The biting cold wind made everyone feel as if they’d stepped into an ice cellar. All eyes were wide with shock—why had Evan chosen this frozen wasteland as their training ground?
On Goldwing’s back sat two unusual elders. Their cultivation wasn’t high—just at the Da Luo Golden Immortal realm. They weren’t here to train; they’d come to set up the Teleportation Gates, exactly as Evan had arranged beforehand.
“This is where you’ll be training. The deeper you go, the colder it gets. Sure, you’re all Immortal Lords, but that’s nowhere near enough—immortal beasts have far greater defenses than humans.
At the same cultivation level, it’s usually impossible for an immortal to beat an immortal beast. They’re born with monstrous strength and terrifying defense—that’s their advantage. We have to forge our own advantages, boosting your defense, endurance, and resistance until they’re leagues above what you have now.
There are fifty of you here, split into five squads of ten. On the first day, you’ll march a hundred li; on the second day, another hundred li. This world of ice and snow—most of you have heard of it, but almost no one’s ever truly gone deep.
Start forming your teams now. While advancing, no flying allowed—you must walk the full hundred li. This is where you show your team spirit. You must reach the day’s checkpoint before sunset. Any squad that fails will face a punishment they’ll never forget.” Evan’s voice rang out.
“Palace Lord, you can’t be serious! You want us to reach the checkpoint before sunset? It’s only a hundred li—we could do that in an hour! Are you underestimating us?” one Immortal Lord protested to Evan.
“I’m dead serious. You can do whatever you want before sunset—I won’t interfere. But if your squad doesn’t make it in time, the punishment will be something you’ll remember for life,” Evan replied.
The crowd quickly formed teams. Five squads were ready in no time, and without waiting for Evan’s orders, they set out. A hundred li was child’s play for them; nobody understood why Palace Lord Evan would make such a foolish decision.
Evan didn’t go with them. He stayed behind to watch the two elders set up the Teleportation Gates. These two had been hired from the Immortal Realm, but now they were officially part of Frostbane Imperial Palace.
Frostbane Imperial Palace, with its overwhelming strength and resources, was obviously the smartest choice. Everyone respected Evan’s approachable nature too.
“Elders, if you need my help, just say the word. The temperature here is brutal—it might affect your work setting up the Teleportation Gates,” Evan said.
“No need for courtesy, Palace Lord. When it comes to building Teleportation Gates, you really can’t help us. But when we’re finished, we’ll need you to use your Immortal Spirit Force to lay a barrier here—the wind and snow are fierce, and they could damage the gates,” one elder replied.
Evan realized some things were better left unknown—building Teleportation Gates was probably the elders’ secret skill. “If that’s the case, I’ll leave it to you. If you need anything, just let me know. I’ll have Old Goldwing stay here to protect you.
Ice-attribute immortal beasts could show up at any moment, and their attacks are no joke. For your own safety, I hope you understand.”
The two elders didn’t say much. They started pulling out all sorts of tools from their storage rings to set up the Teleportation Gates. Evan’s figure flickered and he vanished, reappearing a hundred li away.
After entering the hundred-li zone, the temperature dropped even further. At this range, a Heavenly Immortal could still endure it, but Earth Immortals would already be in real danger.
A little over an hour later, all five squads arrived. Evan wasn’t surprised—this was just the beginning. The real test was still to come.
“That’s it for today’s training. Find a spot to rest—tomorrow we continue!” Evan announced, then vanished in a flash.
Everyone watched Evan leave, baffled. Dragging them out to this frozen wasteland just for training? It was almost laughable.
Early the next morning, Evan appeared before everyone again. “Today’s task is still to march a hundred li. Anyone who doesn’t reach the checkpoint before sunset will be severely punished. Good luck.”
With that, he left again. The five squads moved out, still acting totally unconcerned, and arrived after a little over an hour.
This pattern continued for over half a month. But now, the temperature was so low that even Da Luo Golden Immortals faced real danger. The frigid wind howled through the air, sharp as blades.
Evan looked at everyone and smiled. “This is still just the warm-up. The next stage gets dangerous, so be mentally prepared. The daily march is still a hundred li—you must reach the checkpoint before sunset.”
“Palace Lord, does it get colder the deeper we go? And will we run into ice-attribute immortal beasts? Was the time limit you gave us at the start actually meant for later, when it’s much harder to finish?” one Immortal Lord asked respectfully.
“Exactly. The deeper you go, the more dangerous it gets. Get ready—teamwork matters most. From now on, only squads that arrive together pass. There’ll be constant danger, even death, and I won’t intervene.
This is survival of the fittest—only the truly strong will make it. I’m waiting for you all to surprise me. I hope every one of you survives, but this is also your chance to show real teamwork,” Evan said.
The squads set out again. The snowy wasteland was truly enormous. Many people unleashed their spiritual sense—some squads had Immortal Emperors whose spiritual sense could scan thousands of li, but all they saw was endless snow and ice, though some places had started to show immortal beasts.
This time, all five squads finished the task, but it took almost three hours. Evan just smiled and said nothing about the result.
Another half month passed. On the way, everyone ran into ice-attribute immortal beasts, brutal blizzards, and blade-like winds. The environment really was tempering them; sometimes, the snow and wind would suddenly bury someone completely.
Once buried, their bodies would quickly freeze into Mystic Ice, trapping them solid. Breaking out alone was tough—they needed help from their squad, which delayed progress.
Now, reaching the checkpoint took the squads more than four hours—sometimes most of a day. Only now did they truly grasp Evan’s intentions: the deeper they went, the harder it got…