The two fell into silence for a moment.
Li Chonglou rested his chin on his hand. The only things he could think of, besides the curse power he carried, were his latent abilities.
These two things were what truly set him apart from ordinary people, even without internal energy.
"Can you tell me more about what it feels like?"
Li Chonglou looked at Tian Yi. Tian Yi's expression had shifted from shock to confusion, then to deep thought. It wasn't until Li Chonglou spoke that he seemed to compose himself.
After considering carefully, Tian Yi began, "First, the smell. To give you a simple example, when your condition is at an average to good level, you should smell sweetness in the air."
Li Chonglou found it strange that someone wearing a mask would say the air was sweet.
"Oh, right. Except for here in the Living Grass Garden. The air here always smells foul, extremely foul!"
Li Chonglou didn't interrupt him, allowing him to continue.
"Let's talk about outside. If our condition drops to below average, we'll also smell the foulness in the air. This smell increases as our condition deteriorates!"
Tian Yi made a disgusted face, clearly having experienced it himself.
"As for the sensory experience, at a standard condition level, there's no difference between being above average and being outside the mine. But once you drop below average, you'll feel a pressure, as if something is pressing down on you."
Tian Yi stretched his shoulders and continued with a slight frown. "That feeling is very uncomfortable. Generally, as soon as you feel this pressure, you need to consume Living Grass to improve your condition. Otherwise, as time passes, this pressure will gradually shift from the outside to the inside of your body."
Just speaking about it brought a look of lingering fear to Tian Yi's face.
Li Chonglou frowned slightly and asked, "What exactly does this condition you're referring to mean? How do you perceive its changes?"
Tian Yi shook his head. "I don't know. It seems only the villagers can perceive it. We temporary workers only know that if we feel unwell, our condition has dropped below average."
Tian Yi had mentioned this point during their earlier conversation. Initially, there were no managers in this mine; all the villagers had chosen a captain to manage them.
Before they arrived, Uncle Fei had served in this role.
Their presence was mainly due to the arrival of the islanders. The islanders had sent people to manage things first, and the main bureau, fearing an incident, had arranged for him and several companions to come in.
Of course, at this time, besides them and the islanders, there were also people from Heilinn within the mine.
Tian Yi and his group were naturally wary of the islanders and Heilinn, and at the same time, they had to keep the remaining villagers stable.
After listening, Li Chonglou curiously asked, "How long can you last then?"
"The extreme limit is around fifteen hours. I usually need to replenish with Living Grass every twelve hours, and then wait for the resistance to the Living Grass to pass."
At this point, the question returned to the previous focus.
"Then how did you know I was alright?"
Tian Yi said matter-of-factly, "Although we came in later, we've learned some of the villagers' secret techniques. Where did you learn yours, sneaking in here?"
Li Chonglou was stunned.
"Furthermore, the times I mentioned are after learning the secret techniques. As far as I know, those who haven't learned these can consider themselves lucky if they can last more than two or three hours."
Tian Yi looked at Li Chonglou.
"But you don't seem to be affected at all."
Seeing his look of utter confusion, Li Chonglou didn't say much more, merely replying, "Let's see. Maybe I'm special and will only feel it when the time comes."
Tian Yi pondered this, and it seemed like the only explanation.
He continued to lead the way.
On the side of the first level, Tian Yi led Li Chonglou into a small passage.
As soon as he entered, Li Chonglou noticed the difference.
The exposed rocks in this passage were completely different from those outside. If the rocks outside were normal granite, the ones inside were of a material that did not belong to the ordinary human world.
Black, emanating an aura of spiritual energy!
Li Chonglou stopped and knelt before a protruding black stone.
The touch was cold, and it was incredibly hard; even with his full strength, he couldn't budge it!
He frowned slightly. He hadn't seen this material even in the underground world.
However, the underground world was vast, and he had explored less than one-thousandth of it, so it was possible it existed there.
Tian Yi walked over and said, "We call these Black Stones. Even the hardest drill in the world wouldn't be able to move them an inch."
His tone was very calm, not at all like someone who had discovered a treasure.
As expected, the next moment, Tian Yi added, "It's just a shame that once this thing is removed from its place, it becomes softer than tofu. Even if we mine it, it's useless."
Li Chonglou asked curiously, "Didn't you say that even the hardest drill can't move it? What do you use to break it open?"
Tian Yi smiled. "Something you would never expect."
"Water."
Li Chonglou was stunned.
"Water?"
Tian Yi sighed. "That's right. As long as you use water, you can reduce its hardness in just half a day. If you soak it longer, you could probably split it with an axe."
"What a pity."
Li Chonglou also stood up. Water was too common, meaning its counteragent was easily found. Even a heavy rain could completely neutralize it.
Not to mention, it turned soft as tofu once removed.
After hearing Tian Yi's explanation, Li Chonglou's feeling towards the Black Stone instantly changed from novelty to worthlessness.
But it made sense. Humans had an instinct for profit. If this thing were truly useful, this place wouldn't just be a simple passage.
"Let's go."
Li Chonglou shook his head. Tian Yi wasn't surprised; his own reaction when he first learned about it had been similar.
However, what Tian Yi didn't know was that Li Chonglou's attention wasn't solely focused on its utility.
This so-called special mine gave him a sense of familiarity everywhere.
First, it isolated cultivators, which was very similar to his situation in the Lost Land. Li Chonglou had never told anyone that he hadn't obtained his soul bottle through his own cultivator strength. After entering the treasure land at that time, he had already been afflicted with the curse power, and all his spiritual energy had been sealed.
He could still use internal energy for a period because it was his first time in such a situation. In his panic, Li Chonglou had chosen to force a breakthrough!
As for why his first forced breakthrough had no side effects, he didn't know. Elder An also knew nothing about it.
Then there was the special aura he felt upon entering.
Although not entirely identical, it bore an eighty percent resemblance to the air in the underground world!