It’s said that seeing mountains from afar can tire a horse to death. More than an hour ago, from the vast plains, the merchant caravan had already caught sight of the magnificent capital of the Great Xia Empire, Luo Shui. Yet even after another hour of travel, with dusk quickly approaching, Luo Shui still appeared just as distant as before.
It had been half a month since parting ways with Li Jiaying. During this time, Li Tan had nothing particular to do. He traveled during the day and practiced internal cultivation at night. Although his cultivation had not advanced much, his foundation at the middle stage of the Xiantian level had stabilized. Occasionally, he would chat with the elderly members of the caravan, but he rarely saw Zhang Cong.
Moreover, due to being on the vast plains, the sun scorched the land relentlessly throughout the twelve two-hour periods of the day, causing smoke to rise from the ground. It was unbearably hot for people.
Right now, many in the caravan had already suffered from heatstroke.
Zhang Cong was still inside the carriage, diligently practicing internal cultivation.
Zhang Cong’s behavior surprised Li Tan somewhat. After deliberately applying such pressure, Zhang still managed to remain calm enough to continue his training without even a single complaint. This made Li Tan feel somewhat puzzled.
Generally speaking, at thirteen or fourteen years old, this was the most rebellious and playful age. Even if one was extremely passionate about cultivation and eager to become stronger, it was unusual to constantly bury oneself in training.
It wasn’t that this behavior was bad; it was just strange for a child to show no trace of youthful innocence whatsoever.
Previously, in the remote village, Zhang had bravely stepped forward in a critical moment and even had the courage to seize pills from an evil cultivator, which was strange enough.
Zhang explained that he was simply afraid of dying here and never being able to return to see his mother. However, Li Tan always felt that there was more to it than that.
Still, Li Tan didn’t specifically press him for answers. Everyone had their own privacy, and not everything needed to be investigated thoroughly. Moreover, he trusted his judgment—Zhang Cong was definitely an upright person.
When they were not far from Luo Shui City, Zhang Cong suddenly rode his horse up to Li Tan. He pulled in his stomach, straightened his back, and stood tall. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his eyes remained wide open without blinking.
“Brother Li, I… I…” The sound of galloping hooves nearly drowned out his words.
Li Tan, who had been resting his eyes, opened them. “What is it? Do I look that terrifying to make you unable to speak properly?”
“I’m just nervous, okay?” Zhang replied.
Li Tan asked, “You came to me about that previous agreement, right?”
Zhang nodded. “Yes, exactly that.”
“The conditions were clear. Now that you’ve reached a conclusion yourself, why are you so nervous?”
“Cough… I don’t know either. I’m just nervous.”
Seeing Zhang’s nervousness reminded Li Tan of some of his own past experiences, and he couldn’t help but smile. “Look at you, so nervous. You’ve broken through, haven’t you?”
“Well, I’m not entirely sure, so I’m nervous. The book says that when you break through to the mid-stage of the Houtian realm, there isn’t an obvious difference at first.”
“There is such a saying, but that’s only if you’re not paying attention. Let me ask you this—does it feel hot today?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
Zhang scratched his head in confusion. “It’s hot,” he answered.
Li Tan pointed to some rocks beneath the grass not far away and retrieved a burlap sack from the ruined tower for him. “Go over there, fill this sack with rocks, and bring it back.”
“Huh?”
“What are you ‘huh’ing for? If you’ve reached the mid-stage of Houtian realm, you should be able to retrieve the rocks. If you can’t, then you haven’t truly broken through.”
Understanding dawned on Zhang, and with nervous excitement, he rode off.
“Ho ho, heave ho,” he grunted.
Moments later, Zhang returned, his face flushed red, carrying a full sack of rocks on a horse clearly struggling under the weight.
“I… I brought it back!” Zhang’s face was contorted from exertion as he grinned.
“So, about teaching me cultivation…” Li Tan lifted the sack effortlessly with one hand. “After arriving at the capital, come directly to the Tian Ce Inn to find me.”
“Yes, Brother Li—oh, no, Master!”
Zhang was overjoyed.
Li Tan shook his head. “I never said I would take you as a disciple.”
“Oh, then…”
“Of course, I will teach you cultivation earnestly. However, I will only guide you and help you become independent. After that, you should find a sect and formally become a disciple there.”
Zhang looked slightly disappointed but still nodded in agreement and expressed his gratitude. Given how Li Tan had put it, it would be annoying to persist further.
Changing the subject, Zhang pointed at the sack. “Brother Li, what do you need so many rocks for? Should I just throw them away now?”
Li Tan pointed to the scorching sun above. “Does the sun make you uncomfortable?”
Zhang nodded blankly. “But what does that have to do with the rocks?”
Li Tan smiled slightly. “It has a lot to do with it.”
“Are we going to knock people out with the rocks so they won’t feel the sun anymore?”
Zhang made an explosive remark, apparently serious.
Li Tan was momentarily speechless before instructing, “Go get some sacks—many of them—and make sure they don’t leak.”
At this point, Scholar Zhang was attracted by the sack of rocks. “Master Li, what are you planning to do with all these rocks, and what do you need the sacks for?”
“The rocks are for cooling down, and the sacks are for carrying the rocks.”
Li Tan’s calm explanation left them puzzled.
Although the words sounded strange, Scholar Zhang and Zhang Cong obediently went to fetch the sacks, eager to see how rocks and sacks would provide cooling relief.
Li Tan instructed the group to halt temporarily. He then activated his internal energy to crush all the rocks into sesame-sized fragments, which he then placed into the painstakingly gathered sheepskin sacks.
Scholar Zhang and Zhang Cong were nearly stunned watching this unfold.
Then something even more astonishing happened.
Li Tan poured water into one of the sacks. The soft sack immediately became heavy, and white vapor began to rise continuously from its opening.
Li Tan tossed the sack to Scholar Zhang, who caught it and immediately exclaimed, “This… How did you do this?”
“Let me feel it too!”
Zhang Cong curiously placed his hand on it and immediately shouted in delight, “Wow, it’s ice! Brother Li, what martial skill is this?”
“It’s not a martial skill. It’s all thanks to these rocks.”
“What? These rocks can produce ice out of nowhere?”
“Can’t you think a bit? Your brain must be rusty by now. Didn’t you just see me pour water into it?”
“What do you mean? Hmm… Could it be that water and rocks together can create ice? But that doesn’t make sense. I’ve never seen city walls freeze during rain.”
Li Tan picked up a deliberately reserved rock. “This is called saltpeter. Only this substance can produce ice when it comes into contact with water.”
Zhang Cong took the saltpeter from Li Tan’s hand and examined it curiously alongside Scholar Zhang. Scholar Zhang happily said, “This is great! With this, we won’t have to fear the scorching sun anymore!”
Li Tan glanced at the elderly, women, and children who were nearly roasted by the sun. “Quickly distribute the remaining sacks to the others and share this method with everyone.”
“Er, is that okay?”
Scholar Zhang hesitated.
Li Tan shook his head. “It’s fine. This isn’t something that needs to be kept secret anyway.”
Scholar Zhang and Zhang Cong hurried off to carry out the task. In an instant, Li Tan’s reputation soared. About half an hour later, Zhang Cong returned, wearing five or six large sacks, clearly enjoying himself.
Li Tan grinned and asked, “Feeling good?”
Zhang Cong nodded enthusiastically. “So good!”
Li Tan asked again, “Have you had enough?”
Zhang shook his head vigorously. “Of course not.”
Li Tan said, “I think you’ve had enough.”
“Heh, not yet… Hmm,” Zhang looked up at Li Tan’s half-smiling expression and immediately froze. Changing his tone, he said, “Enough, of course enough.”
Moments later, all the sacks from Zhang Cong were transferred to Li Tan.
“Enduring the sun’s scorching heat is also part of cultivation.”
Li Tan leisurely followed behind, carrying six ice-filled sacks hanging from his body.
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