A Future to Look Forward To

"Fine-Steel Pickaxe, Strength +5"

When the players received Fine-Steel Pickaxes from Chen Xu and Chen Guoqing, they were all stunned.

Wang Haodong could hardly believe it and blurted out:

"My strength seems to have increased by a lot!"

He instinctively swung the Fine-Steel Pickaxe a few times, producing sharp whooshes through the air!

This was definitely not his original strength!

"Mine too!"

"The Fine-Steel Pickaxe can boost our strength!?"

"Wouldn't that multiply our mining efficiency!?"

"Our experience gains will multiply too! This is great!"

All the players present fell into ecstatic celebration.

"Let me share some information about the Divine Realm with you."

Yang Ling's voice rang out.

The players immediately quieted down and looked at him, their eyes brimming with excitement.

"Here, we can bring up our status panels."

"They show detailed attributes such as level, strength, agility, and spirit."

"Also, if you've cultivated martial arts, you can see your proficiency on the status panel."

The players became even more excited at those words!

"I knew it! There had to be status panels!"

"Brother Yang, how do we bring up the status panel?"

A player asked impatiently.

"Become a martial artist."

Yang Ling said, "Only martial artists can see their own status panels.

I've already verified this through a player I know."

"Become a martial artist?"

It was as though the players had been doused with a bucket of cold water.

"Boss Yang, I've been here for over a month, and I've gathered information about martial artists during that time."

A young man said calmly:

"From what I've learned, becoming a martial artist is extremely difficult. Martial skills and cultivation methods are all controlled by the sects of the Divine Realm.

Joining one of those sects is as hard as skipping straight from elementary school to Tsinghua and Peking Universities."

"..."

That vivid analogy filled the players with despair.

"However... I used to think it was impossible, but maybe not anymore."

The young man abruptly changed his tone. A sharp gleam seemed to flash in his eyes.

"With Boss Yang leading us to mine and level up, plus equipment like the Fine-Steel Pickaxe increasing our leveling speed,

our levels will definitely rise quickly, and our strength will keep increasing.

By then, we'll be different from the local natives.

The major sects aren't blind. They'll naturally see how gifted we are, and the rest will fall into place!"

"That's right! As long as we can level up, our strength will grow. Those sects will definitely be willing to accept disciples like us!"

"Then we can practice martial arts, become martial artists, bring up our status panels, and gain a firmer foothold in the Divine Realm."

"Nothing else matters. At least we'll be able to live safely. Don't laugh at me, but I haven't had a single good night's sleep since coming to the Divine Realm!"

Gradually, a glimmer of light appeared in the players' eyes.

As long as there was something to look forward to, there was hope in life.

Yang Ling glanced at the young man's status panel:

Name: Li Tianye

Class: Miner

Level: 4

Strength: 8

Agility: 5

Spirit: 5

HP: 80

"All three base attributes started at 5 points. That's an exceptional set of attributes, and his spirit is much higher than normal too. He'll cultivate faster in the future."

"He's talented."

Yang Ling nodded to himself.

"Brother Yang, shall we head down into the mine?"

Chen Xu was a little excited.

With the team suddenly growing so much, he was already getting impatient.

The players all looked toward Yang Ling, waiting for his orders.

"Let's go. Into the mine."

Yang Ling waved a hand.

At the entrance to the mine vein, Fang Qingyang and the other supervisors stood respectfully to one side.

Xu Qing was speaking with a slightly older young man.

"Junior Brother Xu, you promised the sect that the Red Gold Ore mine's monthly output would rise to 3,500 jin."

"That was rather impulsive."

"How about this? I'll go back and explain things to the higher-ups. Let's set it at 3,000 jin instead, shall we?"

"Senior Brother, I said 3,500 jin. How could I take that back now?"

Xu Qing smiled. "If I really became a man who went back on his word, the sect probably wouldn't value me anymore.

How could they dare let me take charge on my own?"

"Senior Brother Xu, with the Red Gold Ore mine in its current state, producing 3,500 jin in a month is practically impossible."

Fang Qingyang slowly spoke, looking somewhat wistful.

"A little over 2,000 jin in a month is already the limit."

"We have to try."

Xu Qing glanced at Fang Qingyang.

At that moment, everyone suddenly sensed that something was off.

They turned around and saw a large group of miners approaching.

Yang Ling was at their head.

Fang Qingyang had sharp eyes. When he saw the Fine-Steel Pickaxes in the miners' hands, he immediately understood what was happening.

"Yang Ling has already recruited a group of miners?"

Xu Qing's expression shifted.

At the same time, Yang Ling also sensed that the atmosphere here was strange.

"Why is the man beside Xu Qing looking at me so strangely?"

Yang Ling swept a glance over him and opened his status panel:

Name: Yang Zhiwen

Class: Martial Artist

Strength: 32

Agility: 25

Spirit: 10

Martial Arts: River-Mountain Draw-Sword Art (Advanced Mastery), Twelve River-Mountain Fists (Advanced Mastery), River-Mountain Heart Method (Complete Integration)

Faction: Mountains and Rivers Sect

"32 Strength? 25 Agility? Even his Spirit is 10?"

Yang Ling's heart tightened slightly.

He had yet to break 30 in any single attribute.

The only one close to 30 was his Spirit, at 27.

As for Strength and Agility, neither had even broken 20. They were still far from 30.

On top of that, the other man had cultivated the River-Mountain Heart Method to Complete Integration!

In every respect, his stats surpassed Xu Qing's!

"Senior Brother Xu."

Yang Ling didn't reveal anything unusual. After approaching, he cupped his hands toward Xu Qing.

"Are you planning to personally lead them into the mine?"

Xu Qing asked with a smile.

"Yes."

Yang Ling nodded slightly.

"Not bad. Keep it up. I'll be waiting for good news."

Xu Qing said.

Yang Zhiwen suddenly smiled. "You're Yang Ling? We're even from the same clan. As the Red Gold Ore mine's supervisor, you're still personally taking miners down into the mine. Junior Brother Xu didn't misjudge you."

"And you are?"

Yang Ling asked politely.

"This is my senior brother, Yang Zhiwen. The former supervisor of the Red Gold Ore mine was someone he arranged, but that man was transferred away after some problems arose.

Senior Brother happened to be passing by the Red Gold Ore mine this time. He intends to teach us some management experience, afraid we might overlook something. He's certainly thoughtful."

Xu Qing said pointedly.

Yang Zhiwen seemed not to hear the mockery in Xu Qing's words. He sized Yang Ling up, then suddenly asked:

"On the day Wu Que disappeared, he was with you?"

Yang Ling's heart tightened slightly.

For an instant, he even suspected that the man had not come to the Red Gold Ore mine to trouble Xu Qing, but to trouble him!

"Supervisor Wu was indeed with me that day."

Yang Ling nodded.

"Can you tell me exactly what happened that day?"

Yang Zhiwen asked with a smile.

Xu Qing also realized something at this point and immediately said:

"Yang Ling, take your people into the mine."

"Yes."

Yang Ling immediately led his people into the mine vein, ignoring Yang Zhiwen from then on.

"Senior Brother, if Wu Que ran away, then he ran away. Don't even think about linking this matter to my people."

Xu Qing looked at Yang Zhiwen with a faint smile.

Yang Zhiwen's lips curled upward as he dropped all pretense.

"Junior Brother, this Red Gold Ore mine is too valuable for you to control.

But no matter. In three months, it will return to my hands.

Over these three months, if I say its output won't even reach 2,500 jin, then it won't reach 2,500 jin."

Fang Qingyang and the other supervisors revealed faint smiles at those words.

Xu Qing's expression turned somewhat ugly. The other party had made his intentions perfectly clear...