Chapter Thirty-Four: Another Mine Seized

"Little brother, we have to hurry—looks like Black Wind Cliff is coming to collect the ore."
Sleepyhead jolted awake, quickly saying, "Wait, Black Wind Cliff? Big brother, that's a mighty force. Are you sure offending them is a good idea?"
"Little brother, we've already taken the orchard; grabbing another mine won't make much difference. Now is not the time to back down!"
"As long as we move fast, grab what we can and leave, they won't know a thing."
Sleepyhead was clearly hesitant, but given the circumstances, he had no reason to retreat.
"Alright, big brother, I'm with you!"
"Good, let's go!"
Even at this moment, facing immense risk for such a grand heist, Qin Chuan remained calm and confident.
Black Wind Cliff might be tough to handle, but he was no pushover either.
The Sword and the Bug slipped silently into the depths below. After passing through a gloomy tunnel, the space gradually grew brighter and wider.
"Ding! Discovered Tier Two supreme mutated Frost Iron Spear Lord, excellent quality, level 16."
"Ding! Discovered Tier Two superior mutated Frost Iron Spear Lord, excellent quality, level 15."
"Ding! Discovered Tier Two superior Frost Iron Spear, excellent quality, level 15."
...
"Damn! That level 16 lord is a supreme, and there's a level 15 mutated lord too. This is incredibly rare!"
Qin Chuan was astonished. Before him, a large group of Frost Iron Spears were transporting refined Frost Iron Stones, storing them in preparation for Black Wind Cliff's collection.
"Reporting, Lord! We've found a Frost Jade Pearl!"
"What? Frost Jade Pearl!"
The news instantly sent a shockwave through the crowd.
"Present it!"
"Yes!"
Moments later, two guards brought over a specially crafted jade box.
The level 15 Frost Iron Spear Lord pried open the box with his spear, and the temperature around them dropped sharply, nearly freezing.
"Ding! Discovered Frost Jade Pearl—adds 10% slow effect, 5% freezing chance."
Hearing the system prompt, Qin Chuan was elated. "Damn, it's like this was made for me!"
As he pondered, the level 15 Frost Iron Spear Lord said, "Big brother, it's really a Frost Jade Pearl—this thing is extremely rare!"
"Ah, what a pity. We can't keep it."
The level 16 Frost Iron Spear Lord's tone was filled with regret and helplessness.
"Big brother, why don't you secretly refine it? As long as we keep quiet, Black Wind Cliff will never know."
The level 15 Frost Iron Spear Lord was reluctant to part with the Frost Jade Pearl and pleaded urgently.
At this moment, the level 16 Frost Iron Spear Lord was clearly conflicted. The Frost Jade Pearl was so rare that ten mines might not yield even one.
"Big brother, don't hesitate! Hurry and refine it, or Black Wind Cliff's people will arrive soon!"
"Alright. After all, this mine was ours to begin with—we're just reclaiming what's rightfully ours."

"Exactly, big brother, that's the spirit."
After a moment's hesitation, spurred on by the level 15 lord's urging, the big brother finally succumbed to the Frost Jade Pearl's temptation.
"You all stay alert, I'll go refine it."
The level 15 Frost Iron Spear Lord readily agreed, "Don't worry, big brother."
Qin Chuan watched all this from the shadows, muttering to himself, "Damn, their relationships are complicated! But with you gone, things just got a lot easier for me."
With the departure of the level 16 lord, Qin Chuan immediately devised his next move.
"Heh, all your efforts are for nothing. Everything here is mine!"
Qin Chuan gave Sleepyhead a light tap; the fellow was quick-witted and stealthily followed.
Waiting a bit longer, Qin Chuan seized his chance and unleashed his ultimate among the spears.
Purple light flashed, and a hundred sword shadows descended from above.
"Swish, swish, swish!"
"Ah, ah, ah!"
"Ding! Rage meter full."
The sudden attack caught the Frost Iron Spears completely off guard.
The level 15 Frost Iron Spear Lord was enraged, "Enemy attack!"
"Chirp!"
Just then, a Black Iron Sword shot through the air, striking from an impossible angle.
"Clang! Crack!"
"Ah!"
Qin Chuan dealt a critical blow, inflicting massive damage.
The lord's spear was shattered by the impact, unstoppable in its force.
Frost Iron Spear belonged to the strong offensive category, with extremely high sharpness, and their attacks carried chilling energy—they were formidable weapons among Tier Two.
The spear was twelve feet long, exuding cold, its shaft smooth and tough, a blue spirit orb embedded at the base, and the entire spear glowed faintly green.
"Ding! Critical triggered, knockback effect applied."
"Who are you?!"
In midair, the level 15 Frost Iron Spear Lord cried out in shock.
"Ha, I'm the one here to take your life!"
Qin Chuan wasted no time; his second-stage Swift Strike activated, he slid in for a rapid attack, and within three seconds, he crushed the level 15 lord.
"Ah!"
"Ding! Killed level 15 superior mutated Frost Iron Spear Lord, gained 10,500 experience, bonus 100% for killing above your tier, congratulations, you gained 21,000 experience."
The lord's dying scream stunned everyone, and all the Frost Iron Spears vibrated with a collective hum.
At that moment, Qin Chuan's true form, the Black Iron Sword, hovered half a foot above the ground, radiating a faint purple glow, the air thick with sharpness.
"This... how can this be?"

"Heavens, the second lord was slain!"
"What is the origin of this Black Iron Sword?"
"Purple-grade spirit weapon! He's a purple-grade spirit weapon!"
"Heavens, it's true!"
In the dim cave, some Frost Iron Spears finally noticed the faint purple light.
Rare grade was extremely precious, rarely seen even across the Deer Plains.
From the instant slaughter of over ten guards, to the death of the level 15 lord, and finally the shock of the purple spirit weapon—
All this happened in a matter of seconds, overwhelming every Frost Iron Spear guard with awe and terror.
"Run! Run for your lives!"
At once, the remaining guards forgot all about Black Wind Cliff and raced for the exit.
But Qin Chuan would not let them go so easily; they were all sources of power and experience!
"Stay!"
With the three-second limit of Swift Strike ending, Qin Chuan darted to the tunnel entrance, and the fleeing Frost Iron Spears became easy prey.
"Ah, ah, ah!"
Like a tiger among sheep, Qin Chuan unleashed a frenzy of slaughter.
"Ding! Killed level 15 Frost Iron Spear, gained 650 experience, bonus 100% for killing above your tier, congratulations, you gained 1,300 experience."
...
After finishing off all the guards, Qin Chuan chuckled to himself, "One man holds the pass, ten thousand cannot break through!"
"Devour the source!"
"Ding! Devour successful, gained 1,500 evolution points."
"Ding! Devour successful, gained 150 evolution points."
...
Pure energy continuously flooded into his spirit core, and Qin Chuan closed his eyes in satisfaction.
"Same-type source is exquisite—so pure."
He felt his chances of quality improvement had noticeably increased, though the odds were still frustratingly low.
"Over a hundred kills this round, plus a huge haul of refined Frost Iron Stones—truly a bountiful harvest."
Qin Chuan happily checked his attribute panel.
Evolution points: 133,450 / 204,800
Experience: 941,400 / 1,638,400
Rage: 20 / 100