As the morning frost still clung to the cracks in the ice plains, the footsteps of the Youth Guardian Camp had already shattered the ice crystals on the snow. A Mu carried his New Sprout Sword, its scabbard wrapped in Ice-Fire Entwining Pattern, a thin layer of ice covering it—before setting off, Snow Spirit Qilin had specifically taught him " Low-Temperature Energy Control Technique " using Ice-Fire Communication Crystal, instructing him that the ice plains were bitterly cold, requiring him to use the power of fire to protect his meridians, and then resonate with the ice layer using the power of ice mist. In A Ya's bag, besides the usual purification plant seeds, there were now " Ice Dew Grass " seeds cultivated by Liya specifically for the low temperatures of the ice plains—this grass's leaves could glow in sub-zero environments, its roots could penetrate deep into ice cracks to absorb Evil Energy, and it could also secrete mucus to reinforce the ice layer. On A Shi's patrol log, two new columns, "Ice Crack Width" and "Ice Spring Evil Energy Concentration," had been added. A small, grayish-mist-tinged ice crystal specimen was tucked into the corner, a "notion" sent by the Ice Dwellers after Loran had communicated with them beforehand.
"Follow the aurora, and you'll find the Ice Dwellers ' igloos!" Loran rode ahead on his Cloudhorn Beast. The Cloudhorn Beast's hooves left barely a deep mark on the ice—it had been blessed with the " Ice Surface Hoof Stabilization Technique " by the Snow Spirit Qilin. The golden figure of the Icefield Wolf shone brightly in the snow. It leaped lightly across the snow, stopping whenever it approached a cracked section of ice to sniff the chill emanating from it. The Icefield Beast springs, which should have shimmered with a bluish hue, were covered in thin, grayish-mist-like ice in several places, and the icy water seeping from the springs carried faint black threads.
Having just crossed an ice plain covered in Ice Condensation Moss, they saw an igloo half-buried in the snow—a dwelling built by the Ice Dwellers from millennia-old ice, its roof inlaid with ice crystals that could refract the aurora borealis. An Ice Dwellers wearing a thick animal skin coat was squatting in front of the igloo, holding an ice chisel in his hand, gently tapping the ice layer at the edge of the ice spring. Hearing footsteps, he straightened up, a hearty smile on his face, "Lord Loran, you've finally arrived! For the past two weeks, the ice spring on the west side of the ice plain has grown colder and colder, and the ice that forms has a bitter taste. Even the Icefield Beast don't like to come near it after drinking from it. Even our stored ice food has slowly turned gray—the old chieftain said it's because Evil Energy has frozen into the ice crevices."
A Mu immediately followed the Ice Dwellers to the ice spring, his fingertips lightly touching the ice—a chill even more biting than the Evil Energy of the meteorite emanated from his fingertips. It was a " Ice Fissure Evil Trace " formed by the combination of Evil Energy and the frigid air of the ice field, spreading along the ice fissures into the depths of the ice spring. " The Evil Energy is frozen in the ice fissure!" A Mu looked up at Loran, his tone certain, "I learned this in the swamp before. Evil Energy spreads along the environmental medium. The Evil Energy here is even more stubborn after combining with ice. We need to use ' Ice Speech Technique,' which allows us to communicate with the ice, to 'melt' the Evil Energy out of the ice fissure."
The Ice Dwellers nodded, pointing to the " Aurora Ice Cavern " deep within the ice plains. "At the bottom of the cave is the largest ice spring, Ice Fissure Evil Trace spread from there. We tried to soothe the ice layer with ' Ice Speech,' but the Evil Energy is frozen too deep; the ice layer can only barely block its spread and cannot purify itself."
Loran looked towards the Aurora Ice Cavern, where the aurora was exceptionally dazzling, with pale green and pale purple bands of light winding around the cave's ceiling. " A Mu, try combining the Low-Temperature Energy Control Technique with the Ice Speech Technique!" His fingertips glowed with a pale blue light as he lightly touched the ice layer at the edge of the ice spring. "First, use the power of fire to condense a 'warm layer' around the ice fissures to prevent the ice from shattering. Then, use the power of ice mist to mimic the Ice Speech of the Ice Dwellers and resonate with the ice layer—remember, the Ice Speech must be soft, like the aurora brushing against the ice, so as not to disturb the deeper ice fissures."
A Mu took a deep breath and gently placed the New Sprout Sword against the ice. Following the incantation taught by Snow Spirit Qilin, he first condensed a wisp of gentle flame power at his fingertips—the flame did not melt the ice, but instead condensed into a transparent, warm film on the surface of the ice crack, like a thin veil covering the ice. Then, he transformed the power of the ice mist into tiny specks of light, which seeped into the ice crack along the warm film. At the same time, he imitated the tone of the Ice Dwellers and softly recited the " Ice Speech " incantation—soon, he could vaguely "sense" the "response" of the ice, which was the ice conveying the fatigue of being frozen by Evil Energy.