Lin Haoming watched as Xie Ruolan crushed the jade slips—they were similar to the one Ling Shengjie had given him. Sure enough, it wasn't long before Ling Shengjie came flying in.
The moment he saw Xie Ruolan, he asked submissively, "Ruolan, what happened? Is that guy surnamed Kong pestering you again?"
"Ling Shengjie, who's pestering who? If anyone's pestering, it's a useless brat like you bothering Junior Sister Ruolan!" Before Ling could finish, another burly, tiger-backed man flew in from a distance.
"Junior Sister Ruolan, why did you crush the jade slip I gave you?" Kong Yuanliang asked curiously as he landed.
Lin Haoming had seen Kong Yuanliang a few times years ago when Kong was just a boy a year younger than him. Now, Kong had changed so much Lin wouldn't have recognized him if he hadn't known his name.
"Senior Brothers," Xie Ruolan began, "I took this kid to Red Leaf Mountain, and while fighting a monk from the Vajra Temple, we accidentally discovered a spirit stone mine. That monk has already notified his sect elders! I didn't dare hog this credit alone, so I'm willing to share it with you both!"
Both men were stunned. "Junior Sister, is this true?"
"Absolutely. If you don't believe me, ask him," she said, pointing at Lin Haoming.
"An outer disciple? What's there to ask?" Kong Yuanliang scoffed, looking at Lin with pure disdain.
Ling Shengjie, however, smiled. "Junior Brother Lin, don't be angry. Kong doesn't believe you, but I do! Since you followed Ruolan on this trip, if there's a reward, I won't forget your share!"
"Thank you, Senior Brother Ling!" Lin Haoming replied with a smile, though his heart burned with bitterness. I was the one who discovered the mine, yet here it feels like I'm begging for scraps.
Lin knew why Xie Ruolan had called these two instead of reporting directly to the sect. A lone outer disciple couldn't swallow such massive credit—perhaps only if Ancestor Lin were still around.
"Hmph! Ling Shengjie, you're really regressing, calling an outer disciple brother," Kong Yuanliang sneered.
"Enough," Xie Ruolan interrupted. "We should report this to the sect immediately as a joint discovery."
"Indeed," Kong agreed. "Don't worry, Junior Sister. With me here, your reward is guaranteed. If the mine is big enough, the sect will ensure you reach Foundation Establishment. Let's go!"
As they prepared to fly off, Kong looked at Lin Haoming with annoyance. "Junior Sister, why is this kid following us? Tell him to scramble back to the First Level!"
Ling Shengjie, not wanting anyone else to dilute the rewards, chimed in, "Junior Brother Lin, head back first. Take this token; with it, you can enter the first three levels of the sect freely."
Lin caught the token, but his heart felt like ice.
The attitude of these two made it clear: the discovery of the spirit stone mine now had absolutely nothing to do with him. He didn't mind sharing the credit, but being completely erased from the achievement filled him with a cold fury. He was the one who fought the monk; he was the one who fell into the hole. Xie Ruolan was at least there, but these two were just vultures. If he had the power, he would have killed them both on the spot.
He realized then that whether it was the disdainful Kong Yuanliang or the friendly Ling Shengjie, none of them saw him as a human being. To them, he was a tool—at best, a tool that could speak.
"Junior Brother Lin, go back for now. Don't worry, you'll have your credit," Xie Ruolan said.
Lin wasn't surprised she was dismissing him. He knew that if he pushed the issue, she wouldn't protect him. The fact that she had summoned the other two without even consulting him proved that their partnership was nothing more than a few years of convenience to her. When it really mattered, she would discard him just as easily.
"Fine, I'll head back then," Lin said, taking the token and changing course toward the First Level.
---
The Price of a Severed Path
As soon as he was out of their sight, Lin's expression turned dark.
Every disciple knew that discovering a spirit stone mine carried the sect's highest rewards. Even a tiny mine producing one hundred thousand stones a year was worth a Foundation Establishment Pill. Lin didn't know how big this mine was, but he knew his share would have guaranteed his path to the next realm. Now, that path was cut.
Back at the market, he struggled to calm his heart. He told himself repeatedly that as long as he had the Merit Bead, he would reach Foundation Establishment, form a Golden Core, and even reach the Nascent Soul stage. One day, he would settle this debt.
But the loss of the opportunity stung. Any lingering warmth he felt for Xie Ruolan vanished completely. Looking back at their months together, he realized he had been a fool to think of her as anything more than a cold-blooded cultivator who saw him as an amusement or an outlet for her frustration.
Within three days, news broke: Xie Ruolan, Kong Yuanliang, and Ling Shengjie were being honored for discovering a spirit stone mine. Lin Haoming was never mentioned; he was a ghost.
A month later, the sect announced the mine was a Major Mine, capable of producing thirty million spirit stones per year.
The rewards were staggering: the three discoverers were guaranteed Foundation Establishment by the sect, and once they broke through, they would be personally taken as disciples by a Golden Core Ancestor.
On the day the rewards were finalized, Xie Ruolan finally appeared before Lin Haoming once more.