Deep within the mine cave.

In a certain forked passage, Yu Xian sat cross-legged, holding a Spirit Stone in each hand, absorbing them without reservation as he cultivated.

With over three hundred Spirit Stones in his possession, Yu Xian naturally felt affluent, cultivating with great vigor, expanding his Qi Sea and condensing Spiritual Qi.

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In just three short days, his Qi Sea expanded further, reaching one foot and five inches.

At the same time, his Qi Sea became noticeably more solid.

An hour later, with his Qi Sea full, Yu Xian opened his eyes and raised his hand to take out the "Ten Basic Spell Techniques" to start learning other spells.

He had already completely mastered the Minor Five Elements Technique.

His offensive techniques included the Fireball Technique, Wind Blade Technique, and Golden Light Technique.

For defense, he had the Earth Shield Technique and Wood Spirit Technique, and for healing, the Water Healing Technique and Wood Spirit Technique.

Among them, the Minor Wood Spirit Technique was particularly special; wood-based spells in his hands were the most keen.

He only needed to silently recite the incantation in his mind, and with a wave of his hand, the spell would activate, without even needing to form a spell seal, as if he was naturally attuned to it!

This technique could defend, heal, and even had a bit of offensive power, making it an all-purpose spell.

However, when it comes to spells, the more the merrier, as no one knows what effect a spell might have.

It's important to know that spells can counter each other.

The more spells you learn, the better prepared you are to counter an opponent's spell in a duel, ensuring you remain undefeated.

The Ten Basic Spell Techniques are spells that all Outer Disciples of the White Cloud Sect can learn.

Earth Spike, Wood God Armor, Swift Wind Step, Black Water Cannon, Fire Serpent Technique...

A total of ten spells, which seemed much more powerful than the Minor Five Elements Technique.

After all, even the basic spells given to Outer Disciples by a major sect are far superior to those a mere rogue cultivator could obtain.

Yu Xian exhaled, calmed his mind, and began cultivating the first spell, Earth Spike!

The matter of Zhao Mulin's death did not result in the large-scale investigation Yu Xian had imagined, nor did it cause any disturbances.

Thus, all his previous cautious actions were in vain.

However, Yu Xian did not regret it; better safe than sorry. He remained cautious, refraining from exchanging the Scorching Sun Essence Stones or using and refining those Magical Treasures.

He continued to observe the situation.

Zhao Mulin had disappeared, rumored to have run off with the collected Scorching Sun Essence Ore.

And the steward of the Scorching Sun Mine area had become Old Third Zhang.

***

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Inside his room, over the past half month, Yu Xian consumed a full three hundred Spirit Stones and various elixirs, finally expanding his Qi Sea to two feet wide, allowing it to hold more Spiritual Qi.

At the same time, the Spiritual Qi became denser, with a faint tendency to liquefy.

He had reached the peak of the Early Qi Condensation stage, on the verge of breaking through to the mid-stage!

The elixirs and Spirit Stones left by Zhao Mulin had provided him with immense help!

Yu Xian slowly opened his eyes and calmly looked towards the door.

With his current cultivation level, he could clearly hear the footsteps outside his door.

After three breaths, there was indeed a heavy knock on the door.

"Yu Xian! Do you know it's time to hand over the Scorching Sun Essence Ore?"

Yu Xian's brow furrowed slightly.

If he remembered correctly, tomorrow was the end of the month.

Moreover, according to custom, even if mining disciples were a few days late in handing over the ore, it wasn't a problem; they were always given some leeway.

Yet Old Third Zhang was hounding him as if his life depended on it?

Was it because he hadn't bribed that steward, Senior Brother Huang, that he was being assigned to an abandoned mine and constantly pressured to leave the White Cloud Sect?!

A glint of ruthlessness flashed in Yu Xian's eyes.

Having killed people, Yu Xian had already begun to transform.

Though only fifteen years old, he was mature!

Taking a deep breath, Yu Xian took out a Scorching Sun Essence Stone, got out of bed, and opened the door.

"Yu Xian, if you don't hand over a Scorching Sun Essence Stone today, you..."

Old Third Zhang wore a cold smile, ready to kick Yu Xian out, but the next moment, he was speechless.

Yu Xian, with an indifferent expression, handed over a Scorching Sun Essence Stone, saying calmly, "Take it."

With that, he tossed the stone into Old Third Zhang's arms and slammed the door shut, leaving Old Third Zhang standing there, dumbfounded.

He actually found another one...

This little brat...

Old Third Zhang looked at the Scorching Sun Essence Stone in his hand, his eye twitching uncontrollably.

An abandoned mine cave, yielding ore for two consecutive months, and judging by his nonchalant demeanor, he seemed likely to find more next month!

How could this be allowed?

If he stayed here for long and Senior Brother Huang came by and saw him still around...

Then his position as steward would certainly be at risk!

"You little brat, you're asking for it..."

With a flash of cold light in his eyes, Old Third Zhang pocketed the Scorching Sun Essence Ore and turned to leave.

Inside the room, Yu Xian took out a Storage Pouch and placed it in his bosom.

Half a month had passed, and the matter with Zhao Mulin had long since faded.

These Scorching Sun Essence Stones, along with that piece of Scorching Sun Essence Jade, should be ready for exchange.

Yu Xian could feel that his cultivation had reached a bottleneck.

If he relied solely on absorbing the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth, who knew how long it would take to break through to the mid-stage of Qi Condensation.

If he had no resources, he could endure the hardship, but now that he had resources, he naturally wanted to exchange them for what he needed, like elixirs!

Pushing open the door, Yu Xian strode towards the Teleportation Array and left directly.

Once again at the Grand Hall of the Hundred Mines Workshop, Yu Xian headed straight for the Weapon Forging Workshop.

After fifteen days, the man was still the same.

"Hmm? It's you, little brother."

The man was taken aback upon seeing the young man, then chuckled, "It's only been fifteen days, and you have more goods?"

Yu Xian looked at the man, thought for a moment, and asked, "How much for the Scorching Sun Essence Jade?"

This thing would have to be sold sooner or later; there was no point in hiding it.

"What did you say?"

The man thought he had misheard and looked at Yu Xian, enunciating each word, "Did you say, Scorching Sun Essence Jade? Not Essence Stone?"

"Yes, Scorching Sun Essence Jade."

Yu Xian nodded, asking seriously, "How much?"

The man's expression changed, and after glancing around, he stepped out from behind the counter and quickly said to Yu Xian, "Come, come, let's talk in detail."

Yu Xian frowned, secretly gripping the Talismanic Treasure of Golden Light Slash in his hand, then nodded, "Alright."

The man led Yu Xian swiftly into a side room.

However, the man had no intention of killing for the ore; instead, his eyes were filled with excitement as he looked at Yu Xian, "You found a piece of Scorching Sun Essence Jade!?"

"Yes, how much is it worth?"

Yu Xian nodded, asking again.

"You're something else! Good kid, what's your name? I'm Xu Haoming from the Weapon Forging Workshop."

Xu Haoming looked at Yu Xian as if he were a treasure.

Yu Xian replied calmly, "My name is Yu Xian."

"Yu Xian, nice name."

Xu Haoming smiled, "Brother Yu, you don't need to be so wary. My reputation in the Weapon Forging Workshop is well-known. If it's truly Scorching Sun Essence Jade, I'll offer five hundred Spirit Stones!"

"An entire mountain yields only one or two pieces of Scorching Sun Essence Jade, and you want to buy it for five hundred Spirit Stones?"

Yu Xian rolled his eyes, "You're making too much of a profit, aren't you?"

Did this man really think he was just some naive teenager?

"Ah? Ahaha, nothing escapes Brother Yu."

Xu Haoming laughed dryly, then said seriously, "Eight hundred, I'll offer eight hundred Spirit Stones, Brother Yu. This price is already very high."

Eight hundred Spirit Stones far exceeded Yu Xian's expectations.

But he still pondered for a moment, until Xu Haoming grew a bit anxious, then nodded, "Alright, I trust you."

With that, Yu Xian reached into his bosom and took out the Scorching Sun Essence Jade from his Storage Pouch.

Instantly, the entire side room was filled with radiant light!

---

Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan