PCJ – Chapter 599 Snow Frost Water

Early in the morning, after a light breakfast, the group set off on their journey. Although Ji Jiaxin had grown up in the city, after these past few days, she was slowly beginning to adapt to the strenuous activity of trekking through the mountains and forests.

The main reason, of course, was that Zhang Jiaohua always managed to bring out food rich in spiritual energy. This allowed their bodies to recover extremely quickly. Even when they were completely exhausted during the day, they could fully recover overnight. Whenever they got tired along the way, they’d take a short break and eat a little something, and it would feel as if their energy was instantly replenished. Spiritual energy was a nourishing substance with no toxic or adverse effects.

As they got closer to their destination, the weather seemed to grow increasingly hotter.

“Jiaohua, this isn’t the Flaming Mountain, is it? Why does it feel especially hot here?” Zhang Yuanbao asked, panting and drenched in sweat.

Mute was also completely soaked through. “Do you even need to ask? This is a hot spring area. There’s steam everywhere, and the temperature is at least sixty or seventy degrees. Jiaohua, you’ve really been here before?”

“Of course,” Zhang Jiaohua replied. “If I hadn’t been here before, how would I even know how to find it again? And this isn’t even the worst of it. Over that mountain, it’s even hotter. The water there is literally boiling. I even cooked a wild chicken there once.”

Ji Jiaxin’s hair looked as if it had just been washed—completely soaked and sticking together. Her face was covered in sweat, and though her clothes were drenched as well, she was wearing tough denim, so she wasn’t worried about any wardrobe malfunctions. Still, that made it feel even hotter.

“Jiaohua, is there some kind of treasure over there or something?” Zhang Yuanbao asked.

Zhang Jiaohua shook his head. “I just wanted to come back and take another look. I keep feeling like I missed something the last time I was here.”

“You think there’s something here?” Ji Jiaxin’s interest was piqued.

“Can you guys still handle it? If not, you can wait here and I’ll go check it out and come back,” Zhang Jiaohua offered.

“Don’t you know how to make Frost Water? Just make us a bit. When it gets too hot, we can drink some and cool off,” Zhang Yuanbao suggested.

Zhang Jiaohua chuckled. He had no trouble enduring the heat himself, and had completely forgotten he could use a spell to help the others deal with it.

He pulled out a mineral water bottle filled with spirit spring water from his cultivation diagram and began chanting a spell: “I respectfully summon the Frost Water Dragon Tree King, hasten to descend upon my altar. Born on the twentieth day of the winter month, during the hour of the dog, the Tree King was born. With him, three daughters were born. On West Eyebrow Mountain they viewed the snow, and on West Eyebrow Mountain they viewed the frost. I now invite the Patriarch to bring snow. I call upon the Dragon Tree King, Snow Aunt One, Aunt Two, Aunt Three, and the Frost Water Monk to descend. As swift as law dictates.”

This Frost Water could cool the body and protect against heat injuries—perfect for the current situation. It was a required skill for all Meishan Water Masters. In the past, to test an apprentice’s Frost Water, they would boil a large pot of oil and have the student coat their hands with Frost Water. If they could reach into the pot and retrieve the scalding hot stones without getting burned, they passed. If they got burned, it meant they hadn’t mastered the technique.

Zhang Jiaohua’s current skills far exceeded those of a typical Meishan Water Master. He made a bottle of Frost Water for each of Zhang Yuanbao, Mute, and Ji Jiaxin. After drinking it, the burning sensation in their bodies instantly vanished, replaced by an overwhelming sense of coolness and refreshment.

“Wow, this is even better than ice water! If I’d had this earlier, I wouldn’t be drenched in sweat now. Jiaohua, seriously—you had something this amazing and didn’t think to give it to us sooner?” Zhang Yuanbao complained.

“I honestly forgot about it until you brought it up,” Zhang Jiaohua said sheepishly, scratching his head.

Ji Jiaxin was full of curiosity. “Zhang Jiaohua, what is this Frost Water made of?”

Zhang Jiaohua smiled. “It’s just water. Didn’t you see? It’s the same water we’ve been drinking. Even if you scoop some up from a river, it can be turned into Frost Water.”

“Then what’s the principle behind it?” Ji Jiaxin asked.

“Pfft!” Zhang Yuanbao and Mute burst out laughing. That was a hard question to answer.

Zhang Jiaohua also chuckled. “Actually, it’s not that complicated. I told you before—those fish like the potatoes because they contain spiritual energy. There’s a kind of spiritual energy in the world that we can’t see, and with certain techniques and chants, we can manipulate this energy. When this energy is shaped in specific ways, it gains all sorts of abilities—like how Frost Water makes you feel cool.”

“Can you teach me how to control that spiritual energy?” Ji Jiaxin asked.

“Well… it takes a certain amount of talent,” Zhang Jiaohua replied.

“Do I have it?” Ji Jiaxin became even more interested.

To determine that, one would need to perform certain rituals. For some people, their talent wouldn’t show until after years of practice.

Seeing she couldn’t find out right away whether she had the talent, Ji Jiaxin looked a bit disappointed. “Zhang Jiaohua, can you help me check in the future to see if I have it?”

Zhang Jiaohua nodded. “Absolutely.”

In the past, Zhang Jiaohua might have hesitated. But now it was different—he was the head of his sect. When he returned to the capital, he could arrange for Ji Jiaxin to enter the Xiyun Secret Realm for a trial. If the Meishan Sect was to grow stronger, it would need a lot of talented individuals. He wasn’t worried about having too many talented people—only too few. If his family and friends also had spiritual potential, and could follow the same path to immortality as him, why not? Perhaps that would make his own journey even more fulfilling.

“What about me, Jiaohua?” Zhang Yuanbao quickly asked.

“Me too,” Mute added hastily.

“Don’t worry. You’ll both get your chance,” Zhang Jiaohua said. He knew that Zhang Yuanbao and Mute had been waiting for this moment. Compared to Ji Jiaxin, they actually had better conditions—but only average talent. In the future, they might not achieve greatness, but at least they wouldn’t be ordinary anymore.

“When I get back, I’ll send someone to guard that secret realm we visited before. Then you two can train inside it,” Zhang Jiaohua told them.

“Awesome!” Zhang Yuanbao and Mute jumped up in excitement.

As they talked, they crossed over the mountain ridge. The Frost Water was incredibly effective—none of them felt any discomfort at all.

Beyond the ridge, they saw a steaming hot lake. In the center, boiling water bubbled up continuously. Even standing at the shore, waves of heat rolled over them. Without the Frost Water, it would’ve felt like standing inside a giant steamer rather than beside a lake.

“Wow! This is incredible! If we threw Mute into that lake, he’d turn into a pot of human soup!” Zhang Yuanbao joked.

Even though Zhang Yuanbao and Mute were joking around, they didn’t dare play rough anymore. They understood that a single mistake here—like falling into the lake—would mean serious consequences. Not even Frost Water could protect them from that.