Volume One: The Nine Transformations of Dragon and Serpent

Chapter 001: The Young Henry Spencer

The vast sky, with a blazing sun like fire, spreads a layer of scorching heat over the remote and desolate “Yangmu Village.”

“Ding ding bang...”

In the mining grounds of the Da Xu family, dozens of strong miners are swinging their pickaxes with all their might.

On the path, more than a dozen burly, slightly dark-skinned men, drenched in sweat, are struggling to carry “yellow rock”—a material widely used in the cultivation world.

“Thud!”

Suddenly, a thin and weak youth in the crowd falls to his knees, hitting the still-burning stone slab hard.

The boy’s face is delicate, his eyes bright, about fifteen or sixteen years old, and his skin is not as tanned as the miners who work under the sun year-round.

At this moment, the stone on his back, nearly as large as a millstone, weighs at least two or three hundred jin, pressing him so hard he can barely breathe. His body trembles slightly, almost bent into a bow, as if he might collapse at any moment.

Seeing this, the nearby strong body cultivators look on with either pity or ridicule in their eyes.

“Not even at the second level of body refinement, can only exert two hundred jin of force with one hand, and still dares to work in the mines? Even as a simple porter.”

A porter, also carrying a stone, sneered.

“This kid looks unfamiliar. Whose child is he? At this age, he should still be studying in the village school.”

Hearing the chatter around him, Henry Spencer couldn’t help but show a hint of bitterness at the corner of his mouth.

This was his first time working at the Da Xu family’s mine, and also the first time in his life he had gone out to work.

Henry Spencer never imagined that, as a “body-refining commoner,” trying to earn some spirit yuan coins through his own labor to support his family and make ends meet would be so difficult.

A body-refining commoner is someone in the body refinement stage, the lowest rung of the vast cultivation world.

The first realm of cultivation, “Body Refinement,” is divided into nine levels. The laborers in the mine are generally only at the second or third level, still low-ranking among commoners.

They work for families, sects, and other powers through cheap manual labor, earning a limited amount of spirit yuan coins to survive.

...

Three days ago, Henry Spencer, like his peers, was still studying in the village school.

Due to his family’s poverty, he resolutely gave up the carefree life at school and came to the mine where his father worked. However, with Henry Spencer’s mere first level of body refinement, it was truly too much to handle the work here.

Even the lowest porters in the mine need to be at least at the second level of body refinement.

“That’s right, this kid seems to be Walter Spencer’s son.”

A voice suddenly said.

“Walter Spencer? Oh, I remember now, that’s the quiet, lame guy in the mine.”

“So he’s Walter Spencer’s son. I recall their family used to be quite well-off in Yangmu Village, but now they’ve fallen to this state...”

When mentioning Henry Spencer’s father, most of the miners spoke with a mocking tone.

Even though they were all body-refining commoners at the bottom of the cultivation world.

But even among body-refining commoners, there are differences. At least they could still scrape by, which was better than Henry Spencer’s family.

“I can’t give up. I can’t disgrace my father, and I can’t let them look down on me.”

Henry Spencer, filled with grief and anger, seemed to gain some strength, his body slowly straightening.

That thin body actually lifted the several-hundred-jin stone on his back and stood firm!

Seeing this, the nearby porters withdrew some of the ridicule and amusement from their expressions.

Suddenly, a miner called out in a low voice, “Hurry up, David Spencer is coming.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a tall and burly figure walked over from the other side of the path, his steps steady, his face fierce, his gaze sharp as a sword, exuding an intimidating aura.

“What are you all standing around for? Get to work! If you delay the progress, every one of you will taste the whip!”

David Spencer’s voice was thunderous and intimidating, like muffled thunder.

The miners all shuddered involuntarily and hurried to work faster.

David Spencer was a local tyrant in the village, fierce and skilled in fighting, with at least the fourth level of body refinement.

For body-refining commoners, once they reach the fourth level, their physique and strength leap to a new level, far surpassing ordinary people and making lower-level commoners look up to them.

David Spencer was undoubtedly one of the favored ones. When he broke through to the fourth level years ago, he was immediately hired by the Da Xu family as a guard and even married a beautiful wife, making many in the village envious.

A year ago, David Spencer was promoted by the Da Xu family to be the overseer of this mine, commonly known as the foreman. If any miner dared to slack off and was caught by him, they would definitely get a whipping.