Before dawn, Xiaoqi, Zhao Tiezhu, and the rabbit spirit stood at the entrance of the Ice Wind Valley under the wolf king's guidance. The wolf king and several elite wolves would serve as their guides through the initial dangerous section.
The Ice Wind Valley stretched before them like a massive wound torn across the earth. Its walls were not composed of ordinary rock but crystallized ice, each piece reflecting cold light with an almost blade-like sharpness. The valley's interior was narrow, like a corridor, yet its depth seemed endless, disappearing into an icy mist in the distance.
"This is merely the entrance," the wolf king transmitted via divine sense. "Within lies the true trial. The winds inside the valley have wills of their own—they test those who enter. Trust your heart, not your strength."
Xiaoqi nodded deeply, his Four Symbols Jade Pendant warming at his chest. He took a deep breath, activated the Purification Origin within him, and stepped forward.
The moment he crossed the threshold, the world transformed.
"Shing——!"
A piercing wind howl assaulted his ears like countless blades striking simultaneously. Icy gusts carried frost particles, each one sharp as a knife edge, bombarding his protective spiritual light relentlessly. The temperature plummeted instantly, far exceeding even the coldest reaches of the Northern Wasteland outside.
"The test begins!" Xiaoqi circulated his spiritual power, creating a protective barrier around his body. However, the Ice Wind Valley's winds seemed almost intelligent. When his spiritual power strengthened, the wind grew fiercer; when he weakened it, the wind attacked with increased fervor. It was as if the winds were actively resisting any external force inserted into this space.
Xiaoqi immediately understood—this was not a test of power but of attunement. The Great Priest's words echoed in his mind: understanding the unity of ice and void, the meaning of preservation through destruction.
He released his protective barrier. The howling winds immediately closed in, striking his flesh directly.
To others, this would be suicide. But Xiaoqi had experienced the extreme cold of the Northern Wasteland and tempered his body with various methods. Most importantly, his Purification Origin carried an essence similar to this wind—purification, stripping away the superfluous, leaving only the essence.
He stopped resisting. Instead, he opened himself completely, allowing the winds to wash over him, even welcoming them.
The frost particles striking his body no longer felt like blade attacks. Instead, they felt like countless tiny scrubbing brushes, brushing away the impurities and excess energy within his body. This process was uncomfortable yet strangely pleasant, like muscles being deeply massaged after intense exercise.
"This is... purification!" Xiaoqi's eyes lit up. This Ice Wind Valley's winds were indeed a form of purification—but a destructive one. They stripped away everything non-essential, forcing alignment with ice and void.
As he understood this, his body's resistance to the winds increased noticeably. His movements became smoother as he ventured deeper into the valley.
Behind him, Zhao Tiezhu struggled. The body refiner's powerful physical constitution could withstand the physical assault, but the spiritual cold and destructive energy penetrated his body's natural defenses. His blood qi circulated rapidly to resist.
"Keep going! Don't resist the cold—merge with it!" Xiaoqi transmitted encouragement.
Zhao Tiezhu gritted his teeth, forcing himself to adapt to this destructive yet cleansing energy. The rabbit spirit hid in Xiaoqi's collar, occasionally poking out its head to sniff the air.
As they progressed deeper, the winds grew increasingly fierce. The valley's walls began to display strange ice patterns—not natural formations but intricate formations that seemed to contain profound meaning.
Xiaoqi slowed his pace, carefully studying these patterns. He discovered they were actually records! Records of past cultivators who had crossed this valley—their methods, their insights, their final outcomes.
Most had failed. Their bodies remained frozen in various poses along the valley walls, their expressions frozen in agony or determination. But some had succeeded. Their frozen forms radiated faint spiritual light, as if still waiting for worthy successors.
"The weak perished; the strong left their marks..." Xiaoqi murmured.
He noticed one pattern depicted a cultivator sitting cross-legged amid the howling winds, eyes closed, seemingly at peace. Rather than resisting the winds, he appeared to be merging with them, using the destructive energy to temper his own cultivation.
"Like water finding its way between rocks," Xiaoqi thought, gaining insight.
He adjusted his approach, no longer treating the winds as enemies to ward off but as partners in cultivation. His body relaxed, his spiritual power circulated more smoothly, and the destructive frost particles seemed to temper rather than harm him.
Zhao Tiezhu, watching Xiaoqi, gradually learned to adapt as well. Though not as naturally attuned as Xiaoqi, his brute-force approach—using his body's power to physically endure and gradually adapt—also proved effective.
Hours passed. The three gradually advanced through the valley's depths. The winds grew stronger, and the spiritual cold more penetrating. Yet both Xiaoqi and Zhao Tiezhu had found their rhythm.
Finally, the valley began to widen. The howling winds gradually diminished, replaced by an ethereal silence.
"Xiaoqi-ge, are we through?" Zhao Tiezhu asked, exhausted but exhilarated.
Xiaoqi looked ahead. The valley exit was near. Beyond it, a pale blue radiance beckoned—the Ice Heart Secret Realm!
They had crossed the Ice Wind Valley!
But their journey was far from over. The Sacred Lotus awaited within that secret realm, guarded by ancient powers and profound trials.
With renewed determination, Xiaoqi led his companions toward the realm's entrance.