Chapter 566: Give You One Chance

The flying savage beast landed, and the four people disembarked.

Snowflakes were falling on the mountain. Even Zhao Ya, the weakest among them, had reached the Half-Step Transcendent Mortal realm, so while it was cold, it didn't affect them significantly.

Zhang Xuan tidied his clothes and looked towards the Ice Palace before him. From a distance, he had only felt the palace was magnificent, but upon closer inspection, he realized its immense size. Spanning over a thousand meters and rising tens of meters high, it resembled a giant's mansion. Before them was a large gate, over ten meters high, built from an unknown material, exuding a sense of gravitas.

Reaching the gate, Hall Master Kang took a deep breath, and his clear voice rang out, carrying inward: "Kang Gan of Myriad Kingdom City has arrived as promised. I hope Palace Master Wu will grant me an audience!"

A moment later, the massive gate creaked open, and several figures emerged. All were women dressed in white. The one leading them approached and said, "Hall Master Kang, the Palace Master has given her orders. Please come in!"

"Thank you!" Nodding, Hall Master Kang led everyone inside.

As they walked, Zhang Xuan observed these female disciples. They all seemed young, only in their twenties, yet their cultivation wasn't weak; they were all around Transcendent Mortal 3-dan. To possess such cultivation at this age, they would be considered outstanding even in Myriad Kingdom City. The woman who had spoken earlier had even reached the peak of Transcendent Mortal 3-dan. Her white clothes, set against the pristine snow, gave her an aura of aloofness and coldness.

Upon entering the Ice Palace, as soon as they passed through the gate, they immediately felt the spiritual energy inside become exceptionally active. "What active spiritual energy!" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up. The spiritual energy here, while similar in concentration to the outside, was exceptionally active. Even without conscious guidance, it would seep into pores, tempering the body and purifying cultivation, effectively doubling one's cultivation speed. This was like comparing pressurized water to stagnant water; when flowing into a channel, the former would naturally move much faster. Given how strong these young women were at such a tender age, it seemed that cultivating in this place yielded twice the results with half the effort. Even if it wasn't a place where spiritual energy was abundant due to formations, it was definitely a cultivation treasure land. The further they went inside, the more active the spiritual energy became, giving one an irresistible urge to sit down and cultivate. To have this feeling even before seeing the so-called Yin-Yang Pond, it was no wonder Hall Master Kang had paid such a huge price and traveled for so many days to reach this place; it was truly worth it.

Inside the palace, besides the women in white, there were also women dressed in red. Unlike the former, they weren't aloof and cold, but instead as fiery as flames, giving off a powerful sense of explosive energy. Seeing his confusion, Hall Master Kang transmitted his voice as they walked: "These are the Ice Palace's Yang cultivation practitioners and Yin cultivation practitioners. They teach the purest single-attribute cultivation techniques!" Zhang Xuan nodded. Actually, he didn't need him to say it; he had already discerned the truth with his Eye of Insight. The women in fiery red clothes cultivated fire or yang attribute cultivation techniques; their zhenqi was scorching, like flames, which was why they gave off a powerful sense of explosive energy. Meanwhile, the white-clad women who led them cultivated cold, yin-attributed powers; they were stern and humorless, giving a feeling of being unapproachable. Different cultivation techniques gave vastly different impressions.

"The Yin-Yang Pond is divided into the Yang Pond, the Yin Pond, and a mixed area," Hall Master Kang continued. "One must cultivate the corresponding cultivation technique to cultivate effectively within it." Zhang Xuan was surprised. When he first heard of the Yin-Yang Pond, he thought it was just the name of a treasure land. Now, it seemed it wasn't that simple.

After walking for a while, the guiding woman stopped and said, "The Palace Master is inside. Please enter, esteemed guests." Hall Master Kang and the others walked forward.

It was a spacious room. The decorations around them were not luxurious, but rather simple. A woman was seated cross-legged in the center, looking over with a calm expression. As she looked at them, Zhang Xuan also focused his gaze on her.

The woman before him appeared to be around thirty, but her beauty was remarkable, with few traces of time on her face. Her long, black hair, complemented by her snow-white robes, made her look like a figure from a painting, very pleasing to the eye. Of course, though she was very beautiful, she was still slightly inferior to Zhao Ya. After a glance, Zhang Xuan began to observe her cultivation.

Her aura was hidden deep within her body, making it difficult to detect, but it gave Zhang Xuan a sense of danger. Especially her soul, which carried immense pressure, as if even the martial soul hidden within one's body could be easily seen through. "Could she be... a Soul Conjoiner realm expert?" His heart stirred. The person before him gave him a feeling that was clearly more intense than that of Alliance Leader Zhao, Xue Yiyao, or Hall Master Kang, and the pressure was greater. The previous three had all reached the peak of Transcendent Mortal 4-dan. To be even stronger, she must have already broken through that barrier. In the Transcendent Mortal 5-dan Soul Conjoiner realm, one's soul significantly increases and becomes more attuned to nature. Such an expert, with every move, possessed even greater power and extraordinary combat prowess.

"Eye of Insight!" Activating his Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan looked over. After just one glance, his brows couldn't help but furrow.

As he was observing, he saw Hall Master Kang step forward, cupping his fists with a smile. "Palace Master Wu, I trust you've been well!" It seemed he knew her strength was formidable. Even Hall Master Kang, a peak 4-star Master Teacher, didn't dare to act presumptuously, instead maintaining a respectful attitude.

"I've been well!" Palace Master Wu replied, her eyes falling on the group, and her brows furrowed. "Are these the people you've selected to participate in the Yin-Yang Pond assessment? Why are there three?"

"It's like this," Hall Master Kang hurriedly explained, "These three individuals are all the most outstanding talents of the younger generation. I truly found it difficult to choose, so I brought them all over, hoping that the Palace Master could make an exception and allow all of them to participate in the assessment to earn a chance to enter the Yin-Yang Pond!"

"Hall Master, you should be aware of the rules of my Yin-Yang Pond," Palace Master Wu waved her hand. "Two slots mean two slots; it cannot be broken!" She was like a cold block of ice, showing no regard for past relations.

"This... alright!" Seeing her resolute attitude, with no room for negotiation, Hall Master Kang knew that saying anything more would be useless. He could only shake his head with a bitter smile and look over again. "May I know how the assessment will be conducted, so I can have them prepare?"

"It's very simple," Palace Master Wu said indifferently, "As long as one can successfully walk out of my Ice-Fire House, they will pass!"

"Ice-Fire House?" Hall Master Kang's brows furrowed; it seemed even he wasn't very clear about it.

"The Ice-Fire House is a unique trial artifact of my Ice Palace," Palace Master Wu explained. "Similar to the Heart-Questioning Stone, one drops a bit of blood into it, and their spirit will endure the torment of ice and fire. If they can withstand it and find their way out within one hour, they pass! If they can't get out, they lose their qualification!" Everyone nodded. They had expected some kind of assessment, but never thought it would be a spiritual tempering. This kind of assessment was related to willpower, and had little to do with cultivation.

"Among the three, two will be selected," Palace Master Wu continued after explaining the rules. "Please make your choice quickly as to who will participate!"

"There's no need to choose," Hall Master Kang turned his head and instructed, "Ruohuan, you won't participate!"

"Yes..." Young Master Ruohuan's face was filled with bitterness. Although he was unwilling, since his teacher had made the decision, he could only nod in agreement. As a Master Teacher, respecting one's teacher and valuing the Dao were paramount; a teacher's command could not be defied.

Just as he was feeling utterly dejected, thinking he had lost an opportunity, he heard Teacher Zhang's voice faintly ring out from not far away: "Don't be in a hurry!" After speaking, he looked up at the woman before him. "Palace Master Wu, if we wish for all three of us to participate in the assessment, what are the requirements?"

Hearing the interruption, Palace Master Wu's brows furrowed, and she showed displeasure. "Hall Master Kang, is this the junior you brought? When elders are speaking, when is it a junior's turn to interrupt?!"

"Teacher Zhang..." Hall Master Kang hadn't expected him to speak up suddenly. He couldn't help but look over, full of anxiety. Although there were only two slots, there was still a chance. If they angered the other party, this chance would be gone. His status in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance was very high, but facing the Ice Palace, which was the only one of its kind in the entire Illusionary Feather Empire and led by a powerful Transcendent Mortal 5-dan expert, a mere branch hall master seemed insignificant.

"Those who are capable are teachers," Zhang Xuan said, calmly looking over, ignoring Hall Master Kang's tension. "Being young doesn't necessarily mean one is a junior; being old might simply mean one has lived a long time in vain, wasting their youth... How about this, Palace Master Wu, I'll give you a chance to personally provide you with guidance once, in exchange for one assessment slot, how about it?"

"What?" Their vision went black. Hall Master Kang and Young Master Ruohuan swayed simultaneously, almost spitting blood. He had already told him on the way here not to speak carelessly, as Palace Master Wu was not easy to deal with... Didn't he see that even the Hall Master himself had been extremely cautious? "You guide her once, and it's considered giving *her* a chance... My goodness! Leaving aside that you just became a 4-star Master Teacher, even a peak 4-star Hall Master Kang wouldn't have that qualification! After all, the other party was a genuine Transcendent Mortal 5-dan expert, surpassing everyone in both cultivation and experience. For a fellow who just broke through to 2-dan to say such a thing... was he really not afraid of being beaten to death?"

"Guide me?" As expected, upon hearing this, Palace Master Wu's eyebrows sank, and a powerful aura emanated from her body, sending chills down one's spine. "You want to guide me? And it's considered giving *me* a chance?"

"That's right," Zhang Xuan said, shaking his head, ignoring the rising aura from the other party. "The chance is only once, so make sure to seize it. Otherwise, in the future, you won't even get the chance to ask for my guidance!"

"Zhao Ya, quickly try to persuade him..." Seeing Teacher Zhang's words becoming more outrageous, Young Master Ruohuan's mouth twitched, and he couldn't help but transmit his voice to Zhao Ya beside him. He knew Teacher Zhang valued this student greatly, and her words might have an effect.

"Alright!" Zhao Ya nodded and stepped forward. "Palace Master Wu, our teacher is right. This is an opportunity, you absolutely must not miss it. Otherwise, you will definitely regret it!"

"Oh my goodness..." Young Master Ruohuan nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. "Big sister, I asked you to dissuade your teacher, to tell him not to spout nonsense... What do you mean by seriously trying to persuade Palace Master Wu? And 'you absolutely must not miss it, otherwise you will definitely regret it'... You trust your teacher a bit too much, don't you?! For a Transcendent Mortal 2-dan Master Teacher to say such things to a Transcendent Mortal 5-dan expert and swear by it without a trace of blush or shyness... Where do you two, master and disciple, get such confidence?"

"You..." Palace Master Wu was so enraged she was about to explode. She flung her sleeve. "Hall Master Kang, please take your people and leave. My Ice Palace does not welcome such frivolous and arrogant individuals!"