Wang Qiang stood with his arms crossed, leaning lazily against the doorway and looking at me with a mocking expression. "The elder has a new mission for you. Tell me, aren't you deeply moved?"
I sneered inwardly. This was clearly an attempt to push me to my death. "Senior Brother Wang is joking. Naturally, I will obey the elder's arrangements."
"Those who know when to yield are wise. You actually have some brains, kid," Wang Qiang said, tossing a crude animal-skin map into my hands. "Thirty miles outside the city, there's an abandoned spirit mine. Go try your luck and see if you can find any leftover spirit crystals."
I unfolded the map, and my heart sank. This was clearly an abandoned spirit mine that had already been thoroughly scavenged. Forget about spirit crystals; even the spiritual qi there would be pitifully thin. Trying to find spirit crystals in a place like that was no different from searching for a needle in a haystack.
"What? Is there a problem?" Wang Qiang asked, his tone carrying a hint of threat as he noticed my changing expression.
"No, I guarantee I'll complete the mission." I tucked the map into my tunic and turned to walk away. I knew that resisting would only plunge me into an even worse situation.
Leaving the Rogue Cultivator Organization behind, I hurried toward the city gates without stopping. A journey of thirty miles was not particularly far for a cultivator in the Qi Condensation stage, but my mood was exceptionally heavy.
I had once read records of this abandoned spirit mine in ancient texts. It was said that a great battle had once taken place here, causing the spiritual qi to plunge into chaos and the spirit vein to dry up, ultimately turning the place into the desolate wasteland it was now.
Stepping into the mine shaft, a wave of decay hit me face-first. Utter darkness surrounded me, pierced only by the faint, eerie glow of low-grade luminescent stones that barely illuminated the rugged path beneath my feet.
I cautiously advanced deeper into the cave, my heart on high alert. Abandoned spirit mines were frequently hiding places for fierce beasts and evil specters; a single careless mistake could cost me my life.
"Hahaha! Spirit crystals! My spirit crystals!"
Suddenly, a roar of manic laughter echoed from the depths of the mine shaft, filled with madness and greed.
A jolt went through my heart, and I quickened my pace, heading toward the source of the sound.
Inside a spacious cavern, I caught sight of a familiar figure. It was Madman Liu, a rogue cultivator notorious for his insanity. Rumors had it that once, in order to seize a rare treasure, he had single-handedly charged into a beast lair; although he miraculously escaped with his life, the ordeal left him permanently deranged.
At this moment, Madman Liu was clutching a rock, gnawing on it like a raving madman as drool streamed down to the ground.
"Madman Liu, what are you doing?" I asked, frowning.
Hearing my voice, Madman Liu snapped his head up, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes. "Brat, are you trying to steal my spirit crystals?"
I looked closer and realized that what he was holding in his arms was no spirit crystal at all, but a completely ordinary stone.
"You—" I started to explain, but suddenly sensed a powerful wave of demonic aura surging from the depths of the cavern.
"Not good!" My expression shifted drastically. I grabbed Madman Liu and spun around to run. "There's a fierce beast!"
However, it was already too late.
A deafening roar split the air as a massive beast lunged out from the depths of the cave, snapping its bloody jaws wide open as it charged straight toward us.
"Run!" I shoved Madman Liu away and turned to face the beast head-on. The creature resembled a giant lizard with spikes growing along its back. Its scarlet eyes locked onto us with unblinking intensity, and its foul, stinking breath made my face sting. A bitter wave of panic washed over me; the beast's aura was terrifyingly strong, clearly transcending the Qi Condensation stage and reaching at least the Foundation Establishment stage!
After being shoved aside, Madman Liu not only failed to flee, but instead let out a bizarre screech and charged forward brandishing a rust-covered saber.
"You lunatic, get back here!" I yelled, but Madman Liu had already brought his blade down heavily upon one of the beast's sharp claws.
*Clang!*
With a crisp sound of clashing metal, Madman Liu was knocked back several paces, spitting a mouthful of blood as his saber snapped in two. The beast merely shook its head, seemingly paying no attention to his attack at all.
"You absolute madman!" I cursed under my breath, knowing it was too late for regrets, and braced myself to face the monster.
Forming hand seals, I unleashed a Fireball Technique that blasted toward the beast while nimble footwork carried me sideways to dodge its counterattack.
Although the Fireball Technique was merely a basic spell, its strengths lay in its fast casting speed and respectable destructive power. Yet this beast possessed incredibly tough skin and thick flesh; the fireball exploded against its body, leaving behind only a patch of scorched black char without even breaking its hide.
"Roar!"
Feeling the pain, the beast let out an angry roar and slammed its massive body directly into me. Too slow to dodge, I was sent flying through the air, crashing hard onto the ground with a bone-jarring impact that made me feel as though all my internal organs had shifted out of place.
*Ugh!*
I coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood and struggled to my feet, only to see the beast opening its bloody maw to lunge at me.
"I'm finished!" Despair gripped my heart as I closed my eyes and awaited death.
"Aah!"
A miserable scream rang out. I opened my eyes to see that Madman Liu had somehow managed to leap onto the beast's head, sinking his teeth savagely into its eye.
Overwhelmed by pain, the beast thrashed its head wildly, trying to buck Madman Liu off.
"Madman!" Panic tore through me. Ignoring the agonizing pain wracking my body, I once again channeled my spiritual energy, condensing another Fireball Technique and hurling it straight into the beast's other eye.
The beast let out another piercing shriek, loosening its grip on Madman Liu as it writhed in agony on the ground.
I hurriedly rushed over and helped the on-the-verge-of-collapse Madman Liu to his feet.
"How are you holding up?" I asked anxiously.
Caked in blood and breathing faintly, Madman Liu maintained a wild, deranged glint in his eyes. "Hehe... Spirit crystals, my spirit crystals..."
A chill of sorrow washed over me as I realized his madness had reached a point beyond all salvation.
"Save your breath, I'm getting you out of here." I hoisted Madman Liu onto my back, keeping a wary eye on the still-struggling beast.
Right at that moment, I suddenly noticed that erratic as the beast's behavior was, its attacks seemed... oddly methodical.
My heart stirred. I set Madman Liu down and carefully observed the beast's movements, and a bold plan began to take shape in my mind.
"Trust me!" I looked at Madman Liu with a firm gaze. Pushing my spiritual energy to its absolute limit, I shifted my footwork unpredictably, weaving back and forth within the beast's strike zone according to the patterns I had just deduced. Massive though the beast was, its attack pattern was remarkably simple; every strike came straight on, entirely devoid of skill or finesse.
I moved like an experienced matador, gliding effortlessly through its frenzied onslaught. From time to time, I even managed to find openings to counterattack, sending fireball after fireball slamming into its hide. Though the damage dealt was limited, it drove the beast into an even greater frenzy.
The beast let out another enraged roar, and I clearly caught a flash of panic in its eyes. My judgment had been spot on—the creature possessed minimal intelligence and fought purely on instinct.
Dodging another attack, I seized the opportunity, leaping gracefully into the air while condensing several Wind Blades in my hands and flinging them viciously toward its eyes.
*Splat!*
Razor-sharp, the Wind Blades pierced effortlessly into its eyes. The beast let out a miserable, piercing wail before its massive body crashed heavily to the ground, rolling over and over in agonizing torment.
"It worked!" Joy surged in my heart. I hurried over to Madman Liu, hoisted him up, and said, "Let's go!"
By now, Madman Liu had regained a tiny sliver of awareness, though his gaze remained vacant as he muttered under his breath, "Spirit crystals... spirit crystals..."
Sighing inwardly, I realized he was completely lost to his obsession and stopped trying to persuade him. I hoisted him onto my back once more and prepared to leave.
"Wait!" Madman Liu suddenly grabbed my arm, pointing a trembling finger toward the spot where the beast had fallen. "Spirit crystals! There are spirit crystals over there!"
Following his gaze, I indeed spotted a fist-sized stone resting beneath the beast's carcass. It radiated a faint wave of spiritual qi fluctuations—it was undeniably a low-grade spirit crystal!
"Madman, let's just go. It's too dangerous here." A trace of temptation stirred within me, but I still wanted to leave this place of trouble first.
"No, I want the spirit crystals!" Shoving me away, Madman Liu stumbled unsteadily toward the stone.
"Madman, what are you doing?!" Shocked out of my wits, I moved to stop him, but I was already too late.
Madman Liu snatched up the spirit crystal, a greedy expression twisting his face as if he had been possessed by a demon.
"It's mine! It's all mine!" he shrieked, clutching the spirit crystal tightly to his chest.
Helpless, I realized that further words were useless and stood guard nearby, keeping a vigilant watch on the surroundings to prevent any other beasts from appearing.
"Huh?"
At that exact moment, I suddenly noticed that the rock wall behind Madman Liu was also emitting a faint wave of spiritual qi fluctuations—and the area covered was far larger than that single spirit crystal!
My heart leaped. I strode quickly over to the rock face and began inspecting it closely.
"This is..."
My eyes widened in utter disbelief as I stared at what lay before me.
This was no ordinary rock wall at all. It was clearly a—
"Spirit crystal vein!"
I drew in a sharp breath of air, a turbulent storm of shock crashing through my mind.
Right then, Madman Liu abruptly spun around. Catching sight of me standing beside the rock wall, a flash of intense greed distorted his eyes. He shoved me hard, screaming like a madman:
"It's mine! It's all mine! No one is taking this from me!"