After Sun Jian emptied his storage ring, Su Luo and the others agreed to 'shelter' him temporarily.
"Let's make this clear first. We'll only take you with us. If we encounter danger, you have to hide yourself. If anything happens, we can't help. Also, you can't talk about our trading business, or else..."
Su Luo laid out a series of conditions, all of which Sun Jian agreed to unconditionally.
He had no choice but to agree!
After a short rest, the group continued deeper into the mining area.
Sun Jian felt a pang of unease and really wanted to dissuade them, but ultimately remained silent.
After all, they were from Qingxu Heaven, one of the Six Great Powers, and Li Tianjue was the number one on the Heavenly Talent Ranking. How could his sect, the Heavenly Sword Sect, compare?
Soon, Sun Jian witnessed the awesomeness of Su Luo and the others.
"Senior Brother, this piece looks good... Second Senior Brother, you open this one! Third Senior Brother, Fourth Senior Brother, those few over there also seem to have some material..." Su Luo said as they walked, while Li Tianjue and the others continuously attacked various stones. With each cut, dazzling gemstones were revealed, and the rest of the group busied themselves with extracting them.
The entire process, from prospecting to extraction, was executed with skilled and rapid coordination, leaving Sun Jian dumbfounded.
So, it could be done like this?
The ancient mining area, fraught with peril, had become their treasure-hunting ground. This ease and naturalness were truly befitting the geniuses of Qingxu Heaven. Sun Jian could only watch with envy and jealousy, scavenging for scraps they left behind.
As the team ventured further into the mining area, encountering Minghuo became more frequent.
After advancing for another half hour, gray flames began to emerge from the ground.
The wind turned cold, howling sharply, and the atmosphere around them shifted dramatically, becoming chilling and oppressive. Sun Jian tightly gripped a Clear Heart Jade pendant at his waist. If not for it, he would have lost his mind and gone into a frenzy from the Minghuo's influence.
"Careful, the Minghuo is coming again!" Sun Jian's expression changed, and he loudly warned.
Who knew...
Bang bang bang!
A series of explosions ensued, and Chu Tianshu and the others extinguished more than ten clusters of Minghuo in moments.
It barely caused a ripple.
Sun Jian stood there, stunned for a long time, unable to react.
So, this was the strength of the people from Qingxu Heaven? Was it really that powerful? He, the young master of the Heavenly Sword Sect, was only at the fifth level of the Venerable Realm, yet he felt crushed into dust, utterly ashamed.
Indeed, there was a difference even among geniuses...
Along the way, Su Luo and Li Tianjue and the others continued to prospect and extract stones, and eliminate the emerging Minghuo. Before long, they encountered two contestants who were surrounded by a large area of Minghuo, in a perilous situation.
"Help, help, Young Master Li!"
The two recognized Li Tianjue at first glance, their faces filled with both surprise and joy as they shouted.
The people from Qingxu Heaven remained silent. They stepped forward and eliminated the Minghuo, the sounds of their attacks echoing.
This time, there was quite a lot of Minghuo, no less than forty to fifty clusters. Su Luo finally had an opportunity to experiment. With a flick of her finger, she cast a spell at a cluster of gray Minghuo. The Minghuo flickered, and the flames immediately began to shrink.
It was effective!
Su Luo's heart leaped with joy. She cast another spell, and the Minghuo was completely extinguished.
At the same time, the Divine Eye Mirror displayed information about the Minghuo.
The souls of deceased cultivators, mutated over long periods in special environments, were no longer able to reincarnate and lingered here. They attacked living beings and their own kind nearby, absorbing energy to sustain themselves and prevent dissipation. Evolved Minghuo turned from gray to black. The most powerful Minghuo appeared purple and could easily devour living souls.
Weaknesses: 1. Fear lightning. 2. Gray Minghuo is unstable and easily dissipates when dispersed...
So this was the true nature of Minghuo.
No wonder those who entered the ancient mining area were all affected by them.
To put it plainly, Minghuo were mutated souls, neither beneficial nor harmless, and must be eliminated.
Soon, these Minghuo were wiped out.
Su Luo glanced at her teleportation bead. A number had appeared on it: 4, indicating that she had eliminated four clusters of Minghuo.
Chu Tianshu had already eliminated over thirty clusters, with 35 beads on his teleportation bead. Lu Jixing had 33, and Li Tianjue had the most with 76, while Zhan Li had only 27.
Outer disciples like Qin Yuanshu had eliminated even fewer.
The two rescued contestants expressed their gratitude profusely: "Thank you, Young Master Li. If not for you, we would be finished."
Li Tianjue said indifferently, "No need for thanks."
Just as they were preparing to leave, the two exchanged a glance and tentatively asked, "Wait, Young Master Li, could we... follow you? We could form a team and help each other..."
Even as they spoke, they lacked confidence, unsure who would be helping whom.
Lu Jixing sneered, "How can you say that with a straight face?"
One of them looked at Sun Jian and argued unreasonably, "Isn't this person also not from Qingxu Heaven? Why is he following you?"
Sun Jian: "..."
He hadn't said anything, so why was the blame directed at him?
Su Luo and the others, too lazy to engage, turned to leave.
The two could no longer hold back and quickly caught up, saying, "Wait, Young Master Li, we are sincere. How about we pay you to help us? Consider it protection."
"My surname is Wen. I am Wen Ruchu, the third young master Wen. Have you heard of me?"
A young man with a pale complexion, dressed expensively but appearing somewhat disheveled, said, "I have also long admired Young Master Li of Qingxu Heaven. As long as you are willing to protect me and help me eliminate Minghuo to get me into the top one hundred, I will reward you handsomely."
Chu Tianshu glanced at him up and down and mockingly said, "Third Young Master Wen, you are truly a talent. To do business like this, I admire you!"
Wen Ruchu heard the mockery but paid it no mind, continuing to lick his lips. "Young Master Li, what do you say? Just name your price, and I'll pay whatever it takes. Money is not an issue!"
He had finally reached the finals this time and absolutely could not afford to fail like last time.
As long as he entered the top one hundred on the Heavenly Talent Ranking, he would gain fame and fortune. What was a small sum of money compared to that? So many people didn't have this opportunity, and he didn't want to miss it.
Li Tianjue was about to refuse when Su Luo tugged his sleeve, "Senior Brother!"
Upon seeing Su Luo's expression, Li Tianjue understood.
Su Luo smiled at Wen Ruchu, looking at him like a fat lamb, "Third Young Master Wen, how much money can you offer? This Young Master Sun is also seeking protection from us, and he has already offered a hefty price of fifty million."
Sun Jian: "..."
When did I offer fifty million? It was clearly thirty million!
Wen Ruchu stared at Sun Jian. Good heavens, someone else had acted faster than him and had already set his sights on people from Qingxu Heaven.
"Fifty million is not much. I will offer sixty million!"
The Wen family was one of the four great families of the Northern Underworld Empire. With their vast wealth, sixty million spirit coins was not a significant amount.
Su Luo crossed her arms and said, "We can't guarantee a spot in the top one hundred, but we can guarantee your safety. If we encounter Minghuo, we'll help you kill another hundred. If you agree, fine. If not, then forget it."
Wen Ruchu was overjoyed. If they helped kill a hundred, and he added a little more, it should be enough.
"Okay, deal."
Su Luo immediately asked, "Where's the money?"
Wen Ruchu was stunned. He had to pay immediately?
He quickly rummaged through his storage ring. Fortunately, including all his spirit coins, gems, and other valuable items, he just barely managed to gather enough for eighty million. He immediately handed it over to Su Luo, along with his storage ring, keeping only his positioning bead.
Sun Jian deeply regretted not making some demands himself.
It was too late now.
Having earned another sum so quickly, Su Luo smiled with delight and looked at the other contestant, "What about you?"
The person stammered, "I... I only have a few hundred thousand..."
He was from a small family and had only managed to squeeze into the finals with great difficulty. How could he afford to hire people from Qingxu Heaven?
Su Luo waved her hand, "Then we can't help. Goodbye."