Chapter 34

"My name is Ximen Jianbei, the second disciple of Bingpo Peak. You were originally the junior disciple, but now you are the junior disciple. I will take you to the main hall now."

The young man with the sword case on his back chuckled and walked straight ahead.

Zhu Ganglie reined in his excitement, calmed his mind, and walked forward.

After passing through a green bamboo forest and a tall ancient forest, Zhu Ganglie's eyes suddenly brightened as he saw a huge square.

The square was extremely large, with the ground entirely paved with white marble, shining brightly. At first glance, it made one feel insignificant. White clouds floated in the distance, like light veils, floating beneath their feet.

In the center of the square, a large bronze tripod was placed every few dozen feet, arranged in three rows, with three in each row, making a total of nine, neatly placed. Light smoke occasionally rose from the tripods, with a clear and lingering fragrance.

"Junior disciple, this is the Bingpo Square. The nine large tripods have been here since the founding of Bingpo Peak. No one knows what they are for. However, there is an eternal flame inside, which is currently used for refining medicines and weapons. But no one on Bingpo Peak knows these two skills, so they are just placed here. If you need to refine something in the future, you can come here."

Ximen Jianbei pointed at the nine large bronze tripods, his face uninterested. He practiced the Way of the Sword and had no interest in these tripods.

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

Zhu Ganglie glanced at the nine tripods, his gaze flickering slightly. He was somewhat curious but did not observe them further, continuing to follow Ximen Jianbei forward.

Behind the misty clouds, something seemed to be shining. They quickened their pace and walked forward.

Gradually, the sound of water could be heard. Looking ahead, they saw a stone bridge at the end of the mist, without any supports, stretching across the sky.

One end of the bridge was on the square, sloping upward into the white clouds, like a dragon leaping into the sky, with a proud and solitary aura.

A fine sound of water could be heard. Sunlight shone down, and the entire bridge emitted a rainbow of colors, like a rainbow in the sky, descending to the earth, splendid and beautiful.

Ximen Jianbei stepped onto the stone bridge and turned to Zhu Ganglie, saying, "Be careful. Below the bridge is an endless abyss. With your current cultivation, if you fall, you will have no place to be buried."

Hearing Ximen Jianbei's words, Zhu Ganglie looked down and, through the layers of mist, saw a river falling, forming a huge waterfall. It was like a silver-white angry dragon, roaring and surging down, with a vast and powerful momentum, making Zhu Ganglie's heart tremble, and he dared not look down further.

After walking for a while, the white clouds gradually thinned, and they emerged from the sea of clouds. The sky was clear and blue, as if transparent. The vast sky had no boundaries, and below was a vast sea of clouds, gently floating, making one's heart broaden at a glance.

Directly ahead was the main hall of Bingpo Peak, the Bingpo Temple.

The green mountains were lush, and the temple buildings stood majestically. The "Cold Ice Temple" was located at the peak, surrounded by clouds. Occasionally, a few auspicious cranes would fly by, circling in the air, creating a fairy-like atmosphere, inspiring reverence.

At this moment, the rainbow bridge no longer rose, forming an arch in the air, landing at the edge of a green pond in front of the temple, with a fairy-like aura, making Zhu Ganglie marvel.

"Here is the Cold Ice Temple of Bingpo Peak, where the first ancestor of Bingpo Peak, the Cold Ice Daoist, is enshrined."

Looking at the Cold Ice Temple, Ximen Jianbei put away his playful demeanor, bowed slightly, and made a Daoist salute.

Zhu Ganglie also calmed his mind and bowed.

"Hehe, behind the Cold Ice Temple is where the Ice Venerable resides. Do not enter there, lest you offend the Ice Venerable."

As Ximen Jianbei spoke, a young Daoist in a white robe and a white crown, with a handsome but stern face, slowly walked out of the Cold Ice Temple, his eyes scanning Zhu Ganglie.

At this moment, Ximen Jianbei's expression stiffened slightly, seemingly somewhat afraid of the young Daoist. "Senior Brother, I have brought the junior disciple to you."

"Hmm, junior disciple, I am called Yinghuo. Master is in seclusion, refining the Nine Dragon Ice Pot, and cannot see you for now. I will take over his role and teach you.

"On Bingpo Peak, we cultivate the Ice Spirit Light, a supreme method for achieving immortality and eternal life. Two of our seniors have already become true immortals through this method.

"You have passed many tests and are worthy of this method.

"I will now teach you the first and second levels of the Ice Spirit Light cultivation method. If you achieve the Manifestation stage and condense your magical power, I will teach you the subsequent methods.

"If you have any questions about cultivation, you can come to the Cold Ice Temple to find me. One more thing, you must remember: this method must not be taught to anyone without permission, or you will face severe punishment from the sect."

As he spoke, Senior Brother Yinghuo pointed, and a cultivation method appeared in Zhu Ganglie's mind. At this moment, the thousand-layered lingzhi in his chest trembled and was seized by Yinghuo.

Without any explanation or words, Yinghuo quietly looked at Zhu Ganglie, making Zhu Ganglie's heart tighten. The thousand-layered lingzhi was a precious treasure, greatly aiding his current Manifestation stage.

Being taken by Yinghuo like this, Zhu Ganglie's anger flared, but he quickly suppressed it. He had come to seek the method of immortality, not to quarrel.

"Go!"

Yinghuo glanced at Zhu Ganglie, turned, and walked directly into the temple.

"Hehe, it's good that you didn't lose your temper. Senior Brother hates it when people use external objects for cultivation. You are still at the Out-of-Body stage, so you must focus on your cultivation and build a solid foundation. Relying too much on external objects is detrimental to your foundation.

"Especially since you swallowed the thousand-layered lingzhi directly, which is a waste of a precious treasure.

"But don't worry. Although Senior Brother is somewhat stern, he is fair. He will give you some compensation for the lingzhi he took."

Ximen Jianbei chuckled and said to Zhu Ganglie, making Zhu Ganglie feel relieved and more favorable toward Senior Brother.

"This Bingpo Peak is usually deserted. You can choose a place to cultivate. If you have any questions, you can come to me or to the Cold Ice Temple to ask Senior Brother. Next to the Cold Ice Temple is the library, which contains many spells and texts. However, you should focus on your cultivation for now. Once you reach the Manifestation stage, you can cultivate one or two protective spells, which would be best.

"Hehe, I'm off."

After introducing him, Ximen Jianbei did not say more, leaped, and left the Cold Ice Temple, seemingly disliking the place.

However, Zhu Ganglie liked the environment on Bingpo Peak. The elemental energy here was several times that of the outside world, and it seemed that the spiritual veins of Bingpo Peak were concentrated at the peak.

The peak was several dozen miles wide. Zhu Ganglie wandered for half a day and found many interesting places. However, apart from the mysterious Ice Phoenix and countless white snow eagles, it seemed that only he, Ximen Jianbei, and Yinghuo were on Bingpo Peak, making it rather desolate.

However, this suited Zhu Ganglie's personality. Without anyone to disturb him, he could focus on his cultivation.

Zhu Ganglie opened a cave on a cliff beside a plum forest and began to cultivate there.

The plum forest was several miles wide, and next to it was Plum Cliff, with a small waterfall in front, forming a clear pond several hundred meters wide.

The scenery was elegant and serene, greatly pleasing Zhu Ganglie.

After settling down, Zhu Ganglie pondered his cultivation.

He was already at the Manifestation stage and did not need to cultivate the Out-of-Body stage anymore. Since the Ice Spirit Light could lead to immortality, he had no other desires.

He began to absorb the cold ice energy of Bingpo Peak to condense his magical power. The cold ice energy on Bingpo Peak was incredibly dense, and he did not need to seek out any cold-natured treasures to absorb.

This made Zhu Ganglie very happy, and he thanked the predecessors of Bingpo Peak for finding such a treasure place, which was perfect for cultivating the Ice Spirit Light.

He quietly cultivated, and three months passed. During this time, Zhu Ganglie did not absorb cold ice energy to cultivate his magical power but focused on condensing the thirty-six spirit energies of the Manifestation stage.

At the Manifestation stage, a cultivator's soul power was strong, and they no longer needed to blend soul power with elemental energy to form new spirit energy. Instead, the nine spirit energies fully absorbed elemental energy, and when the energy was sufficiently strong, it would split into a new spirit energy.

With Zhu Ganglie's current cultivation, he easily completed the cultivation of the thirty-six spirit energies.

"Junior disciple, Master has awakened from seclusion and is calling you to meet him. Go to the Cold Ice Temple quickly."

At this moment, Senior Brother Yinghuo's cold and stern voice rang in his ear, making Zhu Ganglie's expression stiffen. He immediately reined in all his energy and spirit, hiding his cultivation, leaving only eight spirit energies visible.

He had only been on Bingpo Peak for three months, and his cultivation had improved too quickly. Such an abnormal situation would certainly make his master suspicious.

Now, he could only hide his cultivation and reveal it again later.