My Arts Evolve When Perfected

The contest of the Chosen: five humans, five demons.

When [Wind] entered the Great Secret Realm, it was already clear. The five humans were Jiang Qiu and Tang Guang of Xia Country, Yu Ri of the Western Church, and one from the North and South Provinces. The five demons hailed from the East Sea Demon Clan, the Nansha Demon Clan, the Western Demon Clan, the Kunlun Demon Clan, and the Arctic Demon Clan.

On the Demon Race’s side, all five Celestial Chosen Demons had already emerged. Coincidentally, they had each joined one of the five strongest Demon Race Tribes in the Northern Boundary, and their power was growing swiftly.

The Arctic Demon Clan had the greatest advantage. Before even entering the Northern Boundary, they had lived in the Polar Regions—even farther north than the Northern Wilderness—and dwelled within the sea. They possessed a natural affinity for ice and water, so arriving in the Northern Boundary was like a shark returning to the ocean.

Furthermore, their Chosen One had joined the strongest of the Demon Race Tribes—one that was entrenched at the foot of the Northern Boundary Mountain. They commanded hunting resources for hundreds of miles around and had claimed all the Treasures of Heaven and Earth from the mountain for themselves. Their advantage was immense.

But this group wasn’t the type to stir up trouble. They simply remained at the foot of the Northern Boundary Mountain, quietly managing their own affairs and staying out of worldly conflicts.

Aside from the Chosen One from the Arctic Demon Clan, [Wind] felt that no other demon was worthy of his attention. Among the Human Race, however, there was one person who required special consideration: Jiang Qiu.

Even though his target had kept a low profile and hadn’t caused any trouble for the past decade or so, the mission was the mission. One of his three great tasks in the Northern Boundary was to utterly annihilate Jiang Qiu!

As his thoughts reached this point, [Wind] slightly raised his long, blade-sharp eyebrows and stared at [Black Eagle]. "The North Snow Tribe seems to be one of the four great Main Vein Tribes of the Human Race in the Northern Boundary, but their strength is now inferior to the West Ice Tribe?"

"Yes. The North Snow Tribe is an extremely tenacious tribe among the humans. They have produced several generations of incredibly tyrannical Chosen Ones in the past, and they almost fought their way to our Cold Heaven Cliff..."

[Wind] cut him off. "If we were to wipe out the North Snow Tribe right now, what would be our chances of success?"

[Black Eagle]’s pupils trembled, and he froze for a moment. "You mean *we* should wipe out the North Snow Tribe?"

’The North Snow Tribe was, after all, one of the four strongest human tribes. They were constantly allied with other northern tribes, and there were even signs that the others were beginning to rally around them. How could they be so easy to annihilate?’

"Yes. Tell me what you think."

Light flowed from [Wind]’s cyan eyes, yet they remained as calm as a placid lake.

’Although the Lord Demon King had informed me of some ancient secrets before I came here, there was still much I didn’t understand. For instance, it had taken me the last thirteen years to grasp the power structure of the Northern Boundary through mere fragments of information.’

’I’ve heard the North Snow Tribe was once at its zenith, but I don’t know how strong they were at their Peak. At least, from the looks of it now, the entire Human Race is on the decline.’

[Black Eagle] pondered for a moment, then said seriously, "Although the North Snow Tribe has declined, and indeed the entire Human Race is in decline, a Main Vein Tribe like North Snow still possesses a formidable foundation.

"A thousand years ago, during the era of the previous generation of Chosen Ones, the flock of winged lizards from Black Rock Pit, led by their own Chosen One, invaded the human’s East Shore Tribe. They were repelled by the Chosen One [Food] and a group of Warriors sent as reinforcements from the North Snow Tribe. The lizards’ Chosen One died in battle, and Black Rock Pit has been in decline ever since, only now seeing the rise of a new Chosen One.

"The human ancestors protect them. Even when faced with adversity, or even desperation, they can erupt with unprecedented power. They cannot be underestimated..."

He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. "However, their current generation’s Chosen One has yet to rise to prominence, and there is some friction between the North Snow Tribe and the West Ice Tribe. If we can exploit that, we can severely cripple the North Snow Tribe within three years.

"At that time, we can use their human Ancestral Ruins to lay a trap. We’ll have a chance to deal a heavy blow to the entire Human Race, and even wipe out the North Snow Tribe completely..."

[Wind]’s fingers tapped an orderly rhythm on his palm. He sized up the tall, honest-faced Black Eagle before him with some surprise and chuckled. "So you also harbor ambitions to destroy the Human Race."

[Black Eagle] bowed and nodded, his thirty-foot-tall head lowering until it was level with [Wind] on the great hall’s steps. "The ice and snow of the Northern Boundary exist because of the Human Race. As long as the humans are not extinguished, the Northern Boundary will never know peace."

"Very well. From now on, you will be responsible for operations against the Human Race. I will report this matter to the Great Witch Priestess. For the next three years, the focus will be on inciting conflict between the North Snow and West Ice Tribes. You can periodically dispatch Hunting Teams to the Ice and Snow Ridge to hunt humans and wear down their effective strength."

Upon receiving [Wind]’s command, [Black Eagle]’s heart leaped with joy. "Yes."

’At Cold Heaven Cliff, all demons must obey the Great Witch Priestess’s commands. The Celestial Chosen Demon, [Wind], was the only one who could get close to her. The authority he possessed surpassed that of the various clan chiefs, so there was nothing wrong with him directly commanding me.’

’More importantly, this matter would be reported to the Great Witch Priestess, and I would be entrusted with a great responsibility. I could finally leave my post guarding the Cold Heaven Cave Mansion at Cold Heaven Cliff and do something truly significant for our cause!’

’I was born a demon with considerable talent. Now I’m at the Middle Tier, just a step away from the High Tier, yet I’m stuck with a guard’s post. How could I be content with that?’

’In this life, I must leave my name on the Cold Heaven Stele for future generations to admire!’

"Go. I must continue studying the ancient texts left behind by the Human Race, learn their Cultivation methods, and break through their so-called Iron Flesh Realm."

By the time the words reached him and he looked up again, [Wind]’s silhouette had already melted into the darkness of the great hall. The subtle pressure from his bloodline vanished from [Black Eagle]’s shoulders.

...

A thousand ice mountains clustered together, standing tall like glazed pagodas. Tribespeople in cotton robes bustled through ice caves and grottos, creating a scene of thriving prosperity.

This was the home of the West Ice Tribe, the largest tribe of the Human Race, with a population of several hundred thousand.

CLIP-CLOP, CLIP-CLOP...

The Ice-Hoofed Horses’ icy hooves struck the ground, which was harder than solid ice. The dull, heavy thuds drew the gazes of countless women and children, who all stared intently. "That looks like Second Uncle’s Hunting Team. Why are they back so early? Did they fail? Did they not catch any prey?"

"They look like they’re in a hurry. Did something happen?"

Amidst the murmurs of the crowd, the Warrior leading the group, known as Second Uncle, passed through the houses of ice, dismounted, and hurried toward a Frost Mountain Castle.

A Warrior patrolling inside the ice passage saw him and asked with a puzzled look, "Second Brother, why are you back so soon?"

"I saw the Chosen One from the North Snow Tribe."

Second Uncle tossed out the sentence and hurried deeper into the Ice Mountain Castle, his brow furrowed.

’The current Leader, [War], is a warmonger, and the tribe has been blessed with an exceptionally powerful Chosen One for this generation. If all goes as expected, the Human Race will be unified within seven years.’

’And the greatest obstacle to unifying the Human Race is the North Snow Tribe. Their foundation is no less profound than that of Xibing, and they are tough to the bone. They require the most attention.’

’And the key to dealing with them is their Chosen One.’

’Previously, I knew very little about their Chosen One, but now I’ve seen him with my own eyes—a youth, presumably the one, wielding the Northern Snow Lance and instantly killing a Middle Tier One-eyed Snow Owl!’

’I can’t believe that I, someone responsible for monitoring and guarding the eastern hunting grounds of Ice and Snow Ridge, would be lucky enough to witness the North Snow Tribe’s Chosen One strike down a demon from Cold Heaven Cliff.’

’What a great merit!’

’Now that I know some of the North Snow Tribe’s Chosen One’s capabilities, the plans we’ve long been preparing against them can finally be put into motion!’