Since the Snow-Connected Mountain has been shrouded in endless white mist, everyone knows there resides a highly accomplished master who has been quietly refining his cultivation here. As a result, no one dares to disturb the mountain, and it has remained as peaceful and unchanged as when Han Li first moved in. Nearby powers, observing that this "master" has indeed only sought a suitable spiritual locale for cultivation and has shown no further actions over the years, have likewise grown reassured. Aside from instructing their disciples not to enter the region, they have resumed their normal activities. Ordinary cultivators also preferred to stay indoors and avoid traveling under such weather conditions. Yet suddenly, a brilliant azure glow erupted from Xuelian Peak, flashing briefly before vanishing without a trace from the sky. Half an hour later, the glow appeared at a distant location some tens of thousands of miles away, having already escaped the storm of blizzards and materializing above a different wilderness mountain range. As the light faded, a young man in a green robe stepped into view—dark-skinned, with an unremarkable appearance, none other than Han Li himself. After more than a decade of focused cultivation and seclusion, he had finally fully integrated all his treasures into his essence, even successfully absorbing and refining the True Moon Flame. He now felt fully prepared; as long as he did not face a large-scale assault from senior Yuan-Ying cultivators or encounter a being of the formidable stature of Yuan-Sha Saint Ancestor, he would be able to freely navigate and protect himself throughout the human realm. After all, with the Five-Child Demon and the humanoid automaton supporting him, his cultivation and abilities had grown immensely since he first entered Kunwu Mountain—he could easily hold his own against multiple Yuan-Ying stage cultivators. Over the years, he had long since expected that the matter concerning Kunwu Mountain would have settled. Thus, he made no hesitation in taking advantage of the current weather and setting off directly toward the Beiming Island. It wasn't until a full month later that nearby cultivators occasionally noticed the white mist on Xuelian Mountain had completely dispersed, the mountain now deserted, as if entirely abandoned. Naturally, this left the surrounding cultivation factions astonished, and sparked fresh disputes over the rightful ownership of the now-vacant spiritual territory. For this is already the farthest northern reach accessible to ordinary mortals, where the cold is so intense that even a drop of water freezes instantly—such that even less-experienced cultivators dare not walk outside in single robes. Under this frigid climate, the three coastal faces have all transformed into boundless ice plains, stretching endlessly with towering ice mountains and snow-covered lands, their vastness nearly impossible to fully comprehend. Though the northern island of Beiming itself spans only a million li, at its northernmost tip stands a magnificent ice city—the Beiye Xiajiao Sect, renowned as the premier sect of the northern lands. In truth, in terms of sect strength, Xiajiao Sect holds no inferiority to any of the ten major Celestial or Martial Sects of the Great Jin realm. Yet due to the island's remote location, most major sects of the Great Jin simply do not recognize it as part of the realm, instead treating it as a remote, wild region and classifying it as a foreign sect. As a result, it has been excluded from the official rankings of the Great Jin's premier sects. Yet in the several prefectures in the northern reaches of the Great Jin, where the population is sparse and the land vast, the reputation of Xiao Ji Palace stands only behind the Ta Yi Men and Tian Mo Sect—indeed, it is truly the foremost sect of the north. In these regions, Xiao Ji Palace is also known as the Northern Xian Palace. Countless independent practitioners and junior cultivators aspire to join its ranks. Xiao Ji Palace admits disciples in two divisions: the Inner Palace disciples are drawn exclusively from the prominent families of great cultivators residing on the Bei Ming Island, while the Outer Palace disciples are selected from smaller families and independent practitioners outside the island. Of course, exceptionally talented Outer Palace disciples—or those who achieve remarkable feats—may be promoted to become Inner Palace disciples. As for the Inner Palace disciples, if any practitioner feels their own aptitude is insufficient and still wishes to join the Outer Palace, they must walk the entire ten thousand li of the extreme cold terrain surrounding the palace. Once within this range, lower-tier cultivators could not fly with their vehicles due to the restrictions and had to rely solely on their own cultivation abilities and techniques to withstand the ceaseless, piercing cold of the ice and snow. As long as they could reach the location of Xiao Ji Palace, they would be accepted as disciples of the Outer Palace. After all, whether they reached this area through cultivation, tools, or medicinal pills demonstrated that they still possessed merit. However, only a few succeeded—many cultivators froze to death within—yet each year, numerous lower-tier cultivators, willing to sacrifice themselves like moths flying toward a flame, still ventured into this region. On this day, in a region several hundred thousand miles away from Xiao Ji Palace, a group of over a dozen figures, each draped in colorful fur cloaks and glowing with vibrant spiritual radiance, advanced steadily through the howling wind and snow. They had been walking through this weather for nearly fifteen days, with several of them now pale and their steps unsteady. Yet none of them dared to pause even for a moment. After all, they simply couldn't recover or regulate their qi here—only relying on the spiritual stones in their hands and the inner qi within their bodies to hold on. Yet one person's complexion was especially pale, his breathing noticeably labored. A moment later, he suddenly bit his lip, pulled out a small vial from his cloak, and poured a crimson pill into his mouth. Immediately, the flush on his face returned, restoring some vitality. "Master Gu, you still have several Fire-Yang pills left. If you continue to take them so frequently, you won't be able to make it all the way to Xiao Ji Palace. The ice-and-hail zone ahead will be several times more difficult than what you're experiencing now," said the middle-aged man wrapped entirely in a deep yellow light shield, speaking calmly without turning around, as if he were fully aware of the situation behind him. "Master Gu, please don't worry—there's another vial of reserves. I'm certain we can make it through this section," replied a young man in his twenties, forcing a smile, clearly somewhat intimidated by the elder. "That's reassuring! I certainly don't want to carry someone who has no chance of making it through." The middle-aged man seemed satisfied with the young man's response. As his protective aura shimmered, he continued walking steadily forward, and the swirling snow and wind appeared to have little effect on him. Seeing this, the others hurried to follow, clearly believing that only by staying close to him could they hope to reach the Small Extremity Palace. However, after walking only a few steps, the middle-aged man suddenly paused, exclaiming softly in surprise. He then looked up in astonishment. The others quickly followed his gaze, and soon realized that within the vast expanse of snow and wind, a figure of pale green hue had appeared, floating silently in the air. More strangely, within a radius of thirty to forty paces centered on this figure, all the snow and wind were completely severed from the surrounding environment by an invisible force—none of it could penetrate into that space. It was precisely because of this phenomenon that the middle-aged man had first noticed the figure in the sky. Everyone was startled at first, and then their expressions turned grave. No one else, even a Ji Dan stage cultivator, could ignore the spatial and aerial restrictions in this area—could this person be the legendary Yuan Yin cultivator, or perhaps a high-ranking disciple of Xiao Ji Palace from the beginning? Yet their attire seemed remarkably similar. For a moment, everyone stared at each other, visibly uneasy. "Are you seeking to join the disciples of Xiao Ji Palace as an independent cultivator?" the figure partially veiled in green light suddenly spoke, and the tone suggested he was relatively young. Though the middle-aged man's cultivation level was not particularly high, he had seen his fair share of the world. Upon being asked by the figure, he instantly snapped back to awareness, deeply bowing and quickly responding, "My name is Gu Tianqi, one of the candidates participating in the trial. Please, Master, what would you have me do?" He spoke with a look of deep respect throughout. "You have a good sense of judgment. "There's not much to it—this place seems rather strange. Even I am uncertain about my direction, yet you all remain so confident in moving forward. Is there some object guiding your way?" The green-robed figure spoke slowly and calmly, as though it were merely a casual inquiry. "Qingying seemed momentarily startled. 'It is precisely this item. Though not a rare artifact, it must have a clean record and be backed by a guarantor to be purchased from the Xiaji Palace shop. Moreover, only thirty such items are sold each year—once the year passes, the artifact's effectiveness naturally fades. To be safe, I purchased two at once, and this one I now present to you. I hope you will accept it.' The middle-aged man's eyes flickered slightly, then suddenly shook his sleeve, and a pale yellow circular disk slid out, which he then held in both hands. The green-clad figure stroked his chin, chuckled lightly, and then, without hesitation, reached out and grasped the air before him. A flash of yellow light, and the Dingyuan disk was instantly in his hands. The green-clad figure, naturally, was Han Li, who had journeyed for nearly a month to finally arrive at the Bei Ming Ice Island. He had originally believed that, with his own powers, he could easily pass through this area, which was protected by a sky-blocking seal, and reach the Xiaji Palace directly." But nothing could have prepared him for the fact that as soon as he entered this region, his spiritual awareness kept failing, and for a moment he was completely unable to locate Xiao Ji Gong. This caused him to feel both alarmed and somewhat frustrated. After all, he had come specifically to meet someone; otherwise, with his divine abilities, he could have forcibly broken through this seal regardless. Just as he was about to devise another plan, he unexpectedly encountered this group of people right before him. (First chapter!