"Haha... good, good, good!!!"
Mu Xingtian witnessed the scene before him and nodded slightly in satisfaction, though a trace of greed flashed through his eyes, too fleeting to detect.
"You brat, you truly have not disappointed your master. Take this."
With that, Mu Xingtian actually sneaked a blood-and-qi spiritual herb into Shen Fan's hands.
"This is a five-hundred-year Blood Spirit Mushroom. With this divine medicine's aid, you will surely break through to the third level of Blood Refinement before long!"
"This disciple kowtows in thanks for Master's gift of medicine!"
Shen Fan dropped to one knee, raised both hands above his head, and carefully accepted the Blood Spirit Mushroom as though it were a priceless treasure.
"Come, let your master examine your cultivation and see whether it is truly as you claimed!"
As Mu Xingtian spoke, he extended his dry, twig-like hand and slowly covered Shen Fan's head.
In an instant, an irresistible force of spiritual sense surged into Shen Fan's Spirit Abode from the top of his head like a raging tide.
Shen Fan felt a sharp pain strike his Spirit Abode, as though countless steel needles were madly stabbing into it, the agony piercing straight to his heart.
Within his Spirit Abode, the Treasure Gathering Universe Bowl shone brilliantly. Like an impregnable golden barrier, it quietly concealed some of Shen Fan's deepest secrets and guarded his privacy.
That old bastard is using the Soul Searching Technique on me again!
Shen Fan was greatly alarmed, terror flooding his heart in an instant like the tide.
Yet at this moment, he had no power to resist. He could only allow that spiritual force to run rampant through his Spirit Abode.
Every use of the Soul Searching Technique inflicted incalculable damage upon one's spiritual sense.
"Ah!!"
Shen Fan immediately let out a painful scream, his body convulsing incessantly on the ground.
"Master, my head hurts so much. What is happening?"
Mu Xingtian remained calm and casually fabricated an excuse.
"It is nothing! Your master is merely helping you expel the fire poison within your body!"
And through the Soul Searching Technique, Mu Xingtian indeed discovered that, just as Shen Fan had said, Shen Fan had saved that girl, after which she had left behind the Universe Pouch and fled in haste.
However, the details of how Shen Fan had hidden the spirit stones, pills, and spells were once again cleverly protected by the Treasure Gathering Universe Bowl.
Mu Xingtian found nothing.
Shocked by the Treasure Gathering Universe Bowl's newly discovered "warning" effect, Shen Fan slowly rose from the ground.
At this time, the disciples searching the Waste Elixir Chamber returned.
"Reporting to Elder, we found some bloodstains in the room, as well as these replaced medicinal bandages!"
As the Law Enforcement disciple spoke, he respectfully presented the items they had found.
Mu Xingtian waved a hand. "Enough. There is nothing suspicious left here. Everyone, follow me to pursue the Icefire Sect traitor!"
With that, he ignored Shen Fan and led the others straight away.
Shen Fan, meanwhile, felt as though he had walked through the gates of hell. Soaked through with sweat, he collapsed limply to the ground and gasped for breath.
Back in the Waste Elixir Chamber.
Everything outside seemed utterly cut off from Shen Fan.
What had just happened had been far too perilous.
Whether that woman had done it deliberately or not, Shen Fan now regarded her as a bad person as well!
If the Treasure Gathering Universe Bowl had not issued its warning in time,
Shen Fan did not dare imagine whether his head would still be on his shoulders if the Law Enforcement Hall people had burst into the Waste Elixir Chamber and seen him taking stock of the contents of the Universe Pouch.
"Fuck, that bitch is truly venomous as a snake's heart—vicious to the extreme!"
Shen Fan could not help cursing under his breath.
Yet his hands did not stop moving. He took out the things he had skimmed off one by one and began carefully counting them.
Fifteen Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, eighty Low-Grade Spirit Stones, and more than twenty first-rank mid-grade and high-grade pills of various kinds, including Qi Gathering Pills, Bone Forging Pills, Mind Condensing Pills, and more. There was a dazzling assortment.
What delighted Shen Fan even more was that among the pills, there was actually a Foundation Establishment Pill!
"My heavens!"
Shen Fan's breathing immediately quickened, and his heartbeat accelerated.
This Foundation Establishment Pill was the key that opened the great path to Foundation Establishment!
How many Qi Refinement cultivators were trapped at the peak of Qi Refinement, suffering because they could not forge their Dao foundation and could not cross that chasm like a heavenly moat?
Who would have thought that woman had actually left behind a Foundation Establishment Pill?
Seeing this, Shen Fan could not help sinking into thought. She left behind even something this precious. Could she really have deliberately used me as bait?
After taking stock of everything, Shen Fan's gaze finally fell upon the book, "Profound Water Freezing Art."
The night had grown deep. The light of the earth fire flickered and swayed, illuminating Shen Fan's intent face.
As the pages turned, Shen Fan's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and delight appeared on his face.
"Wonderful! Wonderfully ingenious!"
After finishing this spell art, Shen Fan could not help praising it again and again.
The effect of this "Profound Water Freezing Art" was exactly as its name suggested: it could condense water spiritual qi into ice.
It appeared simple, yet the significance hidden behind it was immensely profound.
With this ice-freezing art, cultivators could practice spells and cultivation arts meant for mutated ice spiritual roots.
Spiritual roots such as ice and lightning were exceedingly rare. They belonged to the category of mutated spiritual roots, and those born with such talent were one in ten thousand.
Yet with this spell art, a cultivator could embark upon the path of cultivating ice-attribute arts and spells.
At that thought, Shen Fan immediately turned his gaze to the "Polar Ice-Fire Body Forging Art."
Old Man Duan had given him this body-refining cultivation art, but it required an ice spiritual root. Since he had been unable to practice it, it had sat idle until now.
But now, with the "Profound Water Freezing Art," the path of cultivation was finally free of obstruction.
Shen Fan then plunged headfirst into the cultivation art and spell art, beginning to cultivate with such devotion that he forgot food and sleep.
"Profound water's spirit charm, gather qi into crystals. Cold intent congeals into frost, the ice soul takes form!"
As the surrounding spiritual qi slowly entered his body, under the circulation of the Five Elements Heavenly Spirit Art, it separated into his various spiritual roots.
At this moment, Shen Fan focused all his attention upon his water spiritual root.
Water vapor rose and spiritual qi swirled. A cool current spread from his dantian through all four limbs and every bone in his body, instantly sweeping away the Waste Elixir Chamber's scorching heat.
Immediately afterward, a chill rose from his dantian.
Looking inward at his dantian, Shen Fan discovered to his delight that layers of ice crystals had actually precipitated within his water spiritual root.
Shen Fan secretly rejoiced that he possessed these trashy five elements spiritual roots, allowing him to cultivate cultivation arts of every attribute at will.
Though they were only first-rank, and his speed was as slow as a turtle crawling like a snail.
If he had not possessed a water spiritual root, would this cultivation art not have been wasted for nothing?
As his water spiritual root temporarily transformed into an ice spiritual root under the circulation of the "Profound Water Freezing Art," Shen Fan immediately opened the "Polar Ice-Fire Body Forging Art" and began cultivating it.
"Ice and fire entwine, tempering the frame. Forge the body at the extreme, and the divine body first appears."
Shen Fan had studied this body-refining cultivation art long ago, but without an ice spiritual root, he had never been able to practice it.
Now that everything was ready, he could finally cultivate it smoothly.
The Polar Ice-Fire Body Forging Art tempered the entire body with the powers of ice and fire.
Shen Fan was positioned above the Core Earth Fire. Fire spiritual qi spread throughout his body without the need for a fire spiritual root, scorching and refining his essence, blood, spiritual veins, and physique.
As the fire spiritual qi continuously burned him, Shen Fan's skin instantly turned crimson. Beads of sweat covered his entire body and dripped to the ground.
This "Polar Ice-Fire Body Forging Art" was like forging a weapon: first burn the body to a certain degree, then quench it with icy water.
"Ah!!!"
The flames blazed fiercely. Shen Fan seemed to be reborn in fire, and the searing pain made him scream involuntarily.
But the path of cultivation was inherently a struggle with heaven for fortune, a journey against the heavens. How could it possibly be smooth sailing?
All this suffering would become the road he had traveled!
"This is the moment!"
Seeing that the time within his body was ripe, Shen Fan abruptly opened his eyes, drew a deep breath, steeled himself, clenched his teeth, and tensed his body.
He then mobilized the spiritual power stored within his "ice spiritual root" and circulated it throughout his body.
Whoosh!!
Streams of white mist billowed from Shen Fan's body, as though a red-hot iron block had plunged into water.
"Ah!!!"
Shen Fan screamed and slammed headfirst into the ground, his entire body trembling without end.
"Can a human being really endure this shit?"
After a long while, Shen Fan's fingers twitched slightly. Weak all over, he climbed up from the ground, yet a faint gratified smile appeared on his face.
Feeling the state of his body after it had been forged by ice and fire.
Shen Fan immediately felt that everything he had suffered just now had been worth it.
Before you continue