Chapter 9: Mining Sense
Old Man Shangdi blinked, surprised. "You wanna learn that?"
Xing Yan nodded, eyes steady. "If what you did wasn't a technique, but something anyone can learn... then I want to learn it too."
The old man rubbed his tangled beard, a low whistle escaping his lips. "Heh... You're not like the other kids. They'd drool over the flashy stuff, big explosions, cool moves. But… you want the foundation."
Xing Yan stood firm, pickaxe still in hand. "I want to be able to see what you saw. Strike like you struck. That wasn't brute force. That was precision. You knew where to hit."
Old Man Shangdi's eyes gleamed. "Good. Very good."
He turned, slowly walking toward the ruined cavern wall and motioned for Xing Yan to follow. "Alright then, brat. Let me ask you something. What's the difference between a miner and a digger?"
Xing Yan tilted his head. "Isn't it the same?"
The old man cackled. "Wrong! A digger moves rock. A miner reads rock. A digger smashes dirt. A miner feel it."
Old Man Shangdi tapped the wall gently with a finger. "This whole world speaks, kid. The rocks, the ores, the veins, even the treasures that had been buried here, screams for you to find. You just never learned to listen."
He turned back, his sharp eye piercing into Xing Yan. "And that… is the foundation of awakening your Mining Sense, to listen, to feel."
Buzz!
A sudden buzz of knowledge sparked deeply in Xing Yan's mind as he heard the explanation.
"Mining Sense?" Xing Yan echoed.
"Mn." Old Man Shangdi nodded. "It's not a technique. It's not just a skill you can just learn in a day. It's an instinct, trained over years. But those who awaken it early... become monsters in the mines."
He gestured with a finger. "Close your eyes."
Xing Yan obeyed.
"Now, grip your pickaxe… and forget everything else. Don't think. Just breathe and sense your surroundings."
The cavern fell into silence. For a moment, Xing Yan felt like a fool closing his eyes and clenching his butt to maintain holding the pickaxe. Until he heard something.
Tunk.
A faint sound. Not from Old Man Shangdi. Not from himself. It was deep inside the walls, a sound of mineral slightly moving.
"A vein," Xing Yan murmured, eyes still closed.
Old Man Shangdi smiled. "Good ear. Now try again. Feel it, don't just hear it. The weight in the air. The dampness of the stone. The temperature it releases."
Xing Yan inhaled deeply. The scent of earth entered his lungs. Slowly, something clicked in his mind.
A vague sensation, almost like sonar, rippled through the cavern wall, until it reached the vein he heard earlier.
Bzzzt...
It vibrated faintly, hollow, but alive.
Suddenly, in his mind, a small glowing thread flickered inside the wall. It wasn't detailed, more like a blur, but it was there.
Xing Yan's eyes snapped open, sweat on his forehead.
"I saw… something."
"That's the first step," Shangdi said. "You brushed the edge of Mining Sense. Once you learn to strengthen it, you'll be able to see hidden veins, hidden treasure troves, and even the weak points of the ores."
Xing Yan's hands trembled slightly.
This was different. This wasn't a flashy battle technique or brute strength. It was knowledge, true knowledge that could reshape how he mined, fight, or even survived.
"Every veteran miner has some level of Mining Sense," Old Man Shangdi said, sitting on a boulder. "But very few master it. Some use sight, some use hearing. Even some uses their sense of smell. Every one of them used a different method, but in the end, all of it was always connected." Old Man Shangdi said thoughtfully.
Buzz...
Another buzz came from Xing Yan's mind when he heard those explanations. But when he tried to recall what he just heard, he seemed to forgot all about it.
Old Man Shangdi saw the confused face of Xing Yan and smiled.
"Its not because you didn't understand it, kid. It's because you can't yet, not in your level, when you make breakthroughs in the future, it will come naturally to you." Old Man Shangdi said, with calm but insightful voice.
"Now that its done, I need to leave now." He continued.
Light headed, Xing Yan bowed his head and cupped his hand.
"Thank you so much for the valuable insight Master Old Man Shangdi."
Old Man Shangdi laughed heartedly. "Hahaha! Don't mention it brat, I just answered your question, there's no need to thank me,"
"Oh... And take this." Old Man Shangdi threw his old pickaxe to Xing Yan.
"What's this...?"
"My pickaxe. It's no use for me except being a cane, you can have it."
"... I'm not being ungrateful but I don't need your junk – ahem, I mean your old pickaxe, Senior."
"You brat, that pickaxe is a Meteoric-Quality pickaxe that can shatter Mortal-Grade Ores in all tiers with ease."
"..."
Like a thief seeing a bar of gold, Xing Yan's eyes lit up. And in the next second, the crude pickaxe was being carried by him, in his two hands, while gently caressing it like its his child.
"I will gladly accept this Senior, I'll treasure it like its my own life."
"Shameful bastard. Its your now, but don't use it yet, it will dry you with your Soul Essence if you even swing it once." Old Man Shangdi warned Xing Yan.
"Got it Senior. I'll make sure to repay this favor, Master Shangdi."
"Say that when you're stronger." And with a stomped, Old Man Shangdi vanish in the cavern like thin air.
"What a jackpot! I learned how to use Mining Sense, plus I also got this crazy strong pickaxe as a bonus!"
Xing Yan slung the rusty pickaxe on his back.
Puff—
The weight of the pickaxe brought down his body, chest first to the cold floor.
"What the hell! Why is this suddenly so heavy?!" Xing Yan loudly cursed.
He can just lift it fine a while ago, but when Old Man Shangdi vanished. It suddenly became like this.
A moment later. A laughter sounded throughout the cavern. Who was it if not Old Man Shangdi?
"Kekeke! I forgot to unbind my connection to it sorry, sorry." Old Man Shangdi said, wheezing and laughing.
"Old Man stop laughing and unbind it quickly! Its crushing me!" Xing Yan said pleading.
"Yes, yes."
With a flash of red light, the pickaxe ontop of Xing Yan gradually lost its crushing weight, until Xing Yan can finally move again.
"What kind of pickaxe is this? Why did turn so heavy when you left?" Xing Yan asked frowning in confusion as he pointed the pickaxe.
"It's just a normal Meteoric-Quality pickaxe, I just put some of my blood to bind it as my weapon." Old Man Shangdi explained.
Xing Yan frowned. It's the first time he had heard of something like that.
"Bind?" he asked, sitting upright and brushing off the dirt from his chest. "You mean… you can bind a weapon to yourself?"
Old Man Shangdi's voice echoed faintly now, as he started walking farther away down the tunnels. "That's right. A Binded Weapon. It's when a weapon becomes more than just a tool, it becomes a part of you."
Xing Yan lifted the pickaxe in his hand and found that the weight didn't changed anymore. If the weapon is still binded, Xing Yan would've broke his hand right away.
"Why bind a weapon? What's the point?"
Old Man Shangdi appeared near Xing Yan's side again. "A binded weapon listens to its master. It responds faster, strikes harder, and can even unleash certain hidden potentials as long as the user pours enough Soul Essence into it." Old Man Shangdi paused. "It won't make a Inferior-grade weapon into a godly one, but it'll raise its limits far above the unbind version."
Xing Yan's gaze flickered. "So even a trash-tier weapon can become powerful if I bind it?"
"In theory," Old Man Shangdi replied, "but don't get too excited. Binding a weapon consumes Soul Essence. The higher the tier, the more Soul Essenc it costs. Inferior-grade weapons need just a little... but bind a Meteoric or Planetary weapon? It'll drain you dry before you even finish."
Xing Yan instinctively checked his Soul Essence reserved.
[Personal Information]
:Xing Yan
Level: 1
Bone Age: 13 Years Old
Realm: Early-Perishable Realm
Soul Essence: 360
Mining Perception: 50 meters
Strength: 125 kg
Mining Companion: Unavailable
Mining Techniques: Unparalleled Mining (Level 1)
Battle Skills: Shattering Pick Technique, Iron-Burst Body
"And how much does it take to bind this one?" he asked aloud.
"That Meteoric-grade pickaxe of mine?" The old man chuckled. "Around 1,500 Soul Essence for a proper bind."
Xing Yan's jaw dropped. "Then why give it to me now?!"
"Kekeke. Relax. I left you a another gift."
From thin air, something shimmered near the Xing Yan. A gleaming orb pulsed with red and white flame.
Xing Yan didn't need to hold the orb to know its value.
He sensed that this orb exerted pressure is three times stronger than the Intermediate-Spirit Savage Beast Core he absorb back in the Trial Shafts.
Xing Yan carefully picked it up. And data of informations pop-up.
> Peak-Spirit Savage Beast Core (Ironback Frog)
Soul Essence: 1,412
Effect: Long term consumption can purify impurities of the body.
- A dense and vibrant core extracted from a Peak-Spirit Savage Beast the Ironback Frog. A rare amphibious beast known for its unyielding defense and toxin-resistant physiology. The core pulses faintly with a viscous green glow, evidence of the creature's deep affinity with mineral-rich wetlands. A good tonic for purifying body impurities.
Xing Yan's eyes widened. "This is...!"
"Absorb it. It'll give you a temporary boost in Soul Essence, enough to bind the pickaxe." Old Man Shangdi said it like this thing is a common thing.
'This thing contains three times the Soul Essence the White Vein Warg Core got. Hiss... And it's also a great tonic.'
Xing Yan clicked his tongue, 'I can't wait to get stronger.'
Xing Yan stared at the glowing core, then at the pickaxe.
"So... I can bind any weapon? Any tier?"
"Yes. But unless you're rich in Soul Essence, choose wisely. Binding low-grade weapons is easy. Binding high-tier ones? That's for higher realm Miners and those Old Monsters of the mine."
Xing Yan's hand tightened around the pickaxe's handle.
This wasn't just a gift, it was an investment. A step into a deeper world of power where even tools had souls. He closed his eyes, and absorb the Peak-Spirit Core. White mist slowly seeped through Xing Yan's body. After that, black fluids can be seen being pushed out in Xing Yan's body drop by drop.
After a few more minutes, the white light slowly disappeared. Xing Yan opened his eyes and felt that something has changed in his body. Its like his whole body got much lighter and his bones much stronger.
He tried circulating the Soul Essence in his whole body, and,
Swish~
It only took a whole second!
Xing Yan gasped and clenched his teeth. The improvements is unbelievably shocking! The circulation speed jumped from 3 seconds to 1 second, this small difference can save his life in dire situations. That's not all, by this small boost, he can now perform his Battle Skills much quicker meaning his combat prowess has risen again!
Xing Yan concentrated his mind and data of informations appeared.
[Personal Information]
:Xing Yan
Level: 1
Bone Age: 13 Years Old
Realm: Early-Perishable Realm
Soul Essence: 1,772
Mining Perception: 50 meters
Strength: 130 kg
Spirit Familiar: Unavailable
Mining Techniques: Unparalleled Mining (Level 1)
Battle Skills: Shattering Pick Technique, Iron-Burst Body
Looking at his information, Xing Yan can't help but be amazed, his Soul Essence jumped from 360 to 1,772 just by absorbing the Peak-Spirit Savage Beast Core.
"Bind it," Old Man Shangdi's voice awakened the stunned Xing Yan.
"Only then you can call it yours."
Xing Yan took a deep breath. Right, he still has a weapon to bind.
He placed the weapon on the ground and drop a good amount of blood.
A dull red light encased the pickaxe.
Soul Essence flowed, drawn into the runes etched deep in the metal.
Xing Yan smiled bitterly. 'My precious Soul Essence...'
The pickaxe pulsed once – twice – and then flared at the third pulsed.
A red light flashed and a connection between Xing Yan and the pickaxe have been established.
Xing Yan swayed slightly, the strain showing on his face. His Soul Essence dropped sharply, now barely above a hundred.
Xing Yan picked up the pickaxe, and felt a massive difference.
It felt weightless in his hands. Like he's just holding a slightly heavy stick.
He slung the pickaxe over his shoulder once more.
This time, it didn't drag him to the ground.
"Thank you, Old Man," Xing Yan whispered. "But what's the reason you're going this far helping me?"
"Bah. It's an investment, you have potential, I know you will become a monster in the mines in the next few hundred years. I want you to help me with something when the time comes. And," Old Man Shangdi paused.
"I saw my younger self to you, times when I was in your age. Just think of it as a parting gift from an old man." Old Man Shangdi continued, a sense of longing in his voice.
"I see... I will try my best to help you with your problem in the future." Xing Yan said, a note of resolve in his voice.
"Haha, I'm looking forward to it. Don't die, kid." Old Man Shangdi said and vanished once again.
"You won't have to tell me that." Xing Yan silently whispered.