Chapter 382: Entering Bingyun

Before arriving at the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, Yun Che had considered many possibilities, but he absolutely hadn't expected that the powerful and mysterious Grand Palace Mistress would want him to become a disciple of the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace!

If Yun Che agreed, he would be the first male disciple in the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace's history!

From Gong Yuxian and Xia Qingyue's reactions, it was clear they hadn't known about this beforehand.

Yun Che's heart began to stir. For him, there were originally no grievances or entanglements with the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace. However, due to Xia Qingyue and Chu Yuechan, he was destined to have intricate ties with the palace. He no longer belonged to the Azure Cloud Profound Palace, and being without a sect or school, he was completely free to join the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace. After joining, both he and his wife, Xia Qingyue, would belong to the same sect. Their future interactions might be less constrained, and even, after finding Chu Yuechan in the future, it might open up the possibility for her to return to the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace.

But these were all secondary considerations.

The most crucial point was... the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, from top to bottom, consisted entirely of women! Furthermore, when selecting disciples, the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace not only valued talent but also placed extremely high demands on appearance. Coupled with the Ice Cloud Art, all disciples of the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace possessed icy skin and jade bones, cherry lips, and snow-white complexions. Any Ice Cloud disciple encountered outside was a peerless beauty, one in ten thousand. The top beauties of Azure Cloud throughout history had almost all come from the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace! In this regard, the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace was undoubtedly a paradise men dreamed of!

If the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace were to openly recruit male disciples, it would, without a doubt, cause an earthquake throughout Azure Cloud.

And now, this paradise of men's dreams had actually opened its doors to him... and for the first time in history, to a man!

As a man who was perfectly normal both physiologically and psychologically, it was absolutely impossible for Yun Che to say he wasn't excited! However, his face remained remarkably calm, and he asked in a very flat voice, "This junior currently belongs to no sect or school, so joining the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace is not impossible. But first, I need to know what I would be required to do and what I would gain after entering the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace."

Feng Qianhui understood very well how attractive the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace was to men. Seeing Yun Che's calm reaction, she silently praised him and said, "After joining our palace, you won't need to do anything specific, or even strictly abide by our rules, nor will you need to constantly remain within the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace. You will be completely free to come and go as you please. You only need to uphold two points... First, you must not use the name of the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace to commit evil or harm others. Second..." Feng Qianhui paused, her expression becoming exceptionally solemn. "In the future, should the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace encounter a calamity, I hope you will, as a disciple, fully dedicate yourself to protecting it."

At this point, Feng Qianhui's words ceased. Yun Che, who had been listening intently, looked up with a surprised expression, then tentatively asked, "Is that... all?"

"Yes, that is all!" Feng Qianhui said in a calm voice. "As for what you can gain... as a disciple of our Ice Palace, you may cultivate all of our profound arts, including the Ice Cloud Art, Ice Heart Art, Ice Flurry Snow Shadow Steps, Ice Cloud Thirteen Swords... and the Ice Yi Divine Art! I permit you to use any sect resources as you wish, and you may freely enter and exit sect forbidden areas! If you encounter difficulties or things you cannot resolve, the sect will also provide its full assistance... Given all this, do you wish to join my Ice Cloud Immortal Palace and become our palace's first male disciple?"

Yun Che's mouth hung open; he was so stunned he couldn't speak for a long time.

Originally, Yun Che's greatest hesitation about joining the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace was the "restraint" of a sect. Every sect inevitably had its rules, and as a unique sect, the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace's rules were far stricter than those of other sects. It would have been perfectly normal for his freedom of action to be constrained after joining the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace.

However, Yun Che had absolutely not expected that Feng Qianhui would allow him to disregard the rules and come and go as he pleased... essentially, to arrive when he wished, leave when he wished, listen to no one, yet still freely use any resources of the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace and cultivate all its core profound arts. The two demands Feng Qianhui made were practically no demands at all.

Such treatment was simply like pies falling from the sky... requiring only unrestrained gain, with no effort required!

To break the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace's thousand-year-old rules to accept a male disciple, yet offer such treatment, left Yun Che feeling only an endless sense of unreality at that moment. Gong Yuxian, standing by, showed increasingly deep astonishment, trying to speak several times but forcing herself to hold back.

Yun Che pondered for a while, then seriously asked, "Senior, this junior would really like to know, what is the reason you are making an exception for me to join the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, and giving me such treatment?"

Feng Qianhui smiled faintly, "Because of your strength, potential, influence, and immeasurable future. Additionally, while your actions can sometimes be extreme, you value affection and loyalty deeply. This old one believes that if you become a disciple of our palace, and our palace truly faces a great calamity in the future, you will certainly protect our Ice Palace with all your might... Are you satisfied with this explanation?"

Feng Qianhui's tone was calm and sincere, and her eyes were as clear as still water; Yun Che saw not the slightest trace of impurity, concealment, or hypocrisy. This time, Yun Che didn't hesitate again... indeed, he couldn't find any reason to hesitate. He nodded and said, "Very well! I am deeply grateful for senior's kindness. This junior, Yun Che, is willing to join the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace and become a disciple of the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace... However, before formally entering the Ice Palace, this junior has one request... Although this junior does not belong to a sect, I already have a master, so it would be inappropriate to formally acknowledge a new master without my master's permission."

"Heh heh," Feng Qianhui smiled faintly. "No matter. Given your aptitude and strength, no one in our palace is truly worthy of being your master. You need not formally acknowledge anyone as your master; you may simply join. If you are interested in our palace's profound arts, Qingyue can instruct you directly."

However, in Feng Qianhui's view, with the Phoenix bloodline within him, Yun Che was fundamentally unsuitable for cultivating ice-element profound arts. Yun Che also wouldn't want to divert his energy to cultivate ice-element profound arts, which were completely contrary to his Phoenix Flame.

At this point, if Yun Che still didn't agree, even he would consider himself a fool. He knelt on one knee and respectfully said, "This junior, Yun Che, is willing to join the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace and become a disciple of the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, sharing its glory and shame from this day forward. Should the sect face hardship, Yun Che will undoubtedly return to the sect at the first instance and protect it with all his might."

"Good!" Feng Qianhui nodded heavily, a deep sense of satisfaction flickering in her eyes. She raised a finger and tapped the air; immediately, a point of cold crystal appeared at her fingertip, then flew towards Yun Che. Upon touching the back of his hand, it vanished directly into his skin like melting snow. "This is our Ice Cloud Immortal Palace's unique 'Ice Cloud Soul Crystal.' With the Ice Cloud Soul Crystal on your person, you are officially a disciple of my Ice Cloud Immortal Palace! At the same time, the Ice Cloud Soul Crystals of all Ice Cloud disciples will resonate with each other; this is a mark of being a disciple of our palace and for identifying fellow disciples! The Ice Cloud Soul Crystal causes no harm to the body. If you ever wish to leave the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, you may remove it yourself at any time."

With the Ice Cloud Soul Crystal absorbed into his body, Yun Che soon sensed a resonant aura from both Gong Yuxian and Xia Qingyue.

He had arrived at the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace with questions, and unexpectedly, he had just become an official disciple!

This outcome left Yun Che with a somewhat surreal feeling.

"Yun Che, now that you have joined my Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, as the Grand Palace Mistress, there are some matters I need to warn you about," Feng Qianhui said.

Yun Che nodded. "Please enlighten me, Grand Palace Mistress."

Feng Qianhui was silent for a brief moment, then spoke with a solemn expression. "I heard that during the Azure Cloud Ranking Tournament two years ago, Elder Ling Kun from Heaven's Might Sword Region, one of the Four Great Sacred Grounds, publicly invited you to join Heaven's Might Sword Region. You did not agree at the time, but you did keep Ling Kun's sound transmission imprint... I want to know, in the future, is there a possibility you might join Heaven's Might Sword Region?"

Yun Che pondered for a moment, wondering why Feng Qianhui brought this up. Because of the deceased Yun Canghai, the deceased Xiao Ying, and his own birth parents, Yun Che already harbored a deep-seated hatred for Heaven's Might Sword Region. However, with his current capabilities, he had no qualification whatsoever to contend with Heaven's Might Sword Region, so this hatred absolutely could not be revealed before anyone. Maintaining a calm facade, he said hesitantly, "Heaven's Might Sword Region is, after all, one of the Four Great Sacred Grounds, the pinnacle of the Profound Sky Continent. Cultivators across the world dream of entering one of the Sacred Grounds. Although this junior cherishes freedom, if I encounter a bottleneck in the future, there might be a possibility of entering Heaven's Might Sword Region to seek a breakthrough."

Feng Qianhui fell silent, then sighed softly and said, "If you truly have the chance to enter one of the Sacred Grounds in the future, that would indeed be a great opportunity and fortune for you. However, among the Absolute Monarch Sanctuary, Supreme Ocean Palace, and Sun Moon Divine Hall, you may choose any if you have the opportunity. But Heaven's Might Sword Region, you absolutely must not."

"Why?" Yun Che asked in surprise.

"Your talent is exceptionally high, and your disposition is supremely suited for pursuing the pinnacle of the profound way. Moreover, immense luck has always accompanied you! Your future is limitless. However, while Heaven's Might Sword Region is a Sacred Ground, it is filled with countless vile and treacherous places. I absolutely will not allow a disciple of my sect to be tainted by the filth of Heaven's Might Sword Region in the future and ruin their entire future!"

Feng Qianhui's words astonished Yun Che. "Grand Palace Mistress, is there some special grievance between the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace and Heaven's Might Sword Region? This disciple has rarely encountered the name 'Heaven's Might Sword Region,' nor have I ever heard any ill rumors about it... I implore the Grand Palace Mistress to clarify."

Feng Qianhui gazed deeply at Yun Che, a struggle flickering in the depths of her eyes. She naturally knew what an olive branch from a Sacred Ground meant to a profound practitioner—it was entirely the highest pursuit for any profound practitioner on the Profound Sky Continent in their cultivation journey. Without a sufficiently compelling reason, it would be utterly impossible for anyone to refuse such an offer from a Sacred Ground.

After a long hesitation, Feng Qianhui sighed inwardly and finally said, "Did you know that a thousand years ago, the Profound Sky Continent did not have only four Sacred Grounds, but five?"

"Five Great Sacred Grounds?" Yun Che was surprised again. He had only ever heard of the Four Great Sacred Grounds and nothing about "Five Great Sacred Grounds." Moreover, the "Five Great Sacred Grounds" existed a thousand years ago. For the development of a sect, a millennium was not a very long period, especially for Sacred Ground-level forces, for whom a millennium would certainly not lead to being forgotten. Yet Yun Che had never heard of a fifth Sacred Ground.

"A thousand years ago, besides the Absolute Monarch Sanctuary, Supreme Ocean Palace, Sun Moon Divine Hall, and Heaven's Might Sword Region, there was another Sacred Ground-level force on the Profound Sky Continent. Its name was the 'Everlasting Night Royal Family.' These five forces were collectively known as the Five Great Sacred Grounds."