Clang—

In an instant, the sword light appeared, expanding into a massive sword qi over a hundred meters long at the center of the vortex. The ice storm, resembling a tornado, was cleanly and swiftly split apart. A man clad in ice blue armor flew out and swung his sword again, facing the Chi Dragon's long tail, which also shone with an ice blue radiance like a sword.

Boom!!!

The radiance flashed.

The skills of both sides collided once more, and Bai Wu, who was clearly at a disadvantage, was blasted away. The massive storm howled, spreading around. Leng Shengnan gritted her teeth, thrusting the great sword into the ground as her body began to glow once more, desperately rallying the surrounding ice attribute ether to forcibly resist the swirling fierce winds and snow.

Yet Leng Shengnan still refused to bow her head, staring fixedly at Bai Wu at the center of the battlefield who was falling behind: "Master..."

Although Bai Wu had instructed her to go back and wait for news before the battle, no matter what, she did not want to miss what might be her master's most important... and possibly final battle.

In the battlefield, the aura surrounding the Chi Dragon seemed to start changing due to the fierce battle. Heaven and earth seemed to respond to its call, the ether that had been accumulated for countless years began to boil within the dragon's body amidst this deadly fight.

The clouds in the sky grew thicker, the wind and snow whistled ever louder, as if heaven and earth were echoing its roar.

It was as if... some vague domain began to form.

Meanwhile, Bai Wu's disadvantage became increasingly apparent with its progress.

The armor around him would frequently shatter during collisions — a sign that he couldn't spare the energy to protect himself. Even though the [Ice Brave] could instantly assist him by using ice attribute ether for recovery, it showed that Bai Wu was gradually slipping towards the abyss of defeat.

In such circumstances, defeat was equivalent to death.

Yet his eyes remained fixed with a blue intent so cold that it seemed to freeze and shred upon sight. The sword moves in his hand grew increasingly simple, as if removing all unnecessary actions.

Bai Wu wasn't without progress.

The lengthy battle had nearly polished away his extraneous thoughts, leaving behind the already forming "Intention" that was razor-sharp.

In the Sea of Spirit, whether it was talent, contract technique, or spiritual power, they seemed to have accumulated to the limit.

But... something seemed to be missing.

All of it hadn't truly melded together.

The distance to that ever-so-close Six-Star felt like something was still lacking.

"..."

He clashed once more with the Chi Dragon's sword-like tail.

Clang—

But this time, the power of his move was distinctly insufficient, crushed in a sweeping defeat.

In an instant, one of his hands twisted like a pretzel, joints turning, blood scattering and immediately freezing into ice dust, clearly unable to heal in the short term.

The opponent had survived in this icefield far too long, naturally holding an advantage, nearly akin to a Secret Realm Master, with their domain even beginning to take shape.

Within the ethereal environment, Bai Wu was already unable to contend!

"Master!!!"

Finally, from a thousand meters away, Leng Shengnan couldn't help but shout out, and at those two words, Bai Wu's gaze suddenly shifted.

And it was at this moment... Bai Wu finally realized something.

—So that's it, it's not cold enough.

And at this moment, the Chi Dragon's next strike was already arriving.

A dense layer, teeming like covering the sky, of ice shards enveloped this man clad in ice blue armor.

Leng Shengnan was stunned, immense sorrow erupted from her heart.

Failed... was it?

Yet just at this moment, the Cold Heaven Sword in her hand suddenly hummed once.

It was a sound of joyous exuberance, humming with deep envy.

In an instant, it was as if the wind and snow at the center of the battlefield were frozen, something also unfolded, overshadowing the domain prototype of the Chi Dragon.

And at this moment, Bai Wu surged forth, his body nearly ragged except for the intact left arm wielding his sword.

His gaze was icy cold, yet his fighting spirit burned fiercely like a fire at the bottom of his eyes, a searing heat dormant within him for decades.

The will within him seemed strong enough to tear the heavens apart.

—Turns out, when it's cold to the utmost... the blood feels like it's about to ignite.

Bai Wu finally understood.

All along, the reason for enduring the world's wind and snow, embracing the cold, wasn't to fully assimilate himself into it, but to overcome it, to forge himself into a sharp sword capable of severing all wind, snow, and adversity.

True Intent: [Cold Heaven Forging My Sword], finally achieved.

And in this moment, within his Sea of Spirit, everything, everything, finally fused together in the breakthrough of True Intent, merging into one.

So... the [Domain] belonging to Bai Wu unfolded simultaneously.

He swung the [Cold Heaven Sword] in his left hand.

The motion was simple, without any flashy arcs, just the most basic diagonal slash, but the surrounding heavens and earth seemed to echo the sword move of this True Man. Every wind, snow, and ether within the domain collapsed and gathered toward his roughly five feet long Cold Heaven Sword.

Clang————

In an instant, the ice blue sword light pierced through the clouds, continuing its momentum after penetrating the unresponsive head of the Cyan Cold Chi Dragon, it surged towards the sky, tearing through the clouds above the Thousand-Mile Icefield, which revealed the golden sunlight behind, casting shadow like sword marks on the earth.

The trajectory of this ice blue sword light stretched hundreds of miles, observable with the naked eye even from a distance of over a thousand miles around.

Leng Shengnan's pupils reflected that indescribable brilliance.

It was the breathtaking sword light she had never seen in her life.

Representing the breakout success of a newly ascended True Man, the trembling of True Intent that temporarily shook heaven and earth, an irreproducible sword light!

And the will and path contained within it startled all the True Men still present in the Celestial Ladder Secret Realm.

Among them, some smiled in congratulation, some remained silent and calm, and others furrowed their brows, seemingly sensing more uncertainties.

But regardless of their attitudes, deep within, these True Men all shared a common resonance.

It was a sigh of realization that they were not alone due to the birth of a fellow traveler.

People tend to be lazy, weary, and evasive, these are typical human traits.

However, people aren't solely defined by these traits.

Humans can transcend their stupidity, surpass their shortcomings, overcome their desires.

And so-called True Men contrasts with mortals.

The innate [Talent] indeed represents a person's nature and moral character, but if left in vague ignorance controlled merely by instinct and nature, no matter how strong, they're just mortals wielding power.

Only those who understand True Intent, stand tall and unique, who can from now on mold themselves with their will and fill in their deficiencies, truly choosing their future path with their will, will be called True Men!

...

According to Bai Wu's wishes, his breakthrough wasn't immediately announced to the public.

But the news had already spread among the upper echelon of Zhen Sheng City and the gathered True Men and prodigies.

Though this event was unrelated to the inheritance at Celestial Ladder Mountain, it undoubtedly added fuel to the already turbulent situation.

For True Men, there are many issues they must face and consider — What is the strength of this new fellow traveler? What is their character like? How will they reshape the powers and interests in Fenghai Province?

And for the prodigies, as they started converging in Zhen Sheng City, gearing up for the inheritance, suddenly discovering that local civilian genius from the previous generation had transcended, achieving True Man status, it's undoubtedly a considerable shock.

Being heaven's favored, their ambition obviously lies in breaking through to True Man and even beyond.

And this nested Secret Realm within Celestial Ladder Mountain, with its Six-Star Peak inheritance, is like a heavenly treasure bestowed specifically for this generation of prodigies, if acquired, it would undoubtedly greatly benefit their future paths.

And time, amidst this seemingly calm yet truly turbulent situation, quietly passed.

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