First Exploration of the Snowfields and the Star Mark Anomaly

Northern Continent of Jizhou was, true to its name, a bitterly cold land. The biting wind carried ice crystals that scraped across exposed skin like blades. As far as the eye could see lay endless white snowfields and rolling glaciers, leaving heaven and earth steeped in desolation. The monsters here were generally above level 25. Creatures such as White Bears and Ancient Auspicious Beasts were thick-skinned and immensely powerful, far beyond the spirits found in the wilds of Jiangnan.

Su Yan exchanged the contribution points and Dream Coins he had accumulated from fighting monsters and clearing nodes for a [Wolf Fur Coat] and [Snow Boots] at a clothing shop in Chang'an, greatly boosting his defense and health. He also bought a large supply of Advanced Wound Medicine and Calming Incense, fully preparing himself for the cold and prolonged combat. Even so, the moment he stepped into this frozen world, he could still feel the bone-piercing chill and the pressure unique to a high-level region hanging in the air.

"This place... really isn't somewhere I should be right now." Su Yan tightened his collar, and the white mist from his breath instantly froze into frost. He was only level 13. Any random monster here could pose a fatal threat to him. Little Big Dipper seemed somewhat unaccustomed to the cold as well, drawing in its neck, but the star marks on its shell appeared even more dazzling beneath the snow's reflection.

His objective was clear. He was not here to venture deep into Northern Continent of Jizhou, but to search for the outer region of the so-called Frozen Secret Realm according to vague forum posts and the faint resonance from the Data Core Fragment in his hand. At the same time, he planned to clear the two small Anomaly Nodes marked by his Compass at the very edge of Northern Continent of Jizhou. One was marked "Ice Crack," and the other "Heart Bewildering." They were relatively safe and presented controllable risks.

With the Compass's guidance and caution far exceeding that of an ordinary person, Su Yan avoided the savage snowfield monsters that traveled in packs and trudged through knee-deep snow. He found the Ice Crack Node first. It lay deep within a glacial fissure, constantly releasing blue data frost mist that could freeze one's health and slow one's movements. Several affected [Mutated White Bears] lurked around the fissure. Their fur was covered in an unmelting layer of ice armor, and their attacks carried a powerful freezing effect.

"Can't take them head-on." After observing for a while, Su Yan formulated a strategy. He used [Body Double Technique] to lure one Mutated White Bear away from the group, then focused fire with Little Big Dipper. [Soul Chasing Talisman] and [Advanced Poison] struck in alternation, fully exploiting Little Big Dipper's [Life Steal] sustain and the ranged advantage of his talismans to slowly wear down the isolated bear's health. The process was slow and tedious, but safe. After clearing the guards, he repeated the process, bombarding the node core deep within the fissure from afar with several [Soul Chasing Talismans] until it dispersed. The Compass's repair progress increased by 0.5%.

[System: Successfully cleared a small anomalous data node (Ice Crack type)! Obtained experience points, [Frozen Data Fragment] x1.]

The experience and rewards were more generous than those from the previous nodes, but they also consumed more time and energy.

After a brief rest, Su Yan headed for the second Heart Bewildering Node. This node was hidden within a dead forest blanketed in ice and snow, releasing pink data pollen that could disrupt the mind and lure monsters together. Quite a few crazed [Snow Foxes] and [Thunderbird Persons] wandered through the woods. They actively attacked every living creature within sight and possessed an extremely strong urge to attack.

This time, Su Yan tried a new approach. He first used an [Immobilization Talisman] to control a Snow Fox, then had Little Big Dipper withstand the attacks of another Thunderbird Person while he focused all his damage on the immobilized target, quickly reducing their numbers. [Body Double Technique] was used to draw fire at critical moments or block the monsters' paths. There were occasional close calls, and Little Big Dipper's health several times dipped dangerously low, but they ultimately cleared the monsters in the forest without suffering any real mishap. Finally, Su Yan used [Soul Chasing Talisman] to purify the bewitching ice-flower node that constantly emitted pollen.

[System: Successfully cleared a small anomalous data node (Heart Bewildering type)! Obtained experience points, [Bewildering Data Pollen] x1.]

[System: Your summoned beast 'Little Big Dipper' has awakened its potential through arduous battle and reached level 13.]

Clearing two nodes in succession pushed Su Yan's experience bar up by a large amount. He was not far from level 14 now. Little Big Dipper's growth pleased him even more. He noticed that while fighting in an environment of Extreme Cold, the star marks on Little Big Dipper's shell seemed to absorb a trace of nearly imperceptible icy energy, occasionally adding a faint slowing effect to its [Advanced Poison].

"You little guy, can you actually adapt to the environment and evolve?" Su Yan smiled as he rubbed Little Big Dipper's head. The little creature narrowed its eyes contentedly and rubbed the top of its head against his palm.

With both objectives complete, Su Yan began searching for clues to the Frozen Secret Realm based on the resonance of the Data Core Fragment. The resonance was extremely weak and intermittent, pointing deeper into Northern Continent of Jizhou, into an area where monsters above level 30 were active.

Su Yan did not rush in. Instead, he chose to circle along the outer edge where the resonance felt strongest. Along the way, he saw more ruins buried beneath snow and ice. Broken stone pillars and collapsed altars all suggested that a prosperous civilization or powerful force had once existed here. He also spotted teams of other players in the distance. They were generally above level 30 and well-equipped, clearly here for the rumored secret realm. Su Yan carefully avoided them. He had no desire to draw unnecessary attention right now.

Beneath an ice wall sheltered from the wind, Su Yan discovered a stone stele half-buried in snow. Most of it had been weathered away, but a blurry pattern at its peak caused the Data Core Fragment in his hand to suddenly turn hot!

The pattern resembled a burning flame, yet it also possessed the angular edges of ice crystals. It faintly matched the markings within the fragment in his hand!

"It's here!" Su Yan's spirits lifted as he carefully cleared away the snow around the stone stele. Unfortunately, aside from that pattern, there was no other useful information on it.

He tried pressing the Data Core Fragment against the pattern on the stele.

Bzz—

The fragment emitted a gentle red glow and resonated with the stele's pattern. A faint Information Stream carrying an ancient, desolate aura entered Su Yan's mind through the fragment. It was not a complete inheritance or map, but a fragmented image and several intermittent words:

Within the image stood a magnificent palace complex built atop a glacier. Its towers and pavilions were all constructed from ten-thousand-year ice, yet flame-like runes flowed across them... Then, in the next instant, endless blizzards swept through everything. The palaces collapsed, and a dazzling meteor-like light shot from the heart of the ruins, falling into the distance... At the same time, those words echoed in his mind:

[...Iceflame... ruins... core... inheritance...]

The image ended abruptly.

"Iceflame? Ruins? Core?" Su Yan muttered thoughtfully. It seemed this Ancient Sect had been called Iceflame and had already been destroyed. Perhaps its inheritance core had not been completely annihilated, but scattered somewhere within Northern Continent of Jizhou? The Data Core Fragment in his hand might be one of the keys?

At that moment, the Compass in his backpack began to tremble faintly as well. It was not pointing toward an Anomaly Node, but forming some subtle connection with the Data Core Fragment. Together, they seemed to indicate a more specific direction—still deeper into Northern Continent of Jizhou, but much clearer than the vague sensation from before.

"Looks like this trip into the secret realm can't be avoided." Su Yan sighed. With his current strength, entering the depths of Northern Continent of Jizhou would be no different from courting death. Yet the clue was right before him, and he was unwilling to give it up.

Just as he weighed the pros and cons, a burst of violent spell explosions and beastly roars suddenly sounded in the distance, mixed with players shouting!

"Quick! Hold it back!"

"Healers, keep up! My pet can't hold on much longer!"

"Watch out for its area ice blast!"

Su Yan's heart stirred. He concealed his presence and quietly climbed a snowy slope, looking down.

In an ice valley below, a five-player team was besieging an especially massive [Mutated White Bear Elite]—an elite boss estimated to be above level 35. The team had a complete lineup: Datang Prefecture, Dragon Palace, Mount Putuo, Netherworld, and Mount Fangcun. They were all between levels 32 and 35, and their equipment gleamed blue. They were clearly an elite team.

However, their situation was far from good. The Mutated White Bear Elite not only possessed incredibly high defense, but its attacks carried powerful knockback and freezing effects. It also periodically released area-wide [Extreme Cold], greatly reducing everyone's speed and attack frequency. The team's formation had already been disrupted. Mount Putuo was under immense healing pressure, Mount Fangcun's seals were occasionally resisted, and Datang Prefecture and Dragon Palace had poor opportunities to deal damage. One Hibiscus Fairy pet had already been smashed into fragments.

"Roar!"

The White Bear Elite rose onto its hind legs and slammed both palms into the ground. Another ring of icy-blue light spread outward!

"It's over! I can't dodge it!" The Dragon Palace player in the team went pale.

At that critical moment, an unexpected change occurred!

Little Big Dipper, which had been quietly lying beside Su Yan, suddenly became extremely agitated for some reason. It stared fixedly at the Mutated White Bear Elite—or rather, at an inconspicuous dark-blue area on the bear's chest that appeared to have been corroded by some sort of power. The star marks on its shell flashed wildly at an unprecedented frequency, radiating a complex emotional fluctuation of both craving and disgust!

"Little Big Dipper?" Su Yan froze.

The next moment, without waiting for Su Yan's command, Little Big Dipper transformed into a streak of purple lightning and charged straight down from the snowy slope, aiming directly at the enormous White Bear Elite!

"Hey! What are you doing?" Su Yan was horrified. Had the little guy gone mad? That was a level 35 elite boss!

The team struggling below also noticed this sudden uninvited guest.

"Where did that Sea Hairy Caterpillar come from? Is it looking to die?"

"Get it out of here! Don't make things worse!"

However, a shocking sight unfolded!

Little Big Dipper was unbelievably fast. It nimbly dodged the White Bear Elite's swinging palms and expanding ice rings, shooting forward like a purple arrow and accurately pouncing onto that dark-blue area on the bear's chest!

It did not bite. Instead, it opened its mouth, and the star marks on its shell erupted with a powerful suction force! Strands of dark-blue energy thick with anomalous data aura were forcibly extracted from the White Bear Elite's body and absorbed into the star marks on Little Big Dipper's shell!

"Awooo—!!!"

The White Bear Elite let out a roar completely unlike its previous ones, filled with pain and fury! The dark-blue area on its chest rapidly faded, while its enormous body stiffened as though it had lost the support of some power. Its movements instantly slowed considerably, and even its [Extreme Cold] casting was interrupted!

Every member of the elite team was stunned!

"What just happened?"

"That Sea Hairy Caterpillar... is absorbing the anomalous energy on the boss?"

"Opportunity! Attack now!"

Though they did not understand what was happening, their extensive combat experience made them seize the fleeting opportunity immediately! Datang Prefecture's [Sweep the Thousand Armies], Dragon Palace's [Dragon Tornado Rain Strike], and every other attack instantly poured onto the slowed White Bear Elite!

Su Yan stood stunned on the slope as well, but he reacted quickly and immediately understood the reason—the White Bear Elite had clearly also been corrupted by anomalous data, and Little Big Dipper's star marks possessed some instinctive desire and ability to "devour" such anomalous data! This might be the special trait of its mutated physique!

He did not hesitate any longer. Though the level gap was enormous, this was the perfect moment to act! He aimed at the slowed White Bear Elite and fired an [Immobilization Talisman]!

"Whoosh!"

The silver talisman struck! Though the immobilization effect was greatly weakened due to the level suppression and lasted less than a second, it further restricted the White Bear Elite's movements!

"There's another helper?" The Mount Fangcun player in the team glanced at Su Yan on the snowy slope in surprise.

With Su Yan and Little Big Dipper's unexpected assistance—or perhaps interference—the battle instantly turned around. The elite team unleashed all its firepower and quickly killed the White Bear Elite, which had lost the support of its anomalous energy and been greatly weakened.

The massive White Bear Elite let out a mournful cry and crashed to the ground, dropping several pieces of blue-glowing equipment and materials.

The battle ended, and silence fell over the ice valley. The elite team members looked with complicated expressions at Little Big Dipper, which jumped down from the White Bear Elite's corpse and contentedly licked its claws. The star marks on its body seemed to have grown a little brighter. Then they looked at Su Yan, who slowly descended from the snowy slope.

The team leader was a swordsman named [Snowfall Without Trace] from Datang Prefecture. He sheathed his sword, stepped forward, and cupped his fists toward Su Yan, his tone filled with surprise and gratitude.

"Brother from Mount Fangcun, thank you for lending a hand! And that... remarkable Sea Hairy Caterpillar of yours. If not for you two, we might have been wiped out here."

Su Yan returned the gesture and calmly called Little Big Dipper back to his side. "Just a small effort. No need to be so polite. My companion simply seemed to have some... reaction to the anomalous aura on that monster."

Snowfall Without Trace glanced at Little Big Dipper, a trace of curiosity flashing through his eyes, but he did not ask further. Instead, he smiled. "Your level may not be high, brother, but your courage and your pet are extraordinary. We're members of [Wind and Snow Pavilion], working on a guild mission. May I ask your name? Would you be interested in... making a friend?"

Wind and Snow Pavilion? Su Yan's heart stirred. It was a guild with a fairly good reputation around Northern Continent of Jizhou. He looked at the capable and relatively friendly players before him, then at Little Big Dipper by his side, which seemed somewhat excited after absorbing the anomalous energy. A thought gradually became clear in his mind.

Perhaps fighting alone was not the only option. Temporary cooperation to obtain information and resources seemed like a good choice as well?