Everything Ready?

Everything Ready?

Hiss—

Chen Xiao had only just nodded inwardly when he immediately felt a bone-piercing chill spread out from his chest, freezing even him, with his Ice Attribute, into shivering.

"Stuffing everything into my clothes..."

Muttering under his breath, Chen Xiao reached into his robe.

When he pulled his hand out again, there was already a crystal-clear Jade Bottle in his palm.

This Jade Bottle had been made from excellent materials; only then could the Ice Spirit Cold Spring be preserved intact without its medicinal effects dissipating.

Cold mist coiled around the outside of the Jade Bottle, carrying an icy chill that seemed to freeze the heart and soul. The moment it was taken out, the surrounding temperature instantly dropped by quite a bit.

Chen Xiao's palm was covered in a thin layer of ice crystals, and judging by the way they looked, they were rapidly spreading.

Crack, crack—

Chen Xiao circulated his Dou Qi and gave his wrist a light shake, shattering the frozen ice crystals all over the ground.

"Gu Te, as Pill King Gu He's older brother, only had one bottle in his collection. Where did Medusa Queen get so much of it?"

Thinking of how Medusa Queen, after obtaining the Green Lotus Core Flame, had actually managed to gather a small pool of Ice Spirit Cold Spring, Chen Xiao found it absurd.

Unfortunately, Medusa Queen had probably only just begun making preparations now. Otherwise, there would not have been no mention of her in the follow-up to Pre-pay.

"Ice Spirit Cold Spring can be consumed directly..."

Recalling how to use this item, Chen Xiao carefully inspected it. Only after ensuring there were no issues did he open the stopper, pour about one-tenth of it into his mouth, and swallow it.

Feeling that bone-piercing cold begin to spread through his body, Chen Xiao quickly capped the Jade Bottle, put it into his Storage Ring, and formed a cultivation seal with both hands at high speed.

At this moment, when Chen Xiao looked inward, he could see that the surfaces of the meridians inside his body seemed to be covered with a layer of white frost. Waves of cold rose from within, freezing his limbs until they were slightly stiff.

However, when Chen Xiao circulated his technique, he discovered that the speed at which his Dou Qi moved through his body was nearly three times faster than usual!

The time it normally took for his technique to complete one full circulation was enough, under the effect of the Ice Spirit Cold Spring, to complete three full circulations!

It felt as though his meridians had been completely dredged open, becoming the track most suited to Ice Attribute Dou Qi.

With his Dou Qi circulating at high speed, Chen Xiao felt an unprecedented comfort. At every moment, he could clearly sense himself improving, climbing toward a higher realm.

That feeling was truly intoxicating!

Immersing all his mind in cultivation, time flew by.

Before he knew it, the entire morning had passed.

Once the effects of the Ice Spirit Cold Spring were completely spent, Chen Xiao instantly felt a sense of loss, as if he had suddenly switched from a high-speed train to an old green-skinned train.

Slowly opening his eyes, Chen Xiao sensed the changes brought about by this short morning.

"If not for the Ice Spirit Cold Spring, I'd need at least another month before I had any chance of advancing to Dou Ling. But now, ten days will be more than enough!"

This was the difference between bitter cultivation and relying on opportunities.

Shutting oneself away and working blindly would never bring surprises.

You might cultivate in seclusion for ten years, only for it very likely not to compare with someone else swallowing a single pill, or stumbling upon a chance encounter.

It sounded like bullshit, but that was simply the truth.

Chen Xiao rose with a flick of his sleeve, called Qing Lin out, ate lunch with her at the inn, and then checked out of the room.

After that, he took Qing Lin to Hai Bo Dong's Map Store and found several of the most detailed maps of the interior of the Jia Ma Empire.

When traveling away from home, maps were a necessity.

Two days later.

Black Rock City.

Chen Xiao brought Qing Lin out from a strange building near the southern corner of the city.

Behind them, a sloppy-looking, thin old man saw them off with a face full of smiles.

"Little brother, if you ever have another rare item like this, remember to come trade with me. I can guarantee that my price will be ten percent higher than everyone else on the market. Whether I lose out or not doesn't matter—I just like collecting these things."

This old man was named Gu Te. Apart from having a serious collecting addiction, there was nothing outstanding about him.

That included his strength.

Yet even the Misty Cloud Sect's Sect Master, Yun Yun, or the imperial family's guardian deity would treat him with courtesy if they met him.

All because of one thing...

My Pill King Little Brother!

Chen Xiao knew of this person, and had also predicted that trading with him would be very simple.

After all, in the original trajectory, Xiao Yan had been able to achieve his goal by taking out Associated Amethyst Source. There was no reason the even rarer and more precious Earth Fire Lotus Seed would fail.

And the facts were just as Chen Xiao expected.

When he took out the Earth Fire Lotus Seed, the old man's eyes seemed to shine, and naturally, the trade was completed very smoothly.

With a single Earth Fire Lotus Seed, Chen Xiao had not only obtained the bottle of Ice Spirit Cold Spring from Gu Te's collection, but also taken away his one and only Fifth-Order Magic Core, along with two bonus medicinal herbs.

"Don't worry, Master Gu Te. If I get anything good, I'll definitely think of you first!"

Chen Xiao nodded back with utter sincerity.

He liked businessmen like Gu Te most of all!

After a reluctant farewell with Gu Te at the doorway, Chen Xiao led Qing Lin out of the city.

Seeing that there was no one around, and that even Qing Lin had not noticed, Chen Xiao finally took out the Ice Spirit Cold Spring he had obtained from the previous trade from his Storage Ring.

The Jade Bottle was made of exactly the same material as the one he had received through Pre-pay. However, after he opened it, the Ice Spirit Cold Spring that had still been perfectly intact when he inspected the goods had now turned into a bottle of utterly useless clear water.

"As expected, it's still like this..."

Chen Xiao casually poured away the clear water in the bottle, his face showing an unsurprised expression.

As early as several years ago, when he had Pre-paid for the Qi Gathering Powder, Chen Xiao had already grown suspicious. This Pre-pay was not the creation of matter from nothing; it still followed some kind of principle of material conservation.

Chen Xiao still remembered that back then, he had first Pre-paid for the Qi Gathering Powder, and only afterward picked up the Qi Gathering Powder that some kindhearted friend had "accidentally" dropped on the Back Mountain.

At first, Chen Xiao had been rather delighted, thinking he now possessed two portions.

But after he returned, he discovered that the one he had picked up was all appearance and no substance, having already lost all of its medicinal effects.

Now that the Ice Spirit Cold Spring was the same, it further proved that his suspicions were correct.

Pre-pay was equivalent to an interest-free loan with no time limit. It was not a pie falling from the sky!

Chen Xiao could even be certain now that those Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquids he had obtained through Pre-pay years ago would probably have this hole filled in some way on some day in the future as well.

Having confirmed the guess in his heart, Chen Xiao no longer dwelled on it.

"Young Master, where are we going next?"

Qing Lin took one last look at Black Rock City, then turned back and asked with anticipation filling her voice.

Chen Xiao rubbed Qing Lin's head, a relaxed smile on his face.

By today, his affairs in the Jia Ma Empire could basically be considered settled.

Some things that were useful to him had also been secured in advance, so he could wait in peace for Jia Nan Academy's arrival.

If he absolutely had to dig deeper...

Then only one matter remained, something he had not made up his mind about before.

"Let's go to Green Mountain Town."