Chapter 176 The Cave of Marriage 3
During this time, Zhong Cai noticed the Fang family members, who were already in a miserable state.
The Fang family member, named Fang Tiansu, indeed couldn't get past this hurdle. Let alone lasting half an hour, he only managed to deal with about thirty Firefly Ice Flowers before reaching his limit.
After barely finishing the flower he was working on, Fang Tiansu left, his face ashen.
His fingers were trembling, and he could no longer control the Crimson Sun Fire... So a disciple who was guiding him took him away.
Fang Tiansu didn't try to hold on any longer; he simply closed his eyes and left.
·
Zhong Cai witnessed Fang Tiansu being teleported to a corner and gathered with the other members of the Fang family.
The members of the Fang family all looked somber, but they didn't accuse them. Some even took out pills and handed them over.
Fang Tiansu refused.
All members of the Fang family know that Fang Tiansu has done his best.
The Fang family members who have come are almost all of the youngest cultivators at the Suspended Illumination stage, accompanied only by one elder at the Fusion stage...
Zhong Cai shifted her gaze back.
It's unknown how long the backlash from Fang Tianzong's actions will last for the Fang family, but in any case, the harm caused by Fang Tianzong is not as great as in the original book, so the Fang family's fate is better than in the original book.
At least the Fang family didn't collapse immediately, right?
However, although the Fang family patriarch and other powerful elders are temporarily unharmed, they can forget about breaking through to the next level.
Those forces that have divided up most of the Fang family's wealth will not want the Fang family's powerful members to become even stronger, otherwise they would come back to cause trouble for them. The future of the Fang family's patriarch and the others is almost completely blocked.
The Fang family rushed over with a slim hope, attempting to attach themselves to the Star Moon Palace, perhaps because they wanted to break free from these external constraints.
But... it ultimately didn't work out.
·
At that moment, Zhong Cai looked at Fan Jiming's grades.
Fan Jiming has completed seventy-nine flowers relatively slowly, but one flower was damaged.
If he can process seventy-one Firefly Ice Flowers in the next half hour, and fail to process more than one, he can pass this level.
There are still thirty-seven cultivators remaining.
·
Time passed by at a leisurely pace.
During the remaining test time, more than a dozen people failed.
The reason for these failures was invariably that more than two people had "damaged property".
Fan Jiming still passed.
Including him, the total number of people who passed was twenty-three.
·
As Zhong Cai watched, she couldn't help but hold her breath.
The other onlookers were the same.
The trials at the Marriage Cave have already covered several stages, and there has been constant discussion about them.
This time was no exception, but for some reason, many cultivators couldn't help but get engrossed in watching it.
Once you get so engrossed, you forget to talk.
So much so that after the test was over, many people didn't realize what was happening and slowly took a breath.
Some cultivators who realized that their companions were also cultivators couldn't help but look at each other and burst into laughter.
·
Processing medicinal herbs is extremely mentally taxing, especially since maintaining a high success rate requires extra care, which keeps you on edge.
As a result, even those cultivators who have successfully passed the test are now feeling extremely exhausted.
At that moment, the same voice rang out again.
Please rest first, and then we will enter the deepest part of the Marriage Cave.
Upon hearing this, both the onlookers and the cultivators being observed were immediately invigorated.
Could the deepest part of the Marriage Cave be the final challenge?
The talented individuals who accepted the invitation quickly sat down to meditate and regulate their mind and body.
The spectators in the Moon Appreciation Pavilion suddenly remembered something and looked at the beautiful woman with black hair and white clothes, as well as the cute little girl sitting next to her who kept resting her chin on her hand.
Somewhat strangely, ever since the appearance of the Glazed Fire, everyone has forgotten about the existence of these two—logically, they should have been observing the Ice Spirit Fairy's reaction while watching.
But it didn't happen.
At this moment, the suspicious crowd couldn't help but take a few more glances at the two of them.
Han Bingling remained icy and frigid, while the pretty young girl flashed a vibrant smile.
Many cultivators: "..."
·
Zhong Cai also noticed this anomaly and couldn't help but whisper it to her husband, Lao Wu.
That Glazed Flame must have used other methods too.
[It wasn't medication, otherwise I wouldn't have been completely unaffected.]
Wu Shaogan pondered for a moment, combining his own reading of classical texts with a brief analysis.
[It should be a very high-grade formation... a deception-type formation?]
[Perhaps it was embedded in the spatial array within the range of the Glazed Fire. Ever since we looked at the flames, we were naturally drawn to the scene within, and at the same time, we unknowingly overlooked the presence of the two girls.]
As for why I'm thinking about this now... perhaps it's due to time constraints, or perhaps it's related to the number of challenges we're currently facing.
Zhong Cai listened attentively while nodding.
"To the point that we couldn't detect it at all, and no one in the entire hall even noticed it... I suspect it's a level seven formation."
Wu Shaogan agreed.
[Very likely.]
But regardless of which one it is, it has nothing to do with the two of them.
In any case, this thing only prevents onlookers from disturbing Han Bingling's observation of her future husband; it has no offensive power. Moreover, Han Bingling, like that charming young girl, harbors no ill intentions. Even if the many guests are all well-prepared with defenses, it won't be triggered at all…
·
After resting again, all the geniuses who hadn't been eliminated packed up and prepared to move on.
The doors were still tightly closed.
The door opened automatically without any wind, with a loud bang!
At the same moment, a powerful gust of cold wind blew out and swept over the bodies of these cultivators.
In just a moment, many ice crystals condensed on the bodies of the cultivators at the front, extremely cold, even covering their entire bodies, as if a layer of ice had been formed, which caught them completely off guard!
The cultivators' expressions remained frozen, but having reached this level, their own flames reacted with incredible speed.
Flames of various colors appeared, as if they were bursting forth from within them, circling around their bodies.
The sound of ice cracking rang out.
The ice coating and ice crystals melted, and in the blink of an eye, a wisp of water vapor rose up and disappeared.
The problem was resolved very quickly.
But the coldness of that wind was unlike anything I had ever seen before; it was incredibly powerful!
The geniuses remained calm as they stepped through the door.
The next moment, it was as if the world had turned upside down.
The cave ahead was shrouded in solid ice on all sides. The cave walls and ceiling were all covered with a thick layer of ice, which was constantly emitting cold air and shimmering with a cold light.
Finally, there are no more fire-related things.
This test is in line with the basic impression that Hanyue Palace gives people.
·
On the cave walls, many ice clusters have formed, resembling blooming lotus flowers, much like the feeling evoked by the Frost Spirit.
Even the overall atmosphere of the cave perfectly matched Han Bingling's.
Now that everyone in the "Moon Appreciation Pavilion" has remembered Han Bingling, they actually keep glancing over to observe her.
Han Bingling's expression remained blank, her eyes unwavering. She looked like an ice sculpture before, and she still looks like one now.
The pretty young girl kept smiling sweetly, but given her strength, the other cultivators didn't dare to observe her too closely.
However, she took the initiative to speak.
"This cave was personally designed by Bingling."
Her words were brief, but all the cultivators present understood what she meant.
When they looked at the icy cave again, they felt something different from before.
This is the result of the Ice Fairy's secret technique.
Yes, since the goal is to find a suitable partner for her dual cultivation, in addition to the initial tests to filter out unsuitable candidates, we also need to start the actual selection process.
The colder and more indestructible the ice in the cave is, the colder and more terrifying the Frost Moon Blood within the Ice Fairy's own body is.
Now, it's time for careful selection.
·
Zhong Cai understood, of course, and secretly nudged Wu Shaogan.
Wu Shaogan grabbed his fingers.
Zhong Cai chuckled.
Even if this isn't the final level, it's probably the second to last.
Wu Shaogan nodded slightly.
That should be about right.
Zhong Cai sighed again.
However, Brother Ji Ming's cultivation level is not as high as the others, this...
Wu Shao chuckled dryly.
[The Cold Moon Palace will naturally make its own assessment.]
Zhong Cai nodded.
·
Inside the Marriage Cave.
That calm voice rang out again.
Those who practice fusion seek eighteen-petal ice clusters, while those who practice illuminating the sky seek fifteen-petal ice clusters.
[Please use your own flames to melt the ice clusters. Within three hours, those who melt the first five ice clusters will be able to see the Ice Spirit.]
The many talented applicants were greatly encouraged upon hearing this.
·
Of the remaining cultivators, the vast majority are Fusion cultivators, but Suspended Illumination cultivators occupy four spots.
Now they must split up and act separately.
The closer they got to this crucial moment, the more cautious Fan Jiming became.
·
All the geniuses quickly dispersed and began searching for suitable ice clusters.
The search went very smoothly.
Among every three or four ice-cluster lotus flowers, there will be at least one cluster with fifteen petals, which can be easily picked by simply reaching out.
·
Zhong Cai grabbed Wu Shaogan's sleeve and whispered, "Old Wu, look!"
Wu Shaogan also saw it. The moment Fan Jiming in the Glazed Fire scene picked the ice lotus, a circle of icy white lines appeared on his wrist, which also looked like the shape of flower petals.
Fan Jiming looked at the ice cluster without showing any unusual expression; he seemed to suddenly understand its purpose.
But Zhong Cai didn't understand!
What exactly does this thing do?
Zhong Cai thought for a moment... Oh well, let's just keep "watching the movie" and find out eventually.
Seeing Zhong Cai's sudden change in expression—from excitement to cooling down to renewed enthusiasm—Wu Shaogan couldn't help but soften his gaze.
Then, he quickly continued reading.
·
The moment Fan Jiming picked the ice lotus, he felt an extremely terrifying chill that spread rapidly from the point where his fingers touched the ice cluster, instantly penetrating his flesh and blood.
As if to resist the chill, Fan Jiming's Blazing Sun Body reacted instantly, his blood boiling rapidly to expel the abnormal power that had seeped into him.
Therefore, countless white mists were also erupting from Fan Jiming's body.
This reaction is incredibly fast!
However, probably because the temperature inside the cave was too low, the white mist was released quickly and dispersed into the air just as fast.
They did not wrap Fan Jiming up or conceal his figure.
Fan Jiming held the ice cluster, and to save time, a bright and intense flame appeared on the surface of his body and palms.
The flames quickly enveloped the ice clusters.
The moment the ice cluster was scorched, a few drops of water seeped out from its surface.
It's because it has already started to melt!
The reaction time was incredibly fast!
·
Zhong Cai couldn't help but laugh.
"The fact that it melted so quickly shows that Brother Jiming's flames are of very high quality, easily able to withstand the power of the cold moon contained within the ice clusters."
Wu Shao chuckled dryly as he analyzed.
[Brother Fan previously obtained the Blazing Sun Pearl, indicating significant progress. The treasure used by Fairy Ice Spirit was also well-suited to her physique, and the Ice Soul Exquisite Pearl itself might just happen to counteract the Blazing Sun Pearl.]
Zhong Cai recalled it for a moment and felt that it made a lot of sense, and she was happy for Fan Jiming again.
[I feel that, ignoring the main characters, Brother Ji Ming and Fairy Bing Ling are a really good match. Look, Fairy Bing Ling awakened the Cold Moon, while Brother Ji Ming awakened the Blazing Sun; even their physical attributes are such a good match. The treasures Fairy Bing Ling uses are very compatible beads, and so are Brother Ji Ming's!]
What a coincidence! It's a beautiful story of fate bringing us together!
Even if Brother Ji Ming's cultivation level is still a bit lacking, he's incredibly hardworking. He was only held back by his aptitude before. After awakening his physique, didn't he quickly catch up?
Wu Shaogan smiled and nodded from time to time.
【A-Cai is right.】
It really feels like destiny.
Zhong Cai was overjoyed, glancing occasionally at the Glazed Fire while continuing to mutter to herself about her old man.
They are really active.
Although it's only the activity that his father, Lao Wu, can see...
·
Fan Jiming also felt that his Blazing Sun Fire melted the ice clusters very easily after touching them.
The ice clusters themselves are enveloped by a mysterious and serene power, but when this power comes into contact with the blazing sun fire, it melts away like ice and snow.
Fan Jiming's expression brightened with joy.
However, he never gets carried away with his success. Even if his current judgment is that the Blazing Sun Body and the Frosty Moon Body are very compatible, it doesn't mean that he is the only one who is compatible.
Fan Jiming quickly glanced around.
Sure enough, ignoring the few who were clearly having an unsuccessful time, the handsome and tall cultivator just a dozen steps away was also rapidly melting the ice clusters.
He is special, but not the only one who is special.
Fan Jiming's glance lasted only a moment, but the speed at which he released the flames did not slow down in the slightest.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the entire cluster of ice lotuses was completely melted away by him.
As he melted the ice lotus, a small ice lotus appeared as a decoration on the ring of patterns that appeared on his wrist.
Fan Jiming: "..."
He planned to have ice lotuses grow all over his wrists.
·
Upon seeing this, Zhong Cai quickly understood and couldn't help but chuckle.
I must say, this "bracelet" is actually quite pretty.
At this moment, Zhong Cai's blessing and Fan Jiming's plan overlapped.
Zhong Cai thought to herself, hoping that Brother Ji Ming would grow a whole arm full of lotus flowers.
Then he pulled his old man aside and they silently offered their blessings again.
·
Melting ice clusters is no easy task. In addition to requiring a specific level of compatibility in terms of attributes, one must also be careful about the consumption of Xuan energy.
All the cultivators who come here are actually very cautious and will not waste their energy blindly.
However, everyone's foundation is different, and the depth of their profound power also varies.
So, while Fan Jiming was finding things going quite smoothly and focused on dealing with the ice clusters diligently and persistently, the other cultivators in the cave were also gradually achieving their own results.
·
The group had only been there a short time, and had only just collected a suitable ice cluster, when two or three geniuses were instantly turned into ice sculptures.
Yes, almost instantly, they were frozen solid without any resistance!
What does this mean? It means that their fire attribute and the ice attribute of the Frost Spirit are not even in the same league.
Among those of equal strength, they couldn't even last a single exchange, so how could they possibly cooperate in training after being selected?
Therefore, the ice sculpture was quickly moved away by the disciples who were guiding the way.
Of course, when the ice sculpture was teleported into the main hall, it quickly regained its physical form.
These geniuses, who had also failed, sighed and went to sit down in their respective seats.
A close friend asked a few probing questions.
These losers were all quite open-minded, and each of them generously shared a few words:
"The quality of the flames in the previous levels was much worse than that icy aura, and their intensity was constantly increasing."
"The icy aura is terrifying. If it hadn't been deliberately attacked, I might not have just become an ice sculpture with a normal inner core but a layer of ice on the surface. Instead, I would have been frozen to death and turned into a real ice sculpture, with my flesh and blood frozen."
"That's absolutely true; you can only discover it by experiencing it firsthand..."
As they talked, some of them even felt a lingering fear.
Another person sighed, "Of those who are still inside, quite a few probably can't afford to expend their Xuan power."
Then he suddenly laughed: "No need for 'should' anymore, another one has already come out."
Indeed, another failed genius has emerged from the corner.
The frost on his body melted quickly, but his face remained pale and bloodless, and he even looked somewhat bluish.
Someone happened to see this genius melting ice flowers. He had just melted one ice cluster when he couldn't withstand the heat and had to be sent out.
This is because his flames were barely enough, but ultimately still lacked a little, so he had to expend more profound energy to make the flames stronger and melt faster...
Then, we simply couldn't afford to wait any longer.
Melting a cluster of ice completely is definitely not an easy task.
If the power of the cold moon belonging to the Ice Spirit Fairy is not resolved, it will not be considered a true success—and if it is to be resolved, it will require several times the "mystic energy expenditure"!
·
There are quite a few cultivators who can't afford to wait.
Seven or eight people came out in the first hour, and the situation improved later, but they still left one after another...
Three hours later, there were still nine cultivators remaining.
At this point, it's natural to count the number of ice clusters they melted.
The largest number reached eighty-three.
Fan Jiming ranked third, with seventy-five flowers.
The last four were all eliminated, and of the five remaining, the worst one had melted seventy flowers.
Their grades are all excellent.
·
The four who failed appeared in the main hall, their expressions showing considerable regret.
Unfortunately, their speed was indeed inferior, meaning their compatibility was also somewhat lacking.
That's all we can do.
However, all four of them looked at a half-open lotus-shaped elegant seat in mid-air, where two beautiful girls with different temperaments were sitting.
Their attention was all focused on the beautiful woman in the snow-white dress.
The Ice Fairy's aura remains as captivating as ever.
The group couldn't help but glance at it a few more times before reluctantly finding seats to sit down.
It was at this moment that everyone noticed a beautiful woman dressed in black suddenly appearing in the Glazed Flame.
Or perhaps she is the incarnation of the Ice Fairy...
The black robes contrasted sharply with the snow-white of her incarnation, further highlighting the Ice Fairy's icy skin and jade-like bones.
The five male cultivators who made it to the "finals" all silently looked at their avatars.
The woman in black glanced at them and then walked lightly ahead.
She moved with graceful ease, her feet barely touching the ground, leading them into another connected cave.
There are many huge blocks of ice in this cave.
The woman in black entered quietly and sat still on a block of ice shaped like a bed.
It was still that same voice.
Please choose a suitable block of ice and sculpt it with your own flames.
The carving focuses primarily on the appearance of the Ice Spirit, with other elements used as secondary details.
Ultimately, the person chosen by Bingling to carve the sculpture will be selected.
Upon hearing this, Fan Jiming and the other four separated and went to make their own choices.
·
Zhong Cai rested her chin on her hand and murmured to herself.
The assessment set up by the Cold Moon Palace is quite rigorous, yet it's also quite poetic and picturesque.
[The melting ice lotuses were there to select those with comparable power and quality. Now, this carving project is probably to see how much of the essence of the Frost Spirit they can capture, right?]
The ice here must also have been formed from the secret techniques of the Frost Spirit.
[This is rather mysterious; the more compatible the elements, the more spirited and spiritual the statue will appear.]
Moreover, the carving is quite meticulous, requiring very precise control of the force applied during each carving...
Let me see how good their skills are.
Wu Shao chuckled dryly, lowered his voice, and whispered in Zhong Cai's ear, "If A Cai likes it, I can carve A Cai for her too."
Zhong Cai's heart stirred, and she became interested: "Then let's go back and get some big blocks of ice, and carve each other's pieces! You carve mine, I carve yours, and then we'll have a competition to see whose style is more expressive!"
At this point, Zhong Cai snorted and said, "Then I'll definitely love you more, Lao Wu."
Wu Shaogan raised his eyebrows, showing no intention of backing down on this point.
"I think I admire A-Cai more."
Zhong Cai: "We'll see!"
Wu Shaogan: "We'll see."
Neither of them was willing to admit defeat.
·
Inside the Marriage Cave, Fan Jiming and the others had already quickly selected ice blocks that matched their own levels, summoned flames, and were rapidly carving them.
Cultivators have excellent memories; if it were just a matter of sketching out a face, there would be no need for the avatar of the Frost Spirit to sit here.
But the key is the spirit of the performance.
Fan Jiming had already memorized the Ice Fairy's appearance. Because he was very strict with his manipulation of flames, he was able to sculpt very smoothly as he burned the flames at his fingertips.
With just a few quick strokes, the pale but delicate features took on a rough outline. A few more strokes, and ice shavings fell in a flurry, creating a remarkably refined image.
In just a short while, the statue's features had already taken on an air of otherworldly refinement.
Next, Fan Jiming began to sculpt the figure of the Ice Fairy.
The image he chose was of Han Bingling, standing gracefully to the side.
Despite his cold demeanor, he possessed a captivating aura.
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