Four Hundred to One! [Seeking Investment!]

Time flew like an arrow.

Days and months passed like a shuttle.

In the blink of an eye.

Another three days went by.

The miners in the Death Mining Area continued to dwindle, their numbers already having fallen below four hundred. More and more miners were taken away, and more and more were killed in falls.

A few days ago.

Zhao Zhuo of North District Six had immolated himself, burning into charcoal ash. Wang Ding of North District Nine had gone cold from head to toe, freezing into a block of ice.

Another case had occurred over the past three days.

It was Zheng Dagen of North District Five. He had dissolved into a puddle of pus inside a cave, dying a horribly gruesome death.

When such hair-raising ways of dying reached Chen Jichuan and Chen Shaohe's ears, the two brothers could not help but feel lingering fear.

They had not understood before.

But thinking about it now, Zhao Zhuo and the other two had likely failed to endure the awakening trial, resulting in such miserable ends.

Of course, it was more likely because the mine containing Spirit Stones radiated too fiercely, causing Chen Shaohe and the others to awaken too violently. Their mortal flesh could not withstand it, and they were burned to ash or melted into water.

More deaths.

More strangeness.

The increasing brutality of overseers such as Qian Lai.

All of it plunged the remaining miners into extreme anxiety and despair, leaving them in constant fear day and night.

In such an atmosphere.

Chen Jichuan and Chen Shaohe carefully kept up their disguises. Every day when they reported to the overseer Qian Lai, they pretended to be utterly exhausted.

Pretended, he said.

Strictly speaking, it did not really count as pretending.

Chen Shaohe controlled flames every day. It did not consume much physical strength, but over time, it wore down his mental energy. He had to sleep through the night before he could recover.

As for Chen Jichuan.

He used Creation to search for Spirit Stones, easily finding four on the first day.

But after he mined out the easily found Spirit Stones, the remaining ones were buried deeper. The five Spirit Stones he found over the next two days required Chen Jichuan to dig through more soil and smash more Yantie Ore before he could obtain the Spirit Stones buried deep below.

By the end of a day.

He was exhausted as well.

But because of that, Chen Jichuan discovered the great use of Origin Force.

Like now.

Clang, clang, clang.

Chen Jichuan swung his iron pick with all his might, using every ounce of strength in his body. His arms and palms had long since turned sore, even burning with pain. His waist and back ached as well.

This feeling.

Chen Jichuan had grown familiar with it over the past six years. He did not even blink.

But today was different.

"Huff!"

"Huff!"

Chen Jichuan panted like an ox. He could no longer lift the iron pick, all the strength drained from his body, and he dropped to the ground on his backside. His chest rose and fell as he gasped for breath, but instead of resting, he closed his eyes and sent his consciousness into the Azure Lotus Jade Pendant where the Dao Fruit resided within his mind.

"Come!"

"Come out!"

His thoughts moved as his heart willed.

He drew out several strands of the lively silver threads dancing within.

Following his will, the Origin Force entered his arms and waist, then his back. Once he relaxed his mind, the silver threads and Origin Force were freed from restraint, transforming into a trace of coolness. Like a lover's small hand brushing over him, it instantly drove away all his fatigue.

Chen Jichuan closed his eyes and quietly savored the sensation.

Not long after.

He stood up.

He swung his arms, twisted his waist and hips, and stretched his back. In an instant, his vigor returned.

Not only that.

Chen Jichuan could also feel that the muscles in his arms, waist, and back had become tighter and stronger. Optimistically, Chen Jichuan guessed that if this continued, he might become very powerful.

Unfortunately.

What he lacked most now was time.

"Huff!"

His strength returned.

His fatigue dispersed.

Chen Jichuan did not let his thoughts wander and continued working with all his strength.

Clink~

With a sound.

Chen Jichuan dug up his tenth Spirit Stone in three days.

[Origin Force: 1024]

Coolness entered his body.

"It's full!"

Chen Jichuan glanced at the Origin Force entry after it changed. Before he could even rejoice, he set down the iron pick and hurried into his mind.

The Azure Lotus Jade Pendant still floated there, rising and falling.

Inside.

One thousand and twenty-four silver threads danced nimbly, a pleasing sight to behold.

The moment Chen Jichuan saw them, a message came to him—

[Consume one thousand Origin Force to let a flower bloom into a world?]

One thousand Origin Force.

The azure lotus bloomed.

A world would be revealed.

Chen Jichuan's heart pounded. He had waited three days and worked himself to the bone for three days, all for this moment.

He had just reported in today.

He had an entire day to explore another world.

Chen Jichuan could not wait.

He opened his eyes.

And called Chen Shaohe over.

"Fourth Brother."

Chen Shaohe waved his hand to disperse the flames and jogged over. Over the past three days, he had gone from a state where fire burst out whenever he spoke to being able to control flames Following One's Heart's Desire. A thought brought them forth, a thought extinguished them, as though he were a god of fire.

Though he was still slightly hunched over and looked old.

His entire spirit had become completely different. If anyone saw him, they would surely grow suspicious.

Fortunately, Yantie Ore was everywhere, along with its foul-smelling black grease. Smeared across their bodies, faces, and hair, it was the best disguise. And because of the stench, the overseer Qian Lai was even less willing to spare them a glance.

There was no need to worry about being seen through.

Chen Shaohe came before Chen Jichuan. When he saw another Spirit Stone, he was instantly delighted and hurriedly asked, "Fourth Brother, have you gathered enough?"

"Enough."

Chen Jichuan nodded.

Chen Shaohe was overjoyed when he heard that.

Chen Shaohe had not asked much about his fourth brother's "golden finger." Fourth Brother had told him long ago that once one obtained a golden finger, one had to keep it tightly secret. The fewer people who knew, the better, lest it leak out without anyone noticing and become the road to one's death.

Therefore.

He did not ask, nor did he dwell on it. He knew that if Fourth Brother gained something good, he would certainly not forget him. And if he gained something good, he would not forget Fourth Brother either.

It was only natural.

Thus, he only had a half-understanding of the Dao Fruit.

He only knew that once Fourth Brother gathered enough Spirit Stones, his consciousness could travel through worlds and enter another world, an unfamiliar world.

Now that he heard the Spirit Stones had been gathered.

Chen Shaohe was somewhat excited, but immediately afterward, he became worried. "Fourth Brother, you must be careful."

He did not dare say anything inauspicious.

He also knew that Fourth Brother would definitely go.

But he was still afraid. He was afraid that if Fourth Brother went there and could not return, what would he do? Left alone by himself, Chen Shaohe did not dare imagine what that would feel like.

"Don't worry."

"I can return with a thought. My body is still here."

Seeing the rare attachment and reluctance on his younger brother's face, Chen Jichuan's heart warmed. He comforted him softly.

Chen Shaohe was not someone who failed to understand reason.

Seeing that Fourth Brother had to turn around and comfort him instead, his face reddened. He turned and walked two steps toward the cave entrance. "Fourth Brother, go without worry. I'll guard outside and make sure no one can harm you."

Chen Jichuan smiled.

He lay down beneath the quilt.

[Consume one thousand Origin Force to let a flower bloom into a world?]

[Yes.]

Within the Azure Lotus Jade Pendant, one thousand silver threads danced and fused into the flower bud waiting to bloom, disappearing from sight.

The lush and delicate flower bud, however, visibly blossomed in an instant, growing into an azure lotus shrouded in faint mist. Twenty-four silver threads drifted within it—Chen Jichuan's remaining Origin Force.

When the flower bloomed, it revealed me.

At that moment, he saw—

At the center of the azure lotus, a tiny person came into being from nothing, stark naked.

Looking closely, the tiny person's features were familiar. His skin was a pale, floating white, as though he had not seen sunlight for years. His figure was unsightly, his back noticeably raised, his body bent and hunched, making him appear short.

Both hands were covered in calluses.

Overworked, he looked weathered and old.

Chen Jichuan stared, entranced.

He recognized this "person," and a hundred flavors mingled in his heart, leaving him with an indescribable bitterness—

"I..."

"How did I become such a ghastly sight?"

Chen Jichuan looked at the tiny person.

He recognized him.

This was himself.

It was just that he had spent years in the Black Prison, where the black grease of Yantie Ore obscured his face. Aside from his reflection in a stream, there was no full-length mirror for him to see what he looked like. Thus, when such a tiny person suddenly appeared, Chen Jichuan found him unfamiliar.

Only through half-guessing.

Did he finally "recognize" himself.

This was also the first time he had seen so clearly the body that had suffered so much torment in this life.

Just as he had imagined.

No.

It was even uglier and worse than he had imagined!

"Did it copy my body in reality?"

Chen Jichuan sensed the information. Unable to bear looking any longer, he moved his thoughts and entered the other world.

[Ding!]

[New world reached. Detecting.]

[Detection complete.]

[The current world's time flow ratio to the Dharma Lord World is 400:1.]

[Dharma Lord deployment in progress. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.]

His thoughts entered the lotus.

The world spun around him.

When Chen Jichuan opened his eyes, he found himself standing on a road packed from yellow earth.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

A fierce wind swept up dust and blew it over his face and body.

Rather than becoming annoyed, Chen Jichuan was delighted.

"Four hundred to one."

"This is wonderful!"

What he lacked most right now was time. Yet just when he grew sleepy, someone handed him a pillow. The very first world he opened had such an enormous time difference.

Four hundred to one.

What kind of concept was that?

It meant that if Chen Jichuan spent a year here, not even a day would pass in reality. It was even more outrageous than the legends of one day in heaven equaling one year in the mortal world.

Chen Jichuan was naturally delighted beyond measure.

"If that was the case."

"Even if all four hundred miners died within ten days or half a month, I still had at least ten years to deal with it."

Chen Jichuan grinned from ear to ear.

His tightly strung nerves relaxed slightly.

Only then did he have the mind to look around. With one glance, joy welled up in his heart, mingled with endless emotion.

Six years.

In Black Prison, where everything was dim and shrouded in mist day after day, dampness and darkness had been the main melody. The wind that blew was bitterly cold, and not even dust stirred. Thus, at the sudden sight of yellow sand flying everywhere, Chen Jichuan felt as though a lifetime had passed.

The sun shone high overhead.

The flowers smiled.

Sunlight spilled down.

It warmed Chen Jichuan all over, dispersing much of the gloom buried in his heart. He raised his head and lifted a hand to shield his eyes. Through the gaps between his fingers, he saw the blazing sun and drifting White Clouds.

For a moment, he was entranced.

Lingnan Circuit.

Langning Prefecture's prefectural city.

It was September, and the weather was stifling. Several lazy soldiers guarded the city gate, extorting a few copper coins for tea from peddlers and farmers entering the city with goods and vegetables.

Chen Jichuan wore a simple short outfit.

He had no goods slung over his shoulder. The soldiers merely glanced at him and ignored him.

Following the official road, the closer one got to Langning City, the more pedestrians there were. But for true bustle, the city itself still took the prize.

Chen Jichuan showed no timidity and strode into the city.

Like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden, he looked left and right, never able to get enough of the sights. Wherever there were crowds, he squeezed his way over.

It was not because he craved excitement.

Outside the city, there had been lush greenery, the fragrance of grass and trees, insects chirping, and birds calling.

Chen Jichuan could even leave behind such beautiful sights, things he had not seen for six whole years in Black Prison. How could he lose himself amid the clamorous voices of a crowd?

Though he was enamored with this world, utterly different from Black Prison,

he remembered that danger still loomed over his true body in reality, and that his younger brother, Chen Shaohe, was still waiting for him.

Even with a four-hundredfold difference in time, Chen Jichuan gave himself only the leisure to look a few more times. After that, he still had to pull himself together and quickly find a way to increase his strength and escape Black Prison.

He also went where the crowds gathered in order to obtain more information.

Because this was a different world and the language was foreign, Chen Jichuan had originally been unable to understand what the people here were saying.

Fortunately,

an idea flashed through his mind, and he thought of Creation. The Insight Art claimed to perceive space-time and karma. It should not be limited to perceiving tangible things such as travelers and Spirit Stones.

So he tried using it to perceive the words spoken by the people here.

Only after trying did he discover that the Insight Art was far more than a combination of an "Appraisal Art" and a "Detection Art." It was also like having a translator built in.

Though it only worked one way.

He could understand but not speak.

Commonly known as mute foreign language.

But so long as he had enough time to listen and learn, he would soon be able to communicate normally with others.

For now, though, he should honestly listen to other people talk.

He walked and listened.

Chen Jichuan gradually gained a better understanding of this world. He learned that this was Langning Prefecture, Lingnan Circuit, Great Yan. This southern half of Langning City where he stood was the prefectural city. The northern half, however, was Xuanhua County Town.

There were many residents and countless merchants.

Among Langning Prefecture's eight counties, it was the largest and most prosperous city.

As he walked through it,

he could hear plenty of information in the conversations of passersby. Most of it was merely casual chatter, but Chen Jichuan was searching for information that could help him.

Heaven did not disappoint those with a will.

As he passed two young men whose faces were alive with excitement, Chen Jichuan finally heard—

"If the Iron Ox is practiced to perfection, one's whole body swells with qi, taut as silk. But if it meets the Cactus, it will surely fail to contend at once."

"Master Lu really took a fall this time."

"Isn't that so? He knew that the newly arrived Master Yang had practiced the Golden Shovel Finger for many years, and that it was the nemesis of his family's Iron Bull Technique, yet he still dared fight him. Now not only had he been beaten into disgrace and bedridden, he had also become Master Yang's stepping stone."

"If you ask me, Master Yang was vicious and merciless too. He could clearly have held back, yet he insisted on beating Master Lu half to death."

"You can't put it that way. Fists and kicks have no eyes. If Master Yang had shown mercy, he might have been the one who lost."

Chen Jichuan heard their words clearly through the Insight Art, and his heart stirred. "Golden Shovel Finger! Iron Bull Technique!"

They sounded formidable.

He had not entered this world to learn a foreign language, nor to study empty classical prattle. He had not come to make money, nor to seek power.

Those things were useless.

They could not help him, nor could they help Chen Shaohe.

To leave Black Prison, he needed force—whether martial arts, Daoist arts, or something else.

Golden Shovel Finger and Iron Bull Technique—

"They seemed quite reliable."

Half an hour later.

Chen Jichuan arrived in the south of the city and stood outside the Lu Family Martial Academy.

Shouts came from the courtyard, along with the sounds of heavy objects rising and falling.

Chen Jichuan stepped inside.

In the spacious courtyard, there were only eight people, each busy with his own training.

Some carried stone locks, some stood in horse stances, while others lay on their backs and heavily struck their abdomens with fists and wooden hammers.

But the most eye-catching was a martial artist who was not tall, yet built solidly.

Hoh!

This martial artist held a stone drum weighing four or five hundred jin in both arms. The stone was heavy and slick, making it easiest to lose one's grip, yet he held it steadily and walked with ease. Only a series of bang, bang sounds rang out, as if even the ground were being shaken.

Such tremendous strength

was enough to inspire fear.

Chen Jichuan looked over and focused on the man—

Name: Lu Xiong

Age: 25

Level: 3

Arts: Iron Bull Technique (Third Layer), Jade Belt Technique (Third Layer)

"So the Lu Family Martial Academy had more than just the Iron Bull Technique. It also had a Jade Belt Technique."

Chen Jichuan secretly rejoiced.

On his way here, he had painstakingly memorized the crude Langning Prefecture dialect one word at a time and asked around. He had learned that Langning Prefecture had three most formidable martial schools: the Zhao Family Martial School, the Ge Family Martial School, and the Lu Family Martial Academy.

The first two also possessed genuine skill.

The master of the Zhao Family Martial School, Zhao Tiezhi, was known as the Crouching Tiger. His footwork and leg techniques were formidable.

The master of the Ge Family Martial School, Ge Daqi, was known as the Eagle Claw King. His claw techniques were sharp and fierce.

The master of the Lu Family Martial Academy, Lu Peng, was called the Iron Ox and reputed to be impervious to blades and spears.

These three had originally been the strongest and most renowned martial artists in all of Langning City.

But yesterday, Yang Xu, the Cactus from Wuyuan County, had come to the Lu Family Martial Academy to challenge it and directly beaten Lu Peng until he vomited blood. The Lu Family Martial Academy's reputation had been utterly swept away.

As it happened, Yang Xu was opening his school and taking disciples today.

Thus, the Lu Family Martial Academy would likely only rank fourth in Langning City from now on.

And although the times in Great Yan were unsettled, causing martial customs to flourish, even one city could not accommodate too many martial schools. Having been pushed out of the top three and suffering such a blow to its reputation, the Lu Family Martial Academy was bound to collapse beyond recovery.

But Chen Jichuan only had to turn the matter over slightly in his mind.

He went neither to the Zhao Family Martial School nor the Ge Family Martial School.

Nor did he go to the Yang Family Martial School, where Yang Xu had just beaten Lu Peng until he vomited blood. Instead, he headed straight for the Lu Family Martial Academy.

It was not because he enjoyed tending a cold stove.

It was simply because the other three martial schools charged exorbitant fees, while Chen Jichuan happened to be penniless.

Chen Jichuan stood in the courtyard for a while, watching everyone train. Just as he became absorbed in it, Lu Xiong, the martial artist carrying the stone drum, gently set it down with a heavy bang and walked over. "What is it?"

The others in the courtyard also looked toward Chen Jichuan.

Yesterday, their master had been injured by Yang Xu, the Cactus, and was still bedridden.

The martial school he had run in the city for more than a decade had also suffered a tremendous fall in reputation. Yesterday, the Lu Family Martial Academy had over thirty disciples, but today only six had come. Even those six were all the master's personal disciples.

As for the other disciples,

some had quit training, some had gone to other schools, and some had even gone to the newly opened Yang Family Martial School.

Martial schools opened their doors to accept disciples.

Anyone with money could enter.

It could not be said that they were snobbish.

If one spent one's own money to learn martial arts, naturally one would go wherever the strongest teacher was. Master Lu had been beaten until he vomited blood by Yang Xu, the Cactus. The disciples had seen it—who would still want to remain here?

So everyone found Chen Jichuan's arrival strange.

"I."

"Can."

"Cure."

"Your."

"Master."

"Lu."

"Sir."

Chen Jichuan did not waste words, speaking one word at a time.

These were among the few phrases he had pieced together and learned on his way to the Lu Family Martial Academy.

"Cure my father?"

"Then please, come inside quickly."

Another martial artist in the courtyard, who had been lying on his back and continuously hammering his abdomen with a wooden mallet, heard this and sprang to his feet.

Chen Jichuan looked at him—

Name: Lu Rong

Age: 24

Level: 2

Arts: Iron Bull Technique (Second Layer), Jade Belt Technique (First Layer)

This man looked much like Lu Xiong. Seeing their names, Chen Jichuan guessed that they had to be brothers. Master Lu, lying in bed, was probably their father.

Judging by their levels, Lu Rong's martial arts were inferior to his elder brother's.

But his filial devotion was no less, and he was even more impatient by nature.

The moment he heard that Chen Jichuan could cure his father, he became exceedingly polite.

Lu Xiong glanced at Chen Jichuan. Chen Jichuan wore a simple short outfit and did not look like a physician. But years of labor had made him appear older, which helped.

Lu Xiong thought that surely no one would come to a martial school to swindle people.

Wouldn't that be courting death?

Thus—

"Please."

He immediately put on a smile and, together with his younger brother Lu Rong, led Chen Jichuan into the inner room.

They would try it for now.

PS: The contract was mailed yesterday. Investing means guaranteed profit with no losses!

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