One had to understand that the seat of Palace Mistress was not one that just anyone could occupy. It required grooming from childhood, and one had to possess the capacity to govern the whole of the Ice Palace.

Which of the two possibilities it was, there was no telling, but one thing was plain enough: this Mistress of the Ice Palace was exceedingly young. And not merely young, but beautiful, a striking contrast to Xiao Qing at her side. Xiao Qing, too, appeared to be in her ten-something years, yet her features were exceedingly plain; the Ice Palace Mistress, by contrast, was truly as her surname and her title implied, like an ice princess herself, exquisite and refined, ethereal and untouched by the common world, so that a single glance was enough to lodge her in one's memory forever.

Of course, not one of the trial participants dared show the Ice Palace Mistress the slightest disrespect. She might be a beauty, but a man needed his life if he was to appreciate her. Before an existence at the peak of late-stage Heaven Rank, they did not even have the courage to steal a second look.

At the sight of the Ice Palace Mistress, Wei Zhao could not help but be somewhat astonished. What astonished him, naturally, was not that she was a beauty, but that her age truly seemed to be no more than ten-something, twenty-five at the very most.

This was unlike Xiao Qing. Wei Zhao could state with certainty that the Ice Palace Mistress had not swallowed some Youth-Preserving Pill or the like; she was simply that young, or else she had broken through to Heaven Rank at ten-something and her beauty had naturally been fixed there for all time.

"Aunt Qing, you had best explain," said the Ice Palace Mistress. "I only came for a look..." Her gaze came to rest on Yang Qiqi, the sole female participant, and she could not help but feel disappointed. The girl might look rather cool, her temper icy, but she was not the one she sought. Her constitution was not suited to cultivating the Ice Palace's internal cultivation art.

And so, having determined that Yang Qiqi would not do, the Ice Palace Mistress lost all interest in remaining.

Aunt Qing? The participants present were thrown into still greater uproar. Xiao Qing had not looked old to begin with, and yet the Ice Palace Mistress addressed her as Aunt Qing. Then just how young was the Mistress herself? Could she truly be, as her appearance suggested, only around twenty?

Wei Zhao, for his part, was not especially shaken. He had already reasoned out as much beforehand, and the Mistress's single "Aunt Qing" merely confirmed his conjecture.

To see the Ice Palace Mistress, a girl about his own age and already an expert at the peak of late-stage Heaven Rank, Wei Zhao could only offer a bitter smile. There was truly no comparing. Measured against ordinary families, his advantages were still rather obvious, but once it came to the hidden families, his little store of cultivation talent and his golden finger could at best hold even with what another house could supply. And once it came to the ancient level, Wei Zhao had no advantage left to speak of at all. Ancient sects, it seemed, were indeed not to be taken lightly.

No wonder the old man at home had said that the ancient sects had already passed beyond his grasp. It seemed the road ahead would have to be walked on his own.

Still, Wei Zhao was not discouraged. Though his overall strength remained far below theirs, judging purely by the pace of his cultivation over these last few months, likely only that monster Zhang Naipao could match him. Who else would dare claim to have climbed several levels in the space of a few months?

When the Ice Palace Mistress had finished speaking, she turned and drifted away. Xiao Qing knew the Mistress's temperament and took no offense.

The Ice Palace Mistress had grown up within the Ice Palace from childhood, becoming the closed-door disciple of the Grand Elder and the anointed next Mistress of the Ice Palace. Her childhood, therefore, had been a lonely one: no friends, no playmates, only endless cultivation through night and day. It was this that had made her nature so cold.

"Now I will announce the rules and the rewards of the trial!" Xiao Qing swept her gaze over the crowd and went on: "Those taking part in the trial may not drive. I will lead the way, and we will walk to the Snow and Ice Spirit Mountain. Along the way, spirit beasts may be brought, but no beast may exceed the peak of late-stage Mystic Rank; otherwise, the participant forfeits his place. Attendants and servants may be brought, but none above Yellow Rank, and servants and attendants may neither take part in the trial nor raise a hand. Nor may anyone injure another's servants or attendants during the trial. You may attack another's spirit beast, but you may not seize it."

These trial rules had stood for years. The assembled participants nodded one after another to show they understood. Spirit beasts were a thing few families possessed, and a weak one brought along would only be a burden. As for servants and attendants, these people were even less inclined to bring any; not one of them was a young master or a young lady who needed to be waited upon.

In truth, this rule had been drawn up in answer to the earlier trial rules: should a participant be beaten to death, his servants and attendants could carry the remains home for burial. But bringing attendants smacked somewhat of a want of confidence, and of ill fortune besides, and so this time no one had brought any.

What was more, the rules had been revised precisely so that an opponent could not be put to death, which made the bringing of servants and attendants all the more unnecessary.

"If there are no objections, I will speak of the trial's rewards. In the trial, the top three scorers will receive an additional reward from the Ice Palace, drawn from among the spirit medicines and heavenly treasures gathered during this trial!" Xiao Qing said. "And the top ten scorers will be eligible to become outer-court disciples of the Ice Palace, or to receive the right to exchange for a heavenly treasure. Does anyone have a question?"

"No..." The crowd shook their heads one after another. This was something already set out in the invitation letters, and as for the rewards, they naturally had few objections. Most of those who had come were aiming at becoming outer-court disciples of the Ice Palace.

"Good. Go and sort out your luggage and bundles. We set out in one hour!" Xiao Qing nodded. "In one hour, I will wait for you here."

"Yes!" The crowd nodded and answered one after another.

No driving... As far as Wei Zhao was concerned, walking was no hardship. The trouble was what to do about Feng Xiaoxiao.

Fortunately, it was bitterly cold here. Even without the ice coffin, Feng Xiaoxiao should be in no danger. But how was he to carry her?

As things stood, the best solution was to tie Feng Xiaoxiao to his back with a rope. During the trial, though, he would have to be especially careful and guard against the attacks of others; otherwise, if Feng Xiaoxiao were harmed, killing the offender would be of no use to him at all.

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