Fellow Daoist, I gladly accept this heaven-defying opportunity.

The moment Xu Mofeng began to circulate his energy according to the "Purple Gold True Qi" method, his face turned deathly pale.

It felt as if thousands of tiny knives were simultaneously slicing through his meridians and dantian, causing excruciating pain, and cold sweat instantly soaked his forehead.

After all, the Purple Gold True Qi belongs to the metal element, which is associated with killing and has a high degree of aggression. To control this power, one must first withstand its backlash and completely tame it.

He gritted his teeth and remained silent, gradually transforming the pure internal energy within his body into purple-gold internal energy.

The process was so agonizing, it felt like being skinned alive. In no time, he was soaked to the bone, as if he had been pulled out of the water.

After an unknown amount of time, the last wisp of pure internal energy was completely transformed.

Xu Mofeng's internal energy was reduced by half; it would take about two parts of pure internal energy to condense one part of purple-gold internal energy.

He took a deep breath, formed his fingers into a knife shape, and casually swung it forward.

A pale golden blade of light silently swept across the void, and the porcelain bottle more than ten meters away was neatly split in two with a "whoosh," the cut surface as smooth as a mirror.

"strong enough!"

Xu Mofeng's eyes lit up, his joy evident in his expression.

This casual palm strike was twice as powerful as the previous one.

"This is only the first level. If you truly master it to the tenth level, a casual strike will be comparable to a full-force attack from someone else's martial arts mastery!"

Unfortunately, I can only train up to the first level now.

He didn't have much internal energy to begin with, and if he forced himself to condense it further, his cultivation level would probably drop to the seventh level of Foundation Establishment.

"No rush, you have to eat one bite at a time."

Xu Mofeng was quite open-minded, and then thought, "The most urgent thing is to earn spirit stones. With enough spirit stones, my Purple Gold True Qi cultivation level will rise rapidly."

The first place that comes to mind when thinking about earning spirit stones is the Trial Peak Hall. Taking on sect missions is the fastest way to make money.

"With my current strength, I can easily handle Black-level missions."

He got up and left the small building, heading towards the Shifeng Hall, when suddenly a distant bell rang out from the depths of the sect.

when!when!when!

With three chimes, Xu Mofeng knew that the sect was summoning all disciples for important business.

At the same time, a blue light more than three zhang high suddenly rose from his body. The line of opportunity pointed straight in the direction from which the bell sound came.

Xu Mofeng's eyes flickered, and he turned around, rushing at full speed towards the source of the bell.

A moment later he arrived at the small square inside the gate.

A number of inner disciples had already gathered in the square, all of whom had come after hearing the commotion.

In the center of the square stood an elderly man in a black robe, his hands behind his back. His aura was calm and imposing, exuding authority without anger. This was Elder Zou from the inner sect.

"Even Elder Zou has intervened, so it must be something big."

"Who knows if it's a blessing or a curse?"

"Whatever it is, we eat and live in the sect's food, so we have to do our part."

The disciples around him were whispering amongst themselves, but Xu Mofeng remained silent, his gaze sweeping across the entire room.

He noticed that some of the disciples had a glow of opportunity floating around them, mostly blue, while the rest had none at all.

Those who radiate light have at least the fifth level of Foundation Establishment.

It seems that what Elder Zou is about to say is an opportunity, and only those at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment are qualified to participate.

Sure enough, once most of the disciples had arrived, Elder Zou spoke calmly: "The Frost Realm will open in three days. All inner disciples at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment or above should prepare to enter the realm to gather spiritual herbs."

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man's figure flickered and he vanished without a trace.

Xu Mofeng was stunned.

The Frost Realm? What kind of place is that?

Fortunately, the discussions among the knowledgeable disciples nearby quickly cleared up his confusion.

"The Frost Realm has actually opened... Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye."

"The Frost Realm opens once every ten years, and each time we and the Snow Moon Sect go in together to snatch spiritual herbs. This time, we're bound to fight to the death again."

"Alas, it's a pity I'm only at the fourth level of Foundation Establishment, not even close to the threshold. I'm not destined for that."

"You think going in is a good thing? I heard from my senior brother that every time there's a conflict in the Frost Realm, both our sects lose a lot of people, and quite a few perish..."

"The risks are high, but the rewards are also great. If we can actually gather a few spiritual herbs, it'll be equivalent to completing several sect missions."

After listening to a few words, Xu Mofeng understood the situation.

On the continent of Yanling, naturally formed or ancient secret realms open up from time to time.

These places, untouched by outsiders year-round, often harbor rare and precious natural treasures, making them mobile treasure troves for martial artists.

The Frost Realm is such a secret place.

Although it's considered small even in a secret realm, it's a rare resource point for an eighth-grade sect like the Azure Nether Sect.

This place is right at the border between the Biyou Sect and the Xueyue Sect. When it was first discovered, the two sects fought each other a lot over the territory.

Later, fearing that internal strife would damage the foundation, an agreement was made: disciples from each sect would periodically enter the area to search for treasures, each relying on their own abilities and bearing full responsibility for their gains.

Although deaths are still inevitable, it is much better than two large-scale wars.

Initially, the Frost Realm opened once a year, but as the medicinal herbs became increasingly scarce, the intervals grew longer and longer, from three to five years, and now it opens once every ten years.

For most inner disciples, being able to experience a secret realm that only occurs once every ten years is indeed a rare and coveted opportunity.

After Elder Zou left, a disciple in charge quickly announced the rules for this entry into the realm.

Xu Mofeng glanced at it and found that the core rule was the exchange of spiritual herbs: all the spiritual herbs that disciples collected would be handed over to the sect after they left seclusion, and the sect would convert them into corresponding contribution points.

Contribution points can be exchanged for elixirs, magic weapons, cultivation techniques, and even invited by elders to personally guide cultivation.

As soon as the exchange rules for the Frost Realm Trial were announced, the inner disciples of the Azure Nether Sect who were qualified to enter immediately went wild, each one rubbing their hands together, their eyes gleaming with greed.

Normally, the sect is extremely strict with its disciples. The highest level of cultivation techniques that inner disciples can access is only the middle grade of the Human Rank. Trying to advance even a fraction of that level is as difficult as climbing to heaven.

This time is different. As long as you accumulate enough sect contribution points, you can exchange for top-grade human-rank cultivation techniques. If you're lucky, you might even be able to get a profound-rank cultivation technique!

Not only cultivation techniques, but also pills and magical treasures that are usually a luxury to even glance at are clearly listed in the exchange list.

For these inner disciples who had been cooped up for so long, this was no trial rule, but a golden opportunity that had fallen from the sky.

Xu Mofeng, who was in the crowd, was also tempted.

He currently only has the Moon-Slaying Blade Technique to rely on, which he has already mastered to a high level. There is not much room for improvement if he continues to refine it.

A higher-level sword technique is a real necessity for him.

This trial is an opportunity that has been delivered to our doorstep.

"Three days of preparation time is just enough to do all the homework."

Xu Mofeng made up his mind and turned to leave. For the next three days, he would devote all his energy to identifying and harvesting spiritual herbs, and thoroughly study the sect's classic texts.

Three days later, at dawn, the sect's bell rang precisely on time, echoing across the mountaintop.

When Xu Mofeng finished getting ready and arrived at the small square, Elder Zou from the inner sect was already waiting there with his hands behind his back.

Once all the disciples at or above the fifth level of Foundation Establishment had arrived, Elder Zou raised his hand, took out a palm-sized small boat ornament, and casually tossed it into the air.

The small boat swelled with the wind, growing to a height of over ten zhang in the blink of an eye, transforming into a magnificent, ornately decorated ship that hovered steadily in mid-air.

Flying boat!

A manned airship that can accommodate nearly a hundred people must be at least at the Xuan rank.

The disciples below, who were not qualified to participate, stared wide-eyed, filled with envy.

"Everyone, board the ship!"

Elder Zou uttered a few words, then swayed and landed cross-legged on the bow of the boat.

The inner disciples dared not slack off and boarded the ship in an orderly manner.

Once everyone had arrived, Elder Zou's fingertips flashed with spiritual light, and the massive flying boat roared into the air, instantly flying out of the Biyou Sect's mountain gate amidst countless gazes below.

Xu Mofeng didn't know many people in the inner sect, and Xiao Yu, the only one he had some connection with, wasn't on this batch of trial list, so he just found a corner to stand in.

He glanced around the cabin and quickly noticed an interesting pattern: most of the disciples were crammed into the narrow stern, while there were far fewer people in the middle of the ship, and even fewer dared to approach the bow.

Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear: the closer to the bow of the ship, the higher the cultivation level of the disciples standing there.

Especially the group behind Elder Zou, all of whom were at the tenth level of Foundation Establishment, possessed a deep and powerful aura. They stood out among the crowd, making the surrounding disciples afraid to even breathe.

"Of the top ten in the inner sect this time, except for two who are out on trials and can't make it back, the remaining eight are all here. Aside from the sect's major examinations, you rarely see such a spectacle."

"Compared to the geniuses on these lists, we are far inferior. I just passed by Ji Chen, who is ranked eighth on the inner sect list, and he glanced at me. My heart almost stopped."

"Nonsense, what's their strength compared to yours? Eighth place is being kind, the top five are truly freakish. Especially Senior Brother Li Haoran, the number one in the inner sect, I heard he's almost reached the tenth level of sword intent. Ordinary Foundation Establishment level 10 people wouldn't be enough to beat him even if three or five of them were tied together."

"Tsk tsk, with these prodigies around, won't the Snow Moon Sect members in the Frost Realm get utterly thrashed and run away with their tails between their legs this time?"

"Stop dreaming. We have geniuses, but Xueyue Sect doesn't? In my opinion, we're missing two from the top ten, and we might suffer another loss this time."

"It's not our place to worry about being taken advantage of. I've already found a backer. I'm sticking with Senior Brother Cui Ying, who's ranked twelfth on the inner sect list. I'll share one-third of my loot with him once we enter the secret realm. It's better than being robbed of everything by the Snow Moon Sect while I'm all alone."

"One-third? That's so harsh? Let me think about it..."

The disciples chattered incessantly around him, but Xu Mofeng's gaze swept over the top experts on the list, his heart remaining completely unmoved.

In his eyes, none of these people could be considered a true opponent.

If the geniuses of the Snow Moon Sect are only at this level, then this trip to the Frost Realm is practically like picking up money on the street.