Cards

After leaving the City Lord's Mansion, Fan Lang headed straight for his destination.

This place lay twenty miles west of Wind Cloud City. It was an ancient mine called the Black Gold Mine, named for the black gold ore produced there.

After years of mining, the Black Gold Mine's mineral deposits had been depleted, with only a small amount remaining. As a result, the place had gradually fallen into disuse and lost its former bustle.

Now, only a handful of people still dug inside, hoping to scrape out some more valuable black gold.

The Black Gold Mine was a dangerous place. Underground monsters lived within, and bandits occasionally committed murder there as well.

The most common monster here was the Ground Drilling Tiger. It was not very large, but it possessed outstanding strength and speed. It could move freely underground and even control rocks to launch attacks.

The Ground Drilling Tiger was a two-star demonic beast. Killing one granted more Experience Points than killing a Unicorn Rabbit.

Fan Lang arrived at the entrance of the Black Gold Mine with an iron sword slung over his shoulder. Looking inside, he saw only pitch-black darkness, without a single person in sight.

No one was even better. It meant no one would disturb him.

Fan Lang took out a torch he had prepared on the way and lit it with a fire striker. Holding the torch in one hand and the iron sword in the other, he strode into the deep mine, lighting up the darkness within.

He had not gone far when he heard rustling footsteps coming from inside the mine—and they were definitely not human footsteps.

Fan Lang sharpened his focus and followed the sound with his torch, his feet sinking unevenly into the ground.

The mine was connected in all directions, with many passages excavated by previous miners, like an underground maze.

A shadow darted through the darkness ahead. It was slightly larger than a dog. Probably startled by the firelight, it stopped, raised itself up, and stared at Fan Lang with a pair of tiny eyes.

This little fellow was a Ground Drilling Tiger!

Though its name contained the word "tiger," it looked nothing like one. Instead, it bore some resemblance to a pangolin.

"You'll do!"

Fan Lang's eyes narrowed as he charged forward with his sword. He unleashed Life Reaping Steps, his legs moving rapidly and turning into blurred shadows. Wind howled around him in every direction, sweeping up the loose stones on the ground.

In less than two seconds, Fan Lang had rushed to the Ground Drilling Tiger and slashed at it.

Light Splitting Sword Technique!

His sword bloomed like a silver flower, with several cold gleams spiraling outward. Each gleam represented a strand of sword qi. The strength of the Light Splitting Sword Technique lay in splitting sword qi apart; the sword qi it unleashed interwove reality and illusion, drifting unpredictably.

Strands of sword qi struck the Ground Drilling Tiger, tearing through its hard outer shell. Blood sprayed out and splattered across the ground.

-55

-53

-58

A string of red numbers floated up above the Ground Drilling Tiger's head.

The Light Splitting Sword Technique was far more powerful than Thug Fist. Combined with the Fine Iron Sword in Fan Lang's hand, its destructive power was considerable.

"Hiss!"

Wounded and enraged, the Ground Drilling Tiger opened its mouth and let out a strange cry. Chunks of scattered gravel floated into the air, then shot violently toward Fan Lang with tremendous force.

Fan Lang used Life Reaping Steps and flashed aside, evading the incoming stones.

Though he had only learned Life Reaping Steps the night before, he used it as skillfully as if he had practiced it for years. The memories related to this movement technique had already taken root deep in his mind.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Fan Lang's figure flickered as he perfectly dodged every attack. At the same time, he circled to the Ground Drilling Tiger's side and attacked again with his iron sword, its sword light incomparably sharp.

After three rounds of attacks, the Ground Drilling Tiger died beneath his sword. Its mangled corpse finally lay completely still.

Congratulations, player. You have killed 1 Ground Drilling Tiger and gained 450 Experience Points.

The Ground Drilling Tiger dropped 2 Hard Shells and 1 Earth Essence.

Player level increased to Mystic Soldier Level 1. Mystic Power +200. Health +200.

Fan Lang had leveled up just by killing this Ground Drilling Tiger.

At the Mystic Apprentice stage, each level-up increased his attributes by 100. After reaching Mystic Soldier, each level-up increased them by 200, a clearly greater improvement.

Newly born power surged through Fan Lang's body, filling him from head to toe.

The increase in strength was obviously the most important thing. As for the materials dropped by monsters, they usually only became useful after several types had been gathered. A single material was not much use on its own; it could either be sold or saved for later until the rest were collected.

"Kill, kill, kill! You're all Experience Points!"

Fan Lang gripped his sword and continued deeper. Whenever he encountered one Ground Drilling Tiger, he killed one; whenever he encountered a pair, he killed both. The Experience Points he gained rose at an impressive rate.

He was not advancing without purpose. He was heading toward a specific location, where he could obtain two cards!

He slaughtered his way into the depths of the Black Gold Mine and found a collapsed area.

"This is it! There can't be any mistake!"

Fan Lang's eyes lit up.

On the surface, there was no sign that this place had ever collapsed. But Fan Lang was certain that digging here would open a hidden passage, and the cards were concealed inside.

Fan Lang started digging, peeling away the rocks layer by layer. He worked until he was drenched in sweat. He did not know how long he had dug, but he finally opened up a passage.

By the torchlight, he saw that the passage was deep. Mining tools lay scattered on the ground, most of them damaged and clearly quite old.

Holding the torch, Fan Lang ducked inside and carefully walked to the very end of the passage.

Two corpses lay there. They had been dead for far too long and had already become mummified remains. Their clothes and belongings were covered in a thick layer of dust, filthy and grimy.

Rather than being alarmed by the corpses, Fan Lang was delighted.

He was here to profit from the dead!

The two corpses had both belonged to adventurers. They had ventured deep into the Black Gold Mine years ago in search of black gold, only to suffer the misfortune of encountering a mine collapse and being crushed to death here. Today, they finally saw daylight again.

Fan Lang searched through the two corpses and quickly found the two cards he wanted.

These cards were slightly longer than playing cards and forged from metal, heavy in his hand. Different patterns and designs were etched across them.

One card depicted a flame, while the other depicted a bag.

Player has discovered 1 hidden Beacon Fire card.

Player has discovered 1 hidden Small Pocket card.

Beacon Fire:

Type: Skill Card.

Star Rating: ★

Effect: Releases a ball of light that follows its owner. It is bright enough to illuminate a large room and lasts for 5 hours. After resting for 1 hour, the effect can be activated again.

Mystic Power Cost: 15 points.

Small Pocket:

Type: Storage Card.

Star Rating: ★

Effect: Contains a 10*10*10 cubic meter Independent Space that can freely store items, but cannot store living creatures.

Mystic Power Cost: 3 points.

"Two one-star cards. Their level is a little low, but their effects are practical. This trip was well worth it."

Fan Lang was thoroughly satisfied. He wiped the dust from the two cards, put away the Small Pocket card that was of no immediate use, and kept only the Beacon Fire card.

He pressed his thumb against a key point on the card, infused it with Mystic Power, and activated its effect.

Buzz!

The card instantly shone brightly, and a ball of light floated out from it. It was much brighter than Fan Lang's torch, illuminating more than half the tunnel as if it were daytime.

With this Beacon Fire, he would not have to worry about lighting in the future. Whether he entered a Mountain Cave to explore or went out at night, it would come in handy.

This was only the lowest-grade one-star card. Naturally, higher-grade cards possessed even more powerful effects.

"This is much brighter—at least far better than a torch. And the light ball floats beside me, so I don't have to carry it in my hand like a torch."

Fan Lang was very satisfied. He discarded his original torch and used Beacon Fire for illumination instead.

Having taken the dead men's belongings, Fan Lang felt a slight need to make amends. He sealed the passage again, allowing the two corpses to rest in peace.

Fan Lang carried his iron sword and continued grinding monsters to level up. After walking a long way, his view suddenly opened up as he arrived in a vast underground space.

More than thirty pairs of fierce eyes suddenly lit up and stared straight at Fan Lang!

This was actually a Ground Drilling Tiger nest, with more than thirty Ground Drilling Tigers inside!