Cheng Buzheng pushed open the wooden door. Inside the wooden hut stood only a wooden bed, nothing else. It was not much different from the lodgings in the sect.
That was how cultivators were: they never had much desire for worldly possessions.
It wasn't that cultivators lacked desire. On the contrary, their desires were endless: pills to advance their cultivation, powerful treasures, and a long lifespan.
Seated cross-legged on the bed, Cheng Buzheng held a Jade Slip in his hands and studied it closely.
After the time it took to brew a cup of tea,
he finally put away the Jade Slip. It recorded the Prohibitory Regulations for the Spirit Stone Mine: broadly speaking, they forbade anything that harmed the sect's interests. For instance, cultivators could not secretly keep Spirit Stones or disclose the quantity being mined in the Spirit Stone Mine; they had to turn in their full monthly quota, or their rewards would be halved, and so on.
But as long as you didn't brazenly carry Spirit Stones out, there wouldn't be any problem.
As for not mining Spirit Stones in the Spirit Stone Mine Cave and using them solely to cultivate, well, that was wishful thinking.
If you fell short of your monthly Spirit Stone quota, cultivators would come to inspect immediately. Besides, Guard Senior Brothers patrolled the mine caves.
Cultivation required a calm mind and enough time to sit in meditation, refining and absorbing the spiritual energy within the Spirit Stones.
None of these things posed a problem for him. He had already cultivated the Earth Escape Technique to the Perfection Realm, and rock felt as smooth and yielding as mud beneath it.
The Jade Slip also clearly stated that cultivators could bring a few kinds of everyday pills, such as Bigu Pills and Shengji Pills. But pills that advanced one's cultivation were strictly forbidden.
Only then did Cheng Buzheng finally set his mind at ease. After all, his greatest wealth was his three bottles of Bigu Pills.
In a rather cheerful mood, he took out a Mining Pick. It was a Magic Tool, and the first one he had ever obtained. Though he would have to return it in the end, that did nothing to dull the thrill of handling something new.
The Mining Pick was a special Magic Tool, black from end to end and forged primarily from Black Crystal Iron, mixed with a number of auxiliary materials.
Its grade was low—a Low-grade Special Magic Tool. Its one special feature was that it was hard enough not to break easily, though that was a rather pathetic specialty.
As for the back basket, he had no interest in inspecting it. It was an ordinary basket, just a little sturdier, woven from Spirit Bamboo.
Now that he understood the Prohibitory Regulations for the Spirit Stone Mine, he didn't wait the few days he'd planned before entering the mine cave. He decided to go first thing tomorrow morning.
After thinking it all through, Cheng Buzheng began his last night of cultivation before starting work in the mine.
As he began circulating the Crimson Fire Technique along the Celestial Cycle, wisps of spiritual energy visibly gathered around him, little by little.
With each complete Celestial Cycle, he drew a large amount of spiritual energy into his body.
Again and again, he circulated it along the Celestial Cycle.
The next day.
The Golden Crow rose, and the Jade Rabbit withdrew.
A ray of sunlight passed through the window and fell across Cheng Buzheng's face. His lashes twitched, then his Clear Black and White Eyes suddenly opened.
He pushed open the door and glanced back at his wooden hut. Then, following an illustration in the Jade Slip, he headed toward the Storage Pavilion.
A quarter of an hour later,
Cheng Buzheng arrived before a pavilion. Three large characters, "Storage Pavilion," were engraved on the plaque above the entrance. Without hesitation, he went inside.
The hall could hold dozens of cultivators without feeling crowded. A huge Grid Cabinet stood against each of the three walls.
Each cabinet was evenly divided into countless small compartments, making the three walls look as if they were built from those little cubbies.
At that moment, only a handful of the compartments stood open, their insides empty.
Most of the others were veiled by a layer of spiritual light, their contents hidden from view.
Apart from the countless cubbies, the eastern side of the hall looked rather bare. There was nothing there but a counter.
Behind the counter, a round-faced Senior Brother in the sect's gray robes lounged in a Rocking Chair, swaying back and forth with carefree ease. But from the Spirit Pressure radiating off him, Cheng Buzheng could tell that the man had probably reached the Peak Qi Refining Stage.
No cultivator at the Late Qi Refining Stage had Spirit Pressure as terrifying as his. That showed just how much importance the sect placed on this place.
Cheng Buzheng stepped up to the counter and called softly,
"Senior Brother."
At the sound of his voice,
the round-faced Senior Brother opened his eyes and glanced at his robes. "So it's a Junior Brother. What do you need?"
He cupped his hands. "Senior Brother, I'm about to start working in the mine. Where should I put my Storage Bag?"
"No wonder I haven't seen you before. You just arrived at the Spirit Stone Mine, didn't you?"
Cheng Buzheng asked in surprise, "Senior Brother... how did you know?"
The round-faced Senior Brother smiled faintly. "Because I hand out all the Secret Rings."
As he spoke, he took a Secret Ring from behind the counter and handed it to him.
Cheng Buzheng accepted the so-called Secret Ring and examined it closely. It consisted of eight small pieces of Spirit Jade and one large one, nine pieces in all, threaded together with Monster Sinew.
Complex patterns were carved into the largest piece of Spirit Jade. They looked quite like Spirit Patterns, and the number "1520" was engraved in the center.
"Senior Brother, what is this?"
The round-faced Senior Brother pointed at the rows of small cubbies.
"Find the cubby corresponding to the number on the Secret Ring, put your Storage Bag inside, then channel your magical power into the ring to seal it. It can only be opened with the Secret Ring; otherwise, the only option is to break it open by force."
"Thank you for clearing that up, Senior Brother."
"No need for that. Go on, I'm going to doze a little longer." He closed his eyes, leaned back in the Rocking Chair, and swayed leisurely.
After taking his leave, Cheng Buzheng started searching for the cubby corresponding to "1520" on the Spirit Jade.
Before long,
Cheng Buzheng found cubby "1520." He brushed his hand over the Storage Bag at his waist, and three porcelain bottles appeared in his hand. He poured all the Bigu Pills into a Long-necked Porcelain Bottle, then tucked it close to his body.
Next, he took out the back basket and slung it over his shoulders. Holding the Mining Pick in his right hand, he placed his Storage Bag in cubby "1520."
Then he channeled a wisp of magical power into the Secret Ring. The ring gave off a faint gleam, and a flash of spiritual light shot from the complicated pattern that seemed to be made of Spirit Patterns, winding around cubby "1520."
Suddenly,
a layer of spiritual light appeared over cubby "1520," blocking his view. He could no longer see what was inside. It looked exactly like all the other cubbies veiled in spiritual light.
Seeing that everything was in order, Cheng Buzheng slipped the Secret Ring onto his wrist.
He glanced at it instinctively, and couldn't help thinking of the bathhouse locker tags from his previous life.
He sighed quietly to himself.
Then he put his thoughts aside and, without any further delay, followed the illustration in the Jade Slip toward the entrance to the Spirit Mine Cave.
Along the way, Cheng Buzheng kept seeing cultivators hurrying toward the mine entrance.
Before you continue