Sage of Humanity

Taking blood Qi pills could strengthen one's blood Qi energy, and by stimulating the spirit force within the spiritual orifice to refine the blood Qi, one could obtain even more spirit force.

Thanks to the relics left by Manager Yang, this was the only cultivation method available to Lu Ye at the moment.

He had counted them before, a total of two hundred and fifty-three blood Qi pills, not a small number.

Lu Ye had initially thought that so many blood Qi pills would be enough for him, but it was only when he actually began cultivating that he realized these pills might not last for long.

During the first cultivation session, he only refined the efficacy of two blood Qi pills; having never done this before, it took him a long time to get the hang of Essence Refinement-Qi Conversion.

By the second session, he could refine four blood Qi pills, somewhat getting the knack of it.

The third time six pills...

The fourth time ten pills...

The more he cultivated, the faster the blood Qi pills were consumed, because the spirit force in his spiritual orifice was increasing every day.

The more spirit force he had, the more efficient the Essence Refinement-Qi Conversion became, and naturally, the greater the consumption of blood Qi pills.

Lu Ye realized something, these blood Qi pills really weren't such great things; otherwise, it wouldn't make sense for a cultivator who had just succeeded in orifice-opening to consume so much.

Real cultivators probably used specific elixir pills for cultivation, but unfortunately, he didn't recognize them and didn't dare to try them randomly.

In the dimly lit mine tunnel, Lu Ye lost track of time, but when he had consumed all of the blood Qi pills, he knew he had to leave.

It wasn't due to a lack of resources for cultivation, but rather because there was no more food.

After starting Essence Refinement-Qi Conversion, his appetite skyrocketed. Manager Yang had brought quite a lot of food. If he was frugal, it would be enough for two months since he planned to hide here for a long time and had prepared adequately.

Although he couldn't calculate the exact time, Lu Ye estimated that it had been about a dozen days since he started cultivating.

The period of cultivation brought Lu Ye gains that were neither insignificant nor substantial.

The spirit force inside his Root Spiritual Orifice was already full, which meant, in other words, he was qualified to open the next spiritual orifice and cultivate the Golden Cicada Carefree Method.

However, when he tried to open the 2nd Spiritual Orifice following the guidance of the Golden Cicada Carefree Method, he couldn't locate it properly and, not only failed in his cultivation, but also wastefully expended a lot of spirit force.

No wonder he had heard others say that cultivation required guidance from elders; groping his own way through, he couldn't imagine how many detours he would have to take.

So, even though he had used up all the blood Qi pills, he was still just a cultivator who had opened a single orifice.

The injuries on his body had healed and did not hinder his movement.

What troubled Lu Ye a bit was what to do with Manager Yang's storage sack; he was reluctant to leave it here.

This was the lifetime savings of Manager Yang, containing many valuable items. Not to mention other things, the rare minerals alone were quite valuable. Lu Ye, having no family or elder's care in this world and bound to consume a lot of resources for future cultivation, would at least not have to worry about resources for cultivation in the early stages with Manager Yang's relics.

Yet, carrying it with him didn't seem quite right either. In a world where cultivators are driven by greed and killings for wealth are not uncommon, a lone cultivator with a single orifice carrying a precious storage sack could not guarantee that others wouldn't be tempted to harm him for it.

After much deliberation, Lu Ye decided to take the storage sack with him. Riches are often sought amidst danger, and if he missed this opportunity, he might not find such windfall again.

Having made up his mind, Lu Ye returned to the place where he had killed Manager Yang and picked up his mining pick, which was shortened from use.

Since he decided to take the storage sack with him, he naturally couldn't pass up the origin magnetic ore here, as it was very precious.

Swinging the pickaxe, Lu Ye worked up a sweat.

He had been mining for a year and was quite adept at it; moreover, now with the boost of spirit force, his efficiency was many times greater than before.

One piece of origin magnetic ore after another was mined by him and placed into the storage sack.

Only when all the origin magnetic ore was completely harvested did Lu Ye put down the mining pick.

If everything went smoothly, he wouldn't need this object in the future!

He took off his clothes, secured the storage sack close to his body, and then wrapped it with cloth strips. In this manner, unless someone stripped him and searched his body, the existence of the storage sack would not be exposed.

However, Manager Yang's longsword had been taken out in advance because the journey ahead might not be safe. Having a weapon at hand could also be useful in an emergency.

With everything prepared, Lu Ye took a deep breath and started towards the exit, following his memory.

He proceeded with extreme caution, fearing that a cultivator from Evil Moon Valley might suddenly leap out from a dark corner. Therefore, he dared not move too quickly, so as to avoid revealing his whereabouts.

Yet what he feared came to pass. As he rounded a bend in the darkness and entered a mine tunnel, his figure suddenly tensed.

Not far ahead, a silhouette leaned against the rock wall of the mine tunnel, breathing lightly.

The air was still filled with a faint scent of blood…

Lu Ye wanted to retreat, but it was already too late. The person turned his head towards Lu Ye, and the next moment exclaimed in surprise, "Lu Ye?"

Lu Ye's heart immediately tightened. Being recognized in such darkness meant the person was a cultivator, and no doubt one from Evil Moon Valley.

Sure enough, if Manager Yang could think to seek refuge in the mine tunnels, so could the other cultivators from Evil Moon Valley. Right now, who knew how many members of Evil Moon Valley were hiding within these veins.

His mind racing, Lu Ye focused his spirit force in his eyes, finally making out the other person's face clearly.

It was a cultivator named Zhou Cheng who worked in the mine, under the jurisdiction of Manager Yang, and held a lower position and likely a lower cultivation level than Manager Yang.

This Zhou Cheng appeared to be injured; the scent of blood was coming from him.

"Come over here!" Zhou Cheng whispered, beckoning him with a lowered voice.

"Alright!" Lu Ye immediately responded, and began walking towards Zhou Cheng, quickening his pace as he moved closer.

Zhou Cheng instantly sensed something was amiss, mainly because Lu Ye was actually holding a longsword in his hand, prompting him to frown and ask, "Where did you get this sword from?"

The sword was clearly one used by cultivators from Evil Moon Valley. In Lu Ye's hands, it posed a problem.

Without answering, Lu Ye was now only three zhang away from Zhou Cheng.

Zhou Cheng finally sensed Lu Ye's murderous intent, and quickly got to his feet, grinding his teeth and shouting lowly, "I'll slaughter you, you little beast!"

As he spoke, he thrust his longsword towards Lu Ye. The longsword was filled with spirit force, and in the darkness, a faintly dazzling light bloomed.

This strike was devoid of any sophistication; it was merely a matter of infusing the longsword with spirit force to enhance its lethality. Facing Lu Ye, whom he considered a mere mortal, Zhou Cheng naturally felt as though he had the power of life and death.

The last person to think that way was Manager Yang, whose body had already begun to rot.

The sword light rapidly expanded in Lu Ye's field of vision. He fully activated the spirit force within his body, concentrated in his eyes, and the entire world seemed to slow down significantly.

Unlike the surprise attack on Manager Yang using the origin magnetic field, this was Lu Ye's first time facing off against a cultivator head-on. There was no room for hesitation or retreat.

Luckily for him, this cultivator's cultivation level was not high, and he was seriously injured, which was why Lu Ye dared to harbor the intention to kill.

As the longsword was about to make contact, Lu Ye sidestepped and slid through narrowly avoiding it. He immediately followed up with a reverse slash of his own longsword while at the same time, a complex and mysterious pattern flashed along the blade.

Sharpness enhancement!