I am a full-level celestial master, you let me enter the strange talk of rules?

"That's right!"

The old miner spat out a non-existent spittle, lowered his voice, and spoke with utter disdain.

"These guys have the strength to not deal with those man-eating monsters on the surface, nor to explore deeper potential new mineral veins. All they think about is robbing other families' mines and capturing other families' miners as slaves, and showing off their power in our area! The Qing Tong family has had a lot of friction with them and has suffered quite a few losses."

Zhang Yangqing silently noted down this information: Qing Tong, current location, bloodline talent, and strong technology.

Bai Ying, a beautiful woman with captivating eyes, is suspected to be seeking refuge with us; we can go and look for clues later.

Huang Jin is a predatory family with great strength but depleted resources. They are the most exploitable family, after all, they are like mad dogs. If you tell them where the bone is, once they find it, they will tear it apart like madmen.

This initially outlines the triangular relationship of human power distribution in the surrounding area.

In such a precarious situation, it is easy to imagine how difficult it would be for a new miner to make a difference, but it also means that there are many points of conflict that can be exploited.

Just as Zhang Yangqing was talking quietly with the old miner, gradually piecing together a picture of the underground world.

despair!despair!despair!
The clear, heavy, rhythmic sound of leather boots hitting the ground came from one end of the dimly lit passage, growing louder as it approached.

The voice carried a certain magic, or perhaps it was a deep-seated, bone-chilling fear.

The miners, who had been lying in a deathly still place like real corpses, all trembled almost imperceptibly the moment the footsteps sounded.

Then, as if pulled by invisible threads, they began to move.

No one spoke, not even a few groans.

Those miners, whose fates were previously unknown, whether they were truly asleep or feigning sleep, struggled and silently got up at this moment.

The movements were slow and stiff, and the shackles made a soft rattling sound, but it sounded particularly jarring in the oppressive atmosphere.

They sat up against the wall, or barely managed to maintain a kneeling position, heads bowed, eyes fixed on the dirty ground in front of them, not daring to look around even slightly.

In an instant, the entire cell transformed from a deathly silent morgue into a living prison filled with humility, fear, and numbness.

Even the old miner who had just survived the ordeal and was still talking to Zhang Yangqing instantly changed his expression, a deep fear flashing in his eyes. He immediately shut his mouth, and like the others, moved his body with difficulty, sat down against the wall, and lowered his head.

He even gave Zhang Yangqing an urgent look, gesturing for him to do as he was told.

Without hesitation, Zhang Yangqing followed suit, slowly leaning against the cold stone wall, lowering his eyes, but his peripheral vision keenly focused on the passage outside the fence.

The sound of leather boots grew closer, and a sense of oppression that made it hard to breathe slowly crept in.

At the edge of the dim, yellowish glow of the oil lamp, the first thing that appears is a pair of heavy, black leather boots covered in mud. The boot shafts reach up to the calves, and the metal buckles reflect a dim light.

Then, a figure stepped completely into the passageway that was within the reach of the light.

He was a middle-aged man wearing a slightly worn but sturdy dark blue uniform, which seemed to be the standard uniform of some kind of lower-level management or supervisor in the Qing Tong family.

His face was thin, with prominent cheekbones, and his skin was a deathly pale, as if it had never seen the sun, giving it an unhealthy appearance. His eyes were sunken, yet they gleamed with a cold light. The corners of his mouth habitually turned down, forming two deep nasolabial folds, giving him a harsh and stern impression.

Despite his somewhat gloomy appearance, the aura he exudes is not to be underestimated.

That was the oppressive aura of someone who had fought countless battles, held the power of life and death, and whose strength was absolutely superior to that of these miners. Judging from the initial assessment, he was at least a regional leader, who could be considered an early-stage boss to the current Chosen Ones.

Like the other chosen ones, Zhang Yangqing was most concerned not only with the overseer himself, but also with the information that might come with him, especially the rules.

So far, apart from a brief introduction upon entry, there have been no explicit rules or instructions, which is quite rare in the early days of the Ghost Story world, but it is not without precedent.

This means that the chosen ones must be more vigilant and quickly discover and summarize the potential rules from the environment, the words and actions of NPCs, and even any subtle anomalies.

The sooner you see or deduce the rules, the greater your chances of survival.

The middle-aged overseer from the Qing Tong family stood in the middle of the passageway outside the prison, his gaze like a cold searchlight, slowly sweeping over the miners inside the bars, who were all meek and huddled together like quails.

He didn't give the order immediately. Instead, he cleared his throat and began his lecture in a tone that was a mixture of authority, seduction, and undisguised contempt: "Listen up, you scum! Useless trash! Burdens!"

His voice echoed in the narrow passage, with a metallic clang.

"You are all alive now, and have food to eat, all thanks to the Qing Tong family's kindness! You are either heinous criminals banished here, or pitiful creatures abandoned by your loved ones and forgotten by the world! The family has given you the chance to atone for your sins and live on!"

"but!"

He changed the subject and raised his voice.

"Recently, our Qing Tong family will be selecting a 'Rider' from among you low-level miners!"

The moment the word “driver” was uttered, it was as if a huge rock had been thrown into stagnant water!
Almost all the miners, who had their heads down, couldn't help but shudder slightly. Many of them secretly raised their eyelids a little, their eyes bursting with undisguised desire, excitement, and even a hint of madness!

Even without asking the old miner, Zhang Yangqing could instantly tell from the intense reactions of those around him that this "Judge" position must have unimaginable benefits.

Based on the title "Guardian" and the previously known background of family struggles, it is not difficult to deduce that these are mostly members of the armed forces trained by the Qing Tong family for external combat or internal suppression. Their status is far higher than that of ordinary miners, and they can even be considered as reserves for the "family guardians".

To put it bluntly, they are like "dogs" or "henchmen" kept by the family, but even as dogs, they can still obtain cultivation resources, relatively sufficient food, and a certain degree of freedom and dignity.

After all, if you want a dog to bite someone, it has to be well-fed; otherwise, it won't have the strength.

It's a thousand times better than being a slave miner in this dark and sunless mine, wearing shackles, always at risk of dying from exhaustion, starvation, disease, or being corrupted and turned into a monster!
This is undoubtedly the clearest and most tempting initial goal facing the chosen ones, and can be regarded as a main mission.

In other words, for those chosen ones who, like Zhang Yangqing, have not yet grasped the potential shortcut of "semi-mysterious transformation possibly circumventing chip control,"...

During their time in the mine, their best option for survival and trying to break out of the predicament was to follow the rules, gather intelligence, and find as much valuable ore as possible to hand over in order to win the overseer's favor and ultimately compete for the "Master" position.

But Zhang Yangqing's judgment was already one step ahead. (End of Chapter)