One-Eyed Ice Scorpion

Geng Daxiong struggled to his feet, disbelief still filling his eyes.

"You're Zhang Tie, right?" Geng Daxiong spat a mouthful of bloody saliva onto the ground and asked unwillingly.

"So what if I am?" Zhang Tie replied calmly, his tone cold.

"You're a good kid. I, Geng Daxiong, keep my word. Since you beat me, you won't need to pay this tribute." Geng Daxiong stared fixedly at Zhang Tie, then smiled.

With that, he waved his hand. The two lackeys immediately scurried over like mangy dogs that had caught a whiff of something foul, flanking Geng Daxiong as the three figures gradually retreated.

"But don't celebrate too soon. Sooner or later, I'll come looking for you again." Geng Daxiong's voice suddenly drifted back from the three departing figures.

Zhang Tie sighed helplessly, slowly returned to his room, gently shut the door, climbed onto the bed, sat cross-legged, and resumed cultivating.

Yet his heart could not settle, and he could not help worrying about Geng Daxiong's retaliation.

Four days passed in the blink of an eye.

Zhang Tie had thought Geng Daxiong would bring his older brother, father, or grandfather to deal with him. Because of that, he had not dared take the precious White Grass Pill, saving it in case Geng Daxiong truly came so he could offer it as an apology. After all, a true man knew when to bend and when to stand tall.

Within the sect, fights might be tolerated, but the vicious act of killing fellow sect disciples was absolutely forbidden.

At worst, he would take a beating and compensate them with a White Grass Pill. He truly had nothing else worth offering.

But the result greatly exceeded Zhang Tie's expectations. No one came to cause trouble again. It seemed Geng Daxiong had at least some principles, even if not many.

Early that morning, Zhang Tie went to the External Affairs Hall and collected this month's cultivation resources.

Afterward, he went straight to the Alchemy Hall and bought a bottle of first-tier top-grade Fasting Pills without hesitation.

One Fasting Pill could keep a person from feeling hungry for two months, making it the finest among Fasting Pills. He had heard that upon reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, one no longer needed Fasting Pills and would no longer feel hunger.

Zhang Tie followed the familiar route. After receiving his Storage Pouch, he headed directly for his secret location.

Only upon reaching his destination did Zhang Tie breathe a slight sigh of relief.

Good, good. The rubble he had buried was still there, meaning the Spirit Stones must also be safe. He just did not know whether digging them all out would be enough for this month's task of ten Spirit Stones.

Zhang Tie took a deep breath, pulled out his pickaxe and iron shovel, and began digging with full concentration.

Time slipped by unnoticed. Zhang Tie did not know how long he had been digging, but he had already unearthed twenty-six Low-grade Spirit Stones.

As he dug, Zhang Tie could not help stopping, an unbelievable feeling rising in his heart.

After all, he had deeply experienced the hardship of mining these past few days. This task was rarely chosen precisely because it consumed so much time and effort and was extremely difficult to complete.

The sect's requirement of ten Spirit Stones had basically been calculated based on the average amount, or the amount most people could excavate.

This way, the Outer Sect disciples could be made to work hard for the sect, while most would struggle to receive their reward. In the end, those who failed to complete the task would have nothing to say.

If any disciple claimed the task requirements were unreasonable, the managers would surely cite examples of those who had completed it, then condescendingly conclude, "You don't work hard enough, yet you blame the sect. First reflect on whether you have truly put in the effort."

Zhang Tie looked at the small pile of Low-grade Spirit Stones in his Storage Pouch, then at the Spirit Stone Mine Cave before him. Beneath the scattered gravel, faint spiritual light still clearly flickered.

Zhang Tie hesitated only briefly before continuing to swing his tools and dig with full focus. Beads of sweat covered his forehead, and his breathing grew slightly hurried, but his hands never stopped.

Just then, he suddenly felt traces of cold seep from the cave wall. At first, Zhang Tie paid it no mind, taking it for an ordinary natural phenomenon deep within the mine as he continued working with his head lowered.

"Clang!" As he brought down his pickaxe with all his strength, a dull boom rang out. The stone wall before him broke open, revealing a small cavern.

A dense surge of Spiritual Qi instantly burst forth, its concentration more than double that outside. Zhang Tie froze at the sudden change, then delight flashed in his eyes.

He carefully crawled toward the small cavern, his heart filled with expectation and unease.

When he finally drew close and saw the scene within, he could not help drawing a sharp breath.

Inside the cavern, a pile of Low-grade Spirit Stones glowed with a gentle luster, like brilliant stars in the night sky.

At the center of that pile lay three pale-blue spheres. They emitted a faint chill that seemed to freeze the surrounding air into frost, and even the stone walls appeared to have formed a thin layer of ice.

The atmosphere in the cavern grew increasingly frigid, as though it could freeze a person to the marrow.

Unable to suppress his excitement, Zhang Tie was just about to step closer for a careful look when a piercing, strange cry echoed through the cavern. Immediately afterward, a bizarre monster rushed out of the darkness like a ghost.

The creature resembled a scorpion, but its body was a profound blue, like the waters of an endless deep sea, carrying a mysterious and chilling aura.

More bizarrely, it had only a single eye on its head. That eye flickered with a cold, eerie light like the frigid moon on a winter night, enough to make anyone shudder at a glance.

Zhang Tie was startled. This monster looks incredibly vicious. I should run first! He turned to flee.

However, before Zhang Tie could get far, the monster moved as fast as lightning, flashing forward in an instant to block his path. Knowing escape was hopeless, Zhang Tie could only steel himself and fight.

He swiftly pulled the low-grade magical iron shovel from his Storage Pouch and frantically poured spiritual power into it. A faint glow immediately appeared on the shovel, like a hazy veil of mist.

The monster swung its sharp pincers and lunged at Zhang Tie with howling wind. Icy blue light flickered from the pincers, as though they could freeze even a person's soul.

Zhang Tie twisted aside to dodge, thinking, I absolutely cannot let it hurt me, or I may not survive!

He fiercely swung the iron shovel, kicking up a sharp gust. A streak of silver light instantly cut through the air like a meteor tearing through darkness.

The airflow within the Mine Cave became wildly turbulent from their fierce clash, sending loose stones across the ground with a series of crackling sounds.

The monster nimbly evaded the blow, its venomous tail stinger shooting toward Zhang Tie like lightning. An eerie light flickered from the stinger, as if it contained lethal venom, radiating a hair-raising aura.

"Damn!" Zhang Tie hurriedly raised his shovel to block. With a clang, sparks flew everywhere like dazzling fireworks.

His arm went numb, as though struck by a heavy hammer, and he secretly marveled at the monster's immense strength.

Zhang Tie gritted his teeth and attacked again. Several enormous ice spikes appeared out of thin air. Crystal-clear and wreathed in wisps of white mist, they seemed to freeze the air solid wherever they passed.

The ice spikes shot at the monster like arrows, carrying an unstoppable momentum. Blue light spread over the monster's body and knocked them all away. The spikes shattered into countless icy fragments that drifted down like snowflakes.

Zhang Tie immediately launched a blazing fireball at the monster. The fireball was like a scorching sun, radiating searing heat that seemed capable of burning everything to ash.

The monster's single eye flashed as it spewed a stream of cold air. The frost-like breath collided with the fireball with a series of hissing sounds, turning into a cloud of water vapor that instantly filled the cavern and blurred his vision.

By then, Zhang Tie was drenched in sweat, his clothes soaked through and clinging tightly to his body.

But the monster gave him no chance to catch his breath, attacking again through that brief opening. Zhang Tie rolled away, narrowly avoiding it. Loose stones were kicked up by his movement and rained back down.

No, this can't go on! Zhang Tie was frantic as his mind raced for a solution.

Zhang Tie feigned an attack at the monster's left side, drawing its attention there.

The instant the monster revealed an opening, he abruptly turned and poured all his spiritual power into the iron shovel. The shovel blazed brightly like a dazzling shooting star. It all comes down to this! he roared inwardly, thrusting viciously toward the monster's single eye.

The monster sensed the danger and tried to dodge, but it was too late.

The iron shovel struck the eye with perfect accuracy. The monster let out a shrill scream that echoed through the cavern, deafeningly loud. Blood sprayed from the eye and froze the instant it splashed onto the ground.

The echoes in the Mine Cave continued, making the scream ever more miserable and terrifying, like a wail from hell.

Zhang Tie pressed his advantage. I can't give it a chance to recover! The iron shovel in his hand fell like a raging storm, every strike carrying tremendous force. Light flashed through the air as spiritual power surged violently.

Under his relentless attacks, the monster gradually lost its ability to resist, finally collapsing to the ground without moving again.

"Looks like I guessed right. Its eye really was its weakness." Zhang Tie panted heavily, looking at the monster's corpse with the relief of having survived a disaster.

After resting briefly and steadying his rapid breathing, he eagerly walked toward the pile of Spirit Stones and pale-blue spheres.

Just after Zhang Tie put away the Spirit Stones and three spheres, still shocked that the pile contained as many as three hundred and thirty-nine Spirit Stones, a chaotic rush of hurried footsteps rapidly approached.

Zhang Tie quickly exited the small cavern. Looking up, he saw three members of the Spirit Stone Mining Area No. 3 Enforcement Team who had just rushed in, led by the long-haired youth.

"What happened?" The long-haired youth furrowed his brow, but his gaze fell upon the one-eyed blue scorpion lying on the ground.

"I was mining when it suddenly charged at me, and then..." Zhang Tie briefly recounted what had happened. Naturally, he did not mention a single word about the Spirit Stones or three spheres inside.

"As for some of the details, I'd like to leave first and explain later. That really gave me quite a fright, and I don't want to stay here anymore." Zhang Tie added, his face still carrying lingering fear.

"Fine." The long-haired youth put away the one-eyed blue scorpion, then gave Zhang Tie a deep look. An unreadable glint flashed in his eyes before he turned and left.