Peerless Bodyguard of a Stunning Beauty

Chapter 217: Chapter 184 Ice Lake Cultivation_2

”If you want to level up, you have to be tough on yourself.” With that, Zhao Rong gritted his teeth and continued to train in the Ice Lake.

After training for a while, Zhao Rong felt he really couldn’t keep going. ”Tao Hua,” he asked, ”if I follow you and train in the Ice Lake for the first half of the night and then in the sauna for the second half, do you think I could level up three times by morning?”

Tao Hua, already in her zone, replied, ”It all depends on luck. If you’re lucky, you might level up once or twice. If you’re not, you might not level up at all.”

Upon hearing that all that hard work might not guarantee even a single level, Zhao Rong instantly wilted.

While still in the Ice Lake, Zhao Rong stealthily took out a pressure cooker from his Magic Ring, followed by the Steadfast Fire. Next, he rummaged through his training manual, looking for secret elixir recipes to help him level up. It wasn’t long before he found one: an elixir called the Return-to-Origin Pill.

When Zhao Rong saw that the materials needed to craft it were a Werewolf Crystal, a Maoshan Gold Ingot, and Divine Grass, he grinned from ear to ear. Fate is on my side! No more soaking in this icy water for me.

He had obtained the Werewolf Crystal a few days ago when he killed a Werewolf while eating barbecue at the school gate. The Maoshan Gold Ingot was a thank-you gift from a Maoshan Sect ghost catcher for helping him capture the fierce ghost, Chen Na, in the laboratory building. As for the Divine Grass, that was a more distant memory. He had obtained it back when he first joined the True Martial Sect and was tricked into entering the Dragon Cave, having conned it off Mark of the Dragon Clan.

With everything he needed, all he had to do was act.

Not wanting to disturb Tao Hua’s cultivation, Zhao Rong sneaked behind her and threw the Werewolf Crystal, the Maoshan Gold Ingot, and the Divine Grass into the pressure cooker. He still needed water for his elixir crafting, so he casually scooped some from the Ice Lake and poured it in.

Zhao Rong floated the pressure cooker on the surface of the lake and heated it from the side with his Steadfast Fire. Thanks to the power of the Steadfast Fire, the biting cold lake water around him soon began to warm up.

Worried that Tao Hua would discover he was slacking off to craft an elixir instead of training diligently, he moved to a smaller pool within the Ice Lake, one separated by rocks, and began his work there. As he worked, the temperature in the small pool steadily rose, and soon, Zhao Rong no longer felt the chill. Before long, the icy water had transformed into a pleasant hot spring.

And so, Zhao Rong lay back in the hot spring, enjoying its warmth while casually crafting his elixir.

Because rocks separated his small pool from the Big Ice Lake where Tao Hua was cultivating, the change in temperature didn’t reach her. So it was that Zhao Rong soaked comfortably in his personal hot spring, while Tao Hua continued to agonize in the bone-chilling cold of the main lake.

With the help of the Steadfast Fire, his elixir crafting went smoothly, and after three and a half hours, the Return-to-Origin Pill was successfully created.

When Zhao Rong opened the pressure cooker and saw a pitch-black pill inside, he thought excitedly, I may have struck out in love today, but I’m certainly hitting a home run with elixir crafting!

With that, he swallowed the Return-to-Origin Pill. After taking the elixir, Zhao Rong suddenly felt very sleepy. The small pool, which his Steadfast Fire had turned into a comfortable hot spring, made it nearly impossible for him to stay awake. After putting the pressure cooker and the Steadfast Fire back into his Magic Ring, his head had barely touched a stone by the water’s edge before he fell asleep.

When the third watch of the night arrived, marking the end of the first half of their training, Tao Hua finally opened her eyes. She had been cultivating with them closed the entire time. However, when she looked for Zhao Rong, who was supposed to be training in front of her, he had vanished. Shocked, her eyes flew wide open.

She looked everywhere for him. Where did Zhao Rong go? Could he have succumbed to the cold, passed out, and been swept away by an undercurrent?

Just as she was starting to worry, she heard snoring from nearby. Following the sound, she saw Zhao Rong lying in the small, adjacent pool, sound asleep.

When Tao Hua saw him sleeping there, she couldn’t help but gasp. Oh my gosh, that Zhao Rong can really sleep anywhere! The small lake is even colder than the Big Ice Lake. Its water is more piercing and much harder to endure... but he’s sleeping soundly in such a harsh environment? That’s incredible!

She walked toward the small pool and called out to him, ”Zhao Rong, the first half of our training in the Ice Lake is over. Now you need to come with me to the True Martial Sect’s sauna for the second half.”

Hearing a voice, Zhao Rong jolted awake.