Before arriving, Su Zhan had spent quite a bit of time training the Clone. Without that effort, how could something with such limited intelligence be so obedient?
Taking down Li Lichang had been a smart move.
Su Zhan searched his corpse casually and quickly found over ten low-grade spirit stones. After counting carefully—fifteen!
"A full meal and fifteen low-grade spirit stones left? No wonder so many cultivators rob, kill, and prey on others. The rewards come far too easily!"
"Now I don't have to worry about food—not just tomorrow, but for several days."
"And more importantly… I can test what else this black mark can do."
Excited, Su Zhan picked out three low-grade spirit stones and gripped them in his right hand.
A dim black light glowed from the mark on his palm. The three spirit stones began to melt, slowly being absorbed into his skin at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In just a moment, they were gone.
But—
"Still no change?"
Su Zhan looked around.
Nothing. No new shadow. Only the Clone he already had.
"So… it's not three stones per Clone? Let's try three more."
He repeated the process.
Three more spirit stones vanished into the black mark.
Still nothing.
Frowning, Su Zhan circled around the small tile house, checking every corner—yet he found no sign of another Clone.
"Is something wrong with the spirit stones? Or… is there really only one Clone allowed?"
If so, his hopes of getting stronger and richer using clones would be crushed before it even began.
"Forget it. I'll keep going!"
He grabbed three more spirit stones and tried again.
As they melted into his palm, Su Zhan's eyes lit up.
"There!"
Right before him, a second shadow emerged from thin air—identical to the first Clone, like a copy made from the same mold.
It quickly shifted from a ghostly outline to a solid figure.
The second Clone was born.
"So that's how it works…"
"The first Clone took 3 stones… the second took 9. So it's not added—it multiplies!"
Su Zhan's heart beat faster.
Now he understood: as long as he had enough low-grade spirit stones, he could keep creating more Clones.
But then…
"If the third needs 27… the fourth 81… the fifth 243… That's crazy! The cost grows too fast!"
Just thinking about the number made his head hurt.
At this rate, even forming a small Clone team would take a mountain of resources.
"I'll save two spirit stones for food and give the rest to the black mark…"
Even if the cost was high, every extra Clone gave him more strength—especially for survival, fighting, and mining.
The best part? These tireless, loyal copies didn't need to eat or sleep—they could work endlessly.
"Tomorrow, I'll test how efficient two Clones are in the mine."
His eyes gleamed with determination. With a flick of his hand, the two Clones turned into black mist and re-entered his palm. Su Zhan quietly left the tile house, disappearing into the night.
As expected—
The next morning, just as dawn broke and the horn for assembly blared, Su Zhan pushed open his wooden door and stepped outside.
Around him, the miners were whispering in low voices.
Everyone was talking about the same thing:
The mysterious death of Li Lichang last night.