In Zhu Xian, people start to rise from plundering entries

After Elder Lin left, the courtyard returned to tranquility. Su Han held the Frost Realm Pass in his hand; it felt icy to the touch, and snowflake patterns were engraved on the token, with faint starlight flowing within it.

"Five years... Star Palace Realm..." Su Han murmured to himself, feeling the heavy burden on his shoulders. But there was no fear in his eyes, instead, a burning fighting spirit ignited within him.

That night, he didn't rush into the secret realm. Instead, he sat quietly in the courtyard, reflecting on what he had gained in the Scripture Pavilion that day. The six sword intents flowed and collided within his heart, gradually merging into his understanding of the sword path. The Ice Crystal Star Wheel slowly rotated within his dantian, becoming more solid with each rotation.

The next morning, Su Han arrived early at a cliff on the back of Tianya Peak. There was an ancient stone gate on the cliff, carved with ice and snow patterns, and an old man stood in front of the gate with his eyes closed in meditation.

"Disciple Su Han has come with the pass." Su Han bowed respectfully and handed over the token.

The old man opened his eyes, eyes that seemed to have seen through the world. He sized up Su Han for a moment, his gaze lingering on the Tianya Sword at his waist for a fleeting instant, and nodded: "Go in. Remember, the secret realm is wonderful, but it is not a safe haven. The dangers within are no less than those outside."

"Thank you for the reminder, senior," Su Han said, bowing.

The old man waved his hand, unleashing a burst of starlight. The stone door slowly opened, and a bone-chilling cold swept out. Su Han stepped inside, and the scenery before him instantly changed.

This is a world of ice and snow. The sky is pale blue, without the sun, yet soft light shines down from all directions. The earth is covered by a thick layer of ice, with crystal-clear icebergs towering in the distance and forests formed from frozen ice crystals nearby—a beauty that seems otherworldly.

What surprised Su Han even more was that the star energy here was so dense that it was almost tangible, especially the ice-attribute star energy, which practically flowed into his body without any special guidance. The ice crystal star wheel spun merrily, greedily absorbing this pure energy.

"The flow of time here is three times that of the outside world..." Su Han sensed the strange fluctuations in spacetime around him. "In other words, if I cultivate here for three days, only one day will have passed outside."

Without wasting any time, he immediately found a grove of ice crystal trees, sat down cross-legged, and began circulating the "Ice Soul Star Technique." This was the basic ice-type cultivation technique of the Qingyun Sect, and he had already cultivated it to the third level. However, with the support of the abundant star power here, he was actually showing signs of breaking through to the fourth level.

Time flies when you're cultivating. When Su Han awoke from his meditation, it was already the third day in the secret realm. His star power had increased significantly, and his understanding of the "Ice Soul Star Technique" had deepened considerably.

“Meditation alone is not enough.” Su Han stood up and drew his Tianya Sword. “It’s time for real combat.”

Before the words were finished, a roar came from the distant iceberg. A star beast, entirely ice-blue in color and resembling a fierce tiger, charged out, its eyes flashing with ferocity.

"An Ice Soul Tiger at the early stage of the Star Wheel Realm?" Su Han's eyes narrowed; this was exactly the kind of opponent he needed.

The Ice Soul Tiger pounced, its claws radiating a sharp, chilling aura. Su Han neither dodged nor evaded; his Heavenly Jade Sword traced an arc, executing the move from the "Cold Moon Sword Song" he had comprehended in the Scripture Pavilion yesterday—"Moonlight Appears."

The sword light cascaded like moonlight, serene and beautiful. The Ice Soul Tiger's claw attack was easily deflected, and the sword's edge left a deep wound on its forelimb.

"Roar!" The Ice Tiger, in pain, opened its mouth and spewed out a stream of icy breath.

Su Han lightly touched the ground with his feet, his figure gracefully retreating. At the same time, his sword technique changed, transforming into "Thousand Miles of Ice Seal" from the "Frost and Snow Sword Scripture." Wherever the sword energy passed, the air seemed to freeze, and the icy aura solidified in mid-air before shattering.

After three moves, Su Han had figured out the Ice Soul Tiger's strength. He no longer held back, and the Heavenly Jade Sword transformed into a streak of light, piercing straight for the Ice Soul Tiger's brow.

With a soft "plop," the sword tip pierced through. The Ice Soul Tiger's massive body crashed to the ground, dissipating into starlight and leaving only an ice-blue crystal core. "This is the Star Beast from the Secret Realm? Does it return to the origin of Star Power after death?" Su Han picked up the crystal core, sensing the pure ice energy within, and put it into his pocket.

Over the next few days, Su Han cultivated and fought in this icy world. He encountered various star beasts: the Ice Shadow Wolf that could conceal its form, the Frost Eagle that could control blizzards, the Xuanbing Turtle with extremely strong defense... Each battle deepened his understanding of swordsmanship, and his practical experience increased rapidly.

On the seventh day, Su Han arrived in front of a huge iceberg. This iceberg was different from the others; its surface was as smooth as a mirror, and a faint sword light flowed within it.

“Sword Dao Imprint…” Su Han recalled Elder Lin’s words and reached out to touch the ice surface.

In an instant, countless sword techniques flooded his mind. It was a sword dao insight left behind by an ancient sword cultivator, without specific moves, only pure "intention". It was a domineering sword intent that cut through everything and made him the only one with his sword, completely different from the cold and ethereal ice-type sword techniques that Su Han had encountered before.

"What domineering sword intent!" Cold sweat beaded on Su Han's forehead as he struggled to resist the impact of this will.

Just then, the Ice Crystal Star Wheel within his dantian suddenly trembled, and a cool sensation flowed throughout his body. At the same time, the Tianya Sword at his waist emitted a slight hum, as if responding to something.

Su Han had a flash of inspiration and focused her mind into the Tianya Sword. Inside the sword's space, the white-clad woman's illusory figure floated silently. As if sensing the sword intent from the outside world, she slowly opened her eyes.

"Senior sister?" Su Han tried calling out.

The woman did not respond, but simply raised her hand, pointed her fingers like a sword, and pointed forward.

This seemingly simple point contains endless mysteries. Su Han had a sudden inspiration and merged this finger with the domineering sword intent he sensed in the iceberg, which surprisingly produced a wonderful balance—domineering but not arrogant, cold but not chilling, sharp but not vicious.

"I understand!" Su Han suddenly realized, "The essence of swordsmanship is 'I,' not 'move.' No matter what kind of sword intent it is, it must be integrated into one's own understanding in order to truly make it one's own."

He no longer resisted the domineering sword intent, but instead opened his heart to accept it, then used his understanding of the sword path to integrate and transform it. The ice crystal star wheel spun faster and faster, star power surged within his body, and there were faint signs of a breakthrough.

After an unknown amount of time, Su Han opened his eyes, a sharp sword light flashing in them. He raised his hand and swung the Tianya Sword towards the iceberg.

There was no earth-shattering display, but wherever the sword passed, a deep sword mark several feet deep appeared on the iceberg, smooth as a mirror, and lingered for a long time.

"Mid-stage Star Wheel Realm!" Su Han felt the surging star power within his body and was overjoyed. Seven days in the secret realm, equivalent to more than two days in the outside world, and he had actually broken through a minor realm.

Just then, footsteps sounded in the distance. Su Han turned his head and saw two young men dressed in the robes of Tianya Peak disciples approaching. They were clearly taken aback when they saw him.

"Are you... Junior Brother Su Han?" one of them asked tentatively.

Su Han recognized the two as his senior brothers from the sect competition; one was named Zhou Ming, and the other Zhao Feng, both at the late stage of the Star Wheel Realm. (End of Chapter)