Qingfeng Elder was relaying Xu Yi's news to Lu Zaiye. On the other side, Xu Yi withdrew her divine sense from the jade slip, her eyes flashing with excitement.
The man was indeed a great artifact refiner, his techniques reaching the pinnacle of perfection.
Although she had witnessed the entire refining process, she had only truly grasped a fraction of it.
Even so, she felt she had gained a great deal from this experience.
More importantly, countless clusters of light floated in the room.
Xu Yi smiled and reached out, touching the second light cluster.
Time flew by unnoticed in the mountains.
After Long Haotian's seventeenth failed escape attempt.
Xu Yi emerged from the room.
She still wore her light green Daoist robe, her eyes exceptionally bright. If one looked closely, one could see a fiery glow within them.
Xu Yi turned around, casting a regretful glance at the room, and performed three disciple bows.
Due to her cultivation limitations, the remaining light clusters turned into scattered specks and vanished after she finished reading the jade slip in the tenth cluster.
She still didn't know the name or origin of the great cultivator, but this didn't stop her from expressing her gratitude.
The great cultivator had generously imparted all his experience. She could feel her own refining skills improving. Now, even without relying on the tribulation of artifacts, she was confident in refining a sixth-tier magic treasure that surpassed her own cultivation level.
After bowing, Xu Yi looked at the puppet. "Esteemed… fellow Daoist, three friends came with me initially. Can you lead me to them?"
The puppet silently stood up from the corner and then led her towards the path of the mine.
Xu Yi's eyes flickered.
Indeed, these puppets were not entirely devoid of consciousness.
Xu Yi had a hunch that the method of refining puppets might be hidden in that room, but unfortunately, her current cultivation was insufficient to comprehend it.
She wondered if she could experience it again when her cultivation advanced in the future.
She recalled the artifact refining master from Zhang Tianbao's ancestry and shook her head, suppressing the thought.
After receiving the great cultivator's teachings, she was certain that Zhang Tianbao's ancestor had also visited the secret realm and received guidance from the great cultivator.
This was because many of his insights overlapped with the great cultivator's refining techniques.
And after achieving some success in artifact refining, the ancestor had still remained in desolate city, unwilling to leave, likely with the same intention as her.
He must have failed, otherwise, Zhang Tianbao's family would not have declined to its current state.
While Xu Yi was lost in thought, the clanging of metal work brought her back. Looking up, she saw three dark figures on the mountainside.
The three did not notice her arrival and were digging with all their might, their movements practiced and skillful.
Xu Yi: ...
She had been wondering where the three from Xuanqing Sect would be assigned, but she never expected them to be sent here to mine, and it looked like they had been here for quite some time.
She was startled.
Could they have been sent here immediately after entering?
That would be too miserable.
The proud disciples of Xuanqing Sect reduced to miners – was this the decline of morality or the distortion of humanity?
Xu Yi felt sympathetic while secretly taking out a recording stone to preserve the moment.
What a precious scene, such a sight would never appear again.
After putting away the recording stone, she waved towards the mine and called out, "Long Haotian, Chen Tao, Wang Yi'an."
The three of them didn't hear her shouts, their heads still bowed, their iron hoes swinging up and down.
Xu Yi cleared her throat twice, this time using her spiritual energy.
"Long Haotian! Chen Tao! Wang Yi'an!"
Her voice drowned out the sound of mining. The actions of Long Haotian and the other two froze, and they looked up at Xu Yi in disbelief.
Xu Yi's smiling face magnified in their eyes.
Chen Tao was the first to drop his iron hoe, shouting with a choked voice, "Senior Sister Xu! Senior Sister Xu is here to save us!"
He also raised his hand to Xu Yi and waved vigorously, "Senior Sister Xu! You're finally here!"
Wang Yi'an's usually calm face also showed a smile of relief.
Finally, they could end this endless mining.
Long Haotian looked at the well-dressed Xu Yi and then at himself, clenching the iron hoe in his hand, a surge of bitterness churning within him.
He had been outdone again.
If only he had known...
Long Haotian was pulled along by Wang Yi'an and Chen Tao.
Xu Yi very considerately gave them time to change their clothes.
When the three, after changing, stood before Xu Yi again, she couldn't help but nod approvingly, "You've trained well."
Chen Tao glanced down at his Daoist robe, bulging with muscles, and grinned proudly, "Right? I only noticed it myself when I was changing."
It turned out that the three of them had unknowingly become much stronger, and a robust aura had emerged from them.
Long Haotian, the most handsome and refined among the three, was also a changed person from before.
Long Haotian's expression was gloomy; he didn't seem cheered by Xu Yi's praise.
Xu Yi didn't mind. After all, being confined and mining for so long, a bit of temper was understandable.
Seeing Long Haotian's cold face, Wang Yi'an took the initiative to speak, "Senior Sister Xu, can we leave now?"
"This… I don't know. Let me ask." Xu Yi looked at the three puppets standing in a line in the corner. "Can we go now?"
The puppet that had been following Xu Yi extended its hand to the other two puppets, took two storage bags from them, and stiffly handed them to Xu Yi. Only after Xu Yi accepted them did it turn and signal them to follow.
Before Xu Yi could examine the contents of the storage bags, she, along with Long Haotian and the other two, followed behind. Finally, they stopped at the courtyard where they had appeared.
Then, the four of them were grabbed by the collars by the puppets and thrown out of the courtyard wall, one by one. When they landed, they found themselves outside the stone gate of the cave.
"We're finally out, we're finally out."
Chen Tao's eyes were filled with tears, and he choked out.
For the first time, he understood how precious freedom was.
Long Haotian and Wang Yi'an had complex expressions.
They had entered the secret realm full of confidence, only to realize how naive and laughable their ideas were.
In the face of absolute power, their talent and background were insignificant.
On the contrary, Xu Yi, whom they had considered the least conspicuous, had thrived in the secret realm, and it was ultimately thanks to her that they could escape.
This was undoubtedly a huge blow to the always proud disciples of Xuanqing Sect.
But perhaps there was a silver lining to their misfortune.
The three had not gained nothing in the secret realm.
Due to the prolonged mining, their control over spiritual energy had reached the point of effortless manipulation. Their internal spiritual energy had become more refined, and any impetuousness had been completely polished away.
Only now could they truly be considered elite disciples.
"This is for you."
Xu Yi offered one of the storage bags to Long Haotian.
Long Haotian did not accept, shaking his head. "This was given to you. We cannot take it."
Xu Yi gave a strange smile and forcibly handed him the storage bag, "Take it. It was rightfully yours anyway."
Long Haotian's eyelids twitched, and he had a vague idea of what was in the storage bag.
Xu Yi smiled and tucked the other storage bag into her waist. So many ores would last her a long time. This trip to the secret realm was truly profitable.