Embrace Ice Technique

The Ning Family Patriarch gave a wry smile. "State your terms."

With every condition Ning Xiaohui named, his expression darkened another shade.

After she had listed five, the Clan Head could endure no longer and raised a hand to stop her. "Enough, stop for now."

Grandma Ning, a highly senior figure, said unhappily, "Stop what? My granddaughter will be risking her life this time."

The Talisman Hall Elder chimed in as well. "Clan Head, do you know? The City Lord's Mansion has already made its move. They have dispatched several squads of City Guard to patrol Fire Persimmon Immortal City nonstop and begun strictly investigating cultivators who practice the Five Elements Qi Rhythm Art."

"Once Xiaohui enters this competition, it will not merely be the dangers within the Magma Immortal Palace she faces."

Grandma Ning snorted coldly. "We are all from the main branch, all one of our own, not outsiders from the Branch Family. What are you being stingy for, Clan Head?"

When Ning Zhuo woke from his sleep, it was already noon the next day.

He felt much better.

"Looks like I need some pills that can nourish and restore the soul."

Although Ning Zhuo usually kept many pills in reserve, he had very few related to the soul.

Based on his experience from his first exploration of the Magma Immortal Palace, he would have plenty of need for such pills in the future.

"It is not only the giant tree in Room Two that can weaken the soul."

"When the soul is extracted and housed within a mechanism puppet, its Soul Power is slowly depleted as well."

"So the stronger one's foundation in soul cultivation, the more advantageous it is for exploring the Magma Immortal Palace."

Ning Zhuo acted as soon as the thought occurred to him.

He decided to purchase soul-nourishing pills separately from several Pill Pavilions and Medicine Shops throughout the city. Each time, he would buy other pills as cover.

Yet before he had even gone far, he heard people complaining that the City Guard were arresting people everywhere.

At the same time, he saw numerous notices posted on the walls—the City Lord's Mansion was urgently examining the Five Elements Qi Rhythm Art, fearing it was a demonic cultivation method disguised as a Daoist art. To guard against unforeseen trouble, it had ordered all cultivators in the city to temporarily cease practicing this technique.

Ning Zhuo immediately changed his plans and no longer dared buy medicine from the Pill Pavilions or Medicine Shops.

On his way back, he heard more rumors that made his heart tighten.

"Meng Chong, Zheng Jian, Zhou Zhu, and the others have all been attacked and secretly harmed?"

"That is terrifying."

"Even those geniuses, under layer upon layer of protection from their Lineages, can encounter such things."

"If an ordinary person like me were exposed, I would definitely fare even worse than they did!"

"Mother was absolutely right. I should hide myself well."

Ning Zhuo returned home.

He needed to stockpile more soul-nourishing pills, but with the wind so tight at present, he decided to wait for now.

Ning Zhuo had considered the Black Market.

But ever since the Immortal Palace explosion, his Azure Iron Han Armor had suffered extensive damage. The armor's exterior, especially its back, was too obviously damaged.

Most importantly, one of its core components, the Foundation Establishment Pill, had been depleted until only one-tenth remained.

This was Ning Zhuo's trump card. He could not abuse it any further.

"I should first master that spell rewarded by the Immortal Palace."

The spell Ning Zhuo had obtained was called the Embrace Ice Technique. Once activated, it could freeze whatever he held in his arms into ice.

After studying it, Ning Zhuo's first impression was that this spell seemed rather weak.

His previous main cultivation method had been the Snowy Region Talisman Compendium. He possessed frost-aspected magical power and had mastered several spells as well.

For example, the Ice Spear Technique, Frost Flower Technique, Snowball Technique, and so on.

"The greatest drawback of the Embrace Ice Technique is that I must engage in close combat for it to take effect."

"Meanwhile, conventional spells like the Ice Spear Technique and Snowball Technique can basically attack from afar."

In actual combat, this flaw was enormous.

It even made Ning Zhuo want to use the Ice Spear Technique.

In fact, he had wanted to use it while inside the Magma Immortal Palace.

The problem was that he could not!

This involved the differences and connections between cultivation methods and spells.

Cultivation methods, such as the Five Elements Qi Rhythm Art and the Snowy Region Talisman Compendium, were primarily used to refine magical power.

Spells, such as the Ice Spear Technique, Frost Flower Technique, and Embrace Ice Technique, were methods and techniques for wielding magical power.

Spells relied upon cultivation methods as their foundation.

Cultivators' magical powers came in all kinds of categories, a dazzling array of forms. Ice-aspected magical power could not produce a Fire Dragon Technique; at most, it could produce an Ice Dragon Technique, Snow Whale Technique, and the like.

After Ning Zhuo acquired Five Elements Power, he had also tried using spells such as the Ice Spear Technique, but he simply could not activate them.

Because all five elements existed within his magical power, he first had to extract the corresponding magical power if he wanted to use a single-element spell.

The Ice Spear Technique he had mastered did not match the Five Elements Qi Rhythm Art.

The spell needed to be improved.

Such circumstances were extremely common in the cultivation world.

If Ning Zhuo switched to another ice-aspected cultivation method, he would most likely be able to use his former Ice Spear Technique directly. However, the original spell would not be a perfect fit for his current magical power, resulting in considerable loss. It would still need to be modified for a flawless match.

The Embrace Ice Technique was one Ning Zhuo could use directly.

Because it was itself a spell fully compatible with the Five Elements Qi Rhythm Art.

After Ning Zhuo practiced a few times, the water-aspected portion of his Five Elements Power was separately drawn out, activating the Embrace Ice Technique.

The wooden stool in Ning Zhuo's arms was instantly covered in frost. The frost spread rapidly and thickened layer upon layer. After several breaths, it had frozen into a block of ice.

Ning Zhuo could not hide his astonishment. "The Embrace Ice Technique is actually this powerful?"

Compared to conventional spells such as the Ice Spear Technique, Snowball Technique, and Frost Flower Technique, the Embrace Ice Technique's power surpassed them by more than a single level.

After that, Ning Zhuo devoted himself to practicing this spell in the Underground Workshop.

Stools, chairs, mirrors, bricks, and all sorts of things were frozen into blocks of ice by him.

He became immersed in his practice.

The floor and corners of the walls were littered with ice lumps of every size, freezing all manner of objects. The entire Underground Workshop was filled with chill, practically transformed into an underground ice cellar.

"Before the First Door, I encountered three options: spirit stones, a Hanging Ring, and A Breath of Qi."

"Thinking back carefully, all three options should have helped me clear the trial."

"Spirit stones need no explanation. The Hanging Ring was likely similar to the As-You-Wish Rope I made. The A Breath of Qi spell should allow a mechanism puppet to change direction in midair, perhaps even hover and fly briefly."

"Following that line of thought, the reward options before the Second Door should also help me clear the trial."

"Spirit stones need no explanation. I did not see clearly what the Mechanical Components were. But judging from the Embrace Ice Technique, Room Three will likely require me to fight."

Ning Zhuo analyzed the situation with clear logic. There was evidence as well—the Embrace Ice Technique was a typical offensive spell.

"Room One requires cultivators to assemble mechanism puppets. Room Two tests the puppet's ability to jump, run, and evade. Room Three may involve combat."

"Looking at it this way, the successive trials of the Magma Immortal Palace are also lesson after lesson. The Three Sects Forefathers seem to be doing more than selecting the outstanding; they also intend to train people in Mechanism Art."

"Alas, my soul is nearly fully recovered. I just do not know when I will be able to enter the Immortal Palace again."

That night, exhausted from training, Ning Zhuo fell into a deep sleep.

He sensed that something was wrong and tried to open his eyes, only to find nothing but darkness.

After several moments of stunned surprise, he sensed his surroundings and was instantly thrilled.

"My soul has been extracted again, and I have entered the Magma Immortal Palace!"