Ironwood was a tree species unique to the Northern Domain.

  Its wood was harder than refined iron. With every additional growth ring, its hardness increased by another degree. A hundred-year-old ironwood could resist ordinary blades, while a thousand-year-old ironwood was fit to be refined into magical artifacts.

  The ironwood forest before him was not particularly tall—most trees stood only three to four zhang high—but their trunks were thick and sturdy. The bark was dark black, mottled like rusted iron. The branches were sparse, and the leaves narrow and rigid, their edges lined with fine serrations.

  The snow within the forest lay thinner, and the wind was noticeably weaker.

  Yun Che stepped into the woods. His feet pressed into ground where snow and fallen leaves mixed together, producing a soft crunch.

  Li Han spoke, “Ironwood is aligned with metal. Though it bears the word ‘wood,’ it isn’t pure wood-aspected. However, deep within its root systems, there may be companion growths known as Ironwood Fungus—excellent materials of the wood attribute.”

  Yun Che nodded, spreading his divine sense to probe the ground.

  After less than a hundred zhang, he suddenly stopped.

  About ten zhang ahead, at the base of an ironwood thick enough for two people to embrace, the snow bulged slightly. Several dark red spots faintly showed through.

  Ironwood Fungus.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Just as he was about to step forward, a sudden rustling sounded from the forest to his left.

  A gray shadow burst out from behind a tree, lunging straight at him!

  Yun Che retreated swiftly and saw the attacker clearly—it was a gray-white beast resembling a snow marten, about three chi long. Its eyes glowed red, and sharp fangs gleamed in its open jaws.

  “Snowfang Marten. Around Qi Condensation fourth layer. Extremely fast, with venomous teeth and claws,” Li Han reported quickly.

  The Snowfang Marten missed its strike. The moment it hit the ground, it sprang again, moving so fast it left an afterimage behind!

  This time, Yun Che did not retreat. His right hand grasped the air, activating the Minor Pull Technique to control the space three chi in front of him. The Snowfang Marten slammed into the invisible force field, its speed abruptly reduced.

  Yun Che formed a sword-finger with his left hand and released a razor-sharp burst of icy finger wind—

  Pff!

  The attack pierced through the Snowfang Marten’s left shoulder, spraying blood.

  With a shrill cry, the beast twisted around and fled.

  Yun Che did not pursue.

  He walked to the base of the ironwood, brushed away the snow, and indeed found three ironwood fungi—each the size of a palm, with dark red caps and blackened stems.

  Using a jade spade, he carefully harvested them and placed them into a specially prepared wooden box.

  “Decent quality, but less than fifty years old,” Li Han assessed. “Better than nothing.”

  Yun Che pressed deeper into the forest.

  Over the course of half a day, he found seven more patches of ironwood fungus, most aged around thirty to forty years. During that time, he encountered three separate beast attacks, all resolved without serious danger.

  By noon, he reached the heart of the ironwood forest.

  Here, the trees were clearly much taller—most exceeding five zhang. At the center stood an especially striking ironwood, nearly ten zhang tall. Its trunk required four or five people to encircle, its bark black as ink and faintly gleaming with a metallic sheen.

  A thousand-year ironwood.

  And beneath the snow at its roots, a faint cyan glow shimmered.

  Yun Che’s spirits lifted as he moved forward—

  “ROAR!”

  A deep, rumbling roar erupted from behind the giant tree!

  ?? Ironwood is metal-aspected despite its name—coincidence, or the norm of the cultivation world?

  Are the Five Elements ever truly separate?