389: Bottom of the Cold Pool

The water beneath the Tianshan Cold Pool is very deep.

Jiang Ning dove in headfirst, descending about several dozen meters.

The further down he went, the poorer the visibility became, and the heavier the cold Qi grew.

Even with Spiritual Qi protecting his body, Jiang Ning still felt a faint chill at this depth; perhaps descending after reaching the Deity Transformation Realm would have been the best approach.

"Not necessarily."

Jiang Ning dismissed the idea that entering the Deity Transformation Realm guaranteed safety; otherwise, there wouldn't be Soul Transformation corpses down here.

"They might also have been injured and came here for a Death Seclusion, preparing for a Breakthrough."

Jiang Ning shook off his random thoughts.

After descending an unknown number of meters further, Jiang Ning suddenly felt a bone-piercing coldness.

This coldness was terrifying; even through his Spiritual Qi barrier, it caused a prickly sensation on his skin, leading to pain.

"No wonder the Grand Marshal, the Great Family Head, and the Great Palace Master—the three Late Nascent Soul Stage masters—couldn't do anything about the Tea Leaves underwater initially. Just resisting this cold required a certain supply of Spiritual Qi.

Fighting someone of similar Realm while carrying a burden, and in the opponent's home territory, how could they possibly unleash their full combat power?"

Jiang Ning looked around; the "rock walls" were emitting a pale blue-white light.

Jiang Ning knew this was the inner wall of the Heavenly Cold Maiden's Teacup. Only now had he truly reached the actual "Cold Pool."

He swam downward with heightened vigilance.

He released his Divine Sense, constantly observing his surroundings for any sudden attacks from "creatures."

Fear of creatures is much deeper underwater.

On Earth, he once played a Single-player Game involving underwater exploration. Initially, watching other Bloggers play, he didn't find it scary.

But when he played it himself, becoming immersed as if he were underwater, the sudden appearance of giant monsters on the screen could scare him into sleepless nights.

Staying even for a second in such an environment—where breathing is impossible, claustrophobic, and silent—is a psychological challenge.

Jiang Ning was terrified that the "Tea Leaves" in the water would suddenly dart out... The tea leaves described in the Novel were long, green, strip-like creatures, like snakes, without limbs, and whose heads were indistinguishable... Jiang Ning immediately thought of earthworms.

"If they suddenly darted out, I'd be scared to death..."

Just as he was thinking this.

The Divine Sense Jiang Ning released detected a powerful burst of Spiritual Qi rapidly approaching him.

Jiang Ning looked towards the source.

Exploring with his Divine Sense, a chill rose in Jiang Ning's heart.

"Damn it."

This creature was indeed like an earthworm, but much more terrifying.

With its green body, it was less like an earthworm and more like a "snake" with a head at both ends!

Its body was enormous, and its speed within the Cold Pool was extremely fast!

Jiang Ning swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

"Fortunately, I've seen Regretful Monsters in the Spirit Ruins of the Lingxu Domain that are even more disgusting and terrifying than this, otherwise I really would be scared!"

He waited quietly.

In reality, he was preparing mentally.

He judged the opponent's distance.

"One hundred meters... fifty meters... now!"

Jiang Ning directly opened the Small World and sent this Tea Leaf Monster straight inside.

The process went smoothly.

"Phew... it worked!"

This was the method Jiang Ning devised. He didn't possess Divine Soul Martial Skills like Gu Yanqing, but he could find a way to temporarily avoid dealing with these Tea Leaves.

"The first time I tried this method was when I was near death, dealing with the Void Weevil... Thinking about it, I could actually just lock up Cultivators I can't beat in daily life too!"

Jiang Ning's eyes lit up!

But immediately after.

He discarded the idea.

"If I were to lock up a Cultivator stronger than me, that Cultivator, being intelligent, might find the connection between the Small World and my Divine Sense, and I might end up losing the entire Small World.

It's not just Cultivators; even Spirit Beasts, once they reach my Realm and undergo Transformation, possess high Sentience. Alas... it's a pity I didn't discover this trick when my Realm was lower.

What a real shame."

Jiang Ning sent a wisp of Divine Sense into the Small World.

Inside the Small World, the green monster looked bewildered.

It was obvious that this monster, which had stayed in one place, never ventured out, and never encountered other Spirit Objects, had very simple Sentience.

It didn't know why it had entered this place, and more importantly, it had landed on the Lawn.

Help!

It had lived in the Cold Pool since it was small and had never left the water.

It was a tea leaf that had been steeped by someone. The day it left the water, it would either be accidentally swallowed and gently "spit out," or it would have lost its flavor and needed to be replaced with a new batch.

It cannot leave the water!!!

The "Tea Leaf" on the Lawn was extremely restless, even performing a "Carp Jump" movement, twisting and turning continuously.

Sensing Jiang Ning's aura.

The Tea Leaf let out a roar.

Jiang Ning smiled, glanced at the Void Weevil sleeping nearby, and withdrew his Divine Sense from the Small World.

Fine, just stay like that.

Inside the Cold Pool.

Jiang Ning did not lower his guard.

The Original Novel mentioned that the Tea Leaves were not just one strand; Jiang Ning forgot the exact number, only knowing that the deeper he went, the more there were.

A quarter of an hour later.

Jiang Ning sent the second Tea Leaf into the Small World.

"Tea Leaf Number One," still continuously performing the Carp Jump, saw a compatriot enter and wriggled over to its side.

Then "Tea Leaf Number One" and "Tea Leaf Number Two" performed the Carp Jump together.

Before long, they welcomed "Tea Leaf Number Three"... and then Tea Leaf Number Four arrived... up until Tea Leaf Number Nine, Jiang Ning finally confirmed that all the Tea Leaves in the Cold Pool had been cleared out by him.

"The Heavenly Cold Maiden is a bit stingy, only putting nine tea leaves in one cup. What kind of bland flavor can you even get from that?"

The Heavenly Cold Maiden wasn't drinking tea leaves anyway.

She was cultivating cold Qi and Cultivating the Mind.

Although these Tea Leaves had been steeped, they were once top-grade Cold Tea. Forget nine pieces, even one was hard to find.

Fortunately, the Efficacy of the Tea Leaves had mostly dissipated, otherwise, who would dare to develop this Tianshan Cold Pool?

Jiang Ning entered the Small World again.

All nine Tea Leaves performed the Carp Jump while looking at him.

Jiang Ning frowned.

"The strength of these Tea Leaves is not low; it would be even better if I could subdue them."

After thinking for a moment.

In front of the House in the Small World, he dug a large Pond, filled it with water, and then put the "Tea Leaves" inside.

The Tea Leaves, now in the water, became somewhat cheerful and bared their teeth at Jiang Ning.

"Oh?"

Jiang Ning drained all the water.

He exited the Small World.

"I need to teach these Tea Leaves a lesson and let them dry out for a bit. When I advance another level, I'll show them who's boss!"