"Martial Uncle, my master is Qiao Yanyun, the Pavilion Master of the Treasure Pill Pavilion."
Despite her burning anxiety, Lin Yueru patiently replied to Chi Ling.
Having mistaken someone earlier, she had become wiser and no longer addressed Chi Ling by name, opting instead to call her Martial Uncle.
"What a bright child," Chi Ling said, her face full of admiration. The more she looked at Lin Yueru, the more she liked her. She also approved of her sister's discerning eye.
Moreover, fostering a good relationship with Qiao Yanyun, that old fellow, would bring many benefits.
If the two families could become even closer, then it would be easier for her and her sister to ask Old Man Qiao for any medicinal pills they needed in the future.
With this thought in mind, Chi Ling's gaze towards Lin Yueru changed.
Sensing the shift in Chi Ling's gaze, Lin Yueru suddenly recalled something her master, Qiao Yanyun, had mentioned. Her face turned even more flushed.
Lin Yichen and the others, naturally unaware of the intricacies of the situation, saw Lin Yueru's face change drastically and assumed something had happened.
"Yueru, what's wrong?" Lu Xiaoyu asked with concern. Lin Yichen and the others also looked at her anxiously.
They worried that Qian Wenchao might have injured Lin Yueru and that her injuries had not yet fully healed.
Faced with their questions, Lin Yueru was unsure whether to answer or not, finding herself in a dilemma.
She was not good at interacting with people in the first place, and in this situation, her face turned bright red.
...
"Elder, do I really have to go to this so-called Cold Ice Cave and reflect for a month?"
In the grand hall of the Discipline Peak, Zhang Ergou looked nervously at Jin Yuan. Though his hopes were slim, he still wished to hear a negative answer from Jin Yuan.
"Nonsense, do you think I'm just playing around with my decisions?"
Although he intended to favor Zhang Ergou, Jin Yuan did not have a good impression of the boy. If it weren't for the boy's reckless behavior, he wouldn't be in such a difficult position.
Now, not only had he offended that scoundrel Xu Chengtao, but he had also earned a reputation for being dictatorial.
This was something that had never happened in all his years of cultivation.
It was all Zhang Ergou's fault. If it weren't for the veiled information subtly revealed by those powerful figures in secret, Jin Yuan would have wanted to punish the boy even more severely.
Now, the boy shamelessly asked if his decision would be enforced, and Jin Yuan felt a surge of anger.
"Brat, if someone wasn't protecting you, do you think I would offend an Elder for you!"
Jin Yuan glanced at Zhang Ergou and said irritably.
"Someone is protecting me?" Zhang Ergou's heart skipped a beat. He knew very few people in the inner sect.
Apart from his master Chi Yu and Chi Ling, it was only Lin Yichen and a few others.
Chi Ling and Chi Yu's cultivation was at most at the peak of the Golden Core stage, not much different from Xu Chengtao's. They might have been able to command a little respect from Jin Yuan.
However, given Jin Yuan's behavior towards Xu Chengtao, it was definitely not them.
Lin Yichen and the others were even less likely.
Thinking this, Zhang Ergou became increasingly bewildered. Someone was protecting him, so that person's cultivation must be far superior to Jin Yuan's, otherwise, Jin Yuan would not have been so unfairly biased.
As the person involved, Zhang Ergou naturally knew that Jin Yuan's judgment was intentional.
Ever since entering the Discipline Peak hall, he had felt something was amiss. Now, hearing Jin Yuan's words, all the inexplicable matters made sense.
However, who was this person in Jin Yuan's mouth who was protecting him? Zhang Ergou had no clue.
"Let's go, I'll take you to the Cold Ice Cave to receive your punishment."
Jin Yuan didn't give Zhang Ergou a chance to react. He grabbed Zhang Ergou and flew towards a certain area of the inner sect.
After flying for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Jin Yuan finally slowed down.
What appeared before him exceeded Zhang Ergou's imagination, for he saw a snowy mountain. For dozens of miles around, nothing grew, and everything was covered in snow.
Zhang Ergou had never heard of such a place within the inner sect.
In fact, the location of the Cold Ice Cave had always been a secret of the Misty Sect's inner sect. Only the peak masters of the main peaks and the Sect Master of the Misty Sect knew of it.
Even ordinary elders had only heard of such a place but had never been there and did not know its exact location.
This was because the Cold Ice Cave was located in another space, which had been separated into its own realm by formations set up by the powerful figures of the Misty Sect.
Even if someone arrived, without knowing the method to enter, they could not get in.
"Elder, why is it all snow here?"
Zhang Ergou asked, his face full of surprise. The Misty Sect was currently in the hot season, a time for plants and spirit herbs to flourish.
Suddenly seeing a vast expanse of snowy mountains stretching as far as the eye could see, Zhang Ergou was naturally filled with questions. Su Dan Novel Network
Jin Yuan cautiously looked around. After his divine sense detected no anomalies, he turned back to explain to Zhang Ergou.
"This place is a treasure that the first Sect Master of our Misty Sect obtained from elsewhere in the early days of the sect's establishment. He then used formations to isolate it into a realm. This snow mountain is called the Ice Cold Snow Mountain."
"It is said that this snow mountain has the effect of improving a cultivator's cultivation, but it requires the cultivator's cultivation technique's attribute to match this snow mountain."
"The higher the match between the cultivator's spiritual roots and the snow mountain, the faster their cultivation will improve here."
"However, as time passed, fewer and fewer cultivators in our Misty Sect could match the Ice Cold Snow Mountain. Gradually, this place became a place to punish disciples who made mistakes."
"And the Cold Ice Cave I mentioned earlier is located in the center of the Ice Cold Snow Mountain. The cold air there is biting, requiring cultivators to continuously use spiritual energy to adapt to the cold."
"With your current cultivation, staying there for a month will be your limit."
Zhang Ergou had always thought this place of punishment was originally meant for disciplining disciples, but he never expected there to be such a story behind it.
Looking at the expanse of white in front of him, Zhang Ergou slowly adapted to his surroundings. He could now see that the snow mountain was not just covered in snow.
It was only because he had just entered and had not adapted to the strong light that he saw a sheet of white.
Once his eyes adjusted to the environment, Zhang Ergou discovered that there was indeed something extraordinary here. He even saw spirit beasts running on the snow mountain.
"Elder, are there demonic beasts here?"
Zhang Ergou pointed to an area and asked. Jin Yuan followed Zhang Ergou's gaze and then nodded.
"The spiritual energy contained in the Ice Cold Snow Mountain is extremely special, but its concentration is more than double that of the outside world. Therefore, not only has it nurtured numerous spirit beasts, but there are also many rare spirit grasses and medicinal materials here."
Seeing Zhang Ergou's eager expression, Jin Yuan knew what the boy was thinking.
"However, I must warn you, the Ice Cold Snow Mountain is not safe. Even I wouldn't dare to explore the depths of the snow mountain alone. I advise you to behave yourself and spend your month in the Cold Ice Cave peacefully."
Zhang Ergou nodded, outwardly agreeing to Jin Yuan's terms.