Cultivation begins with ice harvesters

Chapter 77: Remote

As the old cultivator finished speaking his last words of expulsion, the three groups of six rogue cultivators immediately turned and headed away.

Throughout the entire process, the six cultivators did not communicate with each other at all. Instead, they worked in pairs with a high degree of vigilance, fearing that others might eavesdrop on any information.

After all, this resource point is an indispensable source for the six independent cultivators' future cultivation, so they naturally do not want to reveal the basic information about the resource point they will be stationed at.

Without saying a word, Tong Bingfeng and Liu Zong successfully returned to the first-tier mid-grade courtyard rental area, but instead of returning to their respective courtyards, they went straight to where Elder Meng lived.

"With a joyful expression and agile movements, he must have successfully passed the test and obtained the qualification to guard a resource point. Congratulations! The future looks promising."

As soon as the two stepped into Meng Lao's courtyard, this seemingly muddle-headed old cultivator immediately offered his blessings after observing some details.

"If it weren't for Elder Meng's guidance, we two would never have qualified for the first round of internal recruitment. We have come here to express our heartfelt respect."

"Also, I would like to ask Elder Meng for some advice on precautions for guarding the Spirit Ice Mine."

After expressing their sincere gratitude, the two began to inquire about the relevant precautions for guarding the mine, hoping to obtain some relevant clues from this knowledgeable cultivator.

"I have worked hard all my life and seen a lot of deceit and treachery. I have earned the respect and recognition of others through my skills in making talismans and refining weapons. However, I have no experience in guarding mines."

"We can only analyze it from the perspective of common sense. Without exception, these resource points must be extremely remote, involve certain risks, and produce spiritual items of low value. They are tasteless to eat but a pity to throw away. Therefore, the Chen family has given rogue cultivators certain opportunities."

"In addition, each resource point belonging to the Chen family is protected by three layers of arrays, inner, middle and outer. These released resource points only have a simple array for warning purposes. You two will need to continue to purchase qualified array flags to fill in the gaps."

Master Meng generously shared his experience and insights, analyzing all the potential risks in detail, and laying bare a stark reality before the two of them.

"Thank you for your guidance, Elder Meng. In any case, we two will never give up this opportunity. A stable supply of spirit ice means a stable income of spirit stones, which is the most stable source of spiritual materials for our cultivation."

After listening to the story, Tong Bingfeng no longer felt any fear of the difficulties he was about to face; on the contrary, he successfully ignited his ambition.

"Very well, with such a decision, what is there to worry about in your future cultivation? I will wait here for your triumphant return."

Meng Lao's originally aged voice became passionate and enthusiastic, clearly indicating his approval of Tong Bingfeng's words.

A quarter of an hour later, Tong Bingfeng left with a carved jade slip and returned to the courtyard. They agreed to meet again at dawn the next day after some preparations to officially embark on their journey to guard the spirit ice mine.

The engraved jade slip was the one provided by the Chen family. It contained information about the location of the spirit ice mine and the amount of spirit ice the family required to produce. As the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated." Before setting off, it was essential to have information about the spirit ice mine.

"No wonder, no wonder. This spirit ice mine is only a small-scale spirit mine, producing 260 pieces of first-grade mid-level spirit ice and 1,200 pieces of first-grade low-level spirit ice per month. Of these, 180 pieces of first-grade mid-level spirit ice and 900 pieces of first-grade low-level spirit ice need to be paid to the Chen family. Moreover, the location is remote, a full 700 miles away from Ice Spirit Island."

After Tong Bingfeng gained a preliminary understanding of the contents of the jade slip, he couldn't help but frown. The situation of the spirit ice mine was far more troublesome than expected.

According to the division of the Northern Frontier Ice Domain, the ice domain within a radius of a thousand miles of a second-tier spirit island belongs to it. However, in reality, a second-tier spirit island with a Foundation Establishment stage family in charge can control an ice domain with a radius of three hundred to six hundred miles, depending on the family's strength.

The specific area of ​​the ice domain under control mainly depends on the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators in the family, because Foundation Establishment cultivators need to patrol the ice domain regularly and are responsible for killing and driving away second-tier demonic beasts within the ice domain.

The Chen family's core ice domain is a radius of 300 li, while the more secure area is a radius of 500 li. All resource points that emerge within this range, regardless of size, are under their control.

Within the 500-700 li radius of the ice domain, although Foundation Establishment cultivators patrol, the effectiveness of expelling second-tier demonic beasts has decreased significantly. The number of first-tier mid-to-high-grade demonic beasts is even greater, and occasionally some evil cultivators who have been expelled by the Spirit Island also appear, making the situation quite dangerous.

In addition, apart from the spirit ice paid to the Chen family, the remaining portion of this first-tier mid-grade miniature spirit ice mine would only fetch 180 spirit stones at market price. Even with a 40% share, he would only receive 72 spirit stones.

This gain seems completely unbalanced compared to the foreseeable expenditures over the future, and they are never on the same level.

"Miniature spirit ice veins can also be mined faster. In any case, the control of this spirit ice vein cannot belong to the two of us forever. The best strategy is to mine as much spirit ice as possible."

Tong Bingfeng revealed a sinister look. For a rogue cultivator like him, the most important thing was to obtain the most abundant amount of spirit stones in the shortest amount of time to exchange for spiritual items to nourish and assist his cultivation.

As for the losses caused by the over-exploitation of the spirit ice mine itself, these losses will naturally be borne by the future direct descendants of the Chen family who will be stationed there.

The sun rises and sets, the stars shift and the constellations move.

The night passed in the blink of an eye. Before the sun had even risen at dawn the next day, Tong Bingfeng and Liu Zong had already met at the agreed time and place. With the help of a set of exquisite wooden skateboards, they traveled together quickly into the depths of the icy region.

These skateboards are simple to make and inexpensive, yet they are the perfect tool for traveling quickly on ice. They require only a small amount of spiritual energy to operate and are ideal for long-distance travel.

Of course, this little gadget is not any kind of magical artifact. Its drawback is that once it encounters direct obstruction, it may become a hindrance and cannot provide any help in actual combat.

The straight-line distance to the spirit ice mine is a full seven hundred miles of ice domain, and the actual journey will certainly be over nine hundred miles.

After all, any situation may arise along the way, and when faced with potential dangers, choosing to take a detour is only natural.

The deeper they ventured into the icy realm, the more likely they were to encounter powerful monsters rarely seen in ordinary times. For Tong Bingfeng and Liu Zong, the best course of action was to avoid them if possible and prevent any conflict from occurring.