"The Mine" was no ordinary place. It was a massive underground cavern where the walls were a deep purple hue. The rocks here were so tough that not even a 'Super Weapon' from the old world (Sanctuary) could scratch them.
Vikram held a black pickaxe in his hand. He had been trying to break the rock for the past four hours, but so far, he had only managed to fill a small basket.
"Good heavens! Is this stone or iron?" Vikram thought, wiping his sweat. His hands had gone completely numb.
A local laborer standing nearby, who looked quite old, was breaking large boulders with great ease. With every strike he made, the rock shattered like butter.
Vikram understood that mere physical strength was not enough. "If I want to survive here, I have to use my 'energy'."
He closed his eyes and attempted to activate his most trusted technique, the 'Dongxuan Sutra'.
As soon as he started the flow of energy inside his body, he felt a jolt. In the old world, his energy flowed like water, but the 'Origin Energy' here was heavy and viscous, like mercury. His veins began to ache.
"Warning: Energy density is too high. Old Meridians cannot handle it," the System warned.
Vikram didn't stop. He realized the problem wasn't with the technique, but with his method.
"The function of the Dongxuan Sutra is to understand the rhythm of the universe," he contemplated inwardly. "I am trying to force this heavy energy to flow through old channels. I shouldn't try to make it flow; I need to compress it."
Vikram changed the rhythm of his breathing. Instead of circulating the energy through his whole body, he focused it solely on his wrist and the tip of the pickaxe. He utilized the part of the Dongxuan Sutra that could perceive the weaknesses of an enemy.
Slowly, the world before his eyes began to change. The purple rock no longer looked like just stone to him; he began to see fine lines of energy flowing within the rock. He spotted a specific point where the rock's structure was weakest.
"There!"
A strange glint appeared in Vikram's eyes. He lifted the pickaxe. This time, he didn't use brute strength; instead, he spun the 'Origin Energy' like a drill at the tip of the pickaxe.
Clang!!!
A loud sound echoed. The rock he had been struggling with for hours cracked like a spiderweb in a single blow and crumbled into large chunks.
Some laborers working nearby looked at him in shock.
Vikram looked at his fist. "It worked. The Dongxuan Sutra hasn't become useless... it is evolving."
He noticed something glowing amidst the fallen stones. Lying between the rocks was a thumb-sized, blue pulsating crystal.
As soon as he picked it up, the System's voice echoed again:
[Low-Grade Origin Stone obtained.]
[New technique detected: 'Heavy Energy Manipulation'. Dongxuan Sutra Optimization 1% complete.]
Vikram smiled. He hadn't just broken a stone; he had found a way to regain his power in this new world.
But just then, a heavy hand landed on his back.
"Oh, new boy," a raspy voice spoke. It was the Mine Supervisor, a giant man with one eye made of stone. He looked at the glowing blue stone in Vikram's hand. "Looks like you found something precious. Hand it over to be deposited here... or do you know what the rules say?"
Vikram's grip tightened on his pickaxe. He knew he wasn't in any condition to fight this supervisor yet, but he wasn't about to give up his hard-earned gains that easily either.
Author Note: "If you like the story, please vote with Power Stones! It helps me write faster."