Chapter 152: Aptitude Further Improvement, Three-tailed Snow Fox

Elder Feixue seemed to be falling into an eternal sleep.

By the cold pond, Wang Yu shivered slightly despite his constitution, sensing the icy winds howling around them. This indicated the extraordinary nature of the place.

Feeling the increasingly faint breathing behind him, Wang Yu whirled around, a hint of disbelief in his heart.

"He... he just passed away like that?"

It was just a wisp of death energy.

This thing was indeed a potent weapon against dying old men. The only slightly stringent condition was the necessity of direct physical contact; otherwise, it was manageable.

As for Elder Feixue's personal belongings, Wang Yu absolutely could not touch them. Core Formation elders had soul lamps in the Ancestral Hall of Cold Blood Peak. When a person died, their lamp extinguished. Given the short distance, someone would surely arrive immediately. He had better enter the cold pond.

Shaking his head, he summoned the sleeping Snow Jade Fox from his spirit beast bag. This cold pond was not only his opportunity but also the little fox's. Its innate aptitude was already above average, and it should be able to fully ascend to a superior bloodline through the baptism of the cold pond.

For demon beast bloodlines, the third stage was a crucial turning point. Lower bloodlines corresponded to first-stage demon beasts, medium bloodlines to second-stage, and superior bloodlines to third-stage. Only upon reaching the third stage did a demon beast possess the intelligence of an adult human. Their combat strength would also significantly increase. At the second stage, they were comparable to a seven or eight-year-old child, and at the first stage, they were no different from wild beasts.

The above applied under normal circumstances. If a creature was a natural anomaly with a concentrated bloodline superior to the highest grade, it would be similar to Yu Tangtang's situation. They would possess the spiritual awareness of a young child at birth, which would grow with age, indicating innate intelligence. Once the Snow Jade Fox completed its bloodline ascension, if properly nurtured, it could smoothly advance to the third stage, potentially accompanying Wang Yu for several centuries. Its potential was indeed formidable.

Undressing halfway and baring his upper body, Wang Yu cradled the little fox and slowly stepped into the cold pond.

"Hiss—"

An extreme cold permeated his entire body, from his limbs to his bones. He instinctively activated his perfected cultivation technique, and the mysterious blue light that had lingered in his blood since breaking through to Foundation Establishment was instantly stimulated. This was precisely the cultivation technique's effect of enhancing aptitude taking hold. The special power continuously pouring into his body from the cold pond was also purifying him from the outside in.

Deep within his body, in the Hidden Repository, more than several months had passed since he cultivated the Profound Primordial Demonic Embryo. The dual spirit root symbols belonging to Wang Wu, along with the incomplete Yin and Ice symbols he had formed in his early years, had all vanished. These, representing the origin of his spirit roots, had been completely absorbed by the Profound Primordial Demonic Embryo.

Wang Yu's own five spirit roots were rooted within the demonic embryo, less than a fingernail's length. However, as the external spirit root origins were digested, his Water, Wood, and Fire spirit roots grew significantly. They had clearly been fully assimilated for his own use.

At this moment, with the effects of his cultivation technique and the cold pond fully activated, the Water spirit root within the Profound Primordial Demonic Embryo began to grow wildly, actually matching the Fire and Wood spirit roots, which were of superior aptitude. This change sparked a premonition in Wang Yu's mind. He felt that if, one day, he could elevate all five of his spirit roots to a level comparable to Heavenly Spirit Roots, his physique might undergo a special transformation. Such sudden inspirations were profound and mysterious, yet they were what cultivators trusted most. They were like a prophecy and revelation of the future, guiding cultivators towards the most correct path.

With the improvement in his aptitude, Wang Yu's affinity for Water, Ice, and Yin spiritual energy increased exponentially. Although his cultivation speed didn't increase, the power of his ice-attributed spells definitely rose to a new level. He would also gain greater comprehension when learning spells of the corresponding attributes.

This was aptitude! This... was talent!

How refreshing.

Due to cultivating the Profound Primordial Demonic Embryo, Wang Yu's changes quickly ceased. He continued to absorb the abundant energy from the cold pond while observing the Snow Jade Fox's transformation. The benefits it received were no less than Wang Yu's. Since the cold pond could enhance aptitude, for spirit beasts, it could purify bloodlines and boost potential! The two were interconnected, not to mention the Snow Jade Fox was already an ice-attributed spirit beast. Besides its natural attribute compatibility, Wang Yu frequently fed it top-grade elixirs until it was full, giving it an excellent physical foundation—even making it picky with its food.

"Yelp—"

After an unknown period, while Wang Yu was distracted overseeing it, the little fox suddenly let out a howl, and its body visibly expanded. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a handsome, large fox, its figure resembling a giant wolf, over two meters long and more than a meter tall at the shoulder. Most strikingly, two new fluffy white fox tails swayed behind it, having grown as its bloodline advanced.

"A Three-tailed Snow Fox!" Wang Yu was slightly surprised. Advancement by tail count was the most powerful bloodline among the fox clan, rumored to originate from the legendary true spirit—the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox! The ice attribute mutation, on the other hand, was hardly worth mentioning. With the Nine-tailed bloodline, the little fox, Snow Jade, now had a clear path for evolution. With the right treasures, it might even have the chance to evolve again.

"I never expected your ancestors to be so extraordinary. This is quite a bargain for me. That rogue cultivator who captured you really didn't know what he had." Wang Yu smiled, completely forgetting that he had originally kept Snow Jade Fox instead of selling it for spirit stones because he valued its ice attribute and its cute, beautiful appearance.

Calculating with his fingers, nearly half a month had passed since he entered the cold pond. Wang Yu instinctively looked towards a spot outside the cold pond. Elder Feixue was still standing there, stiffened. Beside him were two figures, a man and a woman, dressed in overlapping plum-blossom patterned robes with carefree headscarves, appearing to be a cultivation couple.

Seeing Wang Yu awaken, the two of them spoke first. "Young friend, during your cultivation these past few days, Daoist Feixue passed away standing. Did you notice anything amiss?"

Wang Yu paused slightly, appearing to ponder, then shook his head. "There was nothing unusual, but this elder..." The old woman sighed and said, "Logically, Daoist Feixue still had three to five years of life left. We never expected such a sudden death. It must have been the eruption of old internal injuries. It's actually quite normal."

"Indeed, there was no sign of pain on his face," the old man echoed, then said to Wang Yu, "Young friend, once you are finished with the cold pond, you may descend the mountain. Daoist Feixue's descendants are on their way here. Before they arrive, no one is permitted to touch his belongings."

"This junior will leave now."

Whether these two were feigning ignorance or had already plundered the body was irrelevant to him. He was merely marveling at the truly terrifying power of the death energy.

Wang Yu put the Snow Jade Fox back into his spirit beast bag. Thanks to its bloodline evolution, its cultivation had directly risen to the peak of the first stage, making it ready to consider breaking through to the second stage. This was also a significant bonus.

After getting dressed, he quickly descended the mountain without any delay. On the way, he encountered a weeping person with a feminine appearance, likely a direct descendant of True Immortal Feixue. Their cultivation was only late Qi Condensation, and they weren't very old. The two glanced at each other from a distance, then passed by.

By mid-second month of Wang Yu's deacon career, a month had passed since the cold pond baptism. After the baptism, his ice attribute talent had not only skyrocketed, but his cultivation realm also greatly benefited during the half-month of meditative practice. He had unexpectedly condensed 10 drops of ice-attributed True Essence, which was a pleasant surprise. His cultivation had steadily risen to 23.5 drops, already more than one-fifth of the way through the first layer of Foundation Establishment. This cultivation speed was much faster than during his Qi Condensation stage. One drop of True Essence was equivalent to a thousand streams of spiritual energy, or one Great Perfection Qi Condensation cultivator. Entering the cold pond was roughly equivalent to cultivating the spiritual energy of ten Great Perfection Qi Condensation cultivators. How could this not be delightful!

The Snow Jade Fox also received immense benefits. After its bloodline evolution, not only did its cultivation improve, but its physical strength, bloodline spells, and the number of secret techniques all greatly increased. It gained abilities such as: Ice Wind Art, Extreme Cold Illusion, Ice Fox Claws, Traceless Snow Tread, Spirit Fox Protection, Three-tailed Secret Technique, and more. It had been completely upgraded, and its strength surged. Now, it was no longer just a combat auxiliary. Once it broke through to the second stage, it could be used as a primary fighting force. Furthermore, in the bloodline inheritance of spirit beasts, besides some basic abilities, these bloodline spells also had advanced versions that would naturally awaken upon further breakthroughs. Wang Yu only needed to consider how to properly nurture Snow Jade. This was the convenience of a superior bloodline spirit beast. No wonder Beast Taming Dao cultivators were powerful in combat; their resource consumption was relatively lower compared to cultivators of other paths. If one captured several spirit beasts with potential like Snow Jade, fighting one against many in the same realm, how could a Beast Tamer not be formidable?!

After playfully teasing it, Wang Yu needed to consider Snow Jade's advancement. Having such a trustworthy helper before establishing his own residence outside the sect held significant importance. High-grade Foundation Establishment Pills were also effective for spirit beasts, and Wang Yu still had over a hundred thousand spirit stones, enough to buy one. He decided to go ask Tantai Chan. Over a decade ago, when Su Qingshan targeted him, it was precisely because of the high-grade Foundation Establishment Pills refined by her. Given his relationship with Sister Tang, acquiring one shouldn't be an issue. He had been back for over two months and still hadn't visited Tantai Herb Garden.

"It's good to ask. The sooner it breaks through, the sooner it can be useful."

Just as he was about to leave, a phantom jade talisman suddenly flew from afar. It was a message from Gu Zhengshun, asking him to meet at their usual spot for a discussion. Without hesitation, Wang Yu decisively postponed the matter of the little fox.

Third-stage Corpse Arm—here I come!

Soon after, at Eight Treasures Pavilion.

Gu Zhengshun, whom he hadn't seen for some time, had successfully advanced to the ninth layer of Qi Condensation and had progressed quite far within this stage, not far from its peak. His appearance was still the same, seemingly docile and obedient. However, the hidden gloom in his eyes indicated that he hadn't been faring well recently. Upon seeing Wang Yu, Gu Zhengshun's expression became even more complex.

"When you asked me about purchasing a third-stage corpse arm, I already guessed you'd advanced to Foundation Establishment. Seeing it with my own eyes now still feels unbelievable."

Wang Yu chuckled. "Just luck. Without the Foundation Seizing Grand Art, I would be nothing."

Gu Zhengshun tilted his head back, an expression of disbelief on his face. "Brother Wang, that might fool others, but I don't believe it. With your capabilities, would you truly be content to establish your foundation using the Foundation Seizing Grand Art?"

Wang Yu nodded and said, "If there's a Foundation Seizing Grand Art, why can't there be an Art of Core Transformation? Junior Brother Gu should broaden his thinking. Demonic secret arts are so numerous. Even if one takes a shortcut, there can still be a path to heaven."

"Perhaps."

This was pure nonsense. Wang Yu's ability to speak off the cuff had reached perfection. He picked up a spiritual bamboo shoot with his chopsticks. "So, tell me, how did things go? Is there a seller?"