Chapter 24

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Chapter 24: Ice and Fire

After the thunderous sound, an old man dressed in a sapphire blue brocade robe suddenly appeared in front of everyone. He sighed, "Blizzard Island hasn’t been this lively in a long time."

Blizzard Island has two Transmigration Stage ancestors, one has long hidden from the world, and the other is the current Island Master, Qianzhenzi.

It is said that most of the formations in the Qianzhen Tower are created by him, making him undoubtedly the number one in the field of formations today.

As soon as this person appeared, everyone below stood up straight and greeted in unison, "Greetings to Senior Qianzhenzi!"

Qianzhenzi looked slowly at everyone, then nodded, "Do you know why this Swordsmanship Contest is particularly strict?"

His gaze fell on Qian Lishen, who quickly tidied up his disheveled clothes from Jiang Si’s attack and bowed, saying, "As the ambitions of the demon cultivator reignite, we cultivators must restrain our complacency for the past few hundred years, refine ourselves to resist the demon cultivator!"

Qianzhenzi nodded, saying, "Indeed, you must not take this Swordsmanship Contest lightly, approach it with caution as a matter of life and death! I repeat, this Swordsmanship Contest is only about victory or defeat, regardless of life or death! If anyone is cowardly, feel free to withdraw now!"

The final sound implied the strength of a Transmigration Stage expert, like a bell tolling, resounding far and making everyone involuntarily lower their heads a little more.

Some small sects hesitated upon hearing such words, and someone even took a step back and silently left on the spot.

However, none from the three major sects and four major clans retreated. Even the timid ones had to stand firm here, for if they retreated, it would bring shame not only to themselves but to the entire sects and families! If their sect became a laughingstock in the cultivation world, they would have no place to go back to!

The Xie Family arrived late and missed Jiang Si’s match with Qian Lishen.

Xie Xun patted Xie Mian’s shoulder, whispered in a low voice, "I have arranged for Xie Shi and the others to participate in the Swordsmanship Contest. They will support you all the way to the top, and if any issues arise, they will handle them inside the tower. You can trust them."

The protective treasure in the Qianzhen Tower was still available for use, and with the spiritual jade for protection, Xie Xun was not worried about any accidents happening to his brother.

However, Xie Mian’s face had become increasingly pale and haggard in the past two days. No matter what Xie Xun said, he wore a look of deep concern and restlessness, causing his older brother to worry.

After asking several times, Xie Mian hesitated to speak and still did not reveal what had happened exactly.

"Mian, did you have a disagreement with Luo Yin?"

Xie Xun said he was going to find Liu Luoyin, but was surprised to find that she was nowhere to be seen.

"Strange, where did Luo Yin go?"

Xie Mian lowered his eyes, unable to let go of his pride and afraid to admit that he was scared by Wen Yun that day. He was also worried that his older brother would find out and harm Wen Yun, so when he heard that Liu Luoyin had left, he blamed her to avoid further suspicion from Xie Xun.

"Luo Yin left the Xie Family group because she did not want to cause misunderstandings with me."

"She had no intentions towards you?" Xie Xun frowned, muttering in disapproval, "Nonsense! She should know about the agreement between our families. You are a talented young man, why would she look down on you!"

Xie Xun was extremely upset, "Even if her father now has a chance to advance to the Transmigration Stage, it was through the efforts of our Xie Family to find it for him after a hundred years. The Qingliu Sword Sect does not appreciate it at all!"

Xie Mian forced a smile, "I have disappointed my older brother."

When Xie Xun saw his little brother looking sad, he felt sorry for him, "You are fine, it’s that girl from the Liu family who’s being mean. After the Swordsmanship Contest ends, I will go to Qingliu Sword Sect to find Liu Zhengxu and settle this."

On the other side, Liu Luoyin, who was wrongly accused on behalf of Xie Mian, was standing in the corner of the crowd innocently.

She no longer wanted to stay with the Xie Family, and instead thought about returning to her fellow disciples. But as soon as she looked over, she saw Wen Yun.

Wen Yun was actually standing in a seemingly insignificant corner, but just by standing there quietly, she attracted many talented people to gather around her.

The most famous young man, Jiang Si, walked over to Wen Yun with a smile, and the young master Qian Lishen from the Qian family also kept an eye on Wen Yun. Even the Buddhist disciple Wuchen from the Tianyin Temple politely greeted Wen Yun.

Wen Yun standing in that corner somehow turned it into the center of the venue, with all those talented people around her looking like they were there to accompany her.

Liu Luoyin stared blankly at this scene. She used to look down on Wen Yun, considering her just an ordinary person without much cultivation who had entered the sect by luck.

It wasn’t until losing to Wen Yun in the Swordsmanship Contest that Liu Luoyin gradually changed her mind.

As for herself…now no one paid attention to her. Liu Luoyin secretly glanced over to the Xie Family side where Xie Mian was, not looking for her and instead staying close to this Leng Yanyan.

Thinking about this, she felt her nose tingle and almost cried.

"Huh, Martial Sister Liu?"

Just as Zhu Erchong was about to enter Qianzhen Tower, he saw Liu Luoyin. Curiously, he asked, "Martial Sister Liu, why did you suddenly come back? And why are your eyes so red?"

The others also looked over, all from the same sect. Even though they were not close, they should still take care of each other when away from home.

Liu Luoyin turned her face away awkwardly, unable to answer their concern with a single word. She just felt sorry and embarrassed about her current situation.

At that moment, Wen Yun walked over and handed a handkerchief to Liu Luoyin, saying calmly, "The blizzard flowers on Blizzard Island are too dazzling, coupled with the strong sea breeze, maybe they’ve dazzled your eyes?"

Holding the handkerchief, Liu Luoyin stared blankly at Wen Yun’s indifferent face, unable to snap out of her daze for a while.

She… she actually helped her out of this situation?

In reality, Wen Yun didn’t actually dislike Liu Luoyin. Apart from her proud personality, she could be considered a straightforward sword cultivator.

And that day she heard Liu Luoyin straightforwardly hit Xie Mian’s face in the courtyard. There’s a saying that goes enemies’ enemies are… oh well, can’t be friends.

Without even looking at Liu Luoyin, she carried her fire hemlock sword and walked ahead, her voice clear and melodious, "Fellow senior martial siblings, see you at the top of the tower."

With that, Wen Yun went with the crowd into Qianzhen Tower, her elegant figure disappearing from view.

*

Qianzhen Tower was immense, comparable to a tall mountain.

The moment Wen Yun stepped into the tower, her senses of sound and sight were completely cut off, feeling as if she was in a hollow void. Only the Swordsmanship Contest Token in her hand faintly glowed, finally stopping at the number "seventy-seven."

Blizzard Island hadn’t explained the rules, only mentioning to break through the formations continuously once inside the tower. Wen Yun now furrowed her brows as she stared at the number.

"What does this mean?"

"Qianzhen Tower has ten levels from easy to difficult, each level consisting of a thousand formations. Entrants will be randomly allocated to one of these formations." Ye Shubai suddenly appeared beside her. "You drew the seventy-seventh formation of the first level."

Wen Yun looked at him and smiled, saying, "It seems like we are truly meant to be together since we are assigned to the same group."

Ye Shubai calmly replied without much interest, "I was drawn in by your spiritual power."

He was bound by a strong spiritual contract with Wen Yun, and if he strayed too far from her unless Wen Yun died, he would be considered a traitor and face the consequences of the contract.

Wen Yun grinned and said, "Since you seem to know a lot, why don’t you be the one to break the next magic barrier below."

As Wen Yun spoke, she stepped into the magical formation labeled as number seventy-seven.

The moment she stepped inside, a freezing coldness spread instantly, and before Wen Yun’s eyes appeared towering snow-capped peaks, with thick snow reaching half a person’s height below.

Without her spiritual power protecting her, Wen Yun’s small face turned pale from the cold, devoid of any trace of color.

Ye Shubai quickly took out a winter coat from her bag and wrapped it around her.

Shivering, Wen Yun clutched the fire hemlock wand and cast a fire-based warming spell on herself, finally pulling herself back from the brink of freezing to death.

"It’s amazing that the ancestral spirit array set up by the ancestors of Blizzard Island, the first level is already an advanced array…"

While Wen Yun was studying the situation she was in, she casually cast a warming spell on Ye Shubai, "Be careful not to freeze."

Ye Shubai didn’t refuse, he furrowed his brows slightly and looked around, "Is this a snowy mountain?"

"No, we should still be inside Qianzhen Tower." Wen Yun rubbed her frozen hands, squatted down, formed a snowball and weighed it in her palm, "Or is it common to shift time and space in the cultivation world?"

Ye Shubai was puzzled, then shook his head, "I have never heard of that."

Wen Yun pursed her lips, indeed, whether it was the Magic World or the cultivation world, the art of time and space was a forbidden power that only gods could control, so this place definitely wasn’t a real snowy mountain.

"But this isn’t an illusion… this snow is all real." Wen Yun stood up holding the snowball and casually touched Ye Shubai’s cold face with it, "Ice? Ice it is."

Ye Shubai helplessly pressed down her hand, "Quit fooling around."

Just can’t have some fun with someone so serious, can’t even have a snowball fight.

Wen Yun felt a bit sad, so she decided to focus on the magical array instead.

She didn’t plan to spend too much time on the first array. Breaking the magical array like she did before and deciphering the array’s core might work, but if the core keeps changing like last time, this time only she and Ye Shubai might not catch up and slow down the progress.

Holding her wand, she traced on the snowy ground for a while, her frowning face gradually relaxing.

"By using the rare water-element spiritual jade, and combining it with countless spiritual powers from water-based practitioners, they created this snowy mountain array. The snowy mountain we see is partly real and partly illusory."

Ye Shubai looked down at Wen Yun, who was talking to herself. Whenever it came to her expertise, she could ignore all distractions and focus intensely on overcoming any challenges.

"Let’s play a rough game."

Wen Yun raised her pale face, holding up the fire hemlock sword in her hand, squinting slightly as she murmured, "Let’s see if I have advanced to a high-level mage now."

Uttering the cryptic dragon language spell, the fire magic elements in the world began to gather frantically. The originally cold snowfield gradually warmed up. Ye Shubai looked up and suddenly saw countless lights flashing in the sky.

After a long magical chant, the fire hemlock sword erupted with a dazzling light. Wen Yun hesitated before finally uttering the name of the advanced spell.

"Firestorm in the sky."

The longer the magical chanting, the stronger the power becomes.

As the final syllable fell, it was like a meteor crashing down, countless fireballs smashing from the dark sky, the whole world’s picture started to twist and blur.

The intense heat gradually replaced the severe cold.

*

Outside Qianzhen Tower, the old monsters who came with their descendants sat silently, watching the words carved on the huge spiritual jade.

The formation inside Qianzhen Tower is to be kept secret, so no images can be leaked, but which disciple enters which formation can still be glimpsed.

Xie Xun has the lowest cultivation level here, sitting at the bottom. Above him are the heads of the Yu family, Wan family, and Jiang family. And above them are the ancestors of Blizzard Island and Tianyin Temple’s Transmigration Stage.

"Qianzhenzi sat side by side with Master Purification, casually saying, ‘Why don’t the elders from Qingliu Sword Sect come to guide these juniors?’"

The words were saying that, but the gaze fell on the most well-informed master of the Wan family.

The latter smiled knowingly and said, "It is said that the Eastern Dongfang of the Qingliu Sword Sect suddenly closed, and it seems that there was some misunderstanding between Elder Ouyang and Sect Master Liu…"

The master of the Jiang family frowned and said, "Liu Zhengxu wants to break through the Soul Changing Stage and advance to the Transmigration Realm. Could it be that the sudden closure in the east is because they think their life is ending soon and gave the white jade to Liu Zhengxu?"

As soon as the words white jade were mentioned, these few people all looked uncomfortable.

Qianzhenzi smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Let’s talk about these things later. Why not check on the progress of the younger generation breaking the formation."

His hand brushed past the spiritual jade, and then he pointed, several names and formations appeared in front of everyone.

"Impressive, Jiang Si actually forcefully broke through the fourth spiritual formation. Jiang friend, please remember to repay me with the spiritual jade for repairing the formation on Blizzard Island."

Indeed, the "four" behind Jiang Si’s name had dimmed somewhat, indicating that the spiritual formation had consumed some spiritual power after being forcefully broken.

The master of the Jiang family laughed heartily, "Look at that, A’si has always been rough. He doesn’t understand how to solve formations. He might end up chopping his way through the whole thing!"

The people laughed and complimented each other before shifting their gaze to the next person.

"Huh? How come there are five Xie Family disciples in the two hundred and fiftieth formation?"

Xie Xun felt relieved secretly. The Xie Family was skilled in medicine. To help Xie Mian break the formation, he had instructed Xie Shi and the others to take the Mother and Child Gu, allowing them to communicate with Xie Mian.

Xie Shi was best at formations. He believed it wouldn’t be difficult to help Xie Mian break the formation.

However, he pretended to be surprised on the surface, "They have entered the same formation? Perhaps it’s just good luck?"

True enough, a moment later, Xie Mian and his team successfully broke the formation.

"Truly deserving of Young Master Xie, indeed impressive."

Just then, a number on the spiritual jade suddenly went out, standing out prominently in the bright light.

Qianzhenzi’s white eyebrows twitched, a hint of surprise on his face, "Huh? Someone broke my seventy-seventh formation? Completely broken?"

Others didn’t know, but Qianzhenzi knew that several formations in the first layer were expensive, with hidden positions for the formation eyes and very difficult to break.

The seventy-seventh formation was one of them.

The others nearby immediately said, "It must be that boy, Qian Lishen. Taoist Friend Qian, look at your precious grandson, he used up all the spiritual jade in your spirit formation."

No, it wasn’t that naughty Qian Lishen.

Qianzhenzi frowned, staring at the words "Wen Yun," suddenly recalling that it was this person who broke his grandson’s Spirit-gathering Array a few days ago, making Qian Lishen so angry that he didn’t eat for two days.

This person seems to have talent in formations.

Qianzhenzi couldn’t help but consider taking this person as his apprentice.

However, the next moment, a scene that broke his heart occurred.

The number seventy-seven actually disappeared from above, indicating not only the depletion of spiritual jade but also…

This magical array was completely played with by Wen Yun.