Chapter 307: Survive to the End
While the various forces in Jinyang City were fighting fiercely for the ownership of the spiritual mine, Ye Fan was particularly different. He did not fight for the benefits like others, but quietly walked into the resource exchange hall of the Loose Cultivator Alliance and exchanged a large amount of cultivation resources with the spiritual stones he had obtained from hunting monsters and participating in competitions.
"What's the point of keeping the money?" Ye Fan thought to himself, his eyes swept over the items on the exchange list. "No matter how many spirit stones there are, they are just tools. Only when they are transformed into strength can they be real capital."
People were coming and going in the hall, but not many people were exchanging high-level resources. One reason was that the resources were expensive and many casual cultivators could not afford them; the other reason was that everyone was focusing on the upcoming spiritual mine competition, thinking that this was an opportunity to make a fortune. However, Ye Fan had no interest in this. He knew his situation very well. No matter how tempting the spiritual mine was, he could not compete with those sects and powerful forces at this stage. Instead of taking risks to compete, it was better to take the opportunity to consolidate his foundation.
He stood at the counter and whispered to the administrator: "I want to exchange these."
The administrator raised his head, glanced at him, then lowered his head to check the list: "One level three spirit gathering pill, five bottles of body quenching liquid, and this condensing talisman... These will cost a total of 5,000 spirit stones. Are you sure?"
Ye Fan nodded and handed over the storage bag: "OK."
After the administrator skillfully counted the items, he handed them to Ye Fan one by one, with a surprised look on his face: "Recently, few people have concentrated on exchanging resources like you. Most people are busy with spiritual mines."
Ye Fan smiled faintly without further explanation. He took the resources, turned around and walked out, but his mind was extremely clear.
"The purpose of competing for resources is to cultivate, not to show off. Those who are eyeing the spiritual mines are putting the cart before the horse."
Return to your residence and concentrate on practicing
After returning to his residence, Ye Fan immediately began to sort out the resources he had exchanged. He carefully placed the Soul Gathering Pill aside, poured the Body Quenching Liquid into the prepared jade bottle, and put the Condensing Yuan Talisman close to his body. These resources were all for the purpose of improving his cultivation in a short period of time.
Sitting cross-legged, he took out a spirit-gathering pill, swallowed it, and began to absorb the pure spiritual power in the pill. In an instant, he felt a warm current spreading in his body, quickly nourishing his meridians. At the same time, he activated his skills, and the spiritual power surged in his body like a tide, washing every meridian, making it tougher and wider.
Time passed quietly, and when Ye Fan opened his eyes, it was already several hours later. His aura became more condensed, and he looked energetic, as if his inner strength had been further sublimated.
"This Spirit Gathering Pill is truly extraordinary. In just a few hours, it has enabled me to make significant progress in my cultivation." Ye Fan whispered to himself, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes.
Then, he began to use the quenching liquid to cleanse his body. He poured the quenching liquid into a wooden barrel, took off his clothes, and immersed his whole body in it. As soon as the liquid touched his skin, it brought a burning sensation, but he did not frown, but closed his eyes and concentrated, guiding the medicinal power to penetrate into his body.
"Although the process of tempering the body is painful, the improvement of the physical body is the most real." Ye Fan endured the burning pain and felt his bones and muscles become tougher under the effect of the medicine.
After many days of practice, Ye Fan's strength has improved significantly. He stood in the house, clenched his five fingers, and could clearly feel the surging power in his body. He nodded silently, and his heart became more determined.
"Those who are fighting for the spiritual mine may have gained some benefits now, but the price they paid is time and energy. As for me, I will use these resources to the best effect. Soon, I will be able to leave them far behind."
Ye Fan's strategy is very clear. He knows that the only way to revenge and peak is to constantly improve himself. The fight for the spiritual mine is tempting, but without sufficient strength, even if you get it, you can't keep it.
In the next few days, he continued to focus on cultivation, transforming all the exchanged resources into strength. His aura gradually became unfathomable, and even the monks around him noticed his difference.
"Recently, Ye Fan seems to be in seclusion and not participating in the affairs of the spiritual mine. Has he given up?"
"Maybe, but I feel like he's gotten a lot stronger."
Ye Fan never paid attention to these discussions. He knew in his heart that compared to false reputation, real power was the only way to shut everyone up.
"Money is not meant to be saved, but to create greater value." Ye Fan clenched his fists and made up his mind. "When I accumulate enough power, it will be the day when the Blood Demon Sect is destroyed!"
The news of the spiritual mine spread throughout the entire South Province, and all the major forces flocked to it. The independent cultivators were not willing to lag behind and gathered around the spiritual mine. For the major forces, their goal was the main vein of the spiritual mine and the precious resources that might exist in it; while the independent cultivators cast their eyes on the small mineral veins on the periphery - those insignificant mineral points for the giants, but they could change their fate.
The periphery of the spiritual mine was gradually divided, and various forces began to penetrate into the core area of the mine. Ye Fan hid in the crowd of casual cultivators and quietly followed in. He had noticed that this spiritual mine seemed to be not simple. In addition to the rich spiritual fluctuations, there was also a strange aura covering the entire mining area.
One morning, the first death was reported inside the mine.
A powerful casual cultivator entered a mine tunnel and never came out again. When his companions went to look for him, they only found his body, with a hideous face, as if he had been extremely frightened.
"What happened? He just went in to mine, how could he die so strangely?" The onlookers were talking about it.
"Look at his wounds! It looks like they were torn by some sharp claws!" Someone pointed out the hideous scratches on the body and felt a chill in his heart.
As time went by, deaths occurred one after another. Many people who entered the deep mines, whether they were ordinary cultivators or talented disciples of major forces, died tragically.
Ye Fan hid aside and watched these changes with cold eyes. He felt that there must be some unknown secrets hidden deep in this spiritual mine, which might even be more important than the spiritual mineral resources on the surface.
One night, several casual cultivators formed a team and tried to sneak into the depths of the mines in the dead of night to look for opportunities. However, within half an hour, their screams spread throughout the mines. The next day, people only found their broken bodies, their expressions full of pain and fear.
"Another death! What the hell is this place?" Some timid cultivators began to back off.
“I heard that even a core disciple of the Beast Taming Sect died in the mine tunnel. He was a powerful man at the Supreme Realm, but he didn’t make it out alive!”
"There is something wrong with this mining area! Are there any powerful monsters or restrictions in it?" Some people made guesses, but no one could give a definite answer.
Not only the independent cultivators, but even some major forces began to suffer losses. The elite team sent by Jinyang City was originally full of confidence, and went deep into the main mine with a complete map of the spiritual mine. However, after only one day, only one person was left in their team and fled back in a panic. He was covered in blood and looked dazed, as if he had experienced great terror.
"What did you encounter?" the person in charge of Jinyang City asked sternly.
“I don’t know… I really don’t know…” the survivor said tremblingly, “We went in, and then… we heard a strange noise, and everyone fell down… I couldn’t see anything clearly, and I could only run for my life…”
The person in charge of Jinyang City looked gloomy. This situation was far beyond their expectations. Other major forces also began to be vigilant and no longer had the urge to rush in.
The atmosphere of terror in the mining area gradually spread, and the greedy people were finally frightened by the successive deaths. Although the spiritual mine was tempting, if you lost your life, no matter how many resources you had, it would be useless. In particular, the successive deaths of several disciples from top forces made everyone realize that the depths of this spiritual mine were not something that ordinary cultivators could easily set foot in.
The casual cultivators were talking among themselves, and some began to retreat: "We are not opponents to begin with. We cannot interfere in this kind of place!"
"Damn it! If it weren't for those big forces, how could so many of us casual cultivators have died! They must have touched something they shouldn't have touched!"
However, more people chose to remain silent. They knew that this spiritual mine was far more complicated than they had imagined, and perhaps it was beyond the comprehension of ordinary monks.
Ye Fan stood outside the mining area, watching the crowd gradually quiet down, feeling a little uneasy. He had never seen such a strange spiritual mine, but his intuition told him that the secret deep in this mining area might change the situation in Nanzhou and even affect his own destiny.
"What is hidden here..." Ye Fan whispered to himself, his eyes becoming more profound.
