Chapter 206: Soul Frozen By Ice Essence, Thousands of Miles of Chill

Chapter 206: Soul-Freezing Ice, a Thousand Miles of Cold

Xia Chichi’s gaze had grown utterly entranced, the surging thoughts within her heart beyond the telling of outsiders.

This might be the first gift she had ever given him—just a few copper coins…

That he kept it on his person was one thing, but the rarest marvel was that through all the wind and rain, blood and gore of this journey, the gourd had somehow remained unbroken…

As if heaven itself were tenderly safeguarding his keepsake, safeguarding what had been between him and her.

That fleeting stirring of the heart, now, left only joy behind.

As her thoughts drifted, she seemed to hear Wang Zhaoling say: “Brother Situ, you’ve no wounds or pain—do you still wish to continue the challenge?”

Situ Xiao stopped drinking, wiped his mouth, and said: “You’ve organized this martial meet—are there rules, or is it just free challenges?”

Wang Zhaoling replied: “I had planned a drawing of lots, but with Brother Situ’s disruption, it feels pointless. Let’s just go with free challenges.”

Situ Xiao praised him: “Actually, you’re not bad…”

At least he could take things up or let them go, still free and easy, not letting his face darken because his plans had been thrown into chaos.

Wang Zhaoling smiled and said nothing.

Situ Xiao went back to drinking: “I’ve had my fill for now. Let me rest a while. I’ll watch the others fight and see if anyone can stir my itch to act.”

Wang Zhaoling nodded: “Since neither of you is vying for the rewards, let’s officially begin the martial discussion. Is there anyone else who wishes to step out as a ring master like Brother Situ? If not, I’ll proceed with the drawing of lots.”

He thought no one else would come forward. Besides Situ Xiao and himself, both at the eighth level of the Mystic Gate, who else dared to challenge the crowd as a ring master and endure a gauntlet?

But just as this thought crossed his mind, a white-clad girl wearing a tiger-head mask appeared in the arena, and said calmly: “Xia Chichi of the Four Symbols Sect invites the heroes of the world to instruct me.”

Zhao Changhe was drinking, and nearly choked, coughing violently.

On a distant rooftop, the Vermilion Bird, who had been quietly watching, was stunned.

Cui Yuanyang had a piece of cake stuffed in her mouth, her eyes wide.

The entire assembly changed color.

The three who were together couldn’t understand: What are you doing?

Weren’t you just saying you wouldn’t come to such boring nonsense, that it was a waste of time?

Had the earlier battle stirred the blood of a martial artist, making your hands itch too?

But your identity is sensitive—jumping out like this is practically provoking the righteous path. Just look at the changed faces of everyone present. This isn’t the same as Situ Xiao’s appearance. Can you withstand a gauntlet?

And as a Holy Maiden of the Four Symbols Sect, participating in a martial meet organized by the Wang family—you’re trampling on the sect’s own face. Won’t the Vermilion Bird whip you to death when you return?

But Xia Chichi said coldly: “How is victory determined? By defeating all opponents? Or by having the most wins?”

She was truly participating as a contestant…

The Vermilion Bird narrowed her eyes, suddenly realizing what Xia Chichi was after.

Zhao Changhe finally dashed to her side, tugged at her sleeve, and whispered: “What are you doing?”

Xia Chichi smiled: “Helping you win the treasure.”

Zhao Changhe’s heart leaped, and he stared fixedly at the little tiger mask, unable to speak.

Xia Chichi added: “I’m recruiting you for the Holy Sect—I heard this was your condition. So don’t pretend to dissuade me, alright? I have to fight in this martial meet.”

The Vermilion Bird: “…”

Oh, right…

Over there, Wang Zhaoling was quite pleased. A Holy Maiden of the Four Symbols Sect participating in the martial meet would elevate the prestige and authority of this discussion when word spread. As for Xia Chichi taking the rewards? Impossible—her strength wasn’t enough to withstand a deliberate targeting.

Thinking this, he said: “If we go by drawing lots, only the final victor counts. But if it’s free challenges like this, then indeed the one with the most wins wins. No one can endure a gauntlet and defeat all opponents—neither Brother Situ nor I would dare boast of that.”

Xia Chichi nodded and said calmly: “Then… who will instruct me?”

Lu Bingcheng couldn’t hold back and was the first to leap out: “Demoness, I’ll take you on!”

He had to be first. He had been the one to stir up trouble earlier, and if he didn’t dare to act when it came to the real thing, wouldn’t he be laughed to death?

Xia Chichi glanced at him and said flatly: “On an ordinary day, you wouldn’t even qualify to cross hands with me. Today, for the sake of adding another win, consider yourself honored.”

What the hell?

Even if he had only been forced into it, Lu Bingcheng now burned with genuine fury, sneering: “Then let me see if the skills of the Four Symbols Sect’s dual-branch Holy Maiden are as impressive as they’re touted!”

“Clang!”

The sword left its sheath, flying straight for Xia Chichi’s mask, as if to sweep away her face before the crowd.

Lu Bingcheng was at the sixth level of the Mystic Gate, ranked twentieth on the Hidden Dragon List.

It was a bit ironic—most of the top fifty on the Hidden Dragon List were at the sixth level or above, yet the eighteenth-ranked was a fifth-level, glaringly so, and no one found it odd.

After all, the Hidden Dragon List wasn’t a ranking of strength. Zhao Changhe’s monstrous cultivation speed and combat mastery gave him too much advantage in potential assessment. Who dared to object? If you didn’t agree, could you reach that level in eight or nine months?

Forget eighteenth—if someone said he deserved top three in potential, everyone present would probably agree.

But Zhao Changhe knew he couldn’t rank in the top three. Cultivation speed was just one indicator of potential, not everything—for instance, it couldn’t guarantee breaking through certain major thresholds in the future. The closer to the pyramid’s apex, the more it had to be true eighth- or ninth-level fighters, those who had been truly tested, not a fifth- or sixth-level ascending to the top three.

But that was a digression. In short, Xia Chichi was at the seventh level of the Mystic Gate, Lu Bingcheng at the sixth. On paper, Xia Chichi had a clear advantage. But the gap wasn’t huge—both were among the Hidden Dragon ranks, so she couldn’t be careless, or she might capsize.

And Lu Bingcheng didn’t necessarily have to win; he just needed to exhaust her, making the subsequent battles increasingly difficult.

Under the gaze of the crowd, the sword tip crossed the vast hall, and in a blink, it was less than three inches from the mask.

Xia Chichi had been standing there calmly, and only now did she suddenly move.

The Ice Soul left its sheath, and a cold light flared.

Even those far away felt a piercing sharpness and chill, scraping painfully against their faces.

Some hadn’t even seen clearly when Lu Bingcheng’s chest burst with blood, his whole body flying like a broken kite to one side, curling into a ball—whether from pain or cold, no one knew. The wound began to freeze rapidly, a bizarre sight.

The entire hall was stunned.

It was a one-strike kill!

Zhao Changhe retreated to his seat, his mouth half-open in shock.

This was also the first time he had seen Chichi fight in earnest. She was so strong…

That incomparably sharp sword intent—even feeling it from the side, he could sense Lu Bingcheng’s despair. It was a killing that annihilated everything, a cold that froze the soul.

A realization suddenly struck Zhao Changhe: I think I can’t beat Chichi.

And Chichi was supposed to be a cold swordswoman type—didn’t that clash with the Chichi he knew? She was very obedient and cute…

From a distance, an elder of the Wang family sighed softly: “This is the White Tiger’s edge, unseen for many years, now returned to the world. The sword is an ice sword, and it seems she also intends to inherit the Black Tortoise method… Does she also practice the Azure Dragon method? What an ambitious heart.”

“If we count Chi Li and Yue Hongling, this generation of the Hidden Dragon… might be the strongest in a hundred years, as a whole. Truly a time of surging winds and gathering clouds, stars shining bright.”

The Vermilion Bird took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions in her heart.

The world had known the Vermilion Bird for so long, as if the Four Symbols had no one else… The long-dormant edge of the White Tiger was finally showing its might again in this age.

This was the future of the Four Symbols Sect! How could the Vermilion Bird let such a Holy Maiden go off to fall in love!

Xia Chichi didn’t even glance at the curled-up Lu Bingcheng. She held her sword horizontally, pointing into the void, and said flatly: “Is there any other hero… who wishes to instruct me?”

The entire hall fell silent, so still that a pin drop could be heard, with only Lu Bingcheng’s groans sounding eerily loud in that quiet.

Some experts whose rankings were comparable to Xia Chichi's were actually intimidated by this aura, hesitating for a moment as they repeatedly pondered over that sword strike of Xia Chichi's.

Both at the Seventh Layer, if they went up and were also instantly defeated, wouldn't that be too disgraceful?

The White Tiger roared within the hall, the Black Tortoise arose from the icy ocean, a bone-piercing chill stabbed into everyone's heart, freezing the land for a thousand li.