Lin Feng ran for three days, relying solely on the Phantom Flash Footwork and rudimentary energy replenishment pills he had quickly procured from the sect's dispensary before his dramatic exit. His goal was the Thousand Peaks Abyss, a geological nightmare located three hundred miles north—a place notorious for its high concentration of elemental spirits and its equally high casualty rate among cultivators. It was the quickest place to find the resources he desperately needed.
The Abyss was a massive, scarred crack in the earth, perpetually covered in a thick, swirling mist that masked potent, raw elemental energy. The sheer density of Primal Qi here was staggering, a chaotic feast that most cultivators found toxic, but which Lin Feng's newly refined Void Furnace thrived upon.
He descended into the fog, the spatial energy within him resonating with the unstable environment. He needed two things: first, a massive influx of Pure Spiritual Qi to push him past the Body Tempering bottleneck and into the Qi Sea realm, and second, an offensive technique worthy of his Void affinity.
On the second day in the Abyss, Lin Feng discovered his prize. Deep within a cavern carved by geothermal heat and icy wind, he found a field of crystals—not the common variety, but the legendary Nine-Leaf Spirit Amaranth. Each crystal pulsed with the condensed energy of five elemental essences (Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, and Metal), a treasure capable of propelling a Body Tempering cultivator straight through the next two stages.
But the Amaranth field was not unguarded.
Lying coiled atop the largest crystal was a creature of immense spiritual power: a White Frost Serpent. It was nearly fifty feet long, its scales shimmering with lethal, icy cold, and it possessed a cultivation level equivalent to a Peak Origin King—a level Lin Feng couldn't even dream of fighting.
As Lin Feng prepared to retreat, the Serpent began to shift. The massive beast did not strike, but slowly began to shed its skin. The process was agonizing, its massive body convulsing, leaving behind layers of shimmering, icy hide.
Then, the true surprise. Emerging from the shed skin was not another serpent, but a woman.
She was breathtaking: tall, slender, with long, stark-white hair that flowed like glacial rivers, and eyes the color of deep, frozen sapphire. She was completely nude, but covered instantly by a shimmering, frost-woven veil of Qi. This was a Demon Beast that had reached a high enough cultivation to assume human form—a Maiden of the Frost Serpent Clan. Her cultivation had dropped momentarily as she transitioned, now stabilizing at the Dao Source realm, still infinitely stronger than Lin Feng.
She sensed Lin Feng immediately. Her sapphire eyes fixed on him, radiating an icy hostility that threatened to freeze his blood.
"Intruder. You have seen my transformation. You must die," her voice resonated directly in his mind, sharp and cold as breaking ice.
Lin Feng gripped the hilt of his short sword, his heart pounding. Running was impossible; her Domain of Ice would ensnare his Void Step.
He bowed deeply, risking everything on honesty. "Esteemed Maiden, I meant no disrespect. I seek only the Nine-Leaf Amaranth for my life's purpose. If you allow me a single crystal, I swear by the Martial Dao to forget everything I have witnessed."
The Maiden paused, her cold gaze assessing his pitiful cultivation and his earnest eyes. She noticed the slight ripple of spatial energy around him.
"A Void Affinity… on a creature of the Lower Plane. Interesting," she mused mentally. "You seek ascension. I seek the truth of my clan."
She revealed her name: Mu Qingxue. She was not a simple beast but a descendant of an ancient, exiled clan, seeking the Amaranth to recover her full power, which had been crippled by an internal injury.
"I will not give you a crystal," Mu Qingxue stated, her voice now cold but articulate. "But I will offer a trade. You possess a unique method of energy refinement—the Void Energy. It is chaotic, but pure. I need a steady, purified source of elemental energy to mend the tear in my Demon Core. If you can refine ten Amaranth crystals for me using your chaotic technique, I will give you a single Amaranth and teach you one Void Rank offensive technique."
Lin Feng hesitated. Refining the crystals was dangerous. He would be vulnerable while channeling the Void Furnace, essentially placing his life in the hands of a terrifyingly powerful Demon Beast Maiden. But the reward—the Amaranth and a Void Rank offensive technique—was irreplaceable.
"I agree," Lin Feng declared. "A single crystal and a technique. And I swear by the Void Soul that I will keep the secret of your human form."
Lin Feng spent the next four weeks in the Abyss, locked in a tense, intimate proximity with Mu Qingxue.
He sat cross-legged, the Amaranth crystals piled high. He would channel his Void Furnace, refining the volatile crystals. Mu Qingxue would sit silently, absorbing the purified, potent essence.
The process was brutally demanding. Lin Feng's consciousness strained to maintain the chaotic furnace, and Mu Qingxue, often in pain from her core injury, would sometimes involuntarily release waves of powerful Frost Qi, nearly freezing Lin Feng solid.
During these weeks, Lin Feng learned more about her. Mu Qingxue was exiled from the Upper Planes due to a political conflict. She was cold and logical, but deeply protective of her clan's legacy. Lin Feng, in turn, told her of Su Wanying and the six-month deadline, not realizing he was planting seeds of admiration in the icy heart of the Serpent Maiden.
"Your dedication is reckless and foolish, but admirable," Mu Qingxue conceded one day, watching Lin Feng push his energy past the point of exhaustion. "The woman you seek is already out of your league. If you ascend only for her, your path will be too brittle."
"Then I will ascend for myself, but I will save her first," Lin Feng replied fiercely.
On the final day, Lin Feng finished refining the tenth crystal. He had pushed his cultivation to its absolute limit, and the massive amount of purified energy he had handled (though not absorbed) finally triggered the massive breakthrough.
Body Tempering Realm – Peak!
The Qi Sea realm breakthrough was next, and he was ready.
Mu Qingxue stood, her full power recovered. Her icy veil of Qi subsided, and she took on an appearance of pure, overwhelming elegance.
"You have fulfilled your promise. Now, I fulfill mine." Mu Qingxue reached out and placed her palm lightly on Lin Feng's forehead, transmitting a torrent of knowledge.
The technique was called Void Cutter Finger. It was an offensive skill that utilized spatial instability. Instead of relying on raw force, it channeled the Void Qi to create tiny, invisible spatial tears that could slice through any defense.
"Learn this, and few in this plane can defend against you," she instructed. "Now, take your reward." She handed him a massive, pulsating Amaranth crystal.
Lin Feng absorbed the crystal instantly, channeling it directly into his spiritual core. The massive influx of energy washed through his body, violently expanding his core region and refining his spiritual sense.
Qi Sea Realm – First Level!
He was now two realms higher than when he started, all within a month.
Mu Qingxue watched him. There was a look in her eyes that was no longer cold but speculative. She had healed, but she was intrigued by this human.
"You will leave now. We will meet again, Lin Feng. When you ascend to the Upper Planes, seek the Icy Void Star Domain. Until then, forget me." Her tone was final.
Lin Feng looked at her, his memory of their intimate, dangerous proximity during the refinement process flooding his mind. She was the most beautiful, terrifying, and compelling woman he had ever met.
Lin Feng nodded. "I will not forget, Mu Qingxue. Until the Icy Void Star Domain."
Mu Qingxue melted back into her White Frost Serpent form, coiling around the large crystal where she would hibernate to fully stabilize her Demon Core.
Lin Feng left the Abyss, now armed with the Void Cutter Finger, a new realm of power, and an impossible deadline. He had five months left. His next stop: a chaotic city where he could practice his new technique and recruit allies.