novelTele Chapter 89 Arctic Ice Field
Chapter 89 Arctic Ice Field
After staying in Wharton's dormitory for a few days, Lin Yun decided to leave.
The past few days of rest have allowed him to digest most of the insights he gained from his sparring with Farn. The profound soul attacks of the Punishment Sect have made him aware of his weaknesses and have also given him a new direction in understanding the rules of death. But what he needs is not to isolate himself and work in isolation, but more battles.
"Where to go next?" Lin Yun stood in the woods behind the academy, gazing at the northern horizon, pondering.
On the Yulan Continent, the places where Saint-level experts are most concentrated, besides the O'Brien Empire, are the Arctic Ice Plains.
The Arctic Ice Field is located at the northernmost tip of the continent, covered in ice and snow all year round, with a harsh climate and few human settlements. However, many powerful beings from the Saint Realm live there in seclusion—some are old monsters who are tired of worldly strife, some are martial artists who choose to cultivate in seclusion before breaking through their bottlenecks, and some are fugitives who have fled there to seek refuge after offending powerful forces.
These people have cultivated for hundreds, even thousands of years. Their strength far surpasses that of the martial god disciples of the O'Brien Empire. In the Holy Domain hierarchy of the Yulan Continent, most of the experts in the third tier are concentrated in the Arctic Ice Plains, and many in the second tier also live in seclusion there.
In the original story, after being defeated by the Rock Sword Saint again, Olivia went to the Arctic ice plains to train hard and eventually made further progress.
"Let's go to the Arctic ice field," Lin Yun decided.
He told Wharton about his decision.
"The Arctic ice plains?" A hint of worry flashed in Walton's eyes. "Second brother, I've heard it's very dangerous there. Many Saint-level experts went there and never came back."
"I know," Lin Yun said, "but I need a stronger opponent."
Walton was silent for a moment, then nodded. He knew his second brother's character; once he made a decision, he wouldn't change it.
"Second brother, be careful."
"Don't worry." Lin Yun patted Wharton on the shoulder. "I'll come pick you up when you're on vacation."
"it is good."
Lin Yun transformed into a streak of light and disappeared into the northern horizon.
The Arctic Ice Sheet is located at the northernmost tip of the Yulan Continent.
Lin Yun flew for a whole day, the scenery beneath his feet changing from green plains to gray-brown frozen soil, and then from frozen soil to a vast expanse of white snow. The temperature plummeted, the wind howled, and large, fluffy snowflakes danced in the air.
He landed on an ice peak and looked around.
As far as the eye could see, there was only endless white. Ice peaks stood tall, and glaciers stretched across the landscape, reflecting a dazzling light under the sun. A profound silence reigned, broken only by the howling wind.
Lin Yun's spiritual power spread in all directions, covering an area of tens of kilometers. He sensed several Saint-level auras—some strong, some weak, the weakest being similar to Andalu, while the strongest was unfathomable.
"As expected, it lives up to its reputation," Lin Yun thought to himself.
He did not rashly approach the strongest auras, but instead chose one with a relatively weaker aura.
He was a warrior at the peak of the Saint Realm, living in seclusion in an icy valley. His aura was cold and sharp, clearly that of a veteran expert who cultivated the laws of water.
Lin Yun landed from the sky and stood at the entrance of the Ice Valley.
The icy valley was deep, with steep ice walls on both sides, and a frozen river at the bottom. At the source of the river, there was a simple house built of ice blocks.
An elderly man with white hair emerged from the house. He wore a long white robe made of animal hide, held an ice crystal staff, and had eyes as sharp as an eagle's.
"Who are you?" the old man's voice was hoarse and cold. "Why have you trespassed on my territory?"
"My name is Lin Yun," Lin Yun bowed slightly, "from the Holy Alliance. I would like to spar with you."
A hint of surprise flashed in the old man's eyes. He looked Lin Yun up and down, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Such a young Saint-level being? Interesting. You want to challenge me? Do you know who I am?"
"I don't know."
"I am the Ice Demon, and I have lived in seclusion here for three hundred years." The old man's voice carried a hint of arrogance. "Three hundred years ago, I was already at the peak of the Saint Realm. Boy, are you sure you want to challenge me?"
"Confirmed," Lin Yun said.
The Ice Demon nodded, and with a wave of his ice crystal staff, the surrounding temperature plummeted, and the water vapor in the air condensed into countless ice needles that hovered around him.
"Then I'll play along with you."
Lin Yun roused himself and, instead of using Dragon Transformation or the Seven Elements Reincarnation, chose water magic.
The Ice Demon launched the first attack. Countless ice needles rained down on Lin Yun, each one imbued with the profound mysteries of ice.
Lin Yun did not dodge. He raised his right hand, and a water curtain unfolded in front of him. It was the basic water-based defensive magic "Water Curtain Heavenly Splendor," but he incorporated a precise control over the water element into it—the water curtain flowed like water, weakening the impact of the ice needles layer by layer, while using the rotation of the water flow to deflect the ice needles.
A hint of surprise flashed in the Ice Demon's eyes.
"Good control over the water element."
He swung his ice crystal staff again, and the ice and snow in the icy valley began to tremble. Ice spikes shot up from the ground and surged toward Lin Yun from all directions.
Lin Yun's body suddenly became ethereal. His figure weaved through the gaps in the ice cones like a swimming fish. It wasn't a contest of speed, but rather an application of the water-based law "Mysterious Illusion of Mist"—his body was shrouded in a thin layer of mist, refracting light and preventing the ice demon from pinpointing his true location.
The Ice Demon's pupils contracted. He had lived for hundreds of years and seen countless geniuses, but this was the first time he had ever seen someone so young who had comprehended the laws of water to this extent.
"Alright!" the Ice Demon shouted, and his ice crystal staff slammed into the ground.
"A thousand miles frozen in ice—"
The temperature in the entire ice valley plummeted to its lowest point. Moisture in the air instantly condensed into ice, and Lin Yun's body was covered with a layer of frost, making his movements sluggish.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Ice Demon rushed forward, his ice crystal staff transforming into an ice sword, and stabbed towards Lin Yun's chest.
Lin Yun remained calm. He closed his eyes and used his mental power to sense the flow of the Ice Demon's battle aura. Although the Icebound Thousand Miles technique was powerful, it was not without flaws. In the instant the frost covered the area, he found the weakest point in the ice layer.
"break."
A beam of azure light burst forth from his body—the "Ice Sharpness Profound Mystery" of the water element law—not for attack, but for breaking ice. The azure light sliced a crack in the ice, and Lin Yun slid out through the crack, avoiding the ice demon's fatal blow.
The Ice Demon's sword missed its mark.
He lost his balance and staggered forward.
Lin Yun's right hand was already pointing at his throat.
"You lost," Lin Yun said.
The Ice Demon paused for a moment, then sheathed his ice sword and burst into laughter.
"Good! Good! Good!" He said "good" three times in a row. "I have lived for seven hundred years, and this is the first time I have lost to a seventeen-year-old boy. Your water-based laws are far more profound than I expected."
"You flatter me, senior." Lin Yun bowed slightly. "Your Icebound Thousand Miles technique is also very powerful. If I hadn't found a weakness, I wouldn't have been able to escape at all."
The Ice Demon waved his hand, turned around, and walked back to the ice house.
"Hey kid, what did you just say your name was?"
"Lin Yun Baruch".
"Baruch? The Dragonblood Warrior family?" A hint of recollection flashed in the Ice Demon's eyes. "I met your ancestors back then; they were truly geniuses. I never imagined their descendants would be so outstanding as well."
"Does this senior know my Baruch family ancestors?"
"We met once," the Ice Demon said. "That was hundreds of years ago, let's not talk about it."
He paused, then said, "Young man, your Ice Sharpness has already laid a good foundation, but there is still room for improvement. The true sharpness of ice is not about how thin the blade is, but about concentrating the chill into a single point. When you concentrate the chill of Ice Sharpness to its extreme, you can freeze your opponent's fighting spirit even without making contact."
Lin Yun was shocked. Concentrating chilling energy into a single point? Freezing battle qi without even touching the opponent?
"Thank you for your guidance, senior." Lin Yun bowed deeply.
The Ice Demon waved his hand and closed the door of the ice house.
Lin Yun stood in the icy valley, pondering the Ice Demon's words.
"The chill is concentrated in one point..." he murmured.
He raised his right hand, and an icy blue light condensed in his palm. He tried to compress the sharp, chilling coldness of the ice to its limit. The icy blue light grew brighter and more solid, finally transforming into an ice crystal the size of a mung bean.
Lin Yun flicked his wrist, and an ice crystal flew out, striking a distant ice rock. The ice rock remained unchanged, but Lin Yun's spiritual power sensed that its internal structure had been destroyed by the cold, making it extremely fragile. With a gentle touch, the ice rock shattered into powder.
"I see." A look of understanding flashed in Lin Yun's eyes.
"The sharpness and mystery of ice have been further refined."
In the days that followed, Lin Yun began a new round of challenges on the Arctic ice plains.
He sought out the reclusive Saint Realm experts one by one, starting with the weakest and challenging them one by one.
The quality of the strong individuals here far surpasses that of the O'Brien Empire. The weakest are comparable to Andalusians, the slightly stronger ones have already reached the threshold of the second tier, and the even stronger ones—those old monsters who live in seclusion deep in the icy plains—have unfathomable auras, and Lin Yun doesn't even dare to approach them.
In every battle, he fights solely based on his understanding and application of the laws.
He used the "Sharpness of Ice" of the Water element to break through his opponent's fire-based battle aura, the "Profound Mystery of Explosion" of the Fire element to counter the coldness of ice magic, the "Dimensional Mystery" of the Wind element to cut through his opponent's defense, the "Gravity Space" of the Earth element to suppress his opponent's speed, and the "Lightning Resonance" of the Lightning element to disrupt his opponent's battle aura...
The seven systems rotate in a cycle, mutually generating and restraining each other.
Every battle is a lesson learned. The way the opponent circulates their battle aura, their understanding of the laws, their combat techniques—all of these constantly enrich his own knowledge of the laws.
A month later, he challenged an old woman who lived in seclusion in an ice cave.
The old woman looked to be in her seventies or eighties, with snow-white hair and a face covered in wrinkles. But the aura emanating from her was stronger than that of anyone she had encountered before.
"I am Bi Ji, and I have lived in seclusion here for twelve hundred years." The old woman's voice was soft, but every word clearly reached Lin Yun's ears. "I cultivate the wind element and am skilled in dimensional mysteries."
Lin Yun's heart skipped a beat. He too was cultivating the profound mysteries of dimensions. This old woman was his senior in the field of wind-elemental laws.
"Please enlighten me, senior." Lin Yun bowed solemnly.
The battle began. Brigitte wasn't fast, but each of her attacks carried the power to tear through space. Dimensional slashes came from all angles, their angles tricky and their trajectories unpredictable.
Lin Yun retaliated with a dimensional slash. The two dimensional slashes collided in mid-air without making a sound, only causing spatial tremors to spread in all directions.
A hint of surprise flashed in Brigitte's eyes.
"You've grasped the basics of dimensional mystery, but it's still too rough. The essence of dimensional slashing isn't in cutting, but in folding."
"Folded?" Lin Yun was taken aback.
"Space can be folded." Brigitte raised her right hand, and a dimensional slash condensed in her palm. But this time, the dimensional slash did not fly out. Instead, it spun, compressed, and folded in her palm, finally turning into a tiny point of light.
"go."
A point of light shot out and exploded on the ice wall. There was no loud noise, no falling rocks, only a smooth, mirror-like circular hole that pierced through the entire iceberg.
Lin Yun's pupils contracted. The power of this attack far surpassed his Dimensional Slash. Folding space before releasing it made it several times more powerful than a normal Dimensional Slash.
"The mysteries of dimensions are not just about cutting, but also about folding," Brigitte said. "When you can fold space, your attacks can unleash several times the power from a single point."
Lin Yun remained silent for a moment, then bowed deeply.
"Thank you for your guidance, senior."
Brigitte waved her hand, turned around, and walked back into the ice cave.
Lin Yun stood there, closed his eyes, and kept replaying Bi Ji's attack in his mind.
"Spatial folding... folding..."
He raised his right hand, and a dimensional slash condensed in his palm. He tried to compress the dimensional slash, but each time he compressed it to a certain extent, it would explode out of control, leaving his hand covered in blood.
He didn't give up. Once, twice, three times... ten times, twenty times, thirty times...
Finally, on the forty-seventh attempt, the Dimensional Slash stabilized in his palm. Although it was only compressed by half, far inferior to Brigitte's "folded into a point of light," at least he had reached the threshold.
"The mysteries of dimensions have been further refined." Lin Yun's lips curled up slightly.
Two months passed in the blink of an eye.
Lin Yun challenged over twenty Saint-level experts on the Arctic ice plains, progressing from the weakest third tier to those approaching the second tier. Each battle was a gain. Each gain brought him one step closer to godhood.
His mastery of the seven elements has made significant progress in the past two months.
The Lightning Laws—Lightning Speed has become even faster, now matching the speed of most peak Saint-level experts; Lightning Resonance has become purer, capable of instantly disrupting an opponent's battle aura; and the power of Lightning Explosion has been greatly enhanced, capable of shattering the defenses of peak Saint-level experts with a single strike.
The laws of light—the speed of light has been mastered, allowing for bursts of speed exceeding the speed of lightning in a short time; the mysteries of refraction have reached new heights, capable of simultaneously creating four or five afterimages that are difficult to distinguish from the real ones.
The Dark Laws—the mysteries of dark elements have become even more profound, and the range of perception of dark power has doubled.
The Earth Element Laws—the application of power's mysteries has become more harmonious, enabling the concentration of the earth's power into a single point; the Earth Movement Technique has reached a new level of profundity, allowing free movement through solid ice layers; and the Earth Pulse has also reached a threshold, allowing the perception of every tremor of the earth within a radius of several kilometers.
The Fire Laws—the profound control of the fire element is more refined, allowing the flames to maintain their temperature even in extremely cold environments; the power of the explosions is greatly enhanced, capable of shattering ice peaks into fragments with a single strike.
The Water Element Laws—the illusions of the mist are even more realistic, causing opponents to lose their way in the fog; the sharpness of the Ice Element Laws is doubled, able to concentrate the chill into a single point, freezing the opponent's fighting spirit without physical contact.
The Wind Element Law – the Clone Technique – can create three solid clones, each capable of attacking independently; the Dimensional Mystery has been greatly improved, now able to compress the Dimensional Slash by two times, doubling its power.
Moreover, after sparring with Farn, he made a new breakthrough in his understanding of the rules of death. He has mastered the basics of soul defense, and although he is not yet completely immune to soul attacks of Farn's caliber, he is at least not as helpless as before.
"It's been two months." Lin Yun stood on an ice peak, gazing at the southern horizon.
His strength was more than one level greater than when he first arrived at the Arctic ice field. The depth of his understanding of various profound mysteries had at least doubled in every aspect. Some of these mysteries had even tripled or tripled.
"It's time to go back."