Cultivation begins with ice harvesters

Chapter 8: Crystal Shrimp

"Swish, swish, swish"

The ice needles formed by the ice needle talisman spread out in all directions without any pattern, and most of them only left a white mark on the ice surface.

The moment the ice needles collided with the ice surface, a series of crisp "clanging" sounds rang out. Tong Bingfeng kept his eyes and ears open, hoping to find some clues about the existence of the demonic beasts from the landing of the ice needles.

This time, when he unleashed the Ice Needle Talisman, he used his divine sense as a guide to forcibly intervene, actively weakening the destructive power contained in each ice needle at the cost of increasing the number of ice needles by more than ten times.

"So this is where it is. In this northern frontier, as long as the monsters know a little about hiding, their survival rate will increase dramatically."

When Tong Bingfeng's eyes saw a large area of ​​ice needles disappear without causing a ripple, roughly ten feet in diameter, a terrifying burst of light immediately shot out.

Based on the perception of the two pairs of large incisors, it can be confirmed that the previously identified fishy smell originated from this place.

On the vast icy lands of the northern frontier, under the dual erosion of low temperatures and cold winds, such a situation would never occur without the active protection of cultivators or demonic beasts.

"Clap, clap"

Tong Bingfeng had not yet fully recovered from the smugness of successfully discovering the monster's tracks and was fully prepared for battle when a super-sized shrimp, with a crystal-clear body and a pair of pincers that were sharper and more prominent than those of ordinary shrimp, and nearly half a meter long, crawled out of the water and revealed its true form.

Its tiny, bean-sized shrimp eyes were clearly filled with anger. After discovering the culprit who had disturbed its rest, it decisively launched an attack, opening its mouth and spraying three water arrows in a triangular pattern, aiming at Tong Bingfeng's three vital points.

"Tier 1 Low-Grade Crystal Shrimp?"

Seeing the ice arrow, which was rapidly transformed from a water arrow and was heading straight for his face under the corrosive effect of the low temperature, he hurriedly prepared.

Crystal Shrimp is a relatively common first-tier low-grade water-attribute monster in the Northern Frontier Ice Region. Its potential is limited, and under normal circumstances, it is restricted by its bloodline and can only advance to the highest-tier first-grade.

Water Arrow is the only innate spell of a low-grade first-tier crystal shrimp. It is relatively fast, but its destructive power is average. With a little preparation, it usually cannot cause substantial damage to cultivators.

Faced with the ice arrows so close at hand, he had no defensive magic artifacts, not even a single low-to-mid-grade first-tier defensive talisman.

"Lazy donkey rolling around"

Faced with such a life-or-death crisis, Tong Bingfeng disregarded the dignity of other so-called cultivators. Just as the ice arrows were about to fall, he first turned to the side to dodge the ice arrows coming from the left, and then rolled lazily on the ice. Although he was in a sorry state, he successfully dodged the last two ice arrows.

Furthermore, by using the lazy donkey to roll around, Tong Bingfeng directly shortened the distance between himself and the crystal shrimp. He then activated the second ice needle talisman in his hand, and five ice arrows, each as thick as two fingers, streaked through the air and headed straight for the crystal shrimp's head.

Talismans are known for their speed, and at this moment, the distance between Tong Bingfeng and the crystal shrimp was only a few feet. Five sharp ice arrows, gleaming with cold light, shot out from a distance with lightning speed, heading straight for the gleaming shrimp's head.

"Gaba"

The crystal shrimp in front of them was of limited strength, only a low-grade first-tier creature. Its own strength was limited, and the activation of its innate spell, Water Arrow, also required a buffer period.

Therefore, when faced with five ice arrows, he could only swing his pair of claws. After being nourished by spiritual energy, the quality of these claws was also significantly improved.

"Click"

"Click"

Under the precise strike of the shrimp claw, the two ice needles broke first in the head-on collision, but the sudden burst of power they carried was not to be underestimated.

Under the influence of this force, the half-meter-long body of the first-grade low-level crystal shrimp could not maintain its original balance. Under the impact and tilting caused by the force of the ice needle, the shrimp body actually rolled over, and its relatively soft abdomen appeared on top.

"Swish, swish, swish"

The three ice needles that followed were not affected or weakened in the original battle at all. They tore through the void and landed accurately and ruthlessly on the abdomen of the crystal shrimp, piercing it directly.

Moreover, under the erosion of the ice needle's low temperature, not a single drop of blood flowed from the wound of the first-grade low-level crystal shrimp. Instead, it quickly turned into blood-red ice crystals that sealed it off.

"A first-grade low-level crystal shrimp has only just begun to refine the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into its body. Its entire body is effectively nourished and it is promoted to an entry-level demon beast. It is widely distributed and abundant. In the market, it is often sold as a whole to restaurants that specialize in selling spiritual food. The price of one is about three low-grade spirit stones."

"This battle consumed two mid-grade first-tier ice needle talismans, which cost two spirit stones. After deducting all expenses, there is still one low-grade spirit stone left over."

After a rough calculation, Tong Bingfeng found that he could get at least one low-grade spirit stone left over. Although he was flustered and lacked combat experience during the battle and almost encountered danger, it was all worth it to have this surplus.

"Crystal shrimp prefer to cultivate their shells in shallow, muddy waters, so their habitats are usually quite fertile and suitable for the growth of some low-grade first-tier water-attribute spiritual herbs. Let's go and search around and see if we can find anything today."

Given his current financial straits, where he desperately wanted to split a spirit crystal in half to make ends meet, he naturally wouldn't forget to search for any possible spoils in the Crystal Shrimp's lair.

"Splash!"

With Tong Bingfeng's efforts, the entire ice covering the Crystal Shrimp's lair was completely removed, revealing crystal-clear water beneath the ice, where the silt at the bottom could be clearly seen.

As time passed, the aftershocks of the battle gradually subsided, and every now and then a fish the size of a finger would swim freely by.

"There are six clusters of first-grade low-level algae crystals, rich in water-attribute spiritual power. They can be used to refine first-grade low-level water elemental pills, and can at least be exchanged for a low-level spirit stone."

After spotting the target, Tong Bingfeng disregarded the corrosive effects of the low temperature and immediately reached his hands under the water to harvest the clusters of algae crystals intact.

Although this is just a common first-grade low-level spiritual herb in the icy northern frontier, it is still a considerable gain for Tong Bingfeng, who came to hunt demonic beasts for the first time.

"Murderers and arsonists wear golden belts; the ancients were right."

"In the past, I worked hard and followed the rules to collect spirit ice, but even that was not enough to support my cultivation. I also had to face extortion and humiliation from the patrol guards from time to time."

Tong Bingfeng surveyed the gains of this trip and nodded with considerable satisfaction, the smile on his face impossible to conceal.

On his very first attempt at hunting a demonic beast, he earned a full two spirit stones, enough to cover the rent for the courtyard next month.

"It's a pity we don't have a storage bag yet, otherwise we could continue searching for other monsters since it's still early."

After careful consideration, Tong Bingfeng, though reluctant, ultimately made the most appropriate choice for the present moment: to stop while he was ahead.