Cold Spring Cultivation

Cold Spring Cultivation

The next day, the autumn wind slowly stirred the leaves on the trees lining both sides of the valley.

Ye Yun stood quietly in the valley, the techniques and methods of the Nine Yin Cold Claw flowing through his mind.

Before long, Ye Yun curled his five fingers into claws and slowly executed the moves of the Nine Yin Cold Claw.

First Form: Gusts of Yin Wind

Second Form: Flying Sand and Rolling Stones

Third Form: Heart-Rending and Lung-Splitting

Ninth Form: Tendon-Severing and Bone-Crushing

After easily completing the full set of moves, Ye Yun gradually picked up speed. Bursts of explosions rang through the air—the sound of his claw techniques tearing through it. The Nine Yin Cold Claw grew increasingly practiced in his hands. Suddenly, his footwork shifted, and his movement technique unfolded.

With the speed of thunder, too swift to cover one's ears, he attacked a large boulder ahead. Ice Profound Force true qi gathered in his hands, making them look, from afar, as though they wore ice-blue gloves.

Bang!

The boulder shattered into pieces like a watermelon. Every fragment scattered across the ground was coated in a thin layer of ice crystals.

Ye Yun was not surprised by this sight. This was the unique Ice Force effect of Ice Profound Force true qi, but he was not entirely satisfied with it.

That was because Ice Force invaded through repeated attacks, slowly seeping into an enemy's body. It was not as simple, brutal, and direct as Dark Force. Thus, Ye Yun began to consider whether he could apply Dark Force's method of exertion to Ice Force.

He raised his claw and struck another stone. Unsurprisingly, it shattered just like the previous one.

First attempt: failure.

Second attempt: failure.

Eh, the third was a little better.

Attempt after attempt, Ye Yun continuously adjusted amid failure. Finally, after dozens of tries, something miraculous happened.

His claw, carrying Ice Force, struck another stone. Unexpectedly, the stone did not shatter. It looked as though nothing had happened.

But when Ye Yun lightly touched it with a finger, the stone instantly turned into a pile of icy sand. Seeing this, Ye Yun knew he had succeeded. At the instant his attack struck the stone, the Ice Force had penetrated it like Dark Force, destroying its internal structure. Though nothing appeared wrong on the outside, the inside had already been shaken into powder.

One could imagine the effect if this strike landed on a human body. The internal organs would likely be frozen into ice in an instant. Although the true qi within a Qi Refining Realm martial artist's body would weaken the power of Ice Force, achieving such an effect was already quite impressive.

Ye Yun continued practicing this method of exertion, striving to make every strike achieve this effect.

In martial cultivation, time always felt insufficient. The entire day passed before Ye Yun knew it as he practiced martial arts. By the end, one out of every five attacks could produce this kind of Ice Force effect.

After dinner and an hour of rest, Ye Yun came to the Cold Spring at the deepest part of the valley, preparing to see whether the idea he had last night would work.

He sat not far from the Cold Spring and began cultivating Ice Profound Force. As he continuously drew in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the cold qi from the Cold Spring was also absorbed into his body.

The instant the cold qi entered his body, Ice Profound Force true qi reacted at once. Before the cold qi could spread, the Ice Profound Force true qi swarmed over it and devoured and refined it.

After the cold qi was refined, Ye Yun felt his cultivation increase by a trace. Overjoyed, he thought, With Ice Profound Force true qi, I really need not fear the cold of this cold qi. Then I can boldly refine it to increase my cultivation.

Now that his idea had been confirmed, Ye Yun continued absorbing cold qi to increase his cultivation. If he kept this up, it would not be long before he broke through to the Qi Refining Realm Second Layer.

Half a month later, Ye Yun sat cross-legged in the cultivation room with his eyes closed. His mind was fully focused on controlling the true qi within his body as it charged toward the first meridian.

Over the past half month, he had continuously refined cold qi to increase his cultivation and had already opened more than half of the first meridian. Now, he was clearing the last bit of impurities blocking it.

As Ye Yun continued his assault, the Impurity Barrier trembled on the verge of collapse. Then, with a soft pop, the first meridian was completely opened.

Gradually, Ye Yun stabilized the true qi within his body. When he opened his eyes, a smile curved across his lips.

"With this cold qi aiding my cultivation, my progress really is advancing a thousand miles in a day. Even cultivating with medicinal pills would be far inferior, wouldn't it?"

Just as Ye Yun was marveling at the effects of the cold qi, he suddenly felt the temperature in the air plummeting rapidly.

"Not good, the Cold Spring's cold qi has erupted."

Sensing the change in temperature, Ye Yun recalled what the senior brother from the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall had said: every full moon night, the Cold Spring's cold qi would erupt. Tonight was precisely the night of the full moon.

Ye Yun quickly ran outside. Upon reaching the open air, he discovered that the valley floor was already covered in a thin layer of white ice crystals.

The temperature in the air had now fallen so low that even Qi Refining Realm martial artists had to use true qi to resist it.

No wonder no one had lived here all this time. Anyone else truly would not be able to endure such temperatures. Yet Ye Yun, who cultivated Ice Profound Force, not only did not feel cold, but actually found it comfortable.

Standing at the entrance to the valley and looking at the vast expanse of white it had become, Ye Yun grew curious about what the deepest part of the valley would look like.

The moment this thought arose, Ye Yun could no longer remain still. After pondering it repeatedly for a moment, he remembered that with Ice Profound Force true qi, even the Cold Spring's cold qi could not harm him.

Gritting his teeth, he carefully made his way toward the depths of the valley.

The farther in he went, the lower the temperature fell. Eventually, he had no choice but to circulate Ice Profound Force to ward off the cold. When he finally reached the deepest part step by step, the sight before him left Ye Yun stunned.

At the deepest part of the valley, the ground near the Cold Spring was covered in a layer of ice-blue crystals unlike those outside. Strangest of all, the spring water that usually surged endlessly had now become still.

Looking at the scene before him, Ye Yun marveled at nature's divine craftsmanship. Seeing the spring water no longer flowing, Ye Yun's curiosity could no longer be restrained. He wrapped his fingers in Ice Profound Force true qi and cautiously reached toward the water.

Something miraculous happened. The spring water, once unbearably cold, was no longer cold at all. It even carried a trace of warmth.

Ye Yun withdrew his fingers and quietly studied the spring water. He was curious why it was no longer cold. Could the change in the water's temperature be related to the eruption of the cold qi?

At that thought, a gleam flashed through Ye Yun's eyes. He guessed that because the cold qi had erupted and dispersed into the air, the Cold Spring itself had temporarily ceased to be cold.

After figuring out the reason behind it all, a conflicted expression appeared on Ye Yun's face, as though he were wrestling with something.

"Let's risk it. If I cultivate step by step, even with the cold qi's help, it will take at least half a year to break through to the Qi Refining Realm Fifth Layer. The Cold Spring's cold qi can increase cultivation, so there must be some treasure beneath it. If I can obtain it, perhaps the time I need to break through will be greatly reduced."

Having made his decision, Ye Yun hesitated no longer and plunged headfirst into the Cold Spring.

A newcomer reporting in—please recommend and bookmark! Thank you, everyone!!!

(End of Chapter)