Li Xue, of course, had no way of knowing the plans of the big shots in the Immortal Realm. At the moment, she was very happy. Under the combined coercion and persuasion of Li Xue and Hei Yan, Bing Yan had led the group to harvest every possible alchemical and forging material they could find on the Ice Plains Star. Everyone was returning with a full harvest.
Aboard the Star Cloud Boat, the mother and daughter duo, Li Xue and Li Xiaoyin, were happily organizing their materials, discussing how to handle their haul.
"Mother, can these ice jade crystals be used to forge a Glazed Phoenix Lamp like Xiao Huang’s?" Li Xiaoyin had long been interested in Zi Huang’s beautiful glazed lamp; it was a truly exquisite magical treasure.
"They can. Later, we’ll have Brother Xiao Lin forge an ice crystal lamp for you. It will surely be even more beautiful!" Li Xue said.
"Oh, oh, that’s wonderful! What about these materials?" Li Xiaoyin pointed to a pile of items on the side.
"Keep what we can use, and exchange the rest for spirit stones. You have to realize that flying through the void consumes a vast amount of spirit stones!" Li Xue thought of the massive quantity of high-grade spirit stones the Star Cloud Boat devoured. Those were high-grade spirit stones! Since they would be heading into the outer domains to search for Li Ran in the future, the consumption of spirit stones would be astronomical. It was best to earn as many as possible early on and never let an opportunity slip by.
"But with so many materials, how long will it take to sell them all? Should we open a material shop next to our pill pharmacy?" Li Xiaoyin asked with a conflicted expression.
"Materials can be sold to wholesalers, and rare ones can be put up for auction. That way, we’ll get even more spirit stones," Li Xue explained patiently.
Li Xiaoyin wrinkled her small nose and said, "Mother, can we find more rare materials to sell then?"
"Of course! For instance, these ice jade crystals are rare materials, and we have so many. Once we reach the Primordial Star and auction them off, we’ll definitely earn a fortune!" Li Xue said.
"Sigh, if only we had a never-ending supply of rare materials. Then we’d have an infinite amount of spirit stones," Li Xiaoyin said, resting her chin on her small hands.
Nearby, Yu Ming and the others were speechless. This mother and daughter were such money-grubbers!
"The breath Bing Yan exhales during an attack contains ice crystals," Dongfang Jing interjected at just the right moment.
Li Xue and Li Xiaoyin simultaneously turned their gazes toward Bing Yan, their eyes burning with fervor. Bing Yan’s massive body shuddered, and it tried to shrink behind Ji Rufeng, but it was simply too large to hide.
"So Bing Yan can spit out ice crystals? That’s fantastic!" Li Xiaoyin’s face was full of excitement.
"Mhm, indeed. Bing Yan is truly powerful—a literal walking ice crystal warehouse!" Li Xue added happily.
Bing Yan felt a sense of impending doom. What were these two women planning? Those ice crystals were its energy! The crystals consumed during battle had to be slowly recovered through cultivation.
"Mother, can the ice crystals inside Bing Yan really be spat out endlessly?" Li Xiaoyin asked with some concern. That was Bing Yan’s energy, much like the Wood Essence within her own body.
"In principle, if it spits them out without stopping, it might die from crystal exhaustion," Li Xue said with mock seriousness.
Bing Yan had originally covered its ears, but hearing this, it couldn't take any more. Shaking all over, it suddenly shrank and whooshed into the space between Ji Rufeng’s brows, refusing to come out no matter how they called.
Seeing this, Li Xue and Li Xiaoyin both curled their lips in identical expressions, leaving the onlookers speechless. Then, they turned their gazes toward Hei Yan.
Hei Yan flinched and retreated several steps, his entire body on high alert.
"Hei Yan, how often do you shed your black tail fur?" Li Xue asked, her eyes sparkling.
"About once every ten years. But, Mistress, this tail fur is needed to refine magical treasures, and there’s only a tiny tuft each time!" Hei Yan said hurriedly.
"Every little bit adds up. Besides, you have so much fur on your body, what are you afraid of? I imagine you’re the only one of the Black Wolf Clan’s lineage in the cultivation world; those materials will surely fetch a high price!" Li Xue began to ponder how to utilize the essences of the five elements; that would be another massive fortune.
Seeing his mistress’s nakedly predatory gaze, Hei Yan shuddered and hid behind Yu Ming. Yu Ming couldn't bear to watch any longer and quickly took Hei Yan back into his spirit space. Then, he moved a few steps away, wanting to draw a clear line between himself and this mother-daughter pair. To be so greedy as to trade a spirit beast’s natal essence for spirit stones—it was simply too much.
Ji Rufeng and Bai Xingyu also walked to the side, pretending they didn't know the two. They could already imagine the Chize Jiao’s scales being plucked bald by this black-hearted master until it turned into a "Crimson Marsh Python." A chill ran through their hearts; it was too terrifying.
Seeing that the spirit beasts had all been scared away, Li Xue thought wickedly: *That’ll teach you all to be so talkative and blab about everything. I’ll give you a good scare!*
Dongfang Jing, however, leaned closer to the mother and daughter. He took all the materials he had obtained from the Ice Plains Star and handed them over in a heap, saying, "Sister Li, Xiaoyin, take these to sell for spirit stones!"
Seeing so many materials, the faces of Li Xue and her daughter blossomed into smiles. Xiaoyin thanked him happily, "Thank you, Brother Dongfang! You’re the best!"
Li Xue also said, "Did you keep any for yourself? Rare materials are hard to come by and you might need them. Always keep some for yourself and only sell the surplus."
Dongfang Jing looked like a diligent student, nodding repeatedly and indicating he had kept some. His face was full of joy.
Li Xue felt that Dongfang Jing was truly quite pitiful. Since reaching the Golden Core stage, he only had his Star Hiding Sword, and he lacked the materials to upgrade it. Thus, Li Xue searched through her belongings, found a newly acquired high-grade magical treasure, the Flowing Wind Cord, and tossed it to him. "This is a high-grade treasure, the Flowing Wind Cord. It’s good for long-range attacks; take it. Also, Kun Thunder Soil should be useful for upgrading your Star Hiding Sword, right?" Li Xue took out a handful of Kun Thunder Soil. She had intended to give it to him earlier but had forgotten.
Dongfang Jing hurriedly caught the Flowing Wind Cord and the Kun Thunder Soil. His happiness was beyond words. These were given to him by Sister Li! *I knew Sister Li cared about me,* he thought, his eyes shining with delight.
Li Xue ignored Dongfang Jing’s silly expression. After finishing with the materials, she went off to practice the Ice Soul Divine Needles.
The Ice Soul Divine Needles were truly the work of a Heavenly Lord from the Immortal Realm. Although they were refined using ordinary materials from the cultivation world, they still fell into the category of top-tier magical treasures. After all, with a Heavenly Lord’s skill, it was impossible to create something mediocre.
*Whoosh!* Seven divine needles silently bypassed Yu Ming, Ji Rufeng, and the others without them noticing a thing. Li Xue’s divine sense was inherently stronger than theirs. After mastering the characteristics of the Ice Soul Divine Needles, she could strike exactly where she wanted with unerring accuracy. It was truly the ultimate weapon for a sneak attack, and Li Xue was quite satisfied.
Suddenly, the Star Cloud Boat shuddered violently, and everyone’s expression changed in alarm.
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
财迷 | Money-grubber | Someone obsessed with wealth; the chapter title.
璃凰盏 | Glazed Phoenix Lamp | A decorative and functional magical treasure.
冰魄神针 | Ice Soul Divine Needles | A set of needles gifted by the Bingyu Heavenly Lord.
流风索 | Flowing Wind Cord | A high-grade magical treasure for long-range combat.
坤雷土 | Kun Thunder Soil | A rare material used for refining or upgrading weapons.
星隐剑 | Star Hiding Sword | Dongfang Jing's primary weapon.
元始星 | Primordial Star | A major location or planet in the cultivation world.
