Chapter 122: How Much Ore Do You Have to Mine to Become Number One?

Yang Ling still maintained a trace of vigilance in his heart as he slowly nodded.

"It's me, Comrade Qin."

Qin Mo was overjoyed and quickly lowered his voice.

"Brother Yang, I've finally met the real deal. I absolutely must latch onto your leg. Please, Brother Yang, take this little brother under your wing!"

"It's a leg, not a root."

Yang Ling corrected him, then his expression turned peculiar.

"I see you're doing quite well yourself at the Ironclad Department Yamen in Yunwen Provincial Capital. Why latch onto me?"

"Leveling up is just too hard."

Qin Mo said with a bitter smile. "You're already level 37, and I'm still only level 21. I have to struggle desperately just to maintain my position on the Divine Realm Level Ranking and not drop off. I'm afraid that if I slack off even a little one day, I'll fall off the list. If that happens, I might not be able to get the level-up rewards anymore."

At this point, Qin Mo took a deep breath and clasped his hands in a salute.

"Please, Brother Yang, instruct this little brother on how to level up quickly."

"How do you normally level up?"

Yang Ling suddenly asked.

Qin Mo replied, "Usually, catching petty thieves and pickpockets gives experience points. Occasionally, killing a few bandits also gives experience."

Then he immediately added an explanation.

"I'm currently in the Public Security Division, working under Director Lu. Occasionally, I go out to hunt down some roving bandits. Sometimes I can even catch a few wanted criminals from the Black List. Killing them all gives experience, but you can't get these experience packages every day."

Yang Ling nodded thoughtfully.

"What's your current strength like?"

Qin Mo glanced around and lowered his voice even further.

"On the official Ranked Level register, I'm a Ninth-Rank Martial Artist. But in reality, my strength is at least at the Lower Eighth-Rank level."

A thought stirred in Yang Ling's mind; the other party wasn't hiding this point. Qin Mo's attributes were decent, but his internal techniques and martial arts skills weren't as good as Sun Biao's. Based on his experience, Qin Mo's strength was indeed only at the Lower Eighth-Rank level, Middle Eighth-Rank at most. However, if Qin Mo's Water-Crossing Heart Technique and Frost Fist were Second-Rate quality, then it was hard to say; he might even reach Upper Eighth-Rank.

"This 'Divine Realm' is far too dangerous. I've tried many methods but couldn't return to reality. Later, I met many other players who all said that our batch of players is considered missing persons. For so long, no player who entered the 'Divine Realm' has been able to go back."

"I initially came to Yunwen Provincial Capital with a classmate. Later, that classmate died accidentally. I thought he might have returned to reality. Not long after, I ran into another classmate who entered later. He said that the classmate who died earlier also didn't return to reality."

At this point, a trace of fear appeared on Qin Mo's face.

"From that moment on, I knew that dying in the 'Divine Realm' meant truly dying! So I don't dare to reveal my true strength. My priority is all about playing it safe and laying low, to avoid being assigned to deal with those masters. That's too dangerous and easy to get killed."

"You're quite steady."

Yang Ling nodded lightly. "Your speculation aligns with ours and is most likely accurate. Dying here means truly dying. So the first priority for any player who enters is to protect their own life. Don't let your HP hit zero."

Having said that, Yang Ling smiled.

"I don't have any special tricks for leveling up. It's purely just mining."

"Mining?"

Qin Mo was stunned, somewhat incredulous.

"Mining can level you up that fast?"

"Of course."

Yang Ling said, "Think about it. Bandits aren't available every day, but you can mine as much ore as you want."

He knew that normal people mining didn't get experience points to alleviate fatigue, so they couldn't sustain it for long. But even so, it would inevitably yield more experience than waiting around in the Ironclad Department for cases to solve. However, leveling up through mining wasn't suitable for everyone. In the environment of a mine shaft, repeating the single motion of swinging a pickaxe day after day... that kind of life wasn't as comfortable as one might imagine; it could even be considered a form of torture.

"Brother Yang, you really leveled up by mining?"

Qin Mo still found it hard to believe.

"Really. If you don't believe me, you can go to the Vermilion Gold Mine in Green Mountain City. Right now, there are several hundred players following me to level up through mining."

Yang Ling said with a faint smile. "Their levels are rising quite quickly. Wu Xiaochen, currently ranked sixth, is over at my place right now."

"No wonder that guy's level suddenly shot up so fast! The Mountain and River Sect is only a Third-Rate sect; logically, it shouldn't be possible!"

Qin Mo immediately believed Yang Ling's explanation, and his expression turned excited.

"There are also many mine veins near Yunwen Provincial Capital. If mining can level you up, I can go try it today."

After saying this, Qin Mo quickly added.

"Brother Yang, I'll go take care of this first. If you need anything, just instruct the brothers outside."

Qin Mo left in a whirlwind of excitement. As he departed, his expression was both thrilled and resolute, as if ready to undertake a great endeavor.

Seeing this, Yang Ling immediately returned to his room to begin cultivating the Vajra Bright King Technique. During this period of travel, his internal technique experience had stalled for several days. After all, Yun Ruo was by his side, and he couldn't cultivate the Vajra Bright King Technique and the Divine Ape Contemplation Diagram right in front of her.

……

The next day, just as Yang Ling finished his cultivation session with the Divine Ape Contemplation Diagram, Qin Mo had already appeared in the courtyard.

"What's with you?"

Yang Ling's expression was odd.

Qin Mo looked utterly disheveled, covered in dust. He also had several new wounds on his body. They had stopped bleeding, but his clothes were torn.

"Brother Yang, I went down into the mine shaft..."

Qin Mo said with a grave expression. "I encountered several swarms of Mine Insects in the mine shaft and suffered some superficial injuries. But after a night of mining, I leveled up once more. I estimate I was already on the verge of leveling up before. You were right; the speed of leveling up through mining is indeed faster than my usual routine of catching petty thieves."

"However..."

He let out a soft sigh, a hint of recollection flashing in his eyes.

"In that pitch-black place, digging over and over again... the first hour was okay, but as time went on, I just couldn't take it anymore."

"But it lets you level up."

Yang Ling mused.

Qin Mo said with a bitter smile, "But the life is too harsh! Although I'm only a Ninth-Rank Ironclad Constable now, my daily life usually involves feasting on fine food and good wine, with a whole bunch of brothers. The 'tributes' from below are also quite substantial, perfect for buying Spirit Nurturing Pills to increase my martial skill proficiency. Asking me to go into the mine shaft and dig day after day... I'm afraid my spirit just couldn't handle it."

"..."

"I've decided. From now on, I'll dedicate a few days each month to go down there and power-level. Asking me to go every day is impossible. I'd probably go insane before I even level up."

Qin Mo declared.

Yang Ling nodded slightly. He somewhat understood Qin Mo's current situation. This guy was completely different from him, and from Chen Xu and the others. He probably hadn't suffered much hardship from the start. Unlike him and Chen Xu's group, who started as Vagrants and discovered they could level up through mining, naturally treating this profession as the best means to level up. They dug and dug and eventually got used to it, even coming to enjoy the process.

But Qin Mo, as a Ninth-Rank Ironclad officer in the Provincial Capital, the 'tributes' he received daily were certainly more than the silver Chen Xu and the others earned from mining. He had many potential avenues to improve his strength. Mining, as one option, naturally seemed less competitive, even if its leveling speed was indeed stable and considerably faster.

Qin Mo suddenly looked at Yang Ling and murmured to himself.

"Just how much ore did you have to dig... to become number one..."