Although the Kyushu Ding was an ancient artifact left over from when immortals and fierce beings still roamed the Earth, it’s not impossible that someone stored their cultivation manuals inside it and later couldn't retrieve them.

This explanation might barely suffice for the Ice Soul Chill Art, which, besides its bone-chilling aura, possesses no other striking peculiarities. But what about the Phoenix Nirvana Posture? Isn't that a technique exclusively used by the Phoenix Clan?

This question troubled Ye Wen for a time, but he didn't delve deeper, figuring that the secrets of this secluded place were hard to uncover. It was better to ponder more meaningful matters than to dig into the roots of the unknown.

For instance...

Were there people in the Immortal Realm proficient in the Ice Soul Chill Art?

While Li Xuan's Ice Soul Chill Art seemed unimpressive to the current Ye Wen, would its power increase commensurate with Li Xuan's advancement to the Earth Immortal threshold? Or perhaps the Ice Soul Chill Art also possessed subsequent stages that were simply lost within the confines of the Ding’s world, much like the Ice Soul Chill Physique?

After all, within the Kyushu Ding, due to limitations in the ambient spiritual energy (Tiandi Yuan Qi), the Ice Soul Chill Physique couldn't display its full potential, which is why the predecessors of the Tianshan Sect abandoned it. It's plausible that the later parts of the Ice Soul Chill Art were also discarded because no one could practice them for so long.

"Brother Li!"

"Hmm?"

"I wonder... how many layers does your sect's Ice Soul Chill Art have? And how far has Brother Ji progressed?" Unaware of Ye Wen's musings, Li Xuan glanced at him curiously and casually explained the art's structure: "It has five layers. Back when I first met Sect Master Ye, I had already reached the peak of the fifth layer!"

"After all these years, you haven't managed a further breakthrough?" Upon hearing there were only five layers, Ye Wen felt his own speculation growing more reliable. Which famous cultivation technique only had a mere five layers? Seven or eight layers wouldn't be excessive, and many spanned ten or twenty. If you encountered a truly monstrous one, they might hand you a manual with a hundred layers and tell you to practice slowly!

What had started as casual chatter now took on a serious tone, as Li Xuan seemed to realize something too, his expression growing grave: "Now that Sect Master Ye mentions it, I truly have had a feeling lately that this technique shows signs of breaking through. But this feeling came out of nowhere; at first, I thought it was the sensation preceding the shattering of the void!" These past few days, Li Xuan felt a breakthrough imminent, but he hadn't realized it pertained to his technique; he assumed it was a personal advancement.

Hearing this, Ye Wen inwardly exclaimed, "It's just as I suspected!" He then recalled that the Scarlet Sun Divine Fire Art also seemed to belong to the Tianshan Sect. The Scarlet Sun Divine Monarch had mentioned his inability to reach the final stage of perfection because his body couldn't withstand the terrifying scorching energy. Could the Scarlet Sun Divine Fire Art also have a corresponding body tempering method, like the Scarlet Sun Flame Physique, requiring dual cultivation?

Once he considered it, it seemed highly probable. Perhaps because the Scarlet Sun Fire energy was more domineering, such issues arose if the physique-refining mantra wasn't practiced alongside it.

"Oh my, that means we have one more technique: the Scarlet Sun Divine Fire Art!" The more he thought, the stranger the situation seemed, and it didn't align with some of the stories circulating within the Ding.

He had previously heard that the Scarlet Sun Divine Fire Art and the Ice Soul Chill Art were originally one technique split into two separate manuals. But the body-tempering method couldn't also have been split, could it?

He subtly posed his question, and Li Xuan didn't find anything amiss with it. He replied, "Sect Master Ye is unaware of this detail; the physique-refining mantra is not restricted to requiring dual energies of ice and fire; it can be successfully cultivated using only chilling energy or only fire essence. Because I cultivated it using chilling energy, it is called the Ice Soul Chill Physique!"

"Oh, I see!" So, the refining technique was versatile and could be used by both manuals. If that was the case, as Li Xuan's physique grew stronger, wouldn't the Profound Ice Separation Fire Art become possible to cultivate?

"This... is actually possible!" Li Xuan felt that something essential was missing during his recent training. Could it be that because the Ice Soul Chill Art was derived from the Profound Ice Separation Fire Art, the technique itself was inherently flawed and incomplete, preventing him from reaching the Void Shattering realm?

In reality, Li Xuan was not mistaken. The Profound Ice Separation Fire Art was originally a unified technique, but since almost no one in the Tianshan Sect could master it, the predecessors split it into two manuals. Although, in their estimation at the time, the two resulting techniques were perfect, the hidden flaw was tangible. Initially, it caused no issue, but as one practiced deeper, the defect became more pronounced. Once someone managed to cultivate one of the split techniques to a certain level, they would inevitably hit a bottleneck.

Take Li Xuan: aside from the restriction of the Ding’s ambient energy, the bottleneck was the primary reason he could never reach the Void Shattering realm. His progress over the past few decades had been negligible. If he had practiced a different technique, even relying only on time, he should have reached a comparable level, yet Li Xuan remained perpetually one step short.

The Profound Ice Separation Fire Art, if truly mastered, would allow one to cross the threshold into the Earth Immortal realm with relative ease, provided they diligently practiced the physique-refining mantra. Without that aid, the cultivator’s body likely couldn't endure the simultaneous presence of both ice and fire energies within one frame.

Thus, this was a genuine path to immortality, tragically dismantled by the elders of the Tianshan Sect.

Of course, one couldn't entirely blame them. The spiritual energy within the Ding’s world was severely limited. Even the split techniques were enough to occupy a lifetime without achieving full mastery. To master the complete Profound Ice Separation Fire Art in that environment would require a lifespan of two to three hundred years, unless one found rare treasures, such as the Cold Fruit found in the Tianshan Hot Springs—pity that no one at Tianshan discovered it until the visiting Xu Xian consumed it.

As for the so-called Profound Ice Separation Fire Demonic Art, it was merely a technique built on superficial tricks, only mimicking the form of the true Profound Ice Separation Fire Art. In terms of sheer power, it was far inferior to the authentic version. The energy it used to convert a person's internal strength had little effect against a truly skilled master. Ye Wen, for instance, could neutralize it with the peculiarities of his own true energy, and many martial artists with profound cultivation levels could overcome it with sheer power.

Put simply, it was a trick designed to bully the weak. It allowed effortless crushing of opponents weaker than oneself, but proved useless against enemies of equal or higher standing.

Li Xuan saw this clearly, which is why he dedicated himself solely to the Ice Soul Chill Art instead of dabbling in the Profound Ice Separation Fire Demonic Art. But now, he realized cultivating the Scarlet Sun Divine Fire Art was unavoidable. Moreover, to mend the deficiency in his technique, he needed to bring his Scarlet Sun Divine Fire Art cultivation up to the level of his Ice Soul Chill Art in the shortest time possible, and then strive to fuse the two arts.

With a clear objective, Li Xuan became even more elusive in the following days, hiding within his small mountain retreat to cultivate. Protected by the Ice Soul Chill Physique, the fire essence from the Scarlet Sun Divine Fire Art couldn't harm him, so his progress was meteoric. He also began experimenting with using the fire essence to temper his body, aiming for a state of hot-cold equilibrium before merging the two powers from the outside in.

Unfortunately, the white bear suffered grievously during this period. It had been happily frolicking in the snow, but one day it awoke to find its surroundings unbearably hot. The visible snow had vanished, the ground was cracked, and plumes of terrifying heat rose from the earth. The comrade bear was nearly roasted in its sleep, crying out as it fled the small mountain. It leaped and bounded back to Mount Shu, then sat weeping while looking at its nearly scorched paws.

The kitten Garfield watched from the side, stifling his laughter.

Ye Wen paid a brief visit, healed the white bear with a casual gesture, and then thought no more of it. The bear was intelligent enough not to die; rest and recovery would suffice. He didn't notice, however, that ever since following the Shu Mountain Sect, the bear seemed to grow smarter and its lifespan longer—perhaps Garfield had secretly fed it some elixirs intended as snacks.

He also visited the Desolate Valley. Zhang Gui was living an even more carefree existence than before, spending his days sitting within the valley, occasionally moving about to practice martial arts or spar lightly. Furthermore, the martial arts he practiced were the most common ones; the most profound was a mere Soft Palm technique, a skill almost every disciple of the Shu Mountain Sect knew. Consequently, no one paid much attention, and the assisting disciples glanced a few times before drifting away.

Ye Wen observed discreetly and was shocked to discover that Zhang Gui had raised the Soft Palm to an astonishing level. Judging by his current movements, it was likely that among all of Mount Shu, no one could match Zhang Gui in the mastery of the Soft Palm. Even Ye Wen himself might not be able to surpass Zhang Gui in this single technique.

Similarly, Zhang Gui executed the Shu Mountain Long Fist (Ancestral Long Fist) with incredible finesse. A common technique, yet its power was anything but common. Ye Wen estimated that none of the current outer sect disciples could withstand a single punch from Zhang Gui, even if he used no more internal energy than they possessed.

"Sect Master!" After finishing a set of punches, Zhang Gui finally noticed Ye Wen standing nearby, observing him for quite some time. He wasn't surprised that he hadn't noticed Ye Wen's arrival, knowing the gulf between his own ability and Ye Wen's was immeasurable.

"If it weren't for your duty managing the Immortal Reception Pavilion, I would truly want you to take the time to instruct those junior disciples!" Ye Wen spoke this sincerely. Judging by Zhang Gui’s mastery of those two skills, he genuinely wished for this man to teach those ignorant disciples who considered foundational skills useless.

Looking around, he saw that the Desolate Valley remained peaceful. Although a few houses had been erected, it still lacked vitality. A thought crossed his mind, and he said immediately, "Since there’s nothing pressing lately, starting tomorrow, go to the training grounds and properly teach the disciples. Staying here all day isn't right either!" Since no one was likely to emerge from the Ding in the near future, and with him still on the mountain, he could always rush over if anything felt amiss.

"Yes!" Zhang Gui accepted without hesitation. In his view, this was simply an order from the Sect Master, and he needed only to obey.

Ye Wen looked around one last time and inquired, "By the way, where is Ling Zhu?" Hearing Ye Wen ask about Ling Zhu, Zhang Gui’s face finally broke into a smile: "Madam Hua took Ling Zhu as a disciple a few days ago. Ling Zhu is currently practicing with Madam Hua!"

"Oh."

Ye Wen felt a flicker of curiosity about how Hua Yi would instruct Ling Zhu. After leaving the Desolate Valley, he began searching for Hua Yi and soon learned she had taken Ling Zhu to a small practice room. Ye Wen hurried there directly.

Upon arrival, Ye Wen froze!

In the practice room, Hua Yi stood with her arms crossed, coldly staring at Ling Zhu, who was contorted into a pained expression while... dancing! He was clad in a seven-colored flowing garment, and the intricate ribbons decorating his body traced beautiful arcs with every movement... yet possessed absolutely no lethality!

"This..." Ye Wen walked to Hua Yi’s side, blinked, and closely examined Ling Zhu's movements before finally confirming that Ling Zhu was indeed practicing ordinary dance, not the highly lethal and enchanting Heavenly Demon Dance (a martial art component of the Heavenly Demon Technique).

"This seems like just a regular dance?"

"It is!" Hua Yi didn't seem surprised; instead, she looked at Ye Wen quizzically.

Ye Wen pointed at Ling Zhu: "Weren't you supposed to be teaching martial arts?"

"These are all foundational elements. The Heavenly Demon Technique is profound; without sufficient grounding, even if one learns it, the full power cannot be unleashed!" As if fearing Ye Wen wouldn't understand, she specifically added an example: "It's like how general martial arts begin with basic punches and kicks; this dance is the same!" Ye Wen felt cold sweat forming on his forehead: "Couldn't you just teach him ordinary stances? Why teach him the Heavenly Demon Dance?" As he spoke, he saw Ling Zhu look at him with an expression of desperate plea. He likely couldn't endure this treatment himself. But alas, he had eagerly kowtowed to take her as a master earlier. Now, Hua Yi was his proper master, and a disciple must obey their master's commands. Thus, Ling Zhu hoped that Ye Wen, her master's husband, could intercede on his behalf.

Unfortunately, Ye Wen had been too quick with his words earlier, effectively signing Ling Zhu over. How Hua Yi taught Ling Zhu was her business, and Ye Wen had no right to interfere. So, he simply turned away, feigning ignorance, expressing his inability to help.

"Is this fun!" Hua Yi showed no restraint and revealed the real reason in front of her disciple. Ye Wen swore he saw a black line appear on Ling Zhu's face at that moment.

Ye Wen laughed dryly a few times, swiftly escaping the training room. After expressing two seconds of sympathy for the poor Ling Zhu, he left.

Returning to his courtyard, he found Ning Ruxue had gone into seclusion again. Since entering her retreat a few days prior, Ning Ruxue had only emerged once. However, his junior sister had mentioned that her progress hadn't met expectations, so after a brief rest, she plunged back into the training room. Thus, Ye Wen hadn't seen her for days.

"Junior Sister is in seclusion, Hua Yi is busy teaching disciples, and the other disciples are all preoccupied with cultivating the Elemental Spirit Body Refinement Art. Am I the only one left with nothing to do?" After circling his yard again, he heard booming laughter emanating from Xu Xian's courtyard nearby. Ye Wen realized: "I'm not the only one idle!" He walked to Xu Xian's gate, and without needing to search, saw Xu Xian standing in the courtyard, talking with Huang Rongrong, punctuated by bursts of loud laughter that made Huang Rongrong's face flush with embarrassment.

Seeing this, Ye Wen instantly understood that Xu Xian was teasing his wife again. He called out into the courtyard, and when Xu Xian looked over, he simply waved. Ye Wen had no intention of entering.

"Senior Brother, what is it?" After giving Huang Rongrong some instructions, Xu Xian cheerfully ran over.

"Come down the mountain with me for a walk!"

"Down the mountain?" Xu Xian blinked, unsure where Ye Wen intended to go. Surely it wasn't wise for the Sect Master to leave the mountain, given the current state of the Shu Mountain Sect?

"We aren't going far, just exploring the surroundings, seeing what the local situation is, and checking if there’s anything worth bringing back!" Xu Xian finally understood; his senior brother wanted him to scout the area around Mount Shu. He conceded that this was necessary business. After all, the Shu Mountain Sect planned to reside here for hundreds or thousands of years, and failing to grasp the surrounding environment was unacceptable.

"Who knows, there might be other cultivators practicing independently in this mountain range, and if so, we should pay them a visit!" Ye Wen had heard that in the Immortal Realm, there weren't just major sects, but also numerous solitary cultivators who found a spot and simply began practicing. Some remote mountain ranges even housed Demon Cultivators; these were not uncommon in the Immortal Realm, and some solitary cultivators or demon cultivators were quite powerful—even major sects were often reluctant to offend them.

The Shu Mountain Sect was only just beginning to develop and was currently weak. If there were powerful neighbors in this region, it was best to understand the situation first. If the neighbor was good-tempered and upright, befriending them would be beneficial! If they were a hostile neighbor, measures needed to be planned early. Regardless, it was better than waiting for the other party to show up first; at least they could seize the initiative!

Exiting the inner court, Ye Wen briefly explained his idea, and Xu Xian nodded in agreement, understanding why Ye Wen called him—he needed an assistant! Ye Wen's cultivation was only at the Earth Immortal stage; if they encountered an unreasonable adversary, he might not be able to secure a clean victory by himself. Bringing Xu Xian along meant, at the very least, they had someone to send a warning if trouble arose.

"We probably won't be that unlucky, right?"

"It's always better to be cautious!" The two arrived at the front courtyard, passed through the main gate, and then mounted their swords, soaring into the sky. With a turn and a dip, their swords pointed straight north.