The ice surface wasn't very thick, and soon, the two of them had dug a hole in it.
"The closer we get to the central ice lotus, the more likely we are to find a Spirit of Living Water," Li Shuang whispered. "We can't approach the ice lotus openly. We'll go into the water from here and then swim underwater. This water is bone-chillingly cold; it's almost impossible to touch without an ice spirit root. Second Senior Brother, I'll infuse you with ice-attribute spiritual energy for protection, but you'll still feel some pain when you enter the water. You'll need to endure it."
Liu Juncheng nodded without hesitation.
To expect such a great opportunity without any effort would be too ungrateful.
"The Spirit of Living Water is best absorbed immediately. If you encounter it, Second Senior Brother, absorb it at once. This rare item will subtly take effect over the years, continuously refining your spirit root. Once the effect of the Spirit of Living Water ends, your spirit root's grade will naturally improve," Li Shuang explained.
This was also why she had Liu Juncheng come himself.
Firstly, once the Spirit of Living Water is removed from this environment, its effectiveness significantly decreases.
Secondly, containing the Spirit of Living Water requires a specific vessel, which isn't easy to obtain. Otherwise, she would have taken it out for Sheng Yuan ten years ago.
"Understood," Liu Juncheng acknowledged each point.
Li Shuang infused a stream of ice-attribute spiritual energy into his body to protect his internal organs. Then, both of them jumped into the ice lake.
The ice water was piercingly cold. Li Shuang, with her ice spirit root, fared better. Although Liu Juncheng had the protection of ice-attribute spiritual energy, he still shivered involuntarily the moment he entered the water, and a layer of frost formed on his eyebrows.
Li Shuang looked at Liu Juncheng with concern, but he gave her a reassuring look.
He could endure this much pain!
The underwater environment was challenging, and Li Shuang didn't dare to waste time, swimming directly towards the ice lotus.
Liu Juncheng struggled to keep up.
As soon as she started moving, Li Shuang couldn't help but show a surprised expression.
The last time she came, encountering the Spirit of Living Water was pure coincidence.
But this time, the situation was very different.
With the enhancement of the Grand Forgetfulness Art, her sensory range was much wider than before.
At the same time, she also had the assistance of the Furnace!
"Underwater Ice Crystal: 300 value points."
"Ice Moon Fish: 500 value points."
"Water Coral: 700 value points."
All sorts of treasures in the ice lake were revealed with the help of the Furnace.
But Li Shuang didn't specifically search for these treasures; she only collected those she encountered along the way.
Otherwise, if she wasted time on these resources, she would miss the truly great opportunity.
She continued to dive.
Suddenly.
Li Shuang's eyes flickered slightly.
"Spirit of Living Water: 100,000 value points."
A message popped up.
Li Shuang's heart immediately filled with joy.
The Furnace had displayed information, proving that the Spirit of Living Water was nearby!
She was about to sense it with all her might.
This message suddenly disappeared again.
Li Shuang wasn't anxious.
The Spirit of Living Water is a rare natural wonder; its appearance is fleeting and extremely difficult to capture.
With the dual enhancement of her cultivation technique and the Furnace, she already possessed unique conditions for capturing the Spirit of Living Water. If even she couldn't obtain it, then truly no one else could seize this opportunity.
The Grand Forgetfulness Art was fully activated, and Li Shuang waited quietly.
"Spirit of Living Water: 100,000 value points!"
The Spirit of Living Water appeared again!
This time, Li Shuang sensed the surrounding waters with all her might. The moment the Furnace displayed the information, she pinpointed the location where the Spirit of Living Water appeared.
Ice-attribute spiritual energy instantly enveloped that area.
"Second Senior Brother!" Li Shuang couldn't help but call out.
Liu Juncheng was already prepared, and he rushed forward with all his might.
Just as the Spirit of Living Water was about to disappear, Liu Juncheng's hand touched this rare item.
In an instant, his entire body was frozen solid.
A faint blue light directly entered his dantian.
Li Shuang watched nervously from the side.
The Spirit of Living Water is a water-attribute rare item. Liu Juncheng possessed a water-attribute spirit root, so the Spirit of Living Water was naturally attracted and entered his body.
If Second Senior Brother could endure this extreme cold, the Spirit of Living Water would become gentle and remain in his body, slowly nourishing his spirit root.
If Second Senior Brother couldn't endure it, the Spirit of Living Water would likely leave immediately.
If they failed once, they would basically not have a second chance.
Whether it succeeded or not still depended on Liu Juncheng himself.
Time passed by little by little.
Li Shuang quietly stood guard beside him.
As half an hour was almost up, Li Shuang hesitated, wondering whether to wake Liu Juncheng.
Just then.
The ice on Liu Juncheng's body melted, and he suddenly opened his eyes.
Li Shuang looked at him with some anticipation.
Liu Juncheng nodded with some joy.
It worked!
The Spirit of Living Water was now quietly flowing in his dantian, and his spirit root aptitude was slowly improving at a gradual but continuous pace.
"Junior Sister, you've been guarding me here, wasting a lot of time," Liu Juncheng quickly said. "Don't worry about me anymore, go and get the lotus seed quickly."
Li Shuang nodded: "Second Senior Brother, leave the ice lake area immediately and head towards the large rock. The commotion will be very big soon, so don't get caught in it."
"Don't worry," Liu Juncheng replied.
Li Shuang no longer hesitated and swam directly towards the ice lotus.
Liu Juncheng quickly surfaced and successfully left the ice lake area.
He was afraid he would cause trouble for Li Shuang and didn't dare to get too close. But he was still very worried, so he eventually chose a hidden corner nearby and observed from a distance.
Under the ice lake.
With only the time it takes for one stick of incense left, Li Shuang swam with all her might towards the ice lotus.
She had already taken a lotus seed once before, so this time, she was familiar with the process.
Li Shuang had rehearsed it thousands of times in her mind: once she reached the ice lotus, she would directly break through the ice and leap out of the water. As soon as she got the lotus seed, she couldn't stay for a moment and would immediately flee into the distance.
Soon.
Li Shuang reached the center of the ice lake.
She could already see the roots of the lotus from afar.
The roots of this ice lotus were directly embedded in the clear water, and each root was as transparent as crystal.
"Seventh-Grade Pure Ice Lotus: 3 million value points."
"One Seventh-Grade Pure Ice Lotus Seed: 1 million value points."
This lotus seed alone was worth a million value points!
The lotus itself was worth three million value points!
However.
This ice lotus was deeply rooted here and simply couldn't be taken away.
The only thing she could take was the lotus seed.
Li Shuang no longer hesitated. She leaped out of the water and reached directly for the lotus seed at the heart of the lotus.
But at this moment.
The Heaven and Earth Furnace gave a prompt.
"Ninth-Grade Pure Ice Lotus Seed: 10 million value points."