158: Chapter 158 Mining

Li Hu did not hesitate at all, nor did he avoid Wang Cheng's presence; he reached out and opened the Seal of the wooden box directly in front of Wang Cheng.

The wooden box was slowly opened, and a faint aura of sinister Spiritual Qi instantly diffused through the air.

Inside the wooden box lay a dark red jade pendant. Its surface was carved with complex and eerie patterns, and a dark red glow flowed faintly within it.

The jade had a warm texture, yet it exuded a heart-palpitating chill. Even from a distance, one could feel the bizarre power contained within.

Far away in his small courtyard within the Heavenly Sword Sect, Qin Changsheng recognized its Origin the moment he saw the jade pendant.

This jade pendant was an extremely rare and poisonous treasure used for Possession in the Cultivation world: Possession Jade!

This kind of Possession Jade contained powerful sinister energy that could help a Cultivator forcibly seize another's body. Even if the opponent's Cultivation was slightly higher than one's own, there was a certain success rate. However, after use, it would damage one's own Origin and was extremely prone to backlash; it was an evil object strictly forbidden in the Cultivation world.

Qin Changsheng slowly frowned, his eyes filled with confusion. Li Hu was the Young Lord of the Blood Demon Sect.

His Cultivation, talent, and Aptitude were all very high.

Why would he need such a sinister treasure?

Could he be planning to possess someone else?

Qin Changsheng's Divine Sense swept across the desk not far away again, and he discovered the two characters 'Hu Nan' written on Li Hu's desk.

“Hu Nan?”

The moment he saw those two characters, Qin Changsheng guessed that Li Hu seemed to be preparing to possess Hu Nan.

With this suspicion, a strange expression appeared on Qin Changsheng's face.

As for why Li Hu wanted to possess Hu Nan, Qin Changsheng was also very clear.

After all, in Li Hu's eyes, Hu Nan's talent, Cultivation, and Comprehension Ability were all excellent.

Furthermore, Hu Nan had obtained an Ancient Divine Ability, as well as that Secret Treasure from Qingyun Lake and the spirit suppressing pearl.

If he could possess Hu Nan, he would not only lose a powerful rival.

He would also obtain an Ancient Divine Ability and Secret Treasure for free.

However, Li Hu's Possession plan was destined to fail.

Because Hu Nan was Qin Changsheng's External Incarnation.

This External Incarnation was only under Qin Changsheng's control.

No matter how powerful Li Hu's Possession Technique was, it could not possibly overcome a Heavenly Dao trait.

The many Possession treasures Li Hu had painstakingly collected would also come to naught.

“Fine, you go and patrol the mine tunnels first!” Li Hu waved his hand at Wang Cheng.

“This subordinate takes his leave!” Wang Cheng cupped his hands and withdrew.

...

In the following days, Wang Cheng followed Qin Changsheng's instructions. In his capacity as an overseer, he patrolled various parts of the mine daily, urging miners to dig for Spirit Stones and counting the mineral output, while secretly investigating the mine's secrets to find a hidden spot suitable for Qin Changsheng to mine in secret.

Three days passed in a flash. Following the faint fluctuations of Spiritual Qi in the mine, Wang Cheng searched all the way and finally found an abandoned, hidden mine tunnel in the deepest part of the mine.

The entrance to this tunnel was narrow and obscured by rubble and weeds; it was difficult to discover without careful inspection. The Spiritual Qi around the entrance was purer than in other areas, yet miners rarely came and went.

The tunnel was not spacious, but it was very dry. The inner walls were covered with faint Spiritual Qi crystals, and the air was filled with a thick scent of Spirit Stones.

Wang Cheng walked slowly, carefully inspecting every corner of the tunnel to confirm there were no other miners or guards on patrol. The Spiritual Qi grew even denser deeper into the tunnel, clearly hiding many Spirit Stones.

After confirming it was safe, Wang Cheng immediately used his Divine Sense to quickly relay this news to Qin Changsheng in the Heavenly Sword Sect courtyard.

In the remote courtyard of the Heavenly Sword Sect, when he heard the news that Wang Cheng had found a hidden tunnel, Qin Changsheng snapped his eyes open. A flash of joy crossed his gaze, and the Spiritual Qi around him fluctuated slightly.

After so many days of plotting, he could finally implement his plan.

Qin Changsheng looked toward the Golden Trait: Exchange.

With this Golden Trait, he could easily swap places with his Incarnation.

In the next instant, Qin Changsheng's figure vanished from the courtyard and reappeared inside the mine tunnel.

Qin Changsheng looked around the tunnel, feeling the thick scent of Spirit Stones in the air, his eyes full of satisfaction.

Qin Changsheng did not delay; he reached into his Storage Space and took out two Low-Grade Spirit Stones. With a thought, he began to chant an incantation.

The two Spirit Stones transformed into two streams of pure Spiritual Qi, quickly converging within the tunnel and emitting a faint golden light.

In the next moment, two figures slowly solidified within the golden light: one was the Incarnation Hu Nan, and the other was the Incarnation Wang Cheng.

“Wang Cheng, you are responsible for patrolling and monitoring Li Hu's movements!”

“Hu Nan, you mine with me!” Qin Changsheng issued the command.

Once arrangements were made, Qin Changsheng took out three specially made Pickaxes from his Storage Space. The Pickaxes were forged from refined iron and their surfaces were carved with Qi-gathering Runes to assist in digging Spirit Stones and improve efficiency.

Qin Changsheng gripped the Pickaxe, his gaze falling on the spot with the densest Spiritual Qi on the tunnel wall. He slowly raised the Pickaxe and swung it hard against the rock.

“Thud—” With a muffled sound, the Pickaxe hit the rock wall, sending stone chips flying.

Qin Changsheng applied strength to his arms, digging into the rock wall stroke after stroke with steady, fluid, and powerful movements.

Hu Nan also followed Qin Changsheng in mining.

Inside the tunnel, there was only the sound of Pickaxes striking the rock wall, crisp and rhythmic.

Before long, the Pickaxe in Qin Changsheng's hand suddenly paused, followed by a crisp clinking sound.

He felt a surge of joy and quickly slowed his movements, carefully brushing away the rubble. A Low-Grade Spirit Stone, translucent white and emitting a faint Spiritual Qi, appeared in a crevice of the rock wall.

The moment Qin Changsheng took out the Spirit Stone, a faint golden light quietly emerged from his body. The power of the Heavenly Dao trait [Cultivation] was silently triggered, enveloping the nearby stone wall.

In the next instant, ten translucent white Low-Grade Spirit Stones appeared out of thin air near Qin Changsheng. They were neatly arranged on the ground, exuding a thick Spiritual Qi identical to the one he had just mined.

Qin Changsheng looked down at the ten Spirit Stones on the ground, his eyes instantly filled with an undeniable joy.

He understood in his heart that this was definitely the bonus effect of the Heavenly Dao trait [Cultivation].

Qin Changsheng reached out and collected the ten Spirit Stones from the ground one by one.

At the same time, Hu Nan also mined ten Spirit Stones from the side.

A day passed quietly. From dawn to dusk, Qin Changsheng, along with Incarnation Hu Nan and Incarnation Wang Cheng, remained busy in the tunnel without a moment's rest.

Now, Qin Changsheng sat cross-legged on the dry ground in the center of the tunnel. A clean brocade cloth was spread before him, and countless translucent white Low-Grade Spirit Stones were neatly piled upon it, emitting pure and soft Spiritual Qi that made the entire tunnel glow faintly.

Hu Nan and Zhang Cheng stood to the side, silently guarding.

“One thousand eight hundred stones!”

Qin Changsheng's eyes were full of undeniable shock and wild joy.

He never expected that in just one day, he would actually harvest a full one thousand eight hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones!

However, Qin Changsheng was also very clear that this was the effect of the Heavenly Dao trait Cultivation.

He, Incarnation Hu Nan, and Incarnation Wang Cheng had only actually dug up one hundred and eighty Spirit Stones.

Among them, he and Incarnation Hu Nan had dug up one hundred and forty.

Meanwhile, Incarnation Wang Cheng had only dug up forty because he had to patrol.

At the same time, Qin Changsheng began to calculate silently in his mind: one thousand eight hundred Spirit Stones a day.

Then in one month, he could obtain fifty-four thousand Spirit Stones.

In one year, he would be able to obtain six hundred and fifty-seven thousand Spirit Stones.

He would only need a year and a half to harvest the Spirit Stones required to Repair the spirit suppressing pearl.

“I'll mine for a few years first!” Qin Changsheng made a silent decision in his heart.