Chapter 126: The Ice Soul of Absolute Frost

Qi Xiao’s expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, though he secretly let out a sigh of relief.

The Frozen Sanctuary was thick with a mysterious aura, and his storage ring could isolate most of it, preventing anyone from discovering that he had obtained an artifact. However, once he stepped outside, the aura emanating from him would be as conspicuous as a lighthouse in the night sky. While the storage ring could block some of it, it could not provide complete concealment unless he had a specialized containment box made of specific materials. Qi Xiao could never have anticipated suddenly obtaining such an item, and those materials were not only rare but exorbitantly expensive, making it impossible to prepare in advance.

It wasn't until Midir took the Mirror of Twins that the three wizards nearby, who had been standing like ice sculptures, finally reacted.

"Wh... what?! You said you retrieved what from the gate?! A mysterious artifact?? How is that possible!!!"

Fervie, shedding her usual dignified image, spoke the last two sentences in a high-pitched, piercing tone, like the wailing of a banshee.

"A mysterious artifact inside the Gate of Winter... I have never heard of such a thing. It is absolutely absent from all records."

Though they found it hard to believe, the truth was right before their eyes; the mysterious aura radiating from the copper mirror, distinct from that of the Gate of Winter, could not be faked.

Although Eleanor’s jaw was practically on the floor, she knew her position. Seeing Kolent and Lorseth approach to examine the Mirror of Twins, she immediately became vigilant, frowning as she said, "What are you doing? Don't forget the rules of the Frozen Sanctuary! Are you planning to defy the will of Lord Winter?"

Being warned by Eleanor using the rules of the Frozen Sanctuary for the second time today was a complete reversal of roles, but Kolent was helpless. Despite the pain in his heart—which felt as if it were bleeding—he managed to squeeze out a hearty smile. Even as his heart dripped with metaphorical blood, he said magnanimously:

"Naturally, naturally. Since it was brought out of the Gate of Winter by Master Midir’s disciple, the ownership rights naturally belong to him. I merely wish to observe it at close range. After all, such a situation has never occurred before. As Pope, I have the duty and obligation to record this. According to the statutes of the Frozen Sanctuary, you are also obligated to cooperate; this was an agreement made before you participated... Ah, you don’t need to look at me like that. Not to mention whether we could even defeat you, who could stop the Shadow of the World if he wished to leave?"

Eleanor curled her lip noncommittally. She turned back to look at Midir, and only after seeing him nod did she step aside.

"Go ahead and look. I can cooperate with whatever needs to be recorded, but please understand that I cannot disclose its specific functions."

Midir’s voice was, as always, calm and low. Kolent thanked him repeatedly and moved closer to begin a detailed observation and recording.

Lorseth, on the other hand, did not look at this much-anticipated new artifact. Instead, he stared unceasingly at Qi Xiao through his glasses, as if observing some extraterrestrial life form. Qi Xiao felt a chill crawl up his spine, leaving him entirely uncomfortable.

Fervie remained in disbelief. Her usual duty was to guard the Gate of Winter. Over tens of thousands of years, the principles and nature of the gate had been explored thoroughly by generations of predecessors. She was the wizard with the deepest understanding of the Gate of Winter below the legendary level, bar none—even Kolent was far inferior to her. Thus, her shock was beyond words; this result practically overturned tens of thousands of years of the Frozen Sanctuary’s research.

"How... is it possible."

Fervie continued to mutter to herself, but her gaze soon sharpened as she approached Qi Xiao.

"Lady Aurora... is something the matter?"

Qi Xiao, already feeling uneasy under Lorseth’s gaze, could no longer bear it when a second person joined in, and he hurriedly asked.

"The scene where you obtained this mirror... what was it like? Can you describe it?"

Fervie had regained her composure and asked with her usual dignity.

Qi Xiao pondered for a moment and replied, "I first entered a labyrinthine space where the walls were made of ice crystals, refracting brilliant light as if I were in a world of intertwined light and shadow. Then, I arrived at the center of the labyrinth and saw a high platform on which this mirror was placed. It radiated a unique light and a strong mysterious aura. While I was still in shock, it flew into my hands on its own... and then I was pushed out by the Gate of Winter."

Qi Xiao described it in minute detail, having nothing to hide. Seeing Fervie’s thoughtful expression, Qi Xiao lowered his head, eyes submissive, and said no more.

Fervie snapped out of her trance and nodded at Qi Xiao. After hesitating for a moment, she took a scroll from her sleeve and handed it to Qi Xiao, whispering, "Since you were able to obtain a mysterious legacy from the Gate of Winter, you clearly share a deep connection with our Frozen Sanctuary. This is a spell originating from Lord Winter... if you are interested, you may learn it; you will certainly not regret it."

"Afer...?"

Kolent looked at Fervie in surprise, seemingly puzzled by her behavior, but he did not question it. Instead, he chimed in, taking a beautifully crafted atlas from his storage bracer.

"I recall that you primarily practice alchemy, right? It just so happens that I have a book on the forging of ice-elemental weapons, which includes some blueprints. Since you have such a connection with our sanctuary, take it as well. We don't have an alchemist here, so it would just go to waste."

The two wizards suddenly began to curry favor with him, leaving Qi Xiao momentarily at a loss. He didn't know what had gone wrong, but seeing that his teacher showed no reaction, he could only thank them and accept the items.

Seeing Qi Xiao accept their gifts, Fervie secretly breathed a sigh of relief. A smile appeared on her face as she said softly, "Although the Far North is bitter, the scenery is rare to behold. Especially here, we often have various rare celestial phenomena. The day after tomorrow, there will be an aurora feast that you cannot miss."

Although Qi Xiao felt that the best course of action after receiving such great benefits was to leave immediately, Midir had quickly agreed to it, so he couldn't say anything. He could only hope his teacher wasn't playing with fire. He couldn't help but feel that this pair of wizards were like weasels paying New Year’s greetings to a chicken—harboring no good intentions. He didn't know if this feeling stemmed from his own guilt after taking their valuable items.

After a simple lunch—the food was not as good as what Yaya-ke made—the five wizards left, and Qi Xiao saw the other members of the Frozen Sanctuary for the first time.

A delicate-looking young witch, whose aura was at the peak of the apprentice level, introduced the various spots to Qi Xiao. Qi Xiao felt most of them looked the same, a vast expanse of white where little could be distinguished. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him, and he asked, "Priest, where is the coldest place nearby? Could you take me to see it?"

Although Qi Xiao’s question was strange, Priest clearly possessed professional etiquette and did not show any surprise. She smiled naturally and said, "Of course. It is not far from here. If we travel at full speed, we can arrive in about ten minutes."

Qi Xiao nodded, and the two soon sped off toward the north.

"We are here."

Priest brought Qi Xiao to a wasteland covered in ice and snow. Compared to the surroundings of the Frozen Sanctuary, the environment here was even more desolate and freezing.

Qi Xiao gasped for air. Looking out, there was no vegetation on this wasteland, only rocks and icicles carved into various shapes by the ice and snow, standing in the cold wind like sentinels of this land.

The scenery presented a monotonous white, and the scarce sunlight reflecting off the snow was so blinding it was difficult to look at directly.

Qi Xiao could feel that the temperature here was far lower than at the Frozen Sanctuary. His breath immediately condensed into ice crystals, and his skin, exposed to the air, felt a bone-chilling cold within moments.

The cold wind roared across the wasteland, bringing with it a shrill whistling sound, like the roar of the land itself, making one instinctively want to seek shelter.

The ice layer here was astonishingly thick. Qi Xiao tried to probe it with magic and found it bottomless, possibly even extending to the earth's core.

Facing such pure cold, Qi Xiao was overjoyed and said, "The alchemy I practice is rather special, and I may need to stay here for a while. It is too cold here; you should go back first. I remember the way."

Priest hesitated; after all, her teacher’s task was to take good care of the guest and try to satisfy his requests. But leaving an intermediate wizard apprentice alone here, in case of any accident...

Seeing Priest’s hesitation, Qi Xiao smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will be fine. I mainly want you to go back in case my teacher or Lady Fervie need me for something urgent; then you can notify me. I won't wander off, just collecting some cold energy."

Priest felt this made sense, and since it was the guest’s request—perhaps he needed to perform some secret alchemy and feared being observed—she nodded. "Then please do not wander off. If something happens, you can fire a signal into the sky, and I will come as soon as I see it."

Qi Xiao nodded and watched Priest’s retreating figure, finally feeling excited.

He slowly extended his hands and began to sense the cold air around him.

Qi Xiao began to perform the "Qi-Gathering Alchemy," a special technique capable of extracting and condensing specific elemental auras from the environment. He had been practicing it for quite some time since receiving it from the system, and this was his first official use.

Qi Xiao closed his eyes, his spiritual power spreading outward, carefully sensing every trace of cold in the air.

Under the influence of his spiritual power, the cold air began to gather toward him slowly. Under his control, this refined cold energy gradually formed a small whirlwind, rotating around him.

The gathered cold air appeared as a translucent white mist, with flickering ice-blue specks like stars in the night sky.

Qi Xiao held his hands level, palms upward, guiding the cold air to condense above his palms. His hands seemed to become magnets for the cold, drawing it in continuously.

After about a day, under his gathering and compression, the cold energy had condensed into a ball the size of a basketball. It hovered stably above his palms, radiating an intense chill.

This condensed cold energy could be used for various purposes in alchemy, such as crafting ice-elemental alchemy items, strengthening defensive equipment, or serving as a catalyst or auxiliary material for special reactions. It was versatile and nearly cost-free.

To preserve this precious energy, Qi Xiao took out a specially prepared container engraved with runic arrays, which could effectively maintain the stability and purity of the cold.

As the last trace of cold was stored, Qi Xiao slowly retracted his spiritual power, ending the process. He felt exhausted, but even more so, satisfied and excited.

He sealed the container and labeled it "Extreme Cold Energy." Unexpectedly, the moment he finished, he sensed a peculiar magical fluctuation.

"This is?"

Qi Xiao was pleasantly surprised and hurriedly cast a "Traction Spell," which struck rapidly toward the source of the aura. In an instant, the traction tether whipped across what seemed like empty space, caught onto something, wrapped around it a few times, and retracted.

"An Extreme Frost Soul! Fantastic!"

At the other end of the tether was a translucent crystal. This was the rare substance known as the "Extreme Frost Soul." Formed in the extreme environment of the Far North, it was usually hidden beneath thick layers of ice and difficult to find. He didn't know why this piece was on the surface, but Qi Xiao had nearly missed it.

The Extreme Frost Soul had a translucent texture, an irregular shape, and a smooth surface, shimmering with a faint ice-blue light.

It formed in the depths of the frozen lands, requiring prolonged low temperatures and specific geological conditions, typically found only in glaciers or permafrost.

It was extremely rare, only possible to孕育 in places with extreme cold and abundant magic. Without artificial cultivation, only a few places could produce it naturally, and the Far North was one of them.

This material was a top-tier ingredient for alchemy and magical rituals. It was useful not only for frost-related equipment and potions but even for soul-related ones. Furthermore, it could assist in the cultivation of spells or serve as a medium to increase spell power. Its uses were incredibly extensive.

This material definitely qualified as an official-wizard-level component and was undoubtedly the rarest material Qi Xiao had ever collected himself. Had it not been for the shocking surprise he had received yesterday, which had significantly raised his threshold for excitement, he would certainly be beaming with joy right now, perhaps even humming a tune.

But even so, he smiled from the heart. After collecting the Frost Soul, he summoned the Azure Veil and returned to the Frozen Sanctuary faster than he had come.

Priest stood outside the sanctuary looking worried, and only relaxed upon seeing Qi Xiao. Qi Xiao apologized, "My apologies, the collection took a bit longer than expected. It was my first time, and I lacked experience. Sorry to have kept you waiting."

Priest resumed her professional smile: "It is quite alright, Mr. Qi Xiao. You may tell me whenever you wish to visit other places. However, we cannot go too far this time, as the aurora will appear tonight."