Chapter 1494 — The Palace Master of the Ice Palace

If they made their move, they would inevitably offend Zhang Naipao's side—and the grudge was Zhang Naipao's own. Ancient-tier disciples were a proud lot; they would not suffer another to thrust his hand at will into a feud of theirs. Yet if they did not act, were they simply to sit and wait for Wei Zhao to come and beat them?

One might say that Feng Nitian had weighed the matter thoroughly. The man who could stand as one of the strongest contenders for the headship of the Feng family was no hotheaded brute.

At this moment, in the room next door, Wei Zhao and Yu Bing heard every word of the two men's talk! Yu Bing had not yet slept. The trial would begin the next day, and his heart was wound tight with nerves; at such a time he could not sleep soundly, and the instant he heard movement at the door he sprang up.

Hearing that Yu Shan meant to do away with him, a flash of fury crossed Yu Bing's face. He had never imagined Yu Shan could be so ruthless! Wei Zhao had only meant to cripple Yu Shan, yet Yu Shan intended to tear him out by the roots and kill him!

"You heard him? You are merciful, but your cousin is not." Wei Zhao, who had also seen the anger on Yu Bing's face, said mildly.

"Hoo..." Yu Bing drew a deep breath, as though he had come to a great resolve. "You are right... some things are beyond my power to change. Rather than live on in dread of being murdered in secret by my cousin, it would be better to settle this once and for all!"

"Heh..." Wei Zhao smiled. "You should have come round to it long ago."

The night passed without further words. At half past five the next morning, Wei Zhao returned from his cultivation space to the real world, called out to Yu Bing, and went to the washroom to freshen up.

Because Yu Bing had Wei Zhao for an "alarm clock," his sleep, though brief, had been sound; he need not fret about being late for the trial. Woken by Wei Zhao, he washed up quickly, and together they waited for someone from the Ice Palace to come and fetch them.

At six o'clock sharp, the square before the inn was already filled with disciples who had come for the trial. All of them held to the notion that it was better to be early than late, and waited for the Ice Palace's envoy to arrive.

Even Zhang Naipao and Feng Nitian dared not be negligent, and waited there along with everyone else.

At the summit of the Ice-Snow Spirit Mountain, where the Ice Palace stood.

"This is the list and the dossiers of those taking part in this trial. Please look them over, Palace Master." Xiao Qing presented the registration book to the woman in white before her.

This woman in white was the Palace Master of the Ice Palace—a person whose word, within the Ice Palace, was law.

The woman in white took the registration book from Xiao Qing's hands and began to leaf through it.

She read from the first page to the last, examining each person's origins and history in close detail. When she had finished, she could not help but feel disappointed; even so, she asked, "Aunt Qing, is Yang Qiqi the only girl taking part in this trial?"

"That is right, Palace Master. And she is an external-school cultivator besides..." Xiao Qing nodded.

"This trial, I fear, will disappoint my master once again..." The woman in white sighed softly. "It is all because I am good for nothing—I could not comprehend the inheritance of the Ice-Snow Spirit Mountain..."

"Palace Master, young as you are, you are already a fine hand at the peak of the late Heaven Tier—a talent seen but once in a generation. But the inheritance of the Ice-Snow Spirit Mountain also has to do with one's own constitution..." Xiao Qing consoled her. "Look across the other ancient-tier sects and clans—how many are there who, at your age, are already Heaven Tier masters?"

"But... to open the seal on Cloud-Tier Island, one must obtain the Ice inheritance of the Ice-Snow Spirit Mountain..." The woman in white knitted her dark brows. "The day of the Heaven-Tier Grand Gathering is not far off. As one of those who preside over it, if we still have not found an inheritor, then the Grand Gathering will have lost its meaning..."

"The other three houses have had no news either, have they? An inheritor—how could one be found so easily?" Xiao Qing smiled bitterly.

"No news does not mean they have not found one... To an ancient sect, an inheritor means more than simply opening the seal on Cloud-Tier Island. Most important of all, it means a chance to break through the Heaven Tier and seek the Way of Heaven..." said the woman in white. "So before an inheritor has grown up, none of them will make it public. There are always the envious, ready to make trouble."

"That is true..." Xiao Qing nodded. "Palace Master, you may not be the inheritor, but have you not received a part of the inheritance as well? That in itself is a stroke of fortune..."

"Only a small part..." The woman in white smiled bitterly. "Back then, when Master left, how she hoped I would receive the inheritance and one day come searching for her, to see her again! But now... if Cloud-Tier Island cannot be opened because the Ice Palace has found no inheritor, then I am the one to blame. How could I ever face her?"

"There is still some time, is there not? We need only keep searching, slowly. This is not a thing to be rushed. If worst comes to worst, we will hold the trial again next year and relax the conditions—there must be a suitable candidate somewhere." Xiao Qing suggested.

"That may be the only way... Still, I am unwilling to let it rest. I must see these trial-takers with my own eyes." said the woman in white.

"Very well. Then let us go together to receive these trial-takers and bring them to the Ice-Snow Spirit Mountain." Xiao Qing understood that unless the Palace Master saw the sole girl, Yang Qiqi, with her own eyes, she would not be easy in her heart.

At exactly half past six, just as the trial-takers were wondering where the Ice Palace's envoy might be, two figures—one green, one white—came drifting down from the horizon! The woman in green was none other than Elder Qing of the day before, a master of the mid Heaven Tier; and the woman in white beside her was, astonishingly, at the peak of the late Heaven Tier!

Both were no mean hand at lightness skill; in the blink of an eye they stood before the crowd. While the onlookers were still stunned, Xiao Qing spoke first: "This is Palace Master Bing of the Ice Palace. Let the Palace Master explain the rules of the trial and its rewards to everyone!"

This had originally been Xiao Qing's task, but since the Palace Master herself had come in person, it was naturally better that she give the introduction!

When Xiao Qing announced that the woman in white before them was the Ice Palace's Palace Master Bing, everyone present was astonished and set up a clamor. Even Zhang Naipao and Feng Nitian were amazed beyond measure—which also confirmed what these people had guessed the day before: the Palace Master of the Ice Palace really was a master at the peak of the late Heaven Tier!

One should know that whether ancient sect or ancient clan, though all of them had a master at the peak of the late Heaven Tier to hold them steady, such a person was usually of the Great Elder or Grand Supreme Elder rank. The heads of clans and sects, by contrast, were mostly of the younger generation; to possess early Heaven Tier strength was already very good, and most of them were only of Earth Tier strength!

For the fastest updates and a pop-up-free reading experience, please visit.