Time flies by like an arrow.
Days and months pass like a shuttle.
In the blink of an eye,
another three days have gone by.
The number of miners in the Death Mine Zone continues to dwindle, dropping below the four-hundred mark. More and more miners are being taken away, and more and more die from fatal falls.
A few days ago,
Zhao Zhuo from North Sixth District set himself on fire, reducing his body to ashes. Wang Ding from North Ninth District froze solid, ice enveloping his entire body.
Now, in the past three days, there has been one more case.
Zheng Dagen from North Five District dissolved into a puddle of viscous fluid in a cave, dying a horrific death.
Such gruesome and shocking ways to die reached the ears of Chen Jichuan and Chen Shaohu, leaving the brothers with a deep sense of fear.
At first, they had no idea.
Looking back now, it seemed that Zhao Zhuo and the others likely failed to endure the tribulation of awakening, leading to their dreadful ends.
Of course, it was highly probable that the intense radiation from the mines rich in Spirit Stones had violently triggered the awakening within them. Ordinary bodies could not withstand it, and thus some burned to ash or dissolved into water.
More deaths.
More strange occurrences.
The increasing violence of overseers like Qian Lai,
combined with the ever-mounting pressure, plunged the remaining miners into deep anxiety and hopelessness, leaving them perpetually on edge and unable to find peace.
Under such an atmosphere,
Chen Jichuan and Chen Shaohu meticulously concealed themselves, reporting daily to the overseer, Qian Lai, while feigning utter exhaustion.
To call it an act,
truth be told, wasn't entirely accurate.
Chen Shaohu manipulated flames each day. While it didn't consume much physical stamina, it inevitably drained his energy over time, requiring him to rest deeply through the night to recover.
As for Chen Jichuan,
he utilized "Creation·Insight" to locate Spirit Stones and easily found four on the first day.
However, after extracting the easily accessible ones, the remaining Spirit Stones buried deeper made for harder work. Over the next two days, the five Spirit Stones he unearthed demanded breaking through layers of soil and smashing through significant amounts of Iron-repellent Ore.
By the end of a day,
he was completely spent.
But it was through this effort that Chen Jichuan had discovered the immense utility of Source Power.
As of now,
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Chen Jichuan swung the iron shovel with all his might, pushing his body to its absolute limit. His arms and hands ached with fiery pain, and his waist and back throbbed with fatigue.
This sensation—
over six years of mining had already made him intimately familiar with it, so much so that he didn't even blink an eye.
But today was different.
"Huff!"
"Huff!"
Out of breath, his strength utterly depleted, Chen Jichuan collapsed onto the ground. His chest heaved with heavy breaths, but rest was not his priority. Instead, he closed his eyes, his awareness entering the Green Lotus Jade Pendant where his Dao Fruit resided.
"Come!"
"Out!"
With a thought,
several agile, silver threads were summoned forth.
The Source Power followed his intent, spreading through his body into his arms, waist, and back. Letting his mind relax, the silver threads and Source Power, now free, transformed into a soothing coolness, like the soft touch of a lover's hand brushing over him, instantly dispelling all the fatigue.
Chen Jichuan kept his eyes closed, silently savoring the sensation.
A short while later,
he stood up.
Stretching out his arms, twisting his waist, and flexing his back, he felt completely revitalized.
Not only that—
he noticed the muscles in his arms, back, and waist had become more toned and powerful. Optimistically, Chen Jichuan guessed that if this process continued, he might grow exceptionally strong.
But alas,
time was his greatest limitation.
"Huff!"
His strength restored,
his fatigue swept away,
Chen Jichuan cast aside idle thoughts and resumed his labor with full force.
Clink~
The sound rang out.
On the third day, Chen Jichuan extracted his tenth Spirit Stone.
[Source Power: 1024]
A refreshing energy flowed through him.
"It's full!"
Glancing at the updated Source Power bar, Chen Jichuan set down the iron shovel without hesitation and dove straight into his consciousness.
In his mind, the Green Lotus Jade Pendant remained suspended.
Within,
1,024 silver threads danced and shimmered, mesmerizing to behold.
The moment he saw them, a message surged into his mind—
[Would you like to consume 1,000 Source Power to bloom a world?]
1,000 Source Power.
The blossoming of the Green Lotus.
A glimpse into a new world.
Chen Jichuan's heart raced. He had been awaiting this moment for three days, working tirelessly for it.
Having just reported in earlier today,
he now had a full day to explore the otherworld.
Unable to contain his excitement,
he opened his eyes—
and called for Chen Shaohu.
"Fourth Brother!"
Chen Shaohu dismissed his flames with a wave of his hand and jogged over. Over the span of three days, his control of fire had evolved dramatically, from struggling to avoid accidentally speaking flames to manipulating them at will, summoning and extinguishing them in an instant, like a god of fire.
Though he still had a slight hunch and appeared weathered with premature aging,
his spirit and vitality had completely transformed. Were anyone to notice, they would certainly grow suspicious.
Fortunately, the Iron-repellent Ore was covered in foul-smelling black grease. Its stench clung to his body, face, and hair, serving as the perfect disguise. The overseer, Qian Lai, disgusted by the stench, refused to spare even a glance in their direction.
There was no worry of their secret being exposed.
As Chen Shaohu approached Chen Jichuan and saw yet another Spirit Stone in his possession, his face lit up with joy. He eagerly asked, "Fourth Brother, is the set complete?"
"It's complete."
Chen Jichuan nodded.
Hearing this, Chen Shaohu was overjoyed.
When it came to Fourth Brother's "Golden Finger," Chen Shaohu refrained from asking too many questions. Following his brother's earlier warning, he knew that keeping the Golden Finger a secret was paramount. The fewer people who knew, the better. A careless slip could lead to doom.
Thus,
he didn't pry and didn't want to know. In his mind, whatever benefits Fourth Brother had, he would surely share them. Likewise, he would reciprocate in kind. It was only natural.
Though he knew little about the Dao Fruit,
he understood that once Fourth Brother gathered enough Spirit Stones, his consciousness could traverse into another mysterious, unfamiliar world.
Now, hearing that the Spirit Stones were in place,
Chen Shaohu couldn't help but feel both elated and concerned. "Fourth Brother, be careful," he urged.