The martial arts gathering concluded amidst a buzz of conversation; this year's event had been rather unremarkable, nothing truly extraordinary. The sole topic of discussion was the battle between Ye Wen and Zheng Ting.

To the Shu Shan Sect's advantage, Ye Wen had forced Zheng Ting to vomit blood within just a few moves, silencing those in the jianghu who still doubted the sect's current standing. The second and third-rate sects, eager to stir up trouble and never fond of Shu Shan, now kept their mouths firmly shut.

After seeing Zheng Ting's state, none of them believed they stood a chance in challenging the Shu Shan Sect. "It seems the jianghu is getting harder to navigate!" One by one, they shook their heads and left the venue with sighs, secretly counting themselves lucky that Zheng Ting had played the role of the trailblazer.

Yet, they were also depressed that the rise of Shu Shan would inevitably squeeze their own living space further. Previously, among the major sects in the jianghu—save for the Azure Dragon Society, which was structured as a guild requiring constant recruitment—the other major powers had already reached a stable scale and rarely took on new disciples.

Consequently, many young hopefuls, unable to join the prominent sects, turned their attention to these long-established factions that held some moderate renown. But now, with the powerful ascent of Shu Shan, which was still in its expansion phase and needed to recruit a large number of disciples, it was poised to absorb most of the available resources.

The smaller families and sects were likely facing lean years ahead. They had limited influence of their own, relying on receiving high entry fees from the progeny of established families to thrive.

Now, it seemed most of that money would go straight to Shu Shan, leaving them scraps. "Alas!" He let out a long sigh.

The reality was that Shu Shan's current strength placed them on an entirely different level. Setting aside others, if Ye Wen, the sect leader of Shu Shan, acted alone, none of the other sect leaders present could match him; even the few with respectable skills might not win, and would risk making an enemy of Shu Shan for no reason.

Shu Shan’s parity with the major sects wasn't just due to Ye Wen's supreme martial arts, but also because the sect housed Ning Ruxue and Xu Xian, who hadn't appeared this time. Ye Wen’s rapid martial improvement over the past few years suggested that his junior martial siblings, even if not his equal, were surely far superior to their former selves.

Moreover, even at their five-year-old level, those two were already formidable. It was the sheer quantity of top masters that elevated Shu Shan's status; if only Ye Wen were the sole pillar, they would be no different from the second or third-rate sects.

As the multitude of heroic figures and gang members departed, only a few sects lingered. After returning to his courtyard, Ye Wen suddenly felt discomfort in his left hand and immediately went into his room to investigate.

"Strange, I clearly dissolved all the chilling energy!" The abnormality radiating from his left hand and meridians perplexed Ye Wen. Although Zheng Ting's frigid force was potent, it shouldn't have lingered this long.

He was confident he could neutralize even Li Xuan's frost energy, let alone Zheng Ting's. However, any bodily anomaly was unwelcome.

Upon entering his room, Ye Wen secured the windows and doors, closed his eyes, and began regulating his breath, accelerating the circulation of his Primordial Purple Qi. Purple clouds billowed around him, growing in density until the entire room was saturated with them.

If anyone had entered then, they would have seen nothing but overwhelming purple, unable to distinguish objects clearly. Such a massive disturbance inevitably alerted Ning Ruxue.

Standing at the doorway, she peered in but could only glimpse layers of purple mist; nothing was visible. She took a step forward to push through, but the purple cloud seemed to sense her presence, suddenly transforming into several fierce streaks of sword energy, about three fingers wide, sweeping wildly.

This forced Ning Ruxue to retreat several paces, compelling her to deploy her Green Lotus Sword Qi to shatter the assault. "Is that the Violet Heaven Dragon Qi Sword?" Hua Yi, seeing the purple sword strikes, felt puzzled, wondering why Ye Wen would suddenly attack Ning Ruxue.

Ning Ruxue also appeared confused, yet the sword energy was undeniably the Violet Heaven Dragon Qi Sword. "Judging by the sword qi, it seems Senior Brother is using a defensive technique.

Is he breaking through to a new realm, thus protecting himself with sword energy?" But looking at the entire room choked with purple mist, this seemed an excessive reaction. "Could he be assaulting that final esoteric barrier?" They were unaware that Ye Wen was not striving for a breakthrough, but was instead suffering from Zheng Ting's hidden blow.

He had assumed that once the chill was gone, everything would be fine, but unexpectedly, that frigid energy contained a profound mystery, and he had been caught off guard. "Damn it, the cold energy secretly contained fire poison!" Because the fire poison had remained latent and deeply hidden from the start, Ye Wen hadn't detected it.

Had his Primordial Purple Qi not been renowned for its purity, which allowed him to sense the slightest imbalance, this fire poison might have remained dormant indefinitely before erupting without warning. "What a vicious force!" Ye Wen channeled all his internal power, yet still couldn't force the trail of fire poison out of his body.

This fire poison was incredibly cunning, darting through Ye Wen's true qi, making it impossible to track. One moment it would linger near his Tancheng Acupoint, and the moment he focused his intent to neutralize it, it would bolt to the Dazhui Acupoint.

When pursued there, it would flee to the Shenmen Acupoint on his left arm. Finally, having no other recourse, he expelled all his true qi outward, transforming it into layers of purple cloud, only to slowly draw it back in, purifying and removing the toxins bit by bit.

Since the fire poison was housed within the true qi, refining the entire store of his qi was the only way to eliminate it. This process was why Ye Wen created such a large disturbance, causing Ning Ruxue, Hua Yi, and the others to guard the door anxiously.

Fortunately, Hua Yi reacted quickly, telling Ning Ruxue, "Madam, we must not let anyone discover the Sect Leader's condition. Send someone to guard the main gate immediately!" Ning Ruxue, whose concern had clouded her judgment, finally realized the situation and immediately commanded, "Jing'er and Ning'er, guard the main gate.

If anyone comes, tell them your Master is cultivating and cannot receive visitors." For martial artists, a master entering deep meditation is a common occurrence and should not be interrupted; it was the perfect excuse. However, such an excuse couldn't be maintained indefinitely.

This wasn't a scheduled visit to their mountain gate where they could use the excuse of being closed off for defense. Being hosted elsewhere, deep meditation was usually just a brief regulation of energy; lingering too long would inevitably arouse suspicion.

"I hope Senior Brother will be alright!" Having made arrangements, Ning Ruxue could only gaze anxiously at Ye Wen's room. She suddenly noticed that the purple energy, which had nearly flooded the room, seemed to be slowly receding.

Hua Yi also noticed this change and quickly offered comfort, "Don't worry, the Master will certainly be fine. Perhaps he gained some insight from that battle with Zheng Ting!" Ning Ruxue nodded, telling herself the same thing, "I hope so!" Inside the room, Ye Wen could not hear the conversation outside.

He was painstakingly drawing the Primordial Purple Qi back into his body, purifying it with every fraction he reabsorbed. Although this process would reduce the total volume of his true qi, he couldn't afford to be concerned with that now.

If he failed to eliminate that inexplicable internal force, it was tantamount to planting a bomb within himself, making peace impossible. He would rather lose some power than let that single strain of energy remain.

The purple mist filling the room gradually shrank, continuously converging toward the couch. After a moment, only a large sphere of purple energy remained condensed, which then slowly thinned out, revealing a human silhouette within.

After a little longer, the cloud dispersed entirely, showing Ye Wen sitting on the couch, a purple lotus flower rotating continuously in his hand. He had opened his eyes and was staring intently at the lotus in his palm.

At a quick glance, this purple lotus appeared no different from the ones Ye Wen usually conjured, but upon closer inspection, one could discern a thread of blackish-red force constantly weaving through the purple petals. As the lotus rotated, the purple flower gradually shrank, and the black and red hues became more pronounced.

By the time the lotus was only palm-sized, it had entirely transformed into a crimson and black flower. Seeing this, Ye Wen instantly stopped drawing energy from the lotus-force.

Instead, he used a strand of Primordial Purple Qi to isolate it from his palm's meridians, placing it on his palm for close examination. "This black-red force is actually assimilating my Primordial Purple Qi?" This black-red force was certainly not this potent initially.

Yet, it could now manifest as a lotus flower, and the faint purple remnants it bore moments ago had completely vanished during Ye Wen's scrutiny—the lotus was now entirely crimson and black. "What kind of technique is this?" Wondering, he blurted the question aloud.

He was talking to himself, not expecting an answer, yet as the words left his mouth, a sharp intake of breath echoed from the doorway: "That is the Profound Ice Departing Fire Skill!" Ye Wen looked up to see Master Huixin, Ning Ruxue, and the others standing at the door, their expressions grave as they gazed at the crimson and black lotus in his hand. It turned out that while Ye Wen was meditating to heal his injuries, Master Huixin had come to visit.

Upon first hearing Ye Wen was meditating, he had said he would return later and departed. But when he returned moments later, he was informed Ye Wen was still in deep meditation.

This caused Master Huixin to sense something was amiss. Thinking it over, he suspected Ye Wen might have sustained a hidden injury during his clash with Zheng Ting and felt he should offer assistance.

He asked Guo Jing to inquire with Ning Ruxue: "Does the old monk have anything to offer in the way of help?" After Guo Jing relayed the message, Ning Ruxue knew the old monk had guessed something. Considering the monk's high martial arts attainment and vast experience, perhaps he could offer assistance, so she instructed Guo Jing to invite him in.

When Master Huixin entered, the unusual phenomena in Ye Wen's room had vanished, so the group walked directly inside to see what was happening with Ye Wen. Upon entering, they saw the lotus in Ye Wen's hand.

Master Huixin scrutinized it; at first, he couldn't discern anything, but the longer he looked, the more astonished he became. Recalling Ye Wen's recent bout with Zheng Ting, he blurted out the name: "Profound Ice Departing Fire Skill!" "Master recognizes this technique?" Ye Wen glanced at the lotus in his hand, exchanged a few courtesies with Master Huixin, and immediately asked once he was seated.

Master Huixin replied, "I am merely guessing; we need to observe more to confirm!" He had spoken casually just now and wasn't entirely certain if his guess was correct. In truth, he desperately hoped his conjecture was wrong.

However, after observing for a while and asking Ye Wen several questions, he could only announce with resignation, "It seems this strain of energy is indeed the Demonic Profound Ice Departing Fire Skill!" "Profound Ice Departing Fire... Demonic Skill?" Earlier, Master Huixin had only said 'Profound Ice Departing Fire Skill'; why the added word 'Demonic'?

While the characteristics of the energy in his hand certainly suited the descriptor of a 'Demonic Skill'—exceptionally insidious, hidden, unpredictable, and capable of devouring another's true qi—the added word was perplexing. Master Huixin noticed Ye Wen's confusion and explained, "This Profound Ice Departing Fire Skill was originally the ultimate secret art of the Tian Shan Sect!

However, achieving mastery in this technique is extremely difficult. One must first cultivate the Ice Soul Cold Art to its apex, and simultaneously cultivate the Scarlet Sun Divine Fire Art to its peak.

Only by merging the two can one be considered successful!" "Scarlet Sun Divine Fire Art?" Ye Wen was surprised that the technique cultivated by the Scarlet Sun Lord Pei Gonglie stemmed from the Tian Shan Sect, and furthermore, was of the same origin as the Ice Soul Cold Art. Master Huixin smiled, "Indeed.

Doesn't Sect Leader Ye also have dealings with the Scarlet Sun Lord Pei Gonglie? You should be somewhat familiar with the Scarlet Sun Divine Fire Art.

That technique is precisely what Pei Gonglie practiced. However, Pei Gonglie only managed to cultivate the rudimentary Scarlet Sun Fire Force to its peak; he never truly mastered the Scarlet Sun Divine Fire Art!" Looking at Ye Wen, Master Huixin continued directly, "In truth, Pei Gonglie's talent wasn't poor, but even so, he couldn't complete this marvelous technique, which shows how hard it is to master!

The Ice Soul Cold Art is no different. In the current Tian Shan Sect, only Li Xuan can be said to have brought this Ice Soul Cold Art to full completion; everyone else, including Zheng Ting, has not achieved mastery." "If practicing these two techniques separately is already so demanding, mastering them concurrently is exponentially harder.

Besides the inherent difficulty of the techniques themselves, the characteristics of these two forces clash, making mastery nearly impossible for anyone. Therefore, this Profound Ice Departing Fire Skill vanished from the jianghu a century ago!" Ye Wen frowned, "If that is the case, why does someone still practice it?" As soon as he asked, he realized it was a foolish question.

The skill hadn't been lost; it was just that no one could master it. Seeing that Li Xuan could master the Ice Soul Cold Art and Pei Gonglie possessed the cultivation methods for the Scarlet Sun Divine Fire Art indicated that the lineage survived, but no one could yet master the full combination.

Thinking this over, he became curious again, "Pei Gonglie didn't seem to be a member of the Tian Shan Sect?" And he recalled that Pei Gonglie had mentioned some previous conflict with Li Xuan. Master Huixin smiled, "That is because when no one could master this divine skill, the Tian Shan Sect experienced an internal schism!" "Oh?" "At that time, because the sect had long failed to produce a master of this divine skill, its standing in the jianghu was gradually declining, nearing collapse.

Someone proposed abandoning one strain of energy and focusing solely on cultivating the cold or the fire aspect alone! This is the origin of the Ice Soul Cold Art and the Scarlet Sun Divine Fire Art." "Subsequently, the Ice Soul Cold Art and the Scarlet Sun Divine Fire Art shone brightly in the jianghu, restoring the Tian Shan Sect's waning prestige.

Thus, the ancestors of Tian Shan proposed that perhaps they should split the divine skill—practice one first, and the other only after reaching completion. Practicing only one strain saves considerable time, is slightly simpler, and still preserves the sect's standing in the martial world!" "However, the question of whether to practice the Ice Soul Cold Art or the Scarlet Sun Divine Fire Art first ignited conflict within the Tian Shan Sect—their own members began fighting!" "Uh, that sounds similar to the conflict between the Sword Faction and the Qi Faction?

Except the Tian Shan Sect seems more tedious—they are just two sets of formulas. What's wrong with practicing one first?" Huixin seemed to sense Ye Wen's bewilderment and casually replied, "The specific secrets, I, as an outsider, am not entirely clear on.

I only know there were many disputes, which only those within the Tian Shan Sect can truly know. What I do know is that the sect fractured internally and fought a major battle.

Ultimately, the faction emphasizing the cultivation of the Ice Soul Cold Art prevailed, forming the current Tian Shan Sect, and the Ice Soul Cold Art became their foundational technique!" "And so the Scarlet Sun Divine Fire Art drifted into the jianghu?" Master Huixin shook his head, "This divine skill is also a secret art of the Tian Shan Sect; it couldn't simply drift into the jianghu. It was still preserved carefully within the sect!

However, at that time, a Tian Shan disciple who specialized in fire cultivation was away from the mountain. Upon hearing this news, fearing elimination by his peers if he returned, he simply went into hiding.

This individual was the ancestor of Pei Gonglie, which is why Pei Gonglie understands the Scarlet Sun Divine Fire Art." Ye Wen nodded, understanding the background. However, several questions remained unanswered.

"Hearing what Master says, the Profound Ice Departing Fire Skill should be a completely legitimate divine skill. How could it have become this way..." Ye Wen looked at the shrinking black-red lotus in his hand.

The red color was fading, while the black became increasingly conspicuous. This change made Ye Wen frown deeply, especially as the lotus began emitting a strange, faint fragrance.

A brief inhalation caused a slight dizziness, so he immediately shielded the entire lotus with Purple Qi to prevent the strange scent from spreading. Master Huixin also glanced at the black lotus and explained, "Although the internal strife in the Tian Shan Sect ceased, this method of cultivating one skill first and then the other still failed to lead anyone to master their foundational technique.

This is because once one strain of energy reaches completion, it can no longer tolerate even a trace of the other strain's true qi. Trying to force it often leads to deviation from the path, resulting in light cases of complete loss of martial power, and in severe cases, instant death." "Since the foundational secret art remained unmastered, many exceptionally talented individuals within the Tian Shan Sect sought alternative methods to achieve mastery.

Seventy years ago, a certain elder finally found a way, but his method, and the Profound Ice Departing Fire Skill cultivated according to it, had already changed significantly from the original divine technique!" Pointing at the black lotus, Master Huixin continued, "Sect Leader Ye has likely noticed the abnormality of this black lotus!" Ye Wen looked down at the black lotus in his hand and suddenly realized, "Using poison?" "Precisely. The method this elder devised was to borrow poison to aid cultivation—using highly toxic substances to counteract the opposing forces, ultimately forging a set of bizarre ice-fire-toxic energy.

While the power of this resulting force is less formidable than the original Profound Ice Departing Fire Skill, the energy acts like maggots clinging to bone, proving exceedingly difficult to eradicate or neutralize, and it ceaselessly dissolves the opponent's true qi—it is truly insidious and malicious. Using this technique, that elder killed many peers in the jianghu, and eventually, even the Tian Shan Sect could not tolerate him; they crippled his power and expelled him." "And this Profound Ice Departing Fire Skill, self-created and reliant on poisons, came to be known among the jianghu as the Demonic Profound Ice Departing Fire Skill, while the original one is termed the Divine Profound Ice Departing Fire Skill."