"Brother Yang, why were you so polite to that Steward Niu? That bastard almost had me beaten to death."
On the way back, Zhang Wei couldn't help muttering under his breath, the dissatisfaction in his voice obvious.
Yang Ling smiled. "Xiao Zhang, Steward Niu is actually not a bad person. Having you beaten that day was also his way of telling you that if you don't work hard at mining, you won't survive here."
He had observed Steward Niu during this time and realized that while the man seemed cold on the outside, he was warm-hearted underneath.
Although he turned a blind eye to Old Fifth's actions, he was still willing to exchange copper coins for miners working overtime at night.
Above all, the information he had just given him was extremely important!
"Not bad, my ass."
Zhang Wei grumbled inwardly, though naturally he didn't dare talk back directly.
The next day, Yang Ling didn't enter the mine vein, but instead headed to the southwestern part of the Miner Village.
There was a blacksmith shop here that specialized in crafting mining tools.
"Deducting food and living expenses over this period, I've saved two hundred and forty copper coins. That should be enough..."
Entering the blacksmith shop, clanging sounds rang out continuously.
The tall and burly Blacksmith Wang hammered iron as he spoke:
"What are you buying?"
"Blacksmith Wang, I'd like to buy a Refined Iron Pickaxe."
Yang Ling cupped his hands.
"A Refined Iron Pickaxe? There are only three left. Two hundred wen each. Pick one yourself."
Blacksmith Wang pointed toward the wall.
By the wall hung not only Refined Iron Pickaxes, but also some ordinary weapons.
These were items that only Mine Guards could use.
【Refined Iron Dagger: Agility +1, Attack Power 5】 Price: 1 tael of silver.
【Refined Iron Staff: Strength +1, Attack Power 8】 Price: 1 tael of silver.
...
【Refined Iron Pickaxe: Strength +2, Attack Power 1】 Price: 200 wen.
Yang Ling took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in his heart.
Although he badly wanted a weapon, he knew that given his current situation and wealth, such weapons were out of his reach for now.
The Refined Iron Pickaxe, on the other hand, was quite good.
"According to the attribute description, just holding it will increase my Strength by 2 points."
"That way, I'll have 9 points of Strength. I'll level up faster, and my mining speed will increase a lot too!"
Thinking of this, Yang Ling was just about to pick up this Refined Iron Pickaxe when he subconsciously glanced at the attributes of the other two pickaxes, freezing his hand in place.
"Huh? A Steel Pickaxe? Why does it look identical to the Refined Iron Pickaxe?"
【Steel Pickaxe: Strength +3, Attack Power 8】
"Its Attack Power is the same as the Refined Iron Staff, yet it adds 3 points to Strength... Doesn't that mean it can mine and be used as a weapon?!"
Yang Ling kept his composure, picking up one pickaxe, examining it for a moment, setting it down, and picking up another to inspect.
He repeated this several times.
Blacksmith Wang grew somewhat impatient:
"They're all the same thing. What is there to look at?"
The same thing?
Then they're all two hundred wen?
Yang Ling's heart thudded heavily, and he immediately grabbed the Steel Pickaxe:
"Blacksmith Wang, I'll take this one."
"Two hundred wen. Leave the money, and you can go."
"Alright."
Yang Ling counted out two hundred coins and put them down, then tucked the Steel Pickaxe into his belt and strode away.
Only after walking far from the blacksmith shop and seeing no reaction did Yang Ling let his excitement show.
"What a steal! If there were other players around, reselling this Steel Pickaxe for two taels of silver wouldn't be an exaggeration, right?"
Yang Ling marveled inwardly.
Just then, several figures suddenly loomed over.
"Fifth Brother?"
Yang Ling was slightly startled and hurriedly cupped his hands:
"Is something the matter?"
Fifth Brother grinned. "Of course something is the matter. I heard you've been secretly working overtime lately and mined quite a bit of Pyrocrystal Ore."
How did he know?
Yang Ling was certain he had been very careful every night when leaving, and this fellow usually went off drinking early—how would he have had time to keep tabs on him?
Suddenly, he spotted a familiar face in the crowd.
The person seemed panicked and ducked his head away immediately.
"Zhang Wei..."
Yang Ling's face darkened.
"Never mind how I know. It just proves you didn't take your Fifth Brother's words seriously."
Fifth Brother smirked and called out to the surrounding miners:
"Tell me, is it right or wrong for this guy to mine several extra shichen every day?"
"Of course it's wrong! Yang Ling, you mining extra hours makes it look like you're the only diligent one? What if the rules change one day and demand we hand over at least two liang of Fire Crystal Ore daily? Are you going to make us die along with you then?"
A miner shouted angrily.
"Damn it, where does this brat get so much energy? I'm exhausted after mining less than four shichen a day, but he can mine eight or nine shichen?"
"Every extra liang of Fire Crystal Ore he mines means we might get one liang less in the future. This punk is completely out of line."
Seeing that most miners agreed, Fifth Brother smiled smugly:
"Yang Ling, I gave you fair warning. Today I'll teach you a lesson. Next time I catch you secretly overachieving, you're dead!"
With that, he ordered his lackeys:
"Break one of his arms."
"Break my arm? Isn't that taking my life?! How am I supposed to grind experience then?!"
Yang Ling had wanted to keep a low profile and quietly gain a few levels, but seeing that the other party was out to destroy his livelihood, he flared with rage.
Two thugs beside Fifth Brother stepped in front of Yang Ling, moving to grab him.
Without a word, Yang Ling kicked one straight in the belly.
The first thug couldn't dodge in time and was sent flying over ten feet away.
The second was startled, but before he could react, Yang Ling knocked him down with a single punch!
"So this is the power of 7 points of Strength. That punch of mine probably had the force of a professional boxer."
Yang Ling was secretly thrilled.
Dead silence fell over the area.
Many miners stared at Yang Ling as if looking at a stranger, astonishment in their eyes.
Fifth Brother froze as well; his expression shifted, a trace of gravity entering his eyes.
"How is he so strong...?"
In the crowd, Zhang Wei watched the scene, regret welling up inside him.
He shouldn't have done such a thing in a fit of anger.
"Fifth Brother, we normally mind our own business—I mine my ore, and you do your thing. As long as you don't disrupt my mining, everything is fine. But if anyone dares stand in my way, I'll take their life!"
Yang Ling glared at Fifth Brother, sharpness flashing in his eyes.
At this point, he knew that without establishing Deterrence against them, his future situation would only grow harder.
For now, he had only found mining as a path to level up, and he could not let anything interfere with it!
"You're dead today."
Fifth Brother's face turned grim as he slowly rolled up his sleeves.
Yang Ling instinctively gripped the Steel Pickaxe at his waist.
With Strength immediately boosted by three points, he felt as if all his meridians had been opened, every muscle pulsing with power.
"What are you doing?"
A somber voice suddenly broke out.
Hearing it, Fifth Brother shrank back like a quail.
The miners looked at Supervisor Wu with awe and parted to make way.
Supervisor Wu was middle-aged and escorted by several guards as he walked slowly toward the crowd.
Yang Ling opened the other man's Attribute Panel and glanced at it.
Character: Wu Que
Class: Martial Artist
Strength: 12
Agility: 8
Spirit: 3
Martial Arts: Black Tiger Fist (Proficient)
Martial Artist! This was the goal Yang Ling looked forward to the most.
Since entering 【Divine Realm】, the only Martial Artist he had seen was this Supervisor Wu.
It was just somewhat strange that Supervisor Wu's attributes weren't much higher than those of the Mine Guards.
So he suspected it was because of this Black Tiger Fist that Supervisor Wu Cultivated!
"Brother-in— Supervisor Wu."
Fifth Brother said in a low voice.
Supervisor Wu grunted impassively, his gaze settling on Yang Ling:
"You like mining that much?"
Without hesitation, Yang Ling cupped his hands:
"Supervisor Wu, I believe I'm a natural-born Miner. I even mine in my dreams!"
"Bullshit bootlicker!"
"He can actually say something like that with a straight face!"
The expressions of the miners present changed drastically.
Fifth Brother clenched his fists in fury.
Supervisor Wu suddenly burst into loud laughter:
"Hahaha! I've supervised this Pyrocrystal Ore mine for years, and this is the first time I've met a Miner like you. Very good. Mine your ore well, and if anyone gives you trouble, come find me."
Fifth Brother's face turned utterly dark.
"In another month, important figures from above will inspect several mine veins, and miners from each vein will compete in mining skills. From our side, you'll be the one to go."
Supervisor Wu said nonchalantly.