Meng Family's Mystic Ice Giant Spirit Bloodline

At first, Lin Zhao paid it no mind, assuming it was merely the remains of ordinary hunters preyed upon by the wolf pack.

He followed Yuan San into the cave. It was not deep, but many incomplete skeletons lay scattered across the ground—most dressed like mountain villagers, with even fragments of children's bones mixed among them.

"That beast has killed so many people!" Lin Zhao's gaze turned cold. No wonder people had been mysteriously disappearing after entering the mountains these past years. So this wolf king had been behind it.

The three snow apes were gathered around an intact skeleton, sniffing at it. When Lin Zhao stepped closer for a careful look, his heart jolted: the skeleton was extraordinarily huge, over three meters tall, far beyond any ordinary person. It sat upright against the cave wall, its hands loosely clenched as if holding a weapon. Its finger bones were thick, and the joints bore calluses from gripping a sword year after year. Though nothing but dry bones remained, they still emanated a stern, awe-inspiring majesty. It seemed the pose had been deliberately arranged before death, sitting in silence here through who knew how many springs and autumns.

"What a magnificent skeleton! He must have stood nearly ten feet tall in life." Lin Zhao marveled inwardly—since the world possessed internal arts like the Mystic Dragon Breathing Technique, capable of strengthening the body, it was hardly strange for a few martial experts to possess physiques beyond ordinary men.

He himself was only fourteen and already nearly eight feet tall. If he broke through to Grandmaster Warrior in the future, perhaps he too could have such a build.

Judging from the skeleton's posture, it had certainly not been killed by wolves—if it had truly been prey, the bones would have long since been scattered. How could they have remained so intact?

It was likely a martial master who had died peacefully of old age. Even the wolf king had felt reverence for him and dared not disturb him.

Then he noticed a Mystic Iron Ring on the little finger of the skeleton's right hand. The face of the ring bore the seal-script characters "Meng Long," and its edges were inlaid with fine ice patterns.

While vigilantly watching his surroundings, wary of any "inner-strength traps" left behind by a martial expert, Lin Zhao secretly hoped to find a manual or a treasure map.

Unfortunately, after searching for quite some time, he found nothing apart from that iron ring and the rusted fragments of ruined armor on the skeleton.

At that moment, Zhao Tieying entered the cave. After sweeping his eyes over the skeleton, he said gravely, "These are the remains of a peak Heavenly Gang Realm Grandmaster Warrior! Look—the vertebrae are twice as thick as an ordinary person's, and the finger bones bear traces of tempering by inner strength. In life, he likely had one foot across the threshold into the realm of a 'Legendary Master Warrior.' Someone must have come here long ago and taken away his armor and weapons."

"How much silver could the remains of a near-Legendary Master Warrior fetch?" Lin Zhao blurted out—poverty had truly frightened him; whenever he saw something rare, his first thought was how to turn it into cash.

Zhao Tieying gave a wry smile and shook his head. "This cannot be sold. The surname Meng is taboo North of the River. Long ago, there was a great martial clan surnamed Meng. They practiced an 'unorthodox art' and were branded heretics by the Celestial Masters' Manor, their entire family exterminated. Whoever gets involved with Meng Family relics may well set fire to himself."

Lin Zhao's heart stirred as he recalled the incomplete volume of the Jiangbei Martial Arts Record in his father's study. "You mean the Giant Spirit Meng Family? The book mentioned them. Most of their clan were towering martial artists, and they cultivated the 'Mystic Ice Technique,' which could condense ice force to wound enemies. Two hundred years ago, they were annihilated by the Imperial Guard for 'secretly practicing forbidden arts.'"

"Exactly!" Zhao Tieying nodded. "This Meng Long must have been one of the remnants of the Meng Family who escaped back then. He secluded himself here to cultivate until he died of old age."

"Then we should search even more carefully. Perhaps there are fragments of the Mystic Ice Technique hidden here!" Lin Zhao's eyes lit up. He immediately bent down to inspect the cave walls—martial masters often liked to carve manuals into stone walls.

Unfortunately, after much effort, he only confirmed that a weapon had once hung at the skeleton's waist. He still found nothing.

Just as he was about to leave in disappointment, Yuan San suddenly began anxiously clawing at the dirt beside the skeleton. Yuan Da and Yuan Er joined in as well. The three snow apes dug like enormous groundhogs, their claws flying as dirt showered down in soft streams.

Curious, Lin Zhao stopped to watch. Zhao Tieying, meanwhile, stood guard at the cave entrance with his sword drawn, alert to every movement around them.

Before long, a crisp clang rang out from the bottom of the pit—Yuan San's claws had struck something hard.

Lin Zhao leaned over to look. Buried in the pit was a Mystic Iron Box three feet square, its surface carved with intricate patterns: the family crest of the Meng Family's "Mystic Ice Giant Spirit."

"Yuan San has rendered great service!" Lin Zhao said with a smile, producing dried meat as a reward. Then he called over two Estate Guards. "Be careful. Do not touch the patterns on the box. There may be an 'inner-strength mechanism.'"

The Estate Guards carefully pried open the lock. The moment they lifted the lid, they cried out, "My lord! There is a complete suit of Mountain Pattern Armor inside, and silver ingots beneath it!"

Just as Lin Zhao was about to step forward for a closer look, a sharp zing sounded—the armor in the box rose by itself. Pale white cold mist seeped from its joints. It snatched the Ring-pommel Sword from an Estate Guard's hand and unleashed a fierce saber technique, chopping straight at the nearest Estate Guard!

"Watch out! It is a mechanism armor driven by Mystic Ice Force!" Zhao Tieying reacted with astonishing speed, leaping into the fray with sword in hand. His Shadowless sword carried Binding Force as it stabbed directly into the gaps in the armor—he had seen mechanism puppets forged by Mohist School heirs in the northern lands during his earlier years, and knew such armor was driven by "residual inner strength," not by ghosts or gods.

Though no one controlled the armor, its saber technique did not falter in the slightest. Every slash carried bone-piercing cold, clearly the Mystic Ice Saber Technique Meng Long had cultivated in life, engraved into the mechanism core.

For a time, Zhao Tieying could not even break through its defenses. He could only barely block its attacks, and his battle robe soon froze stiff from the cold.

Lin Zhao stared at the "Meng Long" nameplate on the armor's chest and suddenly recalled the iron ring on the skeleton's hand—the ice patterns on its face matched the armor's patterns perfectly!

He immediately rushed to the skeleton, carefully removed the Mystic Iron Ring, and felt a faint chill creep up from his fingertips the instant they touched the ring's face.

Examining it closely in the dim light from the cave entrance, he saw a line of tiny characters carved into the inner band: "Mystic Ice Armor—crafted by Gu Yuewei of the Mohist School."

"Gu Yuewei... a Mohist School heir?" Lin Zhao's thoughts raced. The Mohist School excelled in mechanisms and forging; it was only reasonable that they could create mechanism armor powered by Mystic Ice Force. Holding the iron ring, he walked toward the fight and pressed it into the recess on the armor's chest—

With a soft click, the pale white cold mist around the armor instantly vanished. Its joints loosened, and with a clatter, it collapsed onto the ground, revealing fifty taels of silver ingots and a yellowed silk booklet beneath it.

Zhao Tieying sheathed his sword and let out a long breath, wiping cold sweat from his forehead. "These Mohist mechanisms can actually replicate martial techniques so exquisitely. This has truly opened my eyes."

The Estate Guards had yet to recover from their fright and began chattering among themselves. "When that armor started moving just now, I thought some evil spirit was causing trouble!"

"Instructor Zhao is truly skilled, to block the mechanism armor's saber!" Someone secretly touched the Celestial Masters' Manor "evil-dispelling talisman" at his waist, and only then did his expression ease somewhat.

But Lin Zhao stared fixedly at the silk booklet, his heartbeat suddenly accelerating—the cover read, "Mystic Ice Technique: Fragment," the core internal art of the Meng Family!

What excited him even more was that the name "Gu Yuewei" carved inside the iron ring seemed faintly connected to the "Grandmaster Luo Xue" mentioned in the Miscellaneous Records of a Sea Traveler of the Ling Clan—the heirs of the Mohist School often traveled the four corners of the world, and perhaps they knew clues regarding Yang Gang Inner Strength!

"After wearing out iron shoes in search, I found traces of the Mohist School in my own family's back mountain!" Lin Zhao held the iron ring, his fingertips trembling—he had searched through the old garrison records and long believed "mechanism arts" and "special inner strength" were mere legends. Yet this Mystic Ice Armor and silk booklet were irrefutable proof.

Unfortunately, only the latter half of the silk booklet remained. It recorded only the cultivation methods of the Mystic Ice Technique after the Third Tier; the first half had vanished without trace. Though the silver ingots were plentiful, they were far less precious than this fragmentary booklet.

Lin Zhao examined the armor again and discovered the words "Made in the 23rd Year of Yongle" carved into its interior—it was precisely the year the Meng Family had been exterminated two hundred years ago. It seemed Gu Yuewei had forged this equipment for Meng Long's flight.

"The Meng Family's extermination two hundred years ago was likely not merely because they 'secretly practiced forbidden arts.'" Lin Zhao suddenly recalled records from the Great Ming Compendium: the Celestial Masters' Manor had called Mystic Ice Force "Yin Evil Inner Strength," claiming it ran contrary to the Yang Gang Profound Qi they revered. The two sides had long clashed over martial principles.

Perhaps the Meng Family had offended the Celestial Masters' Manor because of their martial philosophy, and thus suffered the fate of having their entire clan exterminated.

What frightened him even more was that the Celestial Masters' Manor had refused to spare even the remnants of the Meng Family from two centuries ago. If they learned he had obtained a fragment of the Mystic Ice Technique, they would surely regard him as a heretic.

This clue must never be leaked! Lin Zhao made up his mind.

After confirming there were no more mechanisms in the cave, Lin Zhao ordered, "Pack the armor, silver ingots, and silk booklet into the box. Leave the skeleton where it is. Seal the cave with packed earth and leave no trace behind."

He tucked the Mystic Iron Ring close against his body—this was not only the key to activating the mechanism armor; it might also be a clue to finding Gu Yuewei's descendants.

As he left the cave, Lin Zhao swept his gaze over the Estate Guards, his voice cold as ice. "Everything seen in this cave today—including the mechanism armor and silver ingots—must remain secret. Whoever dares leak a single word will be dealt with according to fortress law—execution without delay!"

The Estate Guards all dropped to their knees and gave their assent, scarcely daring to breathe—they knew the military discipline of Lin Family Fortress. Though this young fortress lord was usually mild-tempered, if anyone truly violated his taboos, he would never be merciful.

Lin Zhao clenched the Mystic Iron Ring hidden in his sleeve, his knuckles turning white.

The Celestial Masters' Manor's influence spread throughout North of the River. Even the Yingtian Garrison had to submit to its authority. A mere Quasi-Martial Master like himself was no more than an ant in their eyes.

From now on, he had to hide the Mystic Ice Technique and clues to the Mohist School even deeper. Only after breaking through to Martial Master and gaining the power to protect himself could he seek an opportunity to investigate Gu Yuewei's whereabouts.

Outside the cave, the cold wind howled. The snow blanketing Qixia Mountain reflected the dying sunlight. Lin Zhao looked toward the distant Lin Family Fortress, and a heavy responsibility settled in his heart—not only to protect the fortress's people, but to carve out a path to survival for himself amid this chaotic age where martial powers intertwined.