Mysterious mirror hanging high

The man in front of him was named Liu De, a supervisor of the mine. He had a strict temper. Zhao Tuo, played by Jing Yu, could not afford to offend him, so he could only nod and leave in disgrace.

Jing Yu did not return directly to Zhao Tuo's residence, but instead went to the tavern inside the mine to inquire about the news.

Pushing open the greasy, blackened wooden door, stagnant, hot air mixed with the smell of cheap alcohol and rotten food hit me in the face.

Jing Yu narrowed his eyes - several worm-eaten elm wood tables were piled with leftover food and meat, and sticky wine dripped from the cracks between the tables to the ground, making it almost impossible for people who love cleanliness to stand.

Four or five shirtless body-cultivating monks were gathered in a corner throwing dice, seemingly in the mood for gambling.

But what surprised him was that there were not many monks in the tavern, only about a few dozen people.

According to Zhao Tuo's memory, there are about ten thousand monks mining in this mine, which is actually not a small number. However, there is only one tavern in the entire mine. If it works on a three-shift system, even if not all monks will come here to have a drink during their breaks, there should be at least a few hundred people here.

Moreover, at this time, the miners in the tavern were obviously divided into two groups. One group was smaller, with only about seven or eight people. They gathered together to drink silently, appearing very quiet.

The other group of people looked much more unruly, most of them were shirtless, and were either gambling or making loud noises.

Zhao Tuo's memory was too complicated, and Jing Yu's method of searching his soul was too violent, so that he lost a lot of memories. Seeing this, he was a little confused, but he did not show it. He just went to the counter and asked for a pot of spirit wine.

"Friend Zhao! Here!"

Someone from the smaller group of monks waved at Jing Yu. Jing Yu walked over, sat down in front of the monk, and said:

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, where are the other Daoists who are leaving for work?"

"They all went back to their caves to cultivate... or like you, went out to hunt monsters in the wild."

The cultivator surnamed Zhang shrugged, glanced at the larger group of miners, and said in a rather sarcastic tone, "After all, we all have spiritual roots and hope for the Great Dao. We came here to mine in order to continue our path. Otherwise, why would we be a hundred or a thousand times stronger here if we could just hide away in a small secret realm and enjoy the comforts of our Golden Core cultivation?"

A miner who was gambling heard this and glared at the monk named Zhang. Just as he was about to explode, he was held down by his companion.

The monk surnamed Zhang was not afraid at all and sneered: "Hey... a bunch of short-lived ghosts..."

Jing Yu suddenly realized that the seven or eight people gathered together were cultivators, while the dozens of people were ordinary people?

"I see... This small mine is also divided into two factions. One faction is composed of cultivators with spiritual roots, and the other is composed of mortals who have achieved success in body cultivation?"

"And judging from the current situation, it seems that the number of mortals far exceeds that of monks."

And from the few words of the cultivator named Zhang just now, Jing Yu also keenly realized that perhaps [mining] was not a very low-level job in the fairy world, but might be well-paid... Otherwise, these cultivators would not endure such a harsh environment.

But then he heard the cultivator surnamed Zhang continue to complain, "Alas... the world has changed now. Once Tianwu Immortal Monarch's body-refining method was promoted, a bunch of mortals were able to achieve success in body-refining... Many mortals are now trying to ride on the heads of cultivators like us and shit and piss on us. What do you think of this?"

A cultivator consoled him, "Not really... Although Tianwu Immortal Lord's technique is miraculous, it's not something that anyone can master. Even for a mortal with decent martial arts talent, it's already difficult to cultivate it to the Qi training and foundation building stages."

"The Jindan Body Refiners who can mine in our mines are already the most gifted among mortals. How many are there? It's just that because mortal Body Refiners can only practice a limited number of immortal arts, they flock to the mines, making us cultivators seem weak and isolated."

"Besides...aren't the top few body-refining geniuses in the mortal world now only able to reach the Nascent Soul stage?"

"Besides, even if they refine their bodies to the level of Spiritual Transformation, their lifespan is still only a hundred years. It's useless... We can easily build an immortal foundation and enjoy three hundred years of freedom."

Monk Zhang narrowed his eyes, nodded, and said with a smile, "That's right."

However, at this moment, a cultivator retorted, "You have a typical inferior cultivation mentality."

"Yes, the surge in the number of mortal body cultivators in recent years has indeed impacted the original interests of low-level cultivators. However, in the long run, the establishment of the path of martial arts by the Immortal Lord Tianwu is to open up a new path for all living beings in the world."

The cultivator spoke eloquently, "If the Immortal Lord could truly achieve success in one fell swoop, and the body-refining technique could extend lifespan just like Qi-refining, it would be a great merit for mortals, and it would also provide another path for us cultivators."

"Some cultivators have terrible spiritual roots, but they might be gifted in physical training. Walking on two legs is much better than crashing headfirst into death in Qi training."

The cultivator surnamed Zhang curled his lips and said, "Yao Wu, you have such a heart for the world. Which immortal palace are you currently serving in?"

Everyone laughed, but the cultivator named Yao Wu snorted softly: "Summer insects can't talk about ice."

Among the seven or eight monks, there was only one old man who was drinking silently and did not smile. Monk Zhang seemed to be familiar with him and asked:

"Senior Li, why are you not in a good mood today?"

The old man said sullenly, "Today is the last time I will drink with you fellow Taoists... Tomorrow, I will quit my job at the mine and plan to find a small secret place to spend my remaining years."

All the cultivators were horrified and asked, "So sudden?"

"How can it be sudden? I've been in Golden Elixir Perfection for many years, but I'm not sure about forming a fetus. Now I have another hundred or two hundred years left to live. I'm thinking of enjoying myself and then trying to form a fetus before my life ends."

The old man said, "The immortal stones and spiritual resources gained from mining are not cheap, but it is also hard work. I can't fight any more. After all, I am a Jindan cultivator. If I go into the small secret realm and raise some ordinary low-level cultivators, it will be enough to satisfy my desire to be a local emperor."

The cultivator surnamed Zhang whispered, "After all, this is the sphere of influence of the immortals. Raising mortals in this small secret realm is somewhat taboo... Senior Li, please be careful with your words."

The old man sneered and said, "I'm not as twisted as the demonic cultivators who devise all sorts of methods to torture mortals in this small secret realm. I'm just looking for some servants to serve me... Don't worry, I know what's going on."

Jing Yu just listened quietly without saying much.

When everyone had eaten and drunk their fill and left, Jing Yu returned to Zhao Tuo's cave, sat cross-legged on the cushion and meditated.

"Master, what are you thinking about?"

A slightly flattering voice sounded from Jing Yu's Dantian. It was the spirit of the [Small Demon Refining Pot] in the Dantian, [The Immortal in the Pot], who asked the question.