3 Chapter 3 End of the Mine Tunnel_1

Quickly forcing himself to calm down, Wei Cheng slowly operates the Method of the Moving Mountain Inner Strength, while listening to the surrounding voices.

Despite the bioluminescent moss in the mine dimming, the strength of the Moving Mountain had made his perception even clearer.

Furthermore, he didn't know what advantages being an Innate Realm Martial Artist holds, but Wei Cheng could operate this ability without feeling any exhaustion. Rather, the exhaustion was almost negligible. This Moving Mountain Inner Strength has truly become his power.

Would an ordinary person worry about exhausting themselves walking a dozen miles?

No, because strength regenerates continuously.

That's how Wei Cheng feels now.

The strength built over his lifespan wouldn't lessen unless under special circumstances, it would disappear completely. Thus, even if it were exhausted, it would quickly recover.

At this moment, Wei Cheng checks the two veggie pancakes and the remaining quarter of clear water, finding no sign of spoilage. These two items are his small advantages, accumulated through his burnt bodily fats.

Others started with a golden finger given to them, but his golden finger is his fat, which is also considered top-tier.

Carefully storing the veggie pancakes and water bladder in his backpack, Wei Cheng cautiously ventures outside with his pickaxe.

He has to start moving now.

"Hey! Is there anyone there? I'm Zhang Yong from P University, level 40 in Civil Engineering. I cultivate the Purple Mist Method. Does anyone want to team up?"

About a hundred meters away, someone was shouting. Wei Cheng pinpointed his location. It's fascinating, the state of Innate Realm Martial Artist gives him a sense of being a mini superhero.

However, P University, they are his alumni. He, on the other hand, is only at level 30.

As Wei Cheng continues walking, he spots a faint red glow on a rock wall out of the corner of his eye. It appears to be red ore, only a small portion is visible.

It would've been easy to find if the light moss were still around. But now, in complete darkness, people other than Wei Cheng, an Innate Realm Martial Artist, are unlikely to notice it.

Without hesitation, he swings his pickaxe at it.

The sound wasn't loud. The seemingly ordinary pickaxe surprisingly went straight into the hard rock wall.

Wei Cheng was surprised, but he knew that it had nothing to do with him. It should be because the pickaxe was from the Cultivation World.

With a few strokes, he managed to excavate the piece of ore emitting a faint red light. This ore seems like a single entity, about the size of a fist. The surface is extremely smooth with sharp edges, making it look like an art piece.

Wei Cheng could only imagine how beautiful this ore would look under adequate light. If it were brought to Earth, it would definitely astonish the world.

He was somewhat reluctant to let go of it. Please forgive him for his rustic behaviour, but after all, he was just a commoner.

But who would've thought that rubbing the ore a little too fast would cause the red light on the surface of the ore to brighten quickly. It looked like a burning flame, and the sense it gave to Wei Cheng, an Innate Realm martial artist, sent chills down his spine with beads of cold sweat rolling down, as if disaster was imminent.

It wasn't until this red light quickly dimmed that the heart-pounding sensation disappeared.

"Shit, what kind of rock is this!? Does it contain a cloud-bomb or something?"

Wei Cheng did not dare to mess around anymore. He carefully placed the ore in his backpack. Now, he has truly become a miner.

"Is anyone over there? Speak Earth language, or I'll attack immediately!"

From a distance, Zhang Yong's voice can be heard again. He must have heard Wei Cheng mining the ore and had slowly made his way closer by probably 10 meters or so.

Obviously, he hadn't reached the Innate Realm, because he chose the Purple Mist Method which has the slowest cultivation speed.

Anyone who isn't at Innate Realm would experience a slow consumption of their Inner Strength with each use.

At this point, Wei Cheng fully understood that the water bladder and veggie pancakes in the safe house were incentives for everyone to cultivate to the Innate Realm as much as possible.

This is the Cultivation World after all, and it has been invaded by alien demons. It's extremely dangerous, without the strength of an Innate Realm Martial Artist, one is nothing but an ant.

Well, in reality, even if one is an Innate Realm Martial Artist, they're still nothing more than ants.

Wei Cheng let out a sigh, but he didn't respond. Instead, he began to search the surroundings quickly.

He could hear many voices in the mine at this moment. Everyone had been in the safety house before, which might have made it impossible to find those peculiar ores. If others had also trained to be Innate Realm Martial Artists, there would surely be competition.

In fact, Wei Cheng had already heard the sounds of picks from far away. So, teaming up would have to wait.

In this unfamiliar environment, it was key to equip and strengthen oneself as much as possible, and to acquire any resources that one could. This was the correct approach.

Next, Wei Cheng didn't find any more of the miraculous Flame Ore, but instead, he dug up a piece of black ore as big as a watermelon. He thought it might be iron ore, but he couldn't be sure because it was too pure, too hard, and left no white marks when struck with a pickaxe.

Carrying this piece of black ore, which weighed more than a hundred pounds, would have been difficult for Wei Cheng before, but now it was effortless in his basket.

It was then that he realized how sturdy the baskets of the Cultivation World were, probably able to carry five or six hundred pounds.

"Hey, buddy, are you mining? How can you see?"

Zhang Yong was persistent with Wei Cheng. This guy had decent sound detection abilities and managed to find Wei Cheng from more than ten meters away after wandering around.

However, there seemed to be a main mining tunnel in front, with a faint light shining through. Many people were calling to gather. There seemed to be dozens of people from the sound of it.

Wei Cheng started to worry. He wasn't afraid that more people would snatch his ore but what they might face after leaving this mine.

"I'm also from P City. My name is Wei Dayong."

Seeing that he couldn't shake off Zhang Yong, Wei Cheng merely gave him a random name. When out and about, boys must be careful.

"Nice to meet you, Brother Wei. What mental method did you choose? Why do I feel that your ability is even stronger in this mine compared to mine with the vision-enhancing Purple Cloud Method?"

Zhang Yong was very enthusiastic, totally defenseless, behaving like he'd found a fellow townsperson in a game.

Wei Cheng glanced at him, a kid of age 40. He was just a high school student in the first half of this year. He was too young.

"I chose the Method of the Moving Mountain. It's similar to yours, but my ears have been sharp since childhood. I could even hear two mice fighting in their burrow."

Wei spouted some nonsense and headed towards the light in the distance. He had already found out that most of the special ores had been excavated due to the heavy mining activity in the main tunnel.

After walking several dozen meters, Wei Cheng and Zhang Yong ran into two more townsfolk. One was an elderly man with white hair and bright eyes who immediately sensed Wei Cheng's gaze.

Both men simply looked at each other and instantly knew they had both trained to the Innate Realm.

"Nice to meet you, young men. My name is Wu Hongwei, and this is my granddaughter, Wu Yin."

The elderly man laughed warmly, appearing kind and amiable. His granddaughter, Wu Yin, however, had not reached the Innate Realm. Clearly, she had chosen the Purple Cloud Method, similar to Zhang Yong.

"Hello, Grandpa Wu. My name is Zhang Yong, and this is my brother, Wei Dayong."

Zhang Yong, quite enthusiastic, rushed forward and wouldn't stop shaking the girl's hand. Dang, 20-year-olds these days are pretty gutsy!

Wei Cheng, as one born in the 10s, felt he couldn't measure up. Sorry, I've let everyone down.

"Let's go and gather first. There might be an exit over there."

The young girl started to laugh. Her dimples were lovely. At the same time, she smoothly pulled her hand away.

The four of them didn't waste any more time chitchatting. The old man and his granddaughter took the lead, with Wei Cheng and Zhang Yong following. Before they had walked much farther, a few more people joined them from another branching mine tunnel.

As the mine tunnel grew wider, visibility improved. It seemed they were not far from the exit.

However, at this moment, a hushed voice came from up ahead, "Everyone, don't move forward. It's not an exit up there. It's a giant transmission stele. The light is coming from the stele, but there's a black spider as big as a heavy-duty truck in front of the stele."

"Also, I suggest everyone stay as quiet as possible to avoid alarming that black spider. Although its body is too big to squeeze in here."

(Many thanks to lan ruo ruo, Zhibai, and the fifth roommate of Wuliangshan House for their rewarding support. Also, thank you, everyone, for supporting this book. During the new book period, I'll be releasing extra chapters appropriately, but the majority will be added after the book is on the shelves. Please understand, and thanks again! New author, new book, new story, let's set sail again!)