Half a year later, Snowlan Realm.
Boundless snow swallowed the outlines of mountains and rivers, leaving only a vast, pure-white emptiness between heaven and earth.
A fierce streak of crimson tore through the deathly silence.
The light landed, condensing into a burly humanoid figure over two meters tall.
After surveying his surroundings, Lian Shang summoned the map interface.
Tiny, starlike coordinates shifted across the map's Light Screen before settling into place.
Having confirmed his bearings, Lian Shang released Gang Qi beneath his feet and shot into the air, becoming a long, narrow streak of light that pierced the snowy sky and sped toward the coordinates. Wind and snow streamed backward overhead, while the pale mountains and rivers spread beneath his gaze.
A short while later, the streak of light contracted.
At the far end of his vision, Snow Lake lay silently in the center of the snowfield, wreathed in white mist.
A thin layer of snow covered the water, and mist curled over the lake.
A lone boat rocked gently at its center, with a young man seated upright aboard it.
He looked no more than sixteen or seventeen, his eyes closed, his green robes plain and clean, his black hair hanging to his shoulders, his expression peaceful and relaxed.
His aura was restrained, like the most ordinary wisp of frosty wind in that boundless snowy landscape, his figure blending completely into his surroundings.
Lian Shang hovered high above. His gaze fell on the young man, and all the sharpness surrounding him immediately receded.
He dropped abruptly, dissipating his momentum in midair before landing lightly on the boat's planks with the tips of his feet.
The wooden boat swayed slightly, then steadied again.
Lian Shang lowered his gaze to the young man fishing aboard the boat, bowed his head, and