As a mining menial for the Azure Pool Sect,
each trip down the mine took two days.
During those two days, besides making the most of his time cultivating in the mine, Lu Li also chipped out a dozen or so pieces of Azure Gold Spirit Ore.
With his handheld mining drill, chipping out a little spirit ore was easy for him anyway.
The two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Before he knew it, it was time to hand in the ore again.
Just as Lu Li sat cross-legged in the pit, cultivating,
an indifferent voice, threaded with barely suppressed excitement, rang through the mine.
"Everyone, hand in your ore!"
"Hurry up!"
As the voice fell, the ragged menials filed out.
Outside the mine, Bai Sheng was anxious.
He couldn't wait to finish this mine inspection and hurry back to plan how the benefits would be divided within his Lineage.
As a member of a collateral branch of the Bai Household, he had already reached the Qi Refinement Seventh Layer.
Yet he could hardly be considered part of the Bai Household's backbone.
If he wanted to reach Foundation Establishment, he would have to make careful plans.
At that thought, he couldn't help urging them on.
"Move it!"
"Hurry up!"
"No need to split into left and right. Everyone, just pass the Law Artifact, hand in your spirit ore, and go rest."
"Hmph, consider yourselves lucky today."
"I'm passing on an oral decree from my ancestor, True Lord Bai Yi of Upper White Peak in the sect. Today, at all Upper White Peak holdings, those who fail to meet the quota will not be punished, and those who meet it will be rewarded with one spirit coin."
Bai Sheng's arrogant voice carried through the crowd.
It reached Lu Li's ears, making him pause and look again.
He instinctively felt the four pieces of Azure Gold Spirit Ore in his hand, which he had taken from the space inside his jade pendant.
No punishment? That means I don't have to hand in the full quota this time!
Lu Li came back to his senses and instantly worked out what it meant.
He hadn't expected such good fortune to come his way.
He had still been worrying about what Bai Sheng might do to him if he handed in the full quota this time.
Now that he didn't have to, he naturally wouldn't take the risk.
As for the spirit coin awarded to those who met the quota...
My life comes first! There'll be plenty of chances to get spirit coins and Spirit Stones in the future.
His thoughts racing, Lu Li immediately and silently tucked two pieces of Azure Gold Spirit Ore back into his jade pendant.
He kept only two outside.
The other menials also brightened when they heard Bai Sheng's words.
Especially those who had failed to meet the quota.
Their faces had been ashen, all of them thinking their lives were over.
But now they had been given another chance at life, and their emotions were in turmoil.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Bai!"
"Our thanks to True Lord Bai Yi!"
"Thank you, True Lord!"
"..."
Cries of thanks rang through the mine.
Bai Sheng couldn't be bothered to respond. He simply summoned the bronze mirror and shone it on each menial as they passed the bamboo basket.
He checked whether any of them were hiding anything.
When Lu Li put the two pieces of Azure Gold Spirit Ore into the bamboo basket and walked past the Law Artifact, looking as though he had narrowly escaped disaster,
Bai Sheng frowned.
I was so caught up in my thoughts. How did I forget about this brat...
Still, this brat sure is lucky... There's a pardon today, and he just happened to fall short of the quota.
Hmph, what a lucky fellow.
With a cold snort, he directed the Law Artifact to scan Lu Li over and over.
He confirmed there was nothing unusual and nothing had been missed.
Only a mundane jade pendant without the slightest trace of spiritual presence appeared, and he finally looked away.
He urged the menials to hurry up and hand in their ore.
I made it through. Failing to meet the quota today also indirectly eased Bai Sheng's suspicions of me.
And after today, I won't have to live in fear anymore.
Before the next trip down the mine, I'll definitely break through to the Qi Refining Second Layer!
Taking a deep breath, Lu Li walked silently to the back of the crowd.
After several months since transmigrating, he had finally opened a path forward.
For now, he could finally breathe a little easier.
Once the spirit ore had been collected, Bai Sheng flipped his wrist and put it into his Storage Bag.
Then, without pausing,
he took to his flying sword and flew straight toward the distant mountains and cold waters.
It was as though he had some urgent business.
I didn't expect that True Lord from two days ago really to be Bai Sheng's ancestor.
It seems this person's promotion to True Lord has had a major impact on his Lineage's members and the sect...
Watching Bai Sheng's departing figure, Lu Li's eyes flickered.
He very much wanted to know how the Azure Pool Sect was structured on the inside.
He knew only that the outer sect was prosperous, but not what lay behind that prosperity.
Forget it. Once I enter the outer sect, I'll have a chance to find out.
For now, I'd better focus on cultivating.
Now that he had the improved Five Elements Instruction, Lu Li was unwilling to waste another moment.
He followed the other menials back to the wooden hut.
He found a corner of the communal sleeping platform, sat down cross-legged, and circulated his cultivation method.
But as he began to cultivate,
the menials sitting on the same sleeping platform,
who were still rejoicing over their reward or their narrow escape from disaster, began to lose their composure one by one.
"What's that?"
"Is Junior Brother Lu cultivating?"
"Wait, that spiritual light around him..."
"Hiss!"
"How is that possible?!"
When seven or eight menials sensed the presence around Lu Li and saw the extremely steady spiritual light,
the menials abruptly turned their heads.
Eyes wide, they stared at Lu Li in disbelief.
"Steady spiritual light, the first signs of a powerful display, and handling something heavy as though it were light!"
"That's the intermediate Five Elements Instruction!"
"He's comprehended the Five Elements Instruction to the intermediate level!"
"How is that possible?! Isn't he only at the first layer of Qi Refinement?"
"Comprehending the Five Elements Instruction to the intermediate level at the first layer of Qi Refinement is unheard of!"
The menials were visibly startled.
After Lu Li had entered the sect and gone through the three-month newcomer protection period-the stage for learning a cultivation method-he had become a menial.
Afterward, he had struggled to draw Qi into his body and enter the first layer of Qi Refinement, and every trip down the mine had been a life-and-death challenge.
The other menials hadn't paid him any attention.
They had treated him as though he were invisible.
But today, seeing the unusual signs as Lu Li cultivated his cultivation method,
everyone was shocked, and a bold guess sprang into several of their minds.
"Could Junior Brother Lu be some kind of peerless heaven's chosen?"
"His aptitude might be a little poor, but does he have a different kind of accomplishment in cultivation methods and spells?"
Once that thought appeared, the way everyone looked at Lu Li changed.
Clearly, in the world of immortal cultivation, even a single specialty could take a person further.
Especially a uniquely gifted specialty like this, which was both highly useful and nothing to fear others coveting.
It was enough to make anyone envious.
"This is great. Junior Brother Lu probably won't need long to enter the outer sect."
"I wonder what it feels like to cultivate the intermediate Five Elements Instruction."
The menials watched enviously.
Lu Li naturally knew he had drawn everyone's attention.
But there was nothing he could do. Menial disciples ate and lived together, and if he wanted to hurry and break through, he could only expose himself.
Fortunately, having an epiphany about a cultivation method doesn't count as the crime of possessing a treasure.
Still, it's a reminder that I must keep a low profile in the future, no matter what.
Of all the paths of immortal cultivation, the path of keeping one's head down is the safest!
His mind made up, Lu Li simply paid them no attention and focused on cultivating.
He failed to notice a surprised gaze settling on him from a corner of the sleeping platform.
Yes, that gaze held only surprise, not envy...