Task Completed

Neither of the two brothers expected the two demon beasts to end up like this.

Mutual destruction.

With a thunderous crash, the two mountain-like bodies collapsed to the ground.

Blood flowed, staining the rocks and trees crimson.

"Junior Brother, our chance has come."

Qi Ruming transformed into a streak of light, charging toward the brown bear. "Delay brings change. You take the white tiger—hurry!"

Lin Chen didn't hesitate. With a flash of his light, he landed right before the white tiger.

This massive creature had its guts and entrails spilled all over the ground, already lifeless.

Just as he was about to store it into his Storage Ring, he suddenly felt a chilling aura surging from behind.

"Someone else is here!"

Lin Chen's first reaction was to twist his head to the side.

Sure enough, from the corner of his eye, he saw a gleaming cold sword fly past his ear.

The razor-sharp blade severed several strands of his hair.

It was aimed straight for his head, a strike meant to kill in one blow.

He didn't turn around. Instead, he spread his Spiritual Sense and instantly caught a figure perched on a tree thirty meters away.

This person wore a gray robe, his gaze icy as he stared at Lin Chen.

Seeing Lin Chen dodge the attack, he lightly guided his sword technique, and the Flying Sword that had shot forward reversed course in an instant.

Lin Chen, at the same time, pointed a finger, and his Top Grade Magic Tool Flying Sword flew out from his ring.

It shot straight toward the tree behind him.

The man on the tree was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected Lin Chen to pinpoint his position so quickly.

But...

Trying to match his speed was nothing short of suicide.

The corner of his mouth curled up. He didn't even dodge. Instead, he controlled his Flying Sword to shoot straight at Lin Chen's head.

But he miscalculated.

Lin Chen's Flying Sword split into two.

One continued racing toward him, its speed undiminished.

The other changed direction and charged straight at the man's Flying Sword.

The two swords collided, each sent flying.

The other sword pierced through the man's throat with a pfft.

Then the sword light reversed, cleanly slicing off his head.

After killing the man, Lin Chen quickly collected the white tiger's corpse and retrieved his Flying Sword.

Next, he gathered the spoils.

Only then did he approach the Gray Robe.

"Junior Brother, what happened?"

By this time, Qi Ruming had also arrived.

It had all happened too fast—he hadn't seen it.

By the time he got there, the fight was already over.

"This man ambushed me." Lin Chen stepped forward, yanked the storage pouch from the Gray Robe's waist, and opened it directly.

With a clatter, everything spilled onto the ground.

Spirit Stones, talismans, a few magic tools...

Lin Chen reached out and grabbed a black Token.

Looking at this Token, his heart stirred.

Both the material and the shape were nearly identical to the one his father had left behind.

"Third Senior Brother, do you recognize this Token?" Lin Chen held out the Token, looking up for help.

Qi Ruming took the Token, his brow furrowing slightly. "This looks like a Raksha Sect Token."

As he spoke, he walked over to inspect the corpse and soon found something.

"Junior Brother, look—this mark on his chest is the Raksha Sect insignia. No mistake."

Hearing this, Lin Chen's mind roared.

His parents had left behind the same Token. Could it be that his whole family were members of the Raksha Sect?

And this man had just happened to run into him, intending to kill and rob him.

Or a long-premeditated murder to silence someone?

If his own family were members of the Raksha Sect, what reason would they have for being hunted?

If they weren't from the Raksha Sect, then what disaster had befallen them?

The biggest question was: what connection did the Raksha Sect have with the Devil Race?

And what entanglements did they share with the Green Mountain Sect?

Was He Yiliang telling the truth or lies?

A string of questions churned in his mind, nearly turning it to mush.

Were he and his family good people or bad?

Seeing his pale face, Qi Ruming thought he was frightened and quickly tried to comfort him.

"Little Junior Brother, rest assured—everyone in the Raksha Sect is evil. The moment any of them show their faces, the Righteous Cultivators will kill them. So you don't need to worry about revenge, and you certainly don't need to blame yourself."

If he hadn't said anything, it might have been fine, but this comfort only made Lin Chen feel worse.

Qi Ruming gathered everything from the ground, handed it to Lin Chen, and patted his shoulder as he spoke.

"Little Junior Brother, I've already reported this matter to the sect. Someone will handle it. Come on, let's go finish our mission."

"Alright!"

Lin Chen was somewhat distracted.

By the time they reached the mission site, the demon beasts had indeed scattered.

"Third Senior Brother, you focus on mining the ore. I'll go kill the Mine Beasts."

Lin Chen's heart was heavy, and he urgently needed a slaughter to vent his frustration.

"Little Junior Brother, be careful. Take this Jade Slip—if you run into danger, crush it immediately." Qi Ruming could tell Lin Chen had something on his mind but didn't press further.

Lin Chen took the Jade Slip and turned toward the outskirts of the mine.

During the walk over, he had already figured things out.

"No matter who I was before, I am myself now."

"I'm just a cultivator who loves money like life itself, earning and leveling up."

"In the future, when my strength is great, all my past will just become an inspiring story."

Having thought this through, Lin Chen felt an instant clarity.

When he looked at the Mine Beasts again, his eyes were filled with fighting spirit.

"Mine, all mine!"

Lin Chen controlled his Flying Sword, slaying every Mine Beast he saw with a single strike.

First-tier Mine Beasts were no match for him at all.

The task of killing a hundred first-tier Mine Beasts—he finished it in just half an hour.

Staring at the fewer than fifty Spirit Cores in his hand, Lin Chen's gaze shifted to the distant depths of the mine.

More Mine Beasts gathered there.

But among them, second-tier demon beasts might be hiding.

Mine Beasts were a type of demon beast, strange creatures that fed on ore.

Demon beasts, however, were different—bloodthirsty, murderous, savage beings.

Lin Chen regretted not learning the Five Elements Dao Art earlier; his attack methods were far too limited.

Facing a group of demon beasts, he couldn't launch area attacks, and his killing power was restricted.

He decided not to waste time and headed straight for the mine.

Soon, he saw Qi Ruming swinging a specially made Pickaxe, thumping away at the ore.

"Third Senior Brother, let me help you."

Lin Chen walked up close and tried cutting the ore with his Flying Sword.

Clink, clink, clink...

A series of sharp sounds rang out, his wrist numbed from the vibration, but the ore didn't budge.

"Hahaha... Little Junior Brother, your Flying Sword can't cut it. Use this."

Qi Ruming laughed loudly and tossed a Pickaxe to Lin Chen.

"This is a mining treasure. The key is the word 'vibration'—you have to rely purely on physical strength. Give it a try."

With that, Qi Ruming rolled up his sleeves and demonstrated.

"Little Junior Brother, I've been mining for thirty-eight years. I can slowly pass my experience on to you."

Thump, thump, thump...

With just a dozen strikes, Qi Ruming shook loose a piece of bronze-colored ore.

Palm-sized, shimmering with a faint radiance.

"System, can the Mining Skill be exchanged to the top perfect level with Gold Coins?"

Lin Chen appeared to be studying, but in reality, he was asking the system.

[Mining is also a life skill and can be exchanged. Does the host wish to exchange now?]

"Exchange!"

The moment Lin Chen finished speaking, he felt a flood of complex memories surge into his mind.

In an instant, he became an old miner who had been digging for centuries.

All techniques related to mining reached their peak.

When he gripped the Pickaxe in his hand and looked at the ore, a faint, almost intangible aura radiated from his entire body.

"How is it? Little junior brother, have you learned?" Qi Ruming wiped off a sweat—this was indeed a labor-intensive task. "It's fine if you haven't; we can take it slow."

"Third senior brother, I've learned." Lin Chen raised the Pickaxe, his gaze sharp.

Qi Ruming shook his head slightly. "This kind of physical work isn't something you can master just by having high comprehension..."

Before he could finish, Lin Chen's Pickaxe came down directly.

He only felt the ground shake, his feet bouncing once.

Clatter...

Then he saw all the ore within a ten-meter radius tumble down.

Qi Ruming's eyes went wide, his jaw dropping to his chest.

The scene before him left him stunned into speechlessness.