The morning sun over the Outer Slums was a pale, sickly yellow, filtered through the thick smog of the industrial furnaces. Qin Feng stood outside his shack, taking a deep breath. For the first time in years, his chest didn't ache. The suffocating weight of the Pill Poison was gone, replaced by the cool, rhythmic flow of Fifth Layer Qi.
Inside, Ye Chen was still asleep. Even with the seal partially suppressed, her body needed time to heal. Qin Feng left a small bowl of coarse grain porridge on the table and quietly latched the door.
"Wait," a voice called out from the shadows of the shack.
Ye Chen was sitting up, her violet eyes watching him through the cracks in the wall. "If you are going to the mines, do not show your full strength. A miner jumping from the Third to the Fifth Layer in one night is a miracle that attracts executioners, not rewards."
Qin Feng nodded, impressed by her vigilance. "I know. I'll keep it hidden. But I'm not coming back empty-handed today."
The Spirit Mine of the Azure Sky City was a jagged scar in the earth, surrounded by heavy iron fences and guarded by stone-faced mercenaries. As Qin Feng approached the entrance, the familiar sound of whips cracking and supervisors shouting greeted him.
"Well, well, look who decided to show up!"
A tall, burly man with a jagged scar across his nose stepped into Qin Feng's path. It was Foreman Zhang, a Seventh Layer practitioner who took pleasure in tormenting the weaker miners. Behind him stood two lackeys, laughing.
"I heard the news, Qin Feng," Zhang sneered, spitting on the dusty ground. "You actually took that fallen freak as a wife. Tell me, is she as cold as they say? Or did you spend the whole night just trying not to freeze to death?"
The miners nearby stopped their work, looking on with pity. Usually, Qin Feng would lower his head, apologize, and hurry past. But today, he stood his ground.
"Get out of my way, Zhang," Qin Feng said, his voice calm and level.
The laughter stopped abruptly. Zhang's eyes narrowed. "What did you say, trash? Did marrying an Empress give you a delusional sense of bravery? You're still a Third Layer cripple. Kneel down and bark like a dog, and maybe I'll let you work today without breaking your ribs."
Zhang reached out a massive, meaty hand, intending to grab Qin Feng by the throat. In the past, Zhang's movements were too fast for Qin Feng to follow. But now, to his Fifth Layer senses, the Foreman's hand moved like it was traveling through water.
[System Notification: Combat Mode Initialized] [Target: Foreman Zhang - 7th Layer Qi Refining] [Analysis: Heavy movements, weak lower gate. Recommended counter: Divine Impact.]
Qin Feng didn't even use his full Qi. He simply shifted his weight and caught Zhang's wrist.
CRACK.
The sound of bone meeting bone echoed in the clearing. Zhang's eyes widened in shock. He tried to pull his hand back, but Qin Feng's grip was like an iron vice.
"You... your strength..." Zhang gasped, his face turning red.
"I told you to get out of my way," Qin Feng repeated. With a sudden burst of power, he twisted Zhang's arm and planted a palm directly into the man's chest.
BOOM.
Zhang flew backward as if he had been hit by a charging bull. he crashed into a pile of empty ore crates, splintering them into a thousand pieces. He lay there, gasping for air, his chest heaving.
The entire mining camp went silent. The lackeys stood frozen, their mouths agape. A Third Layer miner had just sent a Seventh Layer Foreman flying with a single move.
"He... he's hidden his cultivation!" someone whispered. "Is that really Qin Feng?"
Qin Feng didn't wait for a second round. He picked up his rusted pickaxe and walked toward the mine entrance. As he passed the two lackeys, they instinctively recoiled, stumbling over each other to give him space.
Inside the deep tunnels, away from prying eyes, Qin Feng finally let out a breath. His heart was racing.
[DING! First 'Face-Slap' Accomplished!] [Reward: 200 EXP, 1x 'Low-Grade Spirit Gathering Pill' (Purified)] [Current Level: 5th Layer (450/1000 EXP)]
"So the System rewards me for standing up for myself?" Qin Feng whispered, a grin spreading across his face.
He found a secluded vein of ore, one that was usually ignored because the rock was too hard for normal miners to penetrate. He swung his pickaxe, channeling a burst of his new, purified Qi into the tool.
CLANG!
The rock shattered. Instead of the usual dull grey stones, a cluster of glowing, azure crystals fell to the floor.
"Mid-grade Spirit Stones..." Qin Feng breathed. One of these was worth fifty low-grade stones. In a single swing, he had earned more than he usually did in a year.
But as he reached out to grab them, a cold sensation washed over his neck. It wasn't the frost of Ye Chen's power. It was the feeling of being watched.
Deep in the darkness of the tunnel, two glowing red eyes peered at him. A Shadow Rat—a Rank 1 Spirit Beast—was crouching on a ledge above him, ready to pounce. These creatures were the reason many miners never returned.
Qin Feng tightened his grip on his pickaxe. "Good. I needed a real test anyway."
Back at the shack, Ye Chen was sitting on the floor, attempting to circulate the tiny sliver of Qi Qin Feng had freed. Her brow was matted with sweat.
Suddenly, she felt a surge of energy through their bond.
[Bond Alert: Your Spouse is in combat!] [Activating 'Shared Vision'...]
Her vision shifted. She was no longer in the shack; she was seeing through Qin Feng's eyes. She saw the Shadow Rat leap, its claws glinting like daggers. She saw Qin Feng move with a raw, unrefined speed.
"Foolish boy," she murmured, but her heart hammered in her chest. "Don't just swing... aim for the throat."
She closed her eyes and focused, sending a mental pulse through the contract. "Qin Feng! Step left, strike low!"
In the mine, Qin Feng heard her voice as clearly as if she were standing next to him. He obeyed without question. He slid to the left, the rat's claws missing his ear by an inch, and drove the pointed end of the pickaxe into the beast's soft underbelly.
The creature shrieked and dissolved into black smoke, leaving behind a small, glowing core.
[DING! First Beast Slain!] [EXP Gained: 300] [Bonus: Ye Chen has gained 60 EXP through the 'Twin Path' bond!]
Qin Feng leaned against the tunnel wall, panting. He could feel her presence in his mind—a cold, comforting shadow.
"Thanks, Empress," he whispered.
"Don't get used to it, miner," her voice drifted back, sounding exhausted but satisfied. "Just bring back enough stones for a decent meal. I'm tired of porridge."
Qin Feng laughed, his echoes filling the dark tunnel. He wasn't just a miner anymore. He was a man with a Goddess in his head and a System in his soul. And God help anyone who tried to stop him.