Cultivation begins with ice harvesters

Chapter 37: Struggle

Whether a cultivator is willing to take a risk depends fundamentally on whether it will bring sufficient benefits to their future cultivation.

"Fellow Daoist Tong is indeed straightforward. However, it will still be about a year before the crystal gourd matures. You still have time to improve your cultivation. Despite the many hardships and dangers along the way, reaching the fourth level of Qi Refining is still somewhat insufficient."

"If we encounter danger, I fear I will lack the extra strength to provide effective response and support."

The owner of Liu's Grocery Store offered a sincere reminder, seemingly without any ill intent, and genuinely regarded him as a future business partner.

Of course, only the cultivator surnamed Liu himself knows how much of this so-called friendship is genuine and how much is fake.

"It takes more than a year to advance to the fifth level of Qi Refining, which is quite difficult. However, please rest assured, Fellow Daoist Liu, I will do my best."

As a rogue cultivator, Tong Bingfeng naturally understood the cruelty of the cultivation world. Raising his cultivation to the fifth level of Qi Refining would not only give him a better chance of finding the Crystal Gourd later, but also make the scales of this small alliance more fair and just.

Therefore, Tong Bingfeng naturally accepted this well-intentioned reminder with a smile, as it was also his next cultivation goal that he had to complete.

"Ten days before we set off to search for the crystal gourd, I will go to inform you. Please keep this a secret for the foreseeable future. If there is even the slightest leak, this treasure will be lost to us. Remember this well."

As their conversation was about to end, the cultivator surnamed Liu gave them a earnest and solemn reminder.

After all, given their strength, if any of them were to try and steal the treasure, it would mean they would be completely cut off from it. This is not an exaggeration, but a fact.

"I am fully aware of the situation and will not reveal the slightest detail. This item is related to whether I can advance to the late stage of Qi Refining in the future. I am fully aware of its importance."

Tong Bingfeng solemnly assured him that as long as it was beneficial to his future cultivation, his word was always trustworthy.

Fifteen minutes later, Tong Bingfeng left Liu's Grocery Store. What was originally an ordinary transaction took an unexpected turn due to an unexpected invitation.

After a brisk journey, Tong Bingfeng returned to the courtyard without incident. Only then did he begin to reflect more deeply on the sudden invitation and his new cultivation plan for the following year.

According to his original plan, after advancing to the fourth level of Qi Refining, he would hunt demonic beasts to earn spirit stones. In addition to maintaining his basic cultivation needs, he would purchase various spiritual items commonly used by cultivators. Under the circumstances that everything went smoothly, it would take him two years to advance to the fifth level of Qi Refining.

Sharpening your axe won't delay your work; when resources are scarce, solidifying the foundation of each small cultivation level is naturally the top priority.

Only by taking steady and solid steps, and relying on the higher quality magical power in one's dantian, can one possibly advance to the seventh level of Qi Refining in the shortest possible time, stepping into the threshold of the late stage of Qi Refining, and even laying a solid foundation for future advancement to the Foundation Establishment stage by transforming Qi into liquid.

"To shorten the time to advance to the fifth level of Qi Refining, the only way is to go all out and prioritize exchanging all the spirit stones earned for various mid-grade first-tier spirit pills to aid in cultivation."

"In addition, the search for spiritual herbs and medicines should not be neglected during the hunting of demonic beasts. The hunting of special demonic beasts such as the Red Willow Leech needs to be put on the agenda and the frequency increased. Naturally, the more of this kind of first-grade mid-level spiritual water that has no side effects, the better."

Adjusting the cultivation plan is not difficult, but even if they advance to the fifth level of Qi Refining, their cultivation strength will still be at a disadvantage in the two-person alliance.

As for the difference in wealth between the two, it was like heaven and earth. Before setting off, the cultivator surnamed Liu would definitely prepare all kinds of auxiliary spiritual items.

Although Tong Bingfeng cannot be compared to him, he still needs to allocate a small amount of spirit stones to purchase some treasures within his means, such as talismans and other one-time killing treasures. Before setting out, he must have some trump cards up his sleeve, which will consume a considerable amount of spirit stones.

"My pockets are empty; the spirit stones I earn from hunting monsters are simply not enough to fill this huge gap. I can only make this my goal and do my best to achieve it."

With the initial training plan confirmed, Tong Bingfeng banished all the negative emotions in his heart, replacing them with a spirit of high morale and striving.

In any case, this opportunity to obtain the Crystal Gourd is not to be missed. If successful, not only will you get a high-quality magic weapon that can be used for both offense and defense, but it will also mean that you have opened the threshold to the later stage of Qi Refining.

"The first sale of the demon beast corpse was successfully completed. Although the original burning sensation has disappeared, the weakening of the Yin Ghost Soul Devouring Contract is negligible and almost imperceptible."

Feeling the Yin Ghost Soul Devouring Contract still clearly and firmly imprinted on his arm, aside from a little resentment, there were no effective measures to eliminate the hidden danger in the short term.

Although it has been proven that the initial measure of renting the magical artifacts was correct, the fact that such swords were hanging over one's head and could leave one vulnerable to being controlled by others at any time was truly unacceptable.

Logically speaking, such a contract aimed at a transaction should not have any negative impact on cultivators on the surface. However, whether it will cause substantial damage over a long period of time, which can last for several years, remains an unknown.

"All the difficulties we face are due to insufficient cultivation. If we can advance to the Foundation Establishment stage one day, everything we face today will be nothing more than minor obstacles."

As a qualified cultivator, execution is a basic requirement. Under the temptation of the crystal gourd, Tong Bingfeng will carry out his new cultivation and struggle plan without any compromise.

Starting from the second day, Tong Bingfeng was in an unusually busy state, appearing in different locations on the ice field every day.

With the help of two pairs of large teeth, a lot of time and energy was saved in searching for monsters. With the assistance of the Azure Water Sword, they killed one first-tier mid-grade monster after another and sold them in the Ice Sea Market to exchange for enough spirit stones.

Moreover, throughout this process, Tong Bingfeng remained in a closed circle, unlike other independent cultivators who traveled in groups of three or five according to their cultivation level.

Tong Bingfeng basically maintains a daily hunting frequency of one mid-grade first-tier demonic beast. Occasionally, when he is lucky enough to have a burst of good luck, an extra mid-grade first-tier demonic beast corpse will appear in his storage bag.

As the sun rises and sets, day and night alternate, time flies by, and two months pass in the blink of an eye amidst the busyness.

"The Ice Sea Market is quite large, with over a hundred shops of all sizes. Even though each shop only sells one monster corpse and acts with extreme caution, the truth will eventually come out."

"A cultivator at the fourth level of Qi Refining is frequently selling the corpses of mid-grade first-tier demonic beasts. If this attracts the attention of those with ulterior motives, subsequent cultivation will face setbacks."

An unexpected problem has been presented to Tong Bingfeng.