Lying on the bed in his small home, Yun Che no longer needed sleep at his current level of cultivation. He sat cross-legged, gazing at the silent night over Cold Mountain Town through the window. With a flip of his right hand, he took out a cold jade bottle and drank a mouthful of Ice Marrow.

  The icy, crystalline spiritual liquid slid into his abdomen, transforming into pure spiritual energy that nourished his meridians. Yet Yun Che frowned slightly—

  the accumulation required for a pseudo-perfect Void Light Realm far exceeded his expectations. The Ice Marrow was excellent, but it was still far from enough to support a breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.

  “I must find an extreme Yin-cold vein as soon as possible, refine the Foundation Establishment Pill, and attempt the breakthrough,” he murmured.

  “Boy, when do you plan to complete the Wood Element of the Heaven-Defying Pearl?”

  Li Han’s voice sounded from the stone bead on his chest.

  “First, I’ll find a place to enter seclusion and break into Foundation Establishment,” Yun Che said after some thought. “Only after that—once I begin cultivating the Nine Hells Frost Prison Art—will I have true self-preservation. Then, going to Ten Thousand Wood Ridge to search for Wood-attribute spirit items will be far safer.”

  Li Han snorted but did not argue. He knew Yun Che was right—

  with mere Qi Condensation cultivation, entering Ten Thousand Wood Ridge would be courting death.

  In the days that followed, Yun Che stayed at home with his parents.

  He helped his father mend furniture, accompanied his mother to the town market, and even taught Xiao Liu a few basic runes—the boy was deeply fascinated by cultivation.

  But Yun Che knew clearly: these days were only temporary.

  Half a month later, he bade farewell to his parents.

  Cold Mountain Town was shrouded in thin morning mist. Yun’s mother clutched her son’s hand, tears flowing uncontrollably.

  “Tie Zhu… this time… when will you come back?”

  Yun Che’s throat tightened. He said softly,

  “Mother, my cultivation has reached a critical stage. This seclusion… may take quite a long time. Please take good care of yourselves. Don’t overwork.”

  Yun’s father stood to the side, silently patting his son’s shoulder, saying only one sentence:

  “Out there… take care.”

  Yun Che knelt and respectfully kowtowed three times to his parents.

  He stood, turned around, and transformed into a gray shadow that swept out of town, vanishing into the morning mist.

  He did not look back—

  for fear that once he did, he would never be able to take another step forward.

  This departure had no promised return.

  Perhaps three to five years.

  Perhaps… a lifetime.

  He pondered carefully over the choice of his seclusion site.

  His first thought was the cliffside ice cavern where he had once discovered the Heaven-Defying Pearl, but he quickly dismissed it—

  no water source, and far too close to the fallen Profound Frost Sect. The risk was too great.

  For over a month, Yun Che searched across the Northern Wilderness.

  One day, deep within a stretch of eroded ice hills, he discovered a natural ice cave. The cave was profound and quiet, with the faint sound of an underground river flowing within. To his delight, there was a cold spring deep inside—its water pure, faintly infused with spiritual energy.

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Outside stood sheer ice walls. The cave entrance was half-hidden by hanging icicles, extremely difficult to detect. Though there were traces of wild beasts inside, no powerful demonic beasts had taken residence.

  “This place is good,” Li Han commented. “The underground river connects to a water vein, the cold spring is decent, and the location is remote. The spiritual energy isn’t rich, but it’s well hidden.”

  Yun Che hesitated no further.

  Using Minor Guiding Art, he manipulated the ice and stone to seal the entrance completely, leaving only a few concealed air vents. He then set up simple warning restrictions inside—any intrusion would be detected immediately.

  When everything was done, Yun Che sat cross-legged beside the cold spring and placed three bottles of Ice Marrow before him.

  His second seclusion…

  had begun.

  Time passed silently.

  In the mountains, there are no years. Cold and heat lose meaning.

  One year.

  Two years.

  Three years.

  Four years…

  Four full years slipped by unnoticed.

  Outside the ice cave, the rocks sealing the entrance were long buried under wind and snow. Hardy Ice Moss and Snowline Vines had crept over the surface, weaving together densely until the cave mouth was completely concealed—undetectable even at close range.

  Over these four years, the place gradually became a haven for nearby beasts.

  Cold-resistant Snow-Hoof Deer came to lick the icy salt on the rock walls.

  Ice Plain Foxes built nests among the vines.

  Even the rare Frost Crystal Marten occasionally appeared, breathing and exhaling toward the cave as if absorbing some unseen spiritual rhythm.

  On this day, two streaks of light cut across the sky.

  A man and a woman arrived on flying swords, landing in the valley where the ice cave lay hidden.

  The man, about thirty years old, had a stern expression and wore the inner-sect robes of the Snow Domain Alliance. Beneath his feet was a deep-blue flying sword radiating chilling sword qi.

  The woman, in her early twenties, was beautiful yet distant—she was none other than Xu Wei, the Xu-surnamed female disciple from the former Profound Frost Sect.

  “Junior Sister Xu, this is the area where Frost Crystal Martens often appear,” the man said calmly. “If we can capture one and refine it as a sword spirit, it should help you greatly in next month’s Inner Sect Tournament.”

  Xu Wei nodded slightly, scanning the valley.

  “Thank you for your help, Senior Brother Zhou. But the Frost Crystal Marten is extremely alert and incredibly fast. Capturing one won’t be easy.”

  “No matter,” Zhou replied lightly. “Since I agreed to help you, I have my methods.”

  As they spoke, another sword light approached. A boy of around ten landed unsteadily, stumbling upon touching the ground—clearly still unskilled at sword flight.

  “Senior Brother Zhou! Senior Sister Xu! You flew too fast!” the boy gasped. “I almost lost you!”

  Xu Wei looked at him, the chill in her expression softening slightly.

  “Junior Brother Lin, your cultivation is still shallow. You shouldn’t have come.”

  The boy, Lin Xuan, was a recently recruited Snow Domain Alliance disciple with good talent, but had only reached Qi Condensation Layer Three. He stuck out his tongue.

  “I just wanted to see what a Frost Crystal Marten looks like! Senior Sister, I heard that back at Profound Frost Sect you were a genius—only four years to go from Qi Condensation Fourth Layer to Seventh! If you get a Frost Crystal Marten this time, you’ll surely win the tournament!”

  A complicated look flickered in Xu Wei’s eyes.

  Four years.

  Four years since the fall of Profound Frost Sect. She chose to stay behind and join the Snow Domain Alliance. With decent talent and diligence, her cultivation steadily advanced to Qi Condensation Seventh Layer.

  But in a sect like Snow Domain Alliance, that progress was merely above average.

  True geniuses were those core disciples native to the sect.

  “Senior Sister Liu broke through to Qi Condensation Twelfth Layer last month,” Xu Wei said softly. “Only one step away from Foundation Establishment. Eldest Senior Brother is already at Thirteenth Layer perfection, in seclusion for his breakthrough. Compared to them… my cultivation is nothing.”

  Zhou snorted.

  “Liu Yiyi? She’s just propped up by sect resources. In real combat, she might not be your match.”

  Xu Wei shook her head in silence.

  Resources were part of strength.

  Meanwhile, Lin Xuan curiously scanned the surroundings. Suddenly, he pointed toward the ice cave.

  “Senior Brother! Senior Sister! Look over there! Those vines… they look strange. Almost like they’re alive!”

  Zhou followed his gaze, his eyes landing on the dense Snowline Vines. Lush and vibrant amid the ice and snow, faint spiritual energy flowed through them.

  “That is unusual,” he frowned. “The spiritual energy here isn’t rich, yet these vines are flourishing—and even gathering qi. Could there be something beneath?”

  Xu Wei sensed it too. She walked closer and gently touched a vine leaf.

  At the instant her fingertip brushed the leaf—

  Deep within the ice cave,

  a pair of eyes that had been closed for four years

  suddenly

  opened.

  ① Four years of seclusion—what kind of change do you think Yun Che has undergone?

  Cultivation? Temperament? Or something far deeper? ??

  ② Xu Wei’s reappearance: coincidence… or fate?

  Do you think her encounter with this place will awaken something long buried? ??

  ③ The moment the eyes open—what do you expect next?

  A breakthrough? A silent killing intent? Or a shocking confrontation? ????