Sealing

Jiang Lin nodded to show he understood.

“Second, thorough refinement.”

Loren held up his second finger.

“Once your fragment has absorbed enough ice soul power and grown to its limit, you must thoroughly refine and integrate it into your own body under the dual tempering of extreme cold and sword intent.

“This step is the most perilous. If you are even slightly careless, you will be consumed by the ice soul power and frozen into an ice sculpture. But if you succeed, you will gain...”

He paused and slowly spat out four words:

“Soul-targeting attack.”

Jiang Lin’s eyes lit up.

He had previously guessed what kind of ability this crystal might grant him.

Now, his suspicions were confirmed.

That was right. The “Eternal Ice Soul” could indeed grant him abilities beyond simple ice-elemental affinity!

“Frost ghosts can freeze the soul precisely because their essence is a fusion of ice soul power and a soul,” Loren explained.

“Once you have thoroughly refined the fragment, your attacks will possess the same properties.

“Each strike will not only damage the physical body but also strike directly at the soul.

“To most living beings, this kind of attack is impossible to guard against and extremely difficult to heal.”

Soul-targeting attack!

Jiang Lin felt a surge of excitement.

“Thank you for your guidance, Master!”

Jiang Lin bowed once more.

Loren waved his hand dismissively:

“Don’t be in such a hurry to thank me.

“The danger of refining the fragment is far beyond your imagination. A single misstep could result in your soul being scattered.

“Moreover, before you can refine it, you must first survive.”

He turned and walked toward the entrance:

“Let’s go. I will take you to hunt frost ghosts. While we are at it, let me see your actual combat ability.”

The aurora flowed across the sky, shrouding Frostblade Peak in a dreamlike blue-purple glow.

Jiang Lin followed Loren out of the ice-crystal pavilion, descending the mountain along a winding ice path.

Beneath his feet was solid ice that never melted, smooth as a mirror, yet due to some unknown power, he felt no slipperiness while walking upon it.

“There are quite a few frost ghosts on the outskirts of the Extreme Ice Abyss, but they are sparsely distributed.”

Loren walked in front, his voice as cold as an icy spring.

“They retain some of the instincts of the ice soul guards and will actively attack any living creature that enters their territory.

“But for you right now, rank-3 to rank-4 frost ghosts should pose no threat.”

Jiang Lin nodded, his right hand gripping empty air as the Eight Extremities Holy Sword condensed in his palm.

The white-gold blade was wreathed in icy-blue chill, refracting gorgeous halos of light under the aurora.

After walking for about half an hour, the ice path gradually disappeared, replaced by rugged ice plains.

Ahead, a forest of jagged ice pillars appeared. The pillars, of varying heights, looked like the fangs of a giant beast, casting twisted shadows under the aurora.

“We are here.” Loren stopped. “This ice pillar forest is one of the territories of the outer-rim frost ghosts; there are about seven or eight inside. Go in yourself, and I will watch from here.”

Jiang Lin took a deep breath and stepped into the ice pillar forest.

A biting cold rushed toward him, even more piercing than outside.

His 【Phantom Step · Shadow Wind】 perception expanded to its limit, and every trace of airflow and energy fluctuation around him was clearly reflected in his mind.

Thirty zhang away, behind the third ice pillar on the left, a deep-blue figure was slowly moving.

“Found you.”

Jiang Lin tapped his toes, his figure like smoke as he glided toward his target without a sound.

The first frost ghost had just sensed the approaching danger when Jiang Lin’s sword arrived.

First style · Frost Condensation!

The sword strike was traceless, save for a point of frost that suddenly appeared on the frost ghost’s brow. Its entire body froze in place, its deep-blue glow dimmed sharply, and its semi-transparent icy physique shattered inch by inch, turning into a pile of ice crystals.

A wisp of deep-blue light drifted out and submerged into Jiang Lin’s chest.

The ice-blue crystal in his dantian vibrated gently and grew a fraction larger.

“Too weak.”

Jiang Lin shook his head slightly.

This kind of peak rank-3 frost ghost was no longer a threat to him.

He did not linger and continued deeper.

The second, the third, the fourth...

With the death of every frost ghost, a wisp of ice soul essence was absorbed by the crystal.

Jiang Lin could clearly feel the crystal growing at a steady pace. The deep-blue light within it became increasingly solid, and its resonance with his own magic essence grew stronger.

When the fifth frost ghost fell, the crystal had grown from the size of an egg to that of an infant’s fist.

Jiang Lin stood with his sword sheathed, about to continue deeper, when he suddenly felt a warning sign.

In his 【Phantom Step · Shadow Wind】 perception, an energy fluctuation far stronger than the others was rapidly approaching from the depths of the ice pillar forest.

He sidestepped, and a deep-blue ray grazed his cheek, striking the ice pillar behind him and instantly freezing it into an eerie deep blue before it crumbled into countless ice shards.

The attacker was a frost ghost significantly larger in size, standing over three meters tall. Its body was no longer semi-transparent but a solid, deep blue, with light flowing within it as if it were physical.

Rank-4 commander-tier!

“Finally, one worth fighting.”

Jiang Lin’s gaze sharpened, and instead of retreating, he advanced!

The Eight Extremities Holy Sword flared with light, and the icy-blue chill wreathed around the blade suddenly condensed into a thin layer of ice armor covering the edge.

This was a new application he had realized after breaking the limits of the 【Ice Flower Nine Styles】: using ice soul power to strengthen the blade, significantly increasing the power of his strikes.

The frost ghost spread its arms, the surrounding temperature plummeted, and dozens of deep-blue rays erupted simultaneously, weaving into an inescapable web of death!

Jiang Lin tapped his toes repeatedly, pushing 【Phantom Step · Shadow Wind】 to its limit, his figure weaving between the rays and leaving behind over a dozen afterimages.

Those rays pierced the afterimages, yet they could never lock onto his true body.

Within three breaths, he had closed within ten zhang of the frost ghost.

Eighth style · Extreme Cold!

A point of icy-blue light at the tip of his sword collapsed violently and then expanded into an ice ring.

The frost ghost’s body stiffened suddenly, its movements slowing by half a beat.

Now!

Jiang Lin gripped the hilt with both hands, the tip of his sword pointing straight at the deep-blue core in the frost ghost’s chest.

Ninth style · Eternal Ice Flower!

Sword light flashed, leaving a pale trail of frost in its wake; even the air was frozen.

“Crack—”

The tip of the sword pierced the core precisely. The frost ghost’s body shuddered violently, and countless fine cracks appeared on its surface.

It tried to emit a silent screech, but the cracks had already spread over its entire body. Finally, it exploded with a bang, turning into a sky full of ice crystals.

A wisp of deep-blue light as thick as a thumb drifted out and merged into Jiang Lin’s chest.

The crystal in his dantian vibrated violently, its light flaring. The deep-blue radiance inside swirled as if boiling, eventually slowing down as its volume grew another size.

“The essence of a rank-4 commander-tier frost ghost is indeed much richer.”

Jiang Lin nodded with satisfaction.

“Not bad.”

Loren’s voice sounded from behind.

Jiang Lin turned and found that at some point, Loren had appeared atop an ice pillar ten zhang away, his robes fluttering slightly in the wind.

“Your footwork was applied appropriately, your sword techniques connected smoothly, and your mobilization of ice soul power was just right.”

Loren leaped down from the ice pillar and walked over slowly.

“The only problem is, you rely too much on pre-judgment.”

He paused, his purple eyes staring straight at Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin was startled.

“Your eyes... you can briefly see the future, right?”

Loren said indifferently.

Jiang Lin’s heart shook, but he immediately felt relieved.

At Master Loren’s level, it was no surprise that he could see through this.

“Yes, Master.”

“It is a rare talent, but it must not become a crutch.”

Loren’s tone was calm.

“In real combat, some opponents will interfere with your pre-judgment, create illusions, and use your own pre-judgment to counter you.

“Over-relying on it will only limit your growth.”

The next moment, Loren’s figure, which had previously been impossible to see clearly through the 【Chronowalker's Evil Eye】, suddenly became clear.

Jiang Lin could actually see the phantom of the other’s future!!

He saw him raise his right hand, his index and middle fingers together, and tap lightly.

An icy-blue sword qi condensed out of thin air and pierced straight toward Jiang Lin’s brow at an unimaginable speed!

A vision of the next second flashed in his mind.

The sword qi would turn the moment he dodged, sealing all retreat.

He immediately changed strategy, advancing instead of retreating, while swinging the Eight Extremities Holy Sword horizontally, attempting to counter attack.

But the next instant, the sword qi dissipated prematurely the moment he swung his sword, only to re-condense on the other side and pierce toward his back.

His pre-judgment had been pre-judged!

Jiang Lin’s pupils shrank. He had no time to change his move and could only use 【Phantom Step · Shadow Wind】 to forcibly twist his body, dodging by a hair’s breadth.

The sword qi grazed his back, leaving a deep mark on his constant-temperature protective suit.

“Do you see?”

Loren withdrew his hand and stood with his hands behind his back.

“Your pre-judgment is like a child showing their cards to someone else in my eyes.

“I can easily create illusions and lead you to make the wrong reaction.”

Jiang Lin was silent for a moment, then bowed deeply:

“Thank you for your guidance, Master.”

“Your pre-judgment talent is very strong, but if you truly wish to reach the peak, you must learn to fight without relying on it.

“Otherwise, when you meet a master, it is very easy to be seen through and misled.”

Loren turned around.

“Continue.

“There is another rank-4 commander-tier frost ghost deep in this ice pillar forest.

“This time, you are not allowed to use those eyes of yours.”

Jiang Lin took a deep breath and closed his right eye.

The pre-judgment of the future he had grown accustomed to disappeared, and Jiang Lin felt the world become less clear.

However, in terms of perception, he still had 【Phantom Step · Shadow Wind】 and the instincts honed by countless battles.

Exhaling a breath, Jiang Lin stepped forward and continued deeper.

Deep in the ice pillar forest, an even larger frost ghost was floating silently.

Its body was already a dark, near-ink blue, and the light flowing within it was like a burning deep-blue flame, with visible icy cold currents wreathing its body.

It was still a rank-4 commander-tier.

But this time, Jiang Lin did not have the pre-judgment brought by the 【Chronowalker's Evil Eye】.

Jiang Lin did not hesitate and advanced with his sword!

The battle entered a white-hot state from the very beginning.

Without pre-judgment, he could only rely on pure perception and instinct.

The frost ghost’s deep-blue rays were dense as rain, and every dodge he made was a narrow escape.

But it was in these dodges that Jiang Lin’s brain was spinning at high speed, consuming far more mental effort in battle than when he was simply judging future phantoms.

At the same time, his spirit was more focused. Jiang Lin felt that his state in battle had become even more concentrated because of the disappearance of his “pre-judgment.”

The ice shields condensed by the frost ghost were layered, and every strike he made required his full effort.

He could no longer rely on “pre-judgment” to target defensive weaknesses.

But Jiang Lin’s expression grew more and more excited.

He discovered that when he no longer relied on pre-judgment, his grasp of the battlefield became more “real.”

Every sword strike he swung was no longer adjusted according to a foreseen trajectory, but was a judgment made in an instant.

This feeling was like casting off shackles, allowing his body’s instincts to be completely liberated.

Thirty strikes, fifty strikes, one hundred strikes...

When the frost ghost finally shattered with a bang under his continuous attacks.

However, unlike last time, Jiang Lin was covered in blood and had suffered significant injuries.

After all, he was still rank-2; his ability to crush most rank-4s before was partly due to his reliance on the 【Chronowalker's Evil Eye】.

For instance, when he fought Master Groot, if he hadn’t had the 【Chronowalker's Evil Eye】 to predict the other’s moves, he likely would have been taken down directly.

Still, the injuries on his body were not too severe, and he used 【High-level Healing】 to heal himself a few times.

Yet, his eyes shone with an excited light.

“How does it feel?”

Loren’s voice came.

“Very good.”

Jiang Lin wiped the ice shards from his face.

“Better than ever.”

Loren nodded slightly, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his purple eyes:

“Remember this feeling.

“Pre-judgment is a tool, not a crutch.

“Can you not deactivate this pair of eyes voluntarily?”

Hearing this, Jiang Lin nodded:

“That’s right.”

Loren pondered for a moment and said:

“Then would you like me to help you seal them?”

Jiang Lin was stunned.

Seal them? What did that mean?

Master could even directly seal his own talent??

Then, before Jiang Lin could answer, a flash of sword light came toward him.

It was so fast that it was far beyond the time Jiang Lin could react.

The next moment, Jiang Lin only felt a pain in his right eye, and then he could no longer open it!

What was the meaning of this? Did he just blind himself??!!!

But this thought only surfaced for a split second before being snuffed out.

His cheap master shouldn’t be so abstract as to do this.

To destroy his talent just to restrict him from using it...

He moved his right eye and found that his eyeball and everything else were still there, and his light perception was fine; his vision should be intact.

It was just that he couldn’t open his right eyelid for the time being.

“I have set a seal on your right eye that you cannot break voluntarily.

“However, the sword qi remaining on it should be enough to help you withstand one fatal attack below rank-6.

“If it is an attack above rank-6, you should still use other life-saving items.

“After all, the main purpose of this sword qi is to help you control the power of using that talent of yours.

“After the sword qi is used, you will be able to break the seal yourself and use the ability of that eye.

“And after the seal is broken, if I am not by your side, you can inject magic essence into the seal yourself.

“Once you inject enough, your right eye will be sealed again.

“Only in this way can you train your perception and combat ability in battle.

“Otherwise, you rely too much on your eyes, which will make your actual combat ability low.”

Loren said from the side.

Hearing these words, Jiang Lin bowed to Loren:

“Thank you for your guidance, Master. This disciple has learned much.”

Afterward, Loren continued:

“I can clearly feel that your combat ability dropped by more than just a little bit after losing those eyes of yours.

“This should be due to how much you relied on those eyes in the past.

“Spend some time afterward getting familiar with the feeling of not being able to see the future.

“And raise your true combat experience to a passable level.”