Chapter 80: A World Apart

did not retreat but instead advanced, wanting to take advantage of the weakness in the sword formation and kill him in one fell swoop. He miscalculated.Let me know if you have any other text you'd l..."I appreciate the generous gift from Master Lu, but this old man is not particularly interested in spirit swords or elixirs. If Master Lu could help my nephews and me escape the Blackwater Village mine, even if it means allowing my two nephews to go to the mundane world to start a family, that would be wonderful. If Master Lu helps us, this old man will repay him with everything I have. I'm willing to offer my life in return. I can even personally craft a magic artifact for you."

Weng Zhihan seized the last opportunity and said, Lu Xiaitian had no reason to stay in the Black Water Village mine. If he didn't seize this chance, he would never have another opportunity to see the light of day again.

"Mr. Qian's grand gesture also raises some suspicion in me. I cannot promise you anything at this point. If the situation permits upon my departure, I will try my best to get you out."

Lu Xiaoteng pondered for a moment, frowned and said. Getting rid of his uncle and nephew wasn't a difficult task after all, since those who seriously violated the Lingxiao Palace were directly executed, and those exiled to the mine weren't sentenced to death. Besides, this Weng Zhihan had been imprisoned for nearly twenty years. With some spirit stones, he could smooth things over with the authorities and bribe the mine supervisors, perhaps it would work. The only problem was that once they went out, he would still have to face the threat of Qian Dali.

If one could obtain a magic artifact, that would be naturally good. But if one could obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill and successfully establish their foundation, then one could refine magic artifacts later on.

As he was struggling to keep himself safe, he couldn't possibly worry about Wu Zhihan. Therefore, Lu Xiaotien didn't make a definitive statement.

“Many thanks, Master Lu. I'll be waiting for your good news.”

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Mr. Wang Zhihan is a mature and discerning person. Although they haven't met many times in the past six years, he clearly understands that Lu Xiaotien dislikes trouble. Being able to promise him so much already came as a pleasant surprise. If he pressed further, it might only annoy Lu Xiaotien, ultimately backfiring.

Breathlessly taking in the fresh air outside the mine, Lu Xia Tian felt as though he had been reborn. He had spent over six years in the Blackwater Village mine, a solitude and perseverance that was beyond the comprehension of outsiders.

"Hurry up and hand over the spirit stones, scram back to the mine, don't dilly-dally."

A fat man with his belly exposed whipped, urging Lu Xiaodao forward. Although Lu Xiaodao's cultivation was two levels higher than he appeared, after all, even if one's cultivation was high, they were just a miner. Not to mention that there were many cultivators guarding outside the mine shaft. In a real fight, without any trump cards, a miner would not be his opponent.

Lu Xia Tian had just arrived on the ground and for a moment, he hadn't come to his senses.

"Hey, what about you" The fat man strode over with a whip in his hand, looking menacing.

“I’m not a miner, I came in here to do odd jobs, and now I don’t want to anymore.” Lu Xiaoteng revealed his identity token.

"Impossible, I've been here for over a year, and I haven't seen any disciples enter the mine, especially a disciple as accomplished as you in the late stage of Qi Refining." The fat man said with a sneer, "Boy, don't even try to sneak out. My whip doesn't show any mercy."

"Who the hell are you"

Lu Xia Tian narrowed his eyes, a hint of danger in his gaze. He had now reached the peak of the Qi Refining stage, and among the tens of thousands of Qi Refining disciples in Lingxiao Palace, he was one of the top contenders besides those high-ranking disciples with magic weapons. In the world of cultivators, it was a dog-eat-dog world, and he didn't need to be polite to this foreman at all.

When he first entered the mine, he wasn't part of this group of cultivators. But that was normal; times change, and the cultivators stationed at the Black Water Village mine were roughly rotated every year. Some could even shorten their time by paying spirit stones.

“What, are you still going to resort to violence” Lu Xia Tian’s gaze made the fat man feel a shiver run down his spine. He involuntarily took a few steps back, but he refused to show weakness on his face.

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Seeing that fellow disciples seemed to have clashed with the miners, several disciples from Lingxiao Palace nearby rushed over.

"This miner wants to cause trouble, just wait until I skin him alive." Fatty's face flushed red from their previous retreat. Now seeing his fellow disciples gather around, he suddenly gained courage, tugged at his whip and sneered coldly.

Lu Xiaottian raised the waist token in his hand, "The Palace Gate strictly forbids disciples from fighting privately. Don't tell me you want to break the palace rules"

What's going on

A melodious voice, as sweet as a yellow oriole's song, rang out. The surrounding cultivators parted to make way, and a graceful young girl in a light purple dress walked over.

"Senior Sister Wu, this miner pretended to be a disciple of the Immortal Palace and wanted to sneak out. I stopped him." The fat man first complained.

“No way, I saw his badge clearly, it’s from our fairy palace.” Said another disciple.

"Which peak domain are you from Show me your waist card." Wu Yan's beautiful eyes looked at Lu Xiaodao unwaveringly.

“I am Lu Xia Tian, a disciple of Qinglian Peak. I entered Lingxiao Palace over six years ago.” Lu Xia Tian presented his waist token to the woman they called Sister Wu. Her cultivation was similar to his.

"Your identity is confirmed. How long have you been in the mine" Wu Yan took over the waist card, infused her divine sense into it and checked, then asked.

"Having joined the sect nearly two months ago, I entered the Black Water Village mine. It's been over six years now." Lu Xiaodao said.

"What Impossible, over six years in the mine, without food or water, how could you possibly have lasted until now I've never seen you come up to change your food either." The fatty grasped at the loophole in Lu Xia Tian's words.

“Yes, this person looks unfamiliar. We've never seen him before.” The other cultivators nodded in agreement.

"Let the other miners help me swap for some food, it's a small matter that doesn't require me to run there myself. Is there a problem" Lu Xia tian smiled faintly.

"Since that's the case, what about the spirit stones you dug up" someone else asked immediately.

Lu Xia Tian threw the storage pouch given to him by the Mining Administration to the fat man.

The fat man poured out the spirit stones inside. There was a clatter as a pile of spirit stones spilled out. He counted them, finding over thirteen thousand. Although the number was impressive, considering that Lu Xiaoteng had been in the mine for six years, it wasn't excessive. In fact, Lu Xiaoteng also felt some reluctance, but after spending so long in the mine, if he hadn't handed in anything at all, or only a small amount, it would be hard to justify.

However, thanks to a cave rich in spirit stones he discovered. He had several times this amount of various types of spirit stones within the barrier, and there were also hundreds of mid-grade spirit stones. Handing these over would only be a little painful.

"Lu Senior Brother is truly amazing, to actually be able to stay in the mine for six years straight."

“Indeed, excluding what was handed over to the sect, Senior Brother Lu could still net over 2,300 spirit stones. It seems that mining is quite a lucrative job.”

After proving his identity, the surrounding cultivators swarmed around Lu Xia Tian, each trying to get closer. Especially after seeing that Lu Xia Tian could obtain such a large sum of spirit stones, their eyes glinted with greed. Some bolder cultivators even directly called him "Senior Brother Lu."

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"Don't give me that. Forget six years, why don't you try staying in the mine for two months if you think you're so capable" A cultivator scoffed beside him. Everyone couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration and awe.

The one widely regarded as Wu Shijie, now with a respectful demeanor, returned the waist card to Lu Xia Tian. The information within the waist card indicated that Lu Xia Tian had entered Lingxiao Palace only at the sixth level of Qi refinement. After six years, he had surprisingly reached the peak of Qi refinement and had been continuously cultivating in the mine, diligently mining spirit stones.

This kind of perseverance and determination, Wu Yan had never seen it among the many outstanding young disciples in Lingxiao Palace.ward Zhen Jingting. 。Zhen Jingting's face darkened. He wouldn't mention Lu Xiaitian's current status, which was far different from before. In front of so many people, he didn't have the face to deny...