"All right, let's get moving. The people from Earth Dragon Gate will wake up soon."
Jiang Yi withdrew his hand and urged her on with a smile.
On the system panel, Ice Empress's affection, which hadn't budged before, finally increased, breaking through the zero mark.
It wasn't much, but at least it proved she was slowly beginning to accept him.
"Mm."
Ice Empress nodded, gazing eagerly at the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow behind her.
Whoosh—
A jade-green scorpion tail slid out from beneath her skirt. Its stinger swept across the cavern like a flash of green lightning, harvesting the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow within.
Jiang Yi and Tian Meng stepped back, making room for her.
There was no way the two of them could mine the Mystic Ice Marrow as quickly as Ice Empress, so they decided not to get in her way.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The entire Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Cavern trembled. One stalk after another of Profound Ice Marrow was uprooted, then collected by Ice Empress into the Master Ball.
The energy within the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow was too potent. This wasn't the time to refine it.
One, two, three...
Ice Empress kept swinging her scorpion tail, her little face beaming with joy. She'd completely dropped her usual aloof airs.
"Hehe..."
Her eyes glowed as she gazed at the stalks of Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow. She could hardly resist giving Jiang Yi a kiss.
This was truly the provider of her food and clothing!
At the same time, Jiang Yi looked at Ice Empress's affection rising alongside the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow going into her account and smiled knowingly.
11%, 12%, 13%...
With every stalk of Mystic Ice Marrow she pulled up, the number ticked higher. This felt even better than earning money for himself.
A moment later, Ice Empress uprooted the final stalk of Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow, and her affection stopped at 31%.
"There are forty-five stalks in all! I only need half..."
Ice Empress turned to Jiang Yi, her little face flushed with excitement.
There was more Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow here than she'd expected. One stalk was enough to get her through her next lightning tribulation, so the twenty-odd stalks she'd take would be more than enough.
"Mm. Give the rest to Sister Tian Meng! The Star Dou Great Forest took a good chunk of her essence before..."
Jiang Yi mused, then held out his hand.
"Okay."
Ice Empress answered, then saw Jiang Yi's outstretched hand and instinctively leaned her head toward it.
"Mmm~"
She closed her eyes in contentment and gently rubbed her head against his palm. She was just short of purring.
But the next moment, she froze.
Wait!
She was the great Heavenly King of the Far North, leader of the Ice Jade Scorpion Clan. How could she make a gesture like that?
"I-I'll go back first."
Ice Empress's eyes flickered. She slipped out from beneath Jiang Yi's hand, her voice tinged with inexplicable panic.
Whoosh!
Before Jiang Yi could respond, she darted back into the Master Ball on her own.
Inside the Master Ball, Ice Empress had returned to her little scorpion form. She lay atop a stalk of Profound Ice Marrow, both silvery-white pincers clamped over her eyes.
A faint blush tinged her jade-green shell.
The Ice Jade Scorpion Clan would never be slaves!!
Without the cold emanating from the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow, the frigid spring water outside began pouring into the cavern.
"Sister Tian Meng, are you angry?"
Jiang Yi looked at his shoulder. Little Tian Meng was pouting, looking somewhat glum.
He smiled and reached out to comfort her, but Tian Meng turned her head away and gave a little huff.
"No. I don't care about a little Mystic Ice Marrow..."
Her voice was muffled, as if she were sulking with herself.
Her cultivation had already reached its limit. The Mystic Ice Marrow could only replenish some of the energy she'd spent, so it really wasn't of much use to her.
But as she watched Ice Empress and Jiang Yi grow closer, she ought to have been happy. Instead, her heart felt inexplicably heavy.
I was here first...
The golden fur on her head drifted gently, like fate itself.
"That's because I have something else for you! How could I forget about you, Sister Tian Meng..."
Looking at Tian Meng's sour expression, Jiang Yi chuckled and reached out to ruffle her head again.
Being the master wasn't easy!
Fortunately, the affection on the system panel hadn't gone down so far.
"Really?"
Tian Meng's eyes lit up, and she no longer refused Jiang Yi's touch. The little bit of resentment in her heart vanished in an instant.
She knew it. She was Jiang Yi's favorite.
"Of course."
Jiang Yi smiled.
"The water's coming in. Let's go! That thing is on the other side..."
The water had already risen to his knees. Jiang Yi said no more, grabbed Tian Meng, and climbed out through the opening in the ceiling.
Without the cold from the Profound Ice Marrow, the spring water was far less frigid. He left the cold spring without trouble and returned to the bottom of the well.
Following Nan Shuishui's instructions, Jiang Yi quickly found the mechanism beneath the water. Of course, he kept Spirit Detection active the whole time.
That way, he could react immediately if anything unusual happened.
Rumble—!!!
The stone wall at the bottom of the well trembled slightly, sending ripples through the water. A narrow door, just wide enough for one person, slowly swung open.
The instant it opened, a wave of cold air surged out, no less frigid than the spring water. But Tian Meng shielded him, and all he felt was a chill.
Jiang Yi climbed inside. The space beyond was dry; the formation kept the spring water outside.
"Sister Tian Meng, look."
Jiang Yi shook the water from his hair and lifted Tian Meng from his shoulder. Together, they walked to the center of the cavern.
The sight before them left Tian Meng momentarily dazed.
The entire cavern was coated in deep-blue crystals. They were clear and sparkling, refracting the faint light filtering in from outside into dreamlike patterns.
It was as if they had stepped into a deep-blue starry sky, frozen in time.
So beautiful it took their breath away.
"These are... Ice Pole Divine Crystals that formed alongside the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow."
Tian Meng murmured softly.
Though Ice Pole Divine Crystals weren't as valuable as Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow, they weren't far behind. They were exceedingly rare natural treasures.
The Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Cavern where she'd once stayed hadn't had a vein of Ice Pole Divine Crystals.
"That's right."
Jiang Yi chuckled, then pressed his hand against a nearby Ice Pole Divine Crystal and channeled the Soul Power of Ultimate Ice into it.
Crack.
With a crisp sound, he snapped the Ice Pole Divine Crystal off cleanly.
The Ice Pole Divine Crystal fell into his hand, releasing a faint, deep-blue glow. It pulsed in and out, as if something inside were breathing.
"This is living metal."
He toyed with the Ice Pole Divine Crystal in his hand. It wasn't hard at all, but supple, with a texture like milk.
Holding it in his palm, he could clearly sense a faint thrill deep within the metal.
The metal had a spirit!
This was naturally Spirit-Forged Metal... At the very least, it should be Thousand Refinement.
"..."
Tian Meng blinked, looking at the beautiful crystal, then at Jiang Yi.
The Ice Pole Divine Crystal was valuable, sure, but she couldn't exactly gnaw on it, could she?
Jiang Yi saw her confusion and patted her little head. Tian Meng understood, obediently transformed into a little girl, and let him gather her into his arms.
"Tian Meng, have you ever thought about the future? You can't rely on a Purple Demon Eye to get by forever, can you?"
Jiang Yi looked down at her and spoke earnestly.
Tian Meng's talent was truly terrible.
Even after evolving several times, going from an ordinary Ice Silkworm to a Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, she was still mediocre.
A million-year-old spiritual Soul Beast, and her spiritual power hadn't even reached the formless-yet-tangible stage. Who would believe that?
Tian Meng: ...
She lowered her head and fell silent.
Before you continue