Cultivation begins with ice harvesters

Chapter 72: Recruitment

Tong Bingfeng strictly adhered to the frequency of selling one piece of spoils at every three to five gatherings. For a whole year, he did so like a drop of water that silently merged into the ocean, without causing any ripples from beginning to end.

Of course, the rewards were also quite substantial. After a year of arduous cultivation, with the support of ample elixirs and spiritual water, his cultivation level at the sixth level of Qi Refining naturally rose, and he had already vaguely touched the bottleneck of the sixth level of Qi Refining. He was getting closer and closer to advancing to the seventh level of Qi Refining and officially becoming a member of the late stage of Qi Refining.

Throughout the entire cultivation process, Tong Bingfeng strictly followed the fixed rules to refine the first-grade superior-quality Nourishing Water. As a result, the magical power in his dantian and his cultivation foundation did not falter in the slightest. He continued to walk firmly on the path of cultivation, step by step.

As for hunting monsters in the Ice Domain, that was naturally expected. In addition to hunting alone, he was also invited several times to join small groups of like-minded cultivators to hunt high-quality, high-value monsters, and even some first-tier high-grade monsters.

Although a first-tier high-grade demonic beast is comparable to a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, for some first-tier high-grade demonic beasts with natural and irreparable flaws, as long as the cultivator side has a sufficient numerical advantage and prepares certain talismans or magic tools in advance, they can plan to hunt them down and obtain high profits.

In fact, for cultivators, the greatest difficulty does not come from the seemingly fierce and dangerous battles with demonic beasts, but rather from searching for traces of first-tier high-grade demonic beasts.

Tong Bingfeng had participated in this several times, relying not on the natural sensitivity of his four big teeth to ice-attribute spiritual power, but on the clues discovered by other cultivators living in the first-grade mid-level courtyard.

In battle after battle, he never hesitated to use talismans and magical artifacts, actively cooperating closely with fellow cultivators. He was also quite generous in the distribution of spoils, not haggling over small amounts, which earned him the recognition of many fellow cultivators.

Among them was Liu Zong, who was also a Qi Refining Level 6 cultivator. This cultivator relied on a mid-grade first-tier spirit-seeking rat obtained from Elder Meng, which gave him a natural advantage in searching for demonic beasts in the Ice Domain.

Of course, as the initiator and the controller of the clues to the monsters, one can naturally receive a valuable loot as a reward after each successful hunt.

It was under this mutual appreciation and support that Tong Bingfeng quickly integrated into this new group and played an increasingly important role in it.

"Fellow Daoist Tong, are you once again indulging in arduous cultivation indoors today?"

At noon that day, Liu Zong, familiar with the place, came to the door again and shouted loudly to identify himself outside the area covered by the light shield of the wind chime array.

"Fellow Daoist Liu, what brings you here today? You never visit unless you have a reason."

The two were quite familiar with each other, and at this moment, they couldn't help but tease each other.

"Fellow Daoist Tong, for us cultivators, cultivation level is certainly the most important thing, but toiling away every day can take away some of the fun."

The seemingly joking exchange had already revealed the difference between the two cultivators regarding their future paths in the Dao.

"Even if we Qi Refining stage cultivators have smooth sailing, our lifespan is only a hundred years. If we cannot forge ahead bravely, how can we seize the only chance in the darkness to forge a foundation for our Dao?"

Although Tong Bingfeng was just a rogue cultivator struggling alone with no one to rely on, his pursuit of the future path of cultivation was undoubtedly firm and unwavering.

"I deeply admire your steadfastness, fellow Daoist. However, I have come today to discuss important matters. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Tong would be interested in participating?"

People with different values ​​cannot work together. This kind of difference in understanding is not easily bridged. Liu Zong then changed the subject and began to explain the purpose of his visit today.

"But we've discovered traces of a high-grade Tier 1 demonic beast in the icy region, and I need to go and hunt it down?"

Upon hearing this, Tong Bingfeng's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He had always been very interested in hunting demonic beasts and would not refuse any that came his way.

On the one hand, hunting demonic beasts can yield a valuable loot, which is one of the few stable sources of spirit stones for rogue cultivators. On the other hand, every battle with a first-tier high-grade demonic beast is actually a form of training for cultivators.

"I have received reliable information from Elder Meng that the Chen family is preparing to recruit forty mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators from among the rogue cultivators to guard newly discovered mid-grade Tier 1 resource points in the Ice Domain. Fellow Daoist, are you interested in participating?"

Liu Zong spoke cautiously, fearing that the news might spread unintentionally. At the same time, his eyes flashed with a strange light, clearly showing his interest in this recruitment.

"The Chen family has a long history of cultivating Qi, with over a hundred Qi Refining stage cultivators within the family, more than half of whom are in the mid-to-late stages of Qi Refining. Why then do we need to recruit from outside?"

"Furthermore, guarding resource points is a truly lucrative job; how could it possibly fall to rogue cultivators like you and me?"

Although Tong Bingfeng was somewhat interested in this, his naturally cautious nature also made him feel wary.

In the cultivation world of the Northern Frontier, all that qualifies as a resource point are mineral veins, medicinal herb gardens, and spiritual fish breeding areas that can stably produce certain spiritual items.

Without exception, all such resource points within a radius of a thousand miles, centered on Ice Spirit Island, are controlled and occupied by the Chen family.

The cultivators stationed at the resource points were all direct descendants of the Chen family, supplemented by a small number of collateral descendants with slightly more distant bloodlines.

As for rogue cultivators, it's impossible for them to become one of them. They might even get a heavy blow from the guards if they get too close.

The cultivators stationed at resource points usually only need to pay the Chen family a certain amount of the spiritual items they produce within a year, and the rest is their reward.

Each resource point is a treasure trove that never stops flowing. Even within the Chen family, there is a fierce competition for any vacancy that arises, let alone for some independent cultivators.

"This information came from a highly senior cultivator in the Chen family at the ninth level of Qi Refining, and it can be confirmed to be true. However, the resource points we are stationed at this time are all quite remote and have a high risk factor. We rogue cultivators need to risk our lives to stabilize the resource points before such an opportunity can arise."

"Fellow Daoist, if you wish to forge your Dao foundation, this opportunity is extremely rare and should not be missed. If we join forces to occupy a resource point, we can alleviate most of our worries about future cultivation."

Liu Zong spoke with unprecedented certainty, not taking the hidden dangers too seriously, since cultivation for independent cultivators is inherently a constant struggle for survival.

When he finished speaking, his words were filled with an irresistible allure that any aspiring cultivator would find hard to resist.

"Do you have a general map showing the distribution of resource points? What is the production situation of the main resources?"