Cultivation begins with ice harvesters

Chapter 13: Killing the Crab

With Tong Bingfeng's generous and continuous infusion of abundant mana, a mid-grade first-tier fire serpent talisman produced a fire serpent as thick as an ordinary person's arm, which wagged its head and tail.

Due to the limitations of the talisman's grade and the natural suppression of the Northern Ice Region, the fire serpent's power could only be unleashed at seven or eight tenths of its potential. Therefore, its head was not very clear and was merely a facade.

The fire serpent circled in the air once or twice, then, guided by the cultivator's divine sense, transformed into a streak of fiery red light and headed towards the tilting ice crab.

In the blink of an eye, the battle between Tong Bingfeng and the Ice Crab was not long in the first place; otherwise, a mere Qi Refining Level 3 cultivator with so little mana in his dantian would not have been able to sustain it for long.

"Shh, shh"

With lightning speed, the fire serpent transformed into a plaster, and in the instant the crab's body tilted, it firmly adhered to the gap between the ice crab and the ice surface.

Under the intense heat, the crab's body writhed back and forth, clearly enduring considerable pain, and it continuously emitted rare crab-like hissing sounds.

However, the flames on its abdomen were also visibly weakening due to the extreme cold of the northern icy region and the erosion caused by the ice surface.

The damage caused by this Tier 1 Mid-grade Fire Serpent Talisman was only enough to inflict damage on the thick-skinned Ice Crab, not to kill it.

"Opportunity knocks but once; you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub; you can't kill an ice crab without using a talisman."

Although Tong Bingfeng lacked combat experience, he possessed the basic qualities of a cultivator, so naturally he would not let go of such a chance to win.

He summoned two mid-grade first-tier ice needle talismans from his left and right hands again, the only change being the way the ice needles attacked.

With a flash of aquamarine light, the two ice needle talismans each shot out more than a hundred tiny ice needles, instantly covering an area of ​​several feet in diameter.

These tiny needles instantly traversed the already limited space between the person and the crab, inserting themselves directly into the naturally existing gaps on the ice crab's body, successfully leaving numerous dense wounds through the crab's shell.

"The Fire Serpent Talisman, if not now, when?"

The second Rank 1 Mid-grade Fire Serpent Talisman was used without hesitation, taking advantage of the crab's illness to kill it. After a series of rolls, the second fire serpent twisted its body wildly, like a fireball falling from the sky and crashing down onto the crab's shell.

"Bang"

The instant the fire serpent collided head-on with the crab shell, crimson flames instantly spread out, completely enveloping the ice crab, with plumes of white smoke rising into the air.

Strands of flame, seemingly imbued with life, spiraled into the tiny wounds created by the ice needles, eroding the ice crab's flesh.

Water and fire are incompatible. Once one side gains a sufficient advantage, the damage caused by this head-to-head confrontation will definitely be greater than the sum of its parts.

"Shh, shh shh"

As the flames burned deeper, this once domineering, low-grade first-tier ice crab tasted the pain of being burned for the first time.

The low hissing sound unique to ice crabs filled my ears, and their bodies completely lost their original indomitable momentum, twisting back and forth in place.

They try to collide their bodies with the ice surface as much as possible, attempting to use the cold of the ice to completely extinguish the flames and alleviate the pain as quickly as possible.

"Unfortunately, the two Fire Serpent Talismans burned the crab meat, charring it completely and ruining its original flavor. It's probably not even worth a few spirit stones now."

Looking at the struggling ice crab, Tong Bingfeng showed a hint of regret, but the relaxation in his words was also very clear.

Although the ice crab in front of me was still struggling, it had been subjected to the combined effects of four ice needle talismans and two fire snake talismans, and its life was basically coming to an end.

Fifteen minutes later, as the flames died down naturally, the ice crab had stopped struggling and turned into a black fireball, with a burnt smell filling the air.

Only after confirming that the Ice Crab was dead did the ever-cautious Tong Bingfeng step forward, preparing to dismember the Ice Crab, clean up the battlefield, and collect the spoils.

Although the ice crab turned into charcoal under the erosion of the fire serpent talisman, apart from its flesh and blood, the most valuable parts, such as the crab shell and claws, were not seriously damaged. In particular, the claws could be restored to their original sharpness with a little polishing.

Tong Bingfeng took out a dagger that gleamed with a cold light from his robe pocket. Although it still did not reach the threshold of a magic weapon, it was still quite sharp enough to cut a hair in two.

This dagger was purchased by Tong Bingfeng for fifty spirit crystals during his time as an ice harvester. Because it was cheap, he did not sell it during the last time he collected spirit stones. Now it is appropriate to use it to cut up the ice crab.

"Click, click, click"

With swift and precise command, Tong Bingfeng swiftly dismembered the lifeless ice crab, cutting it into eight pieces and arranging them on the ice according to the value of each part.

"Two large pincers, slightly polished, and with the addition of a small amount of low-grade first-level spiritual material as auxiliary materials, can become a high-quality low-grade first-level magic weapon."

"Although the crab shell is dark, its hardness is far beyond what was expected, since it was able to withstand the erosion of two fire serpent talismans. Extracting its essence should be worth the equivalent of a low-grade first-level spiritual material."

"The eight crab legs, though seemingly delicate and slender, were not completely destroyed and should also be processed into basic spiritual materials for magical artifacts with special effects."

"This low-grade first-tier ice crab can be exchanged for at least eleven spirit stones. If a cultivator in dire need of it comes along, the price might even go up."

After Tong Bingfeng finished collecting all the spoils and confirmed that there were no valuable medicinal herbs growing in the ice crab's lair and that nothing else had been missed, a hint of satisfaction appeared on his face.

This battle was far more intense than the previous one against the same Tier 1 low-grade Crystal Shrimp, and the rewards gained were naturally much greater.

Each valuable spiritual material, depending on its size, was placed into a pre-prepared bag with minimal concealment before Tong Bingfeng embarked on his return journey.

"How can a qualified cultivator not have a storage bag?"

Tong Bingfeng glanced at the storage bags hanging from the waists of the other cultivators, looking slightly disheveled. Even the lowest-grade storage bag could easily hold the Ice Crab's spoils.

Not only can it effectively reduce the burden, but more importantly, it allows one to continue to the next battle, effectively improving efficiency. There is no need to rush back after hunting a low-grade first-level monster. Naturally, it is also safer and more discreet.

After an hour of rapid travel, under the watchful eyes of other cultivators, Tong Bingfeng successfully returned to his small courtyard on the edge of the Ice Sea Market on Ice Spirit Island. Apart from the occasional extortion by the patrol guards, the basic safety of this Foundation Establishment family was guaranteed.