Chapter 158: Flower of the Snow Woman

Chen Qi clicked on the map, directing his game character to the commission board at the Tower of Potions.

[White sunlight shines down upon you.]
[You finish your bowl of warm vegetable congee and walk up to the commission board.]
[As you approach the board, the little apothecary apprentice takes small, hurried steps right behind you.]

At this moment, three options were available for viewing: Herb Commissions, Delivery Commissions, and Weather Reports.

Aside from patrolling District 8 of New Capital daily, the Calamity Messenger would also regularly visit corresponding buildings to report on weather conditions.

[The Calamity Messenger reminds you that, according to the latest weather reconnaissance, the bitter winter is coming to an end, and a spectral wind will sweep through District 8 of New Capital, lasting for about ten days.]
[Spectral Wind: Amidst the gale, you will see illusory specters that ordinary attacks cannot harm. Please mind your sanity. The disaster level is expected to be Wind-rank, but there is a possibility of escalation. Everyone at the Tower of Potions, please stay safe.]

A new weather pattern?
The bitter winter hadn't lasted very long.
Chen Qi made a mental note of this weather.
In the New Capital, calamity weather was very common. However, compared to black rain and blizzards, the upcoming spectral wind could already be considered good weather.
Moreover, for Chen Qi, weather-type minor calamities were not necessarily a bad thing, as they could expand the range of his Morning Star.

Chen Qi clicked on the commission board and checked the listings one by one.
Most of the commissions were as simple as usual.
Among them, a commission for the [Snow Maiden Flower] stood out prominently.

[Commission: Harvesting the Snow Maiden Flower.]
[The bitter winter is about to pass. Legend has it that at the very end of winter, before the snow maidens melt away, they gather together to plant a Snow Maiden Flower. In the hands of a top-tier apothecary, the Snow Maiden Flower can be crafted into an ultra-frigid potion.]
[Commission Requirement: Harvest a Snow Maiden Flower.]
[Client: Witch of Flowers.]
[Reward: Witch Potion, plus 2 White Solar Coins.]

What is a Witch Potion? Does it turn people into witches? Chen Qi curiously clicked on the term "Witch Potion."

[Witch Potion:]
[Witch Potion is the alias for the highest-grade potion at the Tower of Potions. It is extremely precious, requiring not only rare herbs but also exquisite apothecary skills to brew.]
[It is a tier higher than the Floral Spirit Potion.]

So it doesn't turn you into a witch...
Chen Qi glanced past the herb-gathering task. In short, the Witch Potion was simply a very precious potion, and its specific effects would only become clear once it was actually in hand.
Chen Qi skimmed over the task.
Since the bitter winter was coming to an end, quite a few herb gatherers had accepted this task and were out searching for the Snow Maiden Flower.

A line of text popped up.
[The little apothecary apprentice follows closely, looking at you with curiosity. In her impression, although you don't gather herbs very often, your efficiency is extraordinarily high!]
[If you hadn't been tricked away by that unhinged Witch of Candles, you definitely would have become the greatest herb gatherer in history!]

Chen Qi was momentarily stunned; everyone seemed to know that he was about to leave the Tower of Potions.

[The little apothecary apprentice reminds you that you had better find companions to search for the Snow Maiden Flower together, because snow maidens are huge and terrifying creatures, and not every place where snow maidens congregate has a Snow Maiden Flower.]
[You look into the little apothecary apprentice's eager eyes as she tries to show off her knowledge. Do you wish to ask the little apothecary for more information?]

Yes.

[You ask the little apothecary apprentice for more information, and she takes out her herbal notes to tell you all about the Snow Maiden Flower...]
[...]
[You thank the little apothecary apprentice. She flashes a confident smile, saying it was nothing.]
[You have obtained five possible locations where the snow maidens hide, as well as a wealth of information regarding the Snow Maiden Flower.]

Chen Qi reviewed the information.
As winter passed, the snow maidens would go into hiding to store up their strength and would no longer stir up trouble during the bitter season.
Finding things was the Morning Star's specialty; as long as this Snow Maiden Flower truly existed, his Morning Star would be able to locate it.
Unfortunately, although the ground outside was still covered in white snow, it wasn't currently snowing, which meant the conditions for the Morning Star's activation weren't met—he couldn't expand his Morning Star to cover the entire calamity zone just yet.

Chen Qi opened the map, attempted to navigate to these locations, and then used the Morning Star for reconnaissance.
...

[You summon the Little Lantern Shadow Fox. The Little Lantern Shadow Fox excitedly grows larger and wraps its tail around you, lifting you onto its back.]
[Searching for the Snow Maiden Flower...]

After a few attempts, successful text popped up in the game.

[The Morning Star flies out from your hand and successfully locates the Snow Maiden Flower!]
[You ride atop the Little Lantern Shadow Fox, following the guidance of the Morning Star.]
[You discover an ice cave leading underground, from which a biting, freezing wind pours out.]
[Wanderer of the World, do you wish to enter the ice cave?]

Chen Qi pondered for a moment and decided to use a Prophetic Dream to foresee the current situation.
Prophetic Dream, initiate prophecy!

[Prophecy begins.]
[You enter the ice cave. After a grueling battle, you defeat the snow maidens and harvest the Snow Maiden Flower. However, as you are finally leaving, icicles along the entire length of the ice cave continuously crash down, and you sustain quite a few injuries.]
[Prophecy ends: You sustain quite a few injuries.]

Does it end right there...?
Chen Qi looked at the prophecy. The visions from the Prophetic Dream were still rather vague, and the prophetic duration was limited.
However, through the Prophetic Dream, he knew that this ice cave shouldn't pose too big of a problem for him.

Chen Qi clicked the text and entered the ice cave.

[You instruct the Little Lantern Shadow Fox to shrink. Upon shrinking, it perches on your head, blinking its large eyes and wagging its fluffy little tail!]
[You slowly descend into the ice cave. Below, you see a long ice tunnel, with numerous icicles hanging from the ceiling...]
[You press further ahead, and in the distance, you hear the terrifying sounds made by the snow maidens.]

Chen Qi prepared himself for action at any moment. The snow maidens in the New Capital were terrifying creatures; massive in size, they were not easy to deal with.

[You slowly walk forward, hugging the wall to observe the interior.]
[Inside, snowflakes whirl around. Five snow maidens sit within the ice cave, guarding a flower that appears to be crafted entirely from ice crystals.]
[If this flower is left unharvested, by the time the next bitter winter arrives, it will grow into a terrifying, massive calamity tree.]
[As the bitter winter draws to a close, the sizes of these monsters have noticeably shrunk, and each snow maiden now stands only a little over two meters tall.]

Chen Qi checked the stats of these snow maidens. With winter coming to an end, they had weakened significantly, dropping to just over level 10.

[You grip your long saber. Do you wish to launch a sneak attack?]

Yes.

[A chilling flame ignites along your blade, and a figure flashes forward!]

A line of text popped up.

[The snow maidens detect your sneak attack, leap backward, and cower in the corner of the ice cave, baring their teeth at you!]
[A cold glint flashes in the snow maidens' eyes as they expose their sharp fangs, channeling the last of their bodily energy to unleash Howling Blizzard upon you and the Little Lantern Shadow Fox!]
[In an instant, the temperature inside the ice cave plummets! The space here is too confined, making it impossible for you to dodge this continuous area-of-effect attack...]

With continuous wind damage combined with the cramped space, Black Fire Walking wouldn't work temporarily either.
Chen Qi looked at the text; he should be able to withstand this blow head-on!

[You tell the Little Lantern Shadow Fox to hurry and hide behind you, as it lacks high resistance to cold!]
[The Little Lantern Shadow Fox hides behind you and initiates an attack!]
[Although the biting cold has no effect on you, the omnidirectional ice needles continuously rake across the skin of your face, blooming droplet after droplet of blood.]
[You lose 5 health points! Remaining health: 35/40.]
[Seeing that their attacks are ineffective against you, the snow maidens gasp, opening their mouths like toads, preparing to unleash another assault against you!]
[Enduring the chilling wind, you charge toward the five snow maidens, draw your saber, and execute a Step-Forward Slash!]
[The snow maidens are battered by a flurry of frantic strikes from your long saber. Instantly, like shattering ice sculptures, their forms break apart, transforming into countless snowflakes swirling through the air.]
[You gain a total of 210 experience points. Blade Affinity triggers, granting an additional 42 experience points. You have leveled up to Level 15. Current experience bar: 65/1000.]

These snow maidens were not high in level.
Chen Qi looked at the text below.

[Wanderer of the World, you have reached a new tier. From this point onward, acquiring experience will become considerably more difficult.]

In the forums, players had compiled statistical guides: Level 15 was a threshold, and every level beyond it was exceptionally arduous.
Prior to Level 15, one could easily grind levels. Once reaching Level 15, killing monsters more than 5 levels below oneself yielded negligible experience.
Moreover, the experience gained from killing enemies higher level than oneself would also decrease significantly.
Many players remained stuck at Level 15 and above, unable to progress further.
And upon reaching Level 20, continuing to level up would require meeting certain specific conditions.
Many players who had relied on high-level veterans to carry them through experience grinding would typically settle down once they reached this milestone, dedicating themselves wholeheartedly to researching spell techniques.

[Ignoring the swirling snowflakes inside the cavern, you silently sheath the saber stained with frost.]
[ Beneath the falling snowflakes, you spot an azure flower, a bloom so breathtaking it seemed to have condensed the essence of the entire winter.]
[You carefully harvest the azure flower.]
[You have obtained the Snow Maiden Flower.]