Chapter 45: Earth Vein Filth, Yin Wind Body Tempering
"If obsidian and Spirit Beast bones are combined with the blood of mental type Spirit Beasts to make an amulet, it can greatly reduce the environmental impact."
That thought surfaced in Chen Ming's mind almost instinctively, but he quickly shook his head.
Obsidian was not cheap, and the blood of mental type Spirit Beasts was even more valuable. With his current skill level, he could not guarantee a one hundred percent success rate in making a complete amulet. Even a single attempt would require at least dozens of gold coins' worth of materials.
Whether in terms of cost effectiveness or stability, it was not a particularly suitable choice.
Because the stronger the yin wind, the more Yin Wind Stone ore there was, Chen Ming deliberately moved toward an area where the yin wind was heavier. As he explored the surroundings, he also carefully assessed his own condition.
The damage the evil wind did to his Spirit was less serious than he had expected. Perhaps it was because he had cultivated for a long time in an environment formed by highly purified Yin Wind Stones, or perhaps because, as a transmigrator, he naturally possessed a unique talent in spiritual matters.
Although the evil wind could still wear down his Spirit, the effect was not too obvious. At most, it only made him tire more quickly.
However, every breath he took brought a faint sting to his internal organs. It felt as if the muddy, clogged energy inside the mine was being stirred by the evil wind and seeped into his organs with every inhalation.
At the moment, it was only a faint itch. But Chen Ming had no idea what kind of effect long term exposure to such a high energy environment would have on his condition.
"Should I use Spirit Possession to mine?" Chen Ming looked at the tunnel walls, then shook his head.
No. With his height and waistline after Abomination Spirit Possession, moving around in a cramped mine tunnel would be a nightmare. Although the Abomination Spirit was not slow, that did not change the fact that such a bulky body would have trouble even fitting through narrow openings.
Feeling slightly conflicted, Chen Ming stopped in an area where the evil wind was relatively strong and awkwardly began swinging the pickaxe in his hand.
Because he had never used a pickaxe before, the first hour was miserable. He wasted a great deal of strength and achieved almost nothing. Only after gradually getting used to the motion and angle of the tool did his mining speed finally begin to improve.
Among the large amounts of broken rock, Chen Ming gradually chipped out some black mixed stones. These were low purity Yin Wind Stone raw ore.
Yin Wind Stone itself was a refined crystal, something closer to metal than ordinary stone. Pure Yin Wind Stone crystals were rare, so a large quantity of raw ore had to be purified to obtain them.
After mining for a while, and once he felt his physical strength had dropped by about thirty to forty percent, Chen Ming slowly found a place to sit down. Holding his basket close, he began recovering both his physical strength and spirit power.
Because of the abundant energy stored within his body, Chen Ming recovered his strength quickly. However, as soon as he began absorbing spirit power, the evil wind in the surroundings, which had just settled slightly, started to stir again.
Simply digging the raw Yin Wind Stone ore out of the wall reduced the environmental influence a little, but it could not completely eliminate it. The more raw ore he carried, the greater the disturbance whenever he used spirit power.
Frowning, Chen Ming slowly recovered his spirit power in the harsh environment.
This was not only because the surroundings made him afraid to run the Meditation Method too quickly, but also because the surrounding energy, while abundant, was too impure. If he absorbed it too quickly and too crudely, it would easily damage the body.
Even though Zhang Peng's Scorpion Tiger Meditation Technique focused specifically on purity and could greatly reduce the intake of impurities, Chen Ming still had to restore his spirit power at only about half his normal speed.
After a long while, Chen Ming steadied himself and resumed mining. As he worked, he also began consciously restraining his spirit power fluctuations, trying to reduce unnecessary consumption.
According to Chen Ming's internal biological clock, about 2 hours had passed. Just as he prepared to head back along the marked route to see whether it was time for the work meal, a group of Spirit Masters carrying pickaxes emerged from somewhere and blocked his path.
"New kid, hand over half your ore, or you'll regret coming here today!"
The leading Evil Spirit Master had hollow eye sockets, heavy dark circles, a thin and wasted body, and a pale face. He looked like someone who had completely overindulged himself.
Using the light from his helmet lamp, Chen Ming took one look at the man's face and vaguely recalled something he had once read in a book.
Among Evil Spirit Masters, such an appearance usually indicated one of three possibilities. First, the person's Spirit was special. Second, their cultivation was deep. Third, something had gone wrong in cultivation, and the yin and evil qi inside the body had leaked out, causing real foundational damage.
And without a doubt, in Chen Ming's opinion, anyone who had been reduced to mining here was far more likely to belong to the third category.
Seemingly angered by Chen Ming's gaze, the man immediately released his Spirit. The moment he did, Chen Ming's expression became even more openly disdainful.
Because the man had only one pale yellow Spirit Ring, and his Spirit was some kind of machete.
Whether it was his cultivation, his Spirit Ring, or his Martial Soul, he was a thoroughly mediocre character.
But the problem was that he was not alone.
As the leader released his Spirit, the others behind him also did the same.
There were 6 of them in total, all Spirit Masters. Between them, they had 3 yellow Spirit Rings and 3 white ones. The quality of their Spirits was also poor. Those with Beast Spirits even had to keep holding the pickaxes they used for mining as weapons.
Seeing that, Chen Ming's expression finally turned slightly serious.
Numbers always mattered. Given enough people, even a Titled Douluo or an Ultimate Douluo could be buried alive under a sea of enemies.
Unless one possessed an ability like Dugu Bo's, where weak enemies could never win no matter how many there were, and strong enemies could never fully withstand him either, being surrounded was always dangerous.
"Kid, either hand over half your ore, or you'll leave here today with one arm broken!" the leading Evil Spirit Master shouted as he waved the machete in his hand.
These people were weak, and the mine's harsh environment meant they could not work for long periods themselves. So they had simply set their eyes on lone workers.
They had stumbled into a group of 6. Although each individual member was unimpressive, and their coordination was nothing special, 6 Spirit Masters together were enough to overwhelm most Spirit Grandmasters.
Among the people dragged here to mine, there were basically no Spirit Elders. So with their numbers, they could rob almost anyone here. And even if they happened to encounter a tough opponent, they could still run.
Chen Ming had been noticed by them the moment he entered the mine. In their eyes, anyone forced into labor here could be, at most, around the Spirit Grandmaster level. And they had robbed newcomers like that before.
.....
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