A charming, snowy night,
A melodious symphony of strings and flutes!
No matter how seamlessly Lu Zhenhua and Li Jizhou cooperated, pulling and pushing back and forth,
Steward Shi kept dodging the issue, tight-lipped.
He insisted that it was merely routine headquarters allocation.
Helplessly, Li Jizhou finally bid farewell and left as the two seniors each ushered their own fairy maidens up the pavilion.
"Is it really routine allocation? Let's hope so." Li Jizhou shook his head, choosing not to dwell on it further.
But he would need to keep a close watch in the days to come.
Back home, he immediately summoned Guagua, giving it several Conceal Breath Talismans.
He instructed it to burrow underground for distant surveillance of the Celestial Secret Pavilion, not to economize on the Conceal Breath Talismans, and not to get exposed.
If discovered, it must run outside and not return home.
If caught, it mustn't reveal him!
Otherwise, the strand of contract soul within the Spirit Pet Bag would extinguish at any time.
As Guagua's large, watery, pleading eyes gazed at him, Li Jizhou reassured, "Don't worry, just keep an eye on their movements from afar. With your Tier One Mid Stage Demon Beast strength, underground presence, and the Conceal Breath Talisman I gave you, you shouldn't be discovered if all goes as planned."
A month later, the latest quarterly report was updated again.
"As expected, the Thunder Spirit Crystal Ore situation is increasingly stable, I can attempt planning for Melted Spirit Sand!"
After reading the quarterly report, Li Jizhou made his decision.
That day, he went out to the market, aimlessly wandering to observe market trends, the demeanor of loose cultivators, and paid special attention to the number and composition of loose cultivators present.
It broadly confirmed the contents of the quarterly report.
Returning home in the evening, he inspected his trump cards one by one, then sat quietly in contemplation.
Two paths lay before him to acquire Melted Spirit Sand.
The first seems to carry the least apparent risk, but is likely to attract the notice of interested parties.
That is to use the excuse of developing a Bursting Talisman with group damage effects, intending to experiment with Melted Spirit Sand, a hard-to-melt material, by purchasing directly in the market.
This would certainly yield an ample amount at a fair price.
But it could come with tremendous risk!
If the Central Domain Sacred Land from his previous life were to learn of the large quantities of Melted Spirit Sand here, who knows if they would come.
Once they realize I use the Sacred Land's secret body refining method, extracting souls and capturing spirits, my death and soul eradication would be almost inevitable!
The second, while appearing somewhat risky on the surface, would allow him to obtain Melted Spirit Sand without drawing too much attention.
Which is to venture into the mine himself to gather.
Only cultivators at the Early Stage of Qi Cultivation can enter the mine, and his numerous trump cards virtually minimize the risk.
Overall, the risk is very low.
The next day, Li Jizhou's figure appeared in the area of the southwestern market of Inverted Mountain.
This side was at least ten times busier compared to the eastern market where he resided.
"Middle-level Protective Talisman, quality and price assured, guaranteeing you'll find Thunder Spirit Crystal as soon as you enter."
"Absolutely one-to-one rendering, even detailed descriptions of the Spiritual Qi sensitivity to Thunder Spirit Crystal, all included in this Spirit Painting, guaranteeing you won't dig the wrong area; special offer of one Spirit Stone per painting, won't last long!"
"Hurry, join us for immediate departure! Direct journey to mining area!"
"Team up, team up, Early Stage Qi Cultivation brothers and sisters, take a look! Recently, there have been despicable thieves sneaking attacks inside the mine, robbing fellow cultivators. We should unite, go down together, and look out for each other."
...
The hubbub was endless, raucous.
Li Jizhou observed for a moment, then walked over to a big man calling for team-ups, cupped his hands and agreed:
"Fellow cultivator, I also believe teaming up is a good idea!"
The big man heard him, looked straight at Li Jizhou, then used Spiritual Sense to survey him.
"You want to team up with us?"
"Exactly!"
"You have a good eye. Our team already has four experts at the peak of the Qi Cultivation Third Level, guaranteed to keep you safe," the big man said with a smile.
"Oh? Does it come with any conditions?" Li Jizhou asked, immediately realizing a bit.
"Of course! We protect your safety, you'll have to offer some benefit.
To team up with us, you'll need to give a Spirit Stone, and yield ten percent of the Thunder Spirit Crystal you dig to us!" the big man declared unapologetically.
Li Jizhou smiled and nodded, silently walking away.
He then found a few teams without schemes, but the result...
Unexpectedly, Li Jizhou, exhibiting a Qi Cultivation Second Level cultivation after absorbing magical power through his past life's methods, was disapproved of.
Teams require members at least at the Qi Cultivation Third Level.
They even demand the verification of a Mid-level Talisman to avoid being held back by teammates after entering the mine.
After wandering several times without coming across anything novel, Li Jizhou hesitated no longer. He paid ten taels of Spirit Sand to board a Flying Ship under the auspices of a renowned dojo in Inverted Mountain, directly bound for the mining area.
Soon after, Li Jizhou disembarked from the Flying Ship, nodding quietly as he surveyed the large market spanning ten miles at the entrance of the mining district.
On the market, there were no less than hundreds of late-stage Foundation Establishment and above big shots,
Each occupying a spot, with signs reading "Thunder Spirit Crystal Reclamation" placed before them.
This was the result of several years of open and clandestine struggles.
All major figures agreed not to fight, collectively negotiated reasonable prices, opting to reclaim outside, or each offering items enticing enough to exchange with Qi Cultivation small cultivators mining.
They also took on the stabilization duty here, ensuring the safety of the mining cultivators.
It was precisely this safe and convenient trading environment that saw a continuous influx of small mining cultivators.
The market also had stalls selling various items needed for the mine.
Casually, he spotted a temporary stall of Ten Thousand Talisman Pavilion.
He recognized the person at the stall too, but didn't step forward to greet him.
Striding directly to the mining entrance,
An enormous pit at the entrance, ten zhang wide, plunging at least a hundred zhang deep.
Outside the pit, numerous stalls were bustlingly making pitches:
"I've entered seven times and came out seven times over the past four years, with the mine's inner workings intimately understood. Unfortunately, I've since upgraded to Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation with resources earned from mining, so can no longer enter the mine myself, thus recorded my mining experiences in a booklet, sure to aid everyone in achieving swift victories and abundant returns!"
Hearing this voice, Li Jizhou became intrigued.
In his past life, he considered himself beyond guidance by predecessors and suffered many losses, but in this life, he highly valued veteran experiences.
However, upon seeing the person, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly; unscrupulous merchants are everywhere, and the cultivation realm runs deep.
That guy clearly had the magical power fluctuation of Qi Cultivation Fifth Level but disguised himself as newly advanced to Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation to deceive people.
Considering it, the Thunder Spirit Crystal Mine could only accommodate Early Stage cultivators. At this time, likely these people, even if able to advance to the Middle Stage, might temporarily suppress their breakthrough.
After all, this Thunder Spirit Crystal Mine is a rare benefit for loose cultivators.
Standing atop the mine observing for half a day, personally witnessing hundreds of small cultivators coming and going, Li Jizhou bought a primary shovel-type magical artifact from a nearby stall, his silhouette light, floating downwards.
The mine was deep yet not narrow, many loose cultivators scattered digging along the mine walls.
But columns at regular intervals of unknown material supported the mine, preventing its collapse.
The front section observed mostly Qi Cultivation First and Second Level cultivators.
The visible section of the mine wall appeared enlarged at least by a circle, seemingly close to being devoid of surprises.
Li Jizhou activated his Mid-level Golden Bell Talisman, discreetly tagging along with a group of freshly descended miners, advancing straight into the depths.
No matter recorded in pamphlets or outside rumors, it could be fairly concluded that the Melted Spirit Sand was only found deep inside.
As he continued deeper, the number of people dwindled!
Until the group ahead already began splitting into pairs or trios branching into side paths for digging, leaving only Li Jizhou continuing forward.
The Spirit Pet Bag holding Guagua could hardly contain its increasing agitation within.