Qin Tian gripped the piece of Divine Source. A single jin of Divine Source was enough to cost someone their life—let alone Divine Source, and not a small amount either. A full hundred jin.
Though he'd just watched someone get strung up and beaten to death for hoarding Source at the entrance, Qin Tian still decided not to surrender this piece.
Such precious Divine Source was enough to cultivate his Wheel and Sea Realm to Perfection, even to break through the Heavenly Palace and step into the Dao Palace, cultivating each of the five Dao Palaces to completion with plenty to spare.
After all, Qin Tian only had a mortal body—not a Desolate Antiquity Saint Physique, those Source-devouring gluttons.
Ordinary cultivators consumed merely a thousand jin of Source from Wheel and Sea to Dao Palace Perfection.
Most crucially, as a reincarnator, he possessed a modest cheat.
With it, Qin Tian had confidence he wouldn't be detected by that Shimmering Light Ancient Mirror outside.
He closed his eyes. Opened them.
A pair of unique spirit pupils manifested.
It seemed that during his transmigration, his soul had brushed against a trace of spacetime light, which manifested physically as a pair of divine pupils.
Dual pupils capable of releasing spacetime light, constructing a small Spacetime Realm, hidden within mustard seeds and flowing years.
This was where he stored his Source stones.
Qin Tian's eyes blazed with unprecedented radiance. What had been merely pretty eyes now erupted with light like mirrors, reflecting every color in the world.
An ancient, profound aura emanated from his pupils, connecting to the light of ages, exuding an indescribable Great Dao presence.
This terrifying presence made one's soul tremble involuntarily.
Qin Tian gradually increased his divine power output. Two beams of silver light shot from his eyes.
Time and space intertwined. The radiance of years and the light of space intertwined, and a spacetime rift immediately manifested, expanding into a distorted vortex.
The ancient, profound aura instantly intensified several-fold. Qin Tian sent the Divine Source into the Spacetime Realm.
Within that realm, piles upon piles of Source stones lay arranged. Divine brilliance pierced the heavens—Exotic Source was plentiful among them.
Even Divine Source appeared in two pieces, human-head-sized, so brilliant one couldn't open their eyes, like suns suspended in the void, dazzling and heart-stirring.
Alarming—a mere mine slave possessed such wealth.
An entire vein might not yield a single square of Divine Source!
If the Shimmering Light Holy Land learned someone was stealing Divine Source right under their noses, they'd flay Qin Tian alive and pull his tendons.
After storing this piece of Divine Source, Qin Tian sensed his opportunities again. The restless urge was gone.
Satisfied, he departed to continue today's mining life.
Viewed purely as work, the mine slave identity wasn't particularly grueling.
Nine to five. Eight hours daily. The only drawback was the shift rotation.
As long as one didn't violate rules, the Shimmering Light Holy Land didn't slaughter innocents indiscriminately.
After all, mine slaves weren't beasts of burden. They didn't pay for their own medical care or coffee.
When slaves tired, when slaves died—the loss was the Holy Land's.
So treatment was decent. No working to death. Buying slaves cost Source too.
Of course, once rules were broken, the Holy Land didn't mind replacing the batch.
Three-shift rotation was the optimal system the Shimmering Light Holy Land had developed over tens of thousands of years.
A cultivator slave typically worked around two centuries. Eight hours daily.
Compared to eighteen-hour death marches lasting three or four decades before expiration, the cost-efficiency was far superior.
Granting slaves cultivation time not only extended their mining lifespan but allowed selection of superior candidates to replenish the Knight Order ranks.
All of this, however, depended on mining sufficient Source by weight.
Insufficient output meant overtime.
And Qin Tian's luck happened to be good enough that during his eight hours, he'd already met today's quota. No overtime needed.
Just as he prepared to exit the mine, a crowd blocked his path.
Around him were fellow slaves like himself, having dug enough Source and heading to the surface to rest.
Mining was exhausting work. Source was wrapped in earth vein qi. Extracting it from the veins required tremendous effort even from cultivators.
Now the exit was jammed, the gate blocked.
The lead thug blustered: "Hey, hey, hey! Everyone hold up!"
"Let us masters inspect first, check for any damaged Source stones."
"We'll do you the kindness of picking them out, so you don't dirty the eyes of the Shimmering Light Holy Land nobles."
With that, he pocketed an exceptionally pure piece of Source into his own basket.
Qin Tian frowned and asked: "Who are they? So arrogant?"
An old man beside him said: "Heard they're from the neighboring vein. Spring of Life Realm great cultivators already. Not to be trifled with."
Where people gathered, rivers and lakes formed. Where rivers and lakes formed, conflict followed. Even among mine slaves. Protection rackets were common enough.
"Nobody dares provoke them?" Qin Tian's frown deepened.
"Who would dare!" The old man shook his head.
"Once you bridge the Divine Bridge and ascend to Paramita, you escape the slave identity. Become Shimmering Light Holy Land Knight candidates." The old man's face showed naked envy.
Qin Tian raised an eyebrow: "So... they're seizing quality Source stones to boost their points?"
The Shimmering Light Holy Land had endured nearly two hundred thousand years on Northern Dipper through strict talent promotion procedures, ensuring fresh blood always flowed in. With an Extreme Dao Imperial Weapon in hand, they could deter any outsider with ill intentions.
Even slaves could advance. Sufficient cultivation and contributions meant escaping servitude.
And the mines offered slaves cultivation methods through the points system.
Enough Source mined earned points. Accumulate enough, and one could enter the Library Pavilion to select scriptures or secret methods.
Trash to the Holy Land, perhaps. But to cultivators who hadn't even completed the Wheel and Sea, it was heaven-sent fortune.
Not every rogue cultivator could be like Ye Hei, casually obtaining Emperor Scriptures to cultivate.
Even scriptures compiled by Supremes were excellent for rogues.
And anyone who could ascend to the Wheel and Sea under such grueling labor was no small talent—worth absorbing into the Holy Land as an outer sect Knight.
In the original story, Wheel and Sea and Dao Palace cultivators were nameless ants.
But in reality, Wheel and Sea cultivators held considerable status in the Shimmering Light Holy Land. Deployed externally, they'd be gate lords of minor caves, commanding tens of thousands of lives. Dao Palace cultivators could dominate entire kingdoms.
After all, a mob of sub-Supreme cultivators dared assault the Verdant Emperor Tomb. One could imagine how declined Northern Dipper had become.
Source stone seizure—the Holy Land didn't care who brought it out. It all went to them anyway.
Watching the thugs lined up, inspecting stones one by one.
Any sufficiently high-quality Source was taken. But they didn't dare take too much—just one piece, to avoid inciting mass rage. So many people, even Spring of Life Realm cultivators would be overwhelmed.
"Don't act rash!"
"Endure it. That's a Spring of Life Realm expert." The old man blocked Qin Tian, glancing with extreme apprehension at the lounging thug surrounded by his crowd. The man seemed to sense the gaze, sweeping a vicious glare before lowering his head to continue counting Source.
He didn't even dare meet that thug's eyes.
Though Qin Tian had stored all valuable Source in his Spacetime Realm—endure it?
The old man beside him kept advising: "They have numbers. You can't beat them."
"Heard they have a boss too, just one step from ascending to Paramita. Just one piece of Source, gone is gone. Young man, learn carefully—this is the way to survive." He chattered endlessly.
But Qin Tian wasn't listening anymore. Before, he could endure. Now was different.
"I became a mine slave because my sect lost, was destroyed, and I was sold as a slave."
He thought viciously: "The strong devour the weak. My predecessors lost. I accept that."
"I endured these years not merely to live."
"I always wanted to escape. I wanted... revenge!"
"Revenge against those bandits, those great bandits!"
"Now... the time for patience nears its end."
After lying low all these years, his ritual was approaching completion, his fortune considerably condensed, his Dual Pupils of Spacetime mastered—he could afford to be slightly conspicuous now. Test the attitude of those controlling the Source mines, then judge how to proceed.
Qin Tian walked out silently.
As expected, someone blocked him.
"Hey, hey, hey!"
A short man swaggered over: "You want to—whoa!"
BOOM!
A deafening crash echoed through the mine tunnel.
***
Read to Chapter 20 now on pat reon slash wujiang.