Xuanwu War Sovereign

"Puny human, my great club is thirsting for battle!"

Qin Feng had just stepped into the Aries Palace when this absurdly provocative sentence made him chuckle.

Before him stood an Ice Giant. Its rough skin and massive body were formed from ice and snow. Wisps of frigid, icy air gathered and swirled around it, brewing an aura of extreme cold.

It wielded a thick, massive club of ice, its huge eyes seemingly gestating an icy blue light, filled with the power of snow and ice.

This was an Alien Race born from the essence of ice and snow. They were a product of nature, born with control over the power of ice, possessing the tyrannical strength of the Condensing Vein Realm from birth.

This Alien Race had once rampaged through the Ancient Times, with some supreme experts appearing among their ranks. However, as the world changed, they were wiped out in the long river of time, and their traces were rarely seen.

The one before him was a scaled-down version of an Ice Giant. Its power looked terrifying, especially with the swirling, icy air around its body, which gave it a powerful, intimidating presence.

But Qin Feng saw through the Ice Giant’s true nature with a single glance. This big fellow was nothing more than an ice puppet condensed by an Array, possessing only a third of a real Ice Giant’s power.

Still, even with only a third of its power, it was astonishingly strong, enough to look down upon a Martial Artist at the Martial Arts Eighth Layer Peak.

"Come on. The Ancient Ice Giant race is a born warrior clan. Let’s see how much of an Ice Giant’s power you truly possess!" With a wave of his hand, Qin Feng’s figure drifted down lightly, landing in the center of the temple’s arena.

After Qin Feng landed in the arena, the Ice Giant seemed to have been triggered by something crucial. The rigidness in its ice-blue, snowy eyes vanished, replaced by a hint of life.

"Frost Stomp!" As the Ice Giant was born from the icy air, it let out a massive roar. It spread its arms, and a terrifying club shadow descended along with a torrent of frigid ice!

Frost Stomp, one of the Three Extremes of Ice Soul, was one of the Ice Giant’s three strongest innate talents!

With a swing of its club, roiling cold air condensed upon it, transforming into countless overlapping afterimages that filled the sky.

’As expected of an Alien Race born from ice and snow! I can’t underestimate it!’ Qin Feng’s eyes grew serious. He executed the Clear Wind Refining God Step, and his figure vanished like a gentle breeze. Having comprehended the Wind Realm, he was like a wisp of wind, able to slip through any crack.

He reappeared a hundred paces away.

BOOM!

Back at his original position, the massive club shadow slammed into the ground. The earth rippled like a wave, and a layer of cold energy spread out from the Ice Giant with the shockwave, erupting from the ground like thorny ridges piercing the earth.

Qin Feng floated up lightly like a falling leaf, landing on a protruding ice spike. A single glance revealed that there was barely any ground left to stand on!

"Cold Ice Aura!" Seeing Qin Feng dodge, the Ice Giant roared. The wisps of ice and snow around it vibrated in a terrifying pattern, condensing into a massive icy halo that enveloped the Aries Palace.

’A Pseudo Realm Ability?’ A chill ran down Qin Feng’s spine. He suddenly felt countless streams of icy air in the atmosphere pressing in on him, freezing his body in place and rendering him immobile!

Cold Ice Aura, another one of the Three Extremes of Ice Soul, was also one of the Ice Giant’s innate abilities!

The Cold Ice Aura was similar to the Domain Ability of a Sea of Reincarnation Strongman. However, it was countless times weaker and could only be considered a Pseudo Realm.

Even so, Qin Feng found it extremely troublesome. At the very least, this ability completely countered his Clear Wind Refining God Step.

His body was temporarily frozen, but Qin Feng’s expression remained calm. With the Cold Ice Aura cast, he expected the Ice Giant would soon unleash its third innate talent.

’That will be the perfect moment for me to strike!’

"Frost Roar!" Just as Qin Feng predicted, the Ice Giant began to inhale a massive amount of the abundant cold air from the Snowfield. A terrifying chill condensed in its gaping, blood-red maw, which grew larger and larger.

A dreadful premonition flashed through Qin Feng’s mind. The extremely condensed Ice Power in the Ice Giant’s mouth put him under immense pressure.

’I can’t let it unleash Frost Roar!’ A sharp glint flashed in Qin Feng’s eyes.

As the Frost Roar was being prepared, part of the Cold Ice Aura’s power was diverted, and the freezing force on him loosened!

Qin Feng saw his opening. Surging Innate Primordial True Qi, like wind and thunder, broke free from the Cold Ice Aura’s hold, tearing open a small gap. In that instant, a cold light shot out from the sheath in his hand.

CLANG! The Ancient Sword let out a roar. The sword light coiled like a dragon as it flew from its sheath. Like a bolt of lightning tearing through the sky, it blasted into the Ice Giant’s mouth!

BOOM!

The longsword burst out through the back of its head. The Ice Giant tilted its head back and let out an unwilling roar. With a violent blast of ice and snow, the gathered icy energy exploded, and the Ice Giant’s massive body was suddenly blown to pieces.

At the same time, an All Stars Token emerged from within the ice and snow.

Watching the Ice Giant’s destruction, just as Qin Feng thought the All Stars Token was about to fall, a sudden change occurred! From within the boundless cold air, an incomparably wild and primal roar echoed once more.

Before Qin Feng’s astonished eyes, the figure of an exceptionally burly giant emerged from the endless cold. It was as if it had walked out of the river of time, re-condensing its body of ice and snow.

This was a true Ice Giant. Its frigid eyes could freeze a person’s soul. Its entire body radiated a primal aura of the ancient Barbaric Wilderness that the previous Ice Giant had lacked. Its every move exuded immense pressure!

Qin Feng’s expression changed. "It even has an Ice Soul!"

The Ice Soul was a Sacred Object left behind after a powerful member of the Ancient Ice Giant race underwent Nirvana. It was also known as an Ice and Snow Relic. The Ice and Snow Relic contained the lifelong essence of an Ice Giant and was a Supreme Treasure.

According to legend, the Ice and Snow Relic also contained a trace of the Ice Giant’s Spiritual Essence from after its Nirvana. If the opportunity was right, it could be re-nurtured and reborn amidst the ice and snow. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

A majestic, icy pressure unfurled. The Ice Giant solidified bit by bit as its aura began to skyrocket: from the Martial Arts Eighth Layer Peak, it instantly broke through to the Martial Arts Ninth Layer Heaven—Early Stage of Martial Arts Ninth Layer, Martial Arts Ninth Layer Middle Stage, Late-stage Martial Arts Ninth Layer, and finally, the Martial Arts Ninth Layer Peak. It was just a hair’s breadth away from breaking through to the Condensing Vein Realm.

The terrifying aura, like the calm before a storm, bore down on Qin Feng with dreadful pressure, carrying with it an endless scent of death.

’With the power of the Ice Soul, this Ice Giant can display at least sixty percent of its full strength!’

’Who’s pulling strings behind the scenes?!’ Qin Feng’s face was so dark it looked like water could drip from it. He had clearly shattered the Ice Giant’s body. It was impossible for it to revive, so how had it come back to life?

Not only that, but it had gone from a pop gun to a cannon, gaining an Ice Soul! It was a complete upgrade!

Clearly, someone was playing tricks in the dark!

High above, the moment he saw the strange event in the Aries Palace, Li Zhong’s expression turned ugly. He stared angrily at the lazy young man nearby. "Junior Brother Le, you’ve gone too far! You actually activated the Ice Soul in the Array Hub!"

Le Ming glanced coldly at the Aries Palace, the corner of his mouth curling into a frosty smile. Looking back at Li Zhong’s furious face, he spread his hands and said with a roguish grin, "Senior Brother Li, you’re wrongly accusing me. The Ice Soul awakened on its own. What does that have to do with me!"

"Besides," Le Ming said, beaming, "you were right next to me. How could I have done anything?"

"What do you mean it has nothing to do with you! You were in control of this Ice Soul the whole time! If you hadn’t tampered with it, how could it have awakened!" Li Zhong’s face was flushed with anger, his chest heaving violently.

"Senior Brother Li, it was just an accident," the woman in red said coldly. "This is a trial set up by the sect, after all. We can’t control every aspect of it."

"If you have to blame someone, blame Qin Feng for his bad luck!"

’These people are absolutely shameless!’ Li Zhong’s eyes were as ferocious as a tiger’s; he felt the urge to go berserk!

"Enough, Junior Brother Li! This is a trial. Since it’s a trial, it’s natural for there to be tests. This kind of sudden situation is also a form of testing. Since you handpicked this boy, he can be considered a half-disciple of our Star Sect. How can someone who wants to become a disciple of our Star Sect not even be able to withstand a few waves? If he really can’t withstand even a few small waves, what right does he have to enter the Star Sect!" Jiang Fei was clearly on the side of the experts from Jiaomu Peak, and he spoke in a stiff, formal tone.

"A ’few small waves’ indeed!" Li Zhong laughed in fury. The Ice Giant had now become a terrifying monster at the Half-Step Condensing Vein Realm. For a Martial Artist who had just entered the Innate realm, it couldn’t be clearer what that meant.

One had to understand that even if the strongest few from this year’s batch were to face this monster, their chances of survival would be slim!

These people were twisting black and white, dismissing the situation with a casual phrase like "a few small waves." It was simply going too far!

(This is the third update. There will be three more tomorrow. Thanks to all my brothers for your recommendation tickets~)