I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

Qin Yuan silently noted it down and asked, "Is there a map inside the Ice Palace?"

Liu Suifeng shook his head: "The internal structure of the Ice Palace changes every time it opens, and it is heavily guarded with restrictions, so there is no fixed map. However, there is a general division of areas. The outermost area is the 'Ice Crystal Corridor,' which is full of ice crystal puppets and mechanisms; passing through the corridor is the 'Mysterious Ice Hall,' which is the main area of ​​contention; behind the hall are several branching paths, leading to the 'Frosty Jade Mine,' the 'Mysterious Ice Cave,' the 'Ice Soul Spring,' and the main hall of the 'Ice Soul Mysterious Palace' at the deepest part. The main hall has the strongest restrictions and is the most dangerous; it is said that no one has ever truly ventured deep into it."

As they were talking, the Wood Spirit Twins from the Green Wood Sect seemed to have finished their discussion and started walking towards the Taiyi Immortal Sect.

The elder brother, Mu Qinghe, who was leading the group, bore a striking resemblance to Mu Qingyu, but possessed a more composed demeanor and was also at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm. His younger sister, Mu Qingyu, followed beside him. Under the watchful eyes of many, the two walked directly to Qin Yuan.

"Senior Brother Qin," Mu Qinghe bowed politely, "I am Mu Qinghe of the Qingmu Sect, and this is my younger sister, Qingyu. I am very grateful to Senior Brother Qin for your help in the Misty Swamp, which saved my sister and her fellow disciples."

Mu Qingyu bowed gracefully again: "Senior Brother Qin."

"Senior Brother Mu, you're too kind. It was nothing," Qin Yuan replied.

Mu Qinghe glanced at Yun Qingyao behind Qin Yuan, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, then said seriously, "Senior Brother Qin, I apologize for coming here. Besides thanking you, I also have something to tell you, which was entrusted to me by someone."

Qin Yuan's heart stirred slightly: "Please speak."

Mu Qinghe lowered his voice and transmitted his thoughts: "It's about Junior Sister Lin Qing'er."

Qin Yuan's eyes narrowed: "What happened to Qing'er?"

"Don't worry, Senior Brother Qin, Junior Sister Qing'er's life is not in danger for the time being," Mu Qinghe said. "However... Elder Mu Sangzi's faction has been suppressing Junior Sister Qing'er quite a bit. The reason is naturally because of what happened to Senior Brother Qin back then. Although they dare not openly harm the innate wood spirit body, they make things difficult for her in terms of resource allocation, cultivation technique guidance, and even sect missions. Junior Sister Qing'er is gentle on the outside but strong on the inside, and she refuses to give in. Recently, she seems to be preparing to break through to the Golden Core stage, but the main ingredient for the required main medicine, the 'Golden Core Pill,' the 'Golden Thread Bodhi Fruit,' has been deliberately withheld, and she has not been able to receive it for a long time."

A chill crept into Qin Yuan's eyes. Mu Sangzi! It really was him!

"Junior Sister Qing'er knows we are going to enter the Lesser Universe Realm, so she specifically asked us to pass this on to Senior Brother Qin if we have the chance." Mu Qinghe took out a small, emerald-green jade pendant and handed it to Qin Yuan. "This was nurtured by Junior Sister Qing'er with her own wood spirit energy. It's not of great use; she just wants to keep it as a memento. She said... that Senior Brother doesn't need to worry about her and should focus on cultivation; she knows what she's doing."

Qin Yuan accepted the jade pendant. It was warm and smooth to the touch, and he could feel the pure wood spirit energy within it, along with a familiar sense of longing. He gripped the pendant tightly, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "Thank you for the message, Senior Brother Mu and Junior Sister Mu. I will remember this kindness."

Seeing Qin Yuan's calm expression but the coldness deep in his eyes, Mu Qinghe felt a chill and quickly said, "Senior Brother Qin, you flatter me. Junior Sister Qing'er and I are quite compatible, and we should help her where we can. However, there is infighting within the sect, and our abilities are limited... Alas."

He sighed. "In addition, my brother and I entered the Ice Palace this time not only to find the 'Ice Soul Vitality Spring,' but also hoping to find some rare ice-attribute wood-type spiritual items called 'Snow Jade Lingzhi.' This item may be able to replace some of the effects of the 'Golden Thread Bodhi Fruit' to help Junior Sister Qing'er refine the Golden Condensation Pill. If Senior Brother Qin finds anything in the palace, please let us know. My brother and I are willing to exchange it for something of equal value."

Snow Jade Lingzhi? Qin Yuan noted down the name and nodded, saying, "Alright, if you see anything, I will definitely let you know."

"Thank you, Senior Brother Qin!" Mu Qinghe and his sister thanked him again before taking their leave and returning to the Qingmu Sect camp.

Yun Qingyao listened quietly from the side, and then said softly, "Mu Sangzi's actions are becoming increasingly excessive."

Qin Yuan didn't reply, but carefully put the jade pendant away. Some scores could be settled later, once they left the Lesser Universe Realm. Right now, finding the Snow Jade Lingzhi for Qing'er was the priority.

Half a day passed quickly. As expected, the pale blue light curtain surrounding the ice palace began to thin and become transparent at a visible speed, eventually rippling like water before quietly dissipating.

"The restriction has been lifted!"

Someone shouted, and the cultivators, who could no longer contain themselves, instantly transformed into streaks of light and rushed towards the entrance of the Ice Palace!

"Let's go!" Liu Suifeng shouted, and the Taiyi Immortal Sect members all set off. Qin Yuan and Yun Qingyao exchanged a glance and followed closely behind.

The entrance to the Ice Palace was a towering, open ice crystal gate, ten zhang high. Entering, one was greeted by an incredibly wide corridor, its walls and ceiling constructed entirely of ice, inlaid with countless self-illuminating blue ice crystals that bathed the interior in a bright glow. Along the corridor, at intervals, stood ice crystal golems clad in ice armor and wielding ice blades. Their eyes flashed blue light, as if activated by the intruders, and they began to move clumsily, brandishing their weapons to attack any approaching cultivators.

"It's an Ice Crystal Guardian! Don't get entangled, charge!" someone shouted.

Disciples from various sects displayed their unique abilities, some using agile movements to evade the puppets' attacks, others employing powerful techniques to directly shatter the puppets blocking their path. The ice crystal guards, whose strength was roughly at the mid to late Nascent Soul stage, were numerous but unable to stop the progress of the Deity Transformation stage cultivators, only causing them a slight delay.

Qin Yuan and Yun Qingyao moved with incredible speed. Qin Yuan didn't even have to make a move; he simply used his physical strength to knock aside several puppets blocking his way, and then easily carried Yun Qingyao through the long ice crystal corridor.

At the end of the corridor lay a vast ice crystal plaza. In the center of the plaza was the entrance to the "Mystic Ice Palace" that Liu Suifeng had mentioned. At this moment, a conflict had already erupted at the palace entrance!

The first few groups to arrive were locked in a fierce battle over several obviously ancient "Mystic Ice Grass" and "Frosty Jade Marrow" ore near the entrance! Sword energy crisscrossed, lightning flashed, ice spikes flew everywhere, and the scene was chaotic.

Qin Yuan's gaze swept across the crowd, and he saw Leng Fengjian Wuhen of the Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion locked in combat with Ling Shuanghua, the Ice Fairy of the Xuan Tian Sect. Sword energy clashed with frost, the two locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle. Meanwhile, Gui Shou Yin Wuming of the Netherworld Palace moved like a ghost through the crowd, occasionally launching surprise attacks and snatching treasures. The Wood Spirit Twins of the Green Wood Sect did not participate in the melee, but instead led their fellow disciples along the edge, quickly rushing into the entrance of the main hall.

On the Taiyi Immortal Sect's side, Liu Suifeng whispered, "Don't linger here, let's go straight into the main hall! The good stuff is inside!"

The group nodded and formed a simple assault formation. Liu Suifeng and Qin Yuan led the way, while the others provided support. They avoided the center of the melee and rushed towards the entrance of the main hall.

Along the way, there were still attacks from those who didn't care about anything. Qin Yuan casually dispersed a few ice cone sword energies, then protected Yun Qingyao and rushed into the main hall.