Chapter 98

Chapter 98: Seventh-grade Lotus Seed? No, Ninth-Grade Lotus Seed!

The ice was not very thick, and soon the two of them smashed a hole through it.

Li Shuang whispered a plan as cold mist curled from her lips: “The closer we get to the center where the Ice Lotus grows, the more likely we are to meet the Spirit of Living Water. We can’t approach the Ice Lotus in the open. We’ll go down here and swim beneath the ice. This water is bone cold. Without an Ice Spiritual Root it’s hard to even touch. Second Senior Brother, I’ll send a strand of ice spiritual power into you to protect your organs, but it will still hurt when you enter the water. You’ll need to endure.”

Liu Jun Cheng nodded without hesitation. [A chance like this never comes free; wanting gain without paying a price is foolish.]

Li Shuang added in a low voice: “The Spirit of Living Water works best if you absorb it on the spot. If we encounter it, you must absorb it at once. Over the years, this rare spirit will quietly temper your spiritual root. When its effect ends, your root’s grade will naturally rise.”

This was why she had brought Liu Jun Cheng himself. First, once the Spirit of Living Water is taken out of this environment, its effect drops sharply. Second, you need a special container to carry it. That container is not easy to get; otherwise she would have taken one out for Sheng Yuan ten years ago.

“Understood,” Liu Jun Cheng replied.

Li Shuang pushed a strand of icy power into him, shielding his five organs, and the two of them leaped into the lake.

The water stabbed like needles. Li Shuang was born with an Ice Spiritual Root, so she was fine. Even with protection, Liu Jun Cheng shuddered as soon as he went under, and frost formed on his eyebrows.

Li Shuang glanced at him, worried, and he answered with a steady look. This pain, he could bear.

The underwater world was harsh, so Li Shuang did not dare waste time and swam straight toward the Ice Lotus. Liu Jun Cheng pushed himself to keep up.

Right after they started moving, delight flashed across Li Shuang’s face. Last time she had met the Spirit of Living Water by pure luck. This time was different. With the boost of the Supreme Emotionless Art, her sensing range was much wider. She also had help from the Furnace.

Lines of value flickered before her mind’s eye as the Furnace assisted her: “Underwater Ice Crystals: 300 Value Points,” “Ice Moon Fish: 500 Value Points,” “Water Coral: 700 Value Points.” Treasures hidden in the ice lake had nowhere left to hide.

But she did not go out of her way to collect them; she only took what lay right in her path. If she wasted time on these resources, she might miss the true chance.

They swam in silence.

Suddenly, her eyes moved slightly as a prompt flashed: “Spirit of Living Water: 100,000 Value Points.”

Joy rose in her heart. If the Furnace showed it, the Spirit of Living Water had to be nearby. She was about to focus all her senses when the prompt vanished again.

Li Shuang did not panic. The Spirit of Living Water is a wonder of heaven and earth. It appears only for moments and is hard to catch. With both her art and the Furnace, she had a unique edge. If even she could not get it, no one could.

She ran the Supreme Emotionless Art at full power and waited quietly.

“Spirit of Living Water: 100,000 Value Points!” The signal appeared again.

This time, at the exact instant the Furnace lit up, she sensed the location. Her ice power surged to shroud that spot, and she called softly: “Second Senior Brother!”

Already prepared, Liu Jun Cheng lunged. At the very moment the spirit was about to vanish, his hand brushed it. In an instant, his whole body froze into solid ice, and a wisp of deep blue light streamed into his dantian.

Li Shuang watched, tense. The Spirit of Living Water was water aligned, and Liu Jun Cheng had a water spiritual root, so it was drawn to him and naturally entered his body. If he could endure the extreme cold, the spirit would grow gentle and stay, nourishing his root. If he could not, it would leave him at once. Fail once, and there would likely be no second chance. Whether they succeeded depended on Liu Jun Cheng himself.

Time dripped by. Li Shuang kept silent watch at his side. As almost an hour passed, she hesitated, wondering if she should wake him.

Right then, the ice on his body melted and he snapped his eyes open. Li Shuang looked at him, expectant. He nodded, pleased.

Success. The Spirit of Living Water now flowed quietly in his dantian. His spiritual root was already improving, slowly but steadily.

He said quickly, a little ashamed: “Junior Sister, you’ve been guarding me here and lost precious time; don’t worry about me. Go take the Lotus Seed.”

Li Shuang nodded once: “Second Senior Brother, leave the lake at once and head toward the big boulder. There will be a huge commotion soon. Don’t get caught in it.”

“Don’t worry,” he answered.

She did not delay and swam hard toward the Ice Lotus. Liu Jun Cheng shot to the surface, left the lake’s edge, and, afraid of getting in her way, kept his distance. Yet he could not rest easy, so he found a hidden spot nearby and watched from afar.

At the bottom of the lake, with only one incense stick of time left, Li Shuang raced toward the Ice Lotus. She had taken one Lotus Seed here before. This time she moved like a veteran. She had rehearsed it a thousand times in her mind: the moment she reached the Ice Lotus, she would blast through the ice, leap out, grab the seed, and flee without stopping.

Soon she reached the center of the lake. From afar she saw the lotus’s roots, sunk deep into clear water, each root as transparent as crystal.

New values flashed: “Seventh-grade Pristine Ice Lotus: 3,000,000 Value Points.” “Seventh-grade Pristine Ice Lotus, one Lotus Seed: 1,000,000 Value Points.”

A single seed was worth a million Value Points. The lotus itself was worth three million. But the Ice Lotus was rooted too deep to move. All she could take was the seed.

Li Shuang burst from the water and reached toward the lotus heart to pluck the seed.

Right then, the Heaven and Earth Furnace pinged with a new prompt: “Ninth-grade Pristine Ice Lotus, Lotus Seed: 10,000,000 Value Points.”