In Mine No. 5, within a temporary cave excavated on the canyon's rock wall, Qi Yuan laid out all the items given to him by Lao Wu from the space ring.
There weren't many—just a C2-level alloy battle suit, a second-level Force sword, and a kilogram of Earth Soul Liquid, a resource used by Star-level warriors to strengthen their souls.
Among these, the most valuable item was undoubtedly the second-level Force sword.
According to the original book, the price of Force weapons and telekinetic weapons was similar, but the quality gap between low-end and top-tier weapons at the same level could be as much as a hundredfold. It stated that a top-tier second-level telekinetic weapon cost around six billion Black Dragon coins. So even if this Force sword was the most basic of its level, it would still be worth tens of millions.
That kind of money was enough to buy two more Star-level second-level slaves like Qi Yuan!
"Haha, my master is quite generous, equipping his slaves with such fine gear. I suppose when you own a mine, you really can do whatever you want."
Qi Yuan's gaze wandered among the items, finally settling on the purple bottle flecked with silver starlight—the Earth Soul Liquid.
According to Lao Wu, this Earth Soul Liquid could slightly enhance one's soul power. It was a commonly used supplement for Star-level warriors during training.
"The alloy battle suit and Force sword are standard equipment for personal guards. I can't give those away. Looks like the Earth Soul Liquid will be the first gift. Let's see what kind of return the system gives me."
He picked up a nearby stone, and with a flick of Force from his fingertip, polished it into a simple stone jar with the precision of a blade slicing through butter.
He poured in half the Earth Soul Liquid—about 500 grams—and opened his auxiliary optical brain to make a call.
Soon, a Leiyuan tribe member named Cang Fan arrived at the cave.
In the original host's memories, Cang Fan was slow to progress in cultivation and not particularly outstanding. But he was known for his patience and steady temperament.
Yet now, Qi Yuan could clearly see lifelessness in the man's eyes—he looked like a broken middle-aged man, devastated after losing his savings in a stock market crash back on Earth.
"Teacher."
Cang Fan saluted with stiff, wooden movements.
Seeing a white-haired old man bow to him still made Qi Yuan a bit uncomfortable. But eager to test the system's return function, he skipped the formalities.
He handed over the stone jar containing the Earth Soul Liquid and selected it as a "gift" in the system interface to trigger the return.
"This is a rare treasure called Earth Soul Liquid. It can greatly enhance the soul after ingestion. Take it and use it well."
Earth Soul Liquid was more suited for Star-level warriors. Using it on a Planetary-level cultivator was arguably wasteful.
But with the "Super Lever" of the return system, the more he gave, the more he'd get.
If he didn't fear attracting the castle lord's attention, he would've given away the entire kilogram on the spot!
"Teacher, what… what is this for?" Cang Fan asked, clearly bewildered.
Qi Yuan replied with a calm, reasonable explanation:
"The master promised that any of our people who break through to the Star level can leave their miner status and join the personal guard."
"I've decided to give you half of my monthly resource share to help you achieve that breakthrough. You don't need to take on mining duties for now. Focus entirely on cultivating."
"Ah? But… but Teacher, there are many junior brothers and sisters more talented than I am…"
Qi Yuan thought, Why are you still hesitating? Just take the gift already—I'm waiting for my return reward!
"Because you're steady."
He spoke solemnly. "Our Leiyuan tribe has suffered greatly. Though the master has granted us temporary safety, many of our kin are still out there in hardship."
"The outer universe is full of danger. I may die at any moment. To ensure the survival and future rescue of our people, I need calm, dependable people like you."
He locked eyes with Cang Fan, full of teacherly trust and kindness.
"So I ask you—are you willing to take on this responsibility?"
Cang Fan, stunned by Qi Yuan's words, began breathing heavily. The emptiness in his eyes was replaced with a burning light.
The teacher believes in me this much? I always thought I was strong, but I gave up so easily after one setback. I've let him down. No more!
Tears welled in his eyes as he knelt and kowtowed.
"Teacher, I am willing! I will take responsibility for the tribe, do everything in my power, and dedicate myself entirely—even unto death!"
He bowed once more, then solemnly took the stone jar of Earth Soul Liquid.
"Rest assured, Teacher. I won't let you down!"
Just as he accepted the gift, a pleasant system prompt echoed in Qi Yuan's mind:
> [Successfully gifted disciple 500 grams of Earth Soul Liquid!]
[Base return rate: 8x. Return process initiated.]
[Gift triggered great emotional resonance—88x critical hit activated. Final return rate: 704x!]
[Return reward: 704 Muya Crystals stored in system space.]
Qi Yuan's eyes lit up.
Lucky indeed!
He hadn't expected much from Cang Fan, with his base return rate of only 8x. But to trigger an 88x critical bonus—unheard of!
The system had even converted the return into Muya Crystals, rare items full of life energy, perfect for strengthening both body and soul—with zero side effects.
They were far superior to the Earth Soul Liquid, especially for Qi Yuan's current stage of cultivation.
"With 704 Muya Crystals, I don't need to worry about resources until I reach the peak of Star level!"
For the first time since transmigrating, Qi Yuan felt genuine happiness.
Meanwhile, Cang Fan—still kneeling—looked up hopefully, only to see Qi Yuan grinning foolishly and completely ignoring him.
"Teacher, if there's nothing else… I'll take my leave?"
"Oh! Right, I forgot you were still kneeling."
Qi Yuan snapped out of it and waved his hand nonchalantly.
"Go, go. Focus on your cultivation and don't slack off."
"Yes, Teacher! I'll never forget your teachings!"
Cang Fan bowed once more and left the cave.
Watching his departing figure, Qi Yuan shook his head with a smile.
"This old disciple doesn't act steady at all—more like an emotional teenager. I barely used any PUA skills, and he's already fired up like this. These otherworldly old men are too naïve."
When Cang Fan had fully disappeared from view, Qi Yuan returned to his thoughts.
"All is prepared. Time to examine the skills my 'master' gave me."
With anticipation shining in his eyes, he gently tapped the armguard screen of his smart optical computer.
The original host had cultivated to Star-level 2 with only patched-together, incomplete techniques and no resources.
Now, with a complete cultivation method leading up to the Universe-level and a wealth of Muya Crystals, Qi Yuan wondered—just how far could he go?