Tear Ice wasn't an immortal material, but it was still quite precious and widely loved by Gu Masters and Immortal Gu Masters alike.
Tear Ice originated from Snowpeople.
Snowpeople lived in freezing, snowy environments. They rarely cried or laughed, so tears were an exceptionally rare occurrence. The vast majority of Snowpeople would never experience crying from extreme joy or sorrow in their entire lives. However, if tears did fall, they would instantly freeze into Tear Ice.
In a Snowperson's lifetime, they could shed Tear Ice at most three times. The total number of drops would not exceed sixty. Each time they cried, a Snowperson's lifespan would decrease significantly, and their Life Essence would suffer great losses. If a Snowperson shed too much Tear Ice, they would rapidly age and die.
Therefore, Tear Ice was considered a rare item.
There was trading of Tear Ice within the Golden Jade Heaven, and it had always been very popular. Once, even the Pseudo-Immortal Xuesongzi had specifically trafficked Snowpeople, supplying them to other Immortal Gu Masters for torture in order to obtain Tear Ice.
For Human Race Immortal Gu Masters, Tear Ice was a relatively precious Gu refinement material.
But for the Snowpeople themselves, Tear Ice held another layer of profound significance.
It was a token of love!
That's right.
The Snowpeople race had male and female genders, unlike the Stonemen, who were purely male. The union of male and female Snowpeople usually involved an exchange of Tear Ice. For Snowpeople, this act carried immense significance.
"So this is Tear Ice." Fang Yuan's eyes lit up as he pinched the piece of Tear Ice between his fingers, holding it up to examine closely.
"D-don't look at it like that, hurry up and put it down..." Xue'er's voice was weak, filled with anxiety. There were so many others present. Holding up the Tear Ice for everyone to see in public meant everyone else would see it too!
Sure enough, in the next moment, Xue'er heard the astonished voices of those Immortal Gu Masters.
She hurriedly lowered her head, a blush of crimson spreading across her cheeks.
Giving Tear Ice to Fang Yuan was no different from confessing her feelings. Although she had mustered her courage before, having so many people watching now was truly, truly embarrassing!
"Come to think of it, I've long heard about this peculiar Gu material. Today, I finally get to see it with my own eyes. Thank you, Xue'er, this gift isn't bad. Perhaps I should refine it into some kind of Gu Insect?" Fang Yuan said cheerfully.
Xue'er's slender body trembled instantly upon hearing this.
Fang Yuan ignored it and continued, "However, a single piece of Tear Ice is still a bit little. It would be nice to have more. Why isn't there any trade in Tear Ice? It's really a bit of a pity."
Hearing this, the blush on Xue'er's face vanished completely, replaced by a sheet of pallor. She buried her head extremely low, her vision blurring with tears, almost crying out loud.
"This... this fool!" Bing Zhuo couldn't watch anymore and cursed inwardly, stepping forward.
The other non-Human Race Immortal Gu Masters were dumbfounded, unsure of what to say.
Xue'er suddenly raised her head, turning her back to Fang Yuan, and called out to Bing Zhuo, "Brother Bing Zhuo!"
Bing Zhuo gritted his teeth. Seeing Xue'er's miserable, pale expression, a strong feeling of pity surged in his heart. He knew she was thin-skinned. Sending the Tear Ice just now had already taken all her courage. It might even have been an impulsive act from a moment of heat. Since Fang Yuan didn't understand the meaning of the Tear Ice, if Bing Zhuo now publicly criticized him, wouldn't that put Xue'er in an even more awkward position?
Thinking this, Bing Zhuo swallowed the words he was about to say and changed to something else: "Elder Fang Yuan, fighting you was quite rewarding. Next time, let's have another good exchange!"
When he said "exchange," he deliberately emphasized the word, almost through gritted teeth.
Xue'er was young, beautiful, exceptionally talented, and highly cultivated. She had always been cared for and favored by her clan. However, none of the males of her generation were worthy of her.
This time, she had feelings for Fang Yuan. Although he was a Human Race Immortal Gu Master, after the Snowpeople Immortal Gu Masters had discussed it privately multiple times, they felt it was acceptable.
The Stonemen have an Earth Mother, so why can't our Snowpeople have a Snow Father?
If Xue'er could unite with Fang Yuan, the Snowpeople race would gain an Ancient Desolate Beast as a backer!
But who would have thought that Fang Yuan didn't understand non-Human customs and treated the Tear Ice as ordinary Gu material, making the situation very awkward. Xue'er was mortified.
Fang Yuan smiled, patting Bing Zhuo's shoulder: "Alright, I agree. Next time there's a chance, we'll compete again. Well then, everyone, farewell. No need to see me off, we'll meet again in the future. Hahaha."
After speaking, Fang Yuan let out a burst of laughter, turned, and walked away, his white robes billowing around him, his long black hair like a waterfall, extremely carefree and elegant.
Xue'er watched with a dazed look in her eyes.
Bing Zhuo, however, was grinding his teeth so hard they creaked, wishing he could tear this fellow Fang Yuan to pieces.
"No! After he's gone, I must write a letter and properly explain to him the meaning of the Tear Ice!"
The return journey went smoothly, and Fang Yuan arrived back at the Langya Blessed Land.
When he met the Langya Earth Spirit again, the Supreme Grand Elder of the Langya Sect's attitude toward Fang Yuan had undergone a significant change.