Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Forbidden Domain of the Thunder Pool

Chen Xiang, escorted by an elder from the Hidden Snow Sect, arrived at the sect’s main grounds. It was said that the location of the third trial was somewhere inside the sect, but he knew nothing of the specifics. None of the other challengers knew where the third trial would be held either.

The Hidden Snow Sect’s headquarters were remarkably well concealed, nestled deep within the Ice Valley. They hadn’t built their sect openly in the valley—rather, they chose the innermost recesses. Here, a wall had been erected to enclose the sect, hiding it from prying eyes. An intricate concealment array further masked its presence; anyone unfamiliar with the area would never guess that a sect lay within.

Though only a dozen hours had passed since his last visit, entering the Ice Valley again stirred Chen Xiang’s thoughts of Li Qin’er. He was particularly eager to see the Frozen Cave, wondering if Qin’er, currently expelling the fiery energy, was clothed or not. Even a glimpse would be worthwhile.

But with a Nascent Soul master watching over him, and knowing Qin’er’s temperament, he realized sneaking back would only earn her dislike. He could only entertain the thought, nothing more.

The elder made no effort to hide his intentions. With a wave of his hand, a teleportation array appeared out of thin air. Smiling at Chen Xiang, he said, “Young friend Chu, please follow me.” With that, he stepped into the array.

Chen Xiang nodded and followed. As the elder activated the formation, their figures vanished, and the teleportation array faded away shortly thereafter.

Outside a grand, intricately carved gate stood another teleportation array, guarded by four disciples. As light flashed, Chen Xiang and the Hidden Snow Sect elder appeared within.

The four disciples had been chatting idly, but the appearance of a stranger set them on edge. They were long-time gatekeepers and, though they didn’t know every one of the sect’s thousands of disciples, they had some impression of most. Yet none recalled ever seeing this youth.

Still, as he had been brought by an elder, they refrained from questioning him. The four stepped forward and respectfully greeted the elder.

The Hidden Snow Sect elder responded with a curt nod, then smiled at Chen Xiang. “Young friend Chu, please follow me. I will take you to the third trial.”

Hearing this, the four disciples were puzzled. The third trial? What third trial? Was there a sect trial happening? Recently, there had only been the disciple recruitment trial—and the third round for that wasn’t held within the sect.

Their confusion deepened, but a quiet voice sounded in their ears. First surprised, they quickly composed themselves.

One said, “Welcome, congratulations on passing the second trial. Allow me to lead you to the site of the third.”

Chen Xiang regarded them calmly. Did they really think he hadn’t noticed their little tricks? If they wanted to deal with him, it would depend on whether they had the ability.

“Thank you, senior,” Chen Xiang replied with a polite smile.

“It’s nothing. Please follow me,” the male disciple answered, leading Chen Xiang deeper into the sect.

The elder who had brought him watched Chen Xiang’s departing figure, sighing with regret. “Such a promising talent—let’s hope he isn’t ruined.”

“Don’t worry, he won’t die,” came a soft voice.

The array shimmered, and four figures appeared. The elder and the three nervous gatekeeping disciples bowed in greeting. “Greetings, Ancestor, Sect Leader.”

They were none other than the Hidden Snow Sect's ancestor, the sect leader, and the three chief elders. They had followed Chen Xiang back into the sect after he left.

“Where has he gone?” the ancestor asked, his aura unmasked. The pressure of a Soul Transformation cultivator was suffocating for the three Core Formation disciples.

“I’ve discreetly instructed a disciple to escort him to the Thunder Pool Forbidden Grounds,” replied the elder.

He had secretly transmitted instructions for a disciple to conceal his identity and lead Chen Xiang to the forbidden grounds, rather than going himself. If he had personally escorted Chen Xiang, it might have aroused suspicion.

“Very well. Let’s go,” the ancestor declared, taking to the air toward the Thunder Pool Forbidden Grounds.

The sect leader and chief elders exchanged glances, sighing deeply, but said nothing. They too took to the skies, following the ancestor, leaving only the three gatekeeping disciples behind.

“What exactly did that youth do? To provoke the ancestor and sect leaders to act together—and it seems they’re targeting him?”

“I don’t know. By rights, the boy is only at the peak of Core Formation. Any senior disciple could deal with him. There must be more to this than meets the eye.”

“Forget it, this isn’t our concern. Let’s just guard the array. Once my shift ends, I’m preparing for the small trial myself.”

“You’re going to advance?”

“Impressive! Brother Zhang, you’re already at the eighth layer of Core Formation. If you advance again, you’ll have a shot at becoming a core disciple next year.”

“Heh, that’s the plan!”

The three resumed their conversation, unconcerned about earlier events—they had no power to intervene anyway.

Led by the gatekeeper, Chen Xiang arrived at a small mountain valley. The valley was encircled by steep cliffs, all blanketed in white; some areas even shimmered with a bluish hue. Looking closely, one could see tiny bolts of lightning creeping across the rocky surfaces.

The valley stood two to three hundred meters high and covered over a thousand square meters. It was protected by a flight-forbidding array—only a single narrow entrance at the bottom allowed passage, making it seem like a colossal prison.

The gatekeeper who brought Chen Xiang was visibly nervous—not about being discovered, but rather about what might suddenly occur in the valley.

“Fellow cultivator, this is the third trial. It’s a standard Thunder Pool; if you can endure for half an hour, you’ll pass. The longer you last, the better your record,” the disciple explained nervously, echoing the elder’s instructions word for word.

“Best of luck,” he added, eager to leave, and hurried out of the valley.

Chen Xiang surveyed his surroundings coldly, unconcerned with the disciple’s departure. Judging by the situation, he knew this place was no ordinary trial. If they wanted to challenge him, it would have to be something worthwhile.

Above the valley, five figures stood where Chen Xiang couldn’t see them—the Hidden Snow Sect ancestor and his companions.

“Ancestor, why send Chu Liuxiang to the Thunder Pool? Even at its weakest, the pool’s power is equivalent to an early Nascent Soul cultivator. Expecting him to endure half an hour—isn’t that a death sentence?” the sect leader asked, perplexed.

Though he was somewhat annoyed with Chen Xiang, he acknowledged the boy’s rare talent. If Chen Xiang perished, he would regret it deeply.

“He may very well be the grade-six advanced alchemist I asked you to find,” the ancestor replied calmly.

“To be continued…”