Having swallowed the snake gall raw and consumed its blood, the potent tonic surged through Xu Xian's body, leaving him with an unbearable, scorching heat.
His internal organs and even his blood felt as if they had been set ablaze.
Despite being in a place of extreme cold, surrounded by ice and snow, he was drenched in sweat.
"Hoo... it’s too hot!"
With every breath, thick white mist billowed out, swirling around him.
"This stuff really packs a punch!"
The Little Book spirit hovered nearby, gloating. "That’s because it’s a supreme tonic! Haha!"
Xu Xian rolled his eyes. Enduring the burning sensation in his heart, he suppressed the dry heat and picked up Wait to begin skinning and deboning the creature.
He peeled the entire snake skin off in one piece.
He removed the internal organs and carved out the meat.
Skin, meat, bones, and organs—he stored them all separately.
Though the ferocious beasts of this world were wicked and fond of preying on humans, they were also walking treasures to mankind.
Beast skins could be made into armor or storage bags.
Beast bones could be used in medicine.
As for the meat, it was a potent tonic that could nourish the physical body.
This white snake was the manifestation of the Xiushe; though its cultivation level had plummeted, it still possessed the genuine bloodline of an ancient exotic beast.
In the past, it was a being that could stand on par with beast gods.
If he took these materials back and sold them at the Merchant Hall, they would fetch a fortune.
It was a literal walking treasure trove.
Given Xu Xian's personality, he certainly wasn't going to let a single scrap go to waste.
To him, keeping such a demon by his side and bearing unnecessary risks was far worse than simply killing it once and for all to trade for money.
Back in Houdao Village, Xu Xian had been a hunter, so he was highly skilled at skinning and deboning.
Before long, he had cleaned everything, leaving only a patch of blood on the ice.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he muttered, "This thing is really tough. If I didn't have an immortal sword, I might not have been able to skin it."
With the work done, the still-feverish Xu Xian approached the Nine-Turn Spirit Lotus and lay down on the ten-thousand-year-old ice stone, an expression of pure bliss crossing his face.
"Comfortable!"
Little Book flew in circles around him, urging, "Master, don't dally! Quickly eat the Nine-Turn Spirit Lotus. It will neutralize that nameless, wicked fire from the white snake’s blood. The combination of cold and heat will produce miraculous effects!"
Xu Xian glanced at the ethereal immortal plant beside him, his eyes filled with heartache.
"This thing must be worth a fortune, right?"
"So?"
Xu Xian said earnestly, "I want to save it and sell it for money."
Little Book was utterly speechless. "I’m honestly impressed."
Xu Xian argued reasonably, "You don't understand. These days, earning money honestly is hard. Think about it—with my talent, breaking through to core formation will take three to five years at most. But if I sell this, it’ll be worth at least several hundred thousand spirit stones. I couldn't earn that much in ten years of hard work!"
Little Book wrinkled its tiny nose. Surprisingly, that actually made a lot of sense.
"But... aren't you already very rich? You have over two million top-grade spirit stones!"
"What kind of logic is that? Who would ever complain about having too much money!"
Furthermore, the amount of spirit stones needed to build his Sword Tower in the future would be an astronomical sum.
Little Book continued to persuade him, "An immortal plant over a hundred thousand years old like this won't just increase your realm in the short term. In the long run, it provides nothing but benefits—insight, talent, foundation... there are so many advantages. It’s more cost-effective to eat it."
Xu Xian replied dismissively, "That’s just talk. I... Xu Xian, possessor of a mutated sword spirit root and an acquired sword body, Master of the Sword Mound, and Little Grand-Uncle of the Wendao Sect... with my talent, insight, foundation, and background, do I really need one little herb..."
Little Book finally realized that Xu Xian was dead set on selling the thing for money.
It also realized it couldn't out-argue him.
Rolling its eyes, it tried a different tactic, intentionally shouting, "Fine! Keep it to sell then! It’s not like eating it would let you break through from foundation establishment to core formation without any effort. Without it, Master only needs to work hard for three or five years to break through anyway. It’s fine, really—just a bit of suffering, meditating every day, comprehending the Dao, practicing the sword day and night, exhausting yourself..."
Suffering?
Xu Xian fell silent.
It was true.
If he didn't eat it, three to five years of cultivation, breaking through, meditating, comprehending... that was truly bitter.
If he ate it, he could reach core formation in a single stroke and immediately begin cultivating the White Jade Capital from the sword stele.
By increasing his cultivation through building the tower, he wouldn't need to spend all day meditating, comprehending the Dao, or practicing the sword...
Money was important, certainly!
But compared to suffering, it wasn't worth mentioning.
Xu Xian no longer hesitated. He stared intently at Little Book and asked, "Refined consumption or raw consumption?"
Little Book blinked, confused. "I don't quite understand!"
Xu Xian explained, "Refined means boiling it. Raw means just plucking and eating it!"
Little Book tilted its head, thinking the reverse psychology had worked perfectly.
"Pluck and eat. No need to wash it."
"Good!"
Xu Xian took out Wait, carved into the ice stone, and carefully dug out the Nine-Turn Spirit Lotus. Then, he began to eat it just like a sheep eating grass.
The spirit lotus, born amidst ice and snow, melted the moment it touched his tongue.
It flowed into his dantian.
Bustling spiritual energy began to sprout.
As cold and heat alternated, Xu Xian experienced the sharp sensation of a duality of ice and fire.
He didn't dare delay. He quickly sat cross-legged, focusing his mind and circulating the mantra of the Green Lotus Sword Song.
He hurried to refine the two diametrically opposed energies within his body.
At first, Xu Xian felt like he was going to burst.
The spiritual energy was too vigorous.
He felt like an inflating balloon.
Later, he felt like he was dying—alternating between hot and cold, freezing and burning. In his daze, he felt as if he could see his ancestors.
Finally, the two energies reached a balance. Under the guidance of the Green Lotus Sword Song, they began to nourish and replenish Xu Xian's physical body.
That feeling...
It was incredibly comfortable.
Xu Xian felt as if he were drifting in a gentle dream, greedily absorbing the power of both sources.
His cultivation was also slowly rising.
Immersed in the process, Xu Xian lost track of time and everything else.
One day.
Two days.
Three days...
Early-stage foundation establishment...
Mid-stage foundation establishment...
Late-stage foundation establishment...
...
Time flowed like a galloping river; in a mere blur, the past was gone.
An entire month had passed since the incident in Yecheng, yet the Wendao Sect still had no news of Xu Xian.
The mission [Find the Little Grand-Uncle] remained pinned at the very top of the Mission Hall’s board.
Following Sect Master Ye Xianyu, Li Qingshan, the Peak Master of Zhijian Peak, had made a grand gesture by adding another 100,000 merit points to the reward.
This raised the total to 300,000 points.
Others soon followed suit.
Wen Qingxue added 30,000.
Nangong Ning added 50,000.
Yao Xiaoxiao added 30,000.
Lin Qianqian added 4,000.
Zhang Yang contributed 6,123...
As the saying goes, many hands make light work; with everyone chipping in a thousand here and there, the mission reward was pushed to over 600,000 merit points.
Over 600,000 merit points?
Even immortal-grade missions paled in comparison.
Within the entire sect...
Aside from the disciples...
Even many of the reclusive ancestors had begun to show themselves, quietly accepting the mission.
The entire Northern Borders had been scoured by the disciples of the Wendao Sect. Yecheng, in particular, had been turned upside down three times over.
Yet, he was nowhere to be found.
Some said the little Sect Master might truly be dead.
Others said he might have been captured by beasts from the Great Desolation.
Opinions varied.
But after a month, even with the reward at 600,000 points, people's enthusiasm began to wane.
With heavy sighs, they gave up in frustration.
Of course, there were still those who persisted in the search, as if driven mad...
Ye Xianyu was equally consumed by worry.
"Sect Master, summer is approaching. Should we start preparing for the five-yearly Disciple Recruitment Assembly?"
"Go ahead and handle it."
The visitor asked tentatively, "Then, can we temporarily recall some of the people searching for the Little Martial Uncle? Otherwise, we won't have enough manpower."
Ye Xianyu sat beneath the peach tree, letting the blossoms fall upon her head, shoulders, and body...
"Fine."
Rate on N.U.
