Chapter 44: Recuperation and Rest

Spirit Stone Vein, inside the secret chamber.

At this moment, Cheng Buzheng returned to the secret chamber in a state of disarray. His expression was somber, a trace of blood clung to the corner of his mouth, and his robes were dotted with splatters of blood.

This time, he had come close to... even thinking about it now filled his heart with dread!

Fortunately, the tempering of his character over the past year meant he did not panic in moments of crisis, but instead responded with composure.

Otherwise, his ashes would have been scattered by now. It was clear that tempering one's mental fortitude was indeed necessary.

"I was careless this time. Emotion overrode reason, and greed played tricks on me; I almost fell into a trap. Fortunately, they are unfamiliar with my trump cards, but if I fall into their trap next time, I fear I won't be able to escape again."

Cheng Buzheng reflected privately. He knew that having enjoyed smooth sailing for a year, he had not been as cautious as he once was.

This time, if he had simply used his divine sense to meticulously probe the stone cave, he absolutely would have detected something amiss. Instead, he had only conducted a cursory scan and failed to follow up.

At the same time, this indicated that his spells were still not comprehensive enough; he lacked specialized detection spells. Consequently, he had been left in such a passive position, nearly being wiped out.

Even though he clearly knew there might be great danger there, he could not bear to give up that "fat piece of meat" and chose to take the risk. If it had been something indispensable to his Dao path, the risk might have been worth it. But for raw spirit stone ore, as long as he followed his subsequent plans, he would never lack spirit stones. There was no need to take unnecessary risks to scavenge for extra.

Furthermore, he had become too reliant on his Earth Escape technique, always assuming he could retreat unscathed regardless of the circumstances. The cultivation world is filled with treasures, and there will always be ways to counter him.

This time, he had been lucky because they were only in the middle stage of Qi Refinement and did not have access to treasures that could counter him, yet they had still managed to purchase Earth Escape Talismans. This proved that the Earth Escape technique was not something to be feared without reservation.

He was being too self-righteous now; his mindset had to change. Otherwise, sooner or later, he would die due to his own arrogance.

This encounter had made him realize deeply: "In the dangerous world of cultivation, only by being 'steady'—constantly disciplining oneself and maintaining self-awareness—can one avoid being eliminated by this perilous path and hope to achieve the great cause of longevity!"

Otherwise, his ashes would eventually be scattered.

Cheng Buzheng sat cross-legged in the secret chamber, inspecting his injuries while reflecting.

The impact on his internal organs had caused minor ruptures, which was not a major issue; he only needed to nurture them for a few days. However, the damage to his meridians was a significant problem. He would need at least a month of recuperation. In an environment with such abundant cultivation resources, having to pause for an entire month to heal was a massive loss.

He thought to himself, "I must change to a different secret chamber. Since they know I possess the Earth Escape technique, they will surely suspect my cave dwelling is located underground. The current chamber is too close to the surface. It must be below thirty zhang underground, where the divine sense of a middle-stage Qi Refinement cultivator will be severely restricted and unable to search freely."

"Although buying an Earth Escape Talisman costs two spirit stones and comes with a time limit—meaning they won't waste time chasing me—it is better to be safe. One must always prepare for the worst. I must change the chamber. First, I need to restore my magic power to its peak. It is nearly exhausted; today's consumption was simply too great!"

With this thought, Cheng Buzheng closed his eyes slightly and began circulating the Starry Sky Manual, moving the energy along the Microcosmic Orbit through his meridians.

Instantly, visible wisps of spiritual qi rapidly gathered around him, forming a thin layer of energy. With every cycle of the Microcosmic Orbit, a large amount of spiritual qi was absorbed into his body. As the cycles repeated, Cheng Buzheng's magic power recovered rapidly.

Half an hour later, Cheng Buzheng opened his eyes and scanned the chamber. He stood up, and with a slight tremor of his magic power, the bloodstains on his robes vanished instantly.

With a wave of his sleeve, he flew the remaining raw spirit stone ore into his basket, slung it over his back, and gripped his mining pick. With a thought, a flash of yellow spiritual light appeared, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished from his original position.

Within the rock layers of the spirit stone vein, a streak of yellow light sped through the earth. The deeper he went, the greater the pressure from the earth became, and the consumption of magic power increased sharply.

Before long, the yellow light appeared at a depth of forty zhang underground. At this point, feeling that his magic power consumption was becoming too high, Cheng Buzheng stopped and thought to himself, "Forty zhang should be deep enough to be safe!"

Then, he flipped his right hand, and the Purple Crystal Bead spun rapidly above his palm. He tossed it upward, and in an instant, the bead expanded to a size of one zhang. The Purple Crystal Bead then compressed and expanded repeatedly. After a short while, a secret chamber one zhang in diameter was formed.

For the following month, Cheng Buzheng stayed peacefully in the secret chamber, recovering from his injuries. He did not go out to cause any trouble, acting like a quiet, elegant, and refined gentleman. Going out to roam while injured—he feared he would be beaten to death. After all, "steadiness" had become the core tenet of his cultivation.

***

During this period, the spirit stone mine was exceptionally lively.

The miners, who were usually dull and hardworking, were no longer as diligent in their mining. After all, such a massive piece of gossip was a rare occurrence.

"Do you know about the bounty organized by the eight mine lords? A bounty for a cultivator possessing a magic tool that looks like a small bead?"

"No idea! Who cares! As long as it's worth money!"

"Exactly. Then we'll have enough time to cultivate. Even the quota for the White Cloud Sect will be provided by them, and there will be plenty of raw spirit stone ore every month for us to use for cultivation."

In the eight branch tunnels, miners who knew each other in small groups exchanged information, everyone wishing they were the one to have discovered the bounty target.

In one branch tunnel

"Brother Zhang, do you have any thoughts on this bounty?" A burly man, emitting the spiritual pressure of the third layer of Qi Refinement, turned to look at a young man in black beside him.

"None... From the information I've gathered, those eight middle-stage Qi Refinement mine bosses joined forces to ambush that person and still couldn't take them down. It's clear that person is not simple. Although the mine bosses didn't see the cultivator's face, the magic tool was revealed. One look at that tool tells you it's no ordinary item. Although I am at the third layer of Qi Refinement—not to belittle myself—I am definitely no match for them. I don't have the ability to escape unscathed from an ambush by eight middle-stage Qi Refinement cultivators! I'll just stick to being a lowly minor mine boss!"

"What... Tie Niu, you actually have ideas?" The young man in black turned to the burly middle-aged man and teased.

The burly man was momentarily speechless; he hadn't expected the other to be so blunt.

"I don't have ideas. Those who do... I fear they'll have the life to claim the bounty but not the life to spend it! That magic tool shaped like a small bead in the bounty drawing looks like a lethal weapon. I have no desire to go looking for death!"

The burly man shook his head, losing interest, and fell silent. The young man in black glanced at him and also stopped talking; as if by unspoken agreement, neither discussed the matter further.