161 Fishing in the Secret Realm
The four of them, each wearing a snow-repelling cloak, arrived at the entrance to the Yin Polar Secret Realm.
The Yin Polar Secret Realm opened at the same time as the Yang Polar Secret Realm. It had been open for half a month, and the plaza at the entrance was bustling with activity.
Although few people specialized in soul cultivation, strengthening one’s soul was something everyone desired. Control, perception, and reaction speed were all related to the soul.
As soul cultivation improved, combat power also increased significantly.
To avoid unwanted attention, Zi Xunyi wore a purple veil, adding a touch of mystery to her appearance.
As they entered the Yin Polar Secret Realm, a sub-zero chill pierced through them, colder than even the harshest winter, because it directly targeted the soul, bypassing clothes and skin.
Before them stretched a vast, snowy plain, with a line of pine trees in the distance.
These pine trees marked the boundary and also served as cultivation spots.
The Yin Polar Secret Realm was divided into outer, inner, and central areas, separated by the pine trees. The central area contained the frozen lake.
Those without any soul cultivation usually cultivated in the outer area. The inner area required Hidden Realm soul cultivation, and the frozen lake required Manifest Realm. Ignoring these requirements could lead to injury.
Soul injuries were serious matters. No one dared to be reckless.
Therefore, the outer area was the most crowded. The number of people in the inner area was significantly less, as few cultivated their souls. And the frozen lake area had even fewer people, mostly Alchemists.
The Sacred Ground Academy had an Alchemy Department, separate from the Inner and Outer Academies. It was divided into five classes: Pill Refinement, Tool Forging, Talisman Creation, and Formation Arrangement, with the Pill Refinement and Tool Forging classes having the most students, followed by Talisman Creation and Formation Arrangement, totaling about two hundred students.
In comparison, the combined Inner and Outer Academies had nearly fifty thousand students, highlighting the rarity of alchemists.
Rare, therefore valuable. Thus, alchemists were generally quite arrogant.
Like the leader of the Medicine King society.
The four of them sped across the snowy plain, stopping only when they reached the line of pine trees separating the outer and inner areas.
“Long Ying, Wenqing, you don’t have any soul cultivation. Are you sure you want to enter the inner area?”
“No problem! I’m the one and only Supreme Dragon-Phoenix!”
“It’s fine. Let’s continue.”
“Alright, but tell me if you can’t handle it.”
Yan Zhen remembered that in the script, Long Ying complained of a headache as soon as she entered the inner area and then fainted when they reached the frozen lake, her eyes rolling back. He had to carry her on his back like a babysitter.
However, Long Ying’s foundation was strong. A single trip to the Yin Polar Secret Realm was enough for her soul cultivation to advance, so he wasn’t too worried about her.
His main concern was Huangfu Wenqing. As far as he knew, she had zero experience in soul cultivation. Cultivating in the outer area would be best. Forcing herself to enter the inner area might be dangerous.
However, both Long Ying and Huangfu Wenqing were reborn, and their previous cultivation levels weren’t low. Their souls were far stronger than ordinary people’s. Although they hadn’t cultivated any soul techniques to manifest their Spiritual Power, their soul strength was already comparable to the Manifest Realm.
Therefore, even after reaching the inner area, Huangfu Wenqing still urged Yan Zhen to continue, all the way to the frozen lake at the center.
Seeing his fiancée’s nonchalant demeanor, Yan Zhen was puzzled.
A blizzard was already raging here. Anyone whose soul cultivation wasn’t at the Manifest Realm would experience excruciating pain. How could Huangfu Wenqing endure it?
“Wenqing, are you sure you’re alright?”
“I’m fine, just a bit cold. Circulating my Mystic Power doesn’t seem to help.”
“This blizzard directly attacks the soul. Mystic Power and even thick clothing are useless. You need to use Spiritual Power to protect your body.”
“Then can you… envelop me with your Spiritual Power?”
“Well…”
He could, but Yan Zhen couldn’t separate his five senses from his Spiritual Power yet. Enveloping Huangfu Wenqing with his Spiritual Power would be like touching, licking, smelling, seeing, and even hearing her heartbeat and breathing. That would be too much for him to handle.
Zi Xunyi, understanding the nature of Spiritual Power, said indifferently, “Didn’t we come to the Yin Polar Secret Realm to temper our souls? Endure it.”
Long Ying, holding Zi Xunyi’s hand, nodded vigorously in agreement, giving the green-haired bad woman a disdainful look, as if looking at a spoiled brat.
Why can’t she be like a dragon? Not only would I not be a burden, but I would also help him get rid of any annoying people.
—Clearly, I’m superior! A dragon’s victory! Hmph~~~
Huangfu Wenqing had only been making a casual request. Seeing the other two girls’ disapproval, she shut her mouth, thinking, This isn’t my territory. I’ll endure it for now. Once Yan Zhen returns to Cloud Heaven Palace with me, I’ll join forces with Master, and these women won’t stand a chance.
—You started this. Let’s see who gets the last laugh!
The three girls, each with their own thoughts, made Yan Zhen nervous, feeling like they might start arguing at any moment.
“…”
They arrived at the frozen lake. Many figures were already sitting on the ice, each with a hole before them. Manifest Realm soul cultivators could extend tendrils of Spiritual Power, like fishing lines, to catch the Soul Fish swimming beneath the ice.
Soul Fish were highly sensitive to Spiritual Power and would quickly dart away at the slightest touch. And the icy water would erode Spiritual Power tendrils, requiring frequent replacement, making this a time-consuming and energy-intensive task, with a low success rate. But catching even a single Soul Fish was a huge reward.
Yan Zhen scanned the area and spotted the Black Horn society members not far away. There were only two of them, a Mystic General and a Mystic Master, both unfamiliar faces, identifiable only by their badges.
But the rest of the Black Horn members were in the inner and outer areas. They could enter the central area, but not for extended periods.
Besides them, most of the top ten societies were also represented, along with members of the Alchemy Department, easily identifiable by their uniforms, and even two Alchemy instructors.
As he observed the others, many students also noticed the newcomers.
Yan Zhen, Zi Xunyi, Huangfu Wenqing, and Long Ying, each of them a striking figure.
Yan Zhen led the three girls to an empty spot on the ice and claimed two fishing holes, as only he and Zi Xunyi possessed the Spiritual Power necessary for fishing.
Huangfu Wenqing knelt beside Yan Zhen, saying she would protect him, her eyes shining as she watched her fiancé.
Long Ying sat with her back against Yan Zhen, adopting a meditative posture, but soon fell asleep.
Yes, the Dragon Slumber Breathing Technique!
Zi Xunyi, experienced in this, began fishing with her Spiritual Power.
For her, the wind and snow of the Yin Polar Secret Realm were no longer effective for cultivation. Only Soul Fish could enhance her soul.
As for Yan Zhen, according to the script, he was supposed to advance his soul cultivation here, but he had already done so in the Yang Polar Secret Realm. And last night, after forging his sword, he had discussed the Fourth Talisman with Beautiful Master.
After the Fire, Wind, and Water Talismans, he had chosen the Thunder Talisman as his fourth.
Transforming wind into thunder, merging wind and thunder, would help him enter the thunder pool atop the Nine-Layered Celestial Dome Pagoda and subdue the Wind-Thunder Crystal Fire.
And now, the Thunder Talisman could also help him fish.
His Spiritual Power tendrils, crackling with electric arcs, extended down into the icy depths, searching for Soul Fish.
A single touch, and he could use a Lightning Whip to stun the fish and reel it in.
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