"So it wasn't that the ancient cultivators were different from us. It was that the essences of heaven and earth were hard to find. Nowadays, almost everyone cultivates a common-grade essence. Some have it even worse—they can't find even a common-grade essence, and can only nourish their Spirit Wheels with qi, ending up with the lowest-grade Spirit Wheels."
Shangguan Yuzhou's brows knitted as well, as if he were worrying about where he would find an essence in the future.
Huangfu Wuqin's bright eyes darted around. Seeing that both men were listening intently without saying a word, she grew even more animated.
She didn't hurry them along. Instead, her pretty face turned serious as she continued, "Strictly speaking, Wheel-Nourishing Realm cultivators who haven't used an essence to nurture their wheels can't be considered to have fully entered the realm. That's why they struggle to defend themselves against cultivators who've absorbed an essence."
"Cultivators who nourish their wheels with an essence can defeat an enemy one minor realm above them. It's no difficult feat."
"Of course, the quality of the essence they cultivate with also affects their strength."
"Earth-grade can defeat human-grade, human-grade can kill common-grade, and common-grade can kill the lowest grade."
At her words, Kong Jiao couldn't help recalling how Han Dong had fought that day. He'd thought then that this ruthless man was no ordinary Wheel-Nourishing Realm cultivator. As it turned out, he'd absorbed an essence of heaven and earth.
He instinctively asked, "Then what grade was Han Dong's Human-Spirit Essence?"
Han Dong had gone to great lengths, laying siege to Frostmoon Altar and killing disciples from several sects.
The Human-Spirit Essence he'd absorbed at the cost of offending so many sects had to be of a high grade.
That was why Kong Jiao was curious.
"The Human-Spirit Essence isn't listed in the Immortal Foundation. With heaven and earth undergoing drastic changes and the essences of heaven and earth growing increasingly scarce, it's nothing more than a crooked path later-generation cultivators came up with." Huangfu Wuqin looked down on the Human-Spirit Essence, but she had to admit, "Still, after years of research, there have been countless cases of cultivators who absorbed Human-Spirit Essence being able to fight cultivators with earth-grade essences on equal footing. It should be considered earth-grade."
"But Human-Spirit Essence varies in quality. The kind condensed from ordinary people's blood can only be considered human-grade."
"Only Human-Spirit Essence condensed from cultivators can be considered on par with earth-grade essence."
"Then Han Dong..." Kong Jiao hesitated for a moment before carefully asking, "Has he already succeeded?"
"Mm!" Huangfu Wuqin nodded lightly and answered offhandedly, "He must have succeeded, since he managed to escape from me."
As she spoke, Huangfu Wuqin gave Kong Jiao and Shangguan Yuzhou a warning look. "I'm warning you two—don't get any ideas about Human-Spirit Essence. Condensing a single portion requires the spiritual essence of countless cultivators. The karmic debt from all those murders is too heavy. If you touch it, there'll be no turning back, and even the Cangwu Sect won't be able to protect you."
"When that happens, I won't go easy on you."
Kong Jiao smiled faintly. He understood now: he had already absorbed an essence of heaven and earth in that trial space, though he didn't know what grade it was.
Judging by how his spiritual power had transformed, it certainly wasn't common-grade.
So he shouldn't need to busy himself searching for an essence of heaven and earth. Why would he go after Human-Spirit Essence?
"The Moon Palace is so rich. How could it possibly give its disciples common-grade essence?" he thought.
Shangguan Yuzhou waved a hand, unconcerned. "I wouldn't touch that stuff. If I'm cultivating anything, it'll be the essence of the sword path. I'm going to become a Sword Immortal."
Huangfu Wuqin didn't respond. She fixed her gaze on Shangguan Yuzhou for a moment, light flickering in her calm eyes as though she were probing him.
Only after a pause did she look away. Surprisingly, she didn't immediately rebuke Shangguan Yuzhou for his earlier boast. Instead, she said seriously, "Your talent in the sword path really is good. At the fifth stage of the Wheel-Nourishing Realm, you've already fused the Eight-Foot Sword Scripture with the Drifting Rain Sword Art and comprehended your own unique Sword Qi. If you keep growing like this, then nourishing your Spirit Wheel with Sword Qi and other metallic essences will surely lead you far."
"Junior Sister Huangfu, you've got a good eye!" Shangguan Yuzhou's face nearly split with delight at hearing Huangfu Wuqin praise him.
That was Huangfu Wuqin, after all. One compliment from her was enough to brag about for ten years.
But after saying that much, Huangfu Wuqin looked at Kong Jiao. Golden light flashed briefly in her lively, beautiful eyes.
For that instant, Kong Jiao felt a chill run through his body. He had the strange feeling that his cultivation held no secrets from Huangfu Wuqin, that she'd seen right through him.
"This woman is frighteningly domineering." Kong Jiao was secretly alarmed and instinctively took a step back.
By then, Huangfu Wuqin had withdrawn the secret art she'd used to probe Kong Jiao. She seemed to have discovered something, and her expression turned meaningful.
With a light, lively laugh, she said, "You're quite the lucky fellow. You've already absorbed an essence of heaven and earth into your body."
"What! Junior Brother Kong, how could you keep something this important from me? My heart aches!" Shangguan Yuzhou feigned anguish and let out a wail. Then, brimming with curiosity, he asked, "What grade is it, earth-grade or common-grade? What's it called?"
He didn't ask if it was heaven-grade. Shangguan Yuzhou knew that would be an unrealistic question.
Since she'd already seen through him, Kong Jiao didn't bother pretending. In any case, the essence of heaven and earth had already been absorbed. Even if someone killed him, they couldn't extract it.
He shrugged and casually replied to Shangguan Yuzhou, "I don't know!"
He wasn't lying. He truly didn't know. Yi-Twelve didn't seem willing to say much about the essence of heaven and earth, and Kong Jiao hadn't dared ask more.
Now he didn't even know the name of the essence he'd absorbed.
Huangfu Wuqin, however, rested a small hand on her pretty chin and pondered for a long while, as if searching her memory for an essence of heaven and earth that matched what was inside Kong Jiao.
Only after a long time did she answer, "Its aura is as cold as a glacier, and its spiritual energy is white as frost. The frigid qi is overwhelming. It fits the Immortal Foundation's records of Frostsnow Essence."
Then Huangfu Wuqin looked Kong Jiao in the eye and asked firmly, "Did you absorb the essence at Frostmoon Altar?"
There was no hiding the fact that he'd absorbed an essence of heaven and earth. If Huangfu Wuqin could see through him at a glance, then the sect elders would surely have no trouble finding out either.
So Kong Jiao readily nodded. "Yes!"
"No wonder!" Huangfu Wuqin said, looking as if she'd expected it. With a rueful sigh, she pointed at Frostmoon Altar below and said,
"Your sect leader suspected long ago that Frostmoon Altar wasn't an ordinary place. The chill here is so severe that even spiritual power can't ward it off. It's just like the effects caused by Frostsnow Essence described in the Immortal Foundation."
"But many people searched here again and again without finding anything, so the matter was eventually dropped."
"I didn't expect you to be the one to benefit."
"What is Frostsnow Essence? What grade is it?" Shangguan Yuzhou asked the question Kong Jiao most wanted answered.
Kong Jiao pricked up his ears too, eager to hear Huangfu Wuqin's assessment of the essence of heaven and earth he'd absorbed.
"Frostsnow Essence, also known as Snow-Soul Essence, is born deep within glaciers that have remained frozen since time immemorial. It's the ultimate manifestation of frost and snow."
"Cultivators who absorb Frostsnow Essence have spiritual power as white as frost, imbued with extreme cold. It's extraordinarily effective for cultivating ice-type arts."
"In ancient times, there were cultivators who honed their frost and ice spiritual power to the utmost and could freeze a thousand miles."
Huangfu Wuqin listed the benefits of Frostsnow Essence one by one, then ended with a remark full of meaning: "That's why Snow-Soul Essence is the same grade as the Ancient One Heavy Water kept by the Enforcement Hall. It must be earth-grade."
"That fellow is truly blessed with both good fortune and a long life!"
Even Shangguan Yuzhou was envious. If he hadn't been steadfast in his Dao Heart and single-mindedly pursued the sword path, he would have been beating his chest and stamping his feet in regret.
Still, he was happy for Kong Jiao. He didn't have many friends, and Kong Jiao was the only one who truly counted. Zhou Tingyu could only be considered half a friend.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have just emerged from seclusion, heard that Kong Jiao was in danger, and rushed over with his sword in hand.
"Junior Brother Kong, from now on, we brothers will dominate the Cangwu Sect's outer sect. We'll be the two greatest heroes of the outer sect!"
Shangguan Yuzhou was in high spirits, as if he were the one who had absorbed Frostsnow Essence.
Kong Jiao had long grown used to the occasional childishness Shangguan Yuzhou displayed. He didn't call him out on it, instead eagerly joining the discussion. "The Two Heroes of the Outer Sect sounds awkward. How about the Two Talents of the Outer Sect?"
Huangfu Wuqin really wanted to turn around and leave, but she held back out of consideration for Zhou Tingyu's request. She immediately waved a hand, cutting off the conversation between the two boys with the mental ages of eight-year-olds.
"Frostsnow Essence is earth-grade, after all. It's best not to spread news of such an opportunity, or others might covet it."
"Don't worry. I'll report the matter to the sect leader truthfully, and the sect will look after you."
Huangfu Wuqin spoke with genuine sincerity.
Kong Jiao was a Cangwu Sect disciple, and he'd absorbed Frostsnow Essence. His future was limitless.
Naturally, the Cangwu Sect gave special care to its talented disciples.
"That's great." Kong Jiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
If Huangfu Wuqin hadn't used her secret art to probe him, he wouldn't have wanted to bring it up at all.
If Huangfu Wuqin was willing to keep it a secret, he naturally wouldn't say anything.
He understood the truth that a tree towering above the forest would be battered by the wind.
Dusk was falling.
With Huangfu Wuqin's arrival and Han Dong's retreat, the calamity at Frostmoon Altar had finally come to an end.
The only regret was that they hadn't managed to keep that ruthless man there. Who knew how many people would fall victim to him in the future?
After all, he cultivated Human-Spirit Essence. Once he started down that road, there was no turning back.
But none of that had much to do with Kong Jiao anymore. He felt that his future Dao Path probably wouldn't cross Han Dong's again.
"I can't possibly be hunted by the same person twice, can I?" Kong Jiao thought to himself.
With matters at Frostmoon Altar settled, the three naturally returned to the sect.
With Huangfu Wuqin at the lead, the three hurried through the snowstorm toward the Cangwu Sect.
With Huangfu Wuqin's cultivation, if she traveled at full speed, Kong Jiao and Shangguan Yuzhou would never be able to keep up.
So she was clearly looking out for the two of them, deliberately slowing down.
Kong Jiao noticed. As he followed the girl ahead, his gaze occasionally drifted to her bored-looking back.
"She's worried about the safety of Shangguan Yuzhou and me," he thought.
"I wonder if it's because of Junior Sister Zhou, or if she's simply like this by nature."
After spending a little time together, Kong Jiao had gained some understanding of Huangfu Wuqin's temperament.
The girl was proud, and she was unusually stubborn about certain inexplicable things. Still, she was fairly straightforward—just a little prone to violence.
At the thought, Kong Jiao glanced at Shangguan Yuzhou beside him, whose facial bruises still hadn't faded.
"Good thing it's only flesh wounds. She didn't hit him too hard. She knows where to draw the line."
Before you continue