Cultivation: I Forge Immortality with My Spiritual Eyes

As Jiang Yi activated his spiritual eye, a clear understanding flooded into his mind.

[The black iron ore vein is heavy and tough, with a sparse metallic aura.]

"Fellow Daoist Jiang? What's wrong?"

Niu Yaojin noticed that his pace had slowed and his expression was unusual, so he couldn't help but look over curiously.

"It's alright."

Jiang Yi's expression returned to normal, and he casually said:

"I just feel a bit regretful. The rock walls here have been tainted by the metal and gold energy for many years, making them hard and dense. It will probably take a lot of effort to dig out the spirit ore."

"Hey, I thought it was something important."

Niu Yaojin waved his hand dismissively and grinned, saying:

"This job is definitely not easy. How could those families earn spirit stones so easily? If it were so easy, they would have taken them all long ago. Why would we rogue cultivators have to do all the hard work?"

After saying that, he mustered all his strength and swung his pickaxe down hard on the rock wall beside him.

With a crisp "clang," sparks flew everywhere, and a faint white mark appeared on the rock wall.

"My goodness!"

Niu Yaojin shook his hand, gasped, and spat:

"No wonder they don't hire people in the early stages of Qi Refining. With that kind of toughness, they'd be a waste of time. One shovel and they wouldn't even be able to make a hole!"

Jiang Yi's eyes flickered slightly, and he chuckled softly:

"Didn't you say, fellow Daoist, that jobs that allow us to easily earn spirit stones are never our turn?"

He remained calm and continued walking deeper into the mine with Niu Yaojin, but he already had a plan in mind.

The spiritual eye I just used to examine the matter, though I only managed to glean a few words, were enough to reveal some of the truth.

After a few more verifications, as long as the idea in mind is feasible, this mining job may not be that difficult.

The two continued down the mine tunnel.

The further you go, the more complex the environment becomes.

Every few dozen steps, a new fork in the road would appear, from which the faint sound of metal clashing could be heard.

These mine tunnels vary in width, winding and turning, with branching paths leading to branching paths, resembling an underground maze.

Fortunately, there were fluorite stones embedded along the way to guide the way; otherwise, someone unfamiliar with the route would probably have gotten completely lost.

As Jiang Yi walked, he subtly activated his spiritual eyes to scan the rock walls on both sides.

The spiritual energy in these repeatedly mined upper tunnels has long since dissipated, so the loss to one's spiritual power is negligible.

He intended to use this to deduce the areas rich in spirit ore.

They traveled for a while longer.

The mine tunnels grew increasingly deep and narrow, with low, cramped rock walls overhead and a stuffy, damp atmosphere.

Niu Yaojin, somewhat suppressed, couldn't help but speak:

"Fellow Daoist Jiang, why don't we stop here? Let's just find a place nearby to practice today. There's no rush."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yi shook his head slightly, his tone calm:

"This area has been largely mined by previous generations. The further we go down, the greater the chance of finding spirit ore. Let's explore a bit further. Anyway, we're not working today, so we can find a place to try when it's almost time."

Niu Yaojin hesitated for a moment, then nodded:

"Okay, whatever you say."

The two then continued their descent.

Before long, they passed another fork in the road.

Just as I was about to turn into the tunnel on the right as usual, I suddenly heard a series of hurried and chaotic footsteps. Judging from the noise, there were at least three people walking together.

Jiang Yi and Niu Yaojin became alert, stepped aside, and stood on high alert.

A few breaths later, the footsteps grew closer, and three figures quickly emerged from the tunnel.

All three were carrying bamboo baskets and holding sharp hoes, clearly indicating that they were independent cultivators working in the mines.

The one leading the group was a short, stocky man with a wary expression.

The person behind him was tall and thin, carrying several large, dead demon rats in his hands.

The person in the middle was pale-faced and his clothes were stained with blood. He was being helped by his companion and his steps were unsteady.

Upon seeing Jiang Yi and his companion, a look of wariness flashed across their faces.

He paused for a moment, then continued walking straight upstairs without saying a word.

Niu Yaojin glanced at the three of them, frowned, and spoke up:

"Fellow Daoists, what's going on here? Could it be that there are still demonic beasts lurking in this mine?"

Upon hearing this, the tall, thin cultivator turned around coldly:

"New here, huh? You really think you can earn spirit stones just by swinging a hoe? I advise you to be more careful."

Too lazy to say anything more, he helped his companion up the path and soon disappeared at the end of the fork in the road.

Niu Yaojin's face was grim, and he cursed under his breath:

"Those bastards! They didn't mention a word about the monsters underground in the mine. No wonder they keep recruiting people in round after round."

Jiang Yi's expression also darkened.

He reached out and pulled the fast-sleeping little pear out, shook it awake, put it on his shoulder, and told it to be alert and watch out for any movement.

He then frowned, glanced around, and said in a calm tone:

"The aura of those few demonic rats wasn't strong; they were at most at the early stage of the first rank. They were probably creatures that liked to eat metal. As long as we're careful, there shouldn't be any danger."

Having said that, he glanced at the fork in the road on the left and beckoned to Niu Yaojin:

"Let's go this way and explore further down."

"..."

In the blink of an eye, the time it takes for an incense stick to burn has passed.

The two walked windingly deeper into the mine tunnel for several dozen feet.

The further down you go, the more cultivators you will encounter.

They were coming and going in twos and threes at the crossroads, their faces covered in dust and their clothes soaked with sweat.

The clanging and clattering of chisels filled the ears from all directions.

at this time.

The two arrived at a relatively spacious mine chamber.

The walls were covered with chisel marks of varying ages, and the ground was covered with a thick layer of gravel.

Jiang Yi stopped, narrowed his eyes slightly, and slowly scanned the rock walls on the left and right. His pupils gleamed with a sharp light, which was quite captivating.

After a while.

As his gaze focused on a rock wall on the left, a sudden thought struck him, and he felt his spiritual power rapidly dissipating.

[The black iron ore vein is heavy and tough, with hidden metallic energy.]

Niu Yaojin, completely unaware of this, looked around and, seeing that the area was relatively flat, spoke up:

"Fellow Daoist Jiang, this is our first time mining, so we should be careful. Why don't we stop here and try digging a bit more?"

Jiang Yi nodded calmly:

"Alright, I'll do as you say. We'll dig around here. Remember to stay alert and be careful."

After saying that, he turned his head and glanced at the little pear on his shoulder.

The little guy was squatting there yawning, his eyes still sleepy, his cat-like eyes misty with tears.

Noticing Jiang Yi's gaze, it hummed, lazily stretched, and lightly leaped to the ground, pricking up its ears to look around.

Jiang Yi put down his basket, gripped the pickaxe, channeled his magic power into his arms, and forcefully chiseled down the spot he had just identified.

With a crisp clang, shards of stone flew everywhere, sparks flying in all directions.

The force of the shockwave hummed through the hoe handle, and even though he was prepared, his hand felt a tingling numbness.

The rock strata of this mineral vein were indeed unusually hard; even with the aid of magic, each shovel stroke could only chip off a small layer of the stone.

He took a deep breath and relentlessly hammered away, the broken stones tumbling down the rock face, creating a continuous clanging sound.

About half an hour later.

Niu Yaojin was exhausted, his arms aching and he was panting heavily, with rubble scattered all around his feet.

Apart from a bunch of pitted white marks on the rock wall, there wasn't a trace of spirit ore to be seen.

He couldn't help but feel discouraged and secretly lamented his situation.

This job is inhuman; if I had known it would be like this, I shouldn't have come.

The more he thought about it, the more he regretted it, and he began to have second thoughts.

He shook his head and sighed, just about to get back to work, when he suddenly heard a crisp "ding" sound.

The sound was clear and short, quite different from the sound of chiseling into the rock.

Niu Yaojin was taken aback and turned his head to look at his side.

Just then, they saw Jiang Yi chipping a fist-sized, irregularly shaped piece of spirit ore off the rock wall.

The ore was jet black, with a metallic sheen on its surface, and it shimmered with a faint glow under the light of the fluorite.

Jiang Yi picked up the spirit ore, weighed it in his hand, and played with it back and forth with a smile on his face.

Niu Yaojin's eyes widened, and he quickly moved closer, craning his neck to examine the area closely.

Her eyes were burning with a mixture of desire and envy, and she couldn't help but mutter:

"Fellow Daoist Jiang, you're incredibly lucky! I've been working myself to the bone, my palms are practically blistered, and I haven't even managed to dig out a single hair..."