Chapter 7: Frozen Assets and Fiery Lessons
The Frostwhisper Orchid was a glacier strapped to Kai's back. Even through the leather pack, its biting cold seeped into his bones, making his teeth chatter and his breath plume visibly in the humid forest air. His sprint back to the geode chamber felt like fleeing through an icy hell. Every jostle sent fresh waves of numbing pain through his shoulders where the pack pressed.
**<< Warning: Frostwhisper Qi Leakage Detected. Host Core Temperature Dropping. Sustained Exposure Hazardous. >>**
"No kidding," Kai gasped, skidding into the relative shelter of the outer cave entrance. He practically ripped the pack off, hissing as the intense cold radiated from it. He shoved it hastily into the hidden chamber before scrambling in after it, sealing the entrance with frantic speed.
Inside the geode, the temperature plummeted. Condensation instantly fogged the smooth walls, then froze into delicate fractal patterns. The orchid, lying on the stone floor, pulsed with an ethereal blue-white light, its cold aura warring with the chamber's natural geothermal warmth. Kai hugged himself, shivering violently, his Qi instinctively circulating faster to generate heat, fighting a losing battle.
**<< Critical Alert: Ambient Temperature Critical. Frostwhisper Qi actively suppressing Geothermal Node. Host hypothermia risk: High. Immediate containment or consumption required. >>**
Consumption? Raw? The System's earlier warning flashed in his mind: *Direct contact hazardous without preparation.* Eating this thing felt like suicide. Containment? He had nothing. The leather pack was already stiffening with frost.
"Containment! System, options! Fast!" Kai demanded, his voice trembling.
**<< Analysis: >>**
**<< 1. Crude Insulation: Utilize available hides/cloth. Effectiveness: Very Low. Risk: Qi backlash freeze. >>**
**<< 2. Qi Barrier Projection: Constant, significant Qi drain. Feasibility: Moderate (Host Mid-Stage Qi Gathering). Requires Focus. >>**
**<< 3. Basic Alchemical Stabilization: Convert portion of Orchid into stable 'Frost Essence Crystal' via crude Qi infusion. Requires intense heat source. Effectiveness: High (Temporary). SP Cost: 0 (Requires Alchemy Knowledge). >>**
*Alchemy knowledge.* The greyed-out **'Basic Alchemy Primer (Digital)'** pulsed mockingly in his mental Shop interface. Price: 180 SP. He had 165 SP after the Orchid heist. *So close!* He needed 15 more, and he needed them *now*.
His eyes darted around the freezing chamber. The Stonehide Stag blood vials! He grabbed one. "System, convert this Stag Blood!"
**<< Material Assessment: Stonehide Stag Blood (Qi-Rich). Grade: Low Tier Spirit Material. >>**
**<< Estimated SP Value: 20 SP. Convert? Y/N? >>**
"Yes! Convert!"
**<< Confirmed. +20 SP. >>**
**<< Total SP: 185! >>**
"Purchase the Alchemy Primer! Now!"
**<< Confirmed. Deducting 180 SP. >>**
**<< Total SP: 5 >>**
**<< Downloading Knowledge: Basic Alchemy Primer (Digital)... >>**
Information flooded Kai's mind – not just words, but concepts, sensations, *understanding*. Properties of common spirit herbs and materials. Basic principles of Qi infusion, extraction, and stabilization. Crude methodologies for field alchemy. It was overwhelming, yet instantly accessible, like a dusty library suddenly illuminated.
He focused on the Frostwhisper entry, specifically the emergency stabilization method. *Requires intense heat source.* His eyes snapped to the small fire-starting kit from his survival pack. Flint and steel. Dry tinder. Utterly inadequate against the Orchid's profound cold.
*Intense heat...* His gaze landed on the vial of Sunfire Lotus Pollen listed as a requirement for the full Elixir. He didn't have it. But the description... *Highly volatile. Reacts explosively with concentrated Water/Ice Qi.*
An insane gamble sparked. He grabbed the fire kit and his flint knife. He scraped furiously at the driest section of the geode wall, gathering a small pile of mineral-rich dust and flakes. He mixed it with his precious dry tinder, creating a small mound near the Orchid, but not too close.
He took a deep, steadying breath, forcing his shivering body still. He focused his Qi, drawing deeply from his dantian. This wasn't for a strike; it was for precision, for *ignition*. He envisioned the spark not just catching the tinder, but *amplifying*, fueled by the mineral dust and his own will. He struck the flint against the steel directly over the pile.
*SPARK!*
A single, bright ember flew. Kai *pushed* a focused thread of his Qi into it as it landed.
*WHOOSH!*
The tiny pile didn't just catch; it *erupted*. A geyser of blue-tinged flame, nearly a foot high, roared to life, fueled by the sudden, intense reaction between the mineral dust and his Qi-infused ignition. Heat blasted outwards, momentarily pushing back the Orchid's cold aura. It was unstable, wild, but it was *hot*.
**<< Temporary Heat Source Established. Duration Estimated: 3 minutes. >>**
No time to marvel. Kai focused on the Alchemy Primer's instructions. He grabbed his flint knife again. With trembling, near-frozen fingers, he carefully snapped off a single, smaller crystalline petal from the Frostwhisper Orchid. The cold radiating from the fragment was still intense, but manageable for a few seconds.
Holding the petal with cloth-wrapped fingers, he positioned it directly in the heart of the unstable blue flame. Then, pouring every ounce of focus he possessed, he channeled his Qi *into* the petal, *through* the flame. Not to fight the heat, but to guide it, to force a reaction – not combustion, but sublimation. He visualized the cold Qi within the petal being superheated and compressed under his will, forced into a stable crystalline state.
The petal didn't melt. It *shimmered*, vibrating violently within the flame. Frost patterns warred with the blue fire. Kai gritted his teeth, pouring more Qi, his Mid-stage reserves draining rapidly. Sweat beaded on his forehead only to freeze instantly in the conflicting auras.
*CRACKLE... HISS...*
The petal collapsed in on itself. The intense blue flame flickered and died, its fuel and Kai's sustaining Qi exhausted. Where the petal had been, resting on the scorched stone, lay a single, perfect teardrop-shaped crystal. It glowed with a subdued, internal blue light, radiating cold, but contained, focused. No longer an invasive aura, but a contained essence.
**<< Success! Frost Essence Crystal Created (Crude Grade). >>**
**<< Frostwhisper Orchid Stabilized. Ambient Temperature Rising. >>**
Kai collapsed backwards, gasping, utterly drained. The geode was still cold, but the bone-deep, invasive chill was gone. The main orchid lay dormant, its aura contained now that the destabilizing fragment was removed and crystallized. The Frost Essence Crystal pulsed gently in his hand, cool but not harmful.
He'd done it. By the skin of his teeth, fueled by desperation, stolen knowledge, and pure bullheaded will, he'd contained the immediate threat. He hadn't fixed his meridians, but he'd bought time and secured the key ingredient.
**<< Alchemy Proficiency Unlocked! >>**
**<< Level: Novice (Field Expediency) >>**
**<< Proficiency: 8% >>**
**<< SP Gained: 25 (Successful Crude Alchemy / Improvisation Under Duress) >>**
**<< Total SP: 30 >>**
Kai lay on the cool stone, staring at the crystal in his hand, then at the dormant orchid. Exhaustion warred with a fierce, glowing satisfaction. He wasn't just surviving anymore. He wasn't just fighting. He was *creating*. He was manipulating the very building blocks of power.
The System screen flickered, highlighting the next step:
**<< Craft 'Frostwhisper Meridian Rejuvenation Elixir' >>**
**<< Missing: Spirit Spring Water, Sunfire Lotus Pollen, Basic Alchemy Kit (200 SP). >>**
Spirit Spring Water... He remembered the small, clear stream he'd secured days ago. Was it potent enough? Sunfire Lotus Pollen... that sounded fiery, volatile. The opposite of the Frostwhisper. Finding it would be another hunt, likely dangerous.
And the Alchemy Kit... 200 SP. He had 30. The path forward was clear, but steep.
A faint, distant vibration pulsed through his Earth Sense. Not beasts. Human steps. Many of them. Spreading out. Searching. Moving with systematic intent through the forest quadrant near the Northern Ravine.
**<< Environmental Alert: Verdant Cloud Sect Patrol Activity Intensified. Search Pattern Detected: Grid Sweep (Origin: Northern Ravine). Estimated Proximity to Host Location: 1.5 miles. Threat Level: Elevated. >>**
Zhang wasn't giving up. The theft of the Frostwhisper Orchid had drawn serious attention. Kai sat up slowly, the Frost Essence Crystal clenched tightly in his fist, its cool energy a reminder of what was at stake. He looked at the hidden entrance to his sanctuary.
His safe haven wasn't safe anymore. The Sect was closing in. He needed to move. He needed the Alchemy Kit. He needed that Elixir.
He needed more SP. Fast.
A grim determination settled over him, colder and harder than the Frost Essence Crystal. The hunt was no longer just for resources. It was for survival against an enemy who knew he was out here. And Kai, the Absolute Bullshit Cultivator, with his duct-taped meridians, his stolen knowledge, and his growing bag of tricks, was ready to play.
He packed the stabilized orchid and the crystal carefully. He shouldered his meager supplies. He took one last look at the geode chamber – his first true refuge. Then, he sealed it completely from the outside, making it look like nothing more than a solid rock face.
Time to disappear. Again. But this time, he wasn't just running. He was hunting back. The forest was about to become a very dangerous game board. And Kai had just learned a potent new move: Alchemy.