Chapter 281: Frost Moon Pavilion

Chapter 281: Frost Moon Pavilion

As a Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Long Sky Hall, Wu Xqiang was no weakling, but the tasks he performed were extremely menial.

The Long Sky Hall took into account that besides numerous low-level cultivators, there would also be quite a few Foundation Establishment and even Golden Core cultivators entering the Icy Island Immortal City.

Thus, whether it was the teleportation array or the daily affairs within the city, they were all managed by Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Of course, the Long Sky Hall provided excellent treatment to these cultivators.

Every year, they would obtain a large number of spirit stones from the loose cultivators in the city, and the resources allocated to the Foundation Establishment cultivators were also quite substantial.

Today happened to be Wu Xqiang's turn to be on duty in the upper city.

After delivering something to a cultivator residing on the fourth floor, he passed by the entrance of Cave Abode No. 19 on the fourth layer and casually glanced at it.

When he saw that the cave's restrictions were completely open, his face showed a hint of surprise.

"This Chu Ning sure has been in seclusion for a long time. It's been eight years since he entered the upper city, and he's never once left his cave abode."

Wu Xqiang had a deep impression of Chu Ning from the day he brought him here.

So over the years, he would pay attention, whether intentionally or not.

Not only during his shifts but also before handing over duties, he would usually ask about him.

And the answer he always got was that this Golden Core Initial Stage cultivator had never left his abode since entering it eight years ago.

"He's truly a dedicated cultivator. No wonder he was able to advance to the Golden Core stage with such a youthful appearance."

As this thought flashed through his mind, Wu Xqiang was also aware that for a cultivator to succeed in forming a Golden Core, besides dedicated cultivation, they must also possess extraordinary talent.

Just as Wu Xqiang was about to leave after pausing for a few breaths, the restrictions suddenly rippled, and a figure walked out.

Wu Xqiang was taken aback and immediately stopped in his tracks.

The next moment, when he saw that it was Chu Ning, his eyes lit up.

He quickly stepped forward and bowed, greeting respectfully,

"Greetings, Senior Chu!"

Chu Ning was also slightly surprised to see this familiar face as soon as he emerged from seclusion.

"Why are you here, Fellow Daoist Wu?"

Of course, he didn't think that Wu Xqiang was here to find him.

Wu Xqiang quickly explained, "Today is my turn for duty, and I just happened to pass by."

"What a coincidence," Chu Ning nodded and asked, "I've been in seclusion for too long. Is it a major or minor trading day at the Frost Moon Pavilion in the city today?"

From the jade slip provided by Wu Xqiang, he knew that there was a market in the city, and the largest one was the Frost Moon Pavilion.

It was open all year round, but there were major and minor trading days.

Once every ten days was a major trading day, when a wider variety of treasures would be available at the pavilion.

At the same time, on this day, a small-scale trading session would also be organized specifically for the Golden Core cultivators in the city.

"Reporting to Senior, today is a minor trading day at the pavilion, and tomorrow will be a major one."

Wu Xqiang replied with a smile, then added,

"Senior has been in seclusion for so long. Are you planning to buy something from the Frost Moon Pavilion? If so, you might want to visit the pavilion tomorrow. In a few days, the Snow Mist Valley will also be open, and quite a number of Golden Core cultivators have gathered in the city for that."

"Oh?" Chu Ning uttered, as information about the Snow Mist Valley flashed through his mind.

Wu Xqiang had also mentioned this place in the jade slip he provided.

The Snow Mist Valley was a rather famous treasure ground in the Snow Mist Mountains.

It was abundant in rare spirit herbs and alchemy materials, making it one of the important sources of cultivation resources for the Golden Core cultivators in the Icy Island Immortal City.

However, the valley was perpetually shrouded in snow mist, and even Golden Core cultivators, with the aid of treasures, could not withstand the mist for even half an incense stick's worth of time.

Hence, it was extremely difficult to enter the valley and obtain its treasures under normal circumstances.

But every ten years, the snow mist in the Snow Mist Valley would dissipate for a period of about ten days.

During this time, cultivators could enter without the interference of the mist.

Thus, most cultivators would choose to enter the Snow Mist Valley during this period.

Chu Ning had not expected that after his long seclusion, he would coincidentally arrive just in time for the opening of the Snow Mist Valley.

Hearing Chu Ning's calm reaction, Wu Xqiang was rather surprised.

The opening of the Snow Mist Valley was a lively event for the Icy Island Immortal City.

Many Golden Core cultivators came to this city specifically to enter the Snow Mist Valley.

Yet, the senior before him seemed rather uninterested.

Indeed, Chu Ning was not very interested in the Snow Mist Valley.

Although he had been in the Icy Island Immortal City for eight years, he had spent all that time cultivating in seclusion in his cave abode.

Most of what he knew about this place came from the jade slip, and he had little interest in the rest.

He had only emerged from seclusion because he had run out of cultivation pills and wanted to buy some spirit herbs to refine more.

After Wu Xqiang bid farewell, Chu Ning, now aware that it was a minor trading day at the Frost Moon Pavilion, simply turned around and returned to his cave abode.

Standing in the herb garden of his cave abode, Chu Ning reflected on his cultivation progress over the past eight years.

Having wasted too much time on Wuling Island, Chu Ning immediately began his seclusion upon arriving here.

And over these eight years, his gains had been significant.

【Five Elements Chaos Technique (Heavenly Mid-Grade), First Layer (23244/50000)】

【Nine Transformations Body Tempering Technique, Second Volume, Second Layer (11680/90000)】

【Refine God Technique, Fourth Layer (48105/64000)】

Whether it was qi refinement, body tempering, or spirit refinement, he had made considerable progress.

And the cultivation of various secret techniques and spells had yielded even greater results.

Whether it was the Fiery Flame Technique, the Heavenly Fire Spell, or the Void Finger, he had completely mastered them all.

But he wasn't sure if it was because he had since merged with three strands of spirit essence that things had changed.

Eight years had passed, and the progress of cultivation was not even halfway through.

It seemed that it would take around twenty years to complete the entire process.

At this moment, Chu Ning's gaze fell upon the spirit herb garden, focusing on three particular spirit plants.

One was a semi-tall plant with lush, bamboo-like green leaves, bearing blue, oval-shaped spirit fruits that exuded a faint, pleasant fragrance.

The second was a golden vine. Upon closer inspection, one would find that this vine was covered in hard, metallic scales, giving it a golden sheen.

The vine bore leaves with faint golden veins running through them.

The last spirit plant was about two people tall, with a straight trunk and branches but not a single leaf in sight.

However, upon closer inspection, one could make out tiny flower buds on each branch.

These three spirit plants had been Chu Ning's focus for the past few years.

The latter two spirit plants were brought from the Spirit Domain, and the golden vine was imbued with an exceptionally rich metallic spiritual energy.

Chu Ning didn't know its name, assuming it was a unique species native to the Golden Spirit Domain.

As for the leafless tree, Chu Ning had witnessed its maturity in the Spirit Domain and had faintly sensed a powerful wood spirit energy from the flowers it bore.

Back then, Chu Ning had plucked those flowers, but for some reason, they had withered and lost their efficacy soon after leaving Wuling Island.

Fortunately, Chu Ning had also taken a few young saplings, which he planted in this spirit herb garden to see if they could be cultivated.

The first spirit plant, with its blue spirit fruits, was the one that intrigued Chu Ning the most.

Eight years ago, Chu Ning had planted several spirit herbs and fruits brought from Wuling Island.

However, almost all of them failed to grow.

Only this particular spirit plant thrived and absorbed spiritual energy normally, blooming and bearing fruit.

But the spirit fruit was different from the one Chu Ning had seen before.

Known as the Purple Origin Fruit by the Nine Transformations experts, the fruit was originally a pale purple in Wuling Island.

However, the ones Chu Ning cultivated here were blue.

Moreover, Chu Ning wasn't sure if his cultivation of this spirit fruit was successful, as he could only sense the presence of spiritual energy on the surface of the blue fruit and not the essence of its origin.

Nonetheless, all he could do for now was continue cultivating it.

Compared to the previous spirit plants that took three to five years, plus Little Spirit White's acceleration, to mature, these three spirit plants had been cultivated by Chu Ning for eight years, yet they were still far from ready for harvest.

"Whine!"

Just as he finished his thoughts, Little Spirit White poked its head out, looking rather listless.

Seeing its demeanor, Chu Ning smiled and asked, "Do you miss Big Golden and Little Golden?"

"Whine!" Little Spirit White nodded slightly.

Chu Ning looked towards a spirit beast room and, after sensing for a moment, shook his head and said, "Wait a little longer. I feel like the two little guys should be waking up soon."

The two Golden Thunder Eagles had fallen into a mysterious slumber not long after arriving in Iceland Immortal City, which puzzled Chu Ning.

Thankfully, due to the contract he had formed with them, he could clearly sense that they didn't have any other abnormalities.

Thus, Chu Ning didn't interfere too much.

But now, he could feel that the two Golden Thunder Eagles seemed close to awakening.

After spending another day in his cave abode, Chu Ning left early the next morning and headed to the lower city of Iceland Immortal City.

Perhaps to facilitate trade without disturbing higher-level cultivators, the market district of Iceland Immortal City was located in the lower city instead of the upper city.

Naturally, Frost Moon Pavilion, being part of the market district, was also situated in the lower city.

Compared to eight years ago when he first entered Iceland Immortal City, Chu Ning could sense that the lower city was noticeably busier today.

Especially in the direction leading to Frost Moon Pavilion, there were quite a few Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Perhaps because it was still early, Chu Ning didn't encounter any Golden Core cultivators along the way.

Like the other Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators, Chu Ning traveled on foot.

However, he didn't conceal his Golden Core cultivator aura, and as soon as he appeared on the street, he immediately drew the attention of many cultivators.

Although Golden Core cultivators weren't uncommon in Iceland Immortal City, ones as young as Chu Ning were indeed rare.

"That senior is so young!"

"Yes, and I've never seen him before. He must be new here."

"I wonder if he's a wandering cultivator who just arrived in the city or a disciple of Long Sky Hall."

"He's probably a disciple of Long Sky Hall. Wandering cultivators rarely have such young Golden Core cultivators in their ranks.

No, he's not wearing the robes of Long Sky Hall. He could be a young genius cultivator from some sect."

...

These low-level cultivators tried to keep their voices down, but their discussions still reached Chu Ning's ears.

Chu Ning merely smiled to himself and didn't pay them much mind.

Soon, Chu Ning arrived at a three-story building.

The architectural style was consistent with the rest of Iceland Immortal City, exquisitely crafted and adorned with white jade embellishments.

Even the name "Frost Moon Pavilion" was inscribed on a white jade plaque.

Seated at the entrance of the pavilion was a rather attractive female cultivator in the early stages of Foundation Establishment.

But the unmistakable aura of a Golden Core cultivator around him left her no room for negligence. She immediately approached him with a smile and bowed respectfully.

"Greetings, Senior. I am Bai Ruo from the Frost Moon Pavilion. How may I assist you today? Are you here to purchase items or to participate in the trading event?" she inquired politely.

Chu Ning's gaze swept over her, and he replied, "Both. I wish to browse your selection of spirit herbs first."

Hearing this, a spark of interest lit up in Bai Ruo's eyes. "Please follow me, Senior," she said eagerly.

Golden Core cultivators participating in the trading event would only require the pavilion to provide the venue. The guides like her would not benefit directly from such transactions. However, if a Golden Core cultivator chose to make purchases within the Frost Moon Pavilion, it would be a different story—the more they bought, the higher her commission would be.

Bai Ruo led Chu Ning to the third floor and then directly to the spirit herb sales area. Chu Ning scanned the selection and noticed only a few dozen types of spirit herbs. A slight frown appeared on his forehead.

Seeming to sense his confusion, Bai Ruo quickly explained, "Honored Senior, we only have a portion of our spirit herbs on display here. Many spirit herbs are not easily stored, so we keep them elsewhere. If you are looking for something specific or need herbs to pair with demon pills for refining, I can certainly make some recommendations."

"Pair with demon pills for refining?" Chu Ning's heart skipped a beat as a vague sense of foreboding crept over him.

Without further ado, he handed over a list of spirit herbs he had prepared beforehand.

Bai Ruo took the list and glanced through it, her face turning slightly red as she read. Then, with an apologetic expression, she said, "I'm sorry, Senior. I'm afraid I am unfamiliar with these spirit herbs. Please wait a moment while I call for a senior attendant to assist you."

She quickly walked over to an older male cultivator tending the spirit herb counter and whispered something to him. He immediately left and soon returned with a white-bearded elder in tow.

The elder was also at the early Golden Core stage. He bowed slightly and introduced himself, "Greetings, Fellow Daoist. I am Tang Jinchuan of the Frost Moon Pavilion."

Since the other party was also a Golden Core cultivator, Chu Ning returned the courtesy with a polite bow of his own. "I am Chu Ning. It's a pleasure to meet you, Fellow Daoist Tang."

"So, it's Fellow Daoist Chu," Tang Jinchuan said with a smile. "You seem unfamiliar and quite young. May I ask if you have just arrived in Iceland Immortal City? I ask because I noticed your list of spirit herbs, and it piqued my curiosity. Of course, if you prefer not to answer, I won't pry further."

Chu Ning offered a faint smile in response. "Not at all. I've been in this city for eight or nine years now, but I've rarely interacted with other cultivators."

"Oh, I see," Tang Jinchuan nodded slightly, a hint of surprise flickering in his eyes. He made it a point to remember every Golden Core cultivator who had entered the Frost Moon Pavilion, and he was certain he had never seen Chu Ning before. The fact that Chu Ning had been in the city for so long without visiting the pavilion intrigued him.

Tang Jinchuan picked up the list of spirit herbs that Chu Ning had provided. "Fellow Daoist Chu, if I'm not mistaken, these spirit herbs are not native to the Northern Cold Lands. It's unlikely that you'll find them here in our pavilion, or even in the entire region. I am also an Alchemist, but I am unfamiliar with the effects of these particular herbs. Therefore, I'm afraid I can't offer any suitable alternatives at the moment."

Hearing this, Chu Ning's expression remained unchanged, but his heart sank.

Before he could say anything more, Tang Jinchuan continued, "I'm curious, Fellow Daoist. What kind of pill are you aiming to refine that requires such a diverse array of spirit herbs? And why would a high-level pill need to be paired with demon pills?"

"Pair with demon pills," Chu Ning muttered, his suspicions growing.

Without revealing his thoughts, he replied, "I recently came across a cultivation formula, and the required spirit herbs seemed rather unusual. That's why I wanted to inquire about them. Fellow Daoist Tang, do you have any pills suitable for a Golden Core cultivator like myself to enhance my cultivation?"

"Of course!" Tang Jinchuan replied, producing a bottle of pills and offering it to Chu Ning.

Chu Ning opened the bottle and carefully sensed the pills within, his heart sinking further.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end