For cultivators at the first level of Qi Refinement, they had to pay at least ten low-grade spirit stones each day to leave the mine. For those at the second level, it was twenty spirit stones, and so on for higher levels.

Because Qin Shu and He Xin were young and hadn't had their cultivation levels assessed, the dark-faced overseer automatically recorded them as being at the first level of Qi Refinement. This was quite the advantage for Qin Shu, who was actually at the third level.

She could use the spirit stones saved to cover He Xin's share, allowing her to focus on cultivating.

He Xin was already on the verge of breaking through to the second level of Qi Refinement, and achieving that in this environment could be a great opportunity for her.

After glancing at He Xin, who was sitting cross-legged and diligently cultivating, Qin Shu moved a little farther away to avoid disturbing her with the sound of mining.

Placing her hand on the stone wall, Qin Shu used her spiritual energy to sense the mine. Suddenly, she felt something unusual and focused her gaze on a nearby section of the wall.

The spiritual energy here was unusually dense, likely indicating the presence of high-grade spirit stones.

If she could find a single top-grade spirit stone, it would be an incredible windfall.

When they had entered the mine earlier, the formation used by the Zhong family to detect items hadn't detected the jade pendant on Qin Shu. This had genuinely surprised her.

According to Senior Sister Shu Ying, her jade pendant was a low-grade spiritual artifact at best. She hadn't expected it to evade detection.

Still, this worked out perfectly—she now had a secure place to store any extra spirit stones she mined.

Rubbing her hands together in excitement, Qin Shu picked her spot and began digging with her small iron pickaxe.

The hard rock felt as soft as tofu under her spiritual energy-imbued pickaxe, and she easily chipped away large chunks of stone.

After seven or eight swings, her pickaxe struck something much harder.

Based on her experience mining spirit stones, Qin Shu guessed her intuition had been correct—there was indeed a spirit stone below.

Judging by the density of the surrounding spiritual energy, it was likely at least a mid-grade stone.

Excited by the thought, Qin Shu redoubled her efforts.

After clearing away the surrounding rock, the spirit stone finally revealed itself.

It was about the size of a fist and radiated an exceptionally pure luster. It was even more pristine than the high-grade spirit stones Qin Shu had seen in the Nirvana Pavilion.

Her heart raced. This was likely a top-grade spirit stone.

Judging by its size, it could be cut into six or seven standard-sized pieces. With a flick of her wrist, Qin Shu stored the spirit stone in her jade pendant.

Motivated by her success, she continued digging with even greater enthusiasm. However, she didn't find any more high-grade stones, uncovering only three mid-grade and about twenty low-grade spirit stones.

When her spiritual energy ran out, she simply took a pill to replenish it. Low-grade spiritual recovery pills were practically worthless in their Dan Sect, after all.

While Qin Shu was busy mining, He Xin finished her cultivation session. She picked up her small pickaxe and joined in.

Hearing the sound of mining behind her, Qin Shu turned her head and asked, "Why did you stop cultivating?"

Without stopping her mining, He Xin grinned and replied, "If I break through, I'll have to pay twenty spirit stones a day. It's not worth it."

Qin Shu couldn't help but laugh. "Smart thinking! I'm impressed."

He Xin had decided to mine for ten days before breaking through, so she could save on spirit stones.

However, just as she unearthed a mid-grade spirit stone and was about to show it off, a dark shadow darted out and swallowed it whole.

Startled, He Xin let out a scream.

Immediately, the sound of footsteps echoed through the tunnel.

Qin Shu paused her work and looked up to see three people approaching.

The leader of the group was a young man with delicate features. When he saw the two girls, a hint of disdain flashed across his face.

"Have you two seen a Frostflame Hide Rat?" he asked.

Before he could finish his question, He Xin exploded in frustration. "What rat? That thing was as big as a spirit hound!"

The three exchanged glances before asking, "Do you know which way it went?"

The mine was a maze of intersecting tunnels, making the search difficult.

Still shaken, He Xin patted her chest and pointed in the direction the creature had fled. "It stole my spirit stone and ran that way."

The group clasped their hands in thanks before continuing their pursuit.

Watching them disappear down the tunnel, He Xin turned back to find Qin Shu studying a jade slip.

"Frostflame Hide Rat, a second-tier demonic beast known for its picky diet. It only eats spirit stones of mid-grade or higher and has a pouch in its stomach to store food."

Hearing this, He Xin's fear vanished, replaced by excitement. Her eyes sparkled as she exclaimed, "Isn't that a moving treasure trove?!"

Qin Shu nodded. "You could say that. But we can't catch up to it, let alone defeat it, so forget about it."

Resigned, He Xin sighed and returned to her mining. But after just two swings of her pickaxe, she heard a noise coming from the stone wall beside her.

A rock loosened and fell away, revealing a dark head with glowing red eyes peering through the hole.

"Sister! There's... there's a demonic beast!"

Qin Shu recognized the creature's aura as similar to the earlier rat. It seemed even these little beasts knew to pick the weaker targets.

The rat bared its sharp teeth and turned its gaze to Qin Shu.

A sense of unprecedented danger surged through her. She drew her white jade sword, infused it with spiritual energy, and assumed a defensive stance.

The next moment, the rat lunged at her with incredible speed, leaving a trail of afterimages in its wake.

With her back against the wall, Qin Shu raised her sword to parry.

The rat's target was clear—it was aiming for the jade pendant around her neck, likely attracted by the residual scent of the top-grade spirit stone.

Failing several times to land a hit, the rat grew visibly frustrated.

It suddenly stopped, its fur standing on end, before launching a flaming blade at her.

Qin Shu dodged, but the rat took the opportunity to lunge again.

She instinctively blocked, and its teeth clamped down on the middle of her sword.

A sharp "crack" echoed through the tunnel.

Qin Shu's heart sank. She glanced down to see her white jade sword split in two.

She was stunned. Eight spirit stones for this sword, and it broke at a critical moment?

But the next development was even more surprising.

Before her eyes, the broken sword transformed into a translucent amethyst blade.

She caught the sword with her left hand, though she wasn't used to wielding it that way. If only the sword were a bit longer, it would be easier to defend herself.

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, the blade extended by three inches.

Qin Shu grinned. "Good job!"

Meanwhile, He Xin watched the intense battle in shock. The movements were so fast she couldn't even keep track. Even if she wanted to help, there was nothing she could do.

When Qin Shu had bought the sword, she said she wanted to practice swordsmanship. At the time, He Xin thought it was a joke.

But now, it seemed she had made the right choice.

Otherwise, as two alchemists facing a second-tier demonic beast, they would have surely perished.