Chapter 137
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Chapter 137: Disciples Respond
Following the crowd, Ji Yang returned to his mine, continuing his mining tasks, undisturbed by other disciples trying to seize his space.
Mining during the day meant freedom from the disturbances of the energy of the earth demons, making it much easier.
Ji Yang became an unyielding mining machine, swinging his iron pick again and again with skill.
With such expertise, even if he had crossed over to tighten screws, he would definitely be the star of the factory!
The day passed in the blink of an eye, and soon night fell.
“Ding ding ding!”
With the urgent ringing of the bell, a chorus of disciples’ grumbles echoed throughout the mine.
The bell signaled the end of the day’s punishment; they could finally take a break.
Many disciples hurried out of the mine, worried about being infected by the energy of the earth demons, while also seeking relief from the muscle soreness caused by long periods of mining.
Although they were cultivators, if they hadn’t practiced any body refining Techniques, their physical bodies would still become fatigued.
Hearing the bell, Ji Yang also left the mine and walked toward the exit. Though he already knew what was about to happen, he still acted as if it mattered.
After today, he wouldn’t need to come out anymore.
The mine was his second home!
Soon, all the punished disciples filed out of the mine and arrived at the campsite outside.
Familiar disciples gathered together, exchanging stories about their gains for the day, calculating how long it would take to succeed in leaving and returning to the sect.
Some disciples vowed to turn over a new leaf, swearing never to come back to this place of punishment.
Others contemplated revenge once they got out.
At this moment, Hong Yu pondered these three matters in the crowd, glancing over at Ji Yang, his eyes shimmering with humiliation.
Everyone had different thoughts, and several disciples had even begun to close their eyes and rest.
“Hmm? Where’s Elder Lu? Why isn’t he calling names today?”
“Exactly, isn’t the formation supposed to close?”
Some disciples voiced their confusion over Elder Lu’s delay in calling out names.
Just as everyone was puzzled, Elder Lu appeared before them.
“Present!”
As Elder Lu opened his mouth, someone in the crowd responded.
No one was surprised; that person was Yu Jing, who stood first on the attendance roster and had not yet gone out, so he was always the first to be called.
However, this time there seemed to be a slip.
Elder Lu cleared his throat and then spoke:
“I have a few words!”
Seeing that Elder Lu seemed about to launch into a long speech, many disciples scoffed, clearly uninterested.
“Due to reports from the disciples in the mine that the daily mining time is too short to complete the daily tasks, which delays their cultivation time, as well as the issue of the punishment time being too long…”
However, when Elder Lu began speaking about issues that were closely related to everyone, many disciples showed expressions of joy and excitement. Some stood up, looking eagerly at Elder Lu, while murmurs filled the crowd:
“Could it be that the sect is being compassionate and decides to reduce our daily task punishments?”
“Not necessarily; they might just release us early!”
“Sigh, this is great news! I’ve been wanting to leave this awful place!”
“I wonder which brave soul made this happen! If they really shorten our punishment time, I will surely thank them!”
“Exactly, my brother is right!”
Elder Lu, seeing the excitement of the disciples below, lightly smiled.
This was feasible. Didn’t they all seem happy?
“Ahem, quiet!”
Elder Lu coughed a couple of times, and the disciples immediately fell silent, attentively awaiting his next words.
“Therefore, the sect has decided that from now on, there will be no limit to the punishment time; you can also mine at night! I wish all of you a swift completion of your punishment and a quick departure from this place!”
As Elder Lu’s words fell, a momentary silence blanketed the crowd.
Everyone was somewhat in disbelief, with one disciple turning to his companion, bewildered, saying, “Brother, did Elder Lu just say that? I must have misheard!”
Seeing his companion nod in confusion, they both looked lost.
After a brief silence, loud discussions and protests erupted.
“This is unreasonable!”
“Why?”
“Who suggested this?”
“Is this really about just a little extra time?”
Many disciples’ faces were filled with anger, and they protested uproariously!
Elder Lu frowned at this sight, revealing his cultivation level, releasing a dominating aura.
The previously noisy disciples fell silent, but their eyes still showed their defiance!
Elder Lu spoke slowly:
“Everyone, do not get this wrong. You are currently punished disciples, and during this period, everything must be done according to the rules!”
Many disciples dared not speak after hearing this, but a few were still undeterred.
A Mid Golden Core disciple slowly stepped forward and cupped his hands, asking:
“Elder Lu, if we mine at night, how are we supposed to resist the energy of the earth demons? Even I, at the Golden Core Stage, would not dare say I can cope with it, let alone the other disciples at the Foundation Establishment stage!”
“Exactly! The sect doesn’t treat us like people! Although we are punished disciples, we are still disciples of the sect. How can they disregard our safety?”
Many disciples immediately expressed their agreement.
They were well aware of how dangerous the energy of the earth demons could be.
Elder Lu merely smiled lightly in response, then spoke:
“You need not worry about this. I have a solution, which I have already tested. If you don’t believe it, you may choose not to mine at night; the sect will not force anyone. The choice is yours!”
After hearing this, the crowd fell silent. As a steward of the sect, Elder Lu, who was in charge of the Xuan Iron Mine, would not dare to lie. After all, if too many disciples were disturbed by the energy of the earth demons and suffered cultivation loss, Elder Lu would not bear that responsibility.
Moreover, Elder Lu also mentioned that they could choose not to go!
However, many disciples still dared not risk their lives, and since no one was being forced, they hesitated to take the first step.
At this moment, a sound of footsteps grew faint as someone moved away.
Looking in the direction of their advance, it was clear they were heading into the mine.
The crowd looked on in surprise, only able to see a figure disappearing into the distance!
“Who on earth is that?”
One disciple clenched his fists, furious that, while no one else dared to go in, someone seemed impatient to enter. This person was likely the disciple Elder Lu had mentioned.
Unfortunately, that person ran too fast, and with the energy of the earth demons surging, the crowd could only catch a blurry glimpse of the figure, unable to determine who it was.
Many had to watch others, hoping to identify the person.
Among the crowd, a few wore expressions of contemplation; their keen eyes had glimpsed the person entering but dared not say much.
Among them was Hong Yu, who recognized that figure all too well—it could only be Ji Yang!
But realizing that he would be able to leave within a few days, Hong Yu snorted lightly, deciding not to take that risk.
