Chapter 5

Book 9 Chapter 5 – Nine Holes

SEPTEMBER 25, 2017 ~ EMILYEVELAN

It was an unexpected stroke of good fortune that he could have Jin Daya as one of his guards . Such powerful expects were uncommon even in secret sects . The bodyguards he was assigned at first were only Eighth Ring Sages; the rest were far below, and must be strengthened over time .

Back then when Miaolin first joined, the most powerful of her guards was Hongjie, an Eighth Ring Sage . Then with the Yin Rings that Miaolin obtain, she finally ascended to Ninth Ring . Of all the disciple’s bodyguards, as long as they were Ninth Ring Sages, there was a good chance that the disciple strengthened them themselves with the help of the master . As long as they had enough Yin Rings, they could produce Ninth Ring experts .

Chuizi and Futou both rushed into the room, shivering . They saw the pot on the brazier and their eyes lit up .

“Food, haha…there, there’s good food to eat,” Chuizi said, stuttering, his teeth clattering nonstop .

“Futou, you also shiver when it’s cold?” Lei Xinfeng asked .

“Fool! Although we’re most resistant to the cold than you are, but, but we still shiver…” said Futou .

“Ye, yeah . Quickly, give me a bowl… some soup, it, it’s too cold!” Chuizi said .

Lei Xinfeng brought out two large bowls, picking up the entire pot, and emptied the contents into the bowls . “Here, have some of these first,” he said .

The two of them picked up the large bowls, soup still boiling, and began gulping the liquid down .

After a while, Chuizi spoke up . “The frame is completely . All that’s left is to add water to it . ”

Futou said, “There’s already ice chunks packed on it . The structure will freeze as soon as you add the water . ”

Lei Xinfeng knew that building things here was easy as building a metal frame, packing in loose ice, then add water . Everything will freeze, filling in the gaps . After a bit of light touches here and there, the entire thing became a solid wall . It was a trick unique to this place .

After Chuizi and Futou finished eating, Xin Zhaolun said, “Alright, let’s go add the water now . There’s a trick to it . Does everyone have water in their Hidden Lun space?”

Lei Xinfeng had a lot of water because he understood one thing: although water looked abundant, being everywhere, as soon as it runs out, then lives were at risk . As a result, he alway made sure that he had a large amount of fresh water in his Hidden Lun space .

It was basic knowledge for a practitioner . No matter who it was, all practitioners, especially those above Sage, had a large amount of fresh water in their Hidden Lun space .

“Yes, I have a lot of water,” Lei Xinfeng said .

Xin Zhaolun nodded . “Let’s go . Pour the water directly from your space, and the corridor will be finished . ”

Lei Xinfeng began to put on his thick coat, covering his entire body . He wasn’t stupid . He’d seen how Chuizi and Futou shivered; the outside must be colder than anything he’d ever experienced .

“If you feel that it’s too cold, go warm up inside; don’t try too hard . We’ll go in turns . First me, then Daya, Old Ying, Old Hu, then Ah Feng . By then, it should be pretty much finished, so you’ll only have to fix things a little . ”

Everyone agreed and Xin Zhaolun left the room .

Around twenty minutes later, Xin Zhaolun came back shivering . Jin Daya walked out, but the time he lasted was much less than Xin Zhaolun: only ten minutes . Then came Fengying and Shihu . After Shihu came back, he said, “It’s basically finished . I filled in most of the holes already, so Ah Feng just needs to do a little inspection . ”

“After I get a little warmer, I’ll go with Ah Feng,” Xin Zhaolun said .

Chuizi and Futou followed them out as well .

As soon as Lei Xinfeng stepped out of the room, he saw a wall of ice in front of him, along with a two meter wide walkway . The walkway went a full circle around the house, connecting all the rooms together, sealed almost completely . Because there wasn’t much wind, it wasn’t that cold inside .

Lei Xinfeng just had to find the spots where he could feel the wind, and then seal it completely by putting water in the hole . It was easy, and after a few rounds, he finished fixing all the holes in the corridor . Though the ice wall, he could see the blizzard raging outside . Yet, there was no snow on the ground . Before any flakes could settle on the ground, they were swept up by the wind and carried away into the sky .

There was no door in the corridor . In other words, they were completely sealed in .

Xin Zhaolun went to Miaolin’s room to let her know .

Lei Xinfeng also went to her room, and it only took one glance to fill him with amusement .

There was four braziers burning in the four cardinal directions . Miaolin was huddled in the center under a big pile of pelts . She only had a head poking out, and even that was covered by a big fur hat . Even so, she was coughing non stop . When she saw Xin Zhaolun and Lei Xinfeng come in, she managed to get out, “Cold… it’s cold, elder brother . ”

“elder sister, there’s a corridor outside sealing this whole place in . It shouldn’t be too cold,” Lei Xinfeng said .

“It’s still cold…I’m regretting this so much; I shouldn’t have come,” she said .

“Just endure it for a while . Hanya Castle is only this cold for a short while, it will be better in a while,” Xin Zhaolun reassured .

“It’s a lot warmer here after we made the corridor . We should make it even during the coldest days . If not, maybe we can send elder sister underground,” Lei Xinfeng said .

“We can’t . Someone already reserved the spot long before we got here,” Xin Zhaolun said .

“It’s fine, after Hongjie come back, she’ll help me light two more braziers . ”

“Be careful you don’t block the breathing holes . You’re burning too much,” Xin Zhaolun said .

“Hongjie opened up two more chimneys,” Miaolin said . “There shouldn’t be any problems . ”

Xin Zhaolun nodded . “After Hongjie comes back, have her accompany you until it gets warmer . If there’s any danger, don’t hesitate to come over to our rooms, since there’s a corridor . ” He was the elder brother . Since he brought the younger ones with him, he had responsibility for their safety .

“I know, elder brother . Don’t worry, I’ll have Hongjie with me, always . ”

Xin Zhaolun stood up . “Alright . Also, during the coldest days, we’ll all gather and tide it over together . It’s the most dangerous period, but also the best days for cultivation . ”

Xin Zhaolun brought Lei Xinfeng back to his room . “Ah Feng, although you can’t go out right now, and it’s so bloody cold, but this time is the golden opportunity for cultivating . It is also why so many experts don’t want to leave his place . You must take this chance and train, aiming for Sixth Ring . With your potential, it shouldn’t be a problem . ”

Lei Xinfeng sat down next to his brazier and sighed . “Elder brother, these past few days, I’ve felt my power increase much quicker than normal . However, I still can’t ascend . It’s not that I can’t, but that I shouldn’t . ”

“Why?”

“Do you remember that Star Python Record I obtained at the auction? There’s an ancient method of Stamp condensation written on it . But I need many materials . I haven’t found some of them, and of those, there are three that I don’t even recognize that is giving me a headache . ”

“Really? Then the power of this Lightning Stamp is abnormal?” Xin Zhaolun caught on quick, understanding Lei Xinfeng immediately, about why he wouldn’t ascend .

Lei Xinfeng nodded . “If I wanted to ascend normally, I could have when I returned from the auction . However, I forcefully suppressed it . If I ascend now, I don’t know how much I’ll lose . ”

“Then…what are you lacking?” Xin Zhaolun asked .

Lei Xinfeng took out a slip of paper and passed it in Xin Zhaolun . “Elder brother, take a look . ” He stared at him expectantly . If he could help him, then he would save him a lot of time and effort .

Xin Zhaolun accepted the paper and took a look . There was a total of eight items . He smiled after looking through the list . “I have all of them! However, there’s two of them that are too valuable to waste . How much do you need exactly?”

Lei Xinfeng eyed the item that Xin Zhaolun indicated and let out a sigh of relief . “Not much . Neither of them exceeds two jins . That one…maybe one and a half jin . ”

“Ah, okay . Then, I’ll lend these to you to use for now, but you must find a way to return them to me . ” He knew that Lei Xinfeng needed those urgently, so he can spare it for now . Since he didn’t need it until he ascended, he could let Lin Xinfeng have it .

Lei Xinfeng was overjoyed . “Thank you, elder brother! I owe you this time!”

Xin Zhaolun carefully took out the eight materials based on the amounts Lei Xinfeng needed .

Lei Xinfeng hadn’t imaged that Xin Zhaolun would have so many kinds of materials stored . Curious, he asked, “Elder brother, how much materials did you gather?”

Xin Zhaolun smiled . “I spent some thirty years collecting these . Even if I don’t have a thousand kind, then I at least have a few hundred . Ah Feng, when we’re still Sages, we won’t need much materials, but after ascending to Monarch, you’ll use them so fast you won’t believe it .

“You’ve only just joined, so Master haven’t given you any gathering missions . When you’ve attained Seventh or Eighth Ring, Master will have missions for you . At that time, gather some materials while you’re completing them . ”

“Master will send us on missions?”

Xin Zhaolun laughed . “Ah Feng, Master has no obligations to give and not take back . The master was willing to take you in and train you, so naturally, you must repay him; this is beneficial both ways . ”

“Even though Master is so powerful, he still can’t gather enough materials?” Lei Xinfeng asked .