Chapter Twenty-Six: Cultivating "Heavenly Frost Cold Qi"

The fire in the cave blazed brightly, casting fluctuating shadows on the walls. Lu Han sat cross-legged on the ground, his hands forming intricate seals as his aura gradually diminished, descending from Postnatal Seventh Heaven to the peak of Postnatal Sixth Heaven... until it returned to the level he’d reached after passing through the Dragon Gate, barely at the Sixth Heaven.

This was because Lu Han had abolished his previous “Mystic Water Art,” causing his qi to steadily decrease. To abolish one’s own cultivation method was a dangerous undertaking that demanded utter tranquility. Fortunately, the cave was quiet enough, and with the old man’s guidance, things proceeded rather smoothly.

“Brat, it’s done now,” the old man’s ethereal form hovered above the ring as usual.

At the old man’s words, Lu Han’s mind stirred, and a scroll appeared in his hand. He unfurled it to see four bold characters: “Heavenly Frost Chill Energy.”

Closing his eyes tightly, Lu Han began training according to the path described in the “Heavenly Frost Chill Energy.” Inner strength gradually filled his body. The old man watched from the side, stroking his beard with a satisfied smile before slipping back into the ring.

The night passed without incident.

As the first rays of sunlight crested the distant mountains, Lu Han’s eyes suddenly snapped open, a glint of light flickering within them. He clenched his fists, feeling the powerful energy surging within.

“So this is the power of a mid-tier Profound-grade technique? Then what must an Earth-grade technique be like, or even the legendary Heaven-grade?” Lu Han felt a surge of anticipation. After a night’s cultivation, he had mastered “Heavenly Frost Chill Energy” and returned to Postnatal Seventh Heaven—far stronger than before, several times over.

“Brat, you were only training with a mid-tier Yellow-grade technique before, like most people. That’s why you had to run whenever you encountered someone above your level. Now things are different: against the average Postnatal Eighth Heaven, you might not be guaranteed victory, but he won’t have an easy time defeating you either. That’s the benefit of advanced techniques,” the old man said, having emerged from the ring at some point.

Lu Han understood well that one’s true strength wasn’t determined solely by cultivation level; the methods and martial skills mattered greatly. Of course, surpassing one’s level in battle was only viable between adjacent realms—crossing a major boundary was almost impossible. Even a Postnatal practitioner with a Heaven-grade technique couldn’t defeat a Mystic Lord using a Yellow-grade one.

“Master, since I’ve already acknowledged you as my teacher, shouldn’t you tell me your name?” Lu Han suddenly realized that after fleeing Shandong for so long, he still didn’t know the old man’s—no, his master’s—name.

“Brat, it won’t do you any good to know. Perhaps when you’ve earned a place in the Grand Xia Empire, you’ll qualify to learn it—though who knows if I’ll last that long!” The old man finished with a bitter smile. He was but a soul remnant, his essence dwindling with every use, unsure of how long he could endure.

Lu Han fell silent. To have a place in the Grand Xia Empire meant becoming a King of the Earth Realm—a figure of legend in his eyes.

He wasn’t foolish; it was clear this convenient master’s identity was extraordinary. To casually bestow a mid-tier Profound-grade technique—how could his background be simple?

“Master, now that I think about it, have you been stuck in this cave for thousands of years? Are you one of those ancient monsters?” Lu Han asked mischievously.

Whack!

“You cheeky brat, you dare joke with your master?” The old man scolded with a smile, flicking Lu Han’s forehead.

After persistent pleading, Lu Han finally learned his master’s surname: Ling.

“Whew, that was tough,” Lu Han wiped the sweat from his brow. “Ling, hmm... should I call him Old Man Ling from now on?”

Whack!

Another flick to the forehead.

“Brat, now you’ll learn the meaning of respecting your elders and teachers!”

“Even when I whisper, you hear it,” Lu Han muttered.

...

Meanwhile, at the cave of the Skyclad King’s legacy, two hundred mercenaries had toiled through the night to excavate the cave.

“Vice Captain, both captains have been found, but...” a mercenary reported hesitantly to Zheng Qi as he hurried over.

Zheng Qi had anticipated the outcome, but his steps still faltered. The previous night, after chasing into the darkness, he’d quickly returned, sensing danger but determined to find Iron Madman at any cost—for without Iron Madman, he himself would not be where he was today.

On the open ground, Iron Madman and Li Hu lay side by side, their bodies soaked in blood.

Iron Madman and Li Hu were the only two innate experts in Greenstone Town—figures who commanded wind and rain. Yet this was their fate.

Zheng He knelt before Iron Madman.

Thud!

“Captain, rest in peace. I will avenge Young Captain for you!”

Iron Madman and Li Hu had been rivals all their lives, vying openly and secretly for dominance over Greenstone Town. Who could have foreseen that they’d die together in this cave? Sometimes, fate truly is a curious thing.

“With both captains gone, I’ve decided to merge the two groups under my command. Any objections?” Zheng Qi stood and addressed the crowd coldly.

Murmurs rippled through the assembly.

“I object. Our Flying Tiger Mercenary Group will elect a new captain ourselves when we return. There’s no need for you to trouble yourself, Vice Captain Zheng,” a senior member of the Flying Tiger group declared. As a Postnatal Eighth Heaven expert and an elder in the group, he had a shot at becoming captain—why should he let Zheng Qi take it so easily?

“Oh? You object? That’s fine. If you object... you die,” Zheng Qi’s voice grew ever colder.

Clang!

His long saber flashed from its sheath and struck down the man.

“You... how dare you?” The man’s forehead split, blood dripping onto his nose as he fell lifeless to the ground.

Even in death, he hadn’t understood why Zheng Qi dared kill him in front of so many. To be fair, his end was rather humiliating. Though Zheng Qi was a level higher, at Postnatal Ninth Heaven, it shouldn’t have been so easy. But he’d underestimated Zheng Qi’s resolve, whose surprise attack, combined with his superior cultivation, sealed the man’s fate.

“Any further objections?” Zheng Qi asked, blood still dripping from his saber as he surveyed the crowd.

The mercenaries stepped back in fear.

“Of course not, Captain Zheng!” one called, followed by others. These men had survived decades of hardship—no one would risk their life challenging Zheng Qi now. The dead man was warning enough.

“Since there are no objections, our group is now the Iron Tiger Mercenary Corps. A few of you take the captains’ bodies back to Greenstone Town. The rest, come with me to find that boy. The treasure isn’t on the captains as the map claimed—it must be with him. Besides, he’s our Young Captain’s killer. We cannot let him go!” Zheng Qi’s eyes burned with greed, for the captains themselves had coveted the treasure.

Now that the two groups were unified, and if he obtained the treasure, he would truly become the foremost figure in Greenstone Town.

“Captain, I will finish what you could not accomplish in life!”

“Brat, enough talk. We’d better find another safe place to hide. They won’t let you off easily,” said the old man.

“Hey, Master, isn’t it a bit much to change the subject? We were talking about the scroll left by the Skyclad King. I risked my life for that!” Lu Han looked at Old Man Ling with a hint of disdain.

“Alright, brat, would your master really taint your scroll? I was just teasing you! Seeing you so nervous—I’m curious myself what the Skyclad King left behind,” the old man said with a laugh, amused by Lu Han’s anxiety.

With a flash of the azure ring, the scroll floated out.

“Here you go, brat.”

Announcement: The final three weeks of the web novel league’s preliminary round are here! If you haven’t joined yet, hurry up! Huge prizes and a chance to become a literary star await—click here to participate!