Chapter 1

The sky was overcast and gloomy, with layer upon layer of dark clouds densely covering it, as if painted with ink, not a trace of sunlight could penetrate.

The snow, as white as feathers, resembled countless free-spirited fairies, dancing in the howling cold wind, fluttering joyfully between heaven and earth.

Despite the harsh winter, the iron apricot forest, known for its cold resistance, remained vibrant and lush, its dense branches and leaves covered in snow, like a thick silver-green cloak draped over the Woniun Mountains.

The Wulong River, which flowed alongside the mountains, known for its turbulent waves in the past, now became more reserved, with a thin layer of ice forming on its calm surface, concealing the surging undercurrents beneath.

Moon Bay, as its name suggests, was crescent-shaped, a protruding part of the mountain range that lay across the river. After centuries of erosion by the river, it formed a natural bay.

In the evening, Bai Mo, dressed in a dark brown tight leather coat and holding a sharp fish spear, crouched half-bent under an iron apricot tree, holding his breath, his eyes fixed on the ice-covered river below.

His long black hair was casually tied back with a leather cord, his thick eyebrows slightly furrowed, and his red lips tightly closed, revealing a look of determination on his slightly youthful face.

Bai Mo had been waiting here for two hours, his body covered in a layer of white snow, resembling a snowman, but he showed no sign of impatience.

Hunting was a task that required great patience.

Snap!

A crisp sound echoed as a fine crack appeared on the frozen surface, and the apricot fruits on the ice rolled into the river, attracting a group of snail fish to compete for them.

"They're here!" Bai Mo's body suddenly tensed, his eyes locking onto the faint red shadow emerging in the water, and he clenched his fish spear tightly.

Splash! The red shadow, which had been rising slowly, suddenly burst forward like a tiger out of a cage, startling the fish into scattering in all directions.

"Got it!"

At the same moment, Bai Mo let out a silent shout, raising his fish spear and thrusting it forcefully at the red shadow. The rope attached to the spear's tail drew a straight line in the air, whistling sharply as it went.

The fish spear pierced the back of the red catfish, which was as red as fire, causing it to tremble violently and thrash about, trying to shake off the cold, hard object that was causing it pain.

Bai Mo, leaning against the tree, planted his feet firmly, wrapped the rope around his arms several times, took a deep breath, and shouted, "Come up!"

The red catfish, over a meter long, was pulled out of the water, its conspicuous purple-red body struggling and flailing in the air before finally landing heavily on the rocks.

Bai Mo tightened the rope, dashed forward, grabbed the fish spear with his left hand, and punched the fish's head with his right, knocking it unconscious. His movements were swift and efficient, without any unnecessary actions.

He then drew his knife, scaled the fish, opened its belly, and removed the pearl, completing the process with ease. Holding the cleaned red catfish in one hand and the fish spear in the other, he disappeared into the dense forest.

...

Back at the stone house in the mountains, Bai Mo raised his right hand and shouted with joy, "Old Ba, hurry up and come out to start the fire. We have your favorite red catfish tonight."

The response was the cold, empty silence of the dark room.

Bai Mo paused, muttering to himself, "Strange, with this heavy snow, the old man should be resting inside. Could he have gone hunting?"

Pushing open the door and lighting a candle, Bai Mo saw a purple-red stone box sitting squarely on the table, with a note pressed under it.

"Kid, I'm going on a long trip, I'll be back in three to five months, or maybe a year. Don't slack off while I'm gone. The thing in the box is for you—Ba."

"Damn, Old Ba is really unreliable. He just left a note and ran off without a word." Throwing the note aside, Bai Mo pouted, clearly displeased with the old man's sudden departure.

"At least he left something this time. Let's see what it is."

Turning around, Bai Mo opened the stone box and found a small, ancient-looking tower inside, made of an unknown material, black and shiny, about the size of a fist.

With a mix of surprise, Bai Mo took out the small tower, played with it, and even tried to penetrate it with his spiritual sense and perform a blood recognition ritual, but to no avail. He pouted and said, "Damn, it's just a decoration, useless."

He casually put the small tower in his pocket and walked into the inner room, diving into the purple-red pool that emitted a faint bloody smell and was filled with rising steam. He silently began to practice the Qi Opening Technique.

The Qi Opening Technique was the most popular basic cultivation method in the Canglan World, the first choice for all poor people, and the easiest to practice, requiring no additional cost. It involved systematically refining spiritual energy, accumulating it bit by bit until it was sufficient to open the spirit orifices.

All things in the world contained spiritual energy, and in the Canglan World, it was the mainstream for spiritual cultivation. Those who could refine spiritual energy and gather it into a stream were called Spirit Practitioners. Those who successfully opened their spirit orifices were considered to have entered the realm of cultivation, known as Spirit Masters.

As for the Mystic Pearl realm, where a Mystic Pearl was formed in the spirit orifices, allowing one to fly and enjoy freedom, it was a level that could make one a regional overlord, known as a Great Spirit Master. It was said that there were even stronger levels, such as the Spirit Venerable, who could manifest a Mystic Body and change the weather.

Of course, these legends were like distant clouds to Bai Mo, completely out of reach. His goal was to reach the Spirit Practitioner stage, to be down-to-earth.

Since he could remember, Bai Mo had been practicing the Qi Opening Technique and was ordered by the old man to soak in this pool every day, which was said to be made from various spiritual materials and fused with earth fire and spiritual spring water, helping to accelerate his cultivation.

However, after more than ten years, Bai Mo had only become accustomed to the pain of soaking, which felt like being cut by a file and eaten by ants, but he still couldn't break through the stage of gathering spiritual energy into a stream.

Bai Mo's entire body submerged in the pool, he sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and focused his mind, exhaling like a thread and inhaling like a river, with all his pores open, drawing spiritual energy into his body drop by drop.

At the same time, faint golden starlight flickered on Bai Mo's chest, weaving into a strange pattern that was neither beast, bird, nor fish.

What Bai Mo didn't expect was that the seemingly ordinary small tower in his pocket suddenly came to life, radiating layers of fluorescence, as if it had an invisible vortex, sucking in the pool water.

The spiritual energy in his body circulated and gradually gathered into a stream, needing only nine cycles to stabilize and form a flow, reaching the Spirit Practitioner stage.

However, during the cycle, the spiritual energy in his body gradually diminished, and by the seventh cycle, it had completely dissipated, and the starlight on his body also faded.

Bai Mo didn't lose heart and continued practicing. Although the old man had set a standard of at least one hour of practice in the pool each day, since he had made a silent resolution, Bai Mo always persisted until his spiritual sense was exhausted and he was completely drained before resting.

Time passed quietly, and Bai Mo suddenly felt something was wrong. He opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the scene, and his expression changed dramatically.

What the hell!

Half of the pool was now empty, and in the dim moonlight, it was clear that the mist had dissipated, and the purple water had lost its color, becoming almost clear, indistinguishable from ordinary spring water.

No wonder the gathering of spiritual energy had become so slow, not even a tenth of its previous speed.

Bai Mo clearly remembered the old man saying that he would need to reach the Spirit Master stage to fully absorb the medicinal effects of the pool. What was happening now?

Hmm, the old man always spoke in vague, mysterious terms and liked to exaggerate. Maybe the pool water wasn't as magical as he said. Otherwise, why hadn't Bai Mo broken through after so long?

Bai Mo never dwelled on unexplainable issues but gave himself a reasonable explanation based on his needs.

Without the pool, should he stop practicing?

No, absolutely not. It might be slower, but without the pool water, he would have to rely solely on refining the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, which would delay his goal.

Wait, something seems off. Bai Mo's mind flashed, and he subconsciously took out the small tower from his pocket.

The originally black ancient tower now seemed to have been dipped in a dye, with a thin layer of bright red hue flowing over its surface, standing out in the dim room.

There must be something strange. Could this thing be alive? Could it be a spirit treasure?

Bai Mo frowned, trying to probe it with his spiritual sense to see what had changed, but the red light acted like an invisible barrier, bouncing his spiritual sense back.

That's not right. When he tried earlier, there was no resistance, just emptiness inside.

Hmm, it must be a high-quality item. Let me try a blood recognition ritual again. If it doesn't work, I won't be lenient. I'll smash it to pieces and turn it upside down.

Dripping blood onto the ancient tower, it touched the red light, which sizzled like hot iron in water, breaking through the light barrier and merging into the tower.

Is that it?

Before Bai Mo could react, the red light and the ancient tower suddenly contracted violently and disappeared from his hand.

What the hell, where did it go?

Bai Mo suddenly felt a strange connection with the vanished small tower, sensing that it hadn't disappeared but had entered an independent realm by tearing through the void.

Tearing through the void and creating a realm was a legendary ability, said to be possessed only by those at the level of Spirit Venerable, known as Spirit Saints.

Bai Mo silently looked ahead, raised his right hand, and reached into the void. The previously empty space rippled, and the small tower appeared like a ghost, firmly grasped in his palm.

What a good thing!

Bai Mo licked his lips. The ability to enter the void and be retrieved at will clearly made this ancient tower a top-tier item. But was that all?