Cultivation begins with ice harvesters

Chapter 100: Benefits

Although their cultivation level was not high, their information dissemination was quite efficient. Soon, news spread rapidly that a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator was stationed in the Spirit Ice Mine.

Despite the fact that the entire evil cultivator squad had already perished, Tong Bingfeng's reputation had spread rapidly throughout the depths of the Ice Domain in just a few days.

Some evil cultivators who had been secretly harboring wicked intentions quickly disappeared into the depths of the icy region after confirming the authenticity of the three heads with their own eyes, and never appeared again. It seemed that they were inherently kind and had never had such evil thoughts.

As for the vulture cultivators with low cultivation levels who specialized in collecting scraps, they left with their bodies trembling rapidly due to fear and dread.

Of course, there are also some kind-hearted cultivators who have truly taken root deep in the Ice Domain and want to trade directly with the spirit ice mines, since the spirit ice produced here is of excellent quality and has been unanimously recognized by many cultivators.

For Qi Refining stage cultivators struggling to survive deep in the icy realm, the importance of spirit ice is undeniable, given their severe shortage of resources. It is arguably the most frequently used spiritual item. Exchanging one spirit stone for three pieces of first-grade low-level spirit ice is within their means.

At this moment, Tong Bingfeng was still cultivating in the stone chamber. The magical power in his dantian had long since recovered to its original state through the refining and replenishment of the Great Circulation. The seemingly terrifying external injuries were also soothed at a visible speed under the dual nourishment of the elixir and magical power.

However, he did not rush out of seclusion to count the spoils of this battle. Instead, he continued to circulate the Great Heavenly Cycle again and again.

Although the mana in his dantian had returned to its pre-battle state, it was still continuously sending a clear signal: an urgent need for mana.

This is precisely where the opportunity for a cultivator to improve their cultivation lies. In each different level of cultivation, it will occasionally appear in a unique way.

Although Tong Bingfeng, as a rogue cultivator, had not encountered many opportunities, he naturally attached great importance to this rare chance. While the spoils of war were important, cultivation was the true foundation.

Once such an opportunity arises, although it may not last very long, its effects are outstanding, at least equivalent to about a year of arduous practice.

As the sun rises and sets, day and night alternate, several days pass in the blink of an eye.

This period of seclusion, aside from the initial recovery of mana from the dantian and the repair of injuries, lasted for a full twenty days.

With his all-out efforts, the magical power in his dantian not only increased significantly in quantity compared to before the battle, but also in quality. Its color became darker, and each fluctuation brought a faint, almost imperceptible sound of water waves.

As for the various effects caused by this battle deep within the ice domain, he was naturally completely unaware of them and was unwilling to waste any time or energy on them.

After all, such so-called prestige does not have a direct auxiliary effect on improving one's cultivation level at this stage.

"Indeed, only combat is the best way to stimulate the potential within a cultivator. Twenty days of arduous training is equivalent to a year and a half of daily cultivation. The effect is remarkable. Although I am still far from the eighth level of Qi Refining, it is still a significant improvement."

Feeling the quantity and quality of the magical power in his dantian, Tong Bingfeng's face showed a satisfied expression.

"These three evil cultivators worked together seamlessly, and must have been ravaging this icy region for years, harming countless cultivators. Killing them this time can be considered as eliminating a scourge for the people and upholding justice. We only hope to receive a reasonable and valuable spoil as payment."

At this moment, Tong Bingfeng remembered the spoils of war that he hadn't had time to count.

Advancing to the seventh level of Qi Refining and stepping into the late stage of Qi Refining is not just about improving one's cultivation strength; it also means that the consumption of spiritual items in subsequent cultivation will increase dramatically.

While the daily production of spirit ice from the spirit ice mine can provide a stable income, it still falls short of the ever-growing demand.

If the spoils left behind by the three evil cultivators are of considerable value, they can naturally be exchanged for a certain number of spiritual items as a valuable supplement.

"Clang clang clang"

As Tong Bingfeng stepped out of the stone chamber, the first thing he heard was a series of rhythmic and crisp tapping sounds echoing throughout the entire spirit ice mine.

"Are these puppets mining spirit ice? Where did they come from? What is their value?"

The doubts didn't last long before he had a guess. However, the puppets weren't cheap, and recently the production from the Spirit Ice Mine had been almost entirely converted into spirit stones, which the two cultivators shared according to their respective shares.

Even if there were reliable channels to purchase specialized mining puppets, the amount of spirit stones required would far exceed what could be purchased with the proceeds from mining and selling spirit ice within a month.

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Tong, on your successful completion of seclusion and full recovery. These two mining puppets were sent by Meng Lan. You don't need to pay a single spirit stone; consider them an apology for leaking information about the location of the spirit ice mine."

"Meng Lan's actions were truly out of necessity. These audacious and wicked cultivators took advantage of her absence from the trading point to forcibly abduct her, subjecting her to severe torture. She suffered immense pain, and her life hung in the balance. It was a desperate measure."

Liu Zong explained the origin of the mining puppets in great detail, and his words also implied that he was trying to forgive and plead for Meng Lan.

"Fellow Daoist Liu, Meng Lan's situation is indeed understandable and she had no other choice, but have you ever considered what our fate would have been if I hadn't advanced to the seventh level of Qi Refining first?"

Tong Bingfeng didn't say much, but with just one sentence, he rendered Tong Bingfeng's carefully prepared words utterly ineffective.

This is also based on the stark and cruel reality: given the strength of that group of evil cultivators, even if the two mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators had a powerful formation to counter each other, they would probably be powerless to reverse the final battle.

Before making his move, the evil cultivator must have obtained detailed information about the Canglan Overturning Mountain Formation, preparing to break the formation in one fell swoop and make a fortune.

"We'll take the two mining golems, which will free up our time so we can focus on cultivation. However, from now on, we will no longer trade with them for any of the products from the Spirit Ice Mine."

"After this battle, the existence of the Spirit Ice Mine will no longer be a secret to those who are interested, and there will likely be quite a few cultivators willing to take its place and engage in stable trade."

Tong Bingfeng made the final decision. Considering the two valuable mining puppets, he could at most guarantee that he would not pursue the crime of revealing the location of the spirit ice vein.

As for the so-called repaying evil with good, being magnanimous, and continuing the spiritual ice trade to let others get a share of the profits, that is not in his character.

"I have no objection to Fellow Daoist Tong's opinion. I will also make special efforts to develop stable and reliable trading channels."

Whether he was truly satisfied or not, Liu Zong still approved and did not show any objection.

"The daily management of the Spirit Ice Mine will be entirely handled by Fellow Daoist Liu; I will only need to enjoy half of the share each month."