Cultivation: I Forge Immortality with My Spiritual Eyes

The two quickened their pace and soon arrived at the dock.

The dock was bustling with activity, even more so than a few days ago.

A spirit ship, about ten zhang long and covered with array patterns, was quietly moored between the berths.

Several members of the Wang family were maintaining order near the berth.

A group of disheveled and ragged cultivators disembarked from the spirit ship and gathered in twos and threes, whispering amongst themselves.

Upon seeing the monks preparing to head to Black Reef Island, he revealed a hint of schadenfreude in his eyes.

But when asked anything, they remained silent.

Before long, all the monks waiting to disembark had left.

A disciple of the Wang family stepped forward and called out loudly to the registered rogue cultivators to board the ship.

Jiang Yi and Niu Yaojin exchanged a glance, stepped forward, showed their wooden plaques, and boarded the spirit ship amidst the crowd.

As soon as I stepped onto the deck, the view opened up before me.

This spirit ship had no masts and was much more spacious than ordinary seagoing vessels.

The ship's hull was dark and iron-like, cold and hard, and was built with high-grade spirit wood.

On both sides of the ship's hull were rows of powerful crossbows, their intricately patterned bolts gleaming coldly in their slots, a sight that sent chills down one's spine.

Several members of the Wang family stood guard at various points along the ship's side, coldly observing the rogue cultivators boarding the ship.

His eyes held the innate, haughty disdain of a scion of a noble family.

After a while.

All the registered independent practitioners boarded the ship, numbering about twenty.

A disciple surnamed Wang stepped forward and led the group into the lower cabin to wait.

The cabin was quite spacious, and the four walls were also engraved with array patterns.

Jiang Yi glanced around and his gaze met that of Blackie, who was resting against the bulkhead with his arms crossed.

A cold smile curled at the corner of the dark-skinned man's lips as he raised his voice in a sarcastic tone:

"Isn't this Fellow Daoist Jiang? What's wrong? Tired of the good life on the island? Why aren't you out fishing? Have you been scared out of your wits by Master Hei?"

Jiang Yi snorted and retorted sarcastically without any politeness:

"Who do we have here? It's just Little Blackie. Shi Dazhuang has so many people around him, and you're the only one who's reduced to making a living by mining. You're clearly a good-for-nothing who can't be brought up in public. And you still have the nerve to yell and shout here?"

"You...you're talking nonsense!"

Blackie's defenses crumbled instantly, veins bulged on his forehead, and his dark face turned bright red.

Pointing at Jiang Yi, he was so angry that his lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a coherent sentence for a long time.

Unfortunately, this place is the Wang family's spirit ship, so even if he had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare to cause trouble.

A follower noticed his predicament and quickly came over to coax him in a low voice, half-pulling and half-dragging him to the side.

Niu Yaojin, watching from the side, chuckled and leaned over to tease him:

"Fellow Daoist Jiang, your mouth is really...tsk tsk, impressive, I never would have guessed before."

Jiang Yi smiled slightly, said no more, and looked out at the scenery through the cabin window.

Just kidding, in my past life I spent all my time surfing the internet, engaging in intense exchanges with all sorts of amazing people.

He may not have learned any other skills, but he's incredibly adept at figuring out how to hit people where it hurts.

Not long after.

The spirit ship trembled slightly, but without any apparent movement, it smoothly glided out of the dock and slowly sailed into the deep sea.

Despite the turbulent sea, the cabin remained perfectly stable, without the slightest jolt.

Jiang Yi secretly praised it and reached out to stroke the array patterns on the ship's hull.

This is the spirit ship. With the blessing of the forbidden array, the raging sea is no longer a prison. It can freely travel between various islands, which is truly enviable.

Niu Yaojin, standing to the side, was also envious and muttered sourly under his breath:

"A superior cultivator should be able to sail a treasure ship like this, going wherever he wants, unlike us who row a small fishing boat and have to rely on the whims of the heavens every day."

Jiang Yi smacked his lips, said nothing more, lifted his hem, sat down on the ground, and closed his eyes to rest.

It's about 1,500 li from here to Black Reef Island, and even at the speed of the spirit ship, it would take several hours to arrive.

The situation on the island is still unclear; I need to take this time to rest and recharge...

"..."

Several hours passed in the blink of an eye.

At one point, the ship shuddered slightly and then came to a steady stop.

A member of the Wang family pushed open the cabin door and shouted coldly:

"We've arrived, everyone get out here quickly, don't dawdle!"

Upon hearing this, everyone stood up and walked onto the deck in twos and threes, looking around.

As far as the eye can see, the entire Black Reef Island, spanning several dozen miles, is covered with dark, hard volcanic reefs.

The island's center is dominated by low, rolling hills, a vast expanse of black and gray with little greenery, and the sea breeze carries a strong smell of rust.

At the island's port, a group of monks dressed in blue robes stood, their attire completely different from that of the Wang family members.

Jiang Yi overheard the whispers of the rogue cultivators beside him and realized that they were members of the Liu family.

Black Reef Island is jointly controlled by the Wang, Liu, and Luo families.

Wangjiaguan is recruiting for shipping; Liujiaguan is recruiting for mine security and mining; and Luojiaguan is recruiting for ore smelting and transportation.

Each of the three entities performs its own duties and manages its own territory, checking and balancing each other while advancing and retreating together, thus firmly holding onto this treasure land that produces a continuous stream of energy.

Before long, everyone disembarked and stepped onto the dock.

As soon as they stood still, a cultivator from the Liu family stepped forward.

This man had thick eyebrows, piercing eyes, and high cheekbones. His gaze swept over the crowd as he spoke in a deep voice:

"Now that you're here, you must abide by the rules. As long as you work diligently, the Liu family will not treat you unfairly, and you will receive every spirit stone you are entitled to."

But if anyone dares to cheat, hoard ore, or even disobey the management and break the mine's rules, when their hands and feet are cut off and thrown to feed the sea monsters, don't blame me for not warning you!"

After saying that, he casually waved his hand.

Immediately, another Liu family disciple stepped forward and led the group onto a wide dirt road full of ruts, heading straight towards the depths of the island.

The island was desolate, with endless stretches of bare rocks and soil, and the sea breeze whipping up clouds of dust.

The group had walked for less than a quarter of an hour when they heard a heavy creaking sound from the wheels ahead.

Jiang Yi looked up and saw a caravan of pack animals pulling heavy carts toward him.

This beast resembles both a cow and a horse, with a single horn on its forehead and some earth dragon blood in its body; it is called the One-Horned Ox-Horse.

It has great endurance, a gentle temperament, eats little and does a lot, making it most suitable for hauling heavy objects.

The carriage was guarded by members of the Luo family, and the two sides did not interact, quickly passing each other.

The group followed the Liu family cultivator who was leading the way for quite some time.

Finally, they arrived at a desolate plateau backed by a black cliff.

The terrain here is relatively flat, and stone houses are built along the mountainside.

Each room is only about ten feet square, with rough stone walls, and looks very simple.

Despite the poor conditions, the surrounding spiritual energy was unexpectedly abundant, far surpassing the scattered cultivator settlements on Qingluo Island.

This place must be extremely close to the core of the island's spiritual veins.

At the instruction of the Liu family disciples, Jiang Yi and the others each found an empty stone chamber to stay in.

The interior was even more rudimentary, with only a stone slab barely big enough to fit a person in, and piles of miscellaneous items left by previous inhabitants in the corner, emitting a faint musty and rotten smell.

Jiang Yi had anticipated this and was not particularly surprised.

After tidying up quickly, I put the clothes and rice bag in the corner and then turned and left.

Niu Yaojin lived next door and was waiting by the door.

The two exchanged a glance and then followed the crowd toward the Liu family disciple who was leading the way.

The group continued to wander around.

After rounding a bend in the mountain, the terrain suddenly dropped, and a huge pit appeared right in front of us.

The cave entrance is located at the base of a rock wall, and is several dozen feet wide and pitch black with no bottom in sight.

Due to years of mining, the shallow veins have long been exhausted, and multiple tunnels extending downwards have branched out from the mine, making it deep and winding.

Several members of the Liu family guarded the vicinity of the mine, vigilantly scanning every figure that appeared.

The Liu family disciple who was leading the way greeted the guards and then led everyone to the stone house next to the mine, where they distributed bamboo baskets and pickaxes in turn.

After distributing the equipment, he impatiently gave instructions:

"Go down and walk around first to familiarize yourself with the mine tunnels. You will officially start work tomorrow. From now on, each person must dig 100 catties of raw ore every day. If you fail to meet the quota for more than two days, you will be fined spirit stones to make up for it."

Jiang Yi's lips twitched upon hearing this.

Punishment Stone?

I've never heard of this requirement when hiring.

A murmur arose from the crowd, and many people frowned, expressing their dissatisfaction.

But now that they were on someone else's territory, the situation was unclear, and no one dared to jump out and question them rashly.

After a moment of silence, everyone picked up their bamboo baskets, gripped their black iron hoes, and entered the mine in twos and threes.

Upon entering the mine, the surrounding light suddenly dimmed, and the rock walls were covered with pickaxe marks of varying depths.

Arriving in such an unfamiliar and dangerous place for the first time, everyone was uncertain and most chose to travel with people they knew.

Jiang Yi and Niu Yaojin naturally formed a team and randomly chose a tunnel to go down.

The deeper you go, the dimmer the light becomes, the thicker the dust in the air, and the more pungent the smell of rust grows.

They hadn't been gone long.

Niu Yaojin suddenly sighed, waved the sharp hoe in his hand, and said wistfully:

"Alas, I never expected that I, Niu, would also be doing such menial repair work. I'm covered in dust and dirt; it's really not dignified."

"You came here of your own accord, it's too late to say this now."

Jiang Yi chuckled and teased.

His gaze slowly swept across the deep mine tunnel, a subtle glint of light appearing in his eyes.

Ok?

next moment.

He paused, suddenly freezing in place...