The wind on the ice cliff was much weaker than on the ice field; the cliff face blocked most of the airflow, leaving only some fine snowflakes swirling in the air.
Shui Bing'er leaned against Little Frost and closed her eyes to regulate her breathing for nearly two hours.
After the Ice God Bow was stored in her body, her Soul Power recovered more slowly than usual. The depletion of the Ultimate Ice could not be replenished simply by resting; it required time.
Little Frost stayed close behind her, occasionally brushing the snow at her feet with its tail, as if to make sure she was still there.
Feng Xiaotian sat on the other side of the ice cliff, leaning against the cliff wall. He did not rest. The three lines on his palm had faded to the point of being invisible, but the flow of the three Wind Trace was still clearly imprinted in his mind.
He closed his eyes and pieced together the three lines again. North by east. The intersection was north by east. He had never been in that direction before; it was some distance from the ice cliff, separated by a large expanse of undulating glaciers and crevasses.
Feng Xiaotian opened his eyes, glanced at Shui Bing'er, then stood up and took two steps toward her, wanting to see her expression.
Little Frost's tail swept across, blocking him and Shui Bing'er.
Feng Xiaotian stopped, glanced at the tail, and walked around to the other side. Little Frost Shuang immediately turned her head and blocked his way, her two front paws bracing against the ground, as if to prevent him from getting close.
Feng Xiaotian looked at it without saying a word, and helplessly returned to his seat.
Shui Bing'er opened her eyes halfway through her meditation and saw Feng Xiaotian sitting back down and Little Frost's smug expression. She couldn't help but twitch her lips, then closed her eyes again to continue meditating.
When Little Frost saw her open her eyes, she immediately nuzzled her head against her palm, while glancing sideways at Feng Xiaotian. Feng Xiaotian sat on the ice rock, looking at it without saying a word.
About an incense stick later, Shui Bing'er opened her eyes, stood up, and moved her wrists. Her complexion was much better than before, and her Soul Power had recovered by more than half.
She walked to the edge of the ice cliff, glanced in the northeast direction, and then looked back at Little Frost. The Frost Dragon stood up, shook its scales, and spread and folded its wings, as if telling her that she could set off.
"Let's go," Shui Bing'er said.
The two climbed onto Little Frost's back. The Frost Dragon spread its wings and took off. This time, the takeoff was very stable, without any unnecessary shaking. It flew towards the northeast.
Feng Xiaotian sat behind Shui Bing'er, looking down at the ice field below. After flying for about half an hour, he noticed that the terrain was beginning to change.
The ice fields they had traversed before were mostly flat, with only a few ice hills and crevasses. But the further they went north and east, the more undulating the terrain became, with glaciers layered like solidified waves, and crevasses resembling bottomless black wounds when viewed from the air.
The wind has changed too. It's no longer the steady airflow that used to blow from a fixed direction, but instead it meanders around, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right, like navigating a maze.
Little Frost flew lower and more cautiously than before. It avoided the wide ice crevasses, flying close to the glacier's ridgeline, occasionally letting out a low, mournful roar.
Feng Xiaotian sat on the dragon's back and unconsciously moved a little closer to Shui Bing'er, his shoulder almost touching her back.
Little Frost sensed the movement on its back. It couldn't stop, nor could it flap its wings in flight—that would cause both of them to fall. But it had another way.
It forcefully exhaled an extremely cold breath from its nostrils, the white, frigid air drifting backward and landing squarely on Feng Xiaotian's face.
Feng Xiaotian shrank back slightly from the cold.
Shui Bing'er sensed the movement behind her, turned her head to look, and saw Feng Xiaotian wiping the ice shards off his face. She couldn't help but burst out laughing.
She usually laughs very softly, her lips barely moving before she stops, but this time she really laughed out loud. Her voice wasn't loud, but it was clearly audible during the quiet flight.
Feng Xiaotian paused in wiping his face. He looked at her and smiled helplessly.
Feng Xiaotian's smile wasn't because of the ice shards on his face, but because Shui Bing'er was smiling.
Shui Bing'er realized she was laughing after she finished, so she quickly stopped, turned around, and her ears turned slightly red.
Little Frost snorted and flicked her tail as she flew.
Shui Bing'er sat on the dragon's back and suddenly raised her hand to press the Ice God Mark on her forehead.
Feng Xiaotian noticed her movement. "What's wrong?"
Shui Bing'er didn't answer immediately. She kept her eyes closed, as if sensing something. After a few breaths, she opened her eyes.
"The guidance for the Fourth Trial has appeared," she said.
Feng Xiaotian did not interrupt her, but waited quietly for the explanation.
" The Fourth Trial is the Ice Lake Resonance," Shui Bing'er said. "The remnant soul gave me guidance, leading me to a frozen lake. On the lake's surface, I resonated with the remnant soul of the Ice God, guiding the Ice God's essence to overflow, causing the lake to freeze completely."
She paused, then went through the information she had sensed again.
"The location is just ahead. Not too far, about the distance of an incense stick's flight."
Feng Xiaotian nodded. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly felt a warm pulse in his palm.
He looked down. The three faded lines on his palm reappeared, but this time it was only one. A blue line lit up from his palm, extending in a north-northeast direction, with light at the end of the line.
The Fourth Trial of the Wind God Nine Trials: The Trial of Wind.
Assessment content: Confront your deepest fears and obsessions, and overcome them with clear judgment.
Location: North-southeast, the Trial of Wind Space.
Rewards: Wind God Affinity increased by 10%, Second Soul Ring duration increased by 500 years.
After he finished reading it, the blue line slowly faded away.
"Mine has arrived too," he said.
Shui Bing'er tilted her head to look at him. "What's the content?"
" The Trial of Wind," Feng Xiaotian said, "Confront your deepest fears and overcome them with clear judgment."
Shui Bing'er was silent for a moment. She looked at his profile but didn't ask any further questions. Feng Xiaotian wasn't the type to constantly talk about "what my fears are."
"Where?" she asked.
"It's just to the northeast," Feng Xiaotian said, "Not far from your frozen lake."
The two exchanged a glance. The fact that both assessment locations were in the same direction indicated that the Wind God and Ice God's arrangements were originally intended to overlap.
"Go to your frozen lake first," Feng Xiaotian said. "Your Fourth Trial will start."
Shui Bing'er didn't object. She patted Little Frost's neck, Frost Dragon adjusted its direction, continuing to fly forward along the glacier's ridgeline.
After flying for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the terrain ahead suddenly opened up. The glaciers on both sides receded, revealing a flat area surrounded by ice mounds. In the center of the flat area was an ice lake, its surface as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the cold, eerie blue light unique to the Far North.
Little Frost landed at the edge of the frozen lake. The two dismounted from the dragon's back and stood on the lake shore.
The frozen lake was quieter than any other ice surface they had ever seen. No wind passed through it, and there wasn't a speck of snow on the surface; it was as clean as a freshly polished gem.
Shui Bing'er stood on the lake shore, the Ice God Mark on her forehead began to heat up, and the phantom of the Ice God Bow appeared in her palm.
"This is it," Shui Bing'er said.
Feng Xiaotian stepped back a few paces, giving her space. He stood beside an ice rock on the lake shore, watching Shui Bing'er walk towards the lake.
The Fourth Trial the Ice God's Nine Trials is about to begin.