Su Zhan went straight to the rest area and sat down.
"Clone, bring me my spirit
stones."
The Clone moved without a word.
He slipped into the deeper tunnels, found a small bag hidden in an unremarkable crack of the mine wall, and returned quickly. Kneeling, he set the bag before Su Zhan with quiet care.
The moment it opened, a soft, pearly glow spilled out.
Fifteen low-grade spirit stones lay neatly inside.
Twelve were left over from when Su Zhan had advanced the Black Mark to the third stage yesterday; the other three had been exchanged by the Clone just before the workday ended.
Su Zhan now fully understood the Black Mark's absorption rules.
There was no need to test the stones one at a time—once they were gathered, the Black Mark could devour them all in a single breath.
It was far too risky to keep them on him. The mine's guards searched everyone to prevent even a single stone from leaving.
So he left them hidden here, under the Clone's watch. If anything went wrong, the Clone could grab them and flee.
"Begin."
Su Zhan closed his eyes, sinking into cultivation. Wisps of light lifted from the stones, drawn as if by invisible threads, flowing into his palm and then into his body.
Crack.
In less than an hour, one spirit stone dimmed, its glow gone, before breaking apart into dull fragments.
He reached for the next without hesitation.
Stone after spirit stone faded and shattered, their energy merging with his own. Spiritual power filled his meridians, each cycle making it denser and more abundant.
In only half a day, more than eight stones had vanished.
Absorbing spirit stones—this was a luxury most could only dream of. It was pure heaven-and-earth essence, drawn directly into his body. With the Black Mark's assistance, his speed had more than doubled.
"At this rate, I'll break through to the second level of the Mortal Realm in under a month."
His talent had never been weak. He'd simply been too poor to even touch spirit stones before. Now, with this supply,his progress left average cultivators like Li Lichang far behind.
And once he reached the second level, his four Black Shadow Clones would also grow stronger.
A cultivator at that level could easily earn two hundred miscellaneous spirit stones a day—four Clones meant twice that in an instant.
"Again."
Eager and energized, Su Zhan dove back into cultivation.
The hours slipped past.
By the time the sun sank in the west, the day was nearly over.
A shadow slipped through a concealed route, dodging every watchful gaze before slipping into Su Zhan's mine.
"Eighty-four stones in total. Enough for the fourth stage."
Su Zhan took the bag from the Clone, excitement flashing in his eyes.
He poured the entire contents onto the ground, grabbed a handful, and began.
Black light flared. The stones dissolved at a speed visible to the naked eye, their essence surging into him like a flood.
"After the third stage… the absorption is so much faster."
Su Zhan's eyes lit up.
The upgrade of the Black Mark really was cleverly designed.
After all, as his stage increased, the number of spirit stones required would also skyrocket. Absorbing a few dozen—or even a few hundred—was manageable. But in the future, when it demanded tens of thousands, it might take days and nights without pause to finish.
One by one, the stones vanished into his palm.
Thirty stones—no reaction.
Fifty stones—still no change. No new Shadow Clones appeared.
Eighty stones—swallowed without a ripple. The Black Mark remained unmoved.
"The eighty-first!"
A faint tension gripped him.
It felt just like the moment before scratching off the last prize box on a lottery ticket in his previous life—except this time, there was no "Thank you for participating."
"Here it comes!"
At last—
As the black radiance drained from the eighty-first stone, the air in front of him rippled. Two shadowy figures condensed rapidly, their outlines sharpening into solid form.
"Two… two more!"
Su Zhan's grin nearly split his face.
Now he had six Shadow Clones.
That was at least one hundred and twenty low-grade spirit stones in his hands every single day—without lifting a finger.
"The next stage is two hundred forty-three stones. If I rush, I can reach it in two days. If I take my time, three at most."
His plan was already forming.
"Starting tomorrow, I won't waste time on single stones. I'll take ten at once! Hahaha!"
Unable to contain his excitement, he tossed the remaining stones from his left hand into the air, laughing freely as they glittered in the dim light.