Water Vein Spirit Jade

Even without Liu Xing's warning, Lu Xuanqing knew there had to be something strange about this Icehorn Giant Bear. She knew that a planet with spiritual energy as thin as Connors Star's could never produce such a powerful Demon Beast.

The best way to uncover this secret was to examine the Icehorn Giant Bear's corpse thoroughly.

So Lu Xuanqing approached the Icehorn Giant Bear's corpse and carefully inspected it from top to bottom, while Liu Xing dutifully retrieved its head and awkwardly fitted it against its severed neck.

Liu Xing knew that the secret of the Icehorn Giant Bear lay in its head, but this time he could not hide it from Lu Xuanqing and reap the benefits in secret.

Although Lu Xuanqing believed that the Spirit-Devouring Beast could not possibly have fused with Liu Xing, and that there must have been some other reason it had possessed him, she could hardly have been entirely free of doubt.

Only by acting like a complete novice could Liu Xing keep Lu Xuanqing's suspicions from growing.

"I heard the old man say that some wild beasts become incredibly powerful after stumbling upon and swallowing treasures born of heaven and earth. Could that be what happened to this Icehorn Giant Bear? Why don't we cut open its belly? We might find something."

Liu Xing deliberately said this to deflect suspicion from himself.

Sooner or later, Lu Xuanqing would find the answer in the Icehorn Giant Bear's head. By suggesting that they cut open its belly first, Liu Xing was effectively telling her: See? Even if the Spirit-Devouring Beast suddenly springs out to save me, it won't help me hunt for treasure. Otherwise, how could I not know what was going on with this Icehorn Giant Bear?

Lu Xuanqing said nothing in response to his suggestion and merely nodded. Streaks of green radiance shot from her palm like blades of light, slicing the Icehorn Giant Bear's body into dozens of pieces.

Fortunately, all the organs and blood vessels inside the Icehorn Giant Bear had solidified into a crystalline state, sparing them a particularly bloody scene.

Liu Xing volunteered, "I've eaten Ice-Horned Bear before. If there's anything unusual about this monster, I should be able to spot it."

With that, Liu Xing stepped forward and began turning over the pieces of the Icehorn Giant Bear's corpse.

A short while later, Liu Xing looked up and said, "The inside of this Icehorn Giant Bear has completely crystallized, and all its organs have shrunk out of proportion. I suspect it could stay alive without eating. Other than that, there's nothing unusual about it. Surely going without food couldn't turn it into a monster like this?"

Lu Xuanqing nodded. After a moment's thought, her gaze settled on the Icehorn Giant Bear's head. She swept her hand forward, sending a green dome of light shooting out. It pressed down on the head, instantly splitting the enormous skull into pieces.

Suddenly, a brilliant blue radiance burst forth, dazzling against the snow-white world!

Both Liu Xing and Lu Xuanqing fixed their eyes on that blue radiance.

It was a blue, six-sided crystal about the size of a fist, its brilliance almost too dazzling to look at directly. Countless sparkling white specks shaped like snowflakes drifted inside it, constantly swirling up and down, as though a blizzard were raging within the blue crystal!

Liu Xing and Lu Xuanqing were almost frozen in place, utterly entranced by its brilliant blue radiance. Even if every jewel in the world had been gathered together, they probably could not have matched the splendor of this blue crystal.

Only after a long while did Lu Xuanqing speak, her voice strained. "What... what is this? How can it be so dazzling? Yet I can't sense the slightest trace of spiritual energy."

This blue crystal was, of course, the Water Vein Spirit Jade, formed over billions of years. Only its exceptionally high quality had allowed it to condense into this crystalline form. Its most unusual feature was the ice-aspected spiritual energy it contained. Otherwise, the Icehorn Giant Bear could never have used the treasure's transformative power to gain the ability to radiate absolute zero.

Spirit jade was a rarity in the Cultivation World. Even if Lu Xuanqing had heard of it, she had never seen any, much less spirit jade that had transformed into a crystal. Moreover, spirit jade naturally kept its spiritual energy sealed within. With her level of cultivation, Lu Xuanqing could not detect the astonishing spiritual energy gathered inside this Water Vein Spirit Jade.

Liu Xing's experience was different from Lu Xuanqing's. With the help of the Spirit-Devouring Beast's divine sense, he could naturally feel the towering waves of spiritual energy within the Water Vein Spirit Jade. Meanwhile, the Spirit-Devouring Beast kept urging him in his mind, "Hurry and grab it! Hurry and grab it!..."

But Liu Xing noticed the entranced look in Lu Xuanqing's eyes, revealing just how captivated she was by this exquisitely beautiful Water Vein Spirit Jade. If he dared pocket it right in front of her, this beauty would probably turn into a furious little wildcat on the spot and claw his head bloody.

So, despite the Spirit-Devouring Beast's urging within his divine sense, Liu Xing remained as immovable as a mountain. Fortunately, the Spirit-Devouring Beast was not willful. After urging him for ages and seeing no response, it quietly fell asleep inside him, seemingly no longer particularly concerned about the Water Vein Spirit Jade.

After all, with the Spirit-Devouring Beast's extraordinary abilities, what treasure in the universe had it not seen? Although the Water Vein Spirit Jade was rare, it was not among the very finest treasures. With its belly already full, and Liu Xing himself looking utterly uninterested, it could not be bothered to concern itself any further.

After another long while, Lu Xuanqing finally recovered from her shock. She slowly stepped forward and took the Water Vein Spirit Jade in her hand.

The moment the Water Vein Spirit Jade touched her hand, Lu Xuanqing felt a cool sensation travel from her palm to her heart, leaving her whole body refreshed. At the same time, a current of power began moving through her body, slowly restoring her injured meridians.

With the Water Vein Spirit Jade's immense spiritual energy nourishing her, Lu Xuanqing's injuries could heal quickly even on this Garbage Planet, where spiritual energy was so thin.

By then, even though Lu Xuanqing could not identify the Water Vein Spirit Jade's origins, she was certain it was an extraordinary treasure.

Since holding the Water Vein Spirit Jade helped heal her injuries, Lu Xuanqing did not put it in her Storage Bag, instead keeping it close against her body.

With the Water Vein Spirit Jade's help, Lu Xuanqing believed she could expect a full recovery in another half month at most.

PS: Haha, looks like we've broken into the top twenty on the new novel rankings! That result has already made me really happy. But the revolution has yet to succeed, comrades, so I still need your recommendation votes!!!