Cultivation of Immortality: This is what unorthodox methods are like.

"We are not here to mine, but to break free from our shackles and gain freedom."

"What we want is—the finest cultivation resources and the most advanced methods."

"But—why is reality so cruel?"

"That mastermind deceived us!"

"This is not the life I want."

"If I had known I was going to come here to mine, I would have stayed in Stone City and worshipped the sun, moon and stars day and night."

In the dimly lit mine, a monk choked back sobs and wept.

He touched the whip marks on his body, gritted his teeth, stubbornly continued mining.

He can't stop mining; if he takes even a short break, the lantern monsters above him will whip him with fire whips.

One lash and the skin is torn open, and the wound is burned by the flames, which also disinfects it.

It hurts so damn much.

He did try to resist.

The more fiercely they resisted, the more severe the beatings they suffered.

After undergoing several re-education sessions, he became obedient.

The same applies to other Golden Core elders.

They regretted it, were unwilling to accept it, and kept complaining.

Because this is really not the life they want.

One of the monks muttered, "It's not as good as Stone City."

"In Stone City, we only need to worship the four directions every day."

"When have I ever done such lowly work? When have I ever been whipped like this?"

"That bastard Black Hand lied to us."

At this point, many Golden Core elders burst into tears.

"If I could turn back time, I would never have come here."

One of the monks, who was digging away, said, "Let's think about it in a positive light: the conditions here are ten times harsher. Although you could be burned to death by the earth's fire, wind, water, and evil energy if you're not careful, and you'd be whipped if you took a short break."

"But we also got some training!"

"The humiliation we suffer from weak demons is a test of our spirit, which is of great benefit to our consciousness."

"The whipping of us is helping us to toughen our bodies, and it's free."

"What's even more amazing is that the flames on it burn the wound, preventing it from festering."

"This is also for our own good."

"We used to be pampered, but now we've been tempered and disciplined, and we've become stronger."

"We... will surely rise in the future."

"We should be grateful, not complain and curse."

Upon hearing this, many Golden Core elders fell silent.

After a short while, a Golden Core Elder nodded vigorously: "That makes sense."

"But next time I get beaten up, could you take the hit for me?"

The Golden Core cultivator shook his head: "Helping you is just harming you!"

"You should seize the opportunity to improve, instead of giving up because you're afraid of hardship."

One of the Golden Core cultivators was furious and rolled up his sleeves, ready to beat him up, but was stopped by the other Golden Core elders.

At this moment, the Golden Core Ancestor continued to mutter, "I will definitely establish my own sect in the future."

"When the time comes, I want the new generation to experience this kind of training as well."

"Anyone who joins my sect will first serve as an outer sect servant, cutting down trees and mining every day, before becoming an outer sect disciple and being whipped."

"Those who can withstand one hundred lashes a day can be promoted to inner disciple."

Many Golden Core elders listened and seemed to ponder.

At this moment, the white-haired patriarch had a sudden thought: "Everyone, those things are still a long time away from us."

"Right now, our most important task is to find ways to improve our strength."

Upon hearing this, all the Golden Core elders fell silent.

"Our ancestors, day and night, never had a moment's rest."

"Back in Stone City, I could secretly cultivate my skills."

"How should I cultivate now?"

The Golden Core elders remained silent.

The white-haired patriarch rolled his eyes and smiled, "Everyone, I have a preliminary suggestion that can resolve our current predicament."

The other elders asked curiously, "What suggestion?"

The white-haired patriarch smiled and said, "We will select some intelligent people to begin their cultivation. When those who cultivate are beaten, the others will help them take the hits."

"In this way, once we have reached a certain level of strength, we can lead the remaining people to escape."

Upon hearing this, many Golden Core elders nodded in agreement.

It seems like this is the only way left.

The white-haired patriarch was delighted to see everyone agree, thinking, "I am a wise man."

"I must have a cultivation spot."

The other elders frowned: "How can you prove you're smart?"

The white-haired old man smiled and said, "Because this idea was my own."

"And you wouldn't believe it."

Therefore, you are not as smart as I am.

Upon hearing this, all the Golden Core elders suddenly realized the truth and granted him their spots.

A little while later, other Golden Core Elders claimed to be clever and used sweet words to persuade others.

Finally, they selected one thousand and one Golden Core Ancestors to cultivate and attempt to reach a higher level of cultivation, so that they could become the leaders.

So fast as the sun and the rabbit fly:

The white-haired patriarch and others cultivated day and night, pondering the fundamental law they obtained from Stone City, and forcibly comprehending it on their own.

Often, they don't know the meaning, yet they force themselves to understand and guess.

As for whether their understanding is correct or not, they don't care.

Anyway, they don't have much knowledge of Taoist scriptures, so even if they try to understand them carefully, they won't be able to grasp the essentials.

It's better to guess and understand now, as long as it can improve cultivation.

One year...

Many of the old ancestors who had been beaten couldn't take it anymore and asked the Golden Core ancestors and others, "If you can't improve, you will be whipped while we cultivate."

The white-haired patriarch gently comforted them: "We have been cultivating and understanding for a year, and we are about to enter the gate."

"Hold on for another two or three years."

Three years...

The millions of Golden Core cultivators had reached their limit of patience and asked the white-haired ancestor and the others about their progress once again.

"If you can't do it, we'll take your place."

The white-haired patriarch slapped the back of his head, his skull cracked open, and a large red hand flew out, grabbing two Golden Core cultivators and shaking them violently: "Who says we can't do it?"

The two Golden Core cultivators asked with envy and curiosity, "What kind of magic is this?"

The white-haired patriarch laughed heartily: "This is the Primordial Qi Great Capture Technique!"

Many Golden Core elders exclaimed, "We want to learn too!"

The white-haired patriarch snorted coldly, "You lack the wisdom to learn it."

The Golden Core elders were quite dissatisfied.

However, the next moment, a Golden Core elder said, "White Hair, why do I suddenly feel that you're speaking a bit arrogantly?"

The white-haired patriarch was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "How is that possible?"

"It must be because you've been criticized too much, and the mental stress is too great, causing you to have delusions."

"We're all friends, we're all a loving family, how could we possibly be arrogant towards you?"

Upon hearing this, the Golden Core cultivators finally relaxed.

Six years...

The emaciated Golden Core cultivator, numb, asked the white-haired patriarch and the others, "You have cultivated diligently for hundreds of years. When will you lead us out of the mine and gain true freedom?"

The white-haired patriarch rolled his eyes: "It's six years, not hundreds of years."

The emaciated Golden Elixir Ancestor wept, "We've been suffering terribly; each day feels like an eternity!"

"When will we be able to break out of the mine?"

"I want to go back to Stone City."

"I miss the delicacies of Stone City, I miss the female cultivators in Stone City who treated me like a great medicine, and I miss those lovely female demons, and even every blade of grass and every tree."

The white-haired patriarch and his companions, their faces glowing red, exuding an imposing and extraordinary aura, snorted coldly: "There are all kinds of minerals here, as well as cultivation elixirs that can be exchanged for these minerals."

"We were even taught magic by ghosts and gods."

"This place is so wonderful, we absolutely cannot leave."

Upon hearing this, the Golden Core elders were furious: "This is not what you promised!"

The white-haired patriarch sneered, "So what?"

"Shut up, all of you. Stop complaining and get to work mining so we can exchange resources for cultivation. That's the key."

Upon hearing this, many Golden Core elders were overcome with grief and wept uncontrollably.

The white-haired patriarch found their crying troublesome, so he joined forces with his other companions to sew up the mouths of these Golden Core cultivators.