"What? You've found a lead on the matter I asked you to look into?"
"Yes, it's in the Mad Axe Mountain Range of the Extreme North Land. If you hadn't paid me so well to keep an eye out for this kind of information, I wouldn't have even noticed."
Yu Yan, on his way to the Ice Soul City Merchant Guild to collect the books he had ordered, received unexpected intel from the caravan leader.
Taking the report the man handed over, Yu Yan stood there and read it carefully. If the information proved true, the Immortal Herb moon cleansing lotus might really have appeared in the Mad Axe Mountain Range.
Before the moon cleansing lotus ripens, the moonlight over its location becomes noticeably brighter than in the surrounding area, and the local vegetation revives. A section of the Mad Axe Mountain Range had recently exhibited exactly these signs.
The moon cleansing lotus needs vast amounts of life-force as it grows, draining it from the surrounding land. Just before maturity it repays what it borrowed from Heaven and Earth, releasing life-force and causing the phenomena described above.
"Is this what you were looking for?"
Seeing his big customer reading so intently, the caravan leader hastened to ask.
If this intel was indeed what the customer needed, he would receive a very handsome reward.
"It's exactly what I needed. Thank you for your trouble. Please also spread the word that I no longer require this information, so others can stop searching. I'll be away for a while; have the books you acquire delivered to my residence—Xiao Miao will pay you."
Yu Yan took the promised payment from his golden scepter and handed it to the caravan leader, also asking him to pass on news of his departure.
"These are small matters; leave them to me."
Looking at the pile of gold coins and feeling the aura they gave off, the caravan leader couldn't stop smiling. Who doesn't love a big customer who settles bills so readily?
After leaving the caravan, Yu Yan hurried toward Exotic Beast Academy. Now that he had a lead on the moon cleansing lotus, he needed to retrieve it from the Mad Axe Mountain Range and fulfill his promise to Ye Lingling.
Thinking of the Mad Axe Mountain Range, Yu Yan couldn't help recalling the map he'd obtained years ago when rescuing Spirit Cat Wu Xue from poachers—a map that hinted at a Treasure Trove. This trip would be a good chance to check what the marked spot actually held.
Back at the academy, Yu Yan immediately explained his upcoming plans to Xiao Wu: a journey to the Mad Axe Mountain Range in the Extreme North Land.
"Sounds good—I've never been to the Extreme North Land; it'll be fun to see it."
Hearing of the trip, Xiao Wu brightened instantly. Having never set foot there, she could hardly wait to fly over and experience the scenery.
"Well… it's just endless snow as far as the eye can see."
Yu Yan had meant to tell her the place wasn't as wonderful as she imagined, but realizing his words might dampen her excitement, he switched to harmless commonplaces.
"I really can't wait,"
Xiao Wu said, pulling out a book on the Extreme North Land to review before departure.
"Right. Tomorrow we'll inform Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, ask Vice Dean Jiang Jing for leave, and then set off."
Speaking of asking Vice Dean Jiang Jing for leave, Yu Yan rubbed his forehead, already foreseeing another bout of her lecturing before departure.
Over the past two years, both Yu Yan and Xiao Wu had broken through to Spirit King and absorbed their fifth spirit rings.
Xiao Wu's self-condensed fifth spirit ring was 69,324 years old; its Spirit Ability was Void, rendering her immune to all non-energy physical attacks and reducing any energy attack by sixty percent.
Looking at Xiao Wu's five abilities—Full Enhancement, Moon God Possession, Teleportation, Paragon Golden Body, and Void—Yu Yan tilted his head in despair, wondering how he could ever beat this walking bundle of broken mechanics.
After Xiao Wu's tests and the Terror Spirit Herb's assessment, Yu Yan capped his fifth spirit ring at under 65,000 years and chose the 63,000-year-old Frost-Ember Cloud-Mace Dragon that lived in Sunset Forest.
The Frost-Ember Cloud-Mace Dragon was chiefly ice and fire with a little wind. At 63,000+ years, it possessed strength rivaling a Titled Douluo.
To kill it, Yu Yan first enlisted Dugu Bo, then traded a herb hugely beneficial to Meng Yiran for the help of Serpent Grandmother and the Dragon Duke, and finally paid gold coins to hire Bai He, Clan Chief of the Speed Clan, plus another 87th-level Spirit Douluo. With poisons assisting, their combined force finally brought the dragon down.
To avoid drawing attention, only Bai He was invited openly; the other two groups were contacted by Dugu Bo, with Yu Yan suppressing his aura and posing as Dugu Bo's Junior who had just broken through to Spirit Douluo.
Such a huge investment naturally yielded excellent abilities.
Fifth Ice Fish Ability: Vault Frost Falling Star Net.
Using Ice Fish power, a hundred-meter-wide hexagonal frost net condenses overhead and slowly descends.
The net releases chill downward, inheriting earlier Ice Fish Skill traits: slowing enemies, hindering spirit power recovery, and inflicting extreme-ice poison.
Anyone inside suffers constant chill; failure to escape before the net lands means binding and sealing.
Fifth fire fish Ability: Earth-Vein Flame-Banner.
fire fish turns into pure energy and dives into the ground, then manifests as nine crimson-crystal war banners across the battlefield. They channel energy flowing through the earth; the denser the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, the stronger the skill.
Linked by crimson lines, the banners create a lava zone favorable to fire-attribute Spirit Masters; non-fire users inside suffer combat penalties.
Besides linking, the nine banners can resonate, raising eruptions of fire-poisoned geysers against foes.
The Ice Fish ability was exactly what he wanted.
The Fire Fish Skill, while decent, wasn't among the abilities he'd hoped for.
He had wanted a fire-and-wind combo from the dragon to widen his options, but because the fire fish held no wind attribute, those skills were unattainable.
At times like this, Yu Yan envied Xiao Wu's ability to condense her own spirit rings and choose her own abilities.