Entering the Lübing Abyss

On the third day, Lin Qi and Senior Sister Yuan Xi made their preparations and stood ready to depart.

True Monarch Qingyun personally saw the two of them off to Slaughter Ice Peak.

Luo Ci was brought along as well.

Standing beside True Monarch Qingyun, he watched as Lin Qi followed Yuan Xi and the Slaughter Ice Peak disciples down into the Lübing Abyss, so envious that he was practically drooling.

For a moment, he too wanted to try his luck at the Marketplace.

Who knew? Perhaps he might win himself a stroke of fortune as well?

True Monarch Qingyun glanced at him blandly, a gentle smile curling at her lips.

"Fortuitous opportunities must be bought with a price. Had Yuan Xi not been there that day, Little Qi would likely have met with more disaster than fortune."

Though it sounded like an offhand remark, it struck right at Luo Ci's little schemes.

Luo Ci kept a straight little face and held his small waist ramrod straight, guilt written all over him from head to toe.

The smile on True Monarch Qingyun's face could not be hidden. "Luo Ci, cultivation requires keeping your feet on the ground. Your foundation must come first."

"You have now broken through to the first level of Qi Refinement. Your master has newly refined an Eight-faced Flowing Wind Array Plate, so I'll let you try using it first."

The dimness in Luo Ci's little eyes immediately lit up with a bright gleam. Completely unaware of the danger, he happily followed True Monarch Qingyun back to Zonglei Peak.

Lin Qi hugged Senior Sister Yuan Xi around the waist, experiencing sword flight for the first time.

Even the biting cold wind slapping against her face could not suppress the excitement in her heart.

Within the abyss shrouded in frigid mist, countless white-robed cultivators flew on swords, weaving through the air.

The cliffs on both sides were formed entirely of thousand-year ice. The cold vapor they exuded curled like smoke, breathtakingly beautiful yet fraught with danger.

The farther down they went, the more the bleak, oppressive chill rushed to seep into their bodies. Lin Qi grew increasingly awed by this bottomless abyss.

When they reached a protruding circular platform cast from ice, the Slaughter Ice Peak elder leading the way was the first to land.

The disciples following behind also landed in orderly fashion, lining up neatly atop the platform.

Elder Yue sheathed his sword, placed one hand behind his back, and began calling roll.

When Lin Qi heard the name Tan Yueqing, she froze for a moment, her gaze instinctively turning toward the Slaughter Ice Peak group.

There were fifty disciples entering the Lübing Abyss this time. Forty of them were from Slaughter Ice Peak, while the remaining ten spots had been fiercely contested by the other peaks.

Though the groups were not clearly divided, the disciples from the various peaks who had formed their own separate line obviously seemed out of place.

Behind the Slaughter Ice Peak group, Lin Qi spotted Tan Yueqing, who was nearly half a head taller than her.

Her thin figure stood out even among the Foundation Establishment disciples, all thirteen or fourteen years old.

The girl's features were lovely, but every inch of her exuded an aloof, chilly indifference. Her clear, cold eyes looked straight ahead, without much fluctuation of emotion.

Places in the Lübing Abyss were precious. Even Slaughter Ice Peak selected only outstanding disciples from the Foundation Establishment Realm to enter.

That Tan Yueqing, a new disciple who had only just entered the sect, could be sent into the Lübing Abyss showed how highly Slaughter Ice Peak regarded her.

Lin Qi thought that this should be a pretty good opponent.

"Zonglei Peak, Lin Qi."

When Elder Yue called her name the first time, he found the area utterly silent, with no response.

Patiently, he called again. "Zonglei Peak, Lin Qi!"

Only after several breaths did Lin Qi's clear voice ring out. "This disciple is here."

Her childish voice immediately drew quite a few people's attention. When everyone saw Lin Qi behind Yuan Xi, they were all startled.

By her height and appearance, she was probably only five years old, wasn't she?

She had been sent to the Lübing Abyss as soon as she entered the sect—what kind of genius was this?

Come to think of it, had there been such a little girl among this year's top ten on the Immortal Ascension Ladder?

Elder Yue paused, staring carefully at Lin Qi's face as he checked her information. After confirming that she was indeed the right person, he reminded her, "Answer more quickly next time. If you fail to respond after three calls, you will be sent for an identity review."

Lin Qi stared at Elder Yue with wide eyes, her fair, tender little face looking innocent and pure.

Elder Yue withdrew his gaze and was about to call the next name when Lin Qi answered unhurriedly, "Yes."

In an instant, everyone's attention gathered on Lin Qi's face again.

She looked quiet and well-behaved, without the slightest trace of arrogance or coldness, as though she had simply been born half a beat slow.

Elder Yue lifted his eyelids and gave Lin Qi another look before continuing down the list.

After the roll call was finished, he raised his voice in warning. "Once we enter the cave, Qi Refinement disciples will stop past the first gate. Foundation Establishment disciples will stop past the second gate. Those from Foundation Establishment Late Stage to Great Perfection will follow me farther in."

"Yes."

The disciples answered obediently in unison.

Once their voices faded and silence returned, Lin Qi's half-a-beat-late "Yes" sounded after them.

Now everyone thoroughly understood: Lin Qi was simply slow-tempered.

Most of those here were Foundation Establishment cultivators who had seen their fair share of the world. They did not make a fuss, and instead showed a little more understanding toward Lin Qi's slow reaction.

Lin Qi followed closely behind Senior Sister Yuan Xi into the cave, curiously sweeping her gaze over the surroundings.

"Senior Sister, how did Slaughter Ice Peak think of carving out such an enormous cave in the middle of an ice cliff?"

The cave was sixty zhang high and situated halfway up the mountain. At its entrance stood ice sculptures of every kind, grand and magnificent, while formation patterns covered every corner.

Building such an ice cave must have cost an unimaginable amount of manpower and resources.

The farther they went, the denser the chill became.

Lin Qi vaguely guessed why a threshold had been set for disciples entering the cave.

Senior Sister Yuan Xi answered softly, "This cave was built by True Monarch Tinghan's grandmaster to preserve the body of his beloved. From choosing the site to setting the formations and carving the patterns, it took decades. Yet before the cave was finished, that ancestor's beloved had her body destroyed by evil cultivators.

"Enraged, the ancestor stormed into the evil cultivators' stronghold and slaughtered for ten days and ten nights. In the end, he embraced his beloved's corpse and fell into eternal sleep in the depths of the cave."

Only then did Lin Qi understand where the exquisite carvings and formation patterns she had seen along the way had come from.

Senior Sister Yuan Xi explained carefully at her side, "Later, the Sect Master discovered that the cold energy within the cave benefited the cultivation of Ice Spiritual Root cultivators. He discussed it with the Slaughter Ice Peak Master at the time, and they began sending a batch of disciples inside to cultivate each year."

"Since it was opened by Slaughter Ice Peak's ancestor, the entry slots have always remained in Slaughter Ice Peak's hands. However, once the disciples enter Lübing Abyss, every matter concerning them must be handled by Slaughter Ice Peak."

Lin Qi nodded in understanding and tugged on Senior Sister Yuan Xi's sleeve.

"Senior Sister, when the time comes, just follow Elder Yue farther inside. You don't need to worry about me."

Lin Qi understood Senior Sister Yuan Xi's gentle and considerate nature.

She would certainly spend some time accompanying Lin Qi at the first gate, only heading farther in after Lin Qi had completely familiarized herself with the surroundings.

But Lin Qi did not want to waste Senior Sister Yuan Xi's cultivation time because of herself, so she spoke up in advance.

Senior Sister Yuan Xi wanted to say something, but Lin Qi tugged at her sleeve and began to act spoiled.

"Senior Sister, I remembered everything you reminded me of on the way here."

"You're a Foundation Establishment cultivator. If you stay with me in the place meant for Qi Refinement disciples, wouldn't that be wasting Master's good intentions? Besides, I'd feel guilty and uneasy too."

Lin Qi knew she could not win an argument against her senior sister, so she could only play the emotional card.

Sure enough, Senior Sister Yuan Xi had no resistance at all. When they parted, she could only stuff Fire Spirit Flower sprouts into Lin Qi's arms with all her might.

She kept chattering at Lin Qi's side, reminding her of all sorts of precautions, drawing envious looks from the nearby Qi Refinement disciples.

Today's update was a little late. The next chapter will probably be tonight.