"Come out!"
Guardian Kandeli's voice echoed through Han Jue's mind, pulling him from his deep meditation. His eyes snapped open, consciousness rushing back to reality as he immediately departed the cultivation chamber.
The guardian's presence within the secret realm had become familiar over these months, a constant, ancient force that watched over all who comprehended the Primal Chaos Monuments.
"I've fully comprehended the fourth diagram," Han Jue muttered to himself, a slight smile crossing his features. "And I've already begun understanding the fifth and sixth diagrams!"
With the aid of the Water-Sky Holy Flame, his comprehension of the Ice Peak Chaos Monument's first six diagrams had accelerated beyond even his own expectations. Completely mastering all six would grant him the strength of an Immortal King, a level of power that stood at the pinnacle of the universe.
Coincidentally, these diagrams embodied the same fundamental laws contained within the Water-Sky Holy Flame: the fusion of water and space.
What Han Jue had always lacked was deep understanding of the Origin Law of Water. Now, with both the Holy Flame and the Ice Peak Chaos Monument guiding his comprehension, he had finally integrated his understanding of these two fundamental laws into a unified whole.
'Time to see my teacher,' Han Jue thought, returning to his residence before logging into the virtual universe network.
The Lord of Ice Peak had originally instructed Han Jue to visit him the moment he fully comprehended the fourth diagram. Now, Han Jue had surpassed that milestone, making this meeting even more significant.
The Iceberg Palace
Within the crystalline halls of the Iceberg Palace, the Lord of Ice Peak regarded Han Jue with an approving nod. Though his expression remained impassive, there was an unmistakable glint of satisfaction in his ancient eyes.
"Not bad."
Those two simple words carried tremendous weight coming from a Universe Master.
Han Jue's eyes brightened with anticipation.
"Next, I will teach you the essence of the fifth and sixth diagrams of the Ice Peak Chaos Monument," the Lord of Ice Peak said calmly, rising from his seat. "Additionally, I've created a sword technique specifically tailored to your fighting style."
As he stood, a simple longsword materialized in his hand. Despite its plain appearance, the blade radiated an overwhelming aura of law, space and water intertwining in perfect harmony.
With the Lord of Ice Peak's first movement, the two fundamental laws of water and space seemed to become playthings in his grasp. Reality itself bent to his will. With a single strike of his sword, it was as though an entire world shattered, a universe collapsed into nothingness.
Endless power condensed into that one blow.
Space annihilated itself inch by inch before Han Jue's eyes. He watched, transfixed and helpless, as the longsword's tip came to rest mere centimeters from his forehead. A bead of cold sweat rolled down his temple.
'Powerful. Too powerful!'
The disparity was so vast that Han Jue couldn't even comprehend the principles behind the attack. Yet paradoxically, witnessing this demonstration allowed him to glimpse something profound, the true secret of fusing the Laws of Water and Space.
The Lord of Ice Peak sheathed his sword, observing the sudden enlightenment dawning on Han Jue's face. He nodded in satisfaction.
With the continued evolution of his Six Eyes bloodline, Han Jue's comprehension ability seemed to improve with each breakthrough. The further he progressed, the easier it became to understand the Laws, a virtuous cycle that pleased the ancient master greatly.
After a long moment of contemplation, Han Jue gradually returned to awareness, finding himself still standing in the Iceberg Palace.
"Next, I'll demonstrate a complete sword technique," the Lord of Ice Peak said, not bothering to inquire about Han Jue's insights. Instead, he continued directly with the lesson. "This technique consists of five distinct sword forms. Upon complete mastery, you will be invincible below the level of Universe Venerable."
He paused, letting that sink in before continuing. "These five forms correspond to the first six diagrams on the Chaos Monument. At the World Master level, if you can master the first three forms, you'll be able to defeat a peak-level Immortal King. Completely mastering all five forms will make you truly invincible at World Master level, capable of facing even a weaker Universe Venerable without dying."
The Lord of Ice Peak's expression grew more serious. "I hope that through this sword technique, you will eventually find your own path to creating unique secret techniques."
He began the demonstration.
With the first strike, countless snowflake-like fragments of sword energy drifted through the air, each one a lethal blade in its own right.
These snowflake sword energies merged together, condensing upon the blade itself before erupting outward as a massive column of sword intent. The power was tremendous, even ordinary Immortals would be instantly annihilated by this single strike.
The second strike manifested as an icy river of sword energy.
A torrent of impossibly cold blade force burst forth, as if an ancient glacial world had suddenly materialized from the void. This strike was equally devastating, capable of killing an Immortal Marquis outright.
The third strike demonstrated the power of an Immortal King.
The fourth strike...
The fifth strike...
After the Lord of Ice Peak had demonstrated all five sword forms, Han Jue suddenly realized something peculiar.
'Why are they all single-sword strikes? There are no combination techniques or follow-up forms?'
The Lord of Ice Peak noticed Han Jue's confusion and spoke calmly. "Think about your own battles. When have you not relied on overwhelming power to crush your opponents? At best, it's brute force combined with refined technique. Ultimately, everything comes down to achieving a single explosive strike, and if that doesn't work, immediate retreat."
He continued, "Of course, that's not a weakness. It's your natural fighting style, born from your bloodline and personality. There's no need to change what works."
"This sword technique I've created for you maximizes your existing strengths. When you reach the World Master level, focus on practicing this technique diligently. I want to hear about your title of Immortal King being earned through battle against the alien races, not through mere comprehension."
"Don't worry, teacher!" Han Jue replied with absolute conviction. "I won't disappoint you."
The Lord of Ice Peak nodded approvingly. "Also, when you cultivate the Ice Peak Nine Hells Body, you may attempt to utilize your primordial fire as a cultivation resource. However, be cautious, if your body shows signs of being unable to withstand it, immediately cease and return to normal cultivation methods. Wasted resources aren't important, but damaging your foundation would be disastrous."
"Yes, teacher!" Han Jue acknowledged seriously.
"Good. Go and cultivate. Come see me again after you've broken through to the World Master level," the Lord of Ice Peak said, dismissing him with a wave of his hand.
Naming the Technique
Han Jue left the Iceberg Palace and returned to his residence, his mind filled with the images of those five devastating sword strikes.
The sword technique created by the Lord of Ice Peak had no name, perhaps because Universe Masters considered such things trivial, or perhaps he intended for Han Jue to name it himself.
After some consideration, Han Jue decided to call it the "Ice Sword Qi" technique.
The reasoning was simple: the five sword forms each corresponded to a different manifestation of sword energy, all unified by their icy, water-space fusion nature.
More intriguingly, Han Jue discovered that these five sword energies weren't completely separate entities. They seemed interconnected somehow, as if they could potentially merge. If he could achieve such a fusion, it might form a sixth sword, the true, ultimate "Ice Sword Qi."
Based on the overwhelming power of the first five forms, Han Jue deduced that this hypothetical sixth sword could potentially kill even a Universe Venerable!
The first sword form, Snowflake Sword Qi, could be cultivated by thoroughly understanding the fourth diagram of the Ice Peak Chaos Monument.
With his experience practicing the Ice Wasteland Sword technique and his natural affinity for sword arts, Han Jue found himself mastering this first form with surprising speed.
Although this technique incorporated complex fusions of the Laws of Water and Space, making it a hundred times more difficult than his previous "Sui Han" sword technique, it felt surprisingly natural to him.
'Practice. Endless practice,' Han Jue thought, entering a state of focused training.
The path to true mastery had only just begun.
Departures and Achievements
After twenty years in Primal Chaos City, Han Huan and Han Xi departed for the qualifying competitions.
Currently, they were members of the Apocalypse Secret Realm, but with their combined strength and the resources Han Jue had provided them, they would soon qualify to enter the Primal Secret Realm. There was no need for excessive worry.
Around this same time, Luo Feng finally emerged from the Demon Mountain inheritance trial.
This time, while he had escaped Moruo's trap and even managed to kill the treacherous guide, he had also entered the Demonic Sound God General's inheritance temple. His achievements exceeded the original timeline, he had ascended to approximately the 3,600th floor, representing a 3,600-fold increase in his psychic power!
With such tremendous growth, the upcoming Universe-level qualifying competition would pose absolutely no challenge for Luo Feng.
Even Bolan, the Death God himself, had successfully secured his position in the Primal Secret Realm.
The unfortunate ones were the veteran members who would now face these rising monsters in the qualifying battles.
Luo Feng planned to continue taking on training missions, earning points while simultaneously searching for opportunities to grow even stronger.
Hong and Lei Shen were also training in Primal Chaos City, though their departure time was approaching. Since they had just joined the Virtual Universe Company, they wouldn't have to participate in the first qualifying round, a small mercy that would allow them to focus purely on comprehension.
After completing their time in Primal Chaos City, both Hong and Lei Shen intended to undertake training missions as well, tempering themselves through real combat and life-or-death struggles.
The young generation of Earth's warriors was rising. Each of them walked different paths, pursued different goals, but all shared one common trait: an unwavering determination to reach the pinnacle of power.
And among them, Han Jue stood at the forefront, his Six Eyes perceiving truths that others could only dream of understanding.