Chapter 6: Road Encounter (Ranking in Progress)

By consuming Qi and Blood Pills to boost his qi and blood, and then using the spiritual energy within his spiritual aperture to refine it, he could gain even more spiritual energy. Thanks to Steward Yang's belongings, this was currently Lu Ye's only viable cultivation method.

He had previously counted 253 Qi and Blood Pills in total, which was a considerable number. Lu Ye had initially thought this many Qi and Blood Pills would suffice, but once he truly began cultivating, he realized they likely wouldn't last long.

During his first cultivation session, he only managed to refine the medicinal effects of two Qi and Blood Pills. Having never done this before, it took him a long time to grasp the process of refining essence into energy. By the second session, he could refine four Qi and Blood Pills, showing that practice was making him more proficient. The third time, six… The fourth time, ten…

The more he cultivated, the faster the Qi and Blood Pills were consumed. This was because the spiritual energy in his spiritual aperture was increasing daily. More spiritual energy meant higher efficiency in refining essence into energy, and consequently, a greater consumption of Qi and Blood Pills.

Lu Ye realized something: these Qi and Blood Pills were clearly not ideal. Otherwise, there was no reason for a newly awakened cultivator like him to consume them so rapidly. True cultivators likely used specialized spirit pills for their practice, but unfortunately, he didn't recognize any and dared not experiment randomly.

The mine was dark and unlit, and Lu Ye had no idea how much time had passed. Once all the Qi and Blood Pills were consumed, he knew he had to leave. It wasn't due to a lack of cultivation resources, but rather a lack of food. After he began refining essence into energy, his appetite greatly increased. Steward Yang had brought a significant amount of food, enough to last two months if eaten sparingly. After all, Lu Ye had planned to hide here for a long time, so ample preparations were certainly made.

Although he couldn't precisely calculate the time, Lu Ye estimated that only about ten days had passed since he began his cultivation. The gains from this period of cultivation were neither immense nor negligible. The spiritual energy in his Origin Spiritual Aperture was already full. In other words, he was now qualified to open the next spiritual aperture and begin cultivating the Golden Cicada Freedom Art.

However, when he tried to open the second spiritual aperture according to the Golden Cicada Freedom Art's instructions, he couldn't locate it. Not only did he fail to cultivate, but he also wasted a lot of spiritual energy. No wonder he had heard people say that cultivation required guidance from elders; fumbling through it on his own, he didn't know how many detours he would have to take. Thus, despite consuming all the Qi and Blood Pills, he remained a cultivator with only one spiritual aperture open.

His injuries had already healed and no longer hindered his movements. What troubled Lu Ye was how to handle Steward Yang's storage bag. He was reluctant to leave it behind. This was Steward Yang's lifelong savings, containing many valuable items. Aside from other things, the rare minerals alone were worth a fortune. Lu Ye had no family or elders to look after him in this world, and future cultivation was bound to consume vast resources. With Steward Yang's possessions, he wouldn't have to worry about cultivation resources, at least in the initial stages.

However, carrying it on him wasn't ideal either. In this world of cultivation, greed often led to murder and robbery. As a cultivator with only one spiritual aperture, carrying a valuable storage bag, he couldn't guarantee that others wouldn't harbor ill intentions upon seeing it.

After much thought, Lu Ye decided to take the storage bag with him. Wealth was often found by taking risks, and if he missed this opportunity, he might never get such a windfall again.

Having made up his mind, Lu Ye returned to the spot where he had killed Steward Yang and picked up his pickaxe, which had been sheared short. Since he decided to take the storage bag, he naturally couldn't leave the geomagnetic ore behind either; this mineral was quite valuable. Wielding the pickaxe, Lu Ye sweated profusely. He had been mining for a year and was already very proficient. Moreover, with spiritual energy as a foundation, his efficiency was significantly higher than before.

Piece after piece of geomagnetic ore was extracted and placed into the storage bag. Only when all the geomagnetic ore had been extracted did Lu Ye finally discard the pickaxe. If all went well, he wouldn't need this tool again!

He took off his clothes, secured the storage bag against his body, and then bound it with strips of cloth. This way, unless he was stripped naked and thoroughly searched, the storage bag's existence wouldn't be revealed. However, he had already taken out Steward Yang's longsword. The journey ahead might not be safe, and having a weapon could prove useful in an emergency.

With all preparations complete, Lu Ye took a deep breath and headed out, following his memory of the way. He proceeded cautiously, fearing that a cultivator from Evil Moon Valley might suddenly emerge from the darkness. Thus, he didn't dare to move too quickly, lest he reveal his presence.

Yet, what he feared most came to pass. As he rounded a bend in the darkness and entered a new tunnel, his body suddenly froze. Not far ahead, a figure leaned against the rock wall of the tunnel, softly panting. A faint scent of blood lingered in the air…

Lu Ye wanted to retreat, but it was too late. The person turned their head, looked at Lu Ye, and then exclaimed in surprise, "Lu Ye?"

Lu Ye's heart tightened. To have his face recognized so clearly in such darkness meant this person was a cultivator, and anyone who knew him was undoubtedly from Evil Moon Valley. Sure enough, just as Steward Yang had thought of seeking refuge in the mines, other Evil Moon Valley cultivators would have done the same. Now, he wondered how many Evil Moon Valley members were hidden within the mine network.

His mind racing, Lu Ye focused spiritual energy into his eyes and finally made out the other person's appearance. It was Zhou Cheng, a cultivator from the mine who had been under Steward Yang's jurisdiction. His status was lower than Steward Yang's, and his cultivation level was likely inferior as well. Zhou Cheng appeared to be injured; the scent of blood emanated from him.

"Come here!" Zhou Cheng called out in a hushed voice.

"Alright!" Lu Ye immediately replied, stepping towards Zhou Cheng and gradually quickening his pace.

Zhou Cheng immediately sensed something was amiss, primarily because Lu Ye was surprisingly holding a sword. He couldn't help but frown and ask, "Where did you get that sword?" The sword was clearly standard issue for Evil Moon Valley cultivators, and its presence in Lu Ye's hand was highly suspicious.

Lu Ye didn't reply. He was now only three *zhang* away from Zhou Cheng. Zhou Cheng finally perceived Lu Ye's killing intent. He quickly stood up, gritted his teeth, and snarled, "I'll kill you, you little beast!"

As he spoke, he thrust his sword towards Lu Ye. Spiritual energy infused the longsword, and in the darkness, a faint glow emanated from it. This sword strike wasn't particularly sophisticated; it merely involved infusing spiritual energy into the longsword to boost its lethality. Facing Lu Ye, a mere mortal, Zhou Cheng naturally assumed he held the power of life and death.

The last person who thought that way was Steward Yang, whose bones were already rotting.

The sword light rapidly grew in Lu Ye's vision. He fully activated his own spiritual energy, focusing it into his eyes, and the entire world seemed to slow down considerably. Unlike his ambush of Steward Yang, which relied on the geomagnetism field, this was Lu Ye's first direct confrontation with a cultivator. He couldn't afford the slightest hesitation or retreat. Fortunately, this cultivator's cultivation level wasn't high, and he was also heavily injured. This was why Lu Ye dared to harbor killing intent.

As the longsword was about to strike him, Lu Ye sidestepped and deftly evaded it. Immediately, he swept his own longsword upwards in a counter-attack. Concurrently, a profound and intricate pattern flashed across his blade. It was the Sharpness Enhancement!