The old man had absolute faith in Evan’s words. If it were anyone else, he’d never believe them—after all, Evan was the reincarnation of Frostbane God‑Venerable, once a top powerhouse of the God Realm. Having such heaven‑defying talent was only natural.
"Young master, what are your plans next? Is there anything I can do to help you?" the old man asked.
"Little Lee, I don’t really have any big plans for now. My cultivation realm is still way too weak—there’s a lot I can only dream about. Right now, the most important thing is to get stronger. I’ll stay in All‑Stars City for a while, and once I break through to the God‑Lord Realm, I’ll head out to temper myself."
"What’s the deal with the City Lord’s Mansion’s mine? Do they extract God Stones or Violet Cloud Crystals?" Evan asked.
"They mine Violet Cloud Crystals. The mine isn’t very big—mostly mid‑grade and low‑grade crystals, with upper‑grade ones appearing rarely. As for top‑grade, we’ve never seen any. Soon I’ll take you around the City Lord’s Mansion so everyone knows you’re my personal attendant. That way, you’ll have much more freedom to move around the compound."
"The City Lord rarely handles daily affairs, and his temper is extremely eccentric. He’s already at early‑stage God‑Emperor Realm, so you absolutely must not offend him—otherwise, the consequences will be unimaginable," the old man warned.
"I know, I know. Let’s head out and take a look around. Later, take me to see the mine—I’ll be honest, I’d love to become a minor steward there. I’ve got a hunch I can pinpoint the mine’s core and dig up a ton more Violet Cloud Crystals," Evan said.
"Young master, there’s no way to find the mine core. Divine sense can only probe about three meters down before it’s blocked, and the ore is incredibly hard—mining is tough work. The God Realm has plenty of earth‑burrowers, but even they can only go three to five meters deep before being bounced back. We’ve tried everything, but nothing works. All we can do is dig slowly," the old man said.
"If that’s the case, then I want to check it out even more. Go make the arrangements—let me manage a mine tunnel, even an abandoned one. I’m seriously confident," Evan laughed.
The old man didn’t say much more. He led Evan out of the room, and Evan followed behind him, strolling slowly through the City Lord’s Mansion. Many people greeted the old man respectfully as ‘Hall Master,’ making him look quite impressive.
"That’s the main audience hall of the City Lord’s Mansion. Important meetings are held there, but most of the time it’s empty. The City Lord usually stays in his own quarters, either cultivating or playing board games with a few elders. Should we go take a look?" the old man suggested.
"Let’s skip that for now. Let’s go check out the mine—I have a feeling it’s the perfect place to boost my strength. The conditions are tough, but that’s exactly what can temper my will. I think you understand what I mean," Evan said.
"To reach the mine, we’ll have to use a Teleportation Gate. The mining area is tens of thousands of miles away, so anyone without enough strength can’t get there by flying—they have to use the gate. Young master, follow me!" the old man said.
Soon the two arrived at a huge plaza on the west side of the City Lord’s Mansion. The plaza was slightly smaller than the Martial Testing Ground, but dozens of guards watched over it. At its center stood a massive Teleportation Gate that left Evan secretly amazed.
This Teleportation Gate was completely different from those in the Immortal Realm or lower realms. Even from a distance, Evan could sense its powerful energy fluctuations—clearly fueled by Violet Cloud Crystals.
"Greetings, Hall Master!" the gate guards chorused respectfully to the old man.
The old man waved in reply and entered the gate with Evan. Evan watched as one guard lightly pressed a control point on the gate, activating it. A powerful pulling force surged forth, and the two of them vanished instantly.
Wind roared past Evan’s ears. He realized the God Realm’s teleportation speed was countless times faster than in the Immortal Realm—probably due to the higher energy density. If he’d tried this in the Immortal Realm, he’d have died on the spot.
After just a few breaths, Evan and the old man appeared in a vast yellow‑sand desert. Scattered across the sand were dozens of small, pitch‑black mountains, each over a hundred meters tall—an eerie sight.
Evan noticed the Divine Power here was extremely thin, but another unfamiliar energy gas was thick in the air—most likely the energy released by Violet Cloud Crystal deposits.
"This is the mining field. Don’t underestimate those dozens of little mountains—every year they yield tens of millions of Violet Cloud Crystals. The upper layers produce less, while the deeper layers hold more, but they’re a nightmare to mine. The rock down there is so hard it can take half a day to break a single chunk. Still, whenever Violet Cloud Crystals do appear at those depths, they’re pretty much always mid‑grade quality," the old man explained.
Around every mining mound, huge piles of waste ore were stacked up. The City Lord’s Mansion uses prisoners and conscripts mainly to haul these stones. The ore is special—it can’t be stored in regular containers like storage rings, or else a single sweep of divine sense could teleport away a whole mountain of it.
"Which mine here is the best? Let’s go see how they’re doing with the extraction!" Evan suggested.
"I’m not entirely sure about that. I’ll have to ask," the old man replied.
He waved his hand, and a mine guard hurried over. "Greetings, Hall Master! What can I do for you?" the guard asked respectfully.
"Which mine is producing the most Violet Cloud Crystals right now, and which one the least?" the old man asked.
"Minefield No. 7 produces the most, and Mine Tunnel No. 19 the least. Number 19 has stopped operations—the soil there is just too hard to dig, and the yield is low, so it’s been sealed off," the guard replied.
"Got it. That’s all, you can go. Also, let everyone know that this is Steward Linfeng, now in charge of the mines and my personal attendant. Treat him with proper respect," the old man said.
"Greetings, Steward Lin!" the guard responded swiftly.
Evan smiled in response, and the guard quickly departed. "Let’s go check out the sealed Mine Tunnel No. 19—maybe we’ll find something out of the ordinary," he said.
"What’s so interesting about an abandoned mine? I’d rather go to Minefield No. 7," the old man objected.
"You’ll see when we get there. Come on!" Evan laughed, secretly wondering if this abandoned mine might have the same phenomenon he’d once encountered in the Immortal Realm. If so, he’d strike it rich.
At Mine Tunnel No. 19, Evan found it surprisingly spacious, with piles of waste ore scattered everywhere in a chaotic mess. Yet the lighting was bright—luminous pearls were set into the stone walls all around.
Evan probed with his divine sense, and just as Lee had said, it could only penetrate about three meters before being bounced back by an invisible energy.
(Author’s note: It’s the first of the month—please vote for me!)