Zhi Xuan smiled, a spiritual smile in his Sea of Consciousness radiating a cold enlightenment. He finally understood. Extreme Ice was not a Law that interacted; it was an absolute status. Its presence imposed a lethal will upon the Laws surrounding it. It was not about moving to freeze, but about being frozen in such a way that the environment was forced to match its Law. Extreme Ice was the center of silence that rejected all fluctuations, and those fluctuations were what froze as they tried to approach.

  If the Wind Law was eternal movement and the Lightning Law was an eternal explosion of judgment, then the Extreme Ice Law was the Static Absolute Will—a force that did not need to move because its mere existence forced the surrounding world to submit to its Law. Extreme Ice was the manifestation of a tyranny that rejected all forms of fluctuation, the perfect opposite of the Wind Law which always sought movement.

  This revelation was like a flash of lightning in the middle of a frozen night. Within the Heavenly Samsara Wheel, the seed of the Ice Law that had been dormant for two years suddenly roared. It did not spin wildly like Lightning and Wind; instead, it came to a total halt. The Ice Pillar solidified, its crystals growing, radiating an aura of lethal stagnation.

  "Life and Death turn; Extreme Ice can even burn, it can freeze," Zhi Xuan said in his sea of consciousness. He moved his hands and carved runes with Extreme Ice patterns onto the Heavenly Samsara Wheel. "Extreme Ice, the Water Law that freezes balance, truly astonishing."

  Precisely on the night of the third year, Zhi Xuan had completely frozen over his entire body. Emitting no fluctuations, his skin was as pale as frozen jade, and his silvery hair was now entirely due to contact with a shred of the Death Law catalyzed by Extreme Ice. Yet, who would have thought he was truly immersed there.

  KRAK! KRAK! KRAK! WHUMP!

  The crystals on his body cracked, and the snow around him seemed to stop for a moment, as if submitting to the birth of a new Extreme Ice that caused the surroundings to shift allegiance. Zhi Xuan rose with a sharp surge, the spiritual wave he released causing a silvery light to spread. He appeared like a Devil and a God under the Starry Sky. He understood that Extreme Ice did not spread; rather, Nature forced itself to propagate his fluctuations.

  WHUMP! WHUMP! WHUMP!

  Below, Xiao Die and Ao Sheng were sitting outside the niche, roasting the meat of the Black Ink Tortoise beast that Zhi Xuan had previously left behind, which had served as their rations for these three years. The silvery wave generated by Zhi Xuan caused the fire created by the Azure Holy Flame inside the Heavenly Cauldron to flicker.

  "Golden Dragon Brother! The fire!" Xiao Die screamed loudly, throwing rainbow powder and calming the suddenly disturbed flame. "Phew... phew... don't go out."

  Ao Sheng, seeing this, raised his hand with a hint of panic and caused the burning fire to be slowly protected, calming slightly before the Ancient Golden Dragon. He looked up at the cliff, staring at the crystal peak where they often gazed and wondered about their Senior's condition.

  "Senior Zhi Xuan," Ao Sheng murmured. He turned and looked at Xiao Die, who was still busy turning the roast while shielding the fire from the spiritual tremors. "Xiao Die, look up!"

  Xiao Die, busy flipping the meat that now emitted an extraordinary fragrance, followed the direction of Ao Sheng's gaze. She looked up, her soft ocean-colored eyes widening. At the peak of the highest ice pillar, a silvery silhouette stood tall, radiating an aura of cold Law that was lethal yet graceful. The snow around him seemed frozen in total silence, as if the Heavens themselves had stopped breathing. The figure, whose hair was now as white as pure snow, looked like an ice god who had just descended to the mortal world. The spiritual pressure coming from him was no longer an aggressive pressure like Lightning, but a pressure of absolute silence capable of locking essence and mind.

  "Senior Zhi Xuan has succeeded!" Xiao Die whispered, her voice sounding like a crystal bell vibrating with wild joy. A deep sense of admiration appeared in her eyes. After three years of waiting in silence, their Devil Senior had conquered another Law of nature.

  Ao Sheng gripped his Black Water Dragon King Spear tightly. He could feel the newly born seed of the Ice Law in Zhi Xuan's body, which now possessed a depth comparable to his Pure Wind and Lightning Laws. If previously Zhi Xuan was a raging storm, now he was a halted storm—equally dangerous, even more lethal because of his inability to be measured.

  "That aura... He has reached the core understanding of Extreme Ice," Ao Sheng hissed. "Not just Pure Ice, but Ice that rejects movement. We must be careful, Xiao Die. He will test his new Law."

  Just as Ao Sheng finished speaking, the silvery silhouette moved. He hovered in the air and raised one hand. A giant palm appeared with an aura of frozen Extreme Ice, not silvery in color but dark purple, like Extreme Ice carrying the scent of death.

  WHUMP! WHUMP! WHUMP!

  Zhi Xuan moved his hand slowly, as if his movement were very heavy, yet it also felt like a piercing melody. The palm moved slowly, but it carried the weight of solidified and moving frost. Every path in the air passed by the palm split the atmosphere with the sound of snow cracking, deafening the silence of the night and the sound of the wind.

  WHUMP! WHUMP! WHUMP! WHUMP! BOOM!

  The palm slowed and struck a small iceberg in the distance. The mountain shook violently and created a ripple of shockwaves that swept the surroundings. The snow was pushed back until it formed a massive palm print that spread across the mountain slope, burdened by an Extreme Ice that not only froze but moved toward the mountain.

  WHUSH! WHUSH! WHUSH! WHUSH!

  The shockwave immediately created a vibrating blizzard, making a storm vortex that carried snow twisting like a wind vortex. Xiao Die and Ao Sheng, who were surrounding the Heavenly Cauldron, were thrown back by the shockwave and clung to the legs of the Heavenly Cauldron.

  "AAAKKHH!" Xiao Die screamed as her body floated and tossed above the ground, her rainbow powder fluttering wildly. "I'm going to be swallowed by the snow, Golden Dragon Brother! Help me!"

  Ao Sheng, with his Black Water Dragon King Spear, tried to drive the spear into the icy ground, but the ground was already too dense and hard, even for his Golden Dragon strength. He only managed to scratch the surface. His small body, although protected by the Black Ink Tortoise armor, was now tossed like a dry leaf in the middle of an uncontrolled storm of Law. He tried to reach for the floating Xiao Die. Their hands nearly touched, but suddenly, the blizzard vortex moved wildly, separating them.

  "Xiao Die, hold the Cauldron! Don't let go!" Ao Sheng roared, his voice almost lost in the roar of the storm created by the ripples of the Extreme Ice Law. Xiao Die could not hear him. Her round eyes were filled with snow and a comical sense of panic. She floated higher and higher, pushed by a wind vortex vibrating with the static Ice Law. She waved her hands desperately, hoping her spiritual wings could stabilize her, but her Wind Law felt too wild, conflicting with the Ice Law that rejected movement.

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  "I'm going to freeze! I'm going to turn back into a little moth!" Xiao Die shrieked, her crystalline scream sounding pathetic. She let her fine rainbow powder out, hoping the powder could paralyze the blizzard, but the storm was a manifestation of Law, not a beast. The rainbow powder only spun wildly with her, creating a colorful and ridiculous snow vortex in the air.

  Ao Sheng, seeing Xiao Die floating away with the rainbow snow vortex around her, growled in frustration. He strengthened his Golden Core, and a layer of Black Water scales appeared on his skin. He did not give up, shooting into the air, fighting the storm vortex with his spear movements.

  "We have passed the Heavenly Calamity! We will not lose to a blizzard!" Ao Sheng roared. He used his spear to split the blizzard, flowing his Black Water essence to counter the Ice law. He managed to grab Xiao Die's leg.

  "Got you!" Ao Sheng exclaimed. He tried to pull Xiao Die back to the Heavenly Cauldron. However, the Extreme Ice Law in the storm vortex was too strong. Instead of pulling Xiao Die back, Ao Sheng was instead dragged upward. The two of them, now holding on tight, floated uncontrollably in the middle of the blizzard, like two small kites that had lost control. Their Black Ink Tortoise armor felt very heavy, yet remained unable to withstand the resulting spatial pressure.

  They spun around, their heads bumping against each other's shoulders, and Xiao Die's braids touched Ao Sheng's face. Both of them screamed, a panicky and comical shriek that contrasted with the horror of the Extreme Ice Law around them.

  Meanwhile, at the peak of the ice cliff, Zhi Xuan, who had just successfully consolidated the Extreme Ice Law, opened his eyes. His silvery hair fluttered slowly. He felt an extraordinary improvement within his Heavenly Samsara Wheel. He saw that his Extreme Ice Palm had struck the iceberg, creating the ripple blizzard. Then, his gaze turned downward, toward the two small figures spinning uncontrollably in the middle of the now dull rainbow blizzard. Zhi Xuan, who had initially intended to enjoy the results of his tempering, suddenly felt a wave of a headache. He took a long breath, a thick white mist escaping his mouth.

  ZRINGG! ZHINGG! WHUSH!

  Zhi Xuan flicked his hand. The Heavenly Sword that was stuck in the snow crystal immediately drifted and shot out with a fierce stream of red lightning. The Heavenly Sword stopped in front of the Heavenly Cauldron and, in a sharp swing, unleashed a cross-slash toward the blizzard, splitting the snowstorm until it caused an even more fierce shockwave. Yet, an Immortal-level artifact was not easy to endure; the blizzard immediately collapsed and dispersed.

  WHUMP! WHUMP! DUARR! WHUSH!

  Ao Sheng and Xiao Die, who were previously spinning like tops in the middle of the storm, suddenly felt the pull of gravity return. With the roar of the storm subsiding and the snow slowly falling to the ground, the two of them were slammed onto the ice ground with a comical plop. Their Black Ink Tortoise armor did indeed save them from serious injury, but not from the extraordinary embarrassment and dizziness.

  They lay for a moment, piled on top of each other on the now calm expanse of snow. Xiao Die's disheveled hair covered Ao Sheng's face, and Ao Sheng's tiny horns poked Xiao Die's cheek slightly. Both of their eyes blinked, trying to process what had just happened.

  "Ugh... Golden Dragon Brother, is this what they call... playing kites?" Xiao Die asked in a weak voice, still a bit dizzy. The faint scent of roasted meat still clung to her nose, mixed with the smell of snow and ice.

  Ao Sheng shook his head, trying to get up while rubbing his dizzy head. "I don't think so, Xiao Die. If it were a kite, there should be a string. This is more like... a catapult without control." He turned toward the Heavenly Cauldron, which was now calm again in the middle of the niche, radiating a stable warmth. "Thank the Heavens, the Cauldron didn't fly away too."

  The two of them finally managed to get up, helping each other. Their clothes were slightly wrinkled, and a few snowflakes still clung to their hair and robes. Xiao Die quickly straightened her braids, her face flushing crimson again. The incident of slipping at the beginning of her transformation now felt like the same embarrassing experience.

  "Senior Zhi Xuan..." Xiao Die whispered, her gaze shifting to the cliff peak where Zhi Xuan still stood, radiating a terrifying ice aura that now felt more... stable. "Is he... always like this after meditating? A bit... enthusiastic?"

  Ao Sheng snorted softly. He leaned his Black Water Dragon King Spear, which was still vibrating slightly after being hit by the Extreme Ice Law. "Senior Zhi Xuan is Senior Zhi Xuan. He always does things that are... surprising." Ao Sheng looked toward the mountain that now held a giant palm print. "And I don't think he meant to make us fly."

  At the peak of the cliff, Zhi Xuan looked down. Seeing the two small figures who were now standing, helping each other and looking fine, even with the remnants of snow in their hair, made the corner of his lips lift slightly. He exhaled; his headache subsided a bit. He had conquered the Extreme Ice Law.

  WHUSH!

  Zhi Xuan streaked down from the cliff peak, no longer with a wild slide, but with a graceful and controlled movement, radiating an aura of absolute silence. His silvery hair fluttered slowly, and his eyes, now radiating a sapphire-blue ice light, swept the scene below. He landed softly in front of Ao Sheng and Xiao Die, creating a small ripple in the snow layer. The spiritual pressure originating from him was no longer aggressive, but a presence so dense and static that the surrounding Nature was forced to submit to his presence. Even the air around him felt frozen, limiting movement.

  "Are you two alright?" Zhi Xuan asked, his voice calm, almost like a whisper of cold wind, yet full of unquestionable authority. He looked at Ao Sheng, then at Xiao Die, as if checking every inch of them both.

  Ao Sheng and Xiao Die stood tall, trying to look as calm as possible before their Senior, who now looked like an ice god. Although they were a bit afraid, their respect and admiration were much greater.

  "Fine, Senior!" Ao Sheng answered quickly, though his teeth chattered slightly from the cold and tension. He held his spear tightly, which now felt warmer in his hand, as if responding to Zhi Xuan's presence.

  Xiao Die nodded gracefully, trying to hide her embarrassment. "Yes, Senior. The armor Senior gave us is very effective. We... were just a little surprised by the storm." She deliberately did not mention the uncontrolled kite or catapult to maintain her dignity.

  Zhi Xuan gave a small nod, a thin smile he rarely showed playing on his lips. He waved his hand, and the remaining fragments of the Extreme Ice Core from the Frost Dragon Snake drifted out of his storage bag. The cold light radiating from the core felt much softer now, as if submitting to a more majestic Extreme Ice aura from Zhi Xuan.

  "Both of you, eat this core," Zhi Xuan commanded. "The Extreme Ice Law has taken residence. Now, you must also absorb the remains of that Ice Law to strengthen your defenses."

  Ao Sheng and Xiao Die immediately took the ice core. They could feel the pure energy of the Extreme Ice that had now passed through Zhi Xuan's tempering. It no longer felt terrifying, but like a calming and strong cold. Both sat cross-legged, beginning their meditation.

  Zhi Xuan simply stood beside them, watching. His silvery hair fluttered slowly, contrasting with his elegant black robes. In his Sea of Consciousness, the Heavenly Samsara Wheel now spun with three balanced pillars: Wind that moved without limits, Lightning that destroyed with absolute will, and Extreme Ice that was frozen in a silence rejecting all fluctuations.

  "Three Elements of the Five Elements," Zhi Xuan murmured lowly, exhaling slowly as if his breath were freezing, forming a snowflake. "The Crimson Land Valley is next; it will be a challenge of the Earth Law and Fire Law simultaneously."

  Zhi Xuan felt his foundation was now stable in the Five Elements realm, even though he had only mastered three of its core Laws. The three Laws now residing in his Heavenly Samsara Wheel felt like three ancient steel pillars, unshakable and complementary. He looked north, toward the Crimson Land Valley, a name that echoed heat and stability—two Laws opposite to the Extreme Ice he had just conquered. He had to complete his Five Elements Dao. Only with a complete foundation could he reach the Soul Transformation realm with perfection. He channeled a bit of Wind essence into his silvery hair, causing the clinging snow to fall away immediately. He now appeared again like a graceful Heavenly Devil, not a frozen ice statue.

  Beside him, Ao Sheng and Xiao Die, absorbing the Extreme Ice Core, radiated a controlled cold aura. The Ice Law now seeping into their Ancient Blood provided a new layer of resilience, making their Black Ink Tortoise armor defense even more perfect. Zhi Xuan closed his eyes for a moment to return to the Sea of Consciousness, seeing the Nebula and orange Sky above the Sea of Consciousness. He looked toward Ruo Xianxue, who was just sitting on a branch of the Tree of Life, as she often did these past years. Zhi Xuan stepped calmly, every breath he brought seemingly permeating and freezing his own Sea of Consciousness.