I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

The moment you step through the ice gate, a biting chill hits you. The temperature here is even lower than outside; even Nascent Soul cultivators feel their blood flow slow down and their spiritual energy circulation sluggish.

As far as the eye can see, the world is a blanket of white. In the distance, icebergs stand tall, and nearby, ice forests stretch endlessly. Snowflakes drift down from the sky, but when they land on you, they feel as sharp as blades.

"Such dense ice-type spiritual energy." Su Meier rubbed her arms. "This place is too oppressive for non-ice-type cultivators like us."

Tuoba Shan snorted coldly, and his body shone with an earthy yellow light, keeping out the chill.

Yin Jiuyou then released death energy, forming a gray barrier around himself.

Qin Yuan activated the "Nine Revolutions Profound Origin Technique," and spiritual energy circulated within his body, naturally dispelling the chill.

Just as the five were about to venture deeper, they suddenly heard a whooshing sound behind them.

More than a dozen figures rushed in from outside the ice gate, led by a red-haired youth—Yan Lie of the Crimson Flame Sect!

He was followed by seven or eight disciples of the Crimson Flame Sect, as well as several cultivators from other sects, all of whom were from Huangtu City.

"Li Qingfeng, you're so cunning!" Yan Lie stared coldly at Li Qingfeng. "Secretly opening the secret realm, are you trying to monopolize the opportunities inside?"

Li Qingfeng's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure: "Fellow Daoist Yan Lie is joking. The secret realm is inherently unclaimed; whoever can open it will have their own opportunity."

"Bullshit!" a red-robed disciple behind Yan Lie roared. "We discovered this secret realm first! You people from the Book and Sword Sect sneaked in to steal it, have you no shame?!"

Qin Yuan understood.

No wonder Li Qingfeng went to Huangtu City to recruit teammates—this secret realm is located on the edge of the territory controlled by the Crimson Flame Sect. The Book Sword Sect wanted to get involved, but their strength was insufficient to confront the Crimson Flame Sect, so they resorted to this underhanded trick.

"Fellow Daoist Li," Qin Yuan looked at Li Qingfeng, "you didn't say it would cause this kind of trouble."

Li Qingfeng smiled wryly: "There's a reason for this, and I hope Fellow Daoist Qin will forgive me. Opportunities in secret realms depend on one's own abilities. Although they outnumber us, the five of us working together are not necessarily afraid of them."

Yan Lie's gaze swept over the five people, lingering on Qin Yuan for a moment. A hint of apprehension flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by greed: "Li Qingfeng, I'll give you two choices. One, hand over the jade talisman to activate the secret technique and get out. Two, die here."

Tuoba Shan slammed his giant axe on the ground: "If you want to fight, then fight! Why all this nonsense!"

Su Meier flicked her whip lightly: "Fellow Daoist Yan Lie, we are all disciples of the Hundred Sects, why ruin our harmony?"

Yin Jiuyou remained silent, but the skull at his waist began to rotate.

The atmosphere was tense and ready to fight.

Qin Yuan suddenly spoke up: "The secret realm has opened; let's rely on our own abilities."

He spoke calmly, but Yan Lie's face darkened.

"So, 'it's all about skill'!" Yan Lie sneered. "Let's see if the five of you can hold off more than a dozen of us!"

As soon as he finished speaking, flames surged around him, and he was about to make a move.

Just then, a long, drawn-out cry suddenly came from the depths of the secret realm.

The roar, like a dragon's cry or a phoenix's call, pierced through the wind and snow, reaching everyone's ears. The roar contained a terrifying pressure, causing everyone's heart to tremble.

"Is...is it a guardian beast of the secret realm?" someone asked in a trembling voice.

Yan Lie's expression shifted, but he finally gritted his teeth and said, "Enter the secret realm first! Opportunities depend on one's own abilities, but if anyone dares to stab us in the back—my Crimson Flame Sect will hunt them down to the bitter end!"

He led his men and charged into the depths of the secret realm.

Li Qingfeng breathed a sigh of relief: "Let's go too."

Deeper into the hidden realm, the wind and snow intensify.

The five of them braved the cold wind and continued on their way, encountering several waves of ice-type demonic beasts, which they dealt with together. Most of these demonic beasts were at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, with a few reaching the middle stage, but their combat power was greatly enhanced by the secret realm, making them quite troublesome to deal with.

After walking for about an hour, an iceberg appeared ahead.

At the foot of the iceberg, there is a cave entrance covered by ice and snow. Above the entrance, three large ancient seal characters are carved: Frozen Palace.

"This is it!" Li Qingfeng's eyes lit up.

The five people entered the cave.

The cave was more spacious than I had imagined; it was a huge ice cave. Countless icicles hung from the ceiling, and the floor was a smooth, mirror-like surface of ice. The walls were inlaid with luminous ice crystals, illuminating the cave as bright as day.

In the center of the cave, there is an ice sculpture table. On the table are several items:

A translucent blue jade slip.

A three-foot-long ice crystal sword.

A bottle of pills, with the words "Ice Heart Pill" engraved on the bottle.

There is also an ancient animal skin map.

Li Qingfeng stepped forward, picked up the map, and unfolded it.

The map marks the terrain of the secret realm, with a striking red dot in the center and the words "Land of Inheritance" written next to it.

"As expected, there is a lineage!" Tuoba Shan exclaimed excitedly.

Su Meier picked up the bottle of Ice Heart Pills, opened it, smelled it, and her face lit up with joy: "A fifth-grade pill, capable of stabilizing the nascent soul and clearing away inner demons. A good thing!"

Yin Jiuyou stared at the ice crystal longsword, a greedy glint in his eyes—this sword was at least a high-grade Earth-rank magic weapon.

Qin Yuan picked up the blue jade slip and probed it with his divine sense.

The jade slip contained a cultivation technique called "True Art of Frost and Ice," which could be mastered up to the Nascent Soul stage. The technique was good, but useless to him.

He put down the jade slip and looked at the map.

The Land of Inheritance marked on the map is located in the deepest part of the secret realm, requiring passage through three dangerous areas: Icewind Valley, Cold Pool, and Ice Soul Forest.

"As agreed, the spoils will be distributed according to contribution," Li Qingfeng said. "We'll keep the map, cultivation techniques, pills, and magic treasures for now and distribute them after we leave the secret realm. The most urgent task is to get to the place of inheritance."

No one had any objections.

After packing up their belongings, the five left the cave and headed towards the land of inheritance, following the map.

On their way to Icewind Valley, the five encountered their first wave of ambushes.

They are from the Crimson Flame Sect.

They had apparently found similar maps and were heading in the same direction. They met in a narrow, icy canyon, a chance encounter.

"Li Qingfeng, hand over the items," Yan Lie said coldly.

Behind him, the disciples of the Crimson Flame Sect had already formed a battle formation. Besides them, there were three other cultivators from other sects, who had clearly been recruited by Yan Lie.

There are eleven people in total, against five.

The disadvantage in numbers is obvious.

Li Qingfeng said in a deep voice, "Yan Lie, the opportunities in the secret realm depend on one's own abilities. You have more people, but if a real fight breaks out, the outcome is still uncertain."

"Then let's give it a try!" Yan Lie roared, making the first move!

He formed a hand seal, and a fire dragon roared out, rushing straight at Li Qingfeng!

Li Qingfeng unfurled his scroll, and countless characters flew out, transforming into a golden barrier to block the fire dragon. However, Yan Lie was, after all, a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, and the fire dragon's power was astonishing; the golden barrier instantly cracked.

Tuoba Shan roared and swung his giant axe at a disciple of the Crimson Flame Sect. The disciple raised his sword to block, but was sent flying along with his sword, his chest caved in, and his fate was unknown.

Su Meier's long whip, like a snake, coiled around another person. Yin Jiuyou, on the other hand, released death energy, which transformed into gray mist that enveloped the battlefield.

Qin Yuan didn't move.

He was observing.