The Path of Battle

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! The ice arrows flew from his hand.

They became three snow-white streaks, hurtling toward Jiang Kui to kill him.

"Go!" Jiang Kui roared as well. Veins bulged all over his body as his twin blades left his hands, turning into two long rainbows that shot straight for Kong Jiao.

The two attacks were about to collide.

Everyone's attention, including Jiang Kui's, was on the arrows and the two flying blades.

Few noticed that—

The puddles left on the bluestone slabs by last night's downpour had begun to gather soundlessly.

Then, drawn by some unseen force, they raced toward Jiang Kui's feet.

"What is this?!" Jiang Kui's pupils contracted. By the time he reacted—

Bang!!

The twin blades and three ice arrows collided in midair.

In terms of strength, Kong Jiao had been weaker than Jiang Kui to begin with. In a head-on clash, he had no move capable of crushing his opponent outright.

Thus, in the contest between the arrows and the twin blades, the twin blades, surging with unstoppable momentum, ultimately gained the upper hand.

The arrows shattered, turning into ice mist that filled the sky.

The twin blades, meanwhile, had their trajectories diverted by the arrows' obstruction and ultimately landed less than three feet from Kong Jiao's feet.

As for that skyful of ice mist, it was like a gaping maw that swallowed Jiang Kui head-on.

Frost power struck his body. The half of Jiang Kui's body covered in pooled water turned into dark ice at a visible rate.

Like an ice sculpture, he was frozen in place.

Jiang Kui instinctively tried to circulate his spiritual power and break free.

Yet he discovered in horror that the lingering chill within his body erupted at that moment as well, freezing the dark ice until it was as hard as black iron. For the moment, he could not break free at all.

A moment's carelessness in battle could prove fatal.

How could Kong Jiao possibly give him that chance?

"Heh! You lost!" A teasing voice came from the steps.

At some unknown moment, another ice arrow brimming with biting chill had appeared in Kong Jiao's hand. Frost coiled around its arrowhead.

This time, Jiang Kui had nowhere left to retreat.

His body stiff, he stared blankly at the youth aiming at him. A bead of cold sweat slid down from his brow.

He knew that if he made the slightest movement, that dark ice arrow would shoot at him without mercy.

The spectators who had witnessed the entire battle erupted into cheers.

"What a calculation!"

"Defeating the strong with the weak! Compared to Kong Jiao, this Jiang Kui is practically brainless. He was clearly a notch stronger, yet he still got led around by the nose."

"He didn't lose unfairly!"

On the other side, Shangguan Yuzhou's battle also came to an end.

He had been able to fight two opponents to a draw before. Now that it was one-on-one, how could Wu Chang'an possibly be his match?

With the Drizzle Sword Technique, Shangguan Yuzhou knocked his greatsword flying, and Shangguan Yuzhou's sword was already at Wu Chang'an's throat.

"Senior Brother Wu, thank you for your guidance!" A satisfied smile hung on Shangguan Yuzhou's face.

He had fought only for the match, without any personal grievance involved. After speaking, he sheathed his sword with a carefree flourish, stopping at the proper point.

Neither Kong Jiao nor Shangguan Yuzhou had struck to kill.

After all, this was the Cangwu Sect. No one dared violate the sect's iron laws by killing one another within the sect—at the very least, not in front of so many people.

After such a hearty battle, Shangguan Yuzhou was in high spirits.

When he looked toward Kong Jiao's fight, he happened to see Jiang Kui frozen in ice and Kong Jiao's arrow drawn, ready to fire.

"This guy got stronger again." Shangguan Yuzhou muttered under his breath. He had worked with Kong Jiao before, so of course he knew the latter's strength.

Thus, he was not particularly surprised.

At that thought, Shangguan Yuzhou put on a hearty smile and shouted toward Kong Jiao on the steps, "Junior Brother Kong, let's go! I'll treat you to wine!"

Hearing Shangguan Yuzhou's shout, Kong Jiao withdrew his spiritual power. The ice arrow in his hand turned into specks of icy crystal dust and dispersed between his palms.

"Drinking? I'm going too!" Zhou Tingyu's boisterous voice rang out from the crowd.

Her petite figure struggled out from among the spectators.

It was clear that she was delighted the two of them had won.

"Haha, fine, let's go together!"

A steady drizzle fell outside.

Shangguan Yuzhou and Zhou Tingyu sat beneath the eaves of Kong Jiao's newly repaired thatched hut. Watching the endless rain outside, they raised cups and traded drinks.

Shangguan Yuzhou and Kong Jiao had once sought an opportunity together, and they already had two years of friendship as a foundation.

After fighting side by side again today, their relationship had grown even closer.

"Frostmoon Altar? Junior Brother Kong, are you asking because you're going there to gather Moonfrost Ice Lingzhi?" The moment Shangguan Yuzhou heard Kong Jiao ask about Frostmoon Altar, he immediately thought of Moonfrost Ice Lingzhi.

"Yes. I have to find something to do, after all. Ever since I resigned from the Miscellaneous Books Pavilion, my expenses have exceeded my income." Kong Jiao put on a melancholy face and deliberately acted poor, drawing synchronized eye-rolls from Shangguan Yuzhou and Zhou Tingyu.

Amused by Kong Jiao's words, Zhou Tingyu planted her hands on her hips and, emboldened by the wine, retorted in a sweet voice, "Who doesn't know that Senior Brother Kong Jiao has made a fortune these past few months by helping spirit farmers eliminate pests? And you still have the nerve to cry poverty."

Kong Jiao pretended not to hear her and shamelessly asked Shangguan Yuzhou, "It seems Senior Brother Shangguan knows quite a bit about Frostmoon Altar. What should I watch out for on this trip? And does Senior Brother Shangguan have any unusual stories or interesting things he has heard about Frostmoon Altar?"

"There isn't much in particular to watch out for. It's just that the spirit medicine resources at Frostmoon Altar are shared among several sects, so friction is unavoidable. If you encounter someone you can't defeat while gathering Moonfrost Ice Lingzhi, just retreat. Generally, no one will pursue you."

Shangguan Yuzhou took a light sip of the fine brew in his cup, then added, "As for unusual rumors, I don't know much either."

Kong Jiao nodded silently. What Shangguan Yuzhou said was not too different from what the senior sister responsible for assignment registration at Lingyu Pavilion had told him.

If he was merely gathering herbs, the danger should not be too great.

But Kong Jiao was not going merely to gather Moonfrost Ice Lingzhi. How to obtain the opportunity there was the true purpose of this journey.

With only this little information, Kong Jiao felt it was far from enough.

Shangguan Yuzhou had already begun speaking on his own, slowly recounting everything he knew about Frostmoon Altar. "If we trace that place back far enough, it may be even older than the founding of the Cangwu Sect."

"When it was first discovered, it was because Moonfrost Ice Lingzhi grew throughout that region every year, without fail."

"More and more sects went there to gather herbs, and only later did they discover the Frostmoon Altar buried deep underground."

"In truth, there isn't much inside Frostmoon Altar. Every sect has sent experts in, and even our Cangwu Sect sent several elders together to turn it upside down. Aside from one or two scattered jade slips of unknown cultivation methods or Dao arts, they found nothing. There are no other opportunities within Frostmoon Altar."

When Kong Jiao heard Shangguan Yuzhou mention that cultivation-method jade slips had been found, his eyes clearly shifted. He silently thought:

Could the Frostfall Wheel-Nourishing Scripture have been found in Frostmoon Altar by the Cangwu Sect's elders?

The more Kong Jiao considered it, the more likely it seemed.

Otherwise, the Cloud-Pattern Stele would not have specifically instructed him to bring the Frostfall Fragmentary Scripture to Frostmoon Altar.

But so many sect experts have already been there, and none of them found Frostmoon Altar's opportunity. This trip will likely be fraught with difficulties. Kong Jiao's mood suddenly grew heavy.

But he quickly regained his confidence.

He was different. He had the Cloud-Pattern Stele to guide him. His chances of finding and obtaining that opportunity were far greater than those sect elders'.

After their conversation, Shangguan Yuzhou had laid out everything he knew about Frostmoon Altar.

That was all there was.

It was not really because he was poorly informed.

There were only so many rumors about Frostmoon Altar. Whenever it was mentioned, most people's first impression was simply that it produced Moonfrost Ice Lingzhi in abundance.

Kong Jiao did not ask further.

But the moment Zhou Tingyu heard that Kong Jiao was going to Frostmoon Altar, she clamored about going along.

"I cultivate the Spring Renewal Formula. I'm quite gifted in the Dao of alchemy, so I can definitely find spirit herbs faster than ordinary disciples."

"I've been in the Cangwu Sect's outer sect for over two years and have never gone out before. Take me with you this time. We'll definitely gather more Moonfrost Ice Lingzhi, and when the time comes, how about we split the excess share evenly between us?"

"I refuse!" Kong Jiao drained the spirit wine in his cup in one gulp and said irritably, "We agreed to help each other fight today, yet you stood by and watched the show. If I take you, I'll also have to look after your personal safety. Too troublesome."

As he spoke, Kong Jiao flicked a finger toward Shangguan Yuzhou beside him, shifting the trouble elsewhere. "If you want someone to take you, ask Senior Brother Shangguan. He's stronger than me."

Kong Jiao was going on this trip to seek an opportunity. He did not care about Moonfrost Ice Lingzhi at all.

Zhou Tingyu could only heal and save people; she had no combat ability whatsoever. Taking along such a burden would bring too much trouble.

"Senior Brother Shangguan!" Zhou Tingyu took the bait at once and turned her shining eyes toward Shangguan Yuzhou.

Shangguan Yuzhou gazed calmly at the fine rain beyond the hut and said evenly, "I'm afraid I have no time. After several fierce battles in a row, I've gained some insight. The spiritual power in my body is stirring restlessly—I'm about to break through."

"After we finish drinking, I'll enter seclusion! I'll charge for the fifth level of the Wheel-Nourishing Realm!"

Shangguan Yuzhou's words not only left Zhou Tingyu's pretty face blank, but also made Kong Jiao's eyes widen slightly.

The further one progressed in the Wheel-Nourishing Realm, the harder it became to break through. It had been less than half a year since Shangguan Yuzhou broke through to the fourth level of the Wheel-Nourishing Realm, hadn't it?

What troubled Kong Jiao most was that he had barely seen Shangguan Yuzhou cultivate at all.

He wandered around outside every day, yet he could still break through so quickly!

This cultivation speed! Kong Jiao was not merely envious—he was somewhat jealous.

But soon, his expression shifted, as though he had understood something. He set the wine cup in his hand on the ground and secretly thought, I understand. Is this also an alternative method of cultivation?

When Kong Jiao eliminated pests in the spirit fields, he had exhausted his spiritual power time and again.

Every time he recovered his spiritual power, he could feel it grow.

Kong Jiao had believed that he had found a method uniquely suited to himself for increasing his cultivation.

And Shangguan Yuzhou, constantly challenging the sect's sword Dao experts, was in fact practicing through another unconventional path.

He gained enlightenment in battle and continuously drew out his potential in every clash.

Just like today: after Kong Jiao's battle against Jiang Kui, the spiritual power that had already filled his body became even harder to suppress.

He had thought his accumulated cultivation had simply reached its limit.

Now that he considered it, it was probably the mental pressure and frantic circulation of spiritual power brought on by every exchange with Jiang Kui that had benefited his cultivation.

This method of cultivation is fraught with dangers! Kong Jiao casually wiped the wine from the corner of his mouth and looked toward Shangguan Yuzhou's profile, facing the curtain of rain.

As well as the cluster of fortune-cloud above his head, white as pure snow.

Only someone with such flourishing fortune would dare walk this path. Were it anyone else, they would likely die halfway through.