Chapter 3 Frost Armor Technique_1

After Zhang Hong had left, Lu Xuan, without wasting any time, prepared to take all his belongings with him to look for a way to deal with the Black Bud Worm Larvae.

Before leaving, he took out a small stone, the size of a fingernail, and approached the Grass Puppet.

The small stone was pure white and emitted faint fluctuations of spiritual power. It was a small piece of Broken Spirit, divided from a Low-grade Spirit Stone and widely used by Lower Rank Qi Cultivating Monks like Lu Xuan.

“Eat your fill and guard the house well!” he said.

He inserted the small piece of Broken Spirit into a gray grass lump on the head of the Grass Puppet, instructing it seriously.

With the supplementation of the spiritual power from the Broken Spirit, a very faint spiritual light emanated from the Grass Puppet, seemingly reinvigorated.

Though he was not entirely confident in this slow-reacting housekeeper puppet, Lu Xuan had no other options. He could only hope that the spirit plants in the courtyard would remain safe during his absence.

After leaving his house, Lu Xuan quickly treaded along the bluestone road.

His courtyard was located in the North District of Linyang Market, an area mostly crowded with Lower Rank Qi Cultivating Monks like him, harboring dreams of breaking their limits and changing their fate.

As for the market center, it was the preserve of the great families and major powers. Lu Xuan rarely visited it.

Having not left his house for a while, he felt a little out of sorts, seeing everything as familiar but also peculiar.

A Deep Yellow Paper Bird, about half a foot in length, slowly flew past at low altitude, carrying a cultivator. The bird had inconsistent long and short spines on its body, having clearly been used for a long time.

Next, a Multi-legged Mechanism Beast flew over Lu Xuan’s head, carrying about twenty or thirty cultivators.

The Multi-legged Mechanism Beast was a common mode of transportation within the market. With just a few dozen Broken Spirits, one could reach the center of the Market in a short time.

There was no aerial prohibition formation on the outskirts of the Market, so spirit beasts and flying artifacts similar to these were abundant. Occasionally, a streak of Sword Light would fleetingly speed across the higher altitudes.

The Sword Light represented a cultivator controlling a flying sword, which implied at least a High-tier Qi Cultivator – a presence that felt unreachable for Lu Xuan at his current level.

Lu Xuan couldn’t help but display a hint of envy. The ability to control a flying sword, roam the heavens and earth, was a distant dream for him, in both his past and present lives.

Collecting himself and quickening his pace, he arrived at a gathering place of cultivators in the North District after a short while.

The gathering place was full of shops and stalls. Even though they didn’t compare with those in the central district, it was more than sufficient for Lower Rank Qi Cultivating Monks like himself.

Lu Xuan wove through the crowd, soon finding a middle-aged cultivator in a corner.

The man, like Lu Xuan, was a Qi Cultivation Second Layer cultivator. He had a thin frame, a gaunt face, and high cheekbones due to his lack of flesh.

A pair of mustaches perched on his upper lip as his eyes darted around, swiftly scanning the cultivators passing by.

Lu Xuan knew his surname was Huang, and he lived not far from his courtyard. Always loitering in the gathering places, Huang was well-informed about every aspect of the North District.

However, if you wanted to inquire about anything, you had to pay a certain fee.

Upon sensing Lu Xuan’s gaze, the whiskers on Huang’s upper lip curled up slightly as he squeezed out a smile, welcoming Lu Xuan.

“Little Friend Lu, it’s been a while. Is there something I can assist you with?” he asked.

Lu Xuan responded with a smile.

“I indeed have a matter in need of Brother Huang’s advice.”

“I heard that Brother Huang has a wide network and knows cultivators at various stages in the North District. Could you introduce me to a few?”

“I have a few requirements. First, they should be at the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer. Secondly, they should have strong offensive abilities and be able to precisely control their spells or similar artifacts.”

“Lastly, they should be in the vicinity of the North District and able to be found immediately.”

Lu Xuan said to the middle-aged cultivator surnamed Huang, while handing him a handful of Broken Spirit Stones.

He wasn’t expecting to find a more advanced cultivator. Although they could potentially resolve the issue of the Black Bud Worm Larvae more quickly, hiring a Qi Practicing Fifth Level would cost him more than double the fees than if he hired a Fourth Level cultivator.

Moreover, the Spirit Firefly Grass had already been significantly damaged by the infestation. If he couldn’t resolve this soon, he could lose not just one or more of the Spirit Firefly Grass plants but also those unknown rewards encapsulated in the white light came with the maturation of the spirit grass.

That’s why the ordinarily frugal Lu Xuan was willing to pay so many Broken Spirits. He was asking a fourth-level Qi cultivator to be found immediately, all in order to deal with the Black Bud Worm Larvae as soon as possible.

The middle-aged cultivator received the broken spirit from Lu Xuan, his smile obviously warmer and more genuine.

“There are quite a few cultivators at the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer in the North District, but, there are very few who can meet your other conditions, Little Friend Lu.”

“To my knowledge, there are only three nearby.”

“One is Lingyun Fairy, whose cultivation level is quite high. She possesses a set of Red Cloud Needle Artifacts, which she uses masterfully, fulfilling the conditions of strong offensive power and delicate control.”

“The other is Friend Qin Ming, who has a deep understanding of ice system techniques. While his offensive power may be slightly lacking, his control is unrivaled.”

“Lastly, there is Friend Li Xu, who is obsessed with the Sword Dao. He has the ability to turn sword qi into silk, which also meets your requirements.”

He gave Lu Xuan the addresses of the three cultivators at the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer. Seeing that he remembered, he said with a smile:

“How about I accompany you, Little Friend Lu, on your visits to these three fellow practitioners?”

“I appreciate your kindness, Brother Huang, but I don’t want to trouble you further.”

Lu Xuan, with the knowledge that it would cost him even more, thanked him with a fist and palm salute, then turned and left.

He was not worried about the middle-aged cultivator cheating him. After all, this was his livelihood and he wouldn’t sabotage it.

…

In the courtyard.

On the back of the Spirit Firefly Grass invaded by the black filament, a thin layer of frost, filled with bone-chilling cold, spreads rapidly.

The Black Bud Worm Larvae felt the rapid approach of the freezing cold, and the thin black filaments tried to struggle out of the leaves.

However, their struggling speed could not keep up with the spreading frost and the black filaments were frozen within the thin layer of frost.

Like snowflakes, the frost instantly hardened, and with a crack, a thin layer of ice shattered, falling along with the Black Bud Worm Larvae.

A white, tender palm reached out to catch all the shattered pieces of ice.

“Wow, Brother Qin really lives up to his name, his mastery of the Frost Armor Technique is amazing. I am in awe,” Lu Xuan said, half in truth, half in jest, as he looked at the Spirit Firefly Grass leaves, unharmed under the frost.

The owner of the white, tender palm was a plump, white cultivator, who cheerfully tucked the shattered pieces of ice into his bosom.

“I didn’t disgrace myself. I solved the problem of the Black Bud Worm Larvae without freezing the Spirit Plant leaves.”

“I checked the nearby Spirit Firefly Grass for you and found no sign of Black Bud Worm Larvae. You can be worry-free for a while.”

“However, as I looked around the courtyard, I noticed that the protective force around your small Spirit Field seems a little weak. If this persists, similar incidents could likely occur in future.”

The plump white cultivator reminded Lu Xuan.

Lu Xuan waved his hand.

“Let’s deal with the future when it comes. This time, the reward is…?”

“Six Spirit Stones and fifty Broken Spirit, as we previously agreed.”

A single Spirit Firefly Grass is worth far less than six Spirit Stones. The reason for such a high reward is primarily to deal with the pest problem in the Spirit Field, but also because of Qin Ming’s mid-stage Qi cultivation.

The plump white cultivator’s face bore an innocuous smile.

Lu Xuan took out fifty Broken Spirit, counted it twice, then, one by one, pulled six Spirit Stones from his waist, turned his head, and handed it to the plump cultivator.

“Thank you, Friend Lu.”

The plump cultivator, Qin Ming, took the Spirit Stones and left the courtyard.

Sensing the spiritual stones getting further and further from him, Lu Xuan felt a pang of pain in his heart and couldn’t help but spit in secret.

“Swindler!”