About twenty meters in, the Ice-Flame Cave split into two passages: one led to the cultivation grounds deep within the rear mountain, and the other led to the prison, typically used to confine Nie family members who had erred. The duration of confinement depended entirely on the severity of the transgression.

At the break of dawn, Nie Kong appeared outside the Ice-Flame Cave.

Much like the Hall of Life and Death preceding it, the archway of this cave was also fashioned from Dragon Stone. However, near the cave wall, a thick, small iron door was fitted, allowing only two people to pass through simultaneously. At the entrance stood a guard from the Nie family, rumored to possess the cultivation of the Spirit Transformation Realm.

"Clan Token!"

Hearing footsteps, the meditating Spirit Transformation guard opened his eyes. He took the clan token Nie Kong offered and couldn't help but pause in surprise. "You are Nie Kong?"

"Yes."

Nie Kong smiled and nodded. By this time, almost every clan member had heard the name "Nie Kong," but few had actually seen him. After all, the Nie family was vast; tens of thousands of members resided within Jiyang City alone, making it impossible for everyone to know each other.

A flicker of surprise crossed the guard's eyes. "Spirit Unlocking First Grade, just enough to meet the minimum standard for entering the Ice-Flame Cave. Remember, don't venture too deep into the core of the cave. If you feel any discomfort, exit immediately; don't worry about losing face." Seeing that Nie Kong was a newcomer to the Ice-Flame Cave, the guard offered a kindly reminder. With that, the guard swept his long sleeve, and with a sound like a blacksmith’s hammer striking iron, the heavy iron door creaked open.

"Thank you."

After expressing his thanks, Nie Kong stepped over the high threshold.

Every meter along the cavern ceiling was inlaid with a glowing object called a "Moon Heart Stone." These perfectly round, glistening stones illuminated the passage—roughly ten meters wide and three meters high—as brightly as daylight. Stones like this, in his previous life, could command sky-high prices, yet here on the Celestial Spirit Continent, the largest one fetched no more than ten gold coins, its primary use being illumination. Nie Kong could only inwardly sigh at how worthless the jewels of this world were.

The iron door closed behind him, yet the air inside the cave was remarkably fresh, showing no hint of stuffiness.

The fork in the path ahead was visible at a glance. The road to the right, leading to the prison, was sealed by an iron gate. If there were no tricks involved in the sentencing, Nie Fengxing should currently be confined within. If conditions allowed, Nie Kong rather wanted to stroll in and observe Nie Fengxing’s reaction.

Proceeding along the left passage for about a hundred meters, Nie Kong gradually sensed a peculiar aura—a coolness tinged with a faint warmth.

This was the most unique characteristic of the Ice-Flame Cave.

Deep within the recesses of the Nie family’s rear mountain, there was an extraordinarily vast space where, almost constantly, two streams of energy with diametrically opposed attributes erupted from the earth. Over the years, this had created the cave's strange dichotomy: the left side was cold as ice, and the right side was searingly hot like flame.

In the outer regions, these cold and hot energies mingled, containing a particularly dense infusion of heaven and earth spiritual power, highly suitable for Spirit Unlocking realm cultivators. However, the further one ventured inside, the more distinctly separated the two energies became, until, in the deepest core of the mountain, they were completely irreconcilable. In that deep area, a Spirit Unlocking master would likely be either incinerated to ash by the heat or frozen solid by the chilling cold upon entry.

Thus, those Nie family spiritualists who came here to cultivate would never rashly venture into the depths of the Ice-Flame Cave, unless they were tired of living.

After several dozen meters, Nie Kong’s vision suddenly opened up to a space dozens of meters long and wide, which abruptly revealed itself. Within it stood rows of tables and chairs—a resting place for Nie family members who could no longer bear the mixed cold and heat, allowing them to retreat and catch their breath.

Upon seeing Nie Kong appear, the dozens of clan members already resting all turned their gazes toward him, their expressions varied: some showed curiosity, others pity, some envy, and some disdain. Their ages ranged widely, from teenagers barely in their teens to robust young men in their twenties and thirties, and middle-aged individuals around forty. Nie Kong had at least some recollection of the younger ones; they were likely the group designated for the Mystic Realm trial this time.

"Nie Kong? Is that really Nie Kong?"

"I heard he accidentally entered the second layer of the Mystic Realm this time and only came out the night before yesterday. He almost died in there. Poor thing."

"Tell me about it. My cousin has been staying near the Hall of Life and Death for a while. He heard this kid broke through to Spirit Unlocking shortly after entering. Everyone thought that when he came out, he would break through again, becoming the second person after the Great Elder to achieve two consecutive rank breakthroughs. But his luck was awful; he died in the second layer of the Mystic Realm, ended up half-dead, and emerged still only Spirit Unlocking First Grade."

"What a waste, what a pity!"

"Hmph, I saw it coming. This kid is just a flash in the pan. In the thousands of years of the Celestial Spirit Continent, how many examples like this are there?"

"Tch, you little squirt, go on!"

"..."

After leaving the Hidden Blade Courtyard, Nie Kong deliberately rested at home for a day, taking the time to study that book, the "Wood-Yang True Spirit Art," only heading to the Ice-Flame Cave this morning.

During that day of rest, the news of Nie Kong's survival and his performance in the Mystic Realm had spread throughout almost the entire Nie family. While many clan members sympathized with Nie Kong's "ordeal," an equal number were gloating and secretly delighted.

Nie Kong was mentally prepared for this. Hearing the murmurs, he simply offered a light smile, walked past the resting area, and headed towards the cultivation zone ahead.

"Huh? Nie Kong?"

A slightly familiar voice called out. Nie Kong turned back to see an eighteen or nineteen-year-old who had just entered, waving cheerfully at him.

"Nie Qing’an," Nie Kong chuckled. Counting back, this unfortunate soul was the first—and only—person Nie Kong had killed during his trial in the Mystic Realm.

Seeing Nie Kong and Nie Qing'an appear one after the other, the surrounding Nie family members immediately became excited, as if injected with chicken blood. The news that Nie Qing'an had been eliminated by Nie Kong at the final moment had already been widely circulated. What sparks would fly when these two met now?

"Oh my, Nie Kong, I heard about your situation. Don't be sad; it’s only Spirit Unlocking First Grade! With your speed, maybe tomorrow you’ll be Second Grade, and the day after you might break through to Third Grade, or maybe you'll jump straight to Third Grade tomorrow, it's not impossible." Nie Qing'an’s face was filled with sympathy, but the sarcasm in his tone was obvious even to a fool, revealing how much he still held onto that day's events.

"I'm not sad," Nie Kong replied with a smile. "You’re already Spirit Unlocking Ninth Grade now, right?"

"Yes, only Spirit Unlocking Ninth Grade! I was originally hoping to try and skip two ranks and jump straight into Spirit Fusion, but alas, I was just a tiny bit short, just a tiny bit short!" Nie Qing'an sighed, shaking his head with an expression of regret, yet the slight upturn of his lips betrayed his inner satisfaction.

"Just a tiny bit short? Then I congratulate you in advance. I assume you can reach Spirit Fusion just by cultivating casually today, right?" Nie Kong turned and walked away.

"Huh?"

Nie Qing'an was nearly choked speechless by those words, his face instantly turning extremely awkward. Although he claimed to be just short, he knew very well in his heart that if he could reach Spirit Fusion within three months—no, half a year—it would be a blessing. Breaking through to Spirit Fusion today? What a joke!

"Pfft..."

A series of strange laughter erupted from the surroundings. The clan members, who had been cultivating until their frustration peaked, watched the show with relish. Nie Qing'an, like a drawn sword, unleashed a barrage of cold sarcasm, yet Nie Kong remained unperturbed, countering with an almost accidental remark that left the opponent utterly disgraced. Satisfying! Supremely satisfying!

Besides cultivating, witnessing such a fine drama was a source of pleasure. It was a pity it was too brief, and not quite explosive enough. Of course, if it were too explosive, it might backfire.

Over a hundred years ago, a certain individual was severely defeated by a peer in the Mystic Realm. Upon returning, consumed by resentment, he acted ruthlessly and completely eliminated that person. As a result, he was confined in the Ice-Flame Cave prison for a full sixty years, emerging horrifyingly gaunt, like a skeleton. Two clan members who had witnessed the event but failed to intervene were also swept up in the repercussions, confined in the Ice-Flame Cave for two years. Since then, no matter how brutally clan members were killed in the Life-and-Death Mystic Realm, no one dared to cross the line and seek revenge upon returning.

Hearing the sarcastic whispers from all around, Nie Qing'an's face flushed a mottled purple. Seeing Nie Kong enter the cave opening ahead, he quickly followed.

... .