Cultivation begins with ice harvesters

Chapter 35: Invitation

Whenever Tong Bingfeng thinks of the storage bag hanging at his waist and the Enhancing Essence Pills and Leech Spirit Water stored inside, he feels extremely fortunate for his decision to rent the Azure Water Sword.

Of course, as time passed, the time to hand over and sell the first mid-grade first-tier demon beast corpse was getting closer and closer, and the skull left by the Yin Ghost Soul Devouring Contract attached to his arm was emitting waves of burning heat from time to time.

Although this strange feeling does not cause any real harm to the cultivator, the feeling that one could fall at any moment is indeed uncomfortable.

"We must select a suitable monster corpse to sell within the next two or three days. If we deliberately delay, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Tong Bingfeng secretly made up his mind that although he was powerless to completely eliminate this hidden danger in the shortest time, it would not be difficult to suppress all its possible corrosive consequences.

The reason why this task has not been completed first during this period is mainly due to a series of coincidences.

If Heaven gives something and you don't take it, you'll suffer the consequences. This applies to both the red willow leech and the blue-striped seal. Such precious monsters should not be sold at a low price.

As dawn broke, Tong Bingfeng, as always, stepped out of his home and headed to the icy realm to hunt monsters.

Due to the sheer number of demonic beasts and the beast tides that erupt approximately every hundred years, the Chen family, the Foundation Establishment stage masters of Ice Spirit Island, not only did not stop the rogue cultivators from hunting demonic beasts, but also regularly sold and updated maps showing the habitats of demonic beasts within a radius of three thousand miles on the Ice Domain.

According to legend, these guide maps were all drawn by Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Chen family during their inspection tours, and their accuracy rate is quite high.

The sale dates in the middle of each month attract a large number of independent cultivators who vie for them, regarding them as the highest code of conduct and guide for hunting monsters.

As one of the many rogue cultivators being hunted, Tong Bingfeng was no exception. Although he had two pairs of large incisors to rely on, the value of this guide map was equally undeniable. Its most indispensable function was the division of the approximate habitats of different grades of demonic beasts.

"This place is at least thirty miles away from the outer edge of the habitat of a first-tier high-grade demon beast. The danger of searching for traces of a first-tier mid-grade demon beast here should not be high."

Tong Bingfeng looked around and determined the core starting area for today's search for water-attribute monsters.

Using the same trick again, the large incisors were exposed, distinguishing the different sources of spiritual energy in the cold wind, and locking onto them more accurately through a few scents.

"The smell today seems vaguely familiar. Could it be a monster I've encountered before, or one commonly found near Ice Spirit Island?"

A familiar yet unfamiliar taste lingered in the area where the incisors were most sensitive, causing a slight sense of unease to arise in my mind.

However, none of this stopped them from moving forward. With both feet forward, and locked on by the big teeth, they headed towards the familiar monster target.

Judging from the lingering scent of the demon beast, the distance between the human and the beast was not too far. As they moved swiftly forward, within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the demon beast's gliding marks on the ice surface were revealed.

"So it really is an old friend. It's actually a mid-grade first-tier crystal shrimp. This little thing is quite suitable as an item to complete the rental of magical artifacts."

Looking into the distance, a shrimp that was thicker than ordinary crystal shrimp and had a layer of crystal-clear shell that was stacked on top of each other, was clearly more defensive.

However, he was quite familiar with crystal shrimp. He could hunt them by force with talismans at the third level of Qi Refining. Although this one was of a high grade, Tong Bingfeng did not take it seriously.

"Azure Water Sword, Slash!"

With a sharp shout, Tong Bingfeng unleashed his magical power, which surged forth from his dantian. The Azure Water Sword shot out from his storage bag, a layer of azure sword light emanating from it. It spun lightly in the air before slashing straight at the Crystal Shrimp.

At the same time, the cultivator, who had been hiding, no longer hesitated. He stepped hard on the ice, and a water blade materialized in each of his hands. He fired them simultaneously, one from the left and one from the right, working together to stab.

They remain silent until they make a stunning move, and once they strike, they go all out to end the battle in the shortest possible time.

"Bang"

The first-tier mid-grade crystal shrimp is clearly more perceptive, reacting immediately to various attacks before they even get close.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh"

Three water arrows shot out in response, forming a straight line and heading straight for the Azure Water Sword, aiming to shoot it down in one fell swoop.

To shoot a man, shoot his horse first; to capture a thief, capture his king first. The crystal shrimp will surely retaliate first against the one that poses the greatest threat to it.

"Sword light, command!"

Water Arrow is the most common first-tier talent spell. Although its power increases after advancing to the middle-tier first tier, it is still limited.

At Tong Bingfeng's command, several sword beams shot out from the Azure Water Sword, arriving first despite being launched later, and collided with the water arrows first.

"Bang, bang"

Two completely different forces collided and, through mutual attrition, were simultaneously annihilated, bringing the Crystal Shrimp's counterattack to an end.

In the blink of an eye, Tong Bingfeng's attack landed on the crystal shrimp's shell. Two water blade slashes landed precisely at the junction of the two scales. As the water blade slashes wore away, specks of blood spurted out, and two not-so-shallow wounds quickly formed.

Under the corrosive pain, the crystal shrimp thrashed its body back and forth, trying to use its body to push the cultivator back and buy itself some time to recover.

Unfortunately, the Crystal Shrimp, being a type of demonic beast, is inherently constrained by its physical form, and its counterattack of this magnitude is simply insufficient to inflict enough damage on a qualified cultivator.

At this moment, the Azure Water Sword also appeared above the Crystal Shrimp. The magic weapon had finished charging and fell from above, slashing at the Crystal Shrimp's not-so-obvious neck, cleanly severing it in two. The round head of the first-tier mid-grade Crystal Shrimp detached from its body and sprayed out, accompanied by a fountain of blood.

"The shell of the first-tier mid-grade crystal shrimp has increased defensive power. With the addition of a few other spiritual materials, it should be able to be used to refine a first-tier low-grade magic weapon. The flesh and blood can be sold and have some value. The normal price in the market is about seven spirit stones. Liu's General Store is buying it for three spirit stones, which is still within an acceptable range."

After careful consideration, Tong Bingfeng concluded that the price was worthwhile compared to the benefits of the Azure Water Sword.

"Young friend Tong, you certainly don't come here without a reason. Have you come to repay the debt for the first mid-grade first-tier demon beast's corpse?"

The next morning, the owner of Liu's Grocery Store greeted him warmly, his eyes flashing with a sharp light as he looked Tong Bingfeng up and down, seemingly with a deeper meaning in his gaze.

"Fellow Daoist Liu has discerning eyes; this is a mid-grade first-tier crystal shrimp. Please inspect it, Fellow Daoist Liu."

Tong Bingfeng took out the complete corpse of the crystal shrimp from the storage bag and handed it over.

"The Tier 1 Mid-Grade Crystal Shrimp meets the requirements. I wonder if you've ever heard of the legendary Tier 1 High-Grade Crystal Gourd?"