---
Hoes appeared in the hands of ten small black figures, and they immediately began digging into the mine wall in unison.
Clink! Clink! Clink!
Every sound signaled the arrival of a spirit stone!
Meanwhile, Su Zhan wasn't idle.
He sat down cross-legged, took out a pile of spirit stones, and began cultivating.
Half a day later…
"Master!"
Su Zhan was awakened by Xiao Hei.
He checked his storage space and saw that Xiao Hei had successfully mined over 700 low-grade spirit stones, forming a small mountain.
This was the efficiency of ten Mortal Realm second-level Xiao Hei clones!
"Good. The spirit stones are ready."
Absorb!
With each stage of improvement, Su Zhan noticed that his absorption speed had significantly increased. Now, he didn't even need to touch the spirit stones directly. Even from twenty to thirty centimeters away, he could absorb their energy and transfer it into his Black Mark!
The absorption limit was 100 spirit stones at a time, so in just a few moments, the 700 stones melted away like ice under the sun.
"700 down, just 29 more."
The remaining 29 stones vanished in an instant.
At that moment, black smoke appeared out of thin air, and new mining experts emerged!
"They're here!"
Su Zhan's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
But soon, his excitement turned into shock.
"Huh?"
More clones had appeared than expected—six instead of four!
This was both exciting and concerning.
On one hand, the increase meant a massive boost in mining efficiency—an additional 360 spirit stones per day, pushing his total production close to 1,000! His combat power also improved significantly, making him more capable of self-defense and attack.
On the other hand, the increase in clones meant no new abilities at this stage.
"No… Maybe I just haven't discovered it yet," Su Zhan thought.
Determined, he focused his consciousness and checked his abilities.
As expected, his perspective black fog count had reached 16, and his personal storage space had doubled from 2 cubic meters to 4 cubic meters. But other than that, nothing else had changed.
Refusing to accept it, he searched his body for an hour but found no new abilities.
"…Nothing new."
He sighed.
"Does this mean that not only do I need more spirit stones to upgrade, but I also need to go through multiple stages before unlocking a new function?"
If true, the difficulty of unlocking abilities would increase exponentially.
The Clone Space function only required 81 spirit stones.
But the next new function had already cost him nearly 1,000—and counting the 2,187 needed for the next stage, the total investment exceeded 3,000 spirit stones!
"With such a high cost, the new ability better be worth it…"
Luckily, with his increased mining speed, he would reach Stage 7 in just two days!
"This time… don't let me down."
---
Meanwhile…
"Broke through to Mortal Realm Level 2 and transferred to Mining District 18?"
In the exchange room, Zhou Yueshan took a sip of wine after hearing the bald man's report.
As a mine overseer, he was immediately notified when a miner under his command broke through a level.
"Yes, Sir."
The bald man hesitated.
"But what's strange is that Yin Tiancheng offered to transfer Su Zhan to the higher-yield District 9, yet he refused and chose District 18 instead."
The more fertile District 9 meant a 10-30% increase in mining efficiency and a much higher chance of finding natural spirit stones.
With Su Zhan's talent, he was fully qualified to go there.
"Strange progress speed, strange choices…"
Zhou Yueshan's eyes flashed coldly.
"Also, Sir, since you last spoke with him, Su Zhan hasn't exchanged for any spirit stones. After breaking through to Level 2, he went straight to the mining area without stopping.
I'm telling you, something's up with this guy!"
The bald man looked serious.
"Should I investigate?"
Zhou Yueshan narrowed his eyes.
With so many miners coming in daily, he hadn't paid much attention to Su Zhan until now.
"Do it."
"Find out exactly what he's hiding."
"If you uncover anything valuable, report back to me immediately."
"Yes, Sir!"
---
Back at the Mine…
Su Zhan had no idea that he was being watched.
Meanwhile, his sixteen black clones worked tirelessly, mining day and night while he absorbed spirit stones to cultivate.
Two days passed.
"…Why do I keep seeing people wandering around?"
He had noticed several figures lurking nearby, never getting too close but never going away either.
"Are they spying on me?"
Su Zhan frowned.
He had kept a low profile, never causing trouble unless provoked.
Even though he was now Level 2, with sixteen Level 2 clones strong enough to kill a Level 3 fighter, he hadn't gone looking for a fight.
So why was someone watching him?
"Maybe I'm overthinking it…"
He dismissed the thought.
"Master."
Xiao Hei's voice echoed in his mind.
"Spirit stones… ready."
Unlike before, Xiao Hei could now speak in full sentences!
Previously, it could only stutter simple words like "Master, Master" and required luck to communicate. But after reaching Stage 6, it had gained basic speech abilities!
"Perfect."
Su Zhan sneered.
"Whether those spies are watching me or just passing by… when I reach Stage 7, I'll kill them all."
He hated being watched.
Before, he had no choice but to endure it due to his weakness.
But now?
Now, he had the Xiao Hei Army.
If anyone made him unhappy, there was no need for words—only death!
"Start absorbing."
A mountain of spirit stones appeared before him.
Su Zhan extended his right hand, and his Black Mark emitted a greedy black glow, devouring the spirit stones at an even faster pace than before.
His absorption rate had increased to 150 at a time!
---
Outside the mine…
A thin man in a blue satin shirt—a Mortal Realm Level 2 fighter—stood hesitating.
He saw a faint light deep inside the mine.
"…Should I go in and check?"
But he hesitated.
He had encountered Su Zhan before.
That cold, blood-scented aura still haunted him.
They were both Level 2, but something about Su Zhan felt dangerous.
"…Better not risk it."
He quietly backed away.
---
Inside the mine…
"Master, the presence outside has left."
"Smart decision."
Su Zhan smirked.
"Now for the last bit…"
Absorb!
As the final spirit stones turned to energy, a new wave of black smoke appeared.
His heart pounded.
"Please… let this be it."
If the number of clones didn't increase, it meant a new function had unlocked.
But if six more clones appeared, it meant no new ability yet.
"Six… Six… Six!"
His eyes widened in excitement.
Only six black figures emerged.
Finally—a new function had arrived!
Without hesitation, Su Zhan dove into his consciousness.
And then he saw it.
A new clone.
But this one was different.
It looked illusive and transparent, with clearly visible meridians and acupoints.
Sitting cross-legged in his cultivation posture, it resembled a black shadow version of a human meridian specimen.
Su Zhan's eyes narrowed.
"…What the hell is this?"