Chapter 317 - 316: There Must Be Something Fishy About You

Words : 1642 Updated : Sep 27th, 2025

Chapter 317: Chapter 316: There Must Be Something Fishy About You Deep and dark, low and stifling... This is the mine. Crossways and detours, anyone unfamiliar with the place would easily get lost as if in a labyrinth, unable to find their way back. Earthquakes and cave-ins occur frequently in the mine, often resulting in direct encounters with death. Not to mention, conflicts and grudges over mining materials happen from time to time, and each year, countless miners never make it out once they go in. Zhong Yue entered the mine, carrying a pickaxe, walked along the main tunnel, passed five forks, and then paused slightly at the sixth. This fork split into four different tunnels, each leading to a mining area. He glanced around seemingly casually, ensuring no one was watching, then swiftly darted into the third tunnel. Once inside, his speed suddenly increased, swiftly passing through several more sub-tunnels. Over the past century, the whole Black Crystal Ore Vein was almost completely excavated. These sub-tunnels appeared every few steps, scattered abundantly. He seemed very familiar with the place, turning effortlessly through the tunnels, quickly reaching the deepest part of the mine. After ten minutes, he arrived at the end of a small tunnel. At the end was a huge boulder, blocking the path forward. By this time, Zhong Yue’s breathing had steadied, and he stood still, as if listening for something. Apart from faint mining sounds from far away, there was no other movement. Confirming safety, Zhong Yue breathed a long sigh of relief and hurriedly moved forward to shift the huge boulder aside. Being at the Peak of Inner Power Realm, he easily moved the nearly thousand-pound boulder, revealing an extending passage underneath. Inside, an entirely different world awaited. Without any hesitation, Zhong Yue went down the passage, soon reaching a pit of about seven or eight square meters in size. Even here, he remained cautious. In the pit, he found a flat, long stone and blocked the tunnel entrance once more. "Finally done. Every trip here is an adventure. But it’s all worth it. Now that my strength has reached the Peak of Inner Power Realm, I need the power of this supreme treasure to break through to the Third-class Expert level." Zhong Yue took a deep breath, calmed his mind, walked to the corner of the pit, and grabbed a canvas, pulling it open. In an instant, a transparent light illuminated the entire pit. Underneath the canvas was a disk-sized, translucent white crystal stone. Earth Spirit Marrow! Zhong Yue knew the name of this treasure. It was the unique Companion Spirit Ore of the Black Crystal Ore Vein, the Earth Spirit Marrow. Usually, Earth Spirit Marrow was only the size of a thumb, and a fist-sized piece was already considered a valuable treasure. But the one before him was as large as a millstone, with dazzling spirit light shining profusely. Its value was immeasurable! "I’ve had this supreme treasure for three months now. But every time I see it, I feel an overwhelming obsession. With this, I even have hope of reaching the Innate level." Zhong Yue gazed at the enormous Earth Spirit Marrow, feeling a surge of excitement. Three months ago, oppressed by some black market workers, he had no choice but to choose this remote, narrow mining path. Unexpectedly, he struck gold, uncovering this priceless Black Crystal Companion Ore, the Earth Spirit Marrow. Such a treasure, if handed over, would immediately earn him a considerable amount of rewards, especially this huge piece, the largest Earth Spirit Marrow he had ever heard of. Despite his lowly background, he had a strong sense of decision-making, aware of the great risks often concealed between benefits. Moreover, he clearly understood that this was a crucial opportunity to change his life. Therefore, after much consideration, he finally decided to keep this supreme treasure for himself. This decision wasn’t difficult for him. He had excavated the treasure discreetly, and with careful arrangements, found this pit to serve as his secret base... Of course, the most important factor was that his inconspicuous presence had gone unnoticed, allowing him to survive these three months smoothly. "Even though I’ve been acting low-profile, the rapid increase in my strength has still attracted some prying eyes. So, I must break through to the Third-class Expert level quickly, to eliminate these prying eyes." To live steadily in the mine, Zhong Yue had his own set of principles. Feeling the looming crisis, he even harbored a hint of killing intent. With this in mind, he stopped hesitating and quickly sat beside the Earth Spirit Marrow, using a special method to slowly draw out its power, beginning his cultivation. The Earth Spirit Marrow contained terrifying and pure energy, not only enhancing the strength of cultivators but also possessing a special power to refine their physique, significantly improving it. Zhong Yue had just begun extracting the spiritual energy to cultivate when he immediately felt one of his Twelve Main Meridians, fluttering like a willow in the wind, on the verge of collapse. One breath, two breaths, three breaths... Boom! Suddenly, his body trembled, a powerful aura emerged, and a look of delight appeared on his face. He had broken through! He easily reached the level of a Third-class Expert. Simultaneously, he felt a special power flowing through his body, making him acutely aware that his flesh’s defense power was rapidly increasing. He knew that this was the special power of the Earth Spirit Marrow, refining his physique. "This should be the place." "The Spirit-Seeking Rat wouldn’t be wrong." At this moment, Zhong Yue’s expression changed. After his breakthrough, his five senses became even sharper, and he suddenly heard noises from the flat stones outside. Just as he was about to make a move... Boom! With a loud rumble, the stone blocking the entrance quickly flew out. Then, two figures, one in front and one behind, charged in almost instantly. "Hiss..." The sound of drawing cold breaths could be heard one after another. Their gazes were fixed on the millstone-sized, crystal-clear Earth Spirit Marrow. "Companion Spirit Ore, Earth Spirit Marrow?" "So big?" In an instant, a surge of excitement and shock spread within the two of them. "Lin Heihu, Yang Zhenlin..." Zhong Yue’s heart sank as his face turned extremely grim. Discovered. Even though he had anticipated this day, he never imagined that his secret would be exposed so quickly. Immediately, his gaze fell to the ground, on a white mouse that looked like a honey jar. Spirit-Seeking Rat... Suddenly understood. In the mine, there were many types of mice. Because this place was rich in spiritual energy, some mice would evolve into exotic beasts. This Spirit-Seeking Rat was one of them. They were much more sensitive than ordinary Martial Artists in treasure hunting, which made them very popular. They were often captured and tamed as soon as they appeared. Besides treasure hunting, the Spirit-Seeking Rat was even more sensitive to sensing auras. Obviously, Lin Heihu and Yang Zhenlin had found his hiding place by following the Spirit-Seeking Rat. "I had long sensed something odd about you kid. In just three months, you went from just entering the Inner Cultivation Realm to reaching the Inner Power Realm... With such a huge improvement, we knew there was something fishy about you. However, we never thought you’d have such a major opportunity. This Earth Spirit Marrow... it’s really big, seems like it’s my lucky day to get rich." A sharp gleam of greed flashed in Lin Heihu’s eyes. At this moment, he was truly shocked. Such a massive Earth Spirit Marrow, he had never seen nor even heard of before. "Hehehe... Old Lin, how do we split it?" Yang Zhenlin laughed and drew a sickle from his waist. In the mine, carrying weapons was forbidden, but sickles were a necessity at critical moments and were naturally not included in the restriction. "Let’s deal with him first." Lin Heihu said casually. Both of them had strength at the peak of Inner Power Realm, so they naturally didn’t take Zhong Yue seriously. Even if the opponent had significantly strengthened from the Earth Spirit Marrow, such an abrupt increase would undoubtedly be superficial and would not match their strength. "If I want to keep this Earth Spirit Marrow, I must not let them leave alive." A ruthless expression crossed Zhong Yue’s face, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes. A cornered dog will jump over the wall. He managed to survive in the mine due to his decisiveness and judgment. Therefore, he immediately thought of silencing them. At this moment, having just broken through to the Third-class Expert level, he had the strength to do so. "Die!" He who strikes first gains the upper hand, he who strikes later is doomed. At the moment he made up his mind, Zhong Yue moved. His steps paused, Qi and Blood burst forth, and the mining pick transformed into a raging wave, striking down fiercely. There was no mercy in his action! "Courting death!" Lin Heihu snorted coldly and raised his mining pick to meet it fiercely. At the same time, quietly and without a sound, Yang Zhenlin’s sickle slashed out, sneaking towards Zhong Yue’s waist. Boom! With a loud crash, their two mining picks collided fiercely. The immense force sent one figure flying back, slamming into the pit’s edge and scattering a large amount of soil. "How is this possible?" Lin Heihu’s face turned pale, a mouthful of blood spitting out. Third-class Expert? Was Zhong Yue actually a Third-class Expert? His heart sank instantly, feeling a sense of unease. Knocking Lin Heihu away with one pick, Zhong Yue frowned. Though his strength indeed surpassed the opponent’s, he lacked combat experience. A blow that should have been a sure thing only managed to knock the opponent away...

Chapter 317 - 316: There Must Be Something Fishy About You

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