Chapter 122: The Amulet of Secret Souls

Star-glow sand was evenly imprinted across the surface of the talisman. Fusing with Secret Soul mulberry wood and a Soul Stone, it formed a transparent film. The star-glow sand shimmered faintly upon the talisman, as though the power of ancient constellations had been sealed within it.

The Dead Sea iron had been forged into even finer chains, linking the mithril chain to the talisman. Beneath the lamplight, the chains reflected a deep black sheen that contrasted sharply with the silver radiance of the mithril, making the mithril alloy appear even more brilliantly polished.

Under the light, the entire necklace emanated a dreamlike, elusive aura, as though it did not exist in the mortal world at all, but somewhere in the spirit realm or the world of dreams, revealing itself only by chance and stirring endless speculation.

Qi Xiao named the necklace the Secret Soul Talisman and casually put it around his neck.

The necklace not only provided powerful protection for the soul, but could also serve as an ornament, enhancing its wearer’s charm. It was by no means lacking in offensive capability either; against wizards whose research into the soul was shallow, it was more than sufficient.

At the same time, the necklace had two soul spells permanently bound to it: the Second-Circle Cantrip Soul Echo and the Second-Circle Cantrip Soul Scream.

Soul Echo was both an offensive and defensive spell. When its wearer suffered a psychic attack, it produced a resonance of the soul that dissolved the impact and reflected part of its effects back upon the attacker.

Soul Scream, on the other hand, combined offense with disruption. Once cast, it interfered with and damaged the target’s patterns of thought, inflicting mental pressure and anguish.

When the user activated Soul Scream, the necklace emitted a high-frequency shriek. The sound wave passed directly through physical matter and acted upon the target’s soul, creating a violent psychic impact.

Soul Scream could pierce through a target’s psychological defenses, throwing their thoughts into temporary disarray and making it difficult for them to concentrate on casting spells or mounting an effective defense. The spell was famous partly because its disorienting effect accumulated with the number of soul wizards using it. During planar wars, it was common for several soul wizards to join forces and assault the enemy’s main contingent. Practitioners of other extraordinary paths hated the spell with a passion.

The spell could interfere with a target’s senses, making it difficult for them to distinguish reality from illusion for a period of time and reducing the accuracy of their judgments regarding their surroundings. It could also affect their emotions, provoking panic, anxiety, or other negative feelings and thereby diminishing their combat effectiveness.

Against wizards without sufficient soul defenses, Soul Scream could easily penetrate their soul armor and inflict direct damage upon their minds.

Soul Scream had a wide area of effect, but its penetrating power was relatively weak, and its effectiveness was greatly reduced in noisy environments.

Since Soul Echo and Soul Scream had already been permanently bound to the necklace, Qi Xiao did not need to recite additional incantations or cast them manually. He only had to activate them through a specific trigger mechanism, making them far more flexible and practical in battle. That was why many wizards enjoyed purchasing alchemical equipment with spells permanently bound to it.

Qi Xiao rarely did so. The process was simply too time-consuming, and the success rate was not high. He had not studied this field deeply enough, and it was all too easy for him to destroy the entire piece of equipment in the process. He was willing to bind spells only when refining equipment for himself—and even then, he had been lucky. Qi Xiao had prepared himself to refine it four or five times, yet it succeeded on the very first attempt.

Perhaps because winter was approaching, Little Mushroom had recently spent at least half of every day asleep. But it did not need to cultivate anyway, so Qi Xiao let it sleep as much as it pleased and did not interfere.

He had only just returned to his room and had not yet begun meditating when someone knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Blood Lotus entered cautiously and said softly, “Young Master, Lord Midhir asks you to make preparations. You will be going out in a few days…”

Was he going to be dragged out to attend another social engagement? Qi Xiao pondered this for a moment before asking casually, “Understood. Did he mention the exact time and place?”

“No… He only said that you would be going out in a couple of days to pay a visit to Lady Aurora. He asked that you avoid entering deep meditation recently.”

“All right. You may leave.”

After sending Blood Lotus away, Qi Xiao looked around. There was not much to pack. Most of his daily necessities were already in his storage ring, and he could bring a few books at random. He probably would not have much time to read once he arrived there anyway.

Raymond had given him a warning long ago: now that Qi Xiao had only recently become Midhir’s apprentice, Midhir would likely take him along on his next several outings. With a sigh, Qi Xiao prepared to tidy up his appearance. He could not very well embarrass his teacher with his looks.

There was no need to do much. He merely changed his hairstyle and put on a formal outfit specially chosen for social occasions. He looked somewhat more refined as a result.

The Aurora Witch, Fulvi Pualis, and the Frostglow Wizard, Korent Pualis, were considered one of the most famous married couples in the Northern Wizarding World. Qi Xiao had even read the story of their romance in a book, though he had no idea how much of it was true.

Their organization had been established in the far north. It was said that the region was covered in ice and snow throughout the year and was known as the Kingdom of Frost. This land was ruled by endless cold and perpetual winter, making it one of the most frigid corners of the Northern Wizarding World.

According to the records in his teacher’s collection, it was here that the first legendary figure of the Northern Wizarding World—Winter—had proven the Way and ascended. The words in those records were filled with reverence. From them, Qi Xiao could tell that Winter had stood at the pinnacle even among legends, and that as far back as ten thousand years ago, Winter had already been searching for a path beyond legend.

Qi Xiao did not even dare speculate recklessly about legends, much less about what lay beyond them. He found it difficult to imagine how a legend, already almost an embodiment of rules and laws, could advance further, or what form such an existence would take after ascending.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye. Qi Xiao had arrived early and was waiting in the study for Midhir.

When Midhir entered and saw him, he dispensed with all unnecessary words. He merely tapped the floor lightly with his staff, and the two of them—or rather, the three of them—arrived instantly at the legendary far north: the Kingdom of Frost.

“Lady Elinor? You came as well? Good day.”

Qi Xiao had just been preparing to observe his surroundings when he caught sight of a striking figure from the corner of his eye. He hurriedly bowed and greeted her.

Elinor wore only a short leather top, leaving even her belly exposed. Her lower half was clad in a pair of seemingly furry shorts, and she was still wearing those bright red high heels. Anyone who did not know better might have thought she had come to vacation on a beach in the Golden Sea rather than to a land of extreme cold.

“Hello~ Long time no see, little Qi Xiao. How come you haven’t dropped by the music hall? If you don’t like modern music, the theater would be fine too. I’m in charge of it lately as well. I can tell that your vocal arts and Wordcraft spells are coming along quite nicely. Don’t be shy. Your teacher and I have a special relationship, you know. His apprentice is my grand-apprentice.”

“Next time for sure. Definitely next time…”

Qi Xiao felt somewhat embarrassed. Ignoring Elinor’s outrageous remarks, he did his best to respond perfunctorily. A few spots of sunlight suddenly danced before his eyes, and then a thin, refined-looking wizard wearing spectacles appeared before the three of them.

“Long time no see, Lord Midhir. Lady Elinor.”

His words completely ignored Qi Xiao, the apprentice. Clearly, no one found this strange—not even Qi Xiao himself. After all, the difference between an apprentice and a full-fledged wizard was like the distance between heaven and earth. Being ignored actually made things more comfortable for him.

“Sun Mirage, where are those two? They called us here and then had you come receive us? They’re becoming more and more capable.”

“Sun Mirage” Lorseis Acapote was the last of the three full-fledged wizards belonging to the polar organization known as the Icebound Sanctum. Qi Xiao had not expected all three wizards to be here, nor that they would summon his teacher and Elinor as well. It seemed they were about to undertake something extraordinary indeed…

Sure enough, Lorseis calmly turned his gaze toward him. Midhir finally spoke his first words since arriving.

“It is of no consequence.”

Lorseis withdrew his gaze. Once he had received the answer, he said evenly, “This year’s sacrifice falls to the Myriad Spirits Crypt. If you have brought everything necessary, follow me.”

Midhir did not teleport again. Instead, he descended to the ground with Lorseis and walked toward the distant tower, his bearing filled with solemn reverence.

Qi Xiao naturally had even less say in the matter. He silently followed behind. Midhir and Lorseis were clearly not talkative men, and perhaps because of their surroundings, Elinor had also fallen silent. Qi Xiao certainly had no intention of speaking either. He simply did his best to keep up with his teacher.

Although the sanctum did not appear far away, the journey proved exhausting for Qi Xiao.

First, they crossed a vast ice field blanketed in thick snow. It stretched as far as the eye could see, resembling an endless white ocean. Under the sunlight, crystals of ice glittered with dazzling radiance. They took all sorts of forms: some like diamonds, others like gemstones, together forming a resplendent world of ice.

The cold wind howled across the ice field, bringing a bone-chilling frost, yet it also carried a fresh, invigorating air from somewhere unknown, lifting the spirit.

At the edge of the ice field, Qi Xiao followed the three wizards through a forest buried beneath ice and snow. The trees were encased in ice, creating a breathtaking frozen wonder.

As they drew nearer to the Icebound Sanctum, a towering structure gradually emerged into view. Its outline appeared and vanished in the distance, solemn and mysterious.

The buildings of the Icebound Sanctum had been constructed around the tower. The entire complex appeared grave and majestic, exuding an aura of sacred inviolability.

The tower’s base was broad and gradually narrowed as it rose, its sharp summit pointing directly into the sky. Its body was composed of ice crystals and an unknown white stone that gleamed with silvery radiance beneath the sun.

Its surface was covered in exquisite reliefs. Yet the instant Qi Xiao stepped onto the sanctum’s stairs, he felt no magical fluctuations whatsoever—and still, a powerful sense of danger rose from the depths of his heart.

At the entrance to the tower stood two enormous doors inset with ice-blue gemstones that emitted a faint, ghostly glow. Only a narrow gap had been left open, as if the doors had been frozen in place.

Pure white. Cold. The dead of winter. The end of all things—and the conclusion of everything…

Thoughts of Winter’s authorities and laws flashed through Qi Xiao’s mind. He had heard that they formed the foundation upon which Winter had proven the Way.

Lorseis evidently had no intention of opening the doors completely. He adjusted his spectacles, then entered first. Elinor followed closely behind. Midhir gestured for Qi Xiao to bring up the rear, allowing him to enter first.

Qi Xiao obediently complied. The instant he stepped into the sanctum, what he felt was not merely cold, but a baptism that reached deep into his soul. It was a chill that pierced straight through his heart, as though even his soul were about to freeze. He could not help shuddering.

The cold was like a tangible hand, stroking every cell in Qi Xiao’s body. His blood nearly solidified, and even breathing became difficult.

Amid that chill, Qi Xiao also felt as though he were being seen through. It was as if some invisible force were examining his innermost heart and analyzing his thoughts, leaving nowhere for his secrets to hide.

Chaotic images appeared before his eyes, like undercurrents beneath a glacier or the primordial confusion that had existed when the universe first began. They were filled with an indescribable terror and profound darkness.

At that moment, time seemed to turn viscous. Qi Xiao felt as though he were struggling forward through a river of time, every step weighing as heavily as a mountain.

Space here had also become unstable—or perhaps it no longer existed at all. Qi Xiao could sense fluctuations in the air, yet he could not perceive any spatial nodes. It was as though countless invisible tentacles were dancing through the atmosphere.

Faint whispers sounded beside his ears. They seemed to come from antiquity, yet also from the future, filled with temptation and an unknown, bewitching melody.

The light before his eyes shifted without pause, from icy blue to pale white and then to a profound darkness. Each color seemed to contain a different kind of energy.

Deep within Qi Xiao’s mental sea, the seed of magic formed from the surviving fragments of the Cosmic Singularity Meditation Method trembled violently. It sent forth branches and began to sprout. At the instant the first shoots emerged, Qi Xiao recovered a moment of clarity.

He summoned every cell in his body and took the most difficult step he had ever made. It could scarcely be called a step at all; his left foot merely shifted forward by half a palm’s breadth. Yet that half-palm’s distance instantly freed Qi Xiao from his chaotic state.

He collapsed unconscious where he stood.

Fortunately, at the moment he fell, Midhir noticed that something was wrong. He hurried into the sanctum and caught Qi Xiao.

“Not bad… at least he didn’t land on his head.”

That was the final thought that crossed Qi Xiao’s mind before unconsciousness overtook him. He did not know why he had thought of it.

No one knew how much time passed. Qi Xiao had not yet awakened, but he could faintly hear indistinct voices beside his ears.

“I want an explanation.”

“Lord Midhir… please don’t be anxious. Lord Winter’s sanctum has always been benevolent. In tens of thousands of years, it has never harmed anyone. He is merely unconscious, and he should wake up before long…”

“Bah—cough, cough. Forgive me, Lord Winter. You say it doesn’t harm people, but then how did little Qi Xiao end up unconscious? You examined him yourself. He clearly suffered a violent psychic impact the moment he entered. If he hadn’t had a psychic-defense alchemical item, who knows what might have happened to him.”

“That item doesn’t seem to have activated… I understand. We will certainly compensate him for his losses. Please rest assured, Lady Elinor.”

“…”

The voices outside were extremely noisy. Qi Xiao listened to them intermittently and felt that he ought to have regained consciousness by now, yet his mind remained hopelessly muddled, showing no sign of clearing. He did not even know how to wake himself deliberately.