Eternal Cultivation of Alchemy

Han Mengli heard there were other slave quarters meant for other tasks, but he never got to see them.

His time was strictly spent in the skysteel mine, reaching his quota every day. After the first day, things had become a little easier. He had gotten more used to mining and needed less effort.

He also began finding spots closer to the opening so he would have to spend less time carrying the ores out to the open. When he did that, usually, someone else would take over his spot.

Han Mengli was far too weak to fight anyone doing so, so he moved to another spot and continued.

Throughout his days, he saw the blond-haired man from the first day coming out from the deep end of the cave later in the day than everyone else. Still, he managed to carry over a hundred kilograms each time, so he needn't worry about the quota.

Han Mengli could imagine the ores were easier to find down in the caves where most didn't visit. He wondered if it took less time to gather them. He tried speaking to the blond-haired young man a few times, but the man liked to keep to himself.

Still, after much questioning, the man opened up enough to make some vague explanation about the quality of ores deep down in the mine, deeper than even where Han Mengli had first mined. He spoke of the soil there being weaker, making mining easier.

Han Mengli didn't think he could go that far down though, especially since getting there alone took half an hour. He would rather stay closer to the mouth.

Days soon turned to weeks, which turned to months and then years.

The last time Han Mengli had thought about his age, he had been thirty. After that, the days merged together so much that he could not continue counting them.

Over a decade should have passed since then. The ambient Qi his body absorbed down in the mines kept him from aging, but it did nothing else, as he quickly used it up while mining.

He had gotten used to the slave life that was full of only three tasks: eat, sleep, and mine.

Over the course of the years, Han Mengli saw the people disappear from the slave houses. Those that were old or frail were killed. But those that were strong also seemed to go missing.

Sometime later, the blond-haired young man disappeared as well.

Most thought they were killed, but some believed they were moved over to a different slave house. As for why, there were far too many possibilities for them to consider. Their own situation wasn't good enough for them to worry about others.

Han Mengli continued mining the same way, now consistently gathering the ores on time. He was even a little faster, but not enough for it to make much of a difference.

The mine began to dry up on ores, requiring more of the soil to be dug through to reach the metal veins. Han Mengli's arms wouldn't allow him such a luxury.

While his torn bicep had healed, it had left a cavity in his arm through which he sometimes even felt the bones. Without a pill, he was forced to keep the wound.

The demons certainly didn't think the slaves worth spending healing medicine on, even though it would only be a simple True Realm pill. But then, he had also heard that demons didn't have pills.

Realizing the quandary he had come upon, Han Mengli decided that what he really needed to do instead of digging through these walls was to go to the bottom of the mine where the blond-haired young man had told him about.

People had begun going deep after the ores dried up, but Han Mengli went even deeper. If the soil was as loose as he had been told, the wasted time would be worth it.

After a long travel, Han Mengli came upon a quiet place where the mine seemed to end. He realized that it must have been that young man who had dug all this way here.

A peculiar feeling came upon Han Mengli, but he ignored it, starting his task. He struck at the walls of the mine, beginning his mining, when he realized something horrible.

The walls were much, much tougher than what they were above.

He didn't want to believe it at first, but as he switched the walls, he quickly realized that he had been lied to. The soil wasn't soft here—far from it. It was the hardest thing there was.

Had he thought about how much soil and stone were above this place, he might have considered as much. But he had trusted the man he thought to be his friend without any doubt, and now he was going to die.

As panic flared, Han Mengli thought of returning up the mine, but even if he did that, he would have to go back a long way before he reached any location that was worth mining.

Not having any other option, he began, hoping to make it through in time somehow. At the very least, the ores were visible on these walls, so he didn't have to worry about finding them.

Han Mengli began mining them, doing so very slowly as the hard soil was difficult to knock away. It took him a while to get the first piece of ore, and he continued with the second.

If he stopped to think about what was going to happen, he might just end up crying.

Han Mengli continued for some more time, picking away at the segmented metal ores, making them fall piece by piece onto his sack.

And then, as he tore away another piece, light suddenly surrounded him.

Han Mengli shielded his eyes from the light, waiting for a moment to let his eyes adapt to the brightness. When the brightness lessened, he lowered his arm to see what it was that made the light.

When he did, his eyes went wide in shock.