Words could not describe the excitement in Xia Li's heart at this moment.

  Ever since he had awakened, he had been lost—without any motivation to move forward, unable to see tomorrow or hope.

  After all, he was a man abandoned by time, an ordinary person who had lost five hundred years.

  Xia Li immediately set off toward the mine exit. Although an explosion had occurred inside the mine, it had also unexpectedly opened up some new passages.

  Following the new tunnels, Xia Li walked for quite a while before suddenly hearing voices.

  "This Spirit-Era ancient ruin appears to be a Golden Core-level site. Judging from the formation structure..."

  "Wait! Someone's here!"

  The voice cut off abruptly, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.

  Even though Xia Li realized they had detected him, his first instinct was still to find somewhere to hide.

  But thinking that they had means to detect him, hiding would probably be useless. He immediately removed the ring from his left hand and bent down to hide it in his shoe.

  Soon, a group of people appeared before Xia Li. One look at their attire told him he had definitely returned to Earth.

  After all, some of the women were even wearing short skirts and black stockings—clothing that didn't exist in the other world.

  "Young man, who are you?"

  The elderly man leading the group looked at Xia Li. But before Xia Li could answer, a mature woman who appeared to be in her mid-twenties stepped forward first.

  "He's a miner from Qiming Mining. One of my contacts—he's the one who blew up this mine."

  "Oh? One of ours? Didn't expect we'd have a little hero here."

  The old man's expression immediately softened. Their plan's success was partly thanks to the miners' betrayal, and Xia Li was one of the key defectors.

  "You flatter me, sir... I just wanted freedom."

  Xia Li immediately bowed. He could tell the old man was the leader of this group.

  "Qiming Mining has no bottom line—reviving ancient people and forcing them into slavery. Such behavior is truly despicable."

  "What a pity. Those bastards have been domineering for so long, thinking ancient people have no connections to the modern world, that their clean backgrounds make them easy to exploit. But they forgot that people are practical."

  The old man stroked his beard, sizing up Xia Li.

  Xia Li was a genuine ancient person—someone from before the Spiritual Revival.

  "By the way, young friend, it's been over a month since the mine was blown up. Why are you still here? Didn't anyone find you?"

  "Well... I was buried under falling rocks. Luckily I had some food in my pocket, which helped me survive."

  "You weren't injured?"

  The old man still had some doubts about Xia Li. Xia Li knew the other party wasn't necessarily a good person either, so he needed to be as honest as possible about what he could explain.

  However, he remembered spending over two months on the other side. How had only one month passed on Earth? Was time flowing differently between the two worlds?

  "I was badly injured, but thanks to these spirit stones."

  Xia Li opened his pouch, revealing about thirty-odd spirit stones inside. The old man's expression immediately showed understanding.

  A lowly miner caught in an explosion and buried in a mine should have been dead for certain. But finding spirit stones changed everything.

  Even the most basic Heaven Chip had built-in healing techniques. With spiritual energy, most non-fatal injuries could be repaired. With enough energy, even fatal wounds could be survived.

  "Lucky young man, finding rough spirit stones. Your cultivation must have improved too, right?"

  "Yes, I've reached the first level of Qi Refining."

  "Surviving disaster brings good fortune. May your path ahead be bright. Ke Xiao, you're heading back anyway—take this young friend along and help him find a place to stay."

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  The old man instructed the woman who had spoken up for Xia Li to take him away.

  Xia Li naturally agreed. Although an ancient ruin had been unearthed here, it was far beyond what he could currently involve himself with.

  "Alright, Elder Wang. Young friend, follow me."

  "Okay."

  Xia Li nodded and followed immediately.

  The two walked through the mine tunnels in silence. Ke Xiao didn't speak, and Xia Li didn't ask.

  Only after they emerged did Xia Li see the devastated mining site, realizing a major battle must have occurred here a month ago.

  Earth's spiritual energy was currently scarce, and the competition for it was terrifyingly bloody.

  "I remember your name is Xia Li, right? Lucky you survived."

  "Also, the bomb going off early wasn't my idea. I couldn't go against orders from above."

  Ke Xiao began explaining why the bomb hadn't detonated at the agreed time.

  "I don't blame you... I have no right to."

  That they acknowledged him afterward and recognized his contribution was already quite good. When he had shown his spirit stones earlier, the others behind the old man had all shown greedy expressions.

  If the old man hadn't kept them in check, they would definitely have rushed forward to rob him.

  "Good. You're self-aware. That'll help you survive."

  "So what's next? I'm heading to the Lower District of Linguang City. What about you? Do you have somewhere you want to go?"

  Ke Xiao asked if Xia Li had any plans, but what plans could he have?

  Five hundred years had passed. His home was long gone. His only residence had been a ramshackle wooden shack in a corner of the mining site.

  "No."

  "Then how do you plan to live? Since Elder Wang asked me to help you find a place, I need to follow through. Elder Wang is quite upright—he remembers your contribution."

  "I don't know either... I'll just take it one step at a time."

  Although Xia Li intended to pursue the path of cultivation, he truly didn't know where to start due to lack of information.

  But he knew clearly what his immediate priority was.

  "Fine. Think about it slowly after you get to Linguang City. As for your spirit stones..."

  "Sister Ke, take them if you want."

  Xia Li sensibly handed his pouch directly to Ke Xiao. This thoughtfulness made Ke Xiao feel strangely touched.

  Xia Li looked to be only about eighteen—still very young.

  In the era Xia Li had grown up in, the harmonious and prosperous times recorded in history books, someone his age should still be a carefree child without any worries.

  "I didn't say I wanted your things. I'm just giving you a heads up—keeping these on you isn't safe. Use them quickly."

  "Then I'll use them all for modifications. My Spirit Core and Heaven Chip are too outdated."

  "Alright. In that case, just come to my place. I run a modification shop. I'll give you a discount."

  Ke Xiao smiled at this. Why let the profit flow to outsiders? Whether Xia Li's spirit stones went to someone else or to her, someone would profit—so why shouldn't it be her?

  "Okay, I'll follow Sister Ke's advice. Forget the discount—even if you charged me extra, it would be fair."

  "You... don't be so humble. You'll get bullied easily that way."

  "But at least no one will want to kill me."

  Xia Li knew when to keep his head down. He could travel between two worlds—his potential was enormous. Earth lacked spiritual energy but not talent, while the other world lacked talent but not spiritual energy.

  He could play both sides.

  Given time, just by staying alive he could rapidly grow stronger. Why get worked up over momentary pride?

  Thanks for reading! Comments and ratings are appreciated.