"Such a formidable figure, why would the Guiyuan Sect still hold him as a mine slave?" Zuo Qinghui asked with some surprise.

"It is said that when he first came, it was because he offended a major figure in the Guiyuan Sect. Afterward, he made a name for himself in the Combat Arena, and when that person heard about it, he wanted to kill him but was stopped by his own rival. Later on, the rival wanted to take the opportunity to subdue him as a confidant, but was repeatedly hindered by him. Under the mutual checks and balances, the current situation arose," Wulu explained.

"Looking at him, he seems to be an individual cultivator. Will the collar also restrict his cultivation?" Zuo Qinghui asked again.

"There you are mistaken, Fellow Daoist Zuo. This person is a bona fide Magic Practitioner. As for why he looks so tall and robust, that might have something to do with his mixed heritage from the Central Plains people and the Beirong people. Moreover, Body Cultivation is different from us Magic Practitioners — all of our cultivation is within the body. To bind them, other Magic Artifacts must be used; how could a mere collar suffice?" Wulu said with a smile, shaking his head.

"I see," Zuo Qinghui nodded thoughtfully.

While they were talking, on the Combat Arena, Feng Ling also ended his battle with a Fireball Technique that shot into the mouth of a Zizhu Beast.

In the stands of the Combat Arena, the roar of cheers rose like a tide — the mine slaves were all shouting Feng Ling's name, their eyes gleaming with excitement.

Upon hearing the cheers, Feng Ling grasped the corpse of the Zizhu Beast and lifted it above his head, which once again ignited the spectators' emotions.

He reveled in the cheers and praise, looked around, then tossed the corpse of the Zizhu Beast down and left the Combat Arena.

Outside the arena, a 13- or 14-year-old young cultivator was waiting for him. Seeing him return, the young cultivator, sporting a collar around his neck, hurried over impatiently, offering him a jug of water.

Feng Ling nodded to the boy, took the gourd, swished a few sips in his mouth and spat it out, then poured the remaining clean water over himself.

Meanwhile, the young cultivator excitedly began to calculate: "Brother Feng, including today's battle, just five more fights and we'll have saved up enough contribution points. As long as we redeem the mining quota, we will surely get out of here and regain our freedom."

Feng Ling glanced at the boy and shook his head: "You're mistaken; it's not us, but you."

"Eh? Brother Feng, you don't plan to leave? Do you actually want to stay here as a mine slave?" the boy asked, perplexed.

"My situation is complicated and... even if you leave here, you'll still be under the control of the Guiyuan Sect, obligated to follow their orders, luring more cultivators here... Do you really think that's freedom?" Feng Ling said in a low voice.

"But it's still better than being trapped here, having to mine every day, right?" the boy said nonchalantly.

Feng Ling was silent for a moment before suddenly saying, "If that's what you think, then I..."

Before he could finish, he suddenly looked up toward Wulu and Zuo Qinghui walking toward him from the left.

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Feng, how have you been?" Wulu greeted familiarly.

"No one visits a temple without a cause. Fellow Daoist Wu, you're not upstairs serving your guests today and specially came to find me — it must be that you need something, right?" Feng Ling said, looking at Wulu with a light chuckle.

"Fellow Daoist Feng, you misunderstand. I just happened to meet an old friend today and thought to introduce him to you. Here he is, Zuo Qinghui, Fellow Daoist Zuo," Wulu said awkwardly before turning to introduce Zuo Qinghui.

"Fellow Daoist Feng, I've long heard of your reputation," Zuo Qinghui said with a smile, then looked up at the boy next to Feng Ling.

Feng Ling noticed, and immediately said, "Wei Chang has known me for many years; I view him as a brother. There's nothing that needs to be hidden from him."

Hearing this, Zuo Qinghui nodded and no longer concealed his purpose: "I heard that Fellow Daoist Feng has been here in the mines for five or six years now, have you ever thought of leaving this place?"

Feng Ling's pupils constricted, and he turned to Wulu: "Fellow Daoist Wu, I consider you a friend, but what are you implying by bringing someone to test me today?"

Before Wulu could explain, Zuo Qinghui quickly said, "Fellow Daoist Feng, you've misunderstood. My question was genuine. Honestly speaking, I was captured on a mission ordered by my superior, specifically to rescue the mine slaves. This visit was just to use your renown to connect with a few of the mine slave leaders and inform them of the plan."

Feng Ling curled his lip, revealing a faint smile, still looking incredulous.

Zuo Qinghui then calmly moved his lips as though he was employing a sound transmission technique with Feng Ling.

When Feng Ling heard his words, a flash of ferocity crossed his eyes, and he abruptly spoke in an unfriendly tone: "Fellow Daoist Zuo, are you threatening me?"

"It's not a threat; I just want to tell you that if I were a man of the Guiyuan Sect, I would have already revealed your secret and not be standing here asking for your help," Zuo Qinghui shook his head.

Feng Ling's expression darkened, and after pondering for a moment he said, "You're right, but why should I believe you have the capability to rescue us?"

"Fellow Daoist does not need to believe it now since all plans only begin upon the removal of the collars, at which point my superior will also act as the vanguard and lead the charge. You can fully decide whether to join based on the situation then," Zuo Qinghui stated.

"If that's the case, why come to me now? When the riot starts down in the mine and our collars are removed, won't we naturally join the uprising?" Feng Ling said.

"Without someone to oversee the situation, the uprising will be as scattered as sand. Cultivators are human, and humans will instinctively follow. Only if we lead will they organize to fight back together rather than each fleeing for their own lives," Zuo Qinghui replied.

Feng Ling looked at Zuo Qinghui without revealing his stance: "This is a serious matter. Please give me some time to think it over, Fellow Daoist Zuo."

"Of course."

Zuo Qinghui nodded his head and stepped aside, allowing Feng Ling to walk past him, marking the end of any interaction between the two.

But when Wei Chang passed by, he suddenly looked up and said to Zuo Qinghui,

"Don't worry, after I return, I will try to persuade Brother Feng again. Come back here tomorrow, and he will surely agree."

Zuo Qinghui smiled but did not respond.

Later, after Feng Ling and Wei Chang had completely left, Wulu suggested,

"Since we have to wait for his decision, why not let me take you to meet the other leaders first?"

"No need. If we go now, the result would be the same as now. Let's wait until tomorrow. With Feng Ling's support, convincing them will certainly be much easier," Zuo Qinghui shook his head.

"You truly believe Wei Chang will persuade Feng Ling?" Wulu asked curiously.

"No, actually Feng Ling had already agreed. His current refusal is only because he has some personal matters to attend to," Zuo Qinghui said with a mysterious smile.

...

The night deepened, yet Feng Ling was on the bed in a position known as 'Five Hearts Toward Heaven', seemingly immersed in cultivation.

This did not make sense normally, because due to the suppression of the collar, no matter how the mine slaves cultivated, their cultivation would not improve in the slightest.

However, upon closer inspection, it would be clear that Feng Ling's cultivation method was not the same as that of a regular Magic Practitioner.

The spiritual energy drawn from the surroundings wandered through his meridians, but instead of accumulating in the Dantian, it was absorbed by the flesh and blood throughout his body.

Every time he completed a Circulation, he would immediately take out a wooden box from under the bed, extract a brass beetle about the size of a thumb, and swallow it.

The beetle was alive, and emitted a cry of despair when crushed by his teeth, yet Feng Ling remained indifferent, as if what he had consumed was merely an elixir meant for cultivation.

After eating the beetle, Feng Ling would continue to cultivating, repeating the cycle without pause.

Perhaps because he was so focused on cultivating, he did not notice another pair of eyes hiding behind his room's door.

Wei Chang quietly observed Feng Ling's cultivation, his face shifting through expressions of doubt, pity, regret, and resolution.

Eventually, he silently left Feng Ling's doorway and returned to his own room, packed up his belongings, and was about to leave when someone suddenly slapped his shoulder.

Wei Chang's body jolted, and he hurriedly turned around, only to see Feng Ling standing behind him, causing his heart to skip a beat:

"Feng, Brother Feng, why aren't you asleep so late?" he asked with a forced smile.

Feng Ling did not answer, only looked down at Wei Chang from above and slowly said, "Your eyes, they're very similar to my daughter's."

"Is that so, it's an honor..." Wei Chang replied, a bead of cold sweat running down.

"She was about the same age as you, thirteen or fourteen. She had average talent, low cultivation, and a stubborn personality. She couldn't stand the monotony of cultivation, read a few books for leisure, and then dreamed of wandering the martial arts world, becoming some kind of heroine. Whenever I returned from Scatter Alliance missions, she would always be the first to wait at the door to greet me, but as soon as we met, she would start complaining about this and that, criticizing me for my wrongs," Feng Ling reminisced with a tender smile on his face, but to Wei Chang, it seemed like an Evil Ghost was grinning menacingly at him.

"I will never forget the day she died, the despair and resentment that filled her once smiling eyes. From that day on, I swore that I would bring her murderer before her grave and have him cut a thousand times to appease her spirit in heaven."

Feng Ling clenched his fist, "But I'm useless! I'm trash! Even though I found the murderer and was fully prepared, I couldn't kill him, not even die with him. And now I'm trapped in this place called a mine, and I will never get the chance to avenge her."

Wei Chang swallowed hard, trembling as he attempted to ask, "So..."

However, at that moment, Feng Ling grabbed his throat, rendering him unable to make any sound:

"That copper beetle, I discovered it by chance, its effect is similar to that of a body cultivation pill and would allow me to embark on the Body Cultivation path. I didn't want to get involved with others, but from the day I saw you, your eyes reminded me of my daughter. That's why I kept you, cared for you like my own brother, even begged the guards to share their contribution points with you. But you shouldn't have thought about joining the Guiyuan Sect after all my persuasions. For the sake of false freedom, you wanted to be their dog! You even planned to use the information about me eating the copper beetles as a bargaining chip, as a credential to offer to the Guiyuan Sect!"

Wei Chang struggled desperately, his eyes filled with terror, his hands frantically clawing at Feng Ling's arms, his nails even piercing the flesh, leaving several scratch marks.

"You are smart, knowing you still need to rely on me for contribution points, revealing it so early wouldn't bring the greatest benefit. Today, the words of the one surnamed Zuo showed you further possibilities, and you finally took action. Unfortunately, even if Zuo didn't come today, I was already planning to deal with you because, you see, your eyes are too similar to my daughter's. The thought of you, with those eyes, joining the Guiyuan Sect made me nauseous!" Feng Ling growled in a low voice, his arm suddenly exerting force and easily snapping Wei Chang's neck.

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