If Su Zhan alone advanced to the second level of the Mortal Realm, his strength would at most double—an impressive gain, but still limited.
But if ten fearless, aggressive clones advanced to the second level, the overall improvement was far from a simple doubling.
In terms of actual combat power, compared to before, the increase was likely more than four or five times!
Even if a master of the third level of the Mortal Realm came looking for trouble, Su Zhan now had the confidence to keep him there!
"With this boost in strength, mining efficiency should also skyrocket, right?"
"Clones, get started—let's see how much faster you can mine now."
The first thing that came to Su Zhan's mind was to test their mining speed and see how much faster second-level clones were compared to first-level ones.
He had heard before that the second level brought a significant increase in strength and endurance, with efficiency at least double that of the first level.
Ten clones, twice the efficiency—that should be a daily gain of 400 spirit stones!
An hour later, the results far exceeded his expectations.
The mining harvest was nearly three times faster than before!
"Wow!"
"That's almost 600 spirit stones a day now… Not only has our strength skyrocketed, but our spirit stone income has exploded too!"
A broad grin spread across Su Zhan's face and refused to fade.
Before this, he had worried that as time went on, the spirit stone requirements for upgrades would grow so high that even with many clones, he might not be able to keep up.
But now, that concern was gone.
Not enough quantity? Then make up for it with quality!
"It seems I made the right decision to temporarily pause the black mark's upgrades and focus entirely on strengthening myself. This proves that every other goal must yield to the pursuit of power."
Realizing the massive benefits that came from improving strength, Su Zhan also clarified his path forward.
Strength.
Strength.
And still—strength!
Mining efficiency required strength.
Survival and self-preservation required strength.
Killing enemies and taking their resources required strength.
With enough strength, even just standing there would earn the respect of others.
The black mark would be upgraded eventually, of course—but improving his own cultivation realm took priority. Only with a high realm and great strength could he ensure steady profits and achieve unimaginable long-term growth!
"A month. In at most a month, I can reach the third level of the Mortal Realm."
"When that time comes, if I face a fourth-level Mortal Realm opponent, it won't be me fearing him—it'll be him fearing me!"
"After that, I'll push for the fourth level—the first great watershed of the Mortal Realm, feared for being extremely difficult to cross. Countless cultivators have been stuck there for ten or twenty years, some for life… But with my talent, and a massive supply of spirit stones, I'll crush it within three months!"
Before reaching the third level, as long as one had sufficient cultivation and chose the right time to break through, there was a 90% chance of success.
But advancing to the fourth level was different—it required not only cultivation, but also comprehension, personal power, and innate talent. For most people, the success rate reduced to 10%, even 1%.
In short, the harder the breakthrough, the greater the rewards after success.
Su Zhan's talent wasn't bad; what he lacked was time, energy, and enough spirit stones to accelerate his progress.
With all the right conditions, the fourth level was well within his grasp!
"Right now, I have 330 low-grade spirit stones on hand. With a daily income of 600, I can easily upgrade the black mark to the sixth stage tomorrow… Hopefully, the next feature will be even more powerful."
"And since I have a steady spirit stone supply now, there's no point in hoarding them—I'll enjoy them to the fullest!"
Without hesitation, Su Zhan began absorbing spirit stones and cultivating without restraint.
Dang—dang—dang—!
The finishing bell rang.
After gambling all day, the mine supervisors, still unsatisfied, reluctantly packed up to leave.
Those who had won were full of joy.
Those who had lost were full of resentment.
Yin Tiancheng belonged to the latter.
"Damn it, were they cheating? How can they be so accurate every time?"
He was in a bad mood—he had lost miserably today.
Not only had he lost all his spirit stones, he was now hundreds in debt.
"I'll have to squeeze those under me dry, or I won't even have food tonight."
As he was thinking this—
"Supervisor Yin, I want to transfer to another mining area," a voice came from behind him.
Yin Tiancheng's face immediately darkened, irritation flaring.
He had already lost money and was in a bad mood, and now someone wanted to change mining areas?
Transferring areas required a formal handover, meaning sending one of your own men into someone else's territory. If the other supervisor didn't want them, you had to plead or offer benefits.
Unless the proper greetings had been made in advance, miners almost never came to a supervisor asking for a transfer.
The voice was unfamiliar, young. A boy he'd never spoken to before.
And that wasn't even the worst part.
Everyone under him knew that calling him "Supervisor Yin" was taboo—his name combined with "Yin" sounded ominous, like "Underworld Yin." He hated it.
Anyone who dared to say it risked his wrath.
Very good… You dare touch my reverse scale, huh?
Looks like today's target for oppression will be you, brat. Don't think you can act high and mighty in front of me.
Yin Tiancheng turned with a sneer.
A stream of scolding words welled up inside him, ready to pour out—
But the moment he turned around—
The sneer on Yin Tiancheng's lips froze.
His expression stiffened.
His pupils constricted.
The curses that had been ready to burst from his throat were swallowed in a single gulp.
"You… you… have you broken through to the second level?"
Yin Tiancheng stared at the expressionless youth before him—no more than sixteen or seventeen years old—yet the oppressive aura of the Mortal Realm's second level surged toward him like an invisible wave. His voice trembled, every word edged with caution.
All thoughts of his reverse scale being touched…
All traces of his earlier bad mood…
All intentions of teaching this "arrogant brat" a lesson…
Gone.
In their place was only fear.
And beneath that fear, a bone-deep sense of disbelief.
He knew this boy.