Chapter 5: Successfully Learn a New Ability

"Steward, that Lin Xiu has gone down into the mine," a person half-bent stood before Steward Lin.

"Well done."

After this person left, a cold smile appeared on Steward Lin's face. Since becoming the steward of the Lin family, there had never been a servant who dared to defy him.

Lin Xiu was just a stable boy taking care of the young master's horse, yet he dared to mention the young master in opposition to him!

"It would be best if he died in the mine!"

...

"Kid, you don't hold a pickaxe like that."

"You're not using enough force."

"Stop, watch me closely."

Deep in the mine, the middle-aged man said it several times, but seeing no progress, he decided to demonstrate it himself.

In two lifetimes, Lin Xiu had never even tilled the earth, let alone mined.

He watched the middle-aged man's movements attentively, firmly imprinting them in his mind, then attempted to repeat them.

"Barely passable, with more practice, you'll get the hang of it." The middle-aged man glanced over, nodding in satisfaction.

The mine determined how much food you could eat based on the amount of work done. Knowing this, Lin Xiu didn't want to go hungry.

Because the mine was fraught with danger, that was a fact. Going hungry meant having no strength, no chance to escape danger.

Following the middle-aged man's instructions, Lin Xiu tried digging several times, then suddenly froze.

[You have successfully learned a new Ability—Mining]

[You engage in mining, Experience +5]

[Current: Mining Level 1 (5/100)]

Surprise flickered in Lin Xiu's eyes. He hadn't expected to unlock a new Ability.

What were the unlocking criteria? Why, during his time at the Lin estate, where he did more than just feed and train the horse, had he not unlocked anything before?

If mining could also count as an Ability, then could fishing, sweeping, or even cooking and laundry unlock Abilities as well?

You see, Ability advancements can earn Attribute Points. Compared to cultivation, advancing in these aspects of Ability is much simpler.

If it were possible to unlock Abilities in these areas, it would be just like playing a game, using low-level skills to boost a high-level ones.

"Kid, tired?" The middle-aged man saw Lin Xiu pause and asked.

"No, just suddenly thought of something else." Lin Xiu swung his tool again, feeling much more motivated.

Each swing added 5 points of experience, twenty swings were enough for 1 Attribute Point.

By the afternoon, Lin Xiu had successfully raised his mining to level 3.

[Ability: Mining Level 3 (25/300)]

"Young man's got a good body. First time in the mine and can swing a pickaxe all afternoon." During dinner, the middle-aged man sat beside Lin Xiu.

Upon hearing his words, Lin Xiu smiled bitterly.

In the afternoon, he was only drawn in by the increasing experience and Attribute Points. Now, he found his hands trembling uncontrollably just holding chopsticks, so he could only manage to scoop rice into his mouth with a spoon.

"Uncle, are we still going into the mine tonight?" Lin Xiu glanced around. Many of the people eating here were yawning, looking like they had just woken up.

"Dangerous as it is, isn't making money the reason we're alive?" As if understanding Lin Xiu's thoughts, the middle-aged man spoke with a melancholic tone, "I've been here for two years, and the people I used to work with, they've all died in the past two months."

"What exactly is the danger? I heard it's Magic Beasts, is that true?" Lin Xiu wasn't curious; he just wanted to understand what the danger really was.

"No one knows exactly what it is. Every time white mist appears in the mine, it means danger is upon us." The middle-aged man seemed to have experienced it and survived, so when talking about the crisis, a hint of fear involuntarily appeared on his face.

White mist?

Quietly noting this information, Lin Xiu hoped he wouldn't encounter it.

Such unknown things were always the most terrifying.

After finishing dinner, Lin Xiu felt like his hands weren't his own, but he still had to go into the mine.

Their team still needed to work for another hour before they could rotate shifts.

The mine was dark, without a glimpse of daylight.

Lin Xiu knew it was already dark outside, and he couldn't help but feel afraid.

In many stories, danger always came with the arrival of the night.

This fear persisted with him until he left the mine, only completely dissipating afterward.

After taking a shower at night, Lin Xiu felt physically and mentally exhausted. He noticed the middle-aged man had been looking at him the whole time, feeling a bit strange. "Uncle, what's wrong?"

"Why is your skin different from ours, red and shining black?" The middle-aged man looked at him as if he were a rare animal.

"Uh...sunburn." Lin Xiu's skin was originally a normal tone, but after eating too much Red Jade Ginseng, his skin had changed color.

In the Lin family, to disguise it, he would deliberately get covered in a large amount of dust every day.

Now in the mine, Lin Xiu didn't worry about that, so he washed it off. This hadn't crossed his mind before.

The mine was not quiet at night. Aside from the thunderous snores, he could also hear miners conversing outside.

Lin Xiu fell asleep in a daze, unaware of how long it had been when he was suddenly awakened by a shout.

Outside the window, it was still dark, far from dawn.

Being roused from sleep, Lin Xiu lost his drowsiness and listened closely to the sounds outside.

After listening for a while, Lin Xiu's expression grew worse. He learned from the conversations that there was white mist in the mine, and a large number of people had yet to escape.

Encountering deaths within a day of arriving at the mine, Lin Xiu couldn't help but feel a sinking in his heart.

Jia Nan Academy was only two days away from Te Lan City. He didn't know if he could make it through. At least from what he could see now, deaths in the mine were becoming more and more frequent.

Escape?

Peering outside, Lin Xiu saw someone attempting to flee, only to be caught up to and knocked unconscious with a single blow.

When those people acted, faint glimmers of light could be seen, a manifestation of using Dou Qi.

For a while, Lin Xiu couldn't sleep either. He decided to start cultivating.

Having gained 2 Attribute Points last night, he allocated them all to Aptitude.

[Realm: Dou Disciple Seventh Stage (69/70)]

[Aptitude: 10]

[Basic Qi Cultivation Level 5 (0/500)]

"Today, after this cultivation session, I should be able to break through."

Adjusting his mindset, Lin Xiu tried to ignore the sounds around him as much as possible, entering a state of cultivation.

[You engage in cultivation, Realm Experience +0.5]

[...]

[You complete a cultivation session, Experience +10]

[Your Realm has been upgraded! You gain 1 Attribute Point!]

After ten sessions of Qi cultivation, Lin Xiu saw that his Realm panel had changed to Dou Disciple Eighth Stage.

"My strength is up to par. As long as I hold on until Jia Nan Academy arrives, everything will be fine."

Lin Xiu prepared to allocate the newly gained Attribute Points to Aptitude.

[Your Aptitude has reached its limit. To continue upgrading, you need to prepare a sample of Magic Beast blood.]

"Limit?" Seeing the prompt, Lin Xiu was somewhat surprised. In the Dou Qi Continent, cultivation was tied to bloodlines, and he wasn't surprised. Families like the Dou God Clan, their direct descendants were even born as Dou Saints.

Since he couldn't increase Aptitude, Lin Xiu decided to add to Constitution.

[Constitution: 4 —> 5]

Instantly, Lin Xiu felt as if an electric current flowed through his body, a tingling sensation emerging from his muscles.

The soreness and pain from mining yesterday completely disappeared at this moment.

It felt as if he had just drunk an energy drink, and the energy surged back.

"So adding points to Constitution can help in body recovery." For the first time adding points to Constitution, Lin Xiu felt the miraculous changes in his body and couldn't help but become curious about Spirit.

What would happen if I added points to Spirit?

Since he didn't have any Attribute Points on hand, Lin Xiu could only ponder this. When the time came, he picked up his tools again and walked down into the mine with the middle-aged man.

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