The demonic spirit inside Fang Xing had been a problem for quite some time, and he’d been troubled by the complete lack of progress he’d made towards resolving it. He hadn’t expected the Black Ice Order—which he’d seen numerous times in Ying Qiaoqiao’s hand—to have the ability to somewhat suppress the demonic spirit. This was definitely a pleasant surprise, and he’d already started to form all manner of schemes in response. Who knows, perhaps he’d be able to use these Serene Ice Jades to resolve the issue on his own?

　　Fang Xing heard the distant footsteps of Elder Moye leading Ying Qiaoqiao and the rest of the group closer, so he hid the Black Ice Order and dragged the Cui clansmen outside the cottage. Elder Moye and the others he’d brought with him all had pale faces filled with nervousness, and just as they were about to go inside the cottage, Ying Qiaoqiao suddenly started and muttered, “I forgot to bring wine….”

　　“Is this really the time for wine?” Elder Moye whispered with some displeasure, pausing for a moment before continuing, “And just when did you start drinking?”

　　Ying Qiaoqiao’s cheeks flushed before she looked at Fang Xing. “Nevermind!”

　　“I’ll get it for you,” Fang Xing declared with the Cui clansmen still in his hands. “You guys go in first and make sure to shut the doors tight!”

　　Ying Qiaoqiao wanted to say more, but Fang Xing had already started moving towards the spirit ship with the Cui clansmen in his hands. She was worried, but entering the cottage with her people and shutting the doors to activate the formation was a priority.

　　Fang Xing, for his part, had simply used the wine as an excuse to delay returning to the cottage for now. After discovering the special qualities of this Black Ice Order, he decided he’d try to get his hands on more of them. The cold energy contained within these orders was useful for suppressing the demonic spirit, it was just that the strength was a little on the weak side. Perhaps he’d get some good results if he was able to get his hands on more of these Black Ice Orders and use numbers to make up for the lack of strength.

　　With the Cui clansmen still in hand, Fang Xing went to the nearby spirit ship first. Once inside, he took out the one-legged-man lance he’d hidden inside the back of the cabin, rested it on his shoulders, and then reluctantly went back to grab a couple pots of wine to throw into his storage sack. Once that was finished, he took out another storage sack, poured everything inside onto the floor, and then squatted on the floor to think. “I’m still missing something….” Some time later, he finally stood up and dragged the Cui clansmen outside while absorbed in his thoughts.

　　These people couldn’t just be tossed outside. The Cold Soul Valley was simply too harsh and these people were only in Spirit Stage; if he truly left them anywhere outside, they would freeze to death and severe trouble would follow. There were fortunately a few hot springs within Cold Soul Valley, so Fang Xing decided to leave them near these hot springs so they at least wouldn’t freeze to death.

　　—

　　A few guards were standing watch in front of a hot spring in the western part of Cold Soul Valley, but Fang Xing simply activated Levitation and snuck past them without a trace—these guards were only at Spirit Stage and couldn’t so much as sense a single strand of his shadow. Once Fang Xing felt streams of heat rushing towards him from the hot springs, he was convinced it would be fine to dump these people in a place like this.

　　Just as he was about to leave, Fang Xing heard the faint hints of female voices behind a bush of pines and cypress plants. His eyes lit up and he quietly snuck closer.

　　“Hehe, have you heard? Apparently, Melodic Ice Palace’s Miss Ye suffered a huge loss from that little devil….”

　　“Hmph, it’s karma. That woman is just too arrogant—she suffered such a huge loss because the heavens are watching. But speaking of elites, the fact that boy was able to defeat Ye Gu’yin means he should be considered the actual number one top genius in Spirit Stage. Since the Melodic Ice Palace gathered all of the geniuses within Chufung and its surroundings for some big opportunity, what do you think? Do you think Esteemed Senior Hu Qin would send him a Black Ice Order as well?”

　　“Heh, you’d think so, but that boy offended the Melodic Ice Palace. It’s hard to say whether he’ll even survive their retaliation, so how could he get involved in this even if he is talented? We need to take this a bit more seriously, actually. My clan’s esteemed senior advised me over and over that no matter what I do, I must listen to the orders of Esteemed Senior Hu Qin to ensure I definitely gain myself a spot in that big chance….”

　　“Hehehe, why so serious? I still think that little devil will come. Who knows, maybe he’s peeking at us bathing right now.”

　　“I think you’re merely yearning for love. What, you want that little devil to pluck your flower as well?”

　　‘Now that’s going too far!’ Fang Xing thought to himself while hiding behind the bushes. ‘Am I the kind of person who would pick just any flower? It depends on if they’re pretty or not!’ With these thoughts in mind, Fang Xing allowed his spirit sense to seep out and cover the hot springs, using it to imprint the appearance of these two females in his mind. Although these two weren’t as pure and outstanding as Xu Linyun, as delicate and dainty as Ying Qiaoqiao, or close to Xiao Mahn whose appearance could start wars, he was still satisfied to see they were top notch compared to ordinary folk.

　　‘I was missing the final piece for my plan, but you two will do!’ With his decision made, Fang Xing released a low growl and leapt from behind the bushes directly into the hot spring. The water splashed and splattered all over the place, and the two naked women within screamed in fright while crawling towards the spring’s shore.

　　“A robber—”

　　Fang Xing laughed and enclosed his hands within the air, causing both women to be pulled towards him. He swiped his palm against the neck of one woman—immediately causing her to lose consciousness—before moving his attention to the other. “Stupid wh*re, tell your little uncle what opportunity the elites are taking this trial for,” he demanded. “If you don’t speak up, hehehe… your body isn’t half bad….”

　　The woman was scared stiff. As those shining eyes behind the mask gazed at her, it felt as though caterpillars were crawling all over her skin. She drew down into the water with a shiver, hiding everything except her head as she replied, “I… I don’t know…. It was—it was my clan’s senior who spoke…. Others have… said the same thing… about a big opportunity. But what it is exactly, I don’t know, either….”

　　“You know there’s a big opportunity, but don’t know what it is?” Shocked, Fang Xing asked a few more questions in frustration, but it didn’t seem as though the woman was lying and he also heard some footsteps closing in—these women’s screams must have alerted the others. Without delay, he sent this woman unconscious just like he had the other before—with a sly smirk—he pulled out a Flying Sword and began to shave their hair.

　　When the guards finally managed to arrive, they were shocked at what they found. Within the hot spring, the young mistress from the Zhu clan and the elite of the Zhang clan were both lying naked on the side of the hot spring. Not only were they unclothed, but even more noticeable was that they had been shaved bald, with not even a single strand of hair left….

　　“Haha, now my plan can be considered perfect!” Fang Xing muttered to himself while holding two full heads of hair.

　　After returning to the spirit ship, Fang Xing changed into a dress from Ye Gu’yin’s storage sack, placed one of the collections of hair on his head, and moved to Ying Qiaoqiao’s cabin to study himself in the mirror. He gave himself some charming and flirtatious expressions that left him extremely satisfied with his appearance, but after giving it some thought, he took out a white cloth and covered his face.

　　The Mask of Wanluo was able to change a person’s general appearance, but changing hairstyle was difficult. Fang Xing didn’t know how to tie hair into buns like women did, and he’d likely get caught if he tried to do it himself. For that reason, he went out and stole two “wigs” for himself.

　　Swoosh ….

　　He flew into the sky up to the front of a lone spirit vessel before entering it directly.

　　“Who’s there?” a low growl immediately came from the cabins—the people inside were on high alert.

　　Fang Xing sneered before forcing his voice into a high pitch. “Melodic Ice Palace disciple!” he declared while mimicking the cold tone Ye Gu’yin used.

　　“Nn?” Two people came from inside the spirit vessel. One was an early-Foundation Stage elderly man, while the other was a young master in Spirit Stage tier nine. Upon seeing Fang Xing and giving a quick check, the pair’s doubts evaporated and they gave a polite bow. “To have an esteemed fairy arrive so late at night, it is our rudeness for not welcoming you. Please do accept our apologies. What can we do for the esteemed fairy?”

　　Fang Xing pulled out a name plate—also taken from Ye Gu’yin’s storage sack—and quickly waved it before drawing it back before either of them had managed to read it. “I am here in the Cold Soul Valley under orders of my esteemed shifu to collect all Black Ice Orders for another matter. Since you have all already arrived here, there is no need for you to continue keeping it!”

　　“Collecting all of the Black Ice Orders?” The Foundation Stage elder and Spirit Stage youth were filled with surprise. “Is there some underlying meaning behind it?” When they’d received the Black Ice Order, they’d been told the order was proof of their eligibility to become a pupil here. For the order to be collected before the trials had even started, could they have broken some sort of rule and been disqualified?

　　“Uh, no, nothing of the sort. You don’t need to worry; I am merely here to collect these orders under my esteemed shifu’s orders. Everything else is the same as before!” Fang Xing calmly assured them without expression.

　　“If that’s the case, then it’s fine…” The Foundation Stage elder let out a sigh of relief and gestured for the youth to hand over the Black Ice Order.

　　The two of them didn’t doubt Fang Xing’s identity whatsoever. The dress he was wearing not only had the unique embroidery that belonged only to the Melodic Ice Palace, it even had the palace’s emblem as well—this was something nobody could fake. To them, this woman wasn’t only a disciple of the Melodic Ice Palace, she was possibly even someone with high status. As for that name plate, although they hadn’t seen it clearly, it was similar to the name plates the other Melodic Ice Palace disciples had and the aura around it couldn’t be falsified.

　　Fang Xing was filled with joy when he had the Black Ice Order successfully in his hand. Just as he was about to leave, however, he suddenly noticed a rather precious piece of jade worn by the young master. “You two… would you like some inside information?”

　　“Inside information?” The two were struck speechless, hardly willing to believe this female disciple of the Melodic Ice Palace would offer such a thing. It didn’t take long for them to return to their senses, however, and they both gave a hasty bow. “We would love some!”

　　Fang Xing didn’t respond at first, and simply drew his gaze down to the youth’s waist.

　　The young master quickly caught on and removed the jade from his waist. “To thank the esteemed fairy, this shall be a gift of appreciation,” he declared while offering it up with both hands.

　　Fang Xing gave a satisfied nod before grabbing the jade, giving it a quick look, and then placing it in his storage sack. “To proceed further, take over a cottage!” Once that short message was given, Fang Xing floated up into the air and flew away.