Subtitle: With Heart as Their Sword, They Could Reflect a Thousand Peaks of Frost**
The dawn at Canglang Outpost was slowly carved out of the darkness by flickering candlelight.The blizzard outside had not yet ceased, as if it had stood guard all night over this expanse of frozen silence.
Breath misted in the dim light. Shi Jian, propped on a simple cot covered with old furs, finally had a trace of vitality on his face. The combined effects of Lu Wanning's silver needles and the Heart-Oath resonance had pulled him back from the edge of delirium. His eyes, once sharp to an almost inhuman degree, though still carved with hardship, now held a measure of clarity.
"The Empire's eyes are like vultures on the tundra, penetrating everywhere," he rasped, his voice gritty yet carrying a veteran's certainty. "But their eyes… are made of ice. They can see blades and arrows, calculate troop deployments, but they are blind to… the 'heart'."
His gaze swept over the four figures seated before him.
"The true backbone of the Northern Frontier isn't the scattered remnants of the army. It's the 'Cold Mountain Sect'. They follow the path of 'the heart as the sword, heart and blade as one'. If anything in this world can counter that cold 'Web of Order', it might be them."
Upon hearing this, Gu Changfeng's back straightened unconsciously, a long-absent fire igniting in his eyes. "We need our own people," he said, his voice low, unable to suppress the instinctive yearning for belonging. After the long flight, he missed the camaraderie of brothers-in-arms far too much.
Shen Yuzhu sat quietly to the side, his heterochromatic pupils appearing even deeper in the candlelight. "The Cold Mountain Sect remains aloof, uninvolved in court struggles. The possibility of them offering shelter exists, but trust… is far from guaranteed." His fingertips tapped lightly against his knee, as if calculating countless possibilities.
"The Heart-Oath was unusually stable last night," Lu Wanning added softly, her gaze resting on the gently pulsing Heart-Oath Crystal floating nearby. "Perhaps… it resonates in some way we don't yet understand with the mind-cultivation methods of the Cold Mountain Sect."
Chu Hongying, polishing the cold edge of her Lie Feng Spear, was silent for a moment before speaking. "That's not a sanctuary. It's a proving ground." Her intuition was always sharp—like a lone wolf scenting danger on the battlefield.
The decision was made. Facing the gradually lightening sky and the relentless storm outside, the four bid farewell to Shi Jian and stepped into the vast white expanse, heading toward Lonely Snow Peak.
The Blizzard
Less than an hour from the outpost, the weather turned vicious.
The blizzard fell without warning—no longer gentle snowfall, but a frenzied white beast roaring as it devoured heaven and earth. The wind howled like a monstrous thing, the snow like knives, the very world seeming torn apart. More unnerving was the faint, disquieting interference within the storm, as if countless distant mirrors in the Mirror Domain were trembling at once.
"This wind is wrong!" Gu Changfeng yelled, his voice instantly shredded by the gale.
Shen Yuzhu closed his eyes, sensing, then snapped them open. "It's weakened Mirror Domain pressure—meant to disrupt direction and psyche! We cannot separate!"
Vision obscured, senses jammed, they were trapped in a white maze.
"Share—" Shen Yuzhu's voice came clearly into the minds of the others through the Heart-Oath bond, "—not memories, only share intent!"
Without hesitation, the four opened their hearts simultaneously. The moment their minds connected, it felt like pushing their souls toward a deep abyss—if one will faltered, the others would be dragged down as well. It was a gamble of absolute trust.
Chu Hongying's will ignited like a beacon, transmitting focus and resolve; Shen Yuzhu's thoughts became icy data streams, mapping hidden paths through the storm; Lu Wanning's breathing grew long and steady, her invisible waves calming the turbulent rhythm; Gu Changfeng's physical instincts ignited, unifying all intent into coordinated action and reflex.
In an instant, a miracle occurred.
In their shared perception, the raging storm seemed parted by invisible hands. Though their bodies still bore the brunt of wind and snow, the path forward became clear within the network of their connected minds. Their footsteps fell in perfect unison, like a single entity with four bodies.
Lu Wanning was inwardly astonished. She clearly felt the Dark Heartlock on her arm acting like a thirsty sponge, absorbing focus, trust, and protective intent. The unsettling black patterns grew deeper and more reserved—not restless, but quietly, eerily satisfied.
"It's… changing…" she whispered in the mind-link, a faint seed of a theory about "reversal" taking root.
The Mountain Gate
After an immeasurable span of time, the wind abated, revealing a towering peak ahead, seemingly forged from ice and dark rock. Before the mountain gate stood two disciples in plain white attire, still as sculptures in the snow.
"Those who can reach this place are those whose 'hearts' are open," the left disciple said, his voice clear as a wind chime.
As his words fell, the wind stilled. Snowflakes froze midair, suspended like tiny cold stars.
Then an intangible aura spread from the gate. Their spirits swayed as their 'heart-intent' was drawn out, manifesting as visible wind-forms:
Crimson blood-flame wind around Chu Hongying—fierce, resolute, holding the paradox of protection and destruction.Silvery-blue mirror-wind around Shen Yuzhu—calm, precise, reflecting all things yet hiding unreachable pain.Pale needle-wind around Lu Wanning—slender, sharp, bearing a healer's warmth and understanding.Deep azure blade-wind around Gu Changfeng—straightforward, fierce, brimming with action and sincerity.
The four heart-winds shot skyward. Though not fully merged, they echoed each other in mysterious harmony.
The disciples paled. "The Four Polarities… manifesting together…" one whispered, trembling. "In all history, such a sign appeared only once—on the eve of the Lu family's destruction!"
One disciple immediately darted away as a streak of snow.
Sect Leader Ling Qingyin
Before long, they were led to a suspended walkway outside the main hall. A woman stood with her back to them, gazing at rolling cloud seas and snow waves. She wore moon-white robes, her beauty pristine as a plum blossom in frost, exuding tranquility and insight.
She turned, her gaze like polished jade sweeping over them—reading the light within them rather than merely looking.
"The 'heart-light' of you four is already woven into a formation," Sect Leader Ling Qingyin said. "If you harbor destruction, the wind will tell me; if you are determined to protect, the snow will hear."
Her eyes settled on Shen Yuzhu. "You use rationality to build high walls, isolating yourself from the world's warmth. Inside is order. Outside… what is it?"
Shen Yuzhu stiffened subtly. "If emotion becomes burden, should not reason take control to prevent greater chaos?"
"Fallacy." Her tone remained serene. "Reason without heart becomes cold, hard iron. Emotion without will is wildfire that consumes its wielder. The Path of Heart-Intent lies in the fusion of fire and iron—so a true sword may be forged."
A snowflake landed in her palm and did not melt. Instead, it coalesced into the embryonic form of a perfectly shaped ice sword.
"Emotion is weight. A weightless sword breaks in the first wind. Reason is the edge. A blade without an edge harms only its wielder."
Moved, Chu Hongying stepped forward and projected a pure, synchronized battle-resonance through the Heart-Oath—not memory, but intent:
We are here. We stand together.
Ling Qingyin's eyes shone. "This is no ordinary technique. It is the embryo of four hearts as one—resonant with our long-lost ultimate art, 'Mirror Heart, Sword Soul'."
The Heart Mirror Platform
She guided them to the sect's core ground: the Heart Mirror Platform.
When the four stepped onto the ancient silver patterns, they blazed to life—
Crimson, silver-blue, pale white, deep azure pillars surged upward, intertwining into a stable formation:
The Four Polarities Heart Array.
Ling Qingyin stared, awestruck. Even the mountain winds fell silent.
"You are no ordinary fugitives. Heaven and earth pivot around you—seeking to anchor the Northern Frontier through your hearts."
Her voice rang solemnly:
"The Cold Mountain Sect may offer temporary shelter. But to gain our full support—you must pass our sacred trial, the Frost Wolf Trial."
Nightfall: The Observer
That night, under a crescent moon, Shen Yuzhu stood alone in the courtyard.
A sudden sensation—being observed—traced icy dread along his spine. It was not the Web of Order's mechanical scan. This was subtler, more personal… and infinitely colder.
He crouched, sketching data flows into the snow.
"The Web's tracking signal… weakened by seventy percent. Not jamming. Observation itself has gone out of focus. Is it Heart Energy interfering with rational observation's foundation…?"
Inside, Chu Hongying felt a sharp pang—an oppression she had not sensed in years.
At the edge of the snow forest stood a tall figure, holding a snowflake that condensed into a mirror of ice.
Only his jawline was visible, yet unmistakable—
Situ Ming.
"Hongying… your heart is still so bright. So full of… variables.""A perfect specimen… for verifying His Majesty's 'Order Purification Theory'."
With a soft crack, the ice-mirror shattered into drifting motes—vanishing like a memory never meant to remain.