Lauren had only thought it was a moderately rare plant—she never imagined it was this valuable. And she didn’t even know the donor’s name, yet she had accepted something this precious from him.

  She sighed heavily.

  “Why are you sighing?” Edmund asked.

  “If I’d known it was this valuable, I should’ve properly thanked him.”

  “You can still go thank him.”

  “…” Lauren stared at him. “After all this time, I suddenly show up just to thank him for a flower? Doesn’t that sound ridiculous?”

  “Then why are you complaining now?”

  This damned old dragon was getting more annoying by the day.

  Lauren changed topics.

  “Hey, if I eat the Ice Spirit Fruit right now, can I instantly jump to the Spirit Transformation stage?”

  Edmund raised his hand and lightly flicked her forehead. She promptly slapped it away.

  “Keep dreaming.”

  “…Fine.”

  “How much your cultivation increases depends entirely on your body’s absorption rate.”

  Great. Another unknown variable.

  A few days later, Dante suddenly came to find her to discuss their trip to the Far North.

  “Isn’t Nash supposed to come too? He’s still in seclusion, isn’t he?”

  Dante shook her head.

  “It’s too late. The situation has changed. The Icefield Secret Realm is about to open.”

  Lauren froze. “The Icefield Secret Realm?”

  “Yes. My master received urgent news today. Abnormal fluctuations have appeared in the Far North—clear signs that the Icefield Secret Realm is opening.”

  Lauren frowned slightly.

  Whether in the original plot or her previous life, she had already been dead by this point. She had never heard of the Icefield Secret Realm.

  Fortunately, Dante was meticulous. He had already prepared detailed information and handed Lauren a jade slip.

  Lauren swept it with her spiritual sense. In mere moments, she finished reading and gained a basic understanding of the Icefield Secret Realm.

  There were several types of secret realms in this world.

  One type had a fixed location and a fixed time of opening—like the Hidden Mist Secret Realm from before.

  The second type, like the Icefield Secret Realm, had a fixed location but an unpredictable opening time.

  There were also wild secret realms with fixed opening times but shifting locations, or even both time and location were uncertain. These relied entirely on luck. You might only get a single chance in your lifetime to encounter one on the Cultivation Continent.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Such realms were often riddled with danger—sometimes even the spatial structure itself was unstable.

  You could enter and gain nothing, barely escaping with your life.

  Or, you might face no danger at all, find nothing but rare treasures, and in a single visit leap straight to the peak of existence.

  There was also another type that existed continuously, but whose entrance was impossible to locate.

  According to ancient records, the Icefield Secret Realm had last appeared over a thousand years ago. It was rich in ice-attributed herbs and minerals. Every time it opened, countless cultivators rushed toward it like moths to a flame.

  This was because it imposed no restrictions on cultivation level or the number of entrants. Humans, demons, members of the Demonic Cult, Buddhists—every kind of cultivator imaginable gathered there.

  And because of that, the battles were unimaginably brutal.

  Aside from cultivators killing one another, the Icefield Secret Realm was also infested with strange beasts—fierce, violent creatures with no intelligence to speak of.

  Naturally, the rewards were always proportional to the danger.

  Lauren agreed without hesitation. “Alright. I’ll go.”

  Dante handed her the map and the information they had originally prepared.

  “You probably won’t need most of this, but take a look anyway. The entrance to the Icefield Secret Realm should appear here.”

  On Dante’s hand-drawn map, most of the planned exploration routes had already been marked out in detail.

  “When are we leaving?” Lauren asked.

  “Three days from now. If you’re going, you’ll need to prepare everything again. If you’re not sure what to bring, just follow this list.” Dante scratched his head with an embarrassed smile. “I’ve never been there myself either, so it might not be complete.”

  Even if it wasn’t perfect, it was still far more reliable than most information circulating outside.

  Lauren returned to Starfell Summit and informed her master, Drake, about the opening of the Icefield Secret Realm.

  He didn’t object—only reminded her to be cautious in everything she did.

  After that, she began preparing according to Dante’s list.

  Most of the items could be purchased within the righteous sects. As for the rarer materials, Dante had his own channels; all she needed was to provide the spirit stones.

  That day, Lauren was checking through her storage ring one last time. Once everything was accounted for, she planned to go bid her master farewell.

  Just as she was organizing things, Edmund suddenly leapt off the table, turned around, and walked out.

  “Hey, where are you going? We’re leaving soon,” she called.

  “I’ll be back shortly,” he replied, vanishing out the door.

  Ever since Edmund revealed himself to her master and senior brothers, he had grown noticeably bolder.

  Before, he’d cling tightly to her Immortal Roots, rarely leaving her body, and would only emerge when they were completely alone in the room.

  Now, he openly wandered around Starfell Summit and was hardly ever home.

  On ordinary days, that was one thing—but today, with departure so close, he was still running off without a word.

  Lauren was thoroughly displeased.

  She had no idea how far he’d already gone. Standing by the door, she raised her voice and called out after him,

  “I’m not waiting for you! If you’re not back by the time I leave, I’m not taking you with me!”

  No response came back.

  He had probably gone very far already.

  Inside Starfell Palace, Drake summoned Edmund in private.

  He slid a jade box across the table toward him.

  “This needs to be placed at the true pole of the Icefield Secret Realm. The location is marked on the map inside.”

  Edmund scowled. “Why me? Your precious apprentice is going—let her handle it.”

  “They won’t be able to reach the true pole of the Far North.”

  Edmund’s eyes narrowed. “So I’ll be separated from her?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then absolutely not.” He shook his head hard. “That place is dangerous. I’m nothing but a fragment of soul right now—weak as hell. If something goes wrong, I’ll get forcibly dragged back to my main body, and getting out again will be a nightmare. I’m not going.”

  Drake: “...”

  Edmund pushed the box back toward him with his paw. “If it’s that important, you go yourself.”

  Drake looked utterly helpless.

  “If I could go, would I need to ask you? If I stepped foot there now, I’d be frozen solid on the spot. Only you can do this. Do you still want me to ascend or not?”

  Edmund clicked his tongue irritably. “What a pain in the ass.”