Endless Clone Emperor

"Drag him inside," Su Zhan ordered.

But Xiao Hei tilted his head, unmoving. Clearly, it didn't understand the command.

"Ah, right. I only taught you how to cut throats, stab people, and cover mouths. I'll teach you this next time," Su Zhan muttered.

Before coming here, Su Zhan had spent a lot of time training Xiao Hei. Otherwise, with its limited intelligence, it wouldn't have been so cooperative.

…

Attacking Li Lichang turned out to be an excellent decision.

Su Zhan casually searched Li Lichang's body and found more than ten low-grade spirit stones. After counting carefully, there were 15 in total!

"After feasting, he still had 15 spirit stones left. No wonder people resort to bullying, killing, and stealing. The rewards really come fast!" Su Zhan thought.

"Now, not only am I set for tomorrow, but I don't have to worry about food for the next few days."

"And I can finally see what new surprises this black mark has in store for me."

Eagerly, Su Zhan picked out three low-grade spirit stones and gripped them in his right hand.

A black glow emanated from his palm, and the three spirit stones began to melt at a visible rate, seeping into his skin.

Soon, all three were absorbed.

But…

"No change?"

Su Zhan looked around. Aside from Xiao Hei, no new shadow clones had appeared.

"Hmm, maybe my estimate was wrong. It's not three spirit stones for a new Xiao Hei. Let's try three more."

He repeated the process, absorbing another three low-grade spirit stones.

"Still nothing?"

Su Zhan frowned, puzzled.

He even walked around the tiled house to check, but there was still no sign of a new shadow clone.

"What's going on? Are these low-grade spirit stones defective? Or is there something else I'm missing?" Su Zhan wondered. "Or… is there only one Xiao Hei? No second clone?"

If that were true, his plans to grow stronger and wealthier would be ruined.

"No matter what, I'll keep going!"

Determined, Su Zhan grabbed three more spirit stones.

As the stones melted and seeped into his palm, his expression suddenly shifted.

"It's happening!"

In front of him, a new shadow clone began to materialize out of thin air. It looked exactly like Xiao Hei, as if it had been copied from the same mold.

Starting as a faint, almost invisible illusion, it gradually grew darker and more solid until it fully formed into a second shadow clone.

The second Xiao Hei had arrived!

"So that's how it works…"

"The first Little Black requires 3 low-grade spirit stones, the second needs 9… It's not simple addition, but multiplication!"

Su Zhan's eyes flickered as he finally grasped the pattern behind the creation of Little Blacks. As long as he had enough spirit stones, their numbers could increase indefinitely.

However…

"The third will need 27 spirit stones, the fourth 81, and the fifth 243… My goodness! If this continues, the cost will become astronomical!"

A quick calculation left Su Zhan shaking his head. At this rate, forming even a small squad of Little Blacks—let alone an entire army—would be a serious challenge.

Still, every additional Little Black improved his survival, combat, and most importantly, mining efficiency. These tireless, obedient workers could mine 24/7 without rest!

"I'll keep two spirit stones and use the rest to create more."

With that decision, Su Zhan waved his hand, and the two black shadow clones collapsed into black smoke, merging back into his palm. Then, he quietly slipped into the night.

---

As expected, the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, a loud assembly horn sounded.

Su Zhan stepped out of his wooden hut, only to hear the miners whispering among themselves.

They were all talking about the death of Li Lichang!

Li Lichang had been more than just a miner—he was a supervisor, responsible for whipping and driving them. Now that he hadn't shown up, it was obvious something had happened.

However, the higher-ups in charge of the mine didn't seem to care. Without any investigation, they hastily disposed of his body and casually promoted another first-level mortal realm miner as the new supervisor.

In their eyes, workers could die, but mining had to continue.

Hearing the miners' hushed comments—"Serves him right," "Haha, finally some justice!" "People like him deserve to die!"—Su Zhan smirked quietly.

---

As thousands of miners poured into the tunnels like sheep rushing from a pen, they scrambled to secure the best mining spots they had scouted earlier.

If someone else took their spot, they had only two choices: fight to reclaim it or accept defeat and be pushed into the barren areas, where mining the required spirit stones could take twice as long.

Fights over mining spots were common, but Su Zhan was already used to it.

Soon, he arrived at the mine he had worked in the day before. It was an average, somewhat barren spot, so no one tried to take it. The few miners nearby were too focused on their own work to notice him.

Making sure no one was watching, Su Zhan ventured deeper into the mine. Once he confirmed he was alone, he gave a command.

"Come out."

Two black shadow clones quietly emerged.

Su Zhan tossed them the two hoes he had prepared in advance. "Each of you, take one and start digging."

Without hesitation, the clones grabbed the hoes and began striking the rock wall.

Su Zhan's eyes lit up. "Their intelligence has improved!"

He had suspected as much last night. Unlike before, the clones no longer needed detailed instructions. A single command was enough for them to understand and act on their own.

Now, it was time to test something new.

Sitting cross-legged, Su Zhan closed his eyes.

He emptied his mind completely.