The palace-robed beauty's expression was sharp, her tone aggressive.
Hearing this, Yan Qingxuan's face showed no change at all. She glanced at her lightly and said,"Song Qiuyue, even a loser like you from back then is still alive. How could I possibly die before you?"
"Something going on here?"
Wang Jianqiang's eyes swept between the palace-robed woman and Yan Qingxuan, showing a trace of interest.
There seemed to be a story between these two.
And judging from their exchange, Yan Qingxuan appeared to hold the upper hand.
Thinking of this, he realized he had never checked Yan Qingxuan's information before. Unable to resist, he focused his mind.
The next moment, a screen of information appeared in his mind:
"Name: Yan QingxuanGender: FemaleCultivation: Late Core FormationAge: 170Spiritual Root: Fire-element Heavenly Spiritual RootGood/Evil Value: +10"
Another Heavenly Spiritual Root!
And her cultivation was so formidable!
But what shocked Wang Jianqiang most was that Yan Qingxuan's value toward him was positive!
On the other side—
Song Qiuyue's face darkened at Yan Qingxuan's words. Just as she was about to speak again, Jia Wenchang cut her off.
"Enough, both of you. We are here today for the Cold Pool Secret Realm. Don't let the juniors laugh at us."
Song Qiuyue snorted coldly but ultimately said no more.
Yan Qingxuan only smiled indifferently.
Then she secretly began introducing Wang Jianqiang to the top ten disciples of Xuanqing Palace.
"Lin Xian'er, number one of the Outer Sect.""Xiao Wuya, number two of the Outer Sect."…
Wang Jianqiang's eyes swept across the Xuanqing Palace disciples, finally resting on a white-robed woman.
Her jet-black hair flowed down to her waist, her white dress fluttered gracefully.
Her beautiful face radiated immortal-like aura.
The only flaw—she was too aloof, as if all others were beneath her.
"These four great cultivation sects really do seem to be yin-prosperous, yang-declining."
Coming back to himself, Wang Jianqiang thought of Hehuan Sect's competition rankings, and sighed inwardly.
"Since everyone is here, let's open the secret realm."
At that moment, Elder Qingfeng of Myriad Sword Sect looked around at the leading elders and spoke.
"Agreed."
Yan Qingxuan, Jia Wenchang, and Song Qiuyue all nodded.
The four of them each took out a jade token, tossed it into the air, and formed hand seals, injecting spiritual power into the tokens.
The four tokens shone brightly, beams of light shooting skyward.
At their intersection, space twisted, and a pitch-black portal slowly opened.
"The entrance to the Cold Pool Secret Realm has appeared."
"Xuanqing Palace disciples, enter at once.""Zhengyang Sect disciples, enter at once.""Myriad Sword Sect disciples, enter at once.""Hehuan Sect disciples, enter at once."
The four elders spoke almost in unison.
The next instant, disciples of the four sects soared toward the entrance together.
Wang Jianqiang and Wang Yuyao blended into the Hehuan Sect group, flying into the portal alongside them.
The moment he entered, darkness engulfed his vision.
Then he felt an invisible force pulling at his body.
Before he could react, light returned, and he found himself standing in a strange space.
He looked around—
No one in sight.
As expected, the entry point into the secret realm was random.
Snowflakes drifted endlessly from the sky.
The land was covered in ice and snow, a vast expanse of white.
Even the plants were crystalline ice structures.
Strangely, these were not dead things—he could clearly sense vitality within them.
Even more astonishing, some of the great trees bore blossoms, and even fruit!
Unable to resist, he went to examine them.
Finding that they were not spirit herbs, he chose a direction and continued forward.
Whizz!
Not far along, a sharp sound of something breaking through the air reached his ears.
He flicked his finger, summoning a small seal.
A burst of golden light shot out, enveloping him completely.
Bang!
The next moment, a massive crystalline bird swooped down. Its beak, more than three meters long, slammed against the golden light.
The light remained intact.
The bird let out a mournful cry before shattering against the barrier.
"Just a Qi Refining fifth-layer bird?"
Wang Jianqiang felt a bit embarrassed.
His lack of combat experience made him overreact.
He had actually brought out the Perfect Xuanguang Seal.
Like using a cannon to shoot a mosquito.
With a wave, he put the seal away, then examined the bird's shattered remains.
Among the shards, a fist-sized ice pearl gleamed with crystalline brilliance.
This was a Cold Pearl, a unique treasure of the Cold Pool Secret Realm.
The realm was named after its core—the Cold Pool itself.
At its depths lay countless precious herbs and treasures.
But the pool's waters carried a terrifying corrosive power.
Only by carrying Cold Pearls could one resist it. Otherwise, even Core Formation cultivators would instantly freeze into statues upon entering.
Cold Pearls could be obtained by slaying the creatures of the realm. Multiple pearls could also be fused into higher-grade ones.
The higher the quality of the pearl, the longer it could withstand the pool's erosion.
If one wanted to harvest treasures from the Cold Pool, naturally, the more pearls the better.
Wang Jianqiang pocketed the pearl.
Unhurriedly, he continued on.
The secret realm would remain open for a whole year—plenty of time.
…
The Cold Pool Secret Realm was far larger than expected.
Half a month passed, and in all his travels, Wang Jianqiang hadn't met a single soul.
Though he did encounter many of the realm's creatures.
He had collected dozens of Cold Pearls, and his combat experience had greatly improved.
He also harvested some herbs, though none of particularly great value.
From what he knew, the deeper one ventured into the realm, the smaller the area became, increasing the chance of meeting others.
Here, danger came not only from the realm itself, but also from disciples of the other three sects—and even from fellow sect members.
Buzz!
Just then, the ground quaked. A few miles ahead, an astonishingly scorching aura erupted, like a volcano bursting forth.
"So hot!"
"How could such heat suddenly appear in this icy world?"
Wang Jianqiang raised a brow and hastened forward.
…
He was not the only one who noticed the aura.
"Hm?"
"A fire attribute aura in this icy realm?"
"Interesting."
Sensing the blazing energy, a burly man arched his brow and rushed toward it.
…
"A fire aura?"
"Could it be a treasure emerging? My luck is good indeed."
A sword-riding figure chuckled and sped up.
…
"A treasure appearing?"
"Seems to be dozens of miles away."
"For such blazing heat to spread this far, the treasure must be extraordinary!"
A group of four gazed into the distance.
Their leader waved his hand, summoning a bronze leaf that expanded to several meters.
"Quickly, get on."
"This opportunity must be ours."
…
With full speed, Wang Jianqiang quickly crossed several miles.
Then he halted in midair.
Looking down—
The snow and ice in this region had completely melted away.
Plants were all gone.
The ground scorched into blackened wasteland, smoke rising.
At the center of the scorched earth, a fist-sized jade stone floated silently.
Its surface was smooth as a mirror, oval like a goose egg.
Through its surface, a green flame could be seen burning within.
Terrifying heat waves rippled outward without cease.