Chapter 2831: Killing Two Birds With One Stone “Figure it out yourself! Get lost!” “Alright, alright, we’re on our way…” Wu Xiao forced a smile and nodded repeatedly, though inwardly, he felt bitter. They had come as mercenaries to pillage and kill, but now they had become nothing more than laborers doing someone else’s dirty work. Yet, due to Fang Heng’s threat, no one dared to resist. They silently obeyed the orders and returned. Meanwhile, in the underground iron mine. With batch after batch of multi-functional combat shovels arriving, Fang Heng’s zombie clones greatly improved the efficiency of ore extraction. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶 Along with the additional zombie clones summoned earlier, as well as the proliferators generated by the clones, the number of zombies increased by a large margin. Over twenty magic arrays in the grotto area were operating nonstop at high speed, significantly boosting the tempering efficiency. Fang Heng’s tempering skill book had reached max level just over ten minutes ago. After another ten minutes, he had gathered ten S-level spirit gemstones. “It’s time to try skill advancement.” At the center of the cave, Fang Heng sat cross-legged. [Hint: The player has obtained 10 S-level spirit gemstones. The player can use these gemstones to enter the psychic storm state. If the trial is successfully completed, the player can advance to high-tier psychic.] “Begin.” Fang Heng silently murmured in his heart. The ten S-level spirit gemstones arranged in front of him suddenly emitted a faint glow. With the infusion of mental strength, psychic power surged from the gemstones, like clear spring water gathering, slowly flowing into Fang Heng’s body. Fang Heng closed his eyes tightly. It’s here! Psychic power, unlike other forms of power, was not affected by outside forces. It moved through his body, swiftly circulating before rapidly pouring into his sea of consciousness. It wasn’t long before an energy cloud formed within his sea of consciousness. “Boom! Boom! Boom!!” The energy cloud suddenly exploded in his consciousness without warning. Psychic power caused massive waves in the sea of consciousness at its center. “Psychic storm…” Fang Heng mumbled softly to himself. It still wasn’t enough. The psychic storm could cause a certain level of destruction in the sea of consciousness. But for him, this level of destruction was too low. His sea of consciousness had been enhanced countless times and had undergone far more intense storms than this. This small disturbance was nothing to him. Fang Heng closed his eyes, stabilizing his sea of consciousness and quickly absorbing the psychic strength contained within the psychic storm. After a moment, ten minutes passed, and the storm completely subsided. His sea of consciousness remained intact. The game prompt once again appeared on his retina. [Hint: The player has advanced skill-high-tier psychic.] [Hint: The player’s skill-mid-tier psychic has been removed.] Done. Fang Heng opened his eyes again, briefly scanning the description of the skill after its advancement. Compared to the mid-tier psychic, the high-tier psychic skill only slightly improved his spirit and will attributes. Additionally, it enhanced his resistance to psychic abilities and further boosted the effectiveness of related skills. The difference wasn’t huge; it was just a slight improvement in numbers. Fang Heng thought for a moment, then picked up another S-level spirit gemstone beside him. He infused his mental strength once again. Whoosh! The spirit gemstone emitted a dark glow. Psychic strength quickly flowed from the gemstone into his body. [Hint: The player absorbs psychic strength, gaining high-tier psychic skill experience +2912.] [Hint: The player absorbs psychic strength, gaining high-tier psychic skill experience +2899…] Once the tier limit was removed, the experience points for the psychic skill started to accumulate, and the skill level began to rise slowly. Keep going! Time to grind! A trace of greed gleamed in Fang Heng’s eyes. Taking advantage of the fact that there were now endless spirit gemstones available, he decided to fully level up his psychic skill! … At the edge of the desert, three mercenary team captains gathered together, speaking quietly. Behind them, a group of over a hundred mercenaries had formed. “That guy Cole… didn’t expect it to happen so suddenly.” “Ha, that kid’s always so arrogant. We gave him a bit of face out of respect, but others aren’t afraid to die. It’s normal for them to get taken out.” “Cole’s offer isn’t low. What do you guys think?” “It’s tricky.” The three mercenary team captains weren’t fools. That greedy idiot Cole deserved to die, but his strength wasn’t bad, and he had a whole group of subordinates to protect him. If someone could kill him without hesitation, they probably weren’t simple either. “I heard Cole’s subordinates were threatened. They were just on the ship borrowing money to buy their lives. Maybe we should ask them about the situation.” The group discussed in whispers as they looked back. “They’re here.” Turning around, Wu Xiao and his subordinates came back, looking dejected, carrying combat shovels. Since Wu Xiao didn’t have enough contribution points, he had borrowed from other teams and exchanged the shovels from the ship. “Wu Xiao!” A mercenary team commander, Wayne, called out from afar and asked, “What’s going on with you guys? Where’s your boss?” Wu Xiao saw the group, his face full of misery, and led his team over, looking downcast. “Wayne, don’t mock me. I was blind and got involved with trouble I shouldn’t have.” Wayne, serious, asked, “Is he that strong?” Wu Xiao slumped. “Very strong.” “Really?” Wayne stroked his chin, then looked up and asked, “How does he compare to Arkley?” Wu Xiao was stunned for a moment. Arkley. A mercenary player who had been invited by the Western District Federation. He was considered the strongest in the entire mercenary group, with strength enough to rival an entire team! Additionally, Arkley had a very special identity. He was a Marquis of the Vampires. After the vampires gained special dimensional power, Arkley’s strength had increased dramatically. But Arkley and his subordinates were currently dealing with mutant worms at another mining area, so they weren’t around. “This…” Wu Xiao thought back to when Arkley had personally taken action during the early days of joining the Western District Federation’s star map project. The overwhelming lifeblood aura had nearly suffocated him. Compared to that, Boss Fang, though strong, didn’t seem to have the same oppressive feeling. Also, Boss Fang’s physique was more normal. Wu Xiao carefully compared in his mind and said, “He’s probably not as strong.” The three mercenary captains exchanged quick glances. If he wasn’t as strong as Arkley… Then maybe it was worth considering making a move. After all, Cole’s offer was generous. And Boss Fang was occupying the spirit crystal mine area. If they could find an excuse to get rid of him, they could easily take over the mine area. Kill two birds with one stone! Wayne and the other two mercenary captains exchanged a look, nodded, and said, “Wu Xiao, lead the way. Take us to find Boss Fang.” “Huh?” Wu Xiao pointed to himself, “You mean me?”