First update, asking for subscriptions and monthly tickets~~~

...

Qin Fang was quite unexpected to find such a master-level expert stationed at the Ryu Family.

However, it now seems to be a good thing...

With this grandmaster-level expert blocking the way, unless Liu Junxian has some ultimate hidden abilities or any death-defying back-up plan, it's hard to shake this old man.

If Qin Fang's predictions are correct, Liu Junxian's three people might not be able to get past...

This grandmaster's strength is likely not far from the Bloody Demon Tu San's, much stronger than Elder Alai from the Green Gang whom Qin Fang faced before.

Qin Fang has no interest in Liu Junxian and his group's tragedy; he just takes the opportunity to rush towards the Cold Abyss while Liu Xianjun in the back is holding off that grandmaster-level expert for him.

Starting from that point, the temperature in the passageway is increasingly dropping; the cold feeling grows more distinct, indicating the Cold Abyss is indeed close.

Fully unleashing the Traceless Snow Stepping Technique, Qin Fang's speed rises to a high level; the time delayed at the rear may not last long, so he must hurry to seize the chance.

The cold feeling intensifies, almost causing Qin Fang to feel some chill, but due to his special constitution, such cold does not affect him.

However...

"Who's there?"

As Qin Fang just stepped into a dark cave, the incoming cold immediately hit while faintly carrying a human's voice.

Not only a person, but also a swift silver sword light, appearing exceptionally dazzling under the Cold Pool Water's projection.

"There's actually someone else here..."

Qin Fang was slightly surprised that besides that grandmaster expert, there's another quite skilled expert within this secret place of the Ryu Family.

Judging from the attack speed, this person is undoubtedly at the master level, even reaching the intermediate stage of master level, stronger than Liu Xianjun despite being at the same stage; at least, this swordsmanship isn't much inferior to Jin Zhengming at the time.

Bang~~

Unfortunately, an intermediate stage master level is, after all, an intermediate stage master level, quite a notch below a peak master like Qin Fang.

Even Jin Zhengming, such a late-stage master-level expert, was defeated by Qin Fang easily, so this one is naturally not even a concern.

Qin Fang didn't even see the opponent's face clearly, just shifted his body slightly to dodge that seemingly lethal sword easily, then bypassed the attacker while gently raising his wrist and slashed a hand knife at the rear neck...

This intermediate stage master-level expert had no time to react and just felt darkness before instantly losing consciousness.

The longsword clattered down onto the ground, while he dropped powerlessly by the Cold Abyss' edge; if not for Qin Fang's quick eye and swift hand to grab him, he might have already fallen into the Cold Abyss.

That chilling Cold Abyss; this person perhaps accustomed to the low temperature here, but once fell into the Cold Abyss, a life might soon be lost.

Though Qin Fang came to seize the Ryu Family's treasures, he didn't intend to harm anyone; this expert is clearly related to the Ryu Family, even if not by surname, bound to have very close ties, else residing in such a hidden place wouldn't be possible...

This expert was quite unlucky, had no chance to showcase his decent swordsmanship before being swiftly knocked out by Qin Fang, almost losing his life.

Qin Fang originally thought that having a grandmaster-level expert stationed in this passageway meant no other experts around, since a grandmaster-level expert is top-notch in Korea.

If the Ryu Family spread this news, they might not become a first-rate family but certainly the most top-tier in second-rate family; someone dim-witted like Jin Zhengming probably wouldn't dare mess with the Ryu Family...

With such thoughts, Qin Fang didn't carefully observe the change on the small map, just rushed quickly, too fast to mind much.

Luckily, this person was just an intermediate stage master, had there been another grandmaster, that would be unfortunate for Qin Fang indeed.

Throwing this expert aside, he used the Silver Needle to seal his vital energy temporarily in Turtle Breathing State, preventing him from freezing due to inability to gather energy to resist the Cold Abyss' chill.

Anyway, after taking the Thousand-Year Cold Jade from the Cold Abyss, Qin Fang would leave here and lift the restriction then...

After tossing the person aside, Qin Fang couldn't be bothered to pay any attention to him and instead focused intently on studying this Cold Abyss.

The Cold Abyss wasn't particularly large, with a diameter of about five meters. However, a faint mist rose from the pool's surface, rippling the moment it touched one's skin.

The temperature in the cave was very low, likely below freezing, yet there were no signs of the pool water freezing, which seemed very strange.

Amid the layers of mist, a few green plants could be vaguely seen growing along the edge of the Cold Abyss, among which several tea trees were the most conspicuous.

These were clearly the Yun Luo Tea Trees, treated as treasures and the lifeline of the Ryu Family.

However, Qin Fang wasn't interested at all, and instead, he was more intrigued by a small, tender-looking grass growing beside the Yun Luo Tea Trees.

"Is this... a spiritual medicine?"

Seeing the small grass, Qin Fang's expression changed instantly, more shocked than when he had encountered the Grandmaster-level expert.

Although Yun Luo Tea Trees were good, it was due to the Cold Jade Ice Crystals released by the Thousand-Year Cold Jade that made them such treasures.

Drinking Yun Luo Tea regularly aids significantly in cultivation improvement, akin to spiritual medicine, though it pales in comparison to true spiritual medicines.

Qin Fang had a superb spiritual medicine like the Golden Dragon Saliva on hand, and had even acquired treasures such as the Millennium Clam Pearl from sunken ships, yet he had given them away as gifts without hesitation.

The Cold Jade Ice Crystal was slightly better than the spiritual water brewed from Millennium Clam Pearls, but Qin Fang had no interest in it. Thus, he didn't value Yun Luo Tea either.

Qin Fang's real target was the Thousand-Year Cold Jade at the bottom of the Cold Abyss...

Only Qin Fang hadn't expected to find such a spiritual medicine growing beside the Thousand-Year Cold Jade at the edge of the Cold Abyss... undeveloped, but a spiritual medicine nonetheless, far more potent than the Yun Luo Tea that had been growing for who knows how long...

It could even be said that all the Yun Luo Tea Trees combined couldn't compare to one leaf of this spiritual medicine!

Suddenly, Qin Fang understood why a Grandmaster-level expert would choose to stay in such a sunless cave.

He also realized why the Ryu Family, clearly weak, could have a Grandmaster-level expert guarding it—Yun Luo Tea Trees weren't the priority, neither was retrieving the Thousand-Year Cold Ice. The real key was... this spiritual medicine.

Spiritual medicine is extremely important for martial artists, especially for advancing to higher levels. Without the assistance of spiritual medicine, solely relying on one's cultivation might take decades to make a breakthrough.

The Grandmaster-level expert earlier was already quite old, possessing deep internal power, but he was roughly at the Grandmaster Mid-Stage, unlikely to advance to the Great Grandmaster stage.

On the other hand, the expert at the Mid-Master Level who Qin Fang had just defeated seemed relatively young, appearing in his early thirties. His future prospects were promising, and with the help of this spiritual medicine, stepping into the Grandmaster level might not be impossible.

Qin Fang pondered for a moment, and it seemed he understood why the Grandmaster and Master experts would reside in such a cave, waiting for this spiritual medicine.

"This is... Seven Stars Grass!"

Qin Fang quickly walked over, ignoring the nearby Yun Luo Tea Trees, squatted down to observe the spiritual medicine, and using his Scouting Skill, he quickly learned its name.

Seven Stars Grass is a Middle Grade Spiritual Medicine, quite a decent level within spiritual medicines. In this day and age, superb spiritual medicines have completely vanished, superior elixirs are nearly nonexistent, and coming across a Middle Grade Spiritual Medicine is already remarkable and exceedingly rare.

As the name implies, Seven Stars Grass has seven faint purple spots scattered on its green leaves, which is the origin of its name.

The Seven Stars Grass was relatively easy to identify, and its maturity period was among the shortest of spiritual medicines, sprouting a new leaf every seven years until all seven leaves grew and it officially entered maturity.

The maturity period for Seven Stars Grass is typically around three to five years, during which its medicinal properties are at their peak. Whether used as medicine or consumed directly, its effects are quite potent.

Once past maturity, Seven Stars Grass gradually wilts, eventually producing a seed containing over 50% of its medicinal properties, equivalent to a Low-Grade Spiritual Medicine.

Of course, if Seven Stars Grass hasn't reached maturity, its medicinal properties would not be fully developed, and its potency would diminish with each missing leaf.

The Seven Stars Grass in front of him hadn't reached maturity yet but already had six leaves, with the seventh beginning to sprout, seeming like it wouldn't be long before it matured...

This made Qin Fang understand why the Grandmaster-level expert was determined to prevent Liu Junxian and the others from entering the Cold Abyss. He was worried the longer they lingered, the more likely it was that Seven Stars Grass's maturation could be compromised, thwarting his grand plans. Thus, he wouldn't allow them in to cause any disruptions...(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for it, recommend it, or support it, as your support is my greatest motivation.)

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.