Lu Lang stood at the eastern city gate, her figure calm yet imposing in the morning light. This city stretched across miles, and it had taken her nearly four hours at full speed to reach the gate from the inner sectors. She had never realized just how vast it truly was—perhaps because Li Hao had always taken her around in the past.
Now, on her own, she felt the weight of distance—and of freedom.
As she lingered by the gate, adjusting her robe and checking her storage ring, a familiar gaze found her from across the open path.
Li Ha-rin, just stepping past the city threshold, narrowed her eyes.
"Isn't that one of the girls who reached the top four in the martial arena tournament?" she thought to herself. Her interest was piqued—someone strong, yet unfamiliar. Maybe a good partner for the journey.
Approaching with light steps, she called out casually, "Hey, aren't you the one who made it into the top four in the arena?"
Lu Lang turned, eyebrows raised. "Oh? You know me?"
As her presence revealed itself, the aura of a Peak Unrestrained Realm cultivator quietly flowed out. It wasn't suspicious—breaking through two minor realms in a few months was still within reason, especially with a solid foundation.
"I'm Li Ha-rin," the girl said with a smile. "Eastern Martial King."
"Oh," Lu Lang replied, "and what brings you to the gates?"
"I'm heading out for training," Li Ha-rin said with a grin. "Gotta get real-world experience. You?"
"My master gave me the same instruction," Lu Lang replied.
A thought flickered in Li Ha-rin's mind. "Then… do you want to travel together? It'll be more fun—and safer too."
Lu Lang paused. With Li Hao set to leave in three years, building more connections wasn't a bad idea. A temporary companion could provide support—and insight.
"…Sure. That would be fine."
"Great! Let's go!" Li Ha-rin laughed and grabbed her hand, pulling her forward.
They shot out of the city, two blurs of power.
In just a few hours, they crossed forty-five miles. After that, they slowed their pace to conserve spiritual energy, falling into step beside each other.
"So," Lu Lang asked, brushing strands of hair behind her ear, "where exactly are we headed?"
Li Ha-rin smirked. "There's a small town east of here called Eternal Ice Village—well, it's a town now. It lies 792 miles from the capital. A secret cave is set to open there soon. Once every hundred years."
"A secret cave?" Lu Lang asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Yeah. It belonged to a powerful cultivator from the Heavenly Realm—Venerable Ice Lord. Supposedly, his inherent technique still lies hidden inside."
"Is it that earth-shaking?" Lu Lang asked with a light chuckle.
Li Ha-rin nodded firmly. "I've heard it's a legacy worth dying for."
In Lu Lang's thoughts, a trace of amusement passed. "Ice Lord? Can he compare to my master? Someone who could suppress anyone of the same realm… Hmph."
She said nothing aloud and simply smiled.
They continued eastward, their journey now with purpose.
Unseen, trailing several miles behind them, was a man whose presence would go unnoticed by all but the heavens.
Li Bao, Shadow Guardian Deputy Head of the Li Family, crouched atop a swaying pine tree. His eyes locked on the distant figures of the two girls.
His mission was clear: protect. Nothing more.
With his realm—Perfect Void, only a breath away from the Primary Willful Realm—he needed but a single step, the condensation of Martial Will, to break through.
He sat there quietly, then vanished.
No flight restrictions could bind him. At his level, even in a sealed domain, he would be like mist in a storm—untraceable.
Several hours passed.
With the speed of two Profound Realm cultivators, they had traveled more than two-thirds of the distance. While cultivators of their level could hit speeds of 150 to 377 mph, maintaining such velocity over long distances was draining.
Now, just a few miles from the town, they walked to preserve energy.
"So," Li Ha-rin asked, glancing sideways, "do you have a cultivation partner?"
Lu Lang's eyes twitched. "…Yes, I do."
"Oh?" Li Ha-rin's smile widened. "What's he like?"
Lu Lang tilted her head, then returned the question. "Don't you have one? With your strength and looks, I figured someone would've already claimed you."
Li Ha-rin sighed. "My master believes a partner is a distraction. She said I should wait until I've reached the peak of the martial path…"
Lu Lang inwardly rolled her eyes. "Your master is a fool. If she met someone like Li Hao, even kneeling to ask for marriage wouldn't be shameful."
Outwardly, she offered a gentle smile. "Well… even though I haven't known him long, I can say he's kind… thoughtful. His thoughts are deep and hard to guess, but he's always there when I need him."
"Charming too?" Li Ha-rin asked, teasingly.
"Very," Lu Lang said with no hesitation. "And he truly cares about me."
Li Ha-rin's eyes lit with curiosity. "So… was your first time painful?"
Lu Lang blinked, then chuckled softly. "He didn't want to do it at first… but I used a few seduction tricks. Once he fell into the rhythm… well, he couldn't resist anymore."
The two laughed, their bond subtly forming, step by step—on the long path eastward.
After walking for a while, they finally reached the town. With their constant speed, it hadn't taken long.
They arrived at the town gate. As they looked around, the town appeared nestled deep within a snow-covered mountain, with temperatures as low as 275 Kelvin. The entire town felt like it had been sculpted from ice. Many people walked about in thick jackets, though few were martial artists.
As they walked through the streets, Lu Lang and Li Ha-rin noticed several martial artists from the capital city.
It was well known that geniuses from the capital were incredibly powerful—20 to 30 percent stronger than those in the same realm. This made them fearsome even in equal fights.
The two continued through the town toward the mountains at the rear.
In the plaza where the crowd had gathered, the time for the Eternal Ice Cave's opening was drawing near. Dozens stood ready, prepared to charge in the moment it opened.
As time passed, the Eternal Ice Cave finally opened. A burst of spiritual power, so cold it could freeze a cultivator at the Master Realm, surged outward.
As the fog of frost dissipated, the ice door came into view, glowing with radiant light, reflecting the bright sun.
Without hesitation, the cultivators surged forward toward the entrance. But before all eyes, a great power at the Martial Master Realm stepped forward—and froze solid after just a few steps.
Those at or below the Master Realm trembled as they witnessed this, immediately backing away in fear.
With over 60% of the gathered cultivators being Masters and below, the crowd thinned quickly.
Only the 206 Profound Realm cultivators and above remained—each capable of enduring the cold.
The Eternal Ice Lord had been a simple man, so all traps were triggered by the first entrant. But those who remained were geniuses with extraordinary abilities.
As the numbers dwindled further, they arrived at the second test: the Trial of Spiritual Power.
The Eternal Ice Lord had wielded Earth Red spiritual power, known for its resilience and invincibility in spiritual power depletion battles. Many assumed a heaven-grade artifact was used to test spiritual power, but no—it was far rarer and subtler.
The trial was simple in design: fly across a trench without falling.
The trench was 78 meters deep, and all who entered had their strength temporarily adjusted to peak Profound Realm. Despite the simplicity, half of those remaining failed.
Amid the crowd, Lu Lang couldn't help but think, "This place is a labyrinth of mystery. Danger lurks at every turn."
Far away, deep within a demon cave, a Demon Ice Leopard stirred from its slumber.
Its aura alone froze the air around it within a one-meter radius as it looked east, sensing the change.
"The secret cave of the Venerable Ice Lord has opened," it thought.
The beast shifted forms, transforming into an elf-like human with stunning features. It wore martial robes crafted from the fur of its own kind.
[Name: Ji-an
Age: 2,362
Realm: Willful Entry – Early Stage
Relation: None]
"The Eternal Venerable Ice Lord… he left behind his frost martial art. That technique could greatly further my cultivation," Ji-an muttered.
With that, its figure vanished into the cold mist, and the freezing aura dissipated.
Back at the town, large numbers of martial artists waited outside the cave. Most were Masters, with a few Half-Step Willful Realm elders present to guard young masters.
These weren't peak geniuses from supreme clans, but rather the descendants of middle-tier forces.
As the powerful awaited the return of their chosen heirs, the temperature suddenly plunged.
Already freezing air dropped lower still, the chill biting to the bone.
Looking up, the Half-Step Willful Realm cultivators saw a figure suspended in the sky—a woman, descending slowly through the clouds.
Li Bao and the others felt the crushing aura but could only guess at her identity.
Quickly, Li Bao drew out a magical transmission talisman and wrote in urgent strokes:
"Bring reinforcements. A Willful Realm divine beast has appeared outside the cave."
He infused spiritual power into the message and sent it off just as the being's gaze swept the plaza.
In an instant, those with weak cultivation died on the spot. Only the Half-Step Willful cultivators survived—barely.
But the temperature fell even further, dropping to 132 Kelvin. Everything within a mile radius froze solid.
Ji-an descended before the ice gate. Her gaze swept the entrance.
"As expected… this door only accepts humans."
She knew the Venerable Ice Lord's strength well—once at the peak of Early Willful Mid-stage. Though his base power had limits, his ice technique, the Eternal Ice Technique, had made him nearly invincible against even stronger foes.
"Well then, I'll wait here. Someone will bring the technique out. I wonder who it will be."
She sat cross-legged at the gate, patiently waiting.
In the Li Family estate, Family Head Li Min-seo was cultivating when a sonic-speed flying letter shot down from the sky.
She opened her beautiful eyes and caught it with one hand. As she read, her expression turned grim.
By the end, she crumpled the letter in silence.
Then she called in a cold voice, "Shadow Guard Elder, Li Xiu."
"Yes, Family Head," a deep voice replied.
A figure floated down and stepped into the room—an elderly man in black martial robes, white-haired and wrinkled.
[Name: Li Xiu
Age: 3,723
Realm: Willful Entry – Early Stage (Fire Law)
Relation: Branch Li Family, Guard Elder]
Li Min-seo briefed him quickly on the matter before saying, "Go to the town several miles away and protect my disciple."
"What about Li Bao?" Li Xiu asked.
"He's most likely dead. That message was his final act. You may go now," Li Min-seo said with a solemn face.
Li Xiu said no more. He turned and stepped out the door—vanishing the instant he passed through.
Like a shooting star, he flew across the sky at unimaginable speed, covering miles in seconds.
At that pace, he estimated arrival in approximately 23.42 minutes.
He only hoped she would still be alive when he got there.