Chapter 9: Identification

The fat cultivator, sitting behind a desk, took out a palm-sized jade slip from his storage bag. He looked up at Lu Ye and asked, "Name, origin, and cultivation level?"

Lu Ye answered each question.

The fat cultivator mused, "Lu Ye of Profound Heaven Sect... Hmm, found it. There is indeed such a person!"

Only then did Lu Ye realize that the jade slip in the fat cultivator's hand must contain information about the mine, including the origins and identities of the mine slaves. This kind of verification would ensure that no remnants of the Evil Moon Valley had infiltrated.

"But... wait a minute!" The fat cultivator squinted slightly. "The jade record states that Lu Ye is merely a mortal who hasn't opened his spiritual aperture. But you've already opened one, which doesn't match the information. This makes things a bit difficult."

As he spoke, his eyes kept darting towards the storage bag at Lu Ye's waist.

Lu Ye chuckled inwardly. His previous worries had indeed been justified. A mine slave carrying a storage bag could easily attract unnecessary covetousness.

If it were according to his previous plan, offering this storage bag wouldn't have mattered. It was just a matter of losing some wealth to avoid trouble. Anyway, he was free now, and with boundless prospects ahead, he wouldn't fear not finding better things.

But with Old Man Tang's casual remark as a foundation, Lu Ye had nothing to fear. He couldn't let the old man's good intentions be wasted.

Facing the fat cultivator's questioning, Lu Ye said, "I encountered a wounded Evil Moon Valley cultivator in the mine tunnel. I killed him, and in that life-or-death moment, I opened my spiritual aperture."

The fat cultivator raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. If what Lu Ye said was true, that would be quite extraordinary. A tiger was always a tiger; even if wounded, it wasn't something a goat could provoke, let alone kill.

He somewhat understood where Lu Ye's storage bag came from now...

At this moment, the young cultivator who had led Lu Ye over leaned closer and whispered something into the fat cultivator's ear. The fat cultivator looked surprised, "Which Old Man Tang?"

The young cultivator remained silent, just looking at him.

The fat cultivator realized, and cleared his throat. His expression towards Lu Ye became much friendlier. "So that's it. You certainly have some guts! Well, although your identity is basically confirmed, the necessary procedures still need to be followed. Come with me."

As he spoke, he stood up.

"Senior Brother Pang, I'll be off to my duties now," the young cultivator said, clasping his fists.

"Go on, go on," Senior Brother Pang waved his hand.

Lu Ye followed the fat cultivator, walking towards the direction where many mine slaves were gathered.

Upon approaching, the fat cultivator put his hands on his hips and took a few breaths. Only then did he speak, "Are there any people from Profound Heaven Sect here? Step forward and let me see."

No one answered.

Lu Ye's gaze swept over the crowd. He didn't see any faces of Profound Heaven Sect disciples.

Profound Heaven Sect was a small sect after all. It didn't have many disciples to begin with, and many had died when it was attacked and occupied by the Evil Moon Valley a year ago. Only more than twenty young people were still alive then.

Over the past year, many more had died. But in Lu Ye's memory, there should still be three to five people alive.

Yet, at this moment, he didn't see any of those three to five individuals. He assumed they had also met with misfortune.

He couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. Although he didn't have a strong sense of belonging to Profound Heaven Sect, for a sect to be left with only him as its sole survivor made him realize the cruelty of this world even more.

The fat cultivator then asked, "Does anyone here know him?"

Still, no one replied. Lu Ye wasn't particularly popular among the mine slaves. Everyone was gaunt and struggled to survive daily. Yet, Lu Ye lived quite comfortably and had enough contributions to exchange for Qi and Blood Pills. Naturally, the other mine slaves didn't have a good impression of him.

Shared misfortune didn't necessarily foster solidarity against a common enemy. Instead, it more easily bred resentment and exclusion.

Lu Ye saw the Liu brothers in the crowd. It was quite fortunate that these two guys were still alive. But the Liu brothers showed no intention of stepping forward to confirm Lu Ye's identity. They merely watched him with schadenfreude.

The fat cultivator couldn't help but glance at Lu Ye. He began to doubt whether this guy was indeed Lu Ye of Profound Heaven Sect. As a mine slave, surely someone should be able to verify his identity.

Many people had been verified this way before, identifying each other to confirm their identities.

"I know him. He is Lu Ye of Profound Heaven Sect." Just as the fat cultivator was growing suspicious, a weak voice spoke out.

"Who's speaking?" The fat cultivator turned his gaze back, looking in the direction of the voice.

The crowd parted voluntarily, revealing the speaker.

Upon seeing the person's face, Lu Ye was slightly surprised because he had only met this person once and hadn't seen them for a long time.

The speaker was a woman. Compared to the dirt-covered mine slaves around her, her clothes, though not vibrant, were at least neat and clean.

The fat cultivator looked at the woman and asked in a deep voice, "Are you sure he is Lu Ye of Profound Heaven Sect? Think carefully before you speak. Lying in front of me will not end well."

The woman recoiled slightly but still affirmed resolutely, "I am certain."

The fat cultivator nodded and waved a hand at Lu Ye. "Alright, your identity is clear. Go wait over there; don't wander off." After speaking, he winked at Lu Ye again, "There's an opportunity waiting for you all tomorrow."

With that, he turned and left.

After he left, the tense atmosphere finally eased. It was clear that these slaves, living at the very bottom, were still very much in awe of the fat cultivator.

Lu Ye thought for a moment, then walked towards the woman who had just spoken. Upon reaching her, he said, "Miss, thank you for speaking up for me."

The woman shook her head. "No need. You saved me, and I didn't even get a chance to thank you then."

She was referring to something that happened almost half a year ago. At that time, Lu Ye had accidentally met this woman deep within the mine tunnel. She was being chased by another mine slave. Lu Ye couldn't stand by and watch, so he taught the assailant mine slave a lesson.

However, he hadn't seen the woman since then.

Lu Ye smiled. "So, we're even now?"

The woman also smiled. A touch of vitality returned to her weary face. "We're even."

"Let's reintroduce ourselves. Lu Ye of Profound Heaven Sect!"

The woman curtsied gracefully, demonstrating the demeanor of a refined young lady. "Yu Xiaodie of the Yu family."

Lu Ye asked curiously, "Miss Yu, do you know why we're all gathered here? And what was that opportunity the fat man mentioned?"

Yu Xiaodie reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, explaining, "We are all people with clear backgrounds and identities. Most of us haven't opened our spiritual apertures, and even if we have, our cultivation levels are very low. The Evil Moon Valley didn't treat us as humans, nor did they cultivate us. However, there are definitely some among us who are suitable for cultivation. The Vast Heaven Alliance has taken over this place, so naturally, they need to make some arrangements. Those who are suitable for cultivation and possess cultivation aptitude will be taken in by sects of the Vast Heaven Alliance."

"Is that the opportunity the fat man mentioned?" Lu Ye realized with sudden understanding.