Five-Flame Blazing Sun Pill, the Wondrous Use of Cold Qi (Seeking Tips)

With the capture of this Black-Horned Scorpionfish, the pool water returned to calm, and the powerful, icy aura that had spread through the air receded by more than half.

While waiting for the two of them to absorb the essence from the Black-Horned Scorpionfish's flesh and blood, Wang Xuance stared at the pool water crashing down from the waterfall, a thought flashing through his mind.

Since the flood-dragon-headed core in my dantian's sea of qi can devour Black-Horned Scorpionfish to advance the Great Arm Scripture, doesn't that mean I can directly absorb the cold qi in this pool!

With that thought, Wang Xuance mobilized the qi and blood throughout his body, channeled his strength through his acupoints, shifted his palaces and moved his meridians, drawing a wisp of cold qi from the air through the Great Arm Scripture's circulation method.

That faint wisp of cold qi flowed along the meridians in his arms. Before long, it was completely absorbed by his flesh and blood.

The flesh in his arms twitched slightly, revealing an intense hunger.

Cold qi can temper the tendons, meridians, flesh, and blood in my arms. It is a pity that it did not advance the Great Arm Scripture. It seems that anything capable of advancing martial arts progress is no ordinary thing!

Forget it. A man should know contentment; too much greed is no good.

Wang Xuance slowly opened his eyes and looked at the nearly immeasurable cold qi within the pool, his gaze burning with incomparably fervent desire.

Then the fascia and meridians in his arms began to pulse. Wisps of invisible cold qi flowed into his body, while the Azure Flood Dragon Core hovering above his dantian's sea of qi opened its bloodstained maw wide. An unmatched devouring force began swallowing the cold qi.

Soon afterward, the scales on the core's flood-dragon body blazed with white light, flipping up one after another. The originally violent, yin-cold frost qi gradually transformed into azure radiance brimming with vital essence.

After being purified, it flowed in wisps into the flesh and blood of his arms, nourishing their fascia.

Hm? This core actually possesses such tyrannical power. Worthy of a high-grade Profound-tier martial art!

Thump—thump—

A heavy yet inaudible heartbeat pounded in the young man's chest, like a divine being beating war drums, majestic and thunderous!

The muscles in his arms began to tear, intertwine, and regrow, cycling endlessly. Though the core within him had refined the cold qi once, the searing pain of steel needles woven through his flesh still made his entire body tremble and drenched him in sweat.

Before the heat could even rise from him, the surrounding cold qi condensed it into frost flowers that drifted slowly down upon his body.

"Eh!"

Chen Linger slowly opened her eyes. Her strange white pupils fixed upon Wang Xuance, who had kept his true abilities hidden. It was as though she had been struck by lightning, leaving her frozen in a daze.

"Why is everything about him blurred? My innate strange pupils can see through the foundation of flesh and blood. Why can't I make out your physical body now?"

No matter how the girl focused her vision, she could never pierce through the mist shrouding Wang Xuance.

Left with no choice, she gave up, closed her eyes, and continued breathing in and out, circulating her qi-blood furnace to absorb the essence within the Black-Horned Scorpionfish's flesh and blood.

In the dark space, a desolate, mocking voice echoed.

"Hehe, little girl, you were born with quite a pair of eyes. Yet your entire martial cultivation has been tightly locked away. No wonder you were able to find this place..."

"Blessing and calamity... if it is a blessing, it is not a calamity..."

"I can't see through this boy's martial foundation, either. Tsk tsk, interesting, interesting..."

As time slowly passed, Wang Xuance saw that the other two had finished absorbing the essence, so he too stopped absorbing cold qi to temper his flesh.

This time, it was the white-haired old man's turn to capture the Black-Horned Scorpionfish, while the other two watched each other's backs nearby, guarding against sudden danger.

Clang—

Clang—

Thus, the three took turns catching Black-Horned Scorpionfish, capturing more than ten in succession. But with each catch taking longer than the last, almost no fish surfaced anymore.

The three realized they could no longer rely on the black net and had no choice but to enter the water to catch them.

According to Chen Linger's estimate, they would need to eat at least twenty Black-Horned Scorpionfish before they could resist the cold qi!

"Enter the pool to catch Black-Horned Scorpionfish? Miss Chen, are you joking?"

"This pool spans a hundred zhang, like a lake. Even you cannot guarantee the level of danger at its bottom. How is that any different from seeking death?"

"Besides, above the water, we can wait for the fish to swim out and catch them with a net. But once we enter the water, how are we supposed to catch the Black-Horned Scorpionfish?"

Wang Xuance remained expressionless, speaking only in a cold voice, utterly unmoved.

Although he could devour cold qi and withstand its erosion, entering the frigid pool to catch fish was still far too risky.

"Brother Wang, rest assured. I have a method that will satisfy both needs!"

With a flip of her hand, she took out a yellow wooden box. It was ancient in appearance, and a faint fragrance permeated its entire surface.

"Eh, Yellow Gardenia Ancient Wood?"

Wang Xuance gave a surprised cry when he saw the box.

"Hehe, Brother Wang has sharp eyes. It is indeed Yellow Gardenia Ancient Wood!"

Though Wang Xuance's face remained expressionless, he was deeply astonished by Chen Linger's lavish display.

Yellow Gardenia Ancient Wood was a tree unique to the Western Desert. It took ten years to root, a hundred years to branch, a thousand years to leaf, and ten thousand years to become usable timber.

It was the most suitable container for storing pills and medicinal herbs. Not only was its wood indestructible and impervious to water and fire, but more importantly, to a certain extent, it was the finest catalyst for refining certain special pills!

Such a large wooden box was worth a fortune. It was truly an extravagant gesture.

Whatever it held was most likely even more precious!

With a crisp snap.

Three round, crimson pills the size of date pits came into view inside the box, each wrapped with five tiny flame-like patterns.

An exceedingly tyrannical fiery aura burst from the box, instantly dispersing the layers of chilling frost qi around them.

"Brother Wang, this pill is called the Five-Flame Blazing Sun Pill. Once taken, it produces a trace of crimson sun qi within the body, enough for the three of us to resist the cold qi in the pool for more than the time it takes an incense stick to burn!"

The girl extended her slender jade-white fingers, pinched up a pill, and held it before Wang Xuance.

"This pill is refined from five kinds of earth-vein fire-baleful qi, combined with six medicinal ingredients in the proper formula of ruler, minister, assistant, and courier!"

"It was originally meant to treat martial artists afflicted with certain strange yin poisons. Using it to resist the cold qi in this pool for a short while should be more than sufficient!"

"Brother Wang, you may rest assured. You and I still have to cooperate. How could I poison you?"

"As for Brother Wang's concern that there may be other creatures at the bottom of the pool, there is no need to worry. Black-Horned Scorpionfish are fierce by nature, cruel and bloodthirsty!"

"Anything weaker than them could never survive, while anything stronger could never allow so many Black-Horned Scorpionfish to live!"

"Yet their own strength is still a notch below that of one who has knocked on the Blood Gate once. Their intelligence is shallow; they survive only by relying on a streak of ferocity!"

Chen Linger pointed at the Black-Horned Scorpionfish remains that the three had eaten raw by the poolside and nodded with certainty!

"Therefore, this cold pool most likely contains only this one kind of creature!"

Wang Xuance narrowed his eyes as he looked at Chen Linger's harmless expression. Without hesitation, he took the pill in one hand.

"Since that is so, how about you and I go down first?"

Seeing the young man accept the pill, Chen Linger quietly let out a breath, afraid that he might refuse her medicine!

At the same time, she secretly praised his bold courage.

Chen Linger signaled to the white-haired old man behind her.

The latter took out a metal device no larger than a fist.

The device was about three chi long and no thicker than an arm. Its entire body was purple-black, with a claw-shaped spear curled within a spherical metal casing around its outer edge. It gleamed with the luster unique to metal, cold light flashing in every direction, bleak and chilling.

"Young Master Wang, this is a Claw Spear. It was forged from Black-Feather Gangsteel and refined iron, and can withstand a force of a thousand jin. This is what we shall use to catch Black-Horned Scorpionfish in the pool!"

The white-haired old man pressed with his thumb. A string of click-click mechanism sounds rang out, and with a whoosh, a spear shot forth, trailing a golden thread as it pierced into the stone wall to a depth of more than three chi!

Seeing this, Wang Xuance could not help glancing at Chen Linger.

She can even get her hands on something like this. She has clearly been plotting this exploration of the cave dwelling for a long time!

After taking the Claw Spear, Wang Xuance flipped his hand, tossed the Five-Flame Blazing Sun Pill into his mouth, and with a splash, leaped into the pool first.

The instant he entered the water, he spat out the pill. He had never had a habit of casually swallowing pills given by others. Even if this pill was worth a great deal, there was no harm in being cautious in an unfamiliar place!

He flipped his hand and took out an ordinary wooden box, placed the pill inside, then circulated his tendons and meridians. The bone-piercing chill gradually became something his body adapted to.

Visibility beneath the pool water was not limited; it was instead exceptionally clear.

Looking into the distance, he saw that the pool was square-shaped, its walls incredibly smooth without the slightest excess chisel mark. It seemed as if it had been carved out with a single slash.

Yet the bottom of the pool was hundreds of zhang deep. From the power of that single slash, one could not help but marvel at the unfathomable martial cultivation of this cave dwelling's master!

As the core above his dantian's sea of qi devoured cold qi at an increasingly powerful rate, wisps of visible cold qi surged toward him.

The bone-deep sensation of needles stabbing into the fascia and flesh of his arms struck again, and visible changes began appearing on his skin!

His originally bronze-colored skin began turning emerald green, gleaming with a metallic luster that signified the ever-increasing toughness of the skin on his arms!

He released his restraints and began absorbing with all his might the cold qi capable of freezing a martial artist's heart meridians to pieces.

What others see as dregs, I see as sweet dew!

Above the pool, Chen Linger saw Wang Xuance plunge headfirst into the water and promptly swallowed a Five-Flame Blazing Sun Pill as well.

Red light blazed from her body, heat gathering around her. She felt an indescribably warm heat spread through her heart, and with a tap of her foot, she too plunged headfirst into the pool.

"Old Bai, stay by the pool and keep watch over the surroundings!"