Cultivation Is As Simple As Drinking Water

The three people who emerged from the Mine Tunnel looked at the Doppelganger Chen Fan with expressions of bewilderment.

"Alright, you don't need to stare anymore. You are free now. Go quickly, and don't ever come back."

With that, the Doppelganger Chen Fan drew his Azure Cloud Sword and swung it three times in rapid succession.

The shackles on the three men's ankles were severed instantly.

The three looked at each other, realizing they had been saved and would never again have to return to the dark, sunless Mine Tunnel to toil away.

They immediately fell to their knees. "Thank you, benefactor, for saving our lives. We will never forget this great kindness. Please, may we have your name so that we may repay you in the future?"

The Doppelganger Chen Fan waved his hand. "Repayment is unnecessary. Follow that direction to leave this place, and once you're gone, don't return."

After pointing out the path, the Doppelganger Chen Fan flickered and vanished.

The three rescued men hadn't even caught a glimpse of where Chen Fan had gone; their cultivation levels were simply too low.

"Forget it, just getting out of that mine is a stroke of luck for us."

"True. With a cultivation level like that, our benefactor wouldn't even need us to repay him."

"Indeed, though I still don't know how we were rescued, or even where we are now."

"It doesn't matter. As long as it's not in that mine, anywhere is fine."

"Still, we can't just let this go. We must expose this black-hearted mine. I refuse to believe there's no one who can deal with them."

"Right, we lack the strength, but we can certainly spread the word."

"Exactly. A Mysterious Iron Ore deposit this large—there must be plenty of people interested in it. Even those great sects would surely be tempted."

Just then, one of them seemed to recall something and asked in surprise, "Wait, why are there only the three of us here? Didn't the new guy live with us? Why wasn't he rescued?"

As this sudden question was raised, the three rescued men exchanged uneasy glances.

A suspicion began to take root in their minds.

"Could it be that the one who saved us is..."

The person who raised the question was suddenly cut off.

"Don't say it. We know nothing."

The man who had asked the question suddenly realized the truth.

To rescue them without a sound, and with one person from the same mine left behind—in their estimation, this was likely the work of the Doppelganger Zhao Yun, a powerful expert.

This matter was far beyond their ability to intervene, and the person who saved them certainly hadn't done it just for their sake.

"Right, we know nothing, and we were never miners."

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

The three rescued men seemed to have reached a consensus.

They knew nothing, and they had never been here.

The three quickly ran in the direction Chen Fan had pointed, fleeing the area.

In the shadows, the Doppelganger Chen Fan had not left; he had merely used his Breath Concealment Art to suppress his presence while observing the three men.

At the same time, he immediately transmitted what he had seen to Chen Ze.

Hearing the conversation between the three, Chen Ze gave a wry smile. "Heh, who would have thought these three were so sharp? They guessed it all in one go."

"But it doesn't matter. They surely won't return, nor will they interfere with my plans."

At this moment, Zhao Ling'er frowned and said, "Master, the Points are exhausted again. It will take some time before we can purchase another doppelganger. The investment and the returns don't seem to be proportional anymore."

"It's fine. If the Points and Spirit Stones are gone, we can just earn more. Doppelgangers are different; they can exist forever. Besides, the more doppelgangers I have, the safer and more relaxed I am. I can just leave everything to them."

"Master is right. This humble servant was overthinking."

"Ling'er, I'm a bit hungry."

"Yes, Master. I shall prepare something immediately." With that, the Doppelganger Zhao Ling'er went to prepare a meal.

Chen Ze watched the back of the Doppelganger Zhao Ling'er. Why does it feel like they aren't doppelgangers at all, but real, living people?

Such a thought flashed through Chen Ze's mind.

However, he quickly dismissed it, as it was of no importance.

As for the consumption of Spirit Stones and Points, Chen Ze was not worried in the slightest.

Inside the Myriad Things Space, there was a Spirit Field with a thousand-fold acceleration; ten-year-old spirit herbs could be harvested every three or four days.

Outside, the Mysterious Iron Ore deposit developed by the Ye Family was, by Chen Ze's estimation, worth at least several million Spirit Stones once fully excavated.

All of this was now Chen Ze's profit; it was only a matter of time.

There were still guards at the Mysterious Iron Ore site, so the four doppelgangers, including Zhao Yun, could not act too brazenly just yet.

But it would be soon; the next problem Chen Ze needed to solve was the issue of the guards.

However, this also required time, but Chen Ze was in no rush now; time was the one thing he had in abundance.

Another four consecutive days passed.

Chen Ze's cultivation broke through once again. "Qi Refining Seventh Layer. This cultivation speed is truly fast, as simple as drinking water."

"Master, the spirit herbs have matured again, and the 30-year-old spirit herbs have also matured."

"Very well. Once we harvest this batch of spirit herbs, we can add more doppelgangers to the Mysterious Iron Ore mine. It is time to begin the next step."

Over the past few days, the 10-year-old spirit herbs had matured once, but the profit was only enough for Chen Ze to purchase one doppelganger. He hadn't been in a hurry to buy it, choosing to wait until now instead.

The profit from this current harvest of spirit herbs was enough to purchase three more doppelgangers.

Meanwhile, the three doppelgangers, including Zhao Yun, had also brought back some earnings for Chen Ze over these past few days. The Mysterious Iron Ore they had mined and sold back to the Myriad Things Shop had earned him 120 Points.

Although it wasn't much, it was better than nothing; at the very least, the doppelgangers had started earning money for him.

Inside the Mysterious Iron Ore mine.

The four doppelgangers, including Zhao Yun, had already received Chen Ze's orders: today, they would begin taking action against the guards.

Having just finished mining, the four doppelgangers were resting in the mine tunnel.

At that moment, one doppelganger suddenly let out a cry of pain.

The Ye Family member responsible for guarding them heard the shout and immediately came over to investigate.

The guard walked into the mine tunnel where Zhao Yun and the others were and saw one doppelganger rolling on the ground, letting out bursts of cries.

Zhao Yun and the other two huddled to the side, all looking at the approaching guard with terror.

The guard frowned as he looked at the doppelganger on the ground, the whip in his hand already lashing out at him. "What are you howling about? Be quiet!"

The whip struck the doppelganger, who felt nothing at all, yet continued to pretend to cry out in agony.

The sound irritated the guard, who increased his strength and lashed out several more times.

The doppelganger then stopped his cries, lying motionless on the ground without a trace of breath.

The guard was puzzled. "Dead?"

The guard prepared to step forward to check on the doppelganger's condition. These miners were still very important to the Ye Family; every miner was a tool for earning Spirit Stones.

Losing one miner meant one less person to dig for ore.

Moreover, the guards here were all Ye Family members, so he had no defenses at all and walked directly up to the doppelganger on the ground.

The guard's back was completely exposed to Zhao Yun and the other three doppelgangers.

In an instant, the Azure Cloud Sword appeared in Zhao Yun's hand, and with a single strike, he severed the guard's head.

The doppelganger who had just been lying on the ground opened his eyes simultaneously. Together, the doppelgangers quickly stripped all the items off the guard and stowed the corpse into the Myriad Things Space.

At the same time, a doppelganger identical to the guard appeared.

The five doppelgangers inside the mine tunnel exchanged smiles.

Their mission was complete, and everything had been done without a sound.