Grasping the Wind and Snow

The students of Thunder Academy suddenly appeared in the Tianlong Mountain Range, and there must be profound reasons behind their presence. 

Even the gathering of students from various departments to practice in this half-snowy expanse likely holds deeper significance. However, Lin Xi understood that he could not grasp these complexities out of thin air, so he decisively chose to set aside such thoughts and instead pondered his own cultivation path ahead. 

His gaze lingered on the several strips of meat, jerky, and a few rudimentary ceramic jars before him. 

Though the spoils acquired from the Thunder Academy students were not particularly remarkable, they should suffice to sustain him over the next two and a half days in this half-snowy expanse, as well as during the subsequent two-day journey back. 

Thus, he no longer needed to waste time searching for food. 

Besides relying on his unique abilities, was there another method to contend with an opponent like Wanyan Muye? 

Lin Xi began to contemplate this question. 

He typically refrained from dwelling on matters that eluded his understanding or seemed distant, but now that an adversary of Wanyan Muye's caliber had entered his realm, he had to allocate time for reflection. After all, the inscription left by Director Zhang had made it abundantly clear: no one in this world is invincible, and even the innate abilities he shared with Director Zhang could only be utilized once a day. 

Given that he had already employed this ability today, what would happen if he encountered a foe of such caliber again? 

Wanyan Muye had already inflicted a painful crack in his palm with a single strike; had he not been battling in a state of extreme fatigue with his arms aching, and had he not grown accustomed to intense pain, he would have likely lost his weapon under the force of that blow. 

Even executing a basic sword thrust would not easily allow him to flip an opponent of similar cultivation mid-air. 

It seemed Wanyan Muye had reached a high-tier soul master level, with his soul power surpassing Lin Xi's by nearly a hundred pounds. 

Sitting on a stone amidst the grass, Lin Xi contemplated for a long while, ultimately easing his furrowed brow. 

He then gathered the strips of meat, took the ceramic jars and a burning stick to a nearby stream, built a small fire, boiled a pot of water, and added a thick piece of fox meat to prepare a meat stew. 

Once the stew reached a rolling boil, Lin Xi extinguished the fire and sat down, gazing up toward the distant snow line. He began to sip the broth slowly, his eyes drawn higher, resting on the snow-capped peaks obscured by the clouds. 

Those lofty snow peaks, towering above the mist, formed the main range of the Tianlong Mountains, a place Lin Xi yearned to explore. 

With his current level of cultivation, it was, of course, impossible for him to venture there. 

However, after finishing the steaming broth and consuming all the fox meat, Lin Xi stood up, wrapped his black cloak around himself, and wrote a line in the dirt: "I am going to cultivate," before striding purposefully toward the high, cold, snow-covered terrain he had previously avoided. 

... 

Lin Xi had thought this through quite clearly. 

During his recent training at Qingluan Academy, he had gleaned a great deal from An Ke Yi and Tong Wei. He understood that cultivating soul power was akin to catching the droplets of water that seeped from rock crevices with a bowl, relying solely on the accumulation of time. Thus, among practitioners with similar innate talents, age generally correlated with deeper cultivation. However, beyond certain elixirs, there was another method to enhance the effectiveness of soul power cultivation: fortifying one's will and spirit. When one's body reaches its limits, and the spirit and will are truly tempered, the effects of cultivation are significantly improved. 

This truth had been substantiated through extensive data and experience at Qingluan Academy in Ailao Mountain. 

The rationale behind this was that soul power, derived from spirit and intent, would naturally be stronger when one's spirit and will were robust. 

Lin Xi had previously engaged in detailed discussions about general cultivation speeds with An Ke Yi. According to her assessment of his soul power cultivation, without the aid of drugs, his rate of improvement was indeed slower than that of the average person, approximately only eighty percent of their speed. Yet, Lin Xi's speed in entering meditation and cultivation was the fastest among all new students. An Ke Yi concluded that this disparity was due to Lin Xi's inferior aptitude. 

However, Lin Xi himself arrived at a completely opposite conclusion. Since he was "two bowls of water," eighty percent of the speed effectively divided by two meant that his true cultivation speed was actually one point six times that of the average student. 

Even if the average student at Qingluan Academy could engage in meditation for only four hours a day, Lin Xi's five hours would not yield more than a thirty percent increase in speed. 

Thus, the extra speed must stem from the greater hardships he endured each day... from the trials and tribulations he faced that far exceeded those of ordinary students. 

Ultimately, the more one suffers, the stronger the spirit and will become, leading to faster cultivation. 

Long ago, amidst the piercing spear formations, he had lamented that cultivation was, indeed, about enduring hardship. 

While Wanyan Muye was formidable, An Ke Yi had also mentioned that high-tier soul masters possessed approximately double the total soul power of mid-tier soul masters. Therefore, considering Lin Xi's "two bowls of water" analogy, his total soul power was already comparable to that of Wanyan Muye. 

Thus, as long as he could break through to a higher level of cultivation, even if he had already utilized his once-a-day ability, he would still have a means to contend with an opponent like Wanyan Muye—by exhausting the opponent's soul power. 

In this half-snowy expanse, there were no spear formations or arrangements of blades and guns, but there existed a harsh environment that could push both his body and spirit to their limits. 

... 

Determined to "torture" himself for the sake of cultivation, Lin Xi moved swiftly, relentlessly climbing upward toward the snow line. 

He had contemplated this matter thoroughly; however, he was unaware that on the wall of a modest study in the courtyard of Vice Dean Xia at the academy's Tianxu Peak hung a striking inscription. 

This inscription, also left by Director Zhang, comprised eight characters: "There is great terror between life and death." 

What set it apart was that these eight characters were inscribed in the Yunqin script, familiar to all at Qingluan Academy, rather than the simplified characters that only Lin Xi could comprehend. 

To cultivate by continuously challenging the limits of one's body and spirit was indeed an unparalleled method of enhancing one's abilities, aside from certain elixirs. Yet the profound fear of life and death was a hurdle that all practitioners, aware of their soul power, must confront. 

To temper oneself with true extremes and dangers... what if one were to inadvertently perish? 

Becoming a practitioner not only grants abilities beyond the ordinary but also the potential for wealth and prestige. Even the most mediocre of practitioners can find themselves in the service of the powerful, living without want. 

In this world, practitioners are indeed few, making it easier to attain fame and fortune... Thus, those who can risk their lives for their beliefs are cherished, which is why Li Kaiyun had initially garnered the favor of the "Qin Madman." 

To disregard the fear of life and death once is to potentially disregard it many times... Yet, perhaps even the truest of warriors cannot achieve absolute fearlessness. 

Thus, a crucial aspect that determines cultivation is the state of one's heart. 

Those free from excessive attachments to fame and fortune, those with a simple view of the world, and those who remain unaffected by external circumstances... their hearts naturally find tranquility, making it easier for them to enter meditation and cultivation. Those with strong convictions and true courage can draw closer to fearlessness. 

As a traveler who had already faced death once, comprehending the value of life and knowing precisely what he desired, coupled with a talisman granting him a second chance, the hurdle of "great terror between life and death" was nonexistent for Lin Xi. 

... 

Ahead, the water on the path gradually transformed into ice, and the white breath he exhaled crystallized into tiny ice particles. The trees along the way slowly morphed into low shrubs before vanishing entirely, leaving only peculiar shapes of ice and snow, eroded by the mountain winds and the passage of time. 

As night fell, Lin Xi settled into a slightly sheltered cave, entering a meditative state. 

Though he had not yet regained his once-a-day ability, the exhaustion from the day left him feeling as if he were perpetually submerged in icy water. Nevertheless, he retained some strength and did not directly challenge his limits. After crossing the snow line, he climbed cautiously, ensuring each step was secure to avoid sinking into the snow. 

However, he soon realized he had underestimated the terrifying nature of the Tianlong Mountain Range. 

Before dawn on the second day, he was abruptly awakened by the cold, as the remnants of strength he had held onto seemed to have vanished overnight. 

A vast expanse of snow, the source of which he could not discern, had filled the small icy hollow he had climbed into yesterday, transforming it into a snow lake. 

The biting cold rendered him numb, immobilizing him and making it nearly impossible to breathe. 

Initially, Lin Xi felt a surge of panic, but soon his heart regained its calm. As he awoke, the stream of soul power within his dantian began to radiate warmth, slowly reviving his nearly frozen body. 

With this, even in the direst circumstances, as long as he could unleash the "stinky egg" for help, the academy's instructors would surely come to his aid. 

... 

A ray of golden light cascaded over the majestic Tianlong Mountain Range as the sun rose. 

Above the snow line, thick snowflakes began to fall like goose feathers, and the mountain winds howled even more fiercely than the previous day, mingling with shards of ice and broken icicles. 

Yet, despite his dwindling strength, after consuming a piece of smoked meat, Lin Xi stepped out of the slightly sheltered cave, bracing himself against the harsher and more violent snowstorm. 

The internal mechanism that could be activated within him had reappeared, and he sensed that the more he endured this bone-chilling cold, the more vividly he felt the tremors coursing through his blood. 

Before the snow lake, standing atop a towering ice block, he extended his arms. 

His hands and arms quickly grew nearly rigid with cold, yet the sensations between his palms and fingers became increasingly acute. 

Suddenly, he extended three fingers, grasping a wisp of cold wind and a snowflake. 

In that instant, he seemed to perceive the origin of the cold wind, its intended path, and the force it carried. He could even sense how the snowflake melted at his fingertips, absorbing the warmth from them. 

His three fingers trembled slightly, sending the newly melted snowflake flying away. 

The minuscule droplets of water in the air instantaneously froze into strands of ice, while in Lin Xi's mind, an arrow shot forth from his fingertip.