Chapter 16
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Chapter 16: If He Can Dig, So Can I
Seeing the broken iron pick in two pieces, Elder Lu’s eyes were filled with disbelief.
This iron pick was a magical tool specifically made for mining; it was quite sturdy. After infusing it with spiritual energy, it could last at least a year and a half. How could it break so easily?
Moreover, each disciple newly assigned for punishment received an unused iron pick.
But how could it break in just a few days?
“Um, Elder Lu, can you give me another one?”
Noticing Elder Lu’s changing expression, Ji Yang scratched his head, thinking to himself.
He can’t just refuse me; I still need to mine.
At that moment, Elder Lu also came to his senses. He gave Ji Yang a deep look and then took out a brand new iron pick from his storage bag.
These magical tools were plentiful and mass-produced; he couldn’t believe Ji Yang could break this one as well.
As for the last one, perhaps it was a defective product from the crafting process, or there could have been an issue with the formation etched inside.
Elder Lu did not dwell on such minor issues.
Ji Yang’s face lit up with joy upon receiving the new iron pick, and he couldn’t help but murmur softly,
“Finally, I can mine again!”
After saying that, he happily walked away.
However, Elder Lu and the newly punished outer disciple heard his murmured words very clearly.
Elder Lu’s expression turned strange; he hadn’t expected anyone to have such enthusiasm for mining. Was it for the spiritual grain buns?
Were they really that delicious?
Elder Lu pondered.
The outer disciple, who had initially looked terrified, realized that even the iron pick could break. It showed how severe the punishments were here.
Looking at the disheveled appearance of the others, it was a stark contrast to the outer seniors outside. Being punished here must indeed be torturous.
But after seeing Ji Yang’s joy upon receiving the iron pick and his seemingly honest words, a relieved expression appeared on his face.
It seemed he had been overthinking things; this outer disciple was also at the second level of Qi Refinement like him.
If Ji Yang could mine, then he had no reason not to!
This sparked a sense of yearning in his heart, and he secretly vowed to teach that junior brother, who had just entered a year ago, a lesson once he got out!
“Begin mining!”
As the bell rang and Elder Lu’s voice echoed, the mine became busy once again.
The newcomer who had just entered became the focus of everyone’s attention.
Typically, a new arrival could provide them with a few days of enjoyment, but Ji Yang had severely struck them down.
After seeing the bright smile on that outer disciple’s face while mining today,
everyone felt perplexed again. Had they been punished too long inside and become out of touch with the outside?
Why did this new disciple not care about the mining punishment at all?
However, this situation changed after half an hour.
The newcomer looked at the few ore pieces he had just managed to mine and felt the emptiness of his spiritual energy. His face turned extremely grim.
“I’m going out!”
“I don’t want to stay here!”
“Hahaha.”
After seeing the familiar scene, the others burst into laughter.
Yes, exactly!
They had said, how could everyone be like that pervert before?
On the other side, He Feng and his group walked closer to the mine. Upon seeing the pile of Ziying Mine that Ji Yang had mined, they felt a mix of emotions.
Ji Yang’s effort was impressive; he had even broken his iron pick.
This made them feel somewhat uncomfortable, as if they were bullies from the demonic path, oppressing new disciples.
If this got out, wouldn’t their reputation in the sect be ruined?
But watching Ji Yang happily carry his iron pick to mine again, their expressions became a bit strange.
To ease their junior brother’s pressure, they also began to complete their daily tasks.
Cultivation +1
Cultivation +1
The consecutive Blue Light Points filled Ji Yang with energy!
He had only mined for half the night last night and gained just two cultivation points, but today he received two points all at once.
Adding in the two points he had just obtained, he now had 11 cultivation points.
Ji Yang looked at his panel and discovered that the button below cultivation had returned to an usable state!
Ji Yang’s face brightened; didn’t this mean he could break through his realm again?
Ji Yang turned to glance at the others, but since he had mined quite deeply, the current mine was much quieter than where the others were.
Ji Yang initially wanted to break through on the spot, but after some thought, he stopped.
Breaking through to the second level of Qi Refinement the day before was acceptable; it could be considered as thickness accumulating and then gradually releasing.
But now, if he broke through another level, how would he explain it?
He could be a genius, but he couldn’t be a monster. Even if he broke through, he couldn’t let others notice.
But right now, he didn’t have any spells to hide his realm, and He Feng and the others were at a much higher level than him, making it easy for them to discover.
This left Ji Yang feeling a bit distressed.
Breaking through too quickly didn’t seem like a good thing either.
Forget it; he would save his cultivation points for now; they wouldn’t disappear.
He would wait until he found a suitable hidden technique before breaking through.
Okay, it’s settled then.
With the idea in mind, Ji Yang continued to mine.
Strength +1
Spirit +1
Superior flying sword +1
Agility +1
……
In the evening, the bell outside the mine chimed on time.
“Has it arrived so soon?”
Just as he was feeling great! His cultivation had reached fourteen points.
Ji Yang stored away his iron pick and walked out of the mine.
Before putting away the iron pick, Ji Yang took a look at it and noticed that the newly received pick already had some signs of wear.
This was something other people’s picks hadn’t shown yet, and Ji Yang thought it was likely due to his different way of using the magical tool.
While others used their spiritual power to control it, he relied on brute force.
Moreover, his strength was growing, so this iron pick probably wouldn’t last him much longer.
It seemed he would need to have a custom iron pick made just for mining in the future.
As he reached the entrance of the mine he had just mined, He Feng and the others also emerged.
Ji Yang took the ores from his storage bag and distributed them to them, keeping just enough for his daily task.
After some sorting, He Feng and the others were surprised to find that today’s haul was even greater than before.
This left them looking at each other in confusion.
When did they ever have such a bountiful harvest?
They didn’t plan to hand everything in together, instead, they hid inside the mine that Ji Yang had dug since Ji Yang had mined the deepest, and this mine was their territory, so others wouldn’t come over for a while.
Elder Lu probably wouldn’t mind this behavior; after all, most disciples couldn’t even gather enough ores from their own mining, let alone have time to hide them.
Furthermore, they were not criminals; they were disciples of the He Dao Sect, and this was just a punishment, so completing their daily tasks was already enough.
They arrived at the main hall of the outer mine.
Elder Lu was counting the task targets with others.
Soon, it was the turn of the newcomer who had just arrived.
That outer disciple at the second level of Qi Refinement trembled as he handed over his storage bag.
Zhao Kai, second level of Qi Refinement, short three points, carry over to tomorrow!
Hearing that he hadn’t completed his tasks and needed to carry them over, Zhao Kai felt like crying but had no tears. At this rate, would his one-month punishment turn into three months?
