Cultivation Was as Easy as Drinking Water

The three men who emerged from the Mine Tunnel stared at Doppelganger Chen Fan in bewilderment.

"Alright, stop staring. You're free now. Leave quickly, and don't ever come back."

As he spoke, Doppelganger Chen Fan took out the Azure Cloud Sword and swung it three times in succession.

All the shackles around their ankles were severed.

The three men looked at one another. At the same time, they realized they had been saved. They would never again have to mine in that pitch-black, sunless Mine Tunnel.

The three immediately dropped to their knees. "Thank you, benefactor, for saving our lives! We will never forget your great kindness. Please leave us your name, benefactor, so that we may repay you someday."

Doppelganger Chen Fan waved a hand. "There's no need to repay me. Head in that direction and you can leave this place. Once you leave, don't come back."

As he spoke, Doppelganger Chen Fan pointed in a direction, then vanished in a flash.

The three rescued men had not seen where Chen Fan went at all. Their cultivation was simply too low.

"Forget it. Being able to get out of that Mine Tunnel is already our good fortune."

"That's right. With Benefactor's cultivation, saving us was easy. It isn't our place to talk about repaying him."

"Yeah, but how exactly were we saved? And where are we now?"

"Never mind that. As long as we're not in that Mine Tunnel, anywhere is fine."

"Still, we can't just let this go. We must spread word of this heartless mine. I refuse to believe no one can deal with them."

"Right. We may not have the strength, but we can at least spread the news."

"Exactly. Such a massive Mysterious Iron Ore mine is bound to tempt quite a few people. Even some people from the great sects will probably be interested."

At that moment, one of them seemed to think of something and said in surprise, "Huh? Why are there only three of us here? Wasn't that newcomer living with us? Why wasn't he saved?"

As soon as that question was raised, the three rescued men looked at one another.

A possibility suddenly surfaced in their hearts.

"Could the one who saved us be—"

The man who had raised the question was suddenly interrupted.

"Don't say it. We don't know anything."

The man who had asked immediately came to a realization.

Someone had rescued them without a sound, yet another person from the same Mine Tunnel had not appeared.

In their view, that person was most likely Doppelganger Zhao Yun—and he was an immensely powerful expert.

This was no longer something they could involve themselves in. The one who saved them definitely had not done so merely to save them.

"Right, we don't know anything. We aren't miners either."

"Right."

"Right."

At this moment, the three rescued men seemed to have figured everything out. They reached a common understanding.

They knew nothing, and they had never appeared here.

The three hurried in the direction Chen Fan had pointed and fled the place.

Yet in the darkness, Doppelganger Chen Fan had not left. He had merely used the Breath Concealment Art to suppress his aura for the moment, continuing to observe the three men he had rescued.

At the same time, he immediately relayed what he saw to Chen Ze.

After hearing the conversation between the three rescued men, Chen Ze gave a bitter laugh. "Heh, I never thought those three would be so clever. They guessed everything in one go."

"But it doesn't matter. I imagine they won't come back, and they won't interfere with my plans."

At that moment, Zhao Ling'er frowned. "Master, all the Points have been used up again. We'll have to wait a while before buying another Doppelganger. The investment and return don't seem proportional."

"It's fine. If Points and Spirit Stones are gone, we can just earn more. Doppelgangers are different—they can exist forever.

"And the more Doppelgangers I have, the safer and more relaxed I'll be. I can simply leave everything to them."

"Master is right. This little woman was overthinking it."

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

"Yes, Master. I'll go prepare something right away." As she spoke, Doppelganger Zhao Ling'er went off to prepare food.

Chen Ze watched Doppelganger Zhao Ling'er's retreating figure. "Why does it feel like they aren't Doppelgangers at all? It's as though they're real people."

Such a thought suddenly flashed through Chen Ze's mind.

But Chen Ze quickly brushed it aside, because it was unimportant.

As for the consumption of Spirit Stones and Points, Chen Ze was no longer worried in the slightest.

Within the Myriad Things Space were Spirit Fields accelerated a thousandfold. Those ten-year medicinal herbs could be harvested once every three or four days.

Outside, the Mysterious Iron Ore mine developed by the Ye Family would, by Chen Ze's estimate, be worth at least several million Spirit Stones once emptied out.

All of that was Chen Ze's future profit now. He merely lacked a little time.

There were still guards in the Mysterious Iron Ore mine, so Zhao Yun and the other four Doppelgangers could not act so openly.

But soon enough, Chen Ze's next step was to deal with the guards.

That would likewise take time, but Chen Ze was not in a hurry. Time was what he had most.

Another four days passed in a row.

Chen Ze's cultivation broke through once more. "Qi Refining Seventh Layer. This cultivation speed is truly fast—cultivating is as easy as drinking water."

"Master, the medicinal herbs have matured again. The thirty-year medicinal herbs have matured as well."

"Good. Once we harvest this batch of medicinal herbs, we can add more Doppelgangers at the Mysterious Iron Ore mine. It's time to begin the next step."

Over the past few days, the ten-year medicinal herbs had matured once. The proceeds had only been enough for Chen Ze to buy one Doppelganger, but he had not rushed to buy it and instead waited until now.

This time, the profits from the matured medicinal herbs were enough to buy three more Doppelgangers.

Meanwhile, Zhao Yun and his three Doppelgangers had also brought Chen Ze some gains over the past few days. The Mysterious Iron Ore they mined had been reclaimed by the Myriad Things Shop, earning 120 Points.

Though it was not much, it was better than nothing. At the very least, the Doppelgangers had begun earning money for him.

Inside the Mysterious Iron Ore mine.

Zhao Yun and the other four Doppelgangers had already received Chen Ze's orders. Today, they would begin making a move against the guards.

Having just finished mining, Zhao Yun and the other four Doppelgangers were resting in the Mine Tunnel.

At that moment, one Doppelganger suddenly let out a pained cry.

The Ye Family Member responsible for guarding them immediately came over to check upon hearing the shout.

The guard entered the Mine Tunnel where Zhao Yun and the others were and saw a Doppelganger rolling on the ground, crying out again and again.

Zhao Yun and the other three huddled off to one side, all staring at the guard who had entered with frightened expressions.

The guard frowned at the Doppelganger on the ground. The whip in his hand had already lashed down on him. "What are you screaming for? Quiet down."

That whip struck the Doppelganger, but he felt nothing. Still, he continued pretending to cry out in agony.

The cries irritated the guard. He put more force into his arm and lashed out several more times in succession.

The Doppelganger stopped crying out and lay motionless on the ground, without the slightest trace of breath.

The guard was puzzled. "Dead?"

The guard was about to step forward and inspect the Doppelganger. These miners were still important to the Ye Family; every miner was a tool for earning Spirit Stones.

One less miner meant one less person digging ore.

Furthermore, all the guards here were Ye Family Members. He was completely unguarded as he walked straight to the Doppelganger lying on the ground.

The guard's back was completely exposed before Zhao Yun and the other three Doppelgangers.

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

The Doppelganger who had been lying on the ground opened his eyes at the same time. The Doppelgangers swiftly worked together, stripping every item from the guard's body and storing the corpse in the Myriad Things Space.

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

The five Doppelgangers in the Mine Tunnel exchanged smiles.

Their task was complete. Everything had been carried out without a sound.