For the Earth Dragon Gate, they knew this cold spring was a rare treasure. Their intuition told them that even more precious items must be hidden beneath.
However, constrained by their own strength, they couldn't retrieve those treasures, nor could they even thoroughly investigate.
Currently, they could only use the existing properties of the cold spring to cultivate the sect's younger disciples with shallower cultivation.
With this thought, Nan Shuishui didn't hesitate. She immediately rose and led Lu Jingming and the others to the depths of the Earth Dragon Gate's backyard.
In a slightly secluded corner, an ancient, weathered well appeared before everyone's eyes.
Wisps of cold air emanated from the wellhead, giving it a mysterious and profound feel.
"Mom, is this the secret our Earth Dragon Gate has been hiding all this time? It just looks like a regular well, nothing special about it!"
Nan Qiuqiu curiously leaned towards the ancient well, peering inside. Other than feeling waves of coldness, she found nothing particularly special and couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
She had originally been full of anticipation, thinking her sect was hiding some astonishing treasure.
"What do you know, girl! You've benefited greatly from the cold spring in this well during your daily cultivation; otherwise, do you think your meager talent could have allowed you to break through to the Spirit Sect realm so quickly?"
Nan Shuishui glared at her daughter exasperatedly, explaining.
Nan Qiuqiu was slightly younger than Lu Jingming and had already successfully broken through to the Spirit Sect realm.
Such talent, even among the abundant geniuses of Shrek Academy, could compare with talents like Beibei and Xu Sanshi.
However, in reality, Nan Qiuqiu's talent was still slightly inferior to Beibei and Xu Sanshi's.
The cold spring water she used daily contributed significantly to her rapid cultivation speed.
It wasn't just Nan Qiuqiu; the young disciples of the Earth Dragon Gate Lu Jingming had seen earlier were all under fifteen years old, yet their cultivation was not to be underestimated.
If they were at Shrek Academy, each would be a core outer court disciple, with a chance to enter the inner court and receive priority cultivation from Shrek Academy.
This showed that the cold spring, formed by the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow, was indeed of great help to Spirit Masters with shallower cultivation.
"Jingming, this is the place. What you're looking for should be down there. I'm not clear on the specifics inside, but with a senior here, I presume I don't need to worry."
Nan Shuishui pointed to the ancient well that continuously emitted cold air, then turned to the Snow Empress, a relieved smile on her face.
The Earth Dragon Gate couldn't explore the depths of the cold spring due to their limited strength.
But the Snow Empress, as an ice-attribute powerhouse, must feel right at home facing this cold spring.
"Snow Empress, Ice Empress, you two go in. Gu Yue and I won't be joining you." Lu Jingming said to the Snow Empress and Ice Empress.
As long as the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow was obtained, the Ice Empress could use its power to reshape her physical body, and he wouldn't need to use the Abyssal Black Lotus and Pure White Flower to help.
Furthermore, Lu Jingming knew exactly what was hidden beneath the cold spring.
That Ice Extreme Divine Crystal ore vein was very valuable, but unfortunately, it was difficult to mine on a large scale in a short period.
However, the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow could be taken completely.
Once the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow was removed, the cold spring's temperature would no longer be so piercingly cold. At that point, the Earth Dragon Gate, with their own abilities, would be able to mine the ore vein.
Lu Jingming was not a greedy person. He didn't intend to keep everything for himself and leave nothing for the Earth Dragon Gate.
After all, this underground cold spring was a treasure passed down and guarded by the Earth Dragon Gate for thousands of years.
Although, given the grace of saving their lives, the Earth Dragon Gate might not raise any objections, Lu Jingming had his own principles.
He planned to purchase the Ice Extreme Divine Crystals from the Earth Dragon Gate at a reasonable price. Anyway, he lacked everything else right now but money.
Of course, the mining work would still have to be done by the Earth Dragon Gate themselves, as his influence was far away in the Star Luo Empire, and he simply didn't have much energy to manage things so far away.
As for the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow, Lu Jingming also didn't plan to take it for free. For this, he had already made thorough preparations.
Upon hearing Lu Jingming's address for the Snow Empress and Ice Empress, Nan Qiuqiu didn't react much, but Nan Shuishui's pupils constricted. She looked at the Snow Empress and Ice Empress, who had jumped into the ancient well, in disbelief.
For the Earth Dragon Gate, rooted in Dragon City, the spirit beasts of the Far North were their neighbors. How could she not have heard of the names of the Ice Empress and Snow Empress?
The names of the third and seventh ranked among the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts, the Three Kings of the Far North, were indeed very familiar to her.
At the same time, she felt relieved. No wonder they possessed such formidable strength; it was the Snow Empress. That explained everything.
Although somewhat curious about how Lu Jingming could command the Snow Empress and Ice Empress, Nan Shuishui wouldn't foolishly ask. She pretended not to have heard the names of the Snow Empress and Ice Empress.
The Snow Empress and Ice Empress entered the cold spring to explore and obtain the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow, while Lu Jingming and Gu Yue remained above, waiting with Nan Qiuqiu and Nan Shuishui.
While waiting, Lu Jingming took out eight blood-red crystals. These were precisely eight Ten-Thousand-Year Stigmata.
"Sect Master Nan, these are eight Ten-Thousand-Year Stigmata, all Sub-Dragon Stigmata. Consider this compensation for taking what's below."
"This, how can this be? You have shown kindness to the Earth Dragon Gate. Take whatever is below; no compensation is needed!"
"Take them, Sect Master Nan. Although Stigmata are precious, they are nothing to us in Sea Abyss City. Besides, these Stigmata are very suitable for the Earth Dragon Gate."
Lu Jingming handed the Stigmata to Nan Shuishui. Nan Shuishui hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not refuse. Lu Jingming was right; Sub-Dragon Stigmata were indeed very suitable for the Earth Dragon Gate.
However, this made her appreciate Lu Jingming even more. After all, he didn't need to offer any so-called compensation; the life-saving grace was more than enough.
The eight Ten-Thousand-Year Stigmata were all Sub-Dragon Stigmata, and among them, there was even a Rouge Dragon Stigmata.
This Rouge Dragon Stigmata was not easy to obtain. Since it was difficult to find a true Rouge Dragon spirit beast in a short time, Lu Jingming had to seek Herta's help.
Herta simulated the Rouge Dragon through the Simulated Universe and collected a large amount of relevant information.
Afterward, Mobius, using gene modulation technology, modified the genes of a Golden Earth Dragon. After numerous complex procedures, she successfully created the Rouge Dragon Stigmata.
Fortunately, there was a commonality in the bloodlines among dragons, which allowed the genetic modification to be realized.
The Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow was simply too precious and rare. The energy it contained could even forcefully create a million-year spirit beast.
Lu Jingming knew this, which was why he offered these Stigmata as compensation. Although the value of these Stigmata was still considerably less than that of the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow, if not for Lu Jingming and his group, the Earth Dragon Gate might never have been able to access and mine the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow.
Therefore, compared to the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow which they couldn't even touch, the Stigmata were more valuable to the Earth Dragon Gate and could tangibly improve their strength.
"Wow, it's really Stigmata! There's even a Rouge Dragon one! Thank you, Lu Jingming!"
Nan Qiuqiu, who was already intensely interested in Stigmata, saw that Lu Jingming not only brought out Stigmata but also the Rouge Dragon Stigmata she had been dreaming of. She was instantly overcome with excitement.
In her extreme agitation, she became unusually bold, completely disregarding the situation. She rushed forward and hugged Lu Jingming, planting a wet kiss on his cheek, leaving a damp mark.
"What are you doing?!" Gu Yue's eyes widened, like a kitten whose tail had been stepped on, instantly bristling with fury.
Gu Yue was both angry and anxious. She hadn't even kissed Lu Jingming yet, and this little pink-haired girl, whom they had only just met, had beaten her to it. How could she possibly tolerate that!
Nan Qiuqiu felt the killing intent emanating from Gu Yue and shrank her neck back, her pretty face also turning completely red.
She was filled with shyness. Hugging the Stigmata, she quickly hid behind Nan Shuishui, not daring to show her face again.
She had been so happy and excited just now that she made that impulsive move. Now that she had calmed down, she felt incredibly shy herself.
"Darn it!" Gu Yue gritted her teeth in anger. Though furious, she didn't erupt on the spot.
She glared fiercely at Lu Jingming, then took out a handkerchief she carried with her and reached out to wipe his face. She absolutely wouldn't allow any other person's mark to remain on Lu Jingming's handsome face.
Lu Jingming blinked, looking innocent, as if he had been completely unprepared for what just happened.
But in reality, with his keen reaction speed, he could have easily dodged Nan Qiuqiu's kiss. He just didn't want to.
Since he wasn't at a disadvantage and could see Gu Yue's amusing expression of jealousy and losing her composure, why not enjoy it?
Nan Shuishui saw this scene, helplessly covered her forehead, feeling both annoyed and amused. She glared back at Nan Qiuqiu exasperatedly, scolding her daughter for being too impulsive.
But then, a hint of relief appeared on her face.
Her little darling had finally come to her senses and knew to actively pursue someone, which brought some comfort to her as a mother.
However, Nan Shuishui glanced at Gu Yue, feeling a bit worried for her daughter. The competition seemed quite intense.
Nan Shuishui still had a rather good impression of Lu Jingming.
Although she knew Lu Jingming had come with a purpose this time, it was undeniable that the Earth Dragon Gate group was indeed saved by him. This was an undeniable fact, and she couldn't deny his life-saving grace just because he had an objective.
Given the strength displayed by the Snow Empress, coupled with Lu Jingming's life-saving grace, even if he wanted to take the items beneath the Earth Dragon Gate, Nan Shuishui actually had no objections.
After all, with the Earth Dragon Gate's current capabilities, they simply couldn't obtain the precious items beneath the cold spring. It was better to take this opportunity to repay the kindness.
Moreover, Lu Jingming clearly could have taken everything without any cost, yet he willingly offered eight Ten-Thousand-Year Stigmata as compensation to the Earth Dragon Gate. From this alone, Lu Jingming's character was indeed commendable.