In the vast training chamber stood more than a dozen men and women of balanced physique and delicate features. Each person's skin was crystalline and pure, as white as ice and snow, and upon the center of their brows rested a blue mark resembling an ice-flame.
“Listen well. Today, you will master how to wield our Frost Clan’s unique ‘Glacier Talent.’ We Frost Clan members possess an innate, extraordinary affinity for Water Elemental Power. The ‘Glacier Talent’ can boost your control over this power by 300%. If your awakening level is high enough, it can even grant a 1000% boost!”
Standing before everyone was a man with a pale face, dressed in white, his black hair impeccably clean, his sharp gaze sweeping over the assembled group like cold lightning.
“Next, first execute the most basic ‘Ice Mist,’ then apply the ‘Glacier Talent’ to it, transforming the mist into the ‘Frost Bind.’”
The training methods of the Frost Clan bore some resemblance to the magical systems of ancient Babylonian civilization. Across the entire Ancient Continent, when it came to mastering Water Elemental Power, if the Frost Clan claimed second place, absolutely no one dared claim first.
‘Ice Mist’ was a Rank One Water Elemental Art, while ‘Frost Bind’ was a Rank Two. Though only a single rank separated them, the resultant effects were vastly different.
Hearing the white-robed man’s words, no one spoke. In this hellish training regime, they had long learned to endure everything. Silently, they extended their palms, releasing a small stream of power from their bodies to commune with the Water Elemental Power in the air.
Elemental Power was the fundamental particle constituting everything in the universe, divided into baryons and leptons. With the Frost Clan’s technological civilization, they had long classified Elemental Power into nine distinct attributes. Water Elemental Power was merely one of them.
Soon, the temperature in the entire training chamber plummeted to extreme lows. A faint white mist hung heavy in the air, and the hot breath exhaled from everyone’s nostrils was visible, like icy dragons. It rapidly condensed into ice shards and fell away.
After manifesting the Ice Mist, everyone began to deploy their ‘Glacier Talent.’ Brilliant blue light erupted from each person’s forehead. The ice-flame-like mark seemed to instantly stir to life, transforming into countless delicate veins that spread across their brows, like bizarre tattoos.
As everyone focused intently on condensing their talent, none noticed an almost illusory figure materializing above their heads, silently observing the scene.
Ye Chen’s eyes shimmered with brilliant light as he closely tracked the blue markings. Through the miraculous cultivation method of the Myriad Heavens Furnace God Art and the operation of his own spiritual civilization, he seemed to perceive a certain cyclical pattern, his brow furrowed in deep thought.
At this moment, a sudden change occurred within the training chamber. The Ice Mist shrouding seven or eight individuals began to thicken unnaturally, solidifying the surrounding area spanning one into sheer ice. Even their clothing was frozen into hard, white crystalline structures.
“Hmph!” A delicately featured young girl let out a muffled groan. A trace of blood leaked from the corner of her mouth as surging Water Elemental Power aggressively invaded the meridians within her body. Signs of freezing appeared in her blood vessels and internal organs; her face turned deathly pale, utterly devoid of color.
A boy standing beside her gasped in alarm, quickly ceasing his own practice to support the girl. He anxiously asked, “Are you alright? Your body is so cold—this is bad. Quick, stabilize your spirit and dissolve the Water Elemental Power inside you.”
The girl shot him a look of gratitude, then immediately closed her eyes, releasing her mental energy to completely envelop her interior. Under the intense spiritual force, the invading Water Elemental Power slowly dissolved, and she was out of danger.
She breathed a silent sigh of relief.
Smack!
A crisp sound rang out beside the girl, startling her. She snapped her eyes open and looked over, only to see the boy supporting her now sporting a bright red handprint across his cheek, blood trickling from his lip, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.
“Who told you to stop?” A voice, severe as an ice blade, materialized next to the girl’s ear. The white-robed man who had been standing before them was suddenly by their side, his sharp gaze fixed intently on the boy.
The boy lowered his head, mumbling, “She was injured. If not treated immediately, it could be life-threatening, so…”
The white-robed man stared at him coldly. “What does that have to do with you?”
A powerful sense of oppression enveloped the boy’s frame. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and his slender body trembled, yet he dared not say more.
“If you meddle again next time, it won't just be a slap. You must remember how luxurious this training room is and how much the clan has invested in you. Anyone who dies during training merely proves their talent is insufficient!” His icy voice resonated in everyone’s heart.
All the others lowered their heads.
The girl glanced at the boy and also lowered hers.
“Continue training,” the white-robed man scoffed, turning back to his original position.
Ye Chen watched the entire scene quietly, his brow faintly furrowed. Due to the interruption, they had to restart their practice. The blue light reappeared on everyone’s foreheads, and the Ice Mist surrounding each person transformed into Frost Bind.
“Given my current situation, I have no way to obtain the genes of these individuals. Otherwise, simply by devouring their genes, I could instantly comprehend the slumbering talents within and directly guide their awakening to the highest level,” Ye Chen mused while observing them practice. “However, relying on my comprehension and experience in wielding the power of civilization, merely watching their training should allow me to grasp it, though it will consume a considerable amount of time.”
With that thought, he focused his attention entirely on observing.
Dark Heavenly God and the others stood casually behind him, surprised that Ye Chen found interest in this spectacle. They felt a degree of doubt but said nothing, quietly watching alongside him.
Time flowed onward.
A century later.
In the top-floor training chamber stood a dozen or so delicate men and women, with a white-robed man stationed before them. A hundred years had left little mark on their appearance, but the eyes of these dozen individuals had grown far more tenacious and frigid.
During this century, quite a few had died, and just as many were sent in to replace them. Of the original dozen, only the boy, the girl, and six others had survived, each emanating an intensely cold aura.
“Your Glacier Talents have all awakened, and you can now use them proficiently. Starting today, you may leave the tower.” The white-robed man spoke with chilling indifference.
Upon hearing this news, all their bodies trembled, and an undisguised joy flickered in their eyes. Within this magnificent yet icy tower, they had been like caged birds; leaving was their only dream.
“However, before you depart, you must defeat me.” The white-robed man stated coldly.
Cold water poured down their necks!
Everyone was stunned into silence.
Defeat him?
The look in everyone’s eyes as they gazed upon the white-robed man was filled with despair. They knew his strength too well; defeating him was utter fantasy.
The white-robed man observed their expressions and offered a faint smile. “Of course, I will not use my full power—only thirty percent. If you can win against that, you may leave the tower; otherwise, you continue training for another hundred years!”
Everyone’s brows furrowed. Even at thirty percent strength, they still saw no chance of victory, but they had no choice given the circumstances. Among the dozen, the delicately featured girl stepped forward and spoke, “I will.”
Saying this, she took a step.
“Good!” The white-robed man looked at her. “Begin.”
The girl’s eyes were grave. With a flash of her gaze, the blue light on her forehead flared intensely, exquisitely carved patterns spreading like veins across her entire face. She flicked her finger, and a dozen ice spikes materialized out of thin air, shooting toward the white-robed man like a volley of rain.
The white-robed man smiled slightly and raised his hand, causing an ice wall to appear instantly.
Ice Spikes were a Rank Two Water Elemental Art; the Ice Wall was Rank Three, capable of easily blocking the attack.
Yet, strangely, a faint blue light suddenly flashed across the girl’s ice spikes. Immediately afterward, their volume shrank dramatically, transforming from wrist-thick cones into mere needles of ice!
Thwack!
The thick ice wall was pierced directly, and the ice needle shot toward the white-robed man.
This transformation occurred faster than the blink of an eye, but the white-robed man did not panic, seemingly having anticipated it. Facing the needle rocketing toward his face, he merely blew a puff of air.
The dozen needles that rushed toward him were instantly reduced to dust under the force of that single breath!
Observing this, Ye Chen’s eyes brightened slightly. Only he could see that at the moment the white-robed man exhaled, the mark on his forehead flickered, and a strange power enveloped the ice needles, causing them to be directly crushed.
“The Glacier Talent can not only amplify Water Elemental Power but also weaken the enemy’s power,” the white-robed man stated calmly. “If that is your ultimate move, you may concede now.”
The girl gritted her teeth slightly. With another flick of her finger, snowflakes began to drift down from the training chamber’s dome, rushing toward the white-robed man like a blizzard, each flake as sharp as a wind blade.
“That is not all.” The white-robed man frowned, waving his large hand, conjuring an icy shield to envelop himself. He then unleashed his Glacier Domain, instantly weakening every snowflake in the training chamber to nothingness.
The girl’s face turned ashen, and she staggered back a few steps, her eyes dimming with defeat.
The white-robed man withdrew his shield and glanced coldly at her before announcing, “Unqualified. Next.”
The girl’s body seemed utterly drained, swaying precariously. The boy beside her instantly supported her with his hand, then stepped forward toward the white-robed man. “I will try.”
The white-robed man’s brow twitched slightly, and he nodded. “Proceed.”
The boy looked up, meeting the man’s gaze boldly. “I will use only one move. If I cannot defeat you, I will concede.”
The white-robed man’s eyebrow arched, and he snorted. “You haven’t learned many other skills, but you’ve certainly mastered arrogance.”
The boy said nothing further. A brilliant light surfaced on his forehead. “I am starting now.”