in unison.

It was not that Chen Ze treated life too lightly, but after searching Shopkeeper Tong's soul, he discovered that the evil deeds the man had committed were so numerous that dying ten times over would not be enough to pay for them.

Even Chen Ze, possessing all of Shopkeeper Tong's memories, did not want to continue looking through them.

He discarded all those memories entirely, keeping only the information he wanted.

He now knew the location of the mine, as well as the family that had been collaborating with Shopkeeper Tong.

"The Ye Family, is it? Heh, it won't be long now."

"The distance to this mine is a bit far. Zhao Yun, you go make the trip."

"Yes."

Shopkeeper Tong had also been dealt with, reduced to nothing but ashes.

Zhao Yun accepted the order and left the mansion.

"Chen Fan, go out for a trip, see what moves the City Lord's Mansion is making, and while you're at it, gather some information regarding the Ye Family."

"Yes."

Chen Fan also departed.

The vast mansion was left with only Chen Ze once again.

Only then did Chen Ze begin to examine the two Storage Rings that Shopkeeper Tong had carried on his person.

The space inside a Storage Ring was far larger than that of a Storage Bag; only wealthy individuals like Shopkeeper Tong could afford them.

Chen Ze spent some time erasing the restrictions Shopkeeper Tong had left on the Storage Rings, then probed them with his Spiritual Sense, taking in the contents at a glance.

Of the two Storage Rings found on Shopkeeper Tong, one contained all of his spirit stones.

Just by looking at the items in one of the rings, Chen Ze was filled with emotion. "You really were a wealthy man, but being rich and heartless—that was your mistake."

He hadn't realized it until he looked, but Shopkeeper Tong's other Storage Ring held a mountain of medicinal pills, and even two pieces of Yellow-grade High-rank Magic Artifacts.

Seeing Yellow-grade High-rank Magic Artifacts on a Qi Refining Realm cultivator was already rare, yet this Shopkeeper Tong possessed two of them.

Chen Ze took both artifacts out and tested their power in his hands.

The two artifacts were a long saber and a fan.

He tested the long saber and found it quite handy, but the fan was a bit lacking.

"Forget it, I'll recycle them both to the Myriad Things Shop later and trade for some suitable weapons for Chen Fan and Zhao Yun."

Chen Ze didn't look closely at the other items; he intended to recycle everything to the Myriad Things Shop.

However, the pile of spirit stones truly opened his eyes; it was his first time seeing so many.

"A full five thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones, and thirty Mid-grade Spirit Stones as well."

One Mid-grade Spirit Stone could be exchanged for 100 Low-grade Spirit Stones; in the Qingyun Sect, Mid-grade Spirit Stones were nothing out of the ordinary.

But in a small city like Wannan City, having enough Low-grade Spirit Stones didn't necessarily mean you could exchange them for Mid-grade ones.

"This Shopkeeper Tong was truly wealthy. Who knows how many times he's killed for loot. This Mysterious Iron Ore is also incredibly profitable; no wonder he dared to take such risks to do these things."

"However, if I were to create a hundred Doppelgangers to mine the ore, I wouldn't have to worry about a lack of spirit stones anymore. It's a pity the price of Doppelgangers increases; buying a hundred of them is still a bit difficult."

"Still, this is doable. It's a black mine anyway, and they've captured so many laborers. If I go and seize the mine, it could be considered rescuing those miners."

"It's just that this Ye Family is a bit troublesome."

"I'll let Zhao Yun go to the mine to check the situation first. For now, I'll go buy them two suitable weapons."

Chen Ze's consciousness entered the Myriad Things Space.

Inside the Myriad Things Shop, Chen Ze handed over all the items from Shopkeeper Tong's Storage Rings to the Green-robed Woman for recycling.

"A total of 4,500 Points. If you count the spirit stones, my wealth has directly exceeded ten thousand."

Chen Ze felt a surge of pleasant surprise; he hadn't expected that simply dealing with Shopkeeper Tong would grant him financial freedom.

However, Shopkeeper Tong had brought this upon himself, and Chen Ze considered it acting on behalf of heaven; he felt no guilt whatsoever.