Evan Chen wasn't afraid.
He bowed to the young man, as usual, and said, "Steward Wang, I noticed this black stone is quite round and wanted to take it back to play with. Is that alright?"
The young man surnamed Wang stretched out his hand and lightly grabbed the stone, which then fell into his hand.
Evan's heart began to race.
This was a treasure he had dug up himself. Was he really going to let this guy take it away just like that?
Fortunately, the young man named Wang used his Immortal Power to scan the stone. In his perception, it was just an ordinary stone, with no Immortal Energy contained within.
"Hmph." The young man surnamed Wang glared at Evan and tossed the stone back at his chest.
"Don't let this happen again."
Evan remained calm on the surface, bending down to pick up the stone, but inside, he was overjoyed and repeatedly agreed.
After the inspection was over, everyone gradually left the mining area.
There were countless miners in the Immortal World, most of whom worked for a month and rested for a month, taking turns.
This was because the amethyst mines deep underground were usually accompanied by toxic miasma, and no one could endure working there year-round.
Ordinary miners needed a month to expel the toxins from their bodies before they could continue working.
***
As they walked out of the mining area, the sunlight was blinding, and the surroundings were desolate.
Every time this happened, Evan felt lost.
With no fixed place to stay, he didn't know where to go after leaving the mining area.
"I wonder if this is a real cross-realm stone, or if some jerk is playing a trick on me," Evan thought to himself.
Then, he shook his head and murmured, "I dug this stone out from the deepest part of the mine, where no one had been before. It's unlikely someone is messing with me. I'll find a secluded place to test it later."
"Hey, what are you daydreaming about?" At this moment, James Li's voice came through.
Evan turned around and smiled sheepishly, "I don't have anywhere to go, so I thought I'd stay here a bit longer. By the way, Big Brother Li, where are you heading later? Doing breathing exercises to expel toxins or taking on some odd jobs?"
During this month of rest, some went home to reunite with their families, some focused on expelling toxins and cultivating, and others took the opportunity to do odd jobs to earn a few more Immortal Crystals.
James swaggered over and said, "I'm not a beast of burden. Why would I do odd jobs? I'm going drinking!"
Hearing this, Evan, who wanted to gather more information about the Lower Realm, said, "I'll treat you then, if Big Brother Li doesn't mind."
James gave Evan a strange look, "What's your angle, kid? Why are you treating me to a drink for no reason?"
Evan chuckled, "I haven't heard enough about your glorious exploits in the Lower Realm. I want to hear more stories."
James understood. This naive kid probably wanted to hear stories about beauties like Third Mistress Hu and Emily Lin. He was just lamenting not having a drinking buddy, and now someone was willing to pay for the drinks. Why not?
"Let's go!"
James agreed readily.
The two of them walked together to a small tavern outside the mining area.
With the food and drinks ready, James downed three large bowls in one go.
"Bah, if anyone dared to serve me this lousy wine in the Lower Realm, I'd skin them alive," James grumbled as he drank.
"It can't be that bad, Big Brother Li. I've heard that the Lower Realm is lacking in Spiritual Energy. No matter how bad this wine is, it can't be worse than Mortal Wine," Evan said, trying to start a conversation.
"You don't know shit," James rolled his eyes at him. "Do you really think the Lower Realm is some godforsaken place? That's only true for low-level cultivators! If you're at the top, you can have the resources of an entire realm at your disposal. Good stuff is rare, but it exists!"
"That's true," Evan nodded, then asked, "Big Brother Li, you must have collected a lot of treasures in the Lower Realm. Can you show me some to broaden my horizons?"
James wasn't worried that Evan had any ill intentions. He was at the Sixth Immortal Realm and had powerful techniques. He wasn't afraid of a kid at the Third Immortal Realm.
However, he didn't agree and explained, "There's nothing worth showing. Anything valuable has already been sold."
Evan's eyes lit up. Things from the Lower Realm could be sold in the Immortal World?
So he probed, "Things from the Lower Realm aren't highly regarded here, right? They can still be sold?"
James tore off a leg of Immortal Goose and took a few big bites, speaking with his mouth full, "Kid, stop looking down on the Lower Realm. Let me tell you, there are dozens of rare alchemy and artifact refining materials in the Immortal World that can be found in the Lower Realm. Those things are worth a lot."
"Sigh, if only I had known back then, I would've brought up tens of thousands of pounds of them. I wouldn't have to suffer like this," James lamented.
Evan was immediately interested and asked, "Really? The Immortal World doesn't have them, but the Lower Realm does? Big Brother Li, tell me more."
"Hey, why are you so stubborn?" Seeing Evan's skeptical look, James slowly said, "For example, Blood Stone Sand, Poison Heart Grass, Wild Ox Horn, Dark Ice Black Water… These things are useless in the Lower Realm, but the Elixir Artifact Immortal Masters in the Upper Realm treat them like treasures. Isn't that strange?"
James rattled off dozens of names like a chant, and Evan memorized them all.
In fact, it wasn't just James. Every Ascendant probably felt a sense of regret when they learned this.
After a few more drinks, James, recalling his years of hardship, felt even more aggrieved.
"If I ever get the chance to return to the Lower Realm, who would want to ascend? Look at this, a plate of lousy food costs an Immortal Crystal. It's daylight robbery! Kid, do you know how much an Immortal Crystal is worth in the Lower Realm?"
"How would I know?"
"Heh," James chuckled bitterly, slowly pulling out an Immortal Crystal, "One Immortal Crystal is enough to buy you a top-tier Spirit Mountain and ten maidservants at the Tribulation Crossing stage or higher. Do you get it now?"
Evan's mind buzzed.
One Immortal Crystal was worth that much!
Over the years, Evan had saved up six thousand five hundred Immortal Crystals. If he took them to the Lower Realm, he'd be richer than an entire realm!
"How can it be worth so much?" Evan found it hard to believe.
"Silly boy. As the saying goes, rarity increases value. Naturally occurring Immortal Crystals in the Lower Realm are extremely rare. Over the ages, they've been scoured by the big shots of the Immortal Realm, almost to extinction. Plus, just ten of these can help a peak-stage cultivator perfectly cross the Heavenly Tribulation and step into the Immortal Realm. Do you think it's worth it?"
James was telling the truth.
Throughout history, countless peak-stage cultivators had perished under the Heavenly Tribulation.
Ten Immortal Crystals equaled a guaranteed Immortal position. It was no wonder they were so valuable.
"Yes, absolutely worth it!"
Understanding the reason, Evan nodded in agreement.
"Actually, none of this matters. It's just a pity for my old flames, like Emily Lin. The experience with them was far better than those women in the Spirit Phoenix Pavilion…"
James, now a bit drunk, began to recount his romantic escapades.
Perhaps because he was drunk, the stories were much more explicit than Evan had expected.
After all, Evan was a young man full of vigor. Listening to these tales made his blood boil and his mind restless.
"Is the Lower Realm really that wonderful?"
As James's voice gradually faded, Evan fell into a series of beautiful fantasies.
Proofreader & Editor:Peter Pan
Leave a Reply