Chapter 9: Identification

Translator: Asuka

Editor: Dhael Ligerkeys

The fat cultivator sitting behind the table took out a palm-sized jade slip from his Storage Bag. Then, he looked back up at Lu Ye and asked, “Name, origin, and cultivation.”

Lu Ye answered those questions, one by one.

That fat cultivator muttered under his breath, “Lu Ye of Mystical Sky Sect… Yes, I found it. There’s certainly somebody with that name!

Only then did Lu Ye realize that the jade slip in the fat cultivator’s hand probably contained some sort of information from the mine, including the origins and identities of the mining slaves. A check like this could ensure that none of the remnants from Evil Moon Valley had snuck in among these people.

“But… this isn’t right!” The fat cultivator narrowed his eyes. “It is recorded in the jade slip that Lu Ye is an ordinary man who has not been Enlightened. But, you have unlocked your first Spiritual Point. This doesn’t tally with the records. This is going to be difficult…” While speaking, he kept sneaking glances at the Storage Bag hanging at Lu Ye’s waist.

Lu Ye secretly laughed to himself. [I was right to be worried back then. It’s easy for a mining slave carrying a Storage Bag to attract unnecessary attention and greed.]

According to his original plan, he would have handed this Storage Bag over without much fuss. He would simply be buying his way out of trouble. Besides, he was free now. His future prospects were as vast as the sea. Why would he fear not being able to find anything better?

But, there was nothing to fear after that casual remark Elder Tang made before. More importantly, he could not waste the old man’s kindness. Confronting the fat cultivator’s doubts directly, he explained, “I encountered an injured Evil Moon Valley cultivator in the mine and killed him. I unlocked my Spiritual Point in that moment of life and death.”

The fat cultivator frowned at those words. If what Lu Ye said was true, then it was quite an amazing feat. A tiger was still a tiger, injured or not. It wasn’t something a mountain goat could provoke, let alone kill. Nevertheless, he was starting to understand where that Storage Bag hanging from Lu Ye’s waist had come from…

At this moment, the young cultivator who led Lu Ye to this place leaned over and whispered something in the fat cultivator’s ear. The fat cultivator was surprised. “Which Elder Tang?”

The young cultivator said nothing and simply stared at the fat cultivator in silence.

The fat cultivator came back to his senses and coughed lightly. When he glanced at Lu Ye again, his expression had become much kinder than before. “I see. You sure are a brave man! Yes, well… Your identity has more or less been confirmed, but procedures still have to be followed. Come with me.” While saying that, he stood up.

“Senior Brother Pang, I’ll be heading back now.” The young cultivator cupped his fists.

“Go on. Go on.” The fat cultivator waved his hand dismissively.

Following behind the fat cultivator, Lu Ye walked toward the place where many of the mining slaves were gathered.

When they got closer, the fat cultivator placed his hand on his waists and panted lightly before speaking up. “Is there anybody from Mystical Sky Sect here? Step forward for me!”

Nobody answered.

Lu Ye swept his gaze over the crowd and did not see any faces belonging to the disciples of Mystical Sky Sect.

Mystical Sky Sect was a small Sect that didn’t have that many disciples in the first place. Many people died during Evil Moon Valley’s attack one year ago. Only 20 or so young people had survived at the time. Many more had died over the course of the year, but he distinctly recalled that there should have been 3 or 5 more who were still alive. Seeing as none of those 3 or 5 people were in this place, it was easy to imagine what had become of them.

He couldn’t help feeling a little sad. Although he did not feel a sense of belonging in Mystical Sky Sect, he couldn’t help realizing more and more acutely about how cruel this world was now that he was the last surviving member of his Sect.

The fat cultivator continued, “Then, does anybody know this person?”

Again, nobody answered.

Lu Ye was not very popular among the mining slaves. Everybody else was thin and sickly, struggling to survive every single day. On the other hand, he was living a good life. He even had enough Contribution Points to redeem Qi Blood Pills. Therefore, the other mining slaves did not look kindly upon him. The same unfortunate experience did not make people unify against a common enemy. Instead, it was easier to breed resentment and hatred among themselves.

Lu Ye noticed the brothers from the Liu Family Clan among the crowd. Those two were incredibly lucky to have survived until now. Needless to say, they had no intention of coming forward to verify his identity. They were simply watching him and enjoying his misery.

The fat cultivator involuntarily glanced at Lu Ye. He was starting to doubt whether Lu Ye was a cultivator from Mystical Sky Sect. As a mining slave, there should be somebody who could prove his identity. Many people had been checked in this same manner previously. They had identified each other and verified each other’s identities.

“I know him. He is Lu Ye of Mystical Sky Sect.” Just as the fat cultivator was getting increasingly suspicious, a weak voice rang out.

“Who is speaking?” The fat cultivator shifted his gaze to look in the direction of the voice.

The crowd parted to reveal the speaker. When Lu Ye saw the person’s face, he couldn’t help feeling a little surprised. That was because he had only met this person once before. Moreover, it had been a long time since they last saw each other.

The person who spoke up was a woman. Compared to the other unkempt mining slaves around her, her clothes were not the most beautiful. Nevertheless, they were neat and clean.

The fat cultivator looked at the woman and asked in a low voice, “Are you certain he is Lu Ye of Mystical Sky Sect? Think clearly before you speak. The consequences of lying to me are dire.”

The woman shrank back slightly but repeated in a firm voice. “I am certain.”

The fat cultivator nodded and waved Lu Ye away. “Alright, your identity has been proven. Go over there and wait. Don’t run around.” After saying that, he winked at Lu Ye. “There will be a great opportunity waiting for you tomorrow.”

The tense atmosphere finally let up the moment he walked away. It could be seen that these mining slaves who lived at the bottom of the food chain were quite scared of that fat cultivator.

Lu Ye mulled over something for a bit. Then, he walked toward the woman who spoke up just now. When he got closer, he said, “Miss, thank you for your righteous words.”

The woman shook her head. “No need. You saved me once before. I didn’t even have the time to thank you at the time.”

She was talking about something that happened nearly half a year ago. Back then, he had encountered this woman by chance. She was being chased by another mining slave. Unable to continue watching, he had thought that mining slave who assaulted her a hard lesson. It was just that he had not seen this woman again ever since that incident.

He smiled. “Then, are we even?”

The woman smiled too. Her lethargic expression regained some of its vitality. “We’re even.”

“Let’s get to know each other again. I am Lu Ye of Mystical Sky Sect!”

The woman bowed politely, clearly displaying the demeanour of a proper lady. “I am Yu Xiao Tiea of the Yu Family Clan.”

He asked out of curiosity, “Miss Yu, do you know why we have been gathered here? What was that opportunity the fatty was talking about just now?”

Yu Xiao Tiea reached out her hand to push her hair behind her ear and explained, “All the people here come from known backgrounds, and their identities have been proven. Most have not achieved Enlightenment and even those who have achieved Enlightenment are of low cultivation. Evil Moon Valley did not treat us as humans, so they didn’t bother training us. But, there must be some among us who are suitable for cultivation. Since Grand Sky Coalition seized this place, it is only natural that they want to accommodate some of us. Those among us who are suitable for cultivation and have the aptitude for cultivation will be taken in by the Sects under the Grand Sky Coalition.”

“Is that the opportunity the fatty was talking about?” The realization suddenly dawned on Lu Ye.????????????????????????????xt.????????????