Chapter 173 Ice Spirit Fairy
Zhong Cai's expression was somewhat subtle, but she still happily pulled Wu Shaogan to sit down.
Having completed her task of leading the way, Li Lu bid farewell with a few words of greeting and then gracefully departed.
·
The other guests were also led to their seats by the disciples. There weren't many people in the private seats, but they were mostly people with close relationships, considerable strength, or high status.
Zhong Cai could see that on a jade chair a little distance away from their elegant seat, there was a cultivator at the Palace Building realm.
He didn't look at it for long, his gaze drifting back to the main hall below.
In different locations, many cultivators sat down and talked quietly to each other—including several members of the Fan family.
Yes, the Fan family members were not led to the elegant seats in mid-air, but instead sat with several other cultivators who seemed to have similar power levels behind them.
Many cultivators may not know each other well, but they seem to have things to talk about with the people around them.
This position was likely assigned after careful consideration by the cultivators of the Star Moon Palace following an investigation.
·
As Zhong Cai watched, she let out a soft "Eh."
Wu Shaogan turned his head and asked, "A-Cai, what's wrong?"
Zhong Cai gestured with her lip in a certain direction and said, "The people over there seem to be quite ostracized."
Wu Shaogan looked in the direction he was pointing.
In a corner, several cultivators of the Suspended Illumination Realm sat together, looking somewhat tired, quite different from the "relatives and friends" of the other recruited cultivators... They even seemed to be avoiding each other, as if they didn't want to interact with anyone.
Some of them were all bark and no bite, but ultimately they didn't show much more.
That's a bit strange.
·
Zhong Cai whispered, "Right?"
Wu Shaogan nodded: "Mm."
The two also noticed that some other people were looking at the group and seemed to be whispering among themselves.
Zhong Cai pricked up her ears and listened.
Many cultivators in the hall released their spiritual senses, instantly surveying the entire hall. Although these spiritual senses intentionally avoided other cultivators, they could still detect a great deal of information as they passed by.
Zhong Cai then casually swept his thoughts across the area.
After his spiritual senses passed over the few isolated cultivators in the corner, he understood the reason.
Tsk, I really didn't expect the Fang family to come.
·
This Fang family is the same family that Fang Tianzong once belonged to in Fanxing City.
Fang Tianzong, on the other hand, is a prodigy with exceptional talent—the one who inherited the bloodline of the Seven Treasures of the Crimson Sun. He also had a significant role in the original book, being a close friend of the protagonist, but was killed by the protagonist's uncle who ripped out his heart, and ultimately suffered a complete loss of reputation as a supporting male character.
Back then, Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan devised a plan to send bronze-armored soldiers to expose Fang Tianzong's evil deeds.
At the beginning of the incident, the Fang family wanted to protect this rare genius and wanted to handle the matter quietly. They paid compensation where necessary and suppressed what needed to be suppressed. Most of the cultivators who had little or no background but dared to harbor resentment towards the Fang family and wanted the Fang family to deal with Fang Tianzong were either injured or disappeared.
As a second-rate family in Fanxing City, the Fang family didn't really care about ordinary cultivators. However, just as Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan thought, the Fang family produced Fang Tianzong. Whether they protected him or abandoned him, it gave other forces an excuse to take action. Their opponents would never give up this piece of meat.
However, you have to be able to eat fatty meat if you want to.
If the pain is like being slowly cut with a dull knife, the Fang family should have enough time to alleviate it. If the clansmen work hard enough, they might be able to step forward in time and preserve the family's status...
However, at this moment, the Long family, one of the top families in Fanxing City, made their move.
The Fang family was naturally unable to withstand the attack immediately.
They could no longer protect Fang Tianzong and had no choice but to hand over the culprit.
Fang Tianzong was executed in public, and it was confirmed that he was not replaced by anyone else.
The Fang family declined after that. The strong members of the clan were still there, but most of the clan's property was divided up.
Its reputation has declined, its influence has waned, and its development has slowed down.
However, the Fang family still has young geniuses.
Fang Tianzong is indeed the best of this generation, but the Fang family also has quite a few members with earth-grade aptitude.
Furthermore, because the Fang family inherited this supreme yang blood, other members of the Fang family, even if they are not as powerful as Fang Tianzong who inherited the precious blood, often have a high talent in the path of the Crimson Yang.
The Fang family has many such cultivation methods, and quite a few members of the clan have cultivated the power of the Crimson Sun.
The higher the cultivation level, the purer the power of the Crimson Sun, and the more the physique leans towards the attributes of the Crimson Sun.
This is also something that can be tried by matching it with the Cold Moon Body.
—The cultivators who come here to participate in the husband-recruitment do not necessarily have to have a special physique. Some geniuses have cultivation techniques that are extremely yang and have strong heat, etc., and they can also try to participate. Just like Zhong Cai guessed before, in the original book, the protagonist's special fire attribute could be compatible.
·
Zhong Cai heard this and realized that the person who came from the Fang family was a high-grade Earth-level cultivator, second only to Fang Tianzong in the Fang family.
Logically, since Fang Tianzong is still alive and his true evil nature has not been exposed, if he were to come here to participate in the husband-recruiting conference, he would certainly be a formidable opponent for Fan Jiming—but if he were merely a member of the Fang family who cultivates related techniques, the chances would be much smaller.
The Fang family is probably just here to try their luck.
Their family's reputation is terrible now, and their isolation is probably because those geniuses are well-informed and know about their family's dirty deeds.
After all, the Fang family's handling of affairs in the past was not very appropriate, which angered many cultivators. They even went to different places to train and accept missions, spreading the news far and wide.
So much so that even though the distances between the cities were great and the Fang family itself wasn't a particularly powerful force, they still managed to leave a certain "reputation" in many places.
Because of their tarnished reputation, the Fang family desperately wanted to use this opportunity to climb up to the Star Moon Palace—as long as they offered a son-in-law of exceptional talent, they could exchange him for a large amount of resources and a powerful backer to prevent the Fang family from being further eroded by others.
However, the Fang family themselves should know that the hope is very slim.
Unless this Fang family member is truly a perfect match for the Ice Spirit Fairy, and has no other faults to be found, there is only a slight chance.
·
Zhong Cai had a very bad impression of the Fang family, but after doing something quickly and hearing some news about them, he didn't dwell on it—that was all he and Lao Wu could do back then.
Now, more than ten years have passed, and the general outcome of the Fang family has come to light. He was surprised to hear about it and thought it was quite good.
The death of Fang Tianzong, in particular, was the best possible outcome.
·
Zhong Cai withdrew her gaze and moved closer to her husband, Lao Wu.
Wu Shaogan interlocked his fingers with his and smiled at him.
Zhong Cai was too lazy to care about the Fang family anymore.
·
Gradually, the seats in the main hall, which resembled various "exquisitely arranged plates," became full.
The Star Moon Palace has even managed its position perfectly; it truly lives up to its reputation as a level eight power.
However, upon closer inspection, one will find that a large area is left empty in the very center of the main hall.
It looked empty.
Especially since the ground and surrounding area are as if they were made of ice crystals, it also exudes a sense of desolation.
Suddenly, a flame shot up!
Flames suddenly burst forth from the center of the main hall, swirling out with a "bang" and quickly spreading outwards, burning and sweeping across the open space, turning it into a vibrant and fiery red!
Flames shot into the sky, burning silently, turning the entire sky a fiery color.
·
Zhong Cai's private booth was positioned in a spot that offered a perfect view of the "sea of fire."
Or perhaps... a small river of flames?
Moreover, upon closer inspection, one can perceive that although the flames erupted fiercely, they were not as intensely hot as they appeared.
Zhong Cai thought for a moment, then reached out slightly and caught a few sparks that flew out.
It wasn't hot either.
Zhong Cai's heart stirred, and she suddenly had a guess.
·
Directly in front of the main hall, at the very top.
Suddenly, a tall, beautiful woman in a snow-white dress appeared.
Her face was snow-white, her hair as black as ink, and although her dress was very simple, it only accentuated her otherworldly beauty.
Who is this?
At that moment, a clear female voice rang out: "This is the Cold Moon Glazed Fire Shadow. You may all enjoy this beautiful sight."
Then everyone noticed that there was a pretty little girl standing next to the snow-clad beauty—she looked only fourteen or fifteen years old, but her strength was already at the Palace Constructing stage.
The beauty in white is still at the Fusion Realm level.
The little girl nestled against the snow-clad beauty, whose expression was stiff and cold, truly resembling a statue sculpted from snow and jade.
Some people have already recognized that this snow-clad beauty is none other than the Ice Spirit Fairy.
The reason why the Ice Fairy has a nickname is not only because her real name is Ice Fairy, but also because although she has a cold temperament, her eyes are usually shrouded in a light and spiritual aura, especially when she smiles, she is even more spiritual.
His name truly reflects his character.
However, it seems that the Ice Fairy can no longer laugh.
It's not that I can't laugh literally; it's as if my emotions are completely sealed off.
When she now stands quietly like a jade statue, her original vibrant color has been greatly diminished due to her excessive coldness.
However, a beauty is a beauty.
Even a "statue" of a beautiful woman is still a beautiful woman.
·
Many cultivators had to struggle to tear their gazes away from the snow-clad beauty.
The sudden appearance of the Cold Moon Glazed Fire Long Path from the side initially made many cultivators feel threatened, but now they realized that they had actually forgotten about it.
But at this point, many cultivators could confirm that the long path of flames was actually quite safe.
They listened carefully to what the pretty young girl had to say next.
·
Although the pretty young girl was lively, she did not give a long speech.
She said quickly, "The Cold Moon Glazed Fire Shadow can reflect images of any place within the Cold Moon Palace, so the Cold Moon Palace took it out and asked everyone to take a look at the heroes who came here from another path."
At this point, the young girl sighed softly, "The journey is quite long, and there are several dangerous places to cross along the way, so I'm afraid you'll have to wait a while. However... my Star Moon Palace is very vast, with countless paths, and it's common to get lost. My Star Moon Palace disciples have already invited several elders to search for people, so if any cultivator is unable to move, the elders will naturally move them out in time, ensuring their safety."
That's quite a tactful way of putting it.
In short, all those who wanted to marry into the family were bundled up and thrown onto the path of trials, and they were all live-streamed by this strange thing with a weird name like "Cold Moon Glazed Naruto".
What if some genius makes a fool of themselves here...
Those images would likely play repeatedly and clearly in the minds of the observing cultivators for quite some time.
·
After saying that, the little girl pulled Ice Fairy and walked towards the back.
After taking only two steps, two steps quickly appeared beneath their feet, extending upwards and carrying them to higher ground.
Around the same time as the other private rooms, the icy steps came to a stop.
A chilling aura emanated from the little girl, and these steps were formed by her using a secret technique.
After the steps stopped rising, they quickly spread out, forming a half-open table and chairs that looked like a lotus flower in bloom.
The little girl pulled the Ice Fairy along and sat directly into the lotus petals.
Such a beautiful lotus flower makes one even more adorable.
·
After seeing the beautiful woman in white and the charming girl, Zhong Cai didn't look at her for long. Instead, he looked directly at Wu Shaogan beside him and whispered to him... whispered to him using telepathy.
[Old Wu, is that tall woman Han Bingling? She's acting rather strangely right now.]
Wu Shaogan also saw it and pondered.
[It seems her unique physical condition has manifested. It appears this flaw is quite troublesome; she must have indeed been affected by some treasure… Ah Cai, do you remember the Ice Soul Exquisite Pearl from the auction?]
Zhong Cai suddenly remembered.
[That's right! The Ice Soul Exquisite Pearl! I remember it was a Spirit Transformation senior covered in frost who bought it; her aura was exactly like that of someone from the Cold Moon Palace of the Star Moon Palace!]
[And another thing! I just remembered, that senior cultivator's appearance is quite similar to this Ice Spirit! Back then, I saw her carefully storing the Ice Soul Exquisite Pearl, and I guessed she wasn't using it herself. Now that I think about it, she most likely gave it to the Ice Spirit!]
That senior must be the Palace Master of the Cold Moon Palace! Han Bingling's biological mother!
Wu Shaogan listened to this string of rambling and nodded slightly.
I guessed that was the case too.
Zhong Cai recalled what she had learned and continued rambling on.
[The Ice Soul Exquisite Pearl can indeed promote the cultivation of the Frost Spirit, but this thing is of extremely high quality. After the Frost Spirit uses it, its strength will definitely increase by leaps and bounds... However, this also makes it even colder, which is quite normal, as it can cause the Frost Spirit's physical defects to erupt more intensely.]
[I suspect some unusual change has occurred, otherwise Han Bingling wouldn't have suddenly become expressionless. With the Star Moon Palace's formidable resources, a normal burst of power should be easily extinguished with Yang-attribute rare and precious materials.]
[No, no, this should be the state after the fire has been extinguished; it just hasn't fully recovered yet. The upper echelons of the Star Moon Palace probably decided to hold this husband-recruiting event because they're eyeing Han Bingling's future strength and want to get her a long-term "pacifying" "medicine" before her next outburst.]
·
—In fact, they are quite similar.
The Ice Soul Exquisite Pearl was so perfectly suited to Han Bingling that it instantly integrated into her cultivation system, leading to all sorts of changes in Han Bingling.
Not only the upper echelons of the Cold Moon Palace, but also cultivators from other palaces and factions had to come to the meeting to discuss the matter.
After some research, everyone felt that even with enough Yang-attribute treasures prepared each time, they wouldn't be able to completely suppress the Ice Spirit's changes with each outburst. They feared that after each outburst, she would become even more rigid and cold than before, gradually losing all trace of human warmth.
That alone wouldn't be so bad; at worst, I could just stop smiling and adopt a colder demeanor... But my skills are improving rapidly! This minor flaw is nothing.
What worries the elders of the Star Moon Palace most is that the attacks are becoming increasingly intense, and relying solely on external forces to suppress the Ice Spirit may not truly solve the problem. Later on, perhaps one of these attacks will freeze the Ice Spirit into a massive block of ice, leaving its fate unknown.
so……
Dual cultivation! Quickly find a suitable physique for dual cultivation!
We need to quickly neutralize and eliminate the inherent coldness of the Cold Moon Body.
·
Zhong Cai muttered to herself, while Wu Shaogan echoed her words one by one.
"Old Wu, look, the elegant seats Han Bingling and the others are sitting in were created by that little girl herself using her profound energy. And look at this ice jade chair we're sitting in now..."
Wu Shaogan smiled.
It looks cold, and it's cold to sit down, but for us cultivators, this bit of cold and hardness is nothing...
At this point, Wu Shaogan was glared at by Zhong Cai for rambling on.
Wu Shaogan immediately became serious.
【Ah Cai, don't be annoyed. What I mean is, such cold and hard material can't be made from ordinary ice jade. So I think that not only Han Bingling and the others' seats, but all our other elegant seats were probably built one by one by the disciples of Hanyue Palace using their secret techniques.】
Zhong Cai then nodded in agreement.
This renovation method is truly ingenious.
Wu Shaogan was taken aback for a moment, then laughed.
·
Besides the charming young host, the main character, Han Bingling, also arrived.
When the two of them sat together, Han Bingling seemed to be aloof and withdrawn, but after a few more glances, you would find that she was actually very polite and showed her proper demeanor.
The appearance of Han Bingling naturally allowed the other cultivators to appreciate her beauty... At the same time, the cultivators also knew that Han Bingling would watch the scene in the projection in front of everyone and secretly give a score to the performance of all the geniuses.
Neither Hanbingling nor Hanyue Palace would reveal this "score" to outsiders; it was merely an internal selection criterion.
Now, a group of figures suddenly appeared in the cold moon and glass fire.
They stood before a massive and majestic snow-capped mountain, looking at the vast expanse of ice and snow ahead, and then glancing at the scene behind them, which served as a dividing line... It was quite warm behind them, but freezing cold in front of them.
There were also several guides leading these people.
Interestingly, there was also a beautiful woman in white with a stiff and cold expression there.
She is still the Ice Fairy.
Of course, the beauty in white remained silent, and the explanation was provided by another gentle and graceful beauty beside her.
The two beauties floated lightly in the air, their feet barely touching the ground, as they passed by the many talented individuals who had come to participate in the selection.
Their voices were very soft, and even through the projection, the cultivators in the hall could hear them clearly.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please walk through this Marriage Cave and have your marriage fortune told."
"We'll meet again when the end comes."
Then, the two beauties flew away with incredible lightness.
It was at this moment that a large close-up shot appeared in the Cold Moon Glazed Fire.
It was as if a camera lens was pointed with incredible agility at the mountainside of the snow-capped mountain.
There, right there, was a dark, gaping hole.
Above the cave entrance, there is a stone carving.
It reads: Marriage Cave.
·
Amidst the flames, numerous geniuses flew back and forth, quickly arriving at the cave entrance.
There were a few lines of rules for entering the cave written on the side, which the geniuses quickly scanned.
Basically, you just need to pass through the Marriage Cave. If you get "lost" inside, someone will naturally come to rescue you... no, it should be "come to guide you again".
In addition, once inside the Marriage Cave, the geniuses are forbidden from attacking each other.
Once action is taken, powerful figures will come forward to "invite you to a feast."
Once you leave like this, you'll never have another chance to predict your marriage prospects.
·
Upon seeing the rules, some geniuses scoffed, some took them seriously, and some seemed lost in thought…
Fan Jiming stood in a position slightly towards the back of the middle, carefully examining the document several times without any hesitation, looking extremely serious.
Soon, a genius stepped into the Marriage Cave and disappeared in an instant.
Fan Jiming wasn't in a hurry.
Since there are no further requirements, it means that the test at the Marriage Cave is not conducted in batches, but rather as a collective test.
Moreover, this isn't a competition. It doesn't matter if you're the first to break through. It's better to conserve your strength and not rush to be first. You should play it safe and steady.
With that thought in mind, Fan Jiming continued to walk forward.
After the cultivator in front of him stepped into the cave, he quickly followed.
·
Inside the Moon Appreciation Pavilion.
Many cultivators stared at the long projection.
The whole scene has changed.
Everyone could see that the snow-capped mountains were no longer in the projection; instead, a cave entrance appeared, showing the scenes after the geniuses entered the cave.
The latter half of the projection still showed raging flames.
As the genius at the forefront continued to move forward, the flames spread out, turning into countless sparks, and projecting more and more images with each step he took.
·
Zhong Cai rested her chin on her hand and said, "The one on the other side and the one here now, one of them is an incarnation of the Ice Spirit Fairy."
Wu Shaogan nodded and smiled, "Why don't you guess, A-Cai, which one is the real one?"
Zhong Cai snorted: "Of course it's from here."
Wu Shaogan raised an eyebrow: "What's A-Cai's basis?"
Zhong Cai said, "Because the avatar is not a physical body. Although the one we see has an extremely strong aura of coldness, it still reveals some human characteristics."
What's there to guess? He's created avatars for himself over the past ten years, so of course he can tell them apart!
Zhong Cai turned to look at Wu Shaogan and said with a grin, "Old Wu, you're just making conversation."
Wu Shaogan smiled and said, "I just want to talk to Acai more."
Zhong Cai turned around and said, "That's so cheesy."
·
In the projection of flames, the one walking at the very front encountered his first challenge.
It was a black flame.
Zhong Cai blinked.
...Wait, why is it flames?
Shouldn't there be levels with ice and cold attributes?
·
The flames, like a giant maw, lunged forward and instantly engulfed the first genius.
Many cultivators in the Moon Appreciation Pavilion stared intently at it.
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