In the mine cave, the miscellaneous disciples put down their mining tools one by one and gathered together.

  Under the arrangement of the outer sect disciples, the miscellaneous disciples lined up in a long queue.

  After not waiting for long, they saw a young man in a blue robe, which represented inner sect disciples in the Xuanyue Sect, walking over unhurriedly.

  "Each person can receive two low-grade spirit stones," the young man in the blue robe said with an indifferent expression.

  Then he asked the outer sect disciples to bring over a table. With a wave of his hand, a large number of alluring crystals with a faint glow fell onto the table, piling up as high as a small hill.

  Seeing that the young man in the blue robe took out so many spirit stones, the miscellaneous disciples couldn't help but feel a bit excited in their hearts. However, none of them dared to have any covetous thoughts. They obediently lined up and stepped forward to receive their own share.

  Each miscellaneous disciple took two low-grade spirit stones and then left, so the speed of distributing the spirit stones was quite fast.

  Lin Hao lined up expectantly. After waiting for about half a quarter of an hour or so, it was finally his turn.

  Under the indifferent gaze of the young man in the blue robe, he honestly took two low-grade spirit stones from the table. Then, after signing his name on a piece of paper representing the list of those who had already received the stones, he excitedly left, holding the spirit stones in his hand.

  Generally, when cultivators absorb the spiritual energy in low-grade spirit stones, half of it will be lost, wasting a lot of spiritual energy.

  However, with the help of the Eternal Life Tower, Lin Hao could absorb 100% of the spiritual energy in the spirit stones without any loss.

  The spiritual energy he obtained by absorbing the two low-grade spirit stones he received was equivalent to that which other miscellaneous disciples would have to absorb four low-grade spirit stones to match.

  This was Lin Hao's unique advantage.

  After receiving the spirit stones, when a group of miscellaneous disciples thought that with the help of the spirit stones during cultivation, their cultivation speed would increase significantly, they couldn't help but show happy smiles on their faces, and they worked much harder.

  "Clang! Clang! Ding! Ding!"

  In the mine cave, the sound of knocking kept ringing out.

  Time passed quickly, and soon the whole morning had gone by.

  Lin Hao and the others put away their mining tools, took the mined spirit iron to the outer sect disciples, exchanged it for meal vouchers, and then walked out of the mine cave.

  At noon, the wind and snow didn't weaken but instead increased.

  Lin Hao and Jiang Sheng, who lived in the same room, came to the door of the cafeteria. They straightened their clothes, shook their bodies vigorously to shake off the snowflakes on them, and then entered the cafeteria to receive a bowl of steaming hot spirit porridge.

  A group of miscellaneous disciples gulped down the spirit porridge. They felt warm all over, as if the severe cold of the world had been driven away.

  Lin Hao put the porridge bowl, which he had licked clean, back in the cafeteria and then returned to the small wooden house.

  "Fellow junior brothers, I only have two months left before my three years as a miscellaneous disciple in the Xuanyue Sect are up. If I can't break through to the third level of Qi Refining and become an outer sect disciple, I'll have to leave the Xuanyue Sect," suddenly, Yuan Chang, a miscellaneous disciple who had been in the Xuanyue Sect for the longest time and whose cultivation level had reached the late stage of the second level of Qi Refining, looked at the other several miscellaneous disciples whose cultivation levels were at the first level of Qi Refining and said in a pleading tone, "Could you lend me some of your spirit stones so that I can try to break through to the third level of Qi Refining? When I become an outer sect disciple, I'll return the spirit stones to you doubled."

  As Yuan Chang, who only had two months left before the three-year period was up, asked to borrow spirit stones, Lin Hao clearly felt that the atmosphere in the wooden house became cold.

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  The several miscellaneous disciples at the first level of Qi Refining all showed embarrassed expressions on their faces. After all, they had worked hard for a whole year and had just received two low-grade spirit stones with great difficulty.

  With these two spirit stones, they could try to break through to the second level of Qi Refining.

  After all, everyone could only stay in the Xuanyue Sect for three years. If they couldn't become outer sect disciples, they would have to go to the ordinary cities with thin spiritual energy to help the Xuanyue Sect handle secular affairs. It would be difficult to cultivate in the secular world, and time was tight for everyone.

  Seeing that everyone in the wooden house was silent and unwilling to lend him spirit stones, Yuan Chang couldn't help getting anxious and said, "Junior Brother Yu, Junior Brother Hong... You two have been miscellaneous disciples in the Xuanyue Sect for two years already, but your cultivation levels haven't broken through to the second level of Qi Refining. You don't have much chance to become outer sect disciples. Why don't you... lend me the spirit stones... Consider it that I owe you a favor, and I'll surely repay you generously in the future."

  "Senior Brother Yuan... If we absorb these two low-grade spirit stones, our cultivation levels can break through to the second level of Qi Refining. Even if we don't break through to the third level of Qi Refining within three years, we can still participate in the outer sect disciple promotion assessment once and have a slim chance of becoming outer sect disciples," the two people called Junior Brother Yu and Junior Brother Hong said bravely.

  Among the miscellaneous disciples in the Xuanyue Sect, there were three ways to become outer sect disciples.

  The first was that when one's cultivation level reached the third level of Qi Refining, one could be promoted unconditionally.

  The second was to make contributions to the sect. For example, once there was a lucky miscellaneous disciple in the mining area who dug up precious treasures in the mine cave and handed them over to the sect, and he directly got rid of the identity of a miscellaneous disciple.

  However, in this kind of low-level spirit mine, it was extremely difficult for miscellaneous disciples to make contributions by digging up treasures.

  The third was to participate in the outer sect disciple promotion assessment, which was also the last chance given by the Xuanyue Sect to miscellaneous disciples. As long as the miscellaneous disciples' cultivation levels were at the second level of Qi Refining, they had the qualification to participate once.

  However, the competition was too fierce. Every year, tens of thousands of miscellaneous disciples who couldn't cultivate to the third level of Qi Refining signed up to participate, trying to seize the last chance to become outer sect disciples, but very few succeeded.

  Each time the Xuanyue Sect only gave out a pitiful fifty places in the outer sect disciple promotion assessment. Tens of thousands of people competed for these fifty places, and the success rate was terribly low.

  "Junior Brother Yu, Junior Brother Hong, only one person can pass among hundreds of people in the outer sect disciple promotion assessment," Yuan Chang pleaded, "And as long as you give me the spirit stones in your hands, relying on these spirit stones, I'm sure I can be promoted to the third level of Qi Refining. When I become an outer sect disciple two months later, I can receive spirit stones every month. I'll return the spirit stones you lent me doubled. In this way, it won't affect your cultivation. On the contrary, you'll be able to cultivate faster because of the doubled spirit stones I return to you."

  "Senior Brother Yuan, you... why are you making it difficult for us," the two people whose spirit stones were being borrowed, Junior Brother Yu and Junior Brother Hong, still refused.

  "Two junior brothers, please, I'm begging you," Yuan Chang actually knelt down on the ground in front of everyone in the small wooden house and said, "As long as you lend me the spirit stones, you two will be like my parents who gave me a second life. I swear that I'll definitely repay you well."

  In the Xuanyue Sect, if one snatched spirit porridge as long as it wasn't too excessive, there would be no consequences. But if one dared to snatch spirit stones, that would be a violation of the sect's rules, and the punishment would be extremely severe.

  So even though Junior Brother Yu and Junior Brother Hong refused to lend the spirit stones, Yuan Chang didn't dare to snatch them by force.

  Lin Hao looked at Yuan Chang, who was kneeling on the ground and begging bitterly, and showed a sympathetic expression on his face. He just felt the cruelty of the immortal cultivation path.

  This person's cultivation level had already reached the late stage of the second level of Qi Refining. As long as he had five or six low-grade spirit stones, he would definitely be able to break through.

  But just because of the lack of these few spirit stones, he couldn't become an outer sect disciple, and his immortal cultivation path would be cut off.

  The average proportion of miscellaneous disciples in the Xuanyue Sect who could become outer sect disciples wasn't high. Calculated, among every ten miscellaneous disciples, only about two could luckily become outer sect disciples within three years.

  "Junior Brother Yuan, why are you doing this to yourself?" Jiang Sheng showed a look of unbearable on his face. He was kind-hearted and rather chivalrous. Having lived with Yuan Chang for more than a year, he still had quite a bit of friendship with him. He said, "I'll lend you one of my spirit stones."

  His current cultivation level was at the peak of the second level of Qi Refining, and he was just a little short of breaking through.

  Jiang Sheng had been in the Xuanyue Sect for as long as two and a half years, and only six months were left. But compared to Yuan Chang, who only had two months left, he still had much more time.

  Even if he only had one spirit stone, he still had a good chance to break through to the third level of Qi Refining.

  "Thank you, Senior Brother Jiang, for lending me the spirit stone. I'll remember this great kindness and virtue for a lifetime," Yuan Chang, who was kneeling on the ground, was overjoyed in his heart. He kowtowed to Jiang Sheng continuously with a "Bang! Bang!" sound.