Xiao Zhang lay on a crude wooden plank bed, enduring the thick stench of sour sweat and feet around him as he drifted unknowingly into sleep.
He was simply too exhausted. Washing up and such were skipped altogether.
A new minor branch vein had recently been discovered in the mine, where some purple-gold ore could be dug up. But it was another underground vein; every day, they had to descend into the mine shafts and walk more than ten miles before reaching the excavation site.
Cultivators would never come to mine in such a luck-dependent, inefficient, and dangerous way. They did not have that much time or energy, much less any desire to take such risks.
Using the numerous, strong-bodied mortals and piling them up through human-wave tactics was instead the most efficient approach.
After all, those who took an interest in such metal veins could not possibly be experts or major powers. The owner of this mining district was merely a small merchant association, the sort where even Foundation Establishment cultivators counted as experts.
Xiao Zhang had no name, only a surname. This was the most ordinary day of his life. After returning, he rejoiced that he was still alive, that no accident had happened and buried him underground.
It was an ordinary day as always, yet after he fell asleep today, things were no longer quite normal.
Inside a gaudily decorated tavern whose appearance was beyond description, Xiao Zhang faced a table full of food, stuffing himself wildly and drinking with gusto. Beside him sat a stern-faced cultivator in long robes, looking at him with a trace of appreciation.
"Young man, your talent is outstanding, something rarely seen in a hundred years. Would you be willing to take me as your master?"
Xiao Zhang was dreaming, drinking wine,