Zhang Mingyuan turned and strode away, his pace fast, his movements betraying an anxiety he could not fully conceal.

  Yun Che hesitated only briefly. Recalling what Li Han had just said about his pseudo-perfect Voidlight Realm, his heart steadied. He was curious—what exactly did this so-called master intend to do?

  Zhang Mingyuan did not head elsewhere. Instead, he led straight toward a side courtyard of the Artifact Hall deep within Frost Condensation Peak. Before long, they arrived at a courtyard enclosed by ice-crystal walls—Zhang Mingyuan’s usual place for meditation and artifact refining.

  The ice gate opened, and frigid air rushed out. Yun Che’s expression remained calm. After a brief pause, he stepped inside.

  The courtyard was sparsely furnished. At its center stood a cold-ice stone table. Zhang Mingyuan stopped before it and pointed to a cup of icy-blue tea atop the table, white mist curling upward.

  “Disciple,” he said slowly, “drink this. It is Soul-Stabilizing Ice Spirit Tea, specially prepared by your master to solidify your foundation. Once you finish, pack your belongings. We will leave the Profound Frost Sect at once.”

  Yun Che glanced at the tea but did not respond.

  Zhang Mingyuan frowned, personally lifting the cup and handing it to him, his tone turning sharp.

  “The sect is on the brink of collapse! The Snowbound Alliance’s Divine Transformation ancestor arrives tomorrow. When chaos erupts, even fleeing for one’s life may be too late!”

  Yun Che still did not take the cup.

  His divine sense quietly swept over it. The tea indeed contained pure ice spiritual energy—but deep within lurked an extremely faint, twisted silver thread, writhing like a living thing. If not for his unusual perception, it would have gone entirely unnoticed.

  “This disciple is not thirsty,” Yun Che said evenly. “I appreciate the intent.”

  A cold glint flashed in Zhang Mingyuan’s eyes.

  “Drink it. Do not force me to act.”

  Yun Che fell silent. His left hand slowly accepted the cup, his gaze meeting Zhang Mingyuan’s for a brief instant. Meanwhile, his right hand inside his sleeve had already begun forming a hand seal—

  Minor Guiding Art!

  The void trembled.

  A massive, semi-transparent hand formed entirely of frigid intent manifested out of thin air, slamming down from above Zhang Mingyuan’s head!

  Zhang Mingyuan’s expression froze, then twisted as he struggled violently. No matter how he circulated his spiritual energy, the icy hand did not budge—only tightening its grip!

  “T-This—what kind of technique is this?!” He cried in horror.

  Yun Che said nothing, stepping calmly in front of him. His left palm struck Zhang Mingyuan lightly in the chest.

  Zhang Mingyuan instinctively opened his mouth to shout—

  Yun Che tilted the cup and poured the entire icy-blue tea straight down his throat!

  Gulp.

  Zhang Mingyuan’s face contorted in fury.

  “Yun Che! You dare murder your master?! If you kill me, the Discipline Hall will never spare you! I tell you—just now, the Sect Master summoned me for deliberation. If I do not arrive, someone will come looking!”

  Yun Che remained silent, his divine sense turning inward.

  Inside Zhang Mingyuan’s body, the tea rapidly dispersed. Threads of silver streaked through his blood vessels, surging straight toward his head.

  Zhang Mingyuan seemed to sense something was wrong and tried to speak again—but it was already too late.

  The instant the silver threads entered his brain, the ferocity drained from his face. His eyes gradually became dull and unfocused.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Yun Che stared at him, his heart sinking slightly—the man’s mind was clearly under control.

  After a moment, Yun Che spoke coldly.

  “Master, I never intended to kill you. You were the one who harbored malicious intent first. Had I truly drunk that tea, I would already be dead.”

  Zhang Mingyuan replied woodenly,

  “The tea must not be drunk.”

  Yun Che paused. “Why must it not be drunk?”

  “There is a Three-Corpse Ice Thread Gu within.”

  Yun Che’s gaze turned icy. “What does it do?”

  “It temporarily controls a person’s mind, allowing full command over their actions… It is a necessary component for refining Ice Puppets.”

  A killing intent surfaced in Yun Che’s eyes.

  “Why make me drink it?”

  Zhang Mingyuan answered mechanically, yet clearly.

  “When I first saw you draw spiritually enriched water from Nether Cold Pool years ago, I grew suspicious. That is why I accepted you as a registered disciple. I planned to search your soul once you reached Qi Condensation—but upon your entry, I secretly fed you Spirit-Dissolving Powder.”

  Yun Che’s heart shook. “Spirit-Dissolving Powder?”

  “It blocks spiritual energy accumulation. Ordinary disciples who ingest it cannot reach Qi Condensation for ten years. I assumed your cultivation path was ruined… Yet you reached the third level. With the sect now facing catastrophe and my cultivation too low, I intended to probe whether you carried some hidden opportunity before leaving.”

  Yun Che took a deep breath, suppressing his rage.

  “Did you tell anyone else about me? And why didn’t you use the Gu earlier?”

  “No. At first, I feared others would compete for the opportunity. Later, circumstances changed—it was of no benefit to speak. The Three-Corpse Ice Thread Gu was acquired last year when I traded stolen artifact manuals to a rogue cultivator. He said that below the Foundation Establishment, none could resist it. I originally planned to use it on Third Senior Brother to steal his Profound Ice Creation Pill.”

  Yun Che laughed coldly. “And you weren’t afraid I’d see through you?”

  “For opportunity… I had no choice. I am old. Without a breakthrough, Foundation Establishment is impossible in this lifetime.”

  Yun Che’s eyes hardened.

  “You claimed the Sect Master summoned you. Was that true?”

  “False.”

  The moment the word left his mouth, Yun Che’s palm pressed down on Zhang Mingyuan’s crown.

  Cold force pierced straight through his skull.

  Zhang Mingyuan’s body shuddered. Icy-blue blood seeped from his seven orifices as he slowly collapsed, lifeless.

  Yun Che stood there, staring at the corpse, emotions surging chaotically within.

  This was his first kill.

  And the one he killed… was his master in name.

  Snow and wind rushed in through the open gate, ice shards striking his face like needles.

  After a long silence, Yun Che stored the body away and removed Zhang Mingyuan’s storage pouch. Inside were decent spoils: over ten bottles of Condensing Ice Pills, three low-grade artifacts, several artifact-refining manuals, and about thirty low-grade spirit stones.

  Expression bleak, Yun Che left Frost Condensation Peak and made his way to a secluded ice rift deep in the back mountain, casting the body down into the abyss. The chasm was bottomless; soon, wind and snow erased all traces.

  Returning to the long-abandoned hut, Yun Che sat cross-legged on the ice bed. His divine sense spread quietly, laying down faint warning seals around the dwelling—any probing would alert him instantly.

  Only then did he take out the gray-white stone bead.

  Its surface had changed. The once-blurred patterns were gone, replaced by a faint, glowing mark resembling crystalline leaves.

  Li Han’s explanation had been simple: among the Five Elements, the Water attribute was nearing completion. Next, Yun Che needed wood-attributed heavenly materials to perfect the cycle.

  Li Han had repeatedly urged him to leave the Profound Frost Sect as soon as possible to seek such materials.

  Clenching the bead, Yun Che let his consciousness sink inward.

  At the moment he entered the dreamscape, his other hand swiftly stored the bead back into the pouch—Li Han’s concealment method. To outsiders, he would appear merely to be meditating.

  Milky-white void.

  As his form solidified, Li Han’s ancient voice boomed forth:

  “Good! You had at least three-tenths of my decisiveness back then! Remember this—there is no warmth in the cultivation world. The strong devour the weak. If you cling to soft-hearted mercy, you’ll end up nothing but bones!”

  Yun Che remained silent for a long while before asking,

  “Senior… now that I’ve reached the pseudo-perfect Voidlight Realm, should I prepare for Foundation Establishment? But I know nothing of its formulas or critical points.”

  “Hmph. You don’t need to know—I do,” Li Han replied. “Foundation Establishment is the first true heavenly barrier. You must find a place rich in spiritual energy and utterly secluded to increase your chances. And—”

  He paused.

  “Your Spirit Snow Water and Cold Marrow Water are insufficient. You’ll need far purer Spirit Marrow. If you soak the stone bead in Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice deep within the cold abyss, you may condense a few drops. This cannot be delayed.”

  Yun Che nodded. “I will find a way. But after leaving the sect… where should I seek Wood-attributed materials?”

  “The Northern Domain is vast,” Li Han mused. “Icefield Ancient Pines, Cold-Pool Azure Vines, Snowridge Ironwood… All contain wood essence. Most grow in dangerous lands guarded by beasts. Your cultivation is high—but your combat experience is lacking. Be careful.”

  Yun Che was about to ask more when Li Han’s tone suddenly sharpened:

  “Someone is approaching your dwelling! Powerful aura—get out, now!”

  His consciousness snapped back.

  Yun Che opened his eyes. At the same moment, his divine sense detected three auras rapidly closing in.

  One of them—

  He recognized.

  Yun Han.

  Killing one’s master isn’t about gratification—it’s the cost of survival in cultivation.

  If you were Yun Che, would you hesitate before that cup of tea?

  And do you think Zhang Mingyuan deserved his end?

  an old enemy arrives, and a new storm begins.