Martial Saint with Passives

Jiang Che narrowed his eyes. He knew full well this was Sun Qihong’s attempt to curry favor.

On the surface, the job was to guard the Snow Crystal Jade.

In reality, it was a way for him to use this naturally formed Cultivation Room for free whenever he wanted!

But Jiang Che wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth. He nodded and pushed open the door to the warehouse.

Instantly, a wave of dense, pure Spiritual Qi washed over him, so thick it had almost materialized. It was in no way inferior to the B-level Cultivation Rooms he had used back at the Sect!

’What a great place!’ Jiang Che was overjoyed.

This was practically a cultivation paradise tailor-made for him!

After Sun Qihong left, Jiang Che put away his luggage and immediately went to the warehouse.

He laid a cushion on the ground and sat down cross-legged.

He then began circulating the second level of the Nine Heavens Azure Cloud Technique, accumulating Qi Blood Strength to consolidate his Realm at the Early Stage of the Bone Forging Realm.

Furthermore, he planned to use his time here as Steward to practice the multiple Qi Blood Realm Martial Arts he had prepared, bringing them all to Perfection. This would activate more new Talents and allow him to accumulate Qi Blood through Dissipating Skill.

Feeling the dense Spiritual Qi in the warehouse and the rapid increase of his Qi Blood...

Jiang Che estimated that cultivating here would increase his speed by at least threefold, if not more!

He had truly come to the right place!

...

While Jiang Che was immersed in his cultivation...

...in an inconspicuous, simple stone house deep within the Mining Area.

Mine Supervisor Sun Qihong, Guard Captain Chen Ze, and foreman Gong Yi were sitting together, seemingly discussing something in low voices.

The smile on Sun Qihong’s face was long gone, replaced by a dark, scheming expression.

He lowered his voice. "This new Steward Jiang of ours... don’t be fooled by his thorough inspections. He doesn’t actually understand a thing. He’s just young! Look at him—the moment he saw the Snow Crystal Jade Warehouse, he couldn’t tear himself away. I bet he wishes he could move in!"

Chen Ze crossed his arms and sneered, "Heh, of all the people to offend, he just had to cross Eldest Young Master Xie! We have to handle the matter the Young Master entrusted to us flawlessly!"

"Yes." A cold glint flashed in Sun Qihong’s eyes. "We’ll watch for a few days, let that kid Jiang Che lower his guard. And then, we’ll give him a big surprise!"

Gong Yi’s simple and honest-looking face now showed a trace of viciousness. "Leader Sun, then we’ll stick to the plan. When it’s time for Cheng Ming’s shift change, I’ll tamper with the critical support beams in the Eagle’s Beak Rock vein. Especially the central one—I’ll figure out a way to loosen it, make it look like natural wear and tear. Then, I’ll hand the shift over to Cheng Ming on time. After his men go in and start digging for a bit..." He then made a sharp, collapsing gesture with his hand.

Chen Ze chimed in, "When the tunnel collapses, Cheng Ming and a dozen or so miners will be buried alive. The casualties will be catastrophic. It’ll be a major incident! When the higher-ups investigate, Jiang Che, the newly appointed Steward and the one in charge, won’t be able to escape the blame! Getting stripped of his post and investigated will be the least of his worries!"

"Exactly!" Gong Yi grinned, his honest face twisting into a sinister expression. "The Mining Area will be in chaos with no one in charge. Then, the Young Master can arrange for Lord Zhao Kui to come and take over. It’ll be a perfectly natural transition! And our own streams of revenue will continue, safe and sound!"

Sun Qihong nodded, his eyes glinting maliciously. "Plus, we can get rid of Cheng Ming at the same time! The kid’s capable, but he’s too damn upright, always wanting to do things by the book. He’s always getting in the way. This is a good chance to take care of him too, and save ourselves future trouble!"

...

The next day, the Mining Area was as bustling as ever on the surface.

Although Jiang Che had spent the entire night cultivating in the Snow Crystal Warehouse, he was still full of energy.

After cultivating a True Skill, meditation could largely replace a portion of his sleep.

After an inspection tour revealed nothing out of the ordinary, Jiang Che began to walk around the outer perimeter of the Mining Area.

He appeared to be conducting a casual inspection.

In reality, he was carefully observing the surrounding mountain terrain and paths.

Jiang Che’s goal was to familiarize himself with the terrain so that if he encountered danger in the future, he could escape at a moment’s notice.

He hadn’t forgotten that he was still marked for tracking by both the Demon Sect and the Wuxiang Alliance.

Now that he had left the protection of the Sect, assassins could come for him at any moment.

He had to remain vigilant at all times.

Jiang Che’s steps were light and his gaze was sharp, not missing a single corner.

Gradually, he came to the base of a steep cliff face concealed by dense vines.

This spot was some distance from the mine tunnels, and few people ever came here.

He initially thought it was a dead end and was about to leave.

But his [All-Seeing Eye] allowed him to keenly sense a faint change in the airflow!

He immediately stopped and pushed aside the layers of vines.

Behind the vines, he was shocked to find a hidden cave entrance!

A thought struck him, and Jiang Che stooped down and slipped inside.

He found himself in a naturally formed grotto!

The grotto was quite spacious, roughly the size of two large rooms combined.

Moreover, the ground was quite dry and level.

’What a great place!’ Jiang Che’s heart leaped with joy.

The location was also extremely well-hidden; the vines at the entrance formed the perfect natural barrier.

If not for his [All-Seeing Eye], he never would have discovered it!

Jiang Che was confident that anyone whose Realm wasn’t significantly higher than his would also be unable to find it!

In other words, this was an excellent temporary safe house and a secret stash spot!

He immediately committed the location to memory.

If disaster ever struck, this place would be his lifeline!

His exploration complete, Jiang Che discreetly returned to the Mining Area.

For the next few days, he continued to observe the Mining Area.

Everything seemed to be proceeding in an orderly fashion and running smoothly.

Sun Qihong and the others also appeared diligent and reliable in their duties.

He gradually began to entrust more of the trivial, day-to-day management tasks to them.

As for Jiang Che himself, he focused more of his energy on cultivation.

The chance to cultivate in the Snow Crystal Jade Warehouse, a place comparable to a B-level Cultivation Room, was a rare opportunity not to be missed!

...

「Several days later.」

Deep within the Eagle’s Beak Rock mine vein.

Having completed the shift change with Gong Yi, foreman Cheng Ming was leading a dozen or so miners as they busily excavated Profound Iron Ore.

However, not long after the miners began swinging their pickaxes and striking the rock wall, Cheng Ming’s ears twitched, and his expression suddenly changed!

He snapped his head up, staring intently at the rock layer above.

A few fine streams of dust trickled down, and an extremely faint CRACK, nearly drowned out by the ringing of the pickaxes, reached his ears.

"Not good!" Cheng Ming’s face turned deathly pale as cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead. "Something’s wrong with the ceiling! Fall back! It’s going to collapse!"

He screamed hoarsely, his voice filled with unprecedented panic.

Before the miners could react, they heard an ear-piercing GROAN!

At the same time, the rock layer overhead cracked violently. Broken stone and dust rained down, and a massive boulder in the center looked ready to plummet!

The critical load-bearing timber supporting the tunnel was groaning under the immense weight, on the verge of snapping completely!

’It’s over!’ Cheng Ming’s heart plummeted, and a huge sense of despair enveloped him.

With his Iron Skin Realm cultivation, forget about saving anyone—he wouldn’t even be able to save himself from being trapped and killed here!

In that hair-raising instant...

...Jiang Che, who was cultivating cross-legged in the Snow Crystal Jade Warehouse, felt his heart suddenly lurch!

An intense feeling of dread washed over him without any warning!

His [All-Seeing Eye] activated instantly!

A blurry image flashed through his mind.

It was a vision of a collapsing mine tunnel, a falling boulder, and the terrified, helpless faces of the miners!

’There’s been an accident!’ Jiang Che’s eyes flew open, a sharp light bursting from them!

Without the slightest hesitation, his [Shadowless Escape Stream] Talent activated!

His figure vanished in a flash, leaving behind a faint afterimage.

At the same time, a figure moving too fast for the naked eye to follow was hurtling toward the Eagle’s Beak Rock mine vein!

Inside the tunnel, the massive boulder was about to come crashing down.

The miners let out cries of despair!

But just as the boulder was about to smash into the crowd...

...a dark figure shot into the tunnel like a phantom!

It was Jiang Che!

"HEAVE!"

A low, explosive roar erupted from Jiang Che’s throat!

His arm muscles bulged and knotted as the power of his [True: Infinite Battle Armor] erupted without reservation!

Like a legendary king lifting a great cauldron, Jiang Che thrust his hands upward and caught the teetering, colossal boulder—the very rock that was about to fall from above the critical support beam and trigger a chain-reaction collapse!