Rescue Team

"Let's test it."

With a thought, Yang Ling slowly activated the Vajra Wisdom King Art.

The next moment, he felt a warm current flow through his entire body.

His strength was instantly boosted by a huge margin!

On the attribute panel, his Strength had become 26.

His Agility had also become 20.

His Spirit remained at 17.

Yang Ling threw a punch, and the sound of breaking air was somewhat shrill.

He performed the Mountain-Crushing Fist, raising his Strength by another 3 points to a terrifying 29!

Yang Ling suddenly punched the ground.

Bang!

The hard stone floor shattered into pieces!

Leaving behind a fist mark nearly an inch deep!

"This..."

Yang Ling's expression changed slightly.

At that moment, he suddenly felt somewhat tired.

"Activating the Vajra Wisdom King Art seems to consume a great deal."

Yang Ling looked grave as he performed the Mountain-Crushing Fist again.

About a minute later.

He could no longer hold on, and the technique automatically stopped.

"One minute!"

"Only one minute!"

Yang Ling smiled bitterly.

He had been thinking of using the technique to mine, which would surely let him level up faster.

Reality shattered his dream.

"If I were fighting someone, one minute would actually be enough."

"For a sudden kill, it might not even take three seconds."

"But there should be a way to extend how long I can maintain the technique, right?"

With a thought, Yang Ling opened the attribute panel again and checked the details of the Vajra Wisdom King Art.

Sure enough, the information for the second layer had now been unlocked.

[Vajra Wisdom King Art]

[Second Layer: Gain 10 free attribute points. While the technique is active, Strength and Agility each increase by 30 points, and maximum health increases by an additional 200 points.]

[Special Effect: Gain Vital Blood]

"The benefits have all doubled, and there's even an extra special effect—gaining Vital Blood?"

"What the hell is Vital Blood? Some kind of internal energy?"

Yang Ling was rather curious.

None of the martial artists he had seen so far seemed to have a Vital Blood stat.

"Right, whether it was Xu Qing or Hui Neng, their martial arts cultivation methods were only at Initial Mastery, just like mine."

"So they don't have Vital Blood either. Once they reach Complete Integration, will they gain Vital Blood too?"

"Looking at it this way, their combat skills can reach Advanced Mastery, but their internal cultivation methods progress extremely slowly."

"That means they have limits too..."

"Then everyone's starting point is actually about the same. On the other hand, my Spirit is higher than theirs, so my limit is naturally higher too!"

Yang Ling's expression shifted, and he immediately began cultivating the Vajra Wisdom King Art.

The cultivation posture for the second layer differed from that of the first.

But the changes weren't too great, and Yang Ling quickly got the hang of it.

His cultivation speed hadn't changed.

After about an hour, he gained 5 experience points.

He continued cultivating and gained another 3 experience points.

Then he reached the limit. No matter how he practiced, his experience no longer increased.

"Eight points... My Spirit is 17, so my current daily limit is 8 points."

"If my Spirit were 20, the limit would be 10 points a day!"

"At this rate, I can cultivate the second layer in a hundred days?!"

Yang Ling's heart pounded uncontrollably.

Because he had thought of a crucial point.

There was no way he wouldn't level up over those hundred days!

As long as he kept adding points and continuously raised his Spirit, his experience cap would keep breaking through!

"It would've taken tens of thousands of days to reach the fourth layer. Now, it looks like that time will be greatly shortened."

"At the very least, this is a first-rate cultivation method. If I can reach the fourth layer, I'd count as a major figure in the Zhao Kingdom, wouldn't I?"

"Even if I can never return to reality, I can still live here peacefully."

Yang Ling was in high spirits, nearly unable to resist throwing his head back and letting out a long howl.

"Time to practice boxing!"

He composed himself and began practicing his fist technique in earnest.

After ten hours, he gained 17 proficiency points.

This matched his previous calculations exactly!

Spirit was the determining factor for the rate at which he gained proficiency and experience!

In a little over ten more days, his Mountain-Crushing Fist would reach Complete Integration.

When that happened, it could boost his Strength by 6 points in battle!

Combined with the Vajra Wisdom King Art, his instantaneous Strength could reach 32!

After finishing his fist practice, he took his pickaxe and headed for the mine.

On the way there, he happened to run into the other miners returning from work.

"Little Yang, you're still going to the mine this late? Why didn't we see you during the day?" Uncle Wang called out.

Yang Ling smiled. "Something held me up during the day. I figured I'd go work hard tonight."

"You brat, don't actually ruin your health by overworking yourself!"

Uncle Wang couldn't help shaking his head.

"Don't worry, Uncle Wang. I know my limits," Yang Ling said with a smile.

Watching his solitary figure head toward the mine, Uncle Wang couldn't help feeling emotional.

"That kid's nearly saved up five taels of silver, hasn't he?"

"What is it, Old Wang? Once he buys his identity, are you planning to make him your live-in son-in-law?" a miner teased.

Uncle Wang smiled ambiguously. "He's so hardworking. If he really became my live-in son-in-law, my daughter wouldn't have to worry about going hungry in the future."

"Give it a rest. Little Yang is a proper-looking young man. Your daughter's over two hundred pounds—he couldn't handle her."

"I'll beat you up!"

Uncle Wang cursed angrily and raised his fist.

The miner nimbly dodged aside.

At the mine entrance.

Yang Ling saw Lin Guoliang, Wu Meng, and Chen Xu.

But besides them, there were five unfamiliar faces.

Four of them were already exhausted, their faces deathly pale. They could barely even walk, and their eyes held despair and terror.

Only one remained relatively calm. He had a resolute face and was quietly saying something to Chen Xu.

After Yang Ling's Spirit increased, his senses had grown stronger as well. The most obvious improvement was his hearing.

Even from dozens of meters away, he could clearly hear their conversation.

"Officer Chen, I'm afraid you won't be able to go back. This Divine Realm is too strange. I suspect it isn't a game at all."

Chen Xu said quietly, "We arrived before you and have some experience. From now on, follow us and mine together. At the very least, you won't go hungry.

Only by surviving do we have a chance to return."

Officer Chen, the resolute-looking man, said, "Don't worry. The country has already noticed that something is strange about the 'Divine Realm.'

Rescue teams have been formed everywhere. Otherwise, our entire team wouldn't have entered the 'Divine Realm.'

We'll definitely bring all of you back alive!"

"The country has already sent people in to rescue us?"

Yang Ling was somewhat surprised, but when he thought of the Divine Realm's strangeness, his heart sank slightly.

Given the current situation, no matter how many people were sent in, they probably couldn't change anything.

It might even lead to more casualties for nothing.

But since no one could get out, this information naturally couldn't reach the real world.

"Officer Chen, forget about rescuing us for now. What you ate and drank today was all given to you by us," Lin Guoliang said sarcastically.

"Over the next few days, you'd better mine properly. We can't support you for long."

"Guoliang, will it kill you to say something nicer?"

Chen Xu flew into a rage.

Officer Chen smiled and waved his hand.

"Don't be angry. He's right. I just arrived, so I really have been a burden to you.

Don't worry. I'll mine properly, figure out the situation first, and then think of other solutions."

"Heh."

Lin Guoliang said nothing, merely letting out a faintly mocking laugh.

At that moment, Yang Ling walked over.

Chen Xu's eyes lit up, and he stepped forward with cupped fists.

"Brother Yang."

"Mm."

Yang Ling nodded. Without interacting with them further, he entered the mine.

Officer Chen watched his back curiously.

"Is he a victim too?"

Chen Xu said quietly, "He's a local native, or rather... an NPC.

But he's a good person. When we first arrived and were starving, he lent us some copper coins.

And he's the best miner in this mine, though unfortunately, he isn't willing to teach anyone."

"An NPC... If he's a good person, perhaps he can help us."

Officer Chen fell into thought.

He needed to try making contact with him.