659: Lu Xueqi and Biyao (38)

After Elder Lin left, the courtyard returned to tranquility. Su Han held the Ice Secret Realm Access Token in his hand; it felt cold to the touch, and snowflake patterns were carved on it, with Star Power faintly flowing through.

"Five years... Star Palace Realm..." Su Han murmured to himself, the burden on his shoulders feeling heavy. But there was no hint of fear in his eyes; instead, a blazing fighting spirit ignited within them.

That night, he didn't rush into the Secret Realm. Instead, he sat quietly in the courtyard, organizing his gains from the Scripture Pavilion today. Six types of Sword Intent flowed and collided in his heart, gradually merging into his own understanding of the Sword Dao. The ice crystal star wheel slowly rotated within his Dantian, becoming more solid with every turn.

Early the next morning, Su Han arrived at a cliff in the back mountains of Tianya Peak. On the cliff was a simple and ancient stone gate carved with ice and snow patterns, and an old man stood before it with his eyes closed, resting.

"Disciple Su Han has come with the access token." Su Han bowed respectfully and handed over the token.

The old man opened his eyes, which seemed to see through the affairs of the world. He sized up Su Han for a moment, his gaze lingering on the tianya sword at his waist for a second, then nodded: "Go in. Remember, although the Secret Realm is good, it is not a bed of roses. The dangers within are no less than those in the outside world."

"Thank you for the reminder, Senior," Su Han said with a bow.

The old man waved his hand and sent out a burst of Star Power. The stone gate slowly opened, and a bone-chilling coldness rushed toward him. Su Han stepped inside, and the scenery before him instantly changed.

This was a world of ice and snow. The sky was pale blue, with no sun, yet soft light fell from all directions. The ground was covered by a thick layer of ice, crystal-clear ice mountains towered in the distance, and nearby were forests formed from ice crystals, so beautiful they didn't seem like they belonged to the mortal world.

What surprised Su Han even more was that the Star Power here was so dense it almost solidified, especially the ice-attribute Star Power, which actively burrowed into his body without him even needing to guide it. The ice crystal star wheel began to rotate joyfully, greedily absorbing this pure energy.

"The flow of time is three times that of the outside world..." Su Han felt the strange fluctuations of space-time around him. "In other words, if I Cultivate here for three days, only one day will pass outside."

He didn't waste any time and immediately found a spot in the ice crystal forest to sit cross-legged and operate the Ice Soul Star Manual. This was the basic ice-attribute Cultivation Technique of the Qingyun Sect. He had already Cultivated it to the third level, but with the support of the dense Star Power here, there were actually faint signs of a Breakthrough to the fourth level.

He lost track of time while Cultivating. When Su Han woke up from his meditation, it was already the third day in the Secret Realm. His Star Power had grown significantly, and his understanding of the Ice Soul Star Manual had deepened by another level.

"Quiet meditation alone isn't enough." Su Han stood up and drew the tianya sword. "It's time for actual combat."

Before his voice had even faded, a roar came from the distant ice mountains. A Star Beast, shaped like a tiger and entirely ice-blue, rushed out, its eyes flashing with fierce light.

"An Early Stage Star Wheel Realm Ice Soul Tiger?" Su Han's eyes narrowed; this was exactly the opponent he needed.

The Ice Soul Tiger pounced, its claws carrying a sharp chill. Su Han didn't dodge. The tianya sword drew an arc, which was a Move from the Cold Moon Sword Song he had comprehended in the Scripture Pavilion yesterday—Moonlight First Appearance.

The sword light poured out like moonlight, cold and beautiful. The Ice Soul Tiger's claw attack was easily neutralized, and the sword's edge left a deep wound on its forelimb.

"Roar!" The Ice Soul Tiger cried out in pain and spat out a blast of ice breath.

Su Han tapped his foot and drifted backward. At the same time, his sword Move changed, turning into Thousand Miles of Ice from the Frost Snow Sword Sutra. Wherever the Sword Qi passed, the air seemed to freeze. The ice breath solidified in mid-air and then shattered.

After three Moves, Su Han had already figured out the Ice Soul Tiger's strength. He no longer held back, and the tianya sword turned into a stream of light, piercing straight into the Ice Soul Tiger's brow.

With a "puchi" sound, the sword tip entered. The Ice Soul Tiger's massive body crashed to the ground, dissipating into specks of starlight, leaving behind only an ice-blue crystal core.

"Are these the Star Beast in the Secret Realm? They return to the Star Power Origin after death?" Su Han picked up the crystal core, felt the pure ice energy within, and tucked it into his robe.

Over the next few days, Su Han Cultivated and fought in this world of ice and snow. He encountered various Star Beast: Ice Shadow Wolves that could hide their presence, Frost Hawks that could control blizzards, and Black Ice Turtles with extremely strong defense... Every battle deepened his understanding of sword techniques, and his combat experience grew rapidly.

On the seventh day, Su Han came to a massive ice mountain. This ice mountain was different from the others; its surface was as smooth as a mirror, and sword light faintly flowed within it.

"Sword Dao Imprint..." Su Han remembered Elder Lin's words and reached out to touch the ice surface.

In an instant, countless sword Moves flooded into his mind. It was the Sword Dao insights left behind by an ancient Sword Cultivator. There were no specific Moves, only pure "intent." It was a domineering Sword Intent that cleaved through everything, a "only my sword exists" kind of dominance, completely different from the cold and ethereal nature of the ice-attribute sword techniques Su Han had previously encountered.

"What a domineering Sword Intent!" Cold sweat broke out on Su Han's forehead as he resisted the impact of this will with all his might.

Just then, the ice crystal star wheel in his Dantian suddenly jolted, and a cool sensation flowed through his entire body. At the same time, the tianya sword at his waist emitted a slight hum, as if responding to something.

A flash of inspiration hit Su Han, and he sank his mind into the tianya sword. Within the sword's space, the phantom of the White-Clothed Woman floated quietly. As if sensing the Sword Intent from the outside world, she slowly opened her eyes.

"Senior Sister?" Su Han tried calling out.

The woman didn't respond. She simply raised her hand and pointed forward with her fingers held like a sword.

This point seemed simple, yet it contained endless mysteries. Su Han's heart was touched by inspiration. He merged this finger strike with the domineering Sword Intent he felt from the ice mountain, and it actually created a wonderful balance—domineering but not arrogant, cold but not freezing, sharp but not malevolent.

"I understand!" Su Han's mind suddenly cleared. "The foundation of the Sword Dao is 'me,' not the 'Move.' No matter what the Sword Intent is, it must be integrated with one's own understanding to truly be used as one's own."

He no longer resisted that domineering Sword Intent. Instead, he opened his heart to accept it, then used his own understanding of the Sword Dao to merge and transform it. The ice crystal star wheel rotated faster and faster, Star Power surged within his body, and there were faint signs of a Breakthrough.

After an unknown amount of time, Su Han opened his eyes, a sharp sword light flashing within them. He raised his hand and waved it, and the tianya sword slashed toward the ice mountain.

There was no earth-shattering commotion, but where the sword's edge passed, a sword mark several feet deep appeared on the ice mountain, smooth as a mirror and not fading for a long time.

"Middle Stage Star Wheel Realm!" Su Han felt the surging Star Power in his body and was overjoyed. After seven days in the Secret Realm, which was equivalent to a little over two days in the outside world, he had actually broken through a minor Realm.

At this moment, footsteps were heard from a distance. Su Han turned to look and saw two young men wearing the Tianya Peak Disciple robes walking toward him. When they saw him, they were clearly stunned for a moment.

"Are you... Junior Brother Su Han?" one of them asked tentatively.

Su Han recognized these two as Senior Brothers he had seen during the Sect competition. One was named Zhou Ming and the other was Zhao Feng. Both were at the Late Stage of the Star Wheel Realm. (End of Chapter)