Extortion

He kept walking down the Main Mine Tunnel. Before long, darkness had swallowed everything.

Cheng Buzheng's footsteps never faltered. He continued onward; to a cultivator, the darkness posed no obstacle.

When he reached the junction between the Main Mine Tunnel and a Branch Mine Tunnel, Cheng Buzheng carefully probed the area with his Divine Sense. Seeing no one around,

a flash of yellow light later, he had slipped directly into the rock layer, three zhang below the ground.

Deep in the rock layer, three zhang underground, a streak of yellow light sped along. Before long, it arrived inside a Secret Chamber.

Cheng Buzheng surveyed the chamber. The few pieces of Spirit Stone Raw Ore inside had not shifted, and there was no sign of any cultivators. Only then did he relax.

Without hesitation, he wrapped his Divine Sense around the remaining pieces of Spirit Stone Raw Ore and connected his will to the Small Plate.

In an instant,

the few pieces of Spirit Stone Raw Ore in the chamber turned into Waste Stone, and the panel floating above the Small Plate changed.

Master of the Heavenly Jade Disc: Cheng Buzheng

Realm: Third Level of Qi Refining

First-Order Cultivation Technique: Low-grade (Fine) Starry Sky Technique+

First-Order Spell: Low-grade (Perfect) Purple Crystal Bracelet+, Low-grade (Perfect) Earth Escape Technique+, Low-grade (Ordinary) Concealment Technique (Not Started)+

Spiritual Power Value: 4

Seeing that his Spiritual Power Value had increased from one to four, a gain of three points, Cheng Buzheng didn't think much of it. He had seen plenty of Spirit Stone Raw Ore, and a mere few extra points hardly impressed him.

Still, there was no reason to waste them. He was always generous when it came to improving himself in any way.

At once,

memories of the Concealment Technique surged into his mind. He immediately condensed all his memories of the spell into the shape of a seed.

Then he placed it in the recessed nest at the center of the Small Plate. The little figure formed from his Three-Colored Soul extended a finger and tapped the Concealment Technique on the panel.

In an instant, his Spiritual Power Value dropped by two, and the patterns on the Small Plate's surface began to glow faintly.

Countless strands of white light wrapped around the seed. As the Small Plate began its deductions, the patterns on its surface flickered continuously.

Before long,

the patterns on the Small Plate gradually settled, and the white light around the seed slowly dispersed.

A transparent bead appeared in the recessed nest at the center of the Small Plate.

Cheng Buzheng reached out and took it in his hand. It was the first transparent bead he had ever seen, though its size was no different from the previous beads.

He guessed that this was due to the spell's special nature. Even the writing within was impossible to notice without looking closely; countless transparent characters were moving inside.

Seeing no other unusual changes, Cheng Buzheng opened his mouth and swallowed it.

At once,

countless transparent characters enveloped his soul, though the Three-Colored Soul within remained visible.

A profound insight entered his soul. Countless experiences and mysteries of the Concealment Technique merged into it, like a diligent gardener tirelessly teaching him every bit of knowledge, one small lesson at a time.

As time passed, the transparent characters wrapped around his Three-Colored Soul gradually dwindled. The faint, illusory colors of the soul slowly grew vivid and real.

Only after he had fully comprehended the technique did the transparent characters surrounding his Three-Colored Soul finally vanish.

Cheng Buzheng, seated cross-legged on the ground, suddenly opened his clear black and white eyes and formed a spell seal.

He barked,

"Conceal!"

The Spirit Pressure he had been releasing at the Third Level of Qi Refining immediately weakened to the level of Qi Refining Level 2.

Seeing this, he thought with a sigh,

The Concealment Technique after being improved... its ability to conceal cultivation really is impressive.

But it still can't fool cultivators in the Late Qi Refining Stage!

Looks like I'll have to keep improving it...

Then he sank his mind and sent his consciousness into his soul...

Master of the Heavenly Jade Disc: Cheng Buzheng

Realm: Third Level of Qi Refining

First-Order Cultivation Technique: Low-grade (Fine) Starry Sky Technique+

First-Order Spell: Low-grade (Perfect) Purple Crystal Bracelet+, Low-grade (Perfect) Earth Escape Technique+, Low-grade (Fine) Concealment Technique+

Spiritual Power Value: 2

Seeing that the panel showed a pitiful two points of Spiritual Power Value, Cheng Buzheng knew it was time to go extort some more.

This time, however, he had a different plan. He intended to clear out all eight Spirit Stone Raw Ore storage sites and bring everything back. Originally, he'd planned to take only a little at a time, waiting until the mission was nearly over before collecting it all at once.

Then he could dust off his hands and leave.

But if he spent a year cultivating with a First-order Low-grade Cultivation Method, compared to using a First-order High-grade one, the difference in his cultivation progress would surely be enormous. He might as well improve the technique first.

Now that he had the Concealment Technique, he no longer needed to sneak around when improving his cultivation. With such excellent conditions for cultivating, he'd deserve to be struck by lightning if he didn't make the most of them.

But improving a cultivation technique was a bottomless pit. The first time he'd done it, it had cost a full nine points. And that had only been a First-order Low-grade Cultivation Method; who knew how much a mid-grade or high-grade one would take?

This custom-made Cultivation Technique was not only the foundation of his cultivation, but also tied to his Great Cause of Longevity. He couldn't afford to be careless.

Besides, those eight Spirit Stone Raw Ore storage sites weren't an inexhaustible supply. Some of the ore was bound to be used up.

He had also noticed that the amount of Spirit Stone Raw Ore at the eight sites wasn't growing. Instead, it was slowly dwindling, which meant the ore was being consumed.

To guard against any unexpected complications, he'd better retrieve the Spirit Stone Raw Ore from all eight storage sites first and use it to improve the technique.

A bird in the hand was worth a hundred in the forest.

Without hesitation, Cheng Buzheng willed a streak of yellow light to envelop him, then slipped out of the chamber.

Three zhang beneath the rock layer, a streak of yellow light sped toward the Eighth Branch Mine Tunnel.

Before long,

Cheng Buzheng arrived three zhang beneath a Stone Cave. He carefully sensed the area. There were no cultivators inside the cave, but two cultivators at Qi Refining Level 2 were guarding the entrance outside.

He cautiously made his way to a corner of the cave and extended a thread of Divine Sense to probe the area. Once he was sure, he carefully slipped beneath the pile of Spirit Stone Raw Ore.

Then, without making a sound, he filled a back basket. He set the ore down ten zhang underground nearby before returning to the cave to fill another basket. He made the trip back and forth more than ten times before quietly carrying away all the Spirit Stone Raw Ore.

Cheng Buzheng reached the temporary storage site for the Spirit Stone Raw Ore. He spread his Divine Sense over the huge pile in front of him and connected his will to the Small Plate.

The Small Plate glowed faintly, but its light lingered a little longer than usual. In the distance, the pile of Spirit Stone Raw Ore turned to Waste Stone in the blink of an eye.

The instant the Spirit Stone Raw Ore turned into Waste Stone,

the panel floating above the Small Plate changed.

Master of the Heavenly Jade Disc: Cheng Buzheng

Realm: Third Level of Qi Refining

First-Order Cultivation Technique: Low-grade (Fine) Starry Sky Technique+

First-Order Spell: Low-grade (Perfect) Purple Crystal Bracelet+, Low-grade (Perfect) Earth Escape Technique+, Low-grade (Fine) Concealment Technique+

Spiritual Power Value: 321

Seeing that his Spiritual Power Value had increased by more than three hundred, Cheng Buzheng couldn't help feeling a surge of excitement. The other seven Spirit Stone Raw Ore storage caves held about the same amount. All together, they should yield close to two thousand points of Spiritual Power Value.

He paid no attention to the pile of Waste Stone in front of him. It was perfectly normal for there to be a pile of rocks in the rock layer.

Then he hurried off toward the Seventh Branch Mine Tunnel. Time was short, and the task was heavy.

If they happened to warn one another, the Spirit Stone Raw Ore would be beyond his reach.

It was unlikely, but still possible.

After all, they were all Mine Overlords. They were bound to have eyes and ears among one another—and perhaps someone pulling the strings behind them, too.

Better to play it safe.