Chapter 060: Beneath the Blazing Lake

These recent battles had all unfolded so swiftly that Lin Zhan barely had time to savor them, let alone test out the flaws in his Fiery Fist techniques or anything of the sort. Before he could even begin to reflect, the fighting was already over.

Such speed left him little room to contemplate life and death—there was only battle, battle, battle!

Since crossing into the Blue Ice World, Lin Zhan had always cherished his life. From the earliest days, when he possessed not a shred of cultivation and, with Qin Qingxuan, accidentally entered the Flame Peak to become a menial disciple, every step had been taken with caution. In such a ruthless world of cultivation, he constantly worried he might meet his end at any moment.

Now, Lin Zhan had stepped into the Yellow Rank—a genuine first-grade Yellow Rank cultivator. He still valued his life, but this was a reverence for existence itself, fundamentally different from his previous fear of death.

It was precisely this reverence that allowed him to fight fearlessly, to put himself in mortal danger and emerge reborn—a spiritual elevation, a Daoist insight.

On the path of cultivation, one must not only challenge the limits of the flesh and refine their techniques but also cleanse and elevate their soul, reaching new heights of spirit.

At this moment, Lin Zhan had undoubtedly made great strides in both respects.

“Heh, when I encounter the next team, I must take my time with the fight!”

“Hehehe, I've gathered quite a haul—each one is a little tycoon, their storage rings brimming with treasures. I could almost open a shop with all this…”

Indeed, every member of Lu Feiying’s squad of four Yellow Rank cultivators had their own storage ring, each containing substantial riches. Not only the basics for cultivation, but also rare healing and advancement elixirs.

Lin Zhan carefully sorted his spoils and stored them in his own spatial ring. Of all the storage rings, the one Yun Yin had once given him still boasted the largest space, though now it was nearly full.

He couldn’t bear to replace Yun Yin’s gift, so he moved some items into other rings and tucked them away.

He mused that the Nine-Star Diagram World seemed vast—if he could open up a space within it for storing items, that would be perfect.

As this thought crossed his mind, he felt the Nine-Star tattoo on his palm glow for a moment. Was it truly responding to his wish? Alas, the diagram soon faded back to normal.

“Ahem, looks like the Nine-Star Diagram just gave it a try, found it couldn’t open a storage space, and felt too embarrassed to move again. No rush, no pressure, take your time!”

Once his tidying was done, Lin Zhan found a secluded spot by the Flame Lake and plunged into the water.

Silent and undetected, he slipped beneath the surface.

As a Yellow Rank cultivator, he could breathe internally in water—a day spent submerged meant nothing to him.

With further advancement, this underwater endurance would only increase.

Lin Zhan swam through the depths like a graceful Silver Ice Soul Fish, seeking the passage to the Hero Pool, where cultivation would be far more efficient.

The spiritual energy in the Flame Lake paled in comparison to that of the Hero Pool, and he’d yet to find any living creatures here, let alone rare species like the Silver Ice Soul Fish.

Feeling the density of the spiritual energy in the water, Lin Zhan found a narrow fissure beside an underwater rock.

From that gap, a pure stream of spiritual energy flowed—a sign of a promising place.

But the fissure was only as wide as a palm, impossible to enter.

Suddenly inspired, Lin Zhan produced his hammer—or rather, the white bone tower.

The bone tower itself was half a foot tall, fitting neatly in his palm.

He pressed the tip of the tower into the rock fissure, and with a thought, the bone tower began to expand… Anyone misinterpreting this, go reflect in silence.

Lin Zhan controlled the rate of expansion carefully, wary of causing a disturbance on the lake’s surface.

It seemed to work; as the fissure widened slightly, the pure spiritual energy increased.

Hmm, this spiritual energy felt somewhat different from that of the Hero Pool—perhaps this led to another area. Lin Zhan’s heart stirred with anticipation: could this be the legendary birthplace of heavenly treasures?

With a thought, he shrank the bone tower and withdrew it, leaving a passage just wide enough for a person. Beyond was a larger space.

Without hesitation, Lin Zhan slipped through and emerged into a spacious chamber, the water separated from it by some kind of formation.

He considered, then summoned the white bone tower again, plugging the passage behind him. This would prevent the spiritual energy from escaping and, since the tower was linked to him spiritually, alert him immediately if anyone approached.

“What’s this?”

Lin Zhan spotted countless small green plants growing luxuriantly along the rock walls, forming what looked like a carpet of emerald.

“Spirit Climber Grass!”

This was one of the seven legendary alchemical herbs described in the Blue Ice World—a rare find indeed, and here it grew in abundance.

In Blue Ice World, alchemy, talisman crafting, and formation arts were all special auxiliary abilities. Alchemists and talisman masters were especially rare and revered, often honored as distinguished guests by sects.

Such a treasure as Spirit Climber Grass was not to be missed. Lin Zhan emptied several wooden boxes from his rings to store it.

“I’ll have to find better boxes in the future, cough cough.” Lin Zhan chuckled at himself.

Having once been a menial disciple in the Spirit Herb Valley, he moved with practiced skill, not damaging a single root. In the time it takes for a cup of tea, he filled several boxes with Spirit Climber Grass.

Even so, he had only gathered a tenth of the entire patch.

Lin Zhan didn’t wish to disrupt the spiritual environment, so he stopped once satisfied.

Having finished collecting the grass, he ventured deeper, sensing a powerful attraction guiding him—an uncanny call, tinged with familiarity.

The further he went, the stronger the feeling grew. Though the underwater cave seemed small, it radiated mystery at every turn.

Lin Zhan gathered his energy and darted forward…

Inside was another world altogether. As he entered, Lin Zhan was stunned—was this a spirit stone vault? Large chunks of spirit stones were piled everywhere, all top-grade, each radiating a tempting luster.

Looking across the vast expanse, his eyes were filled with a hazy brilliance, cloaked in a gentle, moonlit glow.

“I’ve struck it rich!” Seeing so many top-grade spirit stones, Lin Zhan couldn’t help but leap like a child.

In this cultivation world, spirit stones were the main currency—one could never have too many.

Lin Zhan searched the area and realized this was very likely the site of a spirit stone vein!