Mining Skills Soar

What? Three years?!

Lu Lin's heart clenched violently, almost leaping out of his chest. His blood surged through his body, bringing a faint shudder with it.

One Inferior Spirit Stone could only be exchanged for one month of bitter cultivation, yet this unremarkable-looking Rusty Iron Fragment could actually be exchanged for three years?!

Could this be... a fragment of an immortal master's magical artifact?

Exchange it! Of course he had to exchange it!

Wait!

Lu Lin snapped awake with a jolt.

He remembered the scene from earlier, when he had exchanged the Inferior Spirit Stone and it had instantly turned to flying ash.

If he exchanged it on the spot now, this iron fragment would lose all its spiritual energy, and in all likelihood it would also turn to dust. When that happened, how could this skinny-monkey stall owner possibly let it go? Once they got tangled up, drew the attention of others, or even attracted an immortal master to investigate, the consequences would be unthinkable!

He could not take the risk! He had to buy it first, then find a safe place to exchange it!

Forcefully suppressing his excitement, Lu Lin's fingertips did not pause in the slightest. They slid naturally to the next item, as if that touch just now had been nothing more than casual.

"Little brother, how about it? Anything catch your eye? Since we're fated to meet, I'll give you a savage discount!" The skinny-monkey stall owner leaned in eagerly.

"How much for this earthenware pot?" Lu Lin casually picked up a chipped, broken earthenware pot and asked with a careless air.

"Aiyo! Little brother, what sharp eyes you have!" The stall owner slapped his thigh, his eyes shining. "This is no ordinary earthenware pot. This is a precious pot an immortal master used to store spirit pills! It can lock in medicinal properties and spiritual energy so they don't scatter. Since you and I are fated today, the original price is two hundred taels, but I'll cut it in half for you. Take it for one hundred taels!"

Lu Lin shook his head, held up one finger, and spat out two words: "One tael."

"What?" The stall owner opened and closed his mouth, thinking he had misheard. Only after a long while did he react, and his face immediately turned mournful. "Little brother, you... isn't your bargaining a bit too ruthless? This is an immortal family treasure..."

"You know the quality of these things, and so do I," Lu Lin said blandly. "If I buy it back, it's only going to be a decoration. If you won't sell, forget it." With that, he made as if to leave.

"Ai, ai, ai! Don't, don't, don't! Little brother, stay a moment. We can discuss this! How about you... add a little more?... Ai, ai, ai, fine, fine, fine! I'll take a loss and make a friend. One tael it is. I'll sell it to you!" The stall owner looked as if his flesh had been carved away, beating his chest and stamping his feet.

The corner of Lu Lin's mouth lifted in an almost imperceptible smile. He turned back, picked up the earthenware pot, then feigned hesitation as he conveniently scooped up the Rusty Iron Fragment as well. "Forget it. I won't make you lose too badly. I'll buy one more thing. Two taels of silver."

"Good, good, good! Little brother, straightforward! Take them, take them!" The stall owner hurriedly accepted the two taels of broken silver, afraid Lu Lin would change his mind.

The instant Lu Lin turned away, both men could not stop the corners of their mouths from curling upward.

Both felt they had made a killing!

Lu Lin made another large circuit around the market, but discovered nothing else. He no longer lingered and set off back to the Blood Baleful Demon Sect.

There was no one in the shared bunkroom. The other menial disciples were still working in the mine. Lu Lin closed the door behind him, took a deep breath, gripped the Rusty Iron Fragment, and with a thought, exchanged it!

In an instant, a torrent of energy far more majestic than that of the Inferior Spirit Stone, purer and much more profound, surged out from the iron fragment and rushed along the meridians of his arm into his sea of consciousness.

The Martial Dao Melting Furnace flickered faintly, and the information above it refreshed in an instant:

Martial Dao Melting Furnace: owner, Lu Lin.

Cultivation: Body Tempering, first layer.

Cultivation time: three years.

Martial arts technique: Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art (first layer).

Inner space: one chi.

The iron fragment in his palm, just as expected, silently turned into a pinch of fine rust-colored powder, sifting down through the gaps between his fingers.

However, Lu Lin did not immediately use this vast amount of cultivation time to raise his cultivation.

He forcefully suppressed the impulse to pour it into the Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art at once. Instead, he took out the Mining Essentials, settled his heart, and studied it carefully.

Once he began reading, several hours passed, until the sun slanted westward.

Suddenly...

On the information panel of the Martial Dao Melting Furnace, a new line of text silently appeared:

Mining Essentials: not yet initiated.

"Could it be... these technical manuals can also be directly improved with cultivation time?" Lu Lin's eyes abruptly lit up.

Try it!

Immediately, he guided it with his thoughts and poured one month of cultivation time into the Mining Essentials.

[In the way of mining, more haste means less speed. Only through year after year of practical accumulation can one grasp all manner of experience and tricks. After one month of arduous digging, you continuously observed, pondered, and reflected during your labor. Your mining experience improved significantly, and you successfully entered the field.]

In that instant, Lu Lin's mind went into a daze, as if he had personally experienced a month of mining without sleep or rest. A vast amount of scattered knowledge about identifying ore veins, rock structures, the angle of bringing down a pickaxe, and searching for the direction of ore veins rushed rapidly into his mind and fused into understanding.

On the Martial Dao Melting Furnace panel, that line of text changed as well:

Mining Essentials: initiated.

It really worked!

"Continue! Sharpening the axe does not delay the work of chopping firewood!" Lu Lin did not hesitate in the slightest.

Although using cultivation time on a skill could not directly increase his cultivation or combat strength, only by improving his mining skill could he efficiently dig up more Inferior Spirit Stones! With a steady stream of spirit stones, would he still have to worry about his cultivation not rising?

He continued pouring in month after month.

[After one month of arduous mining, you carefully pondered during your labor, and Mining Essentials improved steadily.]

[After a month of arduous mining, you carefully pondered as you labored, and Mining Essentials steadily improved.]

Six prompts flashed past in succession.

Mining Essentials: Minor Achievement.

Half a year, straight from entry level to Minor Achievement—if that speed were placed in reality, it would be utterly impossible, because people grew tired, got distracted, made mistakes. But the "bitter cultivation" of the Martial Dao Melting Furnace was an immersive experience with no wandering thoughts and one hundred percent efficiency!

"Continue!" Lu Lin was not the least bit stingy, and continued pouring cultivation time into Mining Essentials.

From Minor Achievement to Greater Achievement, the difficulty rose sharply.

Lu Lin poured in a full year and a half of cultivation time before he finally broke through the bottleneck!

The instant Mining Essentials stepped into the realm of "Greater Achievement," a vast sea of mining knowledge, experience, and techniques surged into Lu Lin's consciousness like floodwaters released from a sluice gate. The textures of all kinds of ore veins, signs of associated minerals, and tricks for excavation became clear as the lines on his palm, as though he were an old master who had immersed himself in this craft for decades.

He focused and looked at the furnace panel:

Cultivation Time: Eleven months.

"Greater Achievement mining skill is absolutely enough for now. Next, let's look at the Breath Concealment Art." Lu Lin took out that thin booklet of the Breath Concealment Art.

Its contents were only a sparse few hundred words, involving methods for circulating qi and blood, closing pores, and drawing one's aura inward. He quickly skimmed it once, and sure enough, a new line appeared on the Martial Dao Melting Furnace panel:

Breath Concealment Art: Not Yet Entered.

"Improve!" Lu Lin did not hesitate at all, pouring all of the remaining eleven months of cultivation time into the Breath Concealment Art.

[After eleven months of devoted bitter cultivation, you continuously adjusted your qi and blood and pondered the method of restraint. The Breath Concealment Art broke through to Minor Achievement.]

Looking again at the updated information:

Martial Dao Melting Furnace: Owner, Lu Lin.

Cultivation: Body Tempering First Layer.

Cultivation Time: Zero.

Martial Dao Technique: Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art (First Layer).

Mining Essentials: Greater Achievement.

Breath Concealment Art: Minor Achievement.

Inner Space: One foot.

Lu Lin immediately moved his thoughts and circulated the Breath Concealment Art. At once, the muscles throughout his body made minute adjustments, his pores instantly contracted and sealed shut, and his surging qi and blood swiftly went dormant, settling down. His external aura abruptly dropped, making him look no different from an ordinary person who had never practiced martial arts.

"Most of those stewards are martial men at the seventh or eighth layer of Body Tempering. This should be enough to hide it from them. But if it's an immortal master at the seventh or eighth layer of Qi Refining, with this Minor Achievement realm, I may not be able to hide it completely." Lu Lin assessed inwardly. "However, according to the knack described, if it's cultivated to the Perfected realm, then even an immortal master at the great perfection of the tenth layer of Qi Refining would find it difficult to see through one's true cultivation."

At this time, the martial men who had gone out to mine were already returning one after another, the clamor drawing closer. Lu Lin quietly erased all traces, went as usual to the "canteen" to eat, and then returned to his room.

"Right, why didn't I see Lu Shi today?"

Lu Lin swept a glance over Lu Shi's bed and asked casually.

"You still don't know? Because Lu Shi didn't complete the Black Iron Ore task, he was... taken away by the steward."

A roommate answered.

Lu Lin's palms clenched abruptly.

He had failed to complete the task and been taken away by the steward. His end was easy to imagine.

"Sigh, isn't it all because of those bloodsucking bastards from the Blood Wolf Gang? If not for them, how could Lu Shi have failed to complete the task?"

"When you're stuck in a mire, what can you do?"

The other roommates sighed again and again, feeling the same sorrow.

Lu Lin silently returned to his bed to rest, only deep in his eyes, a wisp of icy chill was hidden.

The next day, after finishing his routine cultivation, Lu Lin picked up his tools, but did not directly head deep into the mine. Instead, for the first time, he began carefully surveying the outer area.

At this moment, in his eyes, those rock strata, soil colors, and mineral distributions that had originally seemed chaotic and disorderly appeared to have been given an entirely new meaning.

Line after line of texture, grain after grain of unusually colored sand, all silently told of the direction of the ore vein, the richness or poverty of the Black Iron Ore, and even... the spider silk and horse tracks of associated spirit stones!

"The ore soil here is black with white in it, mixed with glittering grains of sand... This is a sign of being near a spirit mine... The direction should be this way..." Following the guidance of the knowledge in his mind, he chose a mine tunnel and stepped inside.

As he walked forward, he observed the patterns on the tunnel walls.

A moment later, he stopped and swung his pick to dig.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

After only a few swings, a familiar dark luster was exposed from within the rock layer.

It was precisely Black Iron Ore!

Lu Lin's spirits soared. After several more consecutive swings, a piece of Black Iron Ore weighing over a jin fell into his basket.

A good start right out of the gate!

His drive multiplied, and he dug even harder. About half an hour later, a soft, milky-white glow suddenly entered his sight in the dim mine tunnel!

Inferior Spirit Stone!

There really were some! His judgment had been completely correct!

Lu Lin dug carefully, and before long, an Inferior Spirit Stone was in his hand.

"In the past, I needed five or six days just to get one by luck. Now, only half an hour! This efficiency is the difference between heaven and earth!" Excitement glittered in Lu Lin's eyes.

With a thought, the spirit stone in his palm turned to flying ash, while his cultivation time increased by one month.

"There shouldn't be any Inferior Spirit Stones left in this area. Change places!" Without the slightest reluctance, he immediately moved on. Relying on his mastery-level Mining Essentials, he continued identifying and searching for ore.

His luck seemed to even out afterward, but two hours later, he still successfully found and dug out a second Inferior Spirit Stone!

The sun's shadow slanted, and evening drew near.

Taking stock of his gains: three Inferior Spirit Stones! As for Black Iron Ore, he had reached an astonishing twenty jin! And this was the result of Lu Lin spending most of his energy searching for spirit stones. His mining efficiency, compared with before, was simply the difference between cloud and mud.

Lu Lin dug a shallow pit on the spot and buried about ten jin of Black Iron Ore inside.

Bringing back twenty jin in one go would be too conspicuous. Ten jin was enough.

His inner space was ultimately too small; it could not hold too many things.

Afterward, he took out that treasured Blood Qi Pill, swallowed it, and immediately poured one month of cultivation time into the Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art.

[After swallowing the Blood Qi Pill, your speed of accumulating blood qi greatly increased. Ten days later, the medicinal power of the Blood Qi Pill was exhausted, and your speed of accumulating blood qi fell back. You could only rely on food and the thin energy of heaven and earth, and your cultivation progressed slowly.]

Sensing carefully, his blood qi had indeed grown much denser, but that was mainly thanks to the powerful boost from the Blood Qi Pill. Once the medicinal power passed, relying solely on his own accumulation made the speed slower by far more than tenfold.

Without hesitation, Lu Lin poured in the remaining two months of cultivation time as well, and his cultivation rose steadily.

Time flowed on, and twenty days passed in the blink of an eye.

Deep in the dark mine tunnel, Lu Lin sat cross-legged, his body trembling slightly. On the surface of his skin, dense blood qi spread out like a thin mist, gradually gathering into stream after stream of almost tangible scarlet currents. After circling his body several times, they seemed to be drawn by something and suddenly poured back in through his mouth and nose.

If a martial artist above the third level of Body Tempering were here, his expression would surely change, because this phenomenon was unmistakably the sign of breaking through to the third level of Body Tempering.

After a long while, all the blood qi was fully withdrawn, lying deeply dormant within his muscles, tendons, and meridians.

Lu Lin slowly opened his eyes, their keen light shining like stars in the dark night.

Twenty days! Breaking through two levels in a row, straight into the third level of Body Tempering! Such progress could be called terrifying!

During these twenty days, relying on his mastery-level mining skills, he had dug up a total of sixty Inferior Spirit Stones, exchanging them for five years of bitter cultivation time, plus the two Blood Qi Pills he had received on schedule... With so many resources piled up, it would have been hard for his cultivation not to advance by leaps and bounds.

His consciousness sank into his sea of consciousness and looked toward the Martial Dao Melting Furnace panel:

Cultivation time: zero

Five years of time, all used up.

If he had had enough Blood Qi Pills, at most a year and a half would have been enough to achieve this, but he lacked Blood Qi Pills and could only force it through with time, taking five years.

"Lu Lin, so you really are here. The two Blood Qi Pills should be handed over."

A cold, stern voice rang out. Figures flickered, and several people appeared, surrounding Lu Lin tightly.

The one in the lead was none other than Li Zitong.