"These are troubled times," Dong Wencong said.
Fang Yun said, "You still remember the punishment from the Hall of Punishment, don't you?"
"I do. You confronted the Hall of Punishment over the People's Gazette, and it ordered you to go to an Ancient Land to expand the Human Race's frontiers before becoming a Great Scholar. The other penalties were insignificant by comparison. Could it be..." Dong Wencong looked at Fang Yun in astonishment.
"Yan Ningshan, the head of the Yan Family, sent me a letter saying that changes have begun in the Ten Cold Ancient Land, very likely heralding Ancient Land Genesis Destruction. As you know, the Ten Cold Ancient Land undergoes a upheaval roughly every three hundred years. The Ancient Land is destroyed and reborn, a process called Ten Cold Genesis Destruction. During Ten Cold Genesis Destruction, a new contest is held for the positions of the Ten Cold Kings, who receive the Ice Emperor's mighty power. The Yan Family hopes I will go to the Ten Cold Ancient Land and win one of those positions for the Human Race. It need not be a high-ranking one. Winning the position of Tenth Frost Lord would suffice."
Dong Wencong asked in surprise, "The Yan Family has held the position of Ninth Frost Lord for so long, yet it has no confidence in securing a place among the next Ten Cold Kings?"
A peculiar glint flashed through Fang Yun's eyes. "The Yan Family originally had two Grand Academician candidates, both with the talent to become Great Scholars. But for the sake of the Ten Cold King position, they suppressed their advancement for years, remaining Peak Grand Academicians. With those two, the Yan Family should have been assured of success. But... the Literary Star's repeated disturbances in recent years left both unable