In the blink of an eye.
The two-year period had reached its end.
Forty zhang underground in the Spirit Stone Mine Cave, inside a secret chamber.
In the silent, pitch-black secret chamber, a figure sat cross-legged in the center. A thin layer of spirit energy gathered around him.
Before long.
Cheng Buzheng slowly finished his cultivation. The spirit energy around him quickly dispersed.
He suddenly opened his clear black and white eyes. A glint flashed in them, and his gaze instinctively swept around the chamber.
Cheng Buzheng rose, brushed off his robe, and went to the corner. He slung the basket full of Spirit Stone Raw Ore onto his back and gripped the Mining Pick in his right hand.
He took one last, deep look at the secret chamber. He knew he might never set foot in it again.
This had been the place where he first made his mark.
With a thought, yellow light flashed.
In the blink of an eye.
He vanished from the secret chamber, a streak of Yellow Spirit Light darting swiftly through the ground.
A quarter of an hour later.
Cheng Buzheng arrived at the Main Mine Tunnel. After sensing that no cultivators were nearby, he extended a thread of Divine Sense and carefully surveyed the area. Once he was sure there was no one around.
Three zhang underground, a streak of yellow light shot upward.
A moment later, yellow light appeared in the Main Mine Tunnel and faded, revealing Cheng Buzheng. After sweeping his gaze around.
With a thought.
His Spirit Pressure, originally at the peak of the Third Level of Qi Refining, suddenly dropped to the level of an early-stage Third Level of Qi Refining cultivator. After checking that nothing seemed amiss, he fell into a familiar routine: head bowed, back bent, face numb, he walked toward the mine entrance.
After walking for some time, he spotted a glimmer of white in the distance and knew he was nearing the mine entrance.
Though his face remained numb, his pace quickened involuntarily.
Before long.
He reached the mouth of the tunnel and squinted at the rising sun. Though not a trace of green grew nearby, he still felt a hint of life in the air.
As usual, they weighed the Spirit Stone Raw Ore, took two Spirit Stones, then subjected him to three thorough inspections.
A short while later, Cheng Buzheng left the mine entrance without incident.
Without hesitation, he headed straight for the Storage Pavilion and soon arrived at its entrance.
Cheng Buzheng strode into the hall and stopped in front of cubby 1520.
He then poured a thread of Spirit Power into his left wrist. A beam of white light shot from the largest piece of Spirit Jade in the center of the Secret Ring, wrapping around the layer of Spirit Power covering cubby 1520.
In an instant.
The layer of Spirit Power in front of cubby 1520 vanished, revealing a gray storage pouch inside.
Cheng Buzheng beckoned with his hand and took it. Then he reached into his robes with his right hand and pulled out two Spirit Stones and a Long-necked Porcelain Bottle.
With a thought.
The Long-necked Porcelain Bottle and two Spirit Stones went into the storage pouch. He hung it from his waist and walked over to the Storage Pavilion counter.
A moment later.
Cheng Buzheng saw that the Round-faced Senior Brother was still half-reclining in his Rocking Chair, swaying back and forth in blissful leisure.
"Senior Brother..." Cheng Buzheng called softly.
He had no wish to shout or make trouble for himself by annoying the Round-faced Senior Brother.
This Senior Brother was at the peak of Qi Refining Level 9, just one step away from becoming a Martial Uncle in the Foundation Establishment Realm. Yet that single step was as vast as the heavens and earth.
The Round-faced Senior Brother opened his eyes, looked at his fellow disciple, and smiled.
"Junior Brother! What can I do for you?"
Cheng Buzheng cupped his fists.
"Senior Brother, my mission is over. I've come to return the Secret Ring!"
As he spoke, he took the Secret Ring off his left wrist and placed it on the counter.
"Has it been two years?"
"Yes, Senior Brother... It's been two years. When I first arrived, you were the one who issued me the Secret Ring!"
At that.
The Round-faced Senior Brother looked at Cheng Buzheng and let out a quiet sigh.
"Two years... You've been at the Spirit Stone Mine for two years, while I've been here nearly five. It's about time I returned to the sect!
...I should make some preparations, too.
If I don't make one last push, I'll lose my chance!
Succeed, and I'll rise to the next level. Fail, and my body and soul will perish!"
As he finished, a look of resolve flashed across the Round-faced Senior Brother's face.
Cheng Buzheng asked, his curiosity plain:
"Senior Brother...?"
The Round-faced Senior Brother gripped the arms of his chair tightly and slowly spoke.
"The Seed Trial!"
He was not as calm as he appeared. It was just that after years of cultivation, his ability to keep a straight face had become ingrained in his bones.
At that.
Cheng Buzheng froze for a moment. He did not know what the trial itself was like, but he had read extensively in the travel accounts on the first floor of the Sutra Repository Tower. They recorded many real cases of cultivators entering the Seed Trial.
Each trial saw roughly three survivors out of ten, sometimes even fewer. Such low odds made it clear just how dangerous the trial was.
Great risks brought great rewards.
He knew no one could change his Senior Brother's decision unless the man obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill.
But Foundation Establishment Pills were precious beyond measure, worth tens of thousands of Spirit Stones and almost impossible to buy, even at that price.
Seeing this.
Cheng Buzheng did not try to dissuade him. He knew it would be useless. Ordinary cultivators who wanted to advance further on the Immortal Path would never give up their one chance to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill.
Those cultivators with no hope of advancing on the Immortal Path, on the other hand, were terrified of the trial.
He looked at the Round-faced Senior Brother and smiled.
"Senior Brother, I hope you return safely and advance in cultivation!
...When you do, I'll have to start calling you Martial Uncle!"
The Round-faced Senior Brother smiled at that.
"Then I'll take your good wishes!
All right... Once you've returned the Secret Ring, go to the Logistics Pavilion and hand over your tools and mission receipt. Then you can leave whenever you like!
In another month, I should be heading back to the sect, too!"
"Thank you for the advice, Senior Brother!
I hope we meet again at the sect. I'll take my leave!"
"Mm!" The Round-faced Senior Brother nodded.
Before long, Cheng Buzheng reached the middle of the wooden building. He handed over the Mining Pick and basket, then received his mission token.
Cheng Buzheng held the Mission Token in his hand, rubbing its reverse with his fingertip.
The front was carved with intricate patterns, with the three large characters "White Cloud Sect" engraved in relief at the center. On the back, "Spirit Stone Mine" was engraved in intaglio, with "Outer Sect Disciple Cheng Buzheng, assigned" carved beneath it.
Beneath the words "Outer Sect Disciple Cheng Buzheng, assigned" on the back, one small character had also been added: "Excellent."
It meant he had completed his mission with distinction and could collect forty Spirit Stones from the Stipend Pavilion. Added to the forty-eight Spirit Stones he had received during his two years at the Spirit Stone Mine, that brought his total reward for the mission to eighty-eight Spirit Stones.
Although he had already spent twenty-four Spirit Stones, what remained was still a fortune to an early-stage Qi Refining cultivator—enough for the plans he had coming up.
Seeing that everything was settled and he could leave the Spirit Stone Mine whenever he pleased, Cheng Buzheng began wandering through the Canyon.
Unless something unexpected happened, he would never return to the Spirit Stone Mine on a mission. It had only been the place where he first made his mark.
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