When He Yiming produced that bottle of pills, it wasn't just the two Human Dao peak masters who breathed a sigh of relief; even Yuan Lixun, standing beside them, secretly let her heart settle.

Though she already knew He Yiming had successfully ascended to the Human Dao peak, a strange apprehension still lingered in her heart. It wasn't until this moment, seeing him converse smoothly and without constraint before the two Nine Heavens powerhouses, that she gradually accepted the reality. He Yiming truly possessed the caliber to traverse the world.

As for the pills in He Yiming’s hand, although she knew they were definitely meant for her, she felt no pressing desire to take them, because she knew that since He Yiming had brought them out, he would certainly present them to her.

As expected, He Yiming turned briskly, placing the bottle of pills into Yuan Lixun’s hand, and in the same motion, fastened a jade belt around her soft, pliant waist.

Bing Xiaotian and the Qilin Saint Lord’s gazes converged simultaneously; the way they watched this jade belt was rather peculiar.

“Lixun, this jade belt is a spatial item. Inside, I’ve prepared some elixirs for you. When you have leisure, take your time to look through them,” He Yiming stated in a deep voice.

Yuan Lixun gasped. Of course, she understood the immense value of a spatial item. Within the entire Ice Palace, perhaps only the Palace Lord possessed such a divine artifact; there was no second.

Indeed, to the eyes of masters at the Human Dao realm, spatial items that they couldn't replicate could indeed be described as divine artifacts.

“Try it,” He Yiming’s voice held a trace of firmness.

Yuan Lixun hesitated for a moment, finally accepting the pill bottle from He Yiming’s hand, and focused her consciousness on the belt.

Actually, such a spatial item could be opened smoothly by channeling sufficient True Qi, but using mental power could achieve the same result. However, whether it was True Qi or mental power, it was only effective on a spatial item worn by oneself. If the treasure was worn by another person, no matter how powerful the intent, it could not be opened smoothly.

The next moment, a look of mingled surprise and delight flashed across Yuan Lixun’s face. She quickly glanced at He Yiming, then tucked the jade vial into the belt.

With another flick of her wrist, the vial reappeared.

His Holiness, the Pontiff of the Divine Temple, seemed to carry a higher grade of spatial item; when used, outsiders couldn't even discern the location of the spatial rift. However, for powerful individuals possessing mental awareness like them, a subtle trace could still be detected.

Watching Yuan Lixun attempt it several times in succession, she finally looked up with satisfaction, her eyes growing brighter.

He Yiming laughed heartily, filled with contentment. He inwardly regretted that no one in the He family had cultivated to the Venerable realm yet, so he dared not give away the remaining two spatial items he possessed.

In truth, only by reaching the peak of the Human Dao realm did one truly possess the strength to protect a spatial item. Even for a Venerable to possess such an object was quite perilous.

But Yuan Lixun was different. Not only was she a Great Venerable who had achieved the Five Qi Returning to the Origin state, but she also possessed the replicated divine artifact, the Ice Mirror. Unless a Human Dao peak master acted personally, this spatial item on her person was absolutely as unshakeable as Mount Tai, with no possibility of mishap.

Yuan Lixun offered no verbal thanks, merely nodding her exquisite head slightly; she had already profoundly felt the sincerity of He Yiming’s feelings for her.

“Brother He, is this belt yours from His Holiness, the Pontiff Franklin?” Bing Xiaotian pondered for a moment before finally asking.

He Yiming laughed without hesitation, “Indeed, it is the spatial belt of the Western Pontiff.”

Bing Xiaotian sighed deeply, “Is he dead?”

He Yiming slowly nodded, yet he was puzzled. The West and the Northern Frontier were separated by eighty thousand li; unless the Thousand Year Ice Island manifested, the two regions wouldn't ordinarily interact. But now, Bing Xiaotian clearly knew Franklin, which made him quite curious.

Seemingly sensing He Yiming’s thoughts, Bing Xiaotian didn't conceal anything. “More than several hundred years ago, this old man and Franklin simultaneously ascended to the Venerable realm at Ghost Cry Ridge. Two years later, we even fought a great battle in the Southern Frontier. Thinking back now, it feels like a different lifetime.”

His voice carried an indescribable wistfulness; remembering that his evenly matched rival had perished simply filled him with emotion.

He Yiming then understood that Bing Xiaotian belonged to the same era as Franklin. He asked with curiosity, “Brother Bing, who was the strongest of that generation?”

Bing Xiaotian looked at the Qilin Saint Lord with a look that was half-smile, half-mockery.

Old Qilin Qiu Chennü immediately declared proudly, “The strongest of that generation, naturally, was this old man.”

He Yiming’s mouth opened in surprise. He paused, then his gaze drifted to the Qilin Beast beside the Qilin Saint Lord. He immediately understood that the reason this elder managed to take first place was almost certainly due to employing a special, fair fighting method: ‘one-on-one.’ Under such conditions, if the Totem Clan still suffered defeat when facing experts of the same rank, the world would be too chaotic.

Nodding heavily, He Yiming said, “So you were the number one of that era. Truly remarkable.” He deliberately emphasized the words ‘number one’ when speaking.

The Qilin Saint Lord snorted, “You don’t need to flatter me. To tell you the truth, this old man had already completed the Symbiotic Ritual with the Qilin Beast back then. Those few fellows were immediately intimidated upon seeing me and didn’t dare to fight.”

Bing Xiaotian could no longer restrain himself, shaking his head, “You still have the nerve to say that. The Qilin Beast had already been a top-tier Sacred Beast more than a thousand years ago. We were all just newly ascended Venerables at the time; how could we possibly challenge you, a union of man and beast?”

He Yiming’s eyes widened; only now did he realize the truth. Facing a prime Sacred Beast, forget one-on-one—even if all the newly ascended Venerables rushed him together, it would have been futile.

A trace of arrogance flashed across the Qilin Saint Lord’s face. “Before ascending to the Venerable realm, this old man successfully completed the Symbiotic Ritual with the Qilin Beast—unique among all past generations of the Totem Clan. You few are merely jealous.”

Bing Xiaotian shook his head helplessly and ceased arguing with him.

He Yiming also cast a wry glance at the Qilin Saint Lord and his Qilin Beast. These two had completely adapted to the lifestyle and ways of the Totem Clan. For them, this one-on-one method held no inherent unfairness; it was a difference in worldview that simply couldn't be reasoned away.

Bing Xiaotian’s gaze swept over Thunderclap, the white horse, then suddenly he chuckled, “Brother Chennü, Brother He is also quite fortunate. Before advancing to the Human Dao peak, he had already formed a symbiotic relationship with… Your Excellency, the White Horse. If you are interested, why not spar with Brother He?”

He said this purely in jest. Martial cultivation reaching their level rendered such petty maneuvering unnecessary.

However, the Qilin Saint Lord’s face abruptly flushed red. He certainly knew Bing Xiaotian’s words were entirely facetious. But he and He Yiming had already fought a match, and the result had been quite infuriating.

A smile that only the Qilin Saint Lord could truly comprehend played on He Yiming’s lips. He secretly resolved that after this Thousand Year Ice Island expedition, he absolutely must have a real fight with this man. If he could advance to the Divine Dao by then…

The Qilin Saint Lord’s expression also became somewhat distant and lost.

Bing Xiaotian noticed nothing unusual between them, instead smiling as he asked, “Brother He, where have Sect Master Jimo and Brother Di gone now?”

He Yiming shrugged his shoulders, “They probably assumed I didn't manage to catch the Snow Fox, so they headed to another location.”

Bing Xiaotian’s brow furrowed slightly, and He Yiming was startled, asking, “Is something amiss?”

Shaking his head slightly, Bing Xiaotian said, “The other location is also within the Northern Frontier, but it is extremely far, bordering the furthest northern regions. Though I don't worry about their safety, catching a Snow Fox in that area is too difficult, and the travel time is too tight. They probably won’t be back in the next few days.”

The Qilin Saint Lord snorted coldly, “Those two fools. They already had the Snow Fox in hand, yet they ran further inside. Truly inexplicable.”

Bing Xiaotian looked torn between laughter and tears. “They didn’t know Brother He had succeeded in hunting the Snow Fox, so trying to capture another one was just an extra layer of insurance.” He paused, then smiled, “Stop criticizing Sect Master Jimo behind his back, lest he holds a grudge and keeps pestering you for a few more months.”

The Qilin Saint Lord waved his right hand mightily, his demeanor bold and unrestrained. “I have the Qilin Beast by my side. Once that old assassin approaches, I will detect him immediately. Hmph, actually, a few days ago I had a feeling of being watched by that old assassin, but I couldn't find the fellow.”

He Yiming paused briefly, suddenly enlightened. He had used the power of the Jade Plate to monitor the Qilin Saint Lord, yet it had been easily discovered. It seemed this wasn't due to insufficient mystery in the Jade Plate’s power, but rather that upon achieving man-beast unity, they possessed a certain special capability that alerted them instantly when spied upon.

Bing Xiaotian shook his head. “Since Sect Master Jimo is with Brother Di, he absolutely won't come to bother you. Besides, with the Ice Island imminent, he doesn't have the leisure.” After some consideration, he spoke solemnly, “The Northern Frontier has many strange and peculiar beasts, countless like the Outer Sea. If this old man is not mistaken, it must be some kind of mutated Sacred Beast King spying on you.”

The Qilin Saint Lord nodded slightly, though in his heart, he remained suspicious of He Yiming, but he simply couldn't bring himself to say it.

Bing Xiaotian waved his long sleeves, slowly rising to his feet. “Half a month ago, Brother Di sent a message via carrier pigeon asking me to do something for you. Now, for the sake of the Thousand Year Ice Island, it is right for us to support each other. This old man has agreed.”

He Yiming was immensely surprised but also knew that for Bing Xiaotian to bring it up with such solemnity, the matter must be significant.

However, Bing Xiaotian offered no explanation. Instead, he turned his head toward Yuan Lixun and instructed, “Lixun, starting tomorrow, you will take Brother He to the Seven Colored Palace to reside for a few days. As for whether he gains any insights there, that will depend on fate.”

Yuan Lixun responded with a mix of joy and excitement. She certainly knew the status of the Seven Colored Palace within the Ice Palace, but she never expected the Palace Lord would open it to an outsider.

Bowing deeply, she offered her sincere thanks, willing from the bottom of her heart.