Chapter 21: Ice Armored Beetles
They were astonished at Jiang Yuebai's rapid cultivation progress, but they had never seen her doing any work on the ground, making it hard to believe that she could handle the Ice Armored Beetles that required a second-level Edge Sharpness Formula to be slain.
Tao Fengnian protected Jiang Yuebai behind him and asked, "Do you not trust this old man?"
Guo Zhen frowned, "It's not that we don't trust you, Tao Lao, but... in the face of such a disaster, you can't treat our lives as a joke."
Faced with the skepticism, Jiang Yuebai felt indignant and tugged at Tao Fengnian's sleeve.
"Grandfather, if they don't want my help, it's fine. You've been tired all day; let's go back and rest."
As soon as she finished speaking, Guo Zhen got angry, "You, a little girl, dare to speak when the elders are talking!"
"Outrageous!" Tao Fengnian glared angrily, "This old man won't tolerate your disrespect!"
Guo Zhen clenched his fists without saying a word, while others gritted their teeth and grew even more disapproving of Jiang Yuebai. To them, she was just a mischievous kid trying to take Tao Fengnian away, even though he could save their lives.
Tao Fengnian protected Jiang Yuebai and said, "As a Ling Farming Master, although I am responsible for managing Hua Xi Valley, in the face of such a catastrophe, according to the sect's rules, I should prioritize protecting precious spiritual herbs from disaster. Even if I don't help you save the young Ling Wheat seedlings, I am not at fault, and no one has the right to blame me."
Jiang Yuebai nodded hurriedly, finally seeing her grandfather's firm side. If only he could be as firm against Jia Wei.
She looked around and didn't see Jia Wei. Could it be that he had gone to drink with her sister again?
Turning her gaze back, Jiang Yuebai noticed that everyone had their heads lowered, clearly harboring grievances but not daring to act out.
At this moment, Guo Zhen, a seven-foot-tall man, had red eyes, covered in snow, and the cold wind whistled. Jiang Yuebai sensed a sense of helplessness and indignation from him.
She recalled the hardships they faced when fleeing, how her aunt, who often fought with her mother, gave them half of her own sweet potato when they were on the verge of starvation. Without that piece of sweet potato, they might not have survived that night.
Thinking of this, Jiang Yuebai's cheeks deflated.
"Alright, I'll give it a try."
Tao Fengnian was pleased and brushed off the snow on Jiang Yuebai, saying, "Just give it your best shot. If it doesn't work, it's okay. I'm here."
Jiang Yuebai nodded and rubbed her hands together, squatting next to the frozen seedlings, preparing to use the Edge Sharpness Formula to remove the beetles.
"She's been in the valley for less than two months, and she can already master the second level of the Edge Sharpness Formula? I don't believe it."
"I've been in the valley for over a year, and my Cloud and Rain Technique has just reached the second level, and that's the simplest of the five techniques."
"That's right, I've been studying the Grass and Wood Technique for almost two years, and I've just reached the second level. The Edge Sharpness Formula is even harder."
"Lü Ying hasn't even learned one technique yet. She just broke through to the first level of Qi Refining half a month ago. Could it be that she learned the Edge Sharpness Formula in her mother's womb?"
"If she can master the second level of the Edge Sharpness Formula, I'll eat all these Ice Armored Beetles!"
Faced with the questioning voices around her, Jiang Yuebai pouted and frowned, pretending not to hear. What was the key point her grandfather mentioned earlier?
The heavy snow fell, and the people of Hua Xi Valley huddled together around the field, both inside and outside, watching Jiang Yuebai squatting beside the young seedlings.
Even Liu Dashan, who was not far away and busy removing the beetles, stopped and looked over with Fan Zhong.
Fan Zhong, who was over sixty, took three years to reach the second level of the Edge Sharpness Formula.
Liu Dashan was younger and less clever, relying on his persistence to practice day after day, year after year, and it took him five years to reach the second level.
In the past, when Hua Xi Valley had pest problems, they would hire these two and three others who knew the Edge Sharpness Formula to deal with it, rarely seeking Tao Fengnian's help.
For removing the pests with the second-level Edge Sharpness Formula, it cost one low-grade spiritual stone per mu of land, and the seedlings would suffer minor damage, but they would recover after a few days.
As for the third-level Edge Sharpness Formula, it wouldn't harm the seedlings at all, but the price was different.
The cold wind howled as Jiang Yuebai tried to loosen her stiff fingers. After reviewing the key points in her mind, her eyes were determined!
Her small, white hands were placed in front of her, and her ten fingers moved in a dazzling and mesmerizing manner. Golden light flashed and appeared like a dream.
The surroundings fell silent for an instant, and everyone was astonished, their eyes widening, captivated by Jiang Yuebai's skillful finger movements.
Song Peier loosened her tightly embraced arms and stood straight, while Guo Zhen's mouth was slightly open, stunned.
Not far away, Fan Zhong and Liu Dashan's faces changed dramatically as they hurriedly squeezed in.
The golden threads intertwined and intertwined between Jiang Yuebai's ten fingers, forming a complete cycle in just three breaths!
"It truly is the second level of the Edge Sharpness Formula, and she's even faster than me in forming the cycle!" Liu Dashan exclaimed in shock.
"It's also sharper than my Edge Sharpness Formula." Fan Zhong swallowed and said in a low voice.
Amidst the swirling snow, the dazzling golden light was so brilliant that everyone couldn't take their eyes off, and it made all the same-aged junior disciples envy and resent her.
"Senior Sister Jiang is really amazing!" Shi Xiaowu praised excitedly.
"Fraud!" Lü Ying became even more annoyed.
Jiang Yuebai was completely focused, exuding a sense of maturity and steadiness that the other disciples couldn't match.
Once her Geng Metal Sharpness was complete, she pressed her fingers together and touched the young seedlings covered by the ice shell.
Her consciousness was immediately pulled into a hazy world, but before she could examine it closely, a bone-chilling breath pierced into her mind.
The cyan aura dissipated on both sides.
She "saw" a giant ice-blue ladybug the size of a water tank squatting in front of her, its mandibles opening and closing as it continuously swallowed the cyan aura around it.
Ice Armored Beetle!
Seeing such a huge bug for the first time, Jiang Yuebai's heart trembled, and her Sharpness almost dissipated.
She steadied her mind, and
she noticed that the originally slender Sharpness had grown quite a bit at this moment, like a long sword hanging in the air.
With a thought, her Geng Metal Sharpness immediately collided with the Ice Armored Beetle.
Ding!
The Sharpness was shaken away by the Ice Armored Beetle's tough shell, and her consciousness was knocked out of the hazy world. Jiang Yuebai sat down on the ground, her head throbbing.
She failed!
The surroundings fell into silence. No one expected such a turn of events. She clearly successfully used the second-level Edge Sharpness Formula.
The experienced Fan Zhong was the first to react, "It is the second-level Edge Sharpness Formula, but she's only at the third level of Qi Refining, and she hasn't cultivated her divine sense yet. She can't stabilize the Sharpness to cut open the Ice Armored Beetle."
Liu Dashan nodded, "Exactly, I almost forgot about that. Using the Edge Sharpness Formula to remove pests requires a stable divine sense to control the Sharpness. Cultivating divine sense only starts in the middle stage of Qi Refining, and it only shows its power at the seventh level of Qi Refining. Right now, she's like a three-year-old child holding a divine weapon; she can't fully unleash the power of the second-level Edge Sharpness Formula."
Everyone suddenly realized, and Guo Zhen's face became as calm as water. Under Song Peier's urging gaze, he swallowed his dissatisfaction.
"Enough! Everyone, be quiet!" Song Peier glared at those around her.
Setting aside the rest, the fact that Jiang Yuebai was able to reach the second level of the Edge Sharpness Formula in such a short time meant that her chances of becoming a Spirit Farming Master were much higher than others.
At this thought, Song Peier's eyes brightened.
Jiang Yuebai's face blushed as she clenched her fists and bit her lip, her eyes showing stubbornness and a refusal to admit defeat.
"Get up and try again."
Tao Fengnian faced the pressure but didn't show any blame in his eyes; instead, they were still filled with encouragement.
Jiang Yuebai took a deep breath and got up. The desire to win surged within her, and she pondered.
Tao Fengnian had given her the method of controlling objects, and she knew that until the middle stage of Qi Refining, the divine sense could not be called divine sense, but rather just consciousness.
When the middle stage of Qi Refining was reached, after undergoing the circulation of Qi and the refining of spiritual energy, the consciousness would slowly merge with the spiritual energy and transform into divine sense.
Only then could she remotely manipulate objects and move them around. When her divine sense became powerful enough, she could open her sea of consciousness, control spiritual tools, and prepare for the Foundation Establishment stage.
However, there was no rule that said she couldn't cultivate her divine sense or open her sea of consciousness at the third level of Qi Refining!
Jiang Yuebai's head was covered in white snow as she closed her eyes and recalled the scene just now.
Nervous, hot sweat appeared in her palms, and she wiped them on the handle of the firewood knife tied to her waist, and a flash of inspiration struck.
She activated the Edge Sharpness Formula again.
Go!
Her consciousness entered the hazy world again, and the water tank-sized Ice Armored Beetle was still squatting in front of her. There was a white mark on its ice-blue back, the mark she had left just now.
This time, Jiang Yuebai didn't rush forward; instead, the Sharpness transformed in her consciousness into a short firewood knife.
If her divine sense wasn't strong enough, then she wouldn't confront the Ice Armored Beetle head-on.
She used the Sharpness' own strength to find weak points and overcome them with the Chopping Wood Sword Technique. It would only cost more spiritual energy and time.
Puff!
The Sharpness cut into the crack on the back of the Ice Armored Beetle, and the beetle trembled all over but did not counterattack, only accelerating its absorption of the cyan aura.
Jiang Yuebai felt delighted; the Chopping Wood Sword Technique was fierce and unmatched, and the Geng Metal Sharpness slashed at the weak points.
Bang!
With the final strike, Jiang Yuebai's Sharpness firewood knife beheaded the Ice Armored Beetle.
[You used the Edge Sharpness Formula to successfully kill the Ice Armored Beetle and gained some proficiency in the Chopping Wood Sword Technique (+1).]
The Ice Armored Beetle suddenly exploded, and the cyan aura surged and dissipated. Jiang Yuebai felt her head throbbing.
[You stumbled upon the method of cultivating divine sense.]
Her consciousness was shaken out, and Jiang Yuebai heard the sound of the ice shell shattering.
Under her fingers, the ice shell on the young seedling gradually cracked and fell apart. The originally melting tender leaves slowly stretched out in the cyan aura, bursting with vitality.
She succeeded!
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