Chapter Forty: Winning the Grand Prize!

“Oh, look, another Ice Condensation Grass toothpaste stick!”
“Huh, there’s another one here…”
“Whoa, it’s actually a Snow Phoenix Flower! That’s another ingredient for the Ice Condensation Rejuvenation Pill!”
…
Along the way, Chen Xiang gathered every spirit herb he sensed into his collection. Since Ice Condensation Grass required cold air to retain its form—otherwise, it would melt into a puddle of snow water—he couldn’t store it in his pouch, so he simply carried it in his hand. The grass wasn’t very large, with fine stems, and he already had at least thirty or forty stalks in his grasp.
Besides the Ice Condensation Grass, he also found several ingredients for the Ice Condensation Rejuvenation Pill, which only fueled his enthusiasm for herb collecting. After all, a single ingredient for that pill was worth several hundred reputation points! Incredibly valuable!
The Ice Condensation Grass itself was useless to him, but he couldn’t bear to throw it away. With toothpaste this effective, where would he find more if he tossed it? Yet he couldn’t put it in his storage pouch, and his system space was nearly full. Such a hassle made his head ache! In Chen Xiang’s words, this grass was just too finicky. Grass should act like grass; otherwise who knows who will trample it!
More and more cultivators began to take notice of him, since after all, he was carrying such a conspicuous bundle of key items. Whenever he encountered another cultivator, he brandished his handful of Ice Condensation Grass overhead, making it impossible for anyone to ignore him!
With so many cultivators following behind, even though they couldn’t use their divine sense, as long as they weren’t blind, they could see what was happening.
Chen Xiang was delighted, his troublemaking spirit burning brighter than ever! Meanwhile, Li Qiner was beside herself with anxiety.
“Heh, this bead is damn useful. Good thing I snuck it away, otherwise I’d have to waste reputation points buying ingredients!” Chen Xiang thought to himself. Although the bead couldn’t sense every spirit herb, as long as he caught the faintest trace, he could pinpoint its approximate location, saving him a great deal of trouble.
Far on the other side of Ice Valley, a Foundation Establishment cultivator was digging holes everywhere with numb, shivering hands, cursing under his breath, “Damn it, what rotten luck! Who the hell stole my Snow Seal Bead? If I can’t find Ice Condensation Grass, I won’t be able to enter the Frost Sect. And if I lose the Snow Seal Bead, my father will kill me! If I ever find out who took my stuff, I’ll tear them apart!” He angrily clawed at the snow-covered ground.
Just then, three or four cultivators flew past him in a hurry, faces tense with excitement and anxiety.
“Brother Zeng, is it true? Someone can really find Ice Condensation Grass without fail?” asked an older Foundation Establishment cultivator nervously.
“Come on, Brother Wang, would I lie to you? I only heard the rumor myself, but it’s probably spread throughout the whole valley by now. If you hadn’t done me a favor, I wouldn’t have come to find you and share this news. Don’t you trust me?” replied another cultivator in his thirties with sincere expression.
“That’s not what Brother Wang meant. We’re just worried the rumor might be false. If so, wouldn’t we be wasting time searching for Ice Condensation Grass? It’s been almost a whole day!” said a middle-aged man beside them.
“Brothers Wang and Liu, even if I can’t guarantee it’s true, sometimes it’s better to believe than not. Do you really think you can find the grass yourselves in the two days left?” the young man countered.
The two fell silent, exchanged glances, and saw determination in each other’s eyes.
“Alright, Brother Zeng, we’ll trust you this once. Let’s hurry!”
“That’s more like it! Let’s go, it should be northwest!”
…
The Foundation Establishment cultivator climbed out of a pit.
“To find Ice Condensation Grass so accurately… Damn, isn’t that just like my Snow Seal Bead?” His eyes widened in realization, and the truth struck him. “Damn it, someone must have stolen my bead!”
He summoned a large saber, leapt onto its blade, and sped off northwest, flying at full speed…
“Young master, we’re almost at the inner reaches of Ice Valley!” Li Qiner said anxiously, glancing at Chen Xiang.
He was twirling two handfuls of Ice Condensation Grass, so rich in spiritual energy it was nearly dripping. With each flourish, visible wisps of spiritual mist trailed through the air. Sometimes he’d swing his left hand to spell out an “S,” and his right to draw a “B.” Then he’d write “Chen Xiang is awesome” or “Chen Xiang is the best-looking,” using the spiritual energy as paint. Li Qiner stared in bewilderment.
Though she didn’t know who Chen Xiang was, now was not the time to wonder. She urged him to wrap the grass in cloth, but he refused, insisting instead on teaching her a so-called “Northeast Duet” dance, leaving her feeling utterly helpless.
“Hm?”
Chen Xiang suddenly stopped with a soft sound. Though not loud, every cultivator behind him heard it.
They too stopped in their tracks, thinking: This guy’s found another stalk of Ice Condensation Grass!
“Heh, that fool’s found another one. He must have nearly a hundred now. There’ll be more than enough for everyone—one each, with extras left over!”
“Exactly. I thought there’d be a big fight over who got enough, but now we’ve all silently agreed to let him find as much as he can before making our move. Whoever came up with this plan is a real bastard—but I like it!”
“I like it too, but looking at everyone, it seems patience is running out. Soon there’ll be too many to divide!”
“Isn’t one each enough? So long as we clear the trial, who needs more?”
“Idiot, the more you turn in, the more privileges you get. That means more help in the next rounds. Who’d complain about too much?”
…
At these words, the lighthearted mood turned tense. No one knew what lay ahead, but the more Ice Condensation Grass you handed in, the more special attention you’d receive, greatly improving your odds. Everyone was calculating their own schemes.
Chen Xiang approached a snow mound, summoned his Clear Breeze Sword with a gesture, and sliced the mound open, revealing a flat, snowy dome.
He pressed his hand against it. With a muffled pop, the covering snow burst apart, revealing what lay beneath.
There stood a half-meter-tall ice crystal, surrounded by a cluster of spirit herbs resembling Ice Condensation Grass—but these were entirely translucent, like crystals. Faint, barely discernible patterns ran through the ice, so subtle they’d be missed without careful scrutiny.
Chen Xiang nearly jumped for joy. The most expensive and hardest-to-find ingredient for the Ice Condensation Rejuvenation Pill—Ice Crystal Grass—he had finally found it!
“Is that Ice Condensation Grass? Something seems different…”
“Idiot, that’s Ice Crystal Grass! It’s worth many times more than Ice Condensation Grass. I can’t believe this kid is good enough to find even Ice Crystal Grass!”
“Heh, this kid is mine!”
…
At the sight, everyone’s eyes gleamed with hunger, like wolves who hadn’t eaten in weeks staring at a feast. Some looked at Chen Xiang with even greater fervor—a man who could locate spirit herbs with such precision was of incalculable value!
Finding Ice Crystal Grass wasn’t thanks to the Snow Seal Bead—though it was a treasure, it couldn’t sense every spirit herb. Rather, Chen Xiang had noticed a faint, fleeting aura; he couldn’t fully grasp it, but sensed its appearance at this unremarkable mound. So, he’d given it a try—and struck gold.
His joy was immense, but he also noticed the half-meter-tall block of ice surrounded by Ice Crystal Grass. He didn’t immediately harvest the grass, instead turning his attention to the ice.
“Ding! Host has discovered ‘Crystal Flame.’ Collect?”
“Pfft—”
Startled, Chen Xiang staggered back several steps, eyes fixed on the ice in shock.
“This… this is the legendary Crystal Flame, said to be birthed at the dawn of the universe, before chaos gave way to order?”
“To be continued…”