First Arrival at the Canyon

Before arriving, he had already gained a concrete understanding of the Spirit Stone Mine.

There were over twenty Qi Refining Cultivators stationed at the Spirit Stone Mine, and two Martial Uncles in the Foundation Establishment Realm were overseeing the site.

Under normal circumstances:

Every half month, one of the two Martial Uncles would bring the mined Spirit Stones back to the sect. It was impossible for a Martial Uncle to make the trip every two or three days; after all, they needed time to cultivate as well.

However, the interval could not be too long either, or the massive quantity of Spirit Stones would likely attract the interest of high-level cultivators.

Usually, resource-rich areas like those for spiritual herbs, spiritual ores, and Spirit Stones were key protected zones for the sect.

The Spirit Stone Mine was neither too far nor too close to the White Cloud Sect. As long as a distress signal was sent, a large number of cultivators led by high-level sect members could arrive very quickly.

Consequently, until now, no Evil Cultivator had dared to attack this place.

Of course, this was also due to the tight security at the Spirit Stone Mine.

The primary duty of the Guard Senior Brothers at the Spirit Stone Mine was to guard against Evil Cultivators and to deal with the occasional demonic beast that emerged from the mine shafts.

Otherwise... if a demonic beast were to pop out every now and then, not to mention the casualties among the miners, even the boldest miner would likely be unable to dig in peace.

This would greatly affect the efficiency of Spirit Stone extraction.

Cheng Buzheng did not delay any further and walked up to the Formation Light Screen.

Suddenly.

A young cultivator dressed in the grey attire of the White Cloud Sect stepped out from within the formation. A powerful Spirit Pressure radiated from his body as he emerged with a Defensive Shield raised, gripping a Flying Sword Magic Tool in his hand.

He remained in a state of readiness to attack at any moment.

It seemed that if Cheng Buzheng gave a single unsatisfactory answer, he would be attacked immediately.

Sensing that powerful Spirit Pressure, Cheng Buzheng secretly guessed that this person was at least in the Late Qi Refining Stage. At the same time, he marveled at the strictness of the defense here.

Even when facing a minor cultivator like him at the Second Level of Qi Refining, they were so battle-ready; it was enough to show just how tightly guarded this place was.

Although the Guard Senior Brother saw that Cheng Buzheng was also wearing the sect's attire, the look of caution on his face did not diminish in the slightest.

After all, sect attire could be easily obtained by killing a sect disciple, so it was not enough to earn his trust.

"Who are you?" the Guard Senior Brother looked at Cheng Buzheng with vigilance and barked.

Cheng Buzheng replied hurriedly; he did not want to cause even the slightest misunderstanding. Otherwise, if he were killed as an Evil Cultivator, he would have nowhere to seek justice.

"White Cloud Sect Outer Sect Disciple Cheng Buzheng, here to fulfill a mission accepted at the Command Token Pavilion!

This is the Mission Token and my Identity Token!" As he spoke, he reached out and brushed his hand over the Storage Bag at his waist, holding the tokens out in his hands.

Seeing that Cheng Buzheng made no further moves, the Guard Senior Brother relaxed slightly. After all, instances of people playing the pig to eat the tiger were common in the cultivation world.

He reached out and beckoned, and the command talisman and identity token in Cheng Buzheng's hand slowly flew into his grasp. Throughout the process, he kept his gaze fixed on Cheng Buzheng to prevent any sudden sneak attacks.

The Guard Senior Brother carefully verified the authenticity of the command talisman and identity token, his peripheral vision remaining locked on Cheng Buzheng; he had not completely let his guard down.

Before long, the inspection was complete.

The Guard Senior Brother lowered his defenses and said calmly, "I hope Junior Brother does not mind. These are the regulations of the mine; even Foundation Establishment Martial Uncles must follow this procedure when entering or leaving."

As he spoke, the Guard Senior Brother tossed the command talisman and identity token back to him.

Cheng Buzheng caught the command talisman and identity token, his face showing no sign of resentment. Instead, he said with a smile:

"Senior Brother is overthinking it! This is simply your duty. I admire your rigorous approach to work; how could I possibly mind such things!"

Hearing this.

The Guard Senior Brother's expression softened slightly, and he said indifferently:

"Since you are here to perform the mining mission, you must report to me whenever you wish to leave the valley in the future.

I will give you a copy of the regulations within the Spirit Stone Mine shortly. You must strictly adhere to what is written inside; otherwise, should you violate them, you will be dealt with according to sect rules.

Junior Brother, although my words may sound harsh, the reality is exactly as I say. None of the cultivators who violated these regulations have met a good end."

After speaking, he turned and walked toward the entrance of the formation.

The entrance to the valley was covered by a layer of spiritual light from a formation. The Guard Senior Brother took out an identity token and injected a trace of spiritual power into it. The token shot out a beam of white spiritual light, which coiled around the layer of formation light.

The white spiritual light moved like a child's doodle, constantly tracing patterns onto the formation light.

A moment later.

A complex pattern appeared on the layer of formation light, and in the blink of an eye, an opening large enough for a person to pass through emerged.

The Guard Senior Brother stepped inside first, and Cheng Buzheng followed closely behind, tracing the Senior Brother's footsteps as he entered the canyon.

Upon entering the canyon, the first things to catch his eye were two octagonal pavilions built on the hillsides on either side, one to the left and one to the right. Inside each octagonal pavilion, a cultivator was sitting cross-legged.

Cheng Buzheng muttered to himself:

These must be the brothers on guard duty!

The spirit pressure radiating from them is not much different from the Guard Senior Brother's; they are likely all at the Late Qi Refining Stage.

He then scanned his surroundings and saw two more octagonal pavilions on the distant hillsides, where he could vaguely make out figures sitting cross-legged within them.

"Just as I thought. There are brothers on guard duty in all four directions: east, south, west, and north."

The canyon spanned roughly a thousand zhang in area. Wooden houses of uniform size were arranged in an orderly fashion throughout the valley, with only a few scattered pavilions dotting the landscape, which were likely important locations within the canyon.

At this moment, the canyon was quite quiet. Occasionally, two or three cultivators could be seen; it seemed most of his fellow disciples had gone down into the mines to dig for Spirit Stones.

Cheng Buzheng observed his surroundings while closely following the Guard Senior Brother.

Not long after.

The Guard Senior Brother led him to a wooden house that was different from the others.

Throughout the entire canyon, there were only pavilions and wooden houses, and all the wooden houses were identical in shape and size.

The Guard Senior Brother turned his head to look at Cheng Buzheng, his expression calm as he said indifferently.

"This wooden house is for your use. Normally, you will be mining in the mine tunnels and won't need this room, but you are entitled to two days of rest every month. You don't have to go down into the mines on these two days, and you can stay here.

You may also choose not to rest for a year to exchange it for twelve days of rest.

During your rest period, you may leave the valley, but no matter where you go, you must return within the stipulated time.

Additionally, you are not allowed to carry your Storage Bag into the mine tunnels. You must leave your Storage Bag at the Storage Pavilion. There are fellow disciples on duty there, and no one will steal your personal items. Should anything go missing, you may request that a Martial Uncle preside over the matter.

In a moment, I will give you the items for mining and the regulations for the Spirit Stone Mine!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Guard Senior Brother turned and left, heading toward a pavilion in the center of the canyon.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Buzheng did not express any opinion; even if he had one, he would have to keep it to himself. In any case, there wasn't a single valuable item in his Storage Bag, the most valuable things being three bottles of Bigu Pills.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the Guard Senior Brother returned.

He reached out and brushed his Storage Bag at his waist. A mining pick, a back basket, and a jade slip hovered in the air, drifting toward Cheng Buzheng.

Cheng Buzheng hurriedly gathered the items and cupped his hands, saying:

"Many thanks, Senior Brother!"

"Alright... no need for that, it is merely my duty!

I have given you the items; you may decide for yourself when to head to the mine tunnels.

Your task time begins counting from the moment you enter the mine tunnels.

Do not try to be clever. I have other matters to attend to, so I am leaving."

After saying this, the Guard Senior Brother drifted away.

He watched quietly as the Guard Senior Brother turned and walked away.

PS: Setting out a bowl, asking all you handsome and dashing fellow Daoists to toss some votes inside!