After arriving at the palace, we were treated with the utmost courtesy.
The reason was simple. Unlike outside, the palace was filled with martial artists of a higher caliber, and just like the envoy, they could recognize Seol Ri-hyang at a single glance.
And well. The martial level of the rest of our party, myself included, was probably one of the reasons too.
The North Sea Ice Palace's average martial strength was among the top in the Central Plains. The number of Peak Realm and Transcendent Peak martial artists was truly staggering.
But there was no Harmony Realm martial artist. In such a situation, with two absolute masters arriving, it was only natural that they would be on edge and put extra effort into their hospitality.
"…It feels uncomfortable to have them watching our every move like this."
"If you told them not to watch, they'd only become more uncomfortable, Seomun Senior Hwa-rin."
"I am well aware of that much."
Seomun Hwa-rin shrugged her shoulders. I slipped my hand into the back of her collar.
"Eek?!"
She had just entered the room, and the shock of my ice-cold hand against her skin made her jump in place.
Even if one had achieved the state of being impervious to cold, the sensation of coldness itself did not disappear; when a cold wind blew, the body would still cool down. It was just that the chill could not affect her.
"H-How dare you do something so cruel to me…!"
Seomun Hwa-rin wrapped both hands around the back of her neck and shot me a resentful glare.
No, she didn't stop at just a glare—as if to return the favor, she reached her arm toward the back of my neck. But being short, she couldn't reach.
"Eek! Eek!"
Even jumping up and down, she could only brush the back of my neck with her fingertips—there was no way she could slip her hand in the way I had done to her.
Perhaps because of her youthful appearance, the sight was so endearing that the tension around us was just beginning to ease.
"Where do you keep running off to?!"
When her hand couldn't reach, Seomun Hwa-rin simply stepped through the air to match my height.
She shoved her cold hand deep into the back of my collar, and only then nodded in satisfaction.
"Hehe. How does it feel to have the favor returned? If you tease me again next time… Hm? Why is everyone bowing their heads?"
"Well, that's because Senior Seomun Hwa-rin is the kind of person who would use Air Stepping just to play a prank. It's only natural that people avoid even meeting your eyes, so as not to give you an excuse to pick on them."
"What?! You were the one who started it, so why are you afraid of me?!"
"Senior Seomun Hwa-rin was the one who used Air Stepping the moment I played a small prank to untie it."
"But I'm this cute…!"
"…?"
It was a fair point, but hearing her say it with her own mouth made it feel a bit off.
Anyway, our playful banter lasted only a moment. Before long, we arrived in front of the reception room, and I fell silent, lightly smoothing out my clothes.
Even if the Ice Palace Lord's martial level was lower than mine, wasn't she still the ruler of this place? The North Sea was beyond the reach of the Imperial Court, so her position was closer to that of a king than a sect leader.
If that was the case, shouldn't I at least observe the minimum courtesy?
As I was tidying myself up, the door opened as if timed to match.
The interior was covered entirely in white, as if snow had fallen. At the far end stood a high altar and an ornate chair, but…
"Welcome!"
The Ice Palace Lord herself greeted us not seated on the chair, but standing. She even descended from the altar and walked directly to where we stood.
"I received word in advance and have been waiting! I am Seol Dan-cheon, the Palace Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace. I also go by the alias Ice Soul White Fist, but call me whatever you prefer."
Like Bing Yerin, her hair was dyed a white tinged with blue. She seemed fairly old, yet her delicate face was completely free of beard. She was tall, but her muscles were unremarkable, making her seem slightly frail.
However, that did not mean the Ice Palace Lord was weak. Though she had a gentle impression, she was clearly a master who had reached the Transcendent Peak, and she possessed internal energy so profound it was excessive for her level.
I suspect that in terms of sheer internal energy, she might even have more than me. But since the efficiency changes the moment Intent is mixed in, comparison is meaningless.
Aside from that, one peculiar thing was that unlike most people of the North Sea, she had green eyes rather than blue.
The reason the Palace Lord's eyes stood out to me was that her gaze felt transparent, as if it could see right through me.
It wasn't a pressure born of martial might, but something strange emanating from the person herself. Yet it didn't feel unpleasant.
It was only a first impression, so I couldn't be certain, but… I thought I understood why no one among the many Transcendent Peak martial artists had objected to the current Ice Palace Lord taking her position.
While I paused to study the Ice Palace Lord, Tang So-wol stepped forward and greeted her with a gentle demeanor befitting a young lady of a noble house—something I hadn't heard from her in a long time.
"We are grateful for such a warm welcome. I am Tang So-wol of the Sichuan Tang Clan."
"I've heard of you. They say you're unrivaled in the Central Plains when it comes to poisons and hidden weapons."
"It's an honor that our Tang Clan is known even in such a distant place. This is my fiancé—"
Tang So-wol smoothly kept the conversation going, introducing the others one by one.
The Ice Palace Lord's attitude was generally amicable, but when exchanging greetings with me and Seomun Hwa-rin, a faint tension could be felt.
It was a bit much to attribute simply to standing before martial artists stronger than herself…
Well, Bing Yerin must have sent a letter along with the stories she'd heard about me and Seomun Hwa-rin in the Central Plains.
After all, even the Tang Clan does a bit of simple background research to avoid making mistakes with visiting guests.
The problem was that the information on me and Seomun Hwa-rin was rather bloodcurdling.
Seomun Hwa-rin might enjoy a peaceful life now, but in the past, she lived a life so drenched in blood that there wasn't a soul who hadn't heard of her.
And in my case—hadn't I single-handedly wiped out the Heavenly Poison Sect not long ago?
As the Ice Palace Lord, she couldn't help but feel tense. …Seol Ri-hyang, on the other hand, had her eyes wide open and was exclaiming in admiration without pause.
"It's Seol Ri-hyang…"
"Oh! So you're that one!"
"Ye-yes. I don't know what you've heard, but if it's about someone who practices Glacier True Energy, that would be me."
"I received a letter from the Divine Maiden beforehand, so I already knew! You said you practice the Glacier True Energy that was stolen a few years ago? Don't worry about that. I didn't know the original would be stolen, but I made several copies and made them public in various places."
"Ah, thank you?"
"I heard you handle it uniquely by mixing the Yin Art with Yin-Cold Energy Cultivation. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, could you show me a little?"
"You've even invited me here, so that much is only natural…"
Seol Ri-hyang nodded reluctantly and opened her mouth slightly. Then a clear voice burst forth.
It was a simple vocalization—neither loud nor employing any special technique. Pure cold energy coiled around her, riding that voice.
But it didn't end there. Perhaps it was due to the unique environment of the North Sea. The surrounding cold began to resonate with her voice and energy, layering itself on as if responding to her.
Like a snowball rolling and swelling in size, the cold energy carried by Seol Ri-hyang's voice began to grow.
"Huuuuh…!"
At this point, the Ice Palace Lord was beyond admiration—he was stunned.
When Seol Ri-hyang closed her mouth and gathered her energy, his voice, which had been standing there dumbfounded for a long while, quickened slightly.
"Well done. Truly… truly beyond anything I imagined!"
"Heh heh. I'm a little embarrassed."
Praise always feels good. As Seol Ri-hyang's lips twitched while she held back a smile, the Ice Palace Lord, his face full of relief and satisfaction, let out a sigh of relief.
"Excellent! You said your name is Seol Ri-hyang? It's a coincidence, but this Palace Lord shares the same surname. No, perhaps in the distant past, one of your ancestors was from the North Sea."
"Th-that's probably not the case? My family knew nothing of martial arts, and my grandfather said we were natives of that region for generations."
"Is that so? It's not really important anyway. If you stay here and become the Young Palace Mistress, I'll adopt you directly, so it's just a matter of fitting it together."
"Huh?"
"Everything you've seen since arriving here, I'll make it yours. Including the martial arts."
As he said this, the Ice Palace Lord raised his fist and concentrated his internal energy.
White cold energy began to burn like a flame atop his fist, oddly enough.
It wasn't a Qi Flame forged by pouring in a great deal of internal energy. It was a phenomenon born from an unusually dense chill concentrated into an ordinary level of Fist Energy.
When you leave something cold out in hot weather, a heat haze forms around it, doesn't it? Astonishingly, he had accomplished exactly that here, of all places, in the North Sea.
Seol Ri-hyang's eyes, which knew better than I did how absurd a feat this was, fixed on the Ice Palace Lord's fist.
"The Ice White Divine Skill. It can be used with the fist or the palm, and if necessary, though with slightly reduced efficiency, it can also be applied to a weapon."
"To have energy this cold…"
As Seol Ri-hyang stared at the energy of the Ice White Divine Skill, entranced, the Ice Palace Lord continued in a coaxing, subtle tone.
"The Ice White Divine Skill stands at the very pinnacle among the North Sea Ice Palace's martial arts. They say that no matter what martial art you cultivate, to reach the ultimate peak, you inevitably have to arrive at the Ice White Divine Skill."
"…"
"In other words, no matter what martial art of the North Sea Ice Palace you've cultivated, you can switch to the Ice White Divine Skill without any problem. …The same goes for the Glacier True Energy."
"Ah."
Seol Ri-hyang flinched slightly, seemingly tempted by this. The Ice Palace Lord smiled with satisfaction at her reaction.
"I'm not saying you have to decide right now, mind you. For now, just look around this place and learn as much as you can. Everything is prepared for that."
"Y-yes."
"And if you ever decide to become the Young Palace Mistress… then it's simple. All you have to do is pick one of my sons that catches your fancy and marry him, and everything of the North Sea Ice Palace will fall into your hands."
Wait. What did she just say?
The Ice Palace Lord's son and Seol Ri-hyang's marriage… no, I had known about it. After all, it was one of the conditions for taking her in as an adopted daughter and making her a candidate for Young Palace Mistress, as I had heard from Bing Yerin.
Besides, Seol Ri-hyang had only been momentarily entranced by the Ice White Divine Skill—she hadn't said she would accept the position of Young Palace Mistress.
…But still, bringing up that topic while she was absorbed in the Ice White Divine Skill didn't sit well with me.
So I decided to speak up. I had a good excuse, after all.
"Palace Lord."
"What is it?"
"I heard you've been troubled by snakes lately."
"How do you know that…!"
The Ice Palace Lord was stunned, and Bing Yerin's eyes widened with betrayal. I brushed off both their gazes and grabbed Seol Ri-hyang by the shoulders, pulling her toward me.
Then, in a bold and unhesitating tone, I continued.
"I can't solve this completely, but I'll buy you time. So hand over all the spiritual medicines and martial arts you have."
"Hey! Cheon Hwi! That sounds way too much like a threat!"
"…Ah."
I had been so confident that my words came out a bit too strong.
But I felt no regret. This was something that needed to be settled properly, once and for all.
"Sorry to get your hopes up, but Seol Ri-hyang has no intention of becoming the Young Palace Mistress. And I have no intention of letting her go. Isn't that right?"
"What's this all of a sudden! …Well. It's not wrong, I suppose."
Seol Ri-hyang was taken aback by my sudden outburst, but she nodded along obediently.
The Ice Palace Lord, however, continued the conversation calmly, as if she had expected this from the start.
"As I said before, I am not forcing you. This is merely a suggestion. But it seems the Blood Flower Sword Demon has come as a guest and is trying to force the host."
"Your words are a bit sharp. I apologize for that part."
"I accept your apology. But now I cannot help but ask. How exactly do you intend to buy time against all those Azure-White Cold Serpents?"
"You're not going to ask who told me?"
"I don't need to ask. It must have been the Divine Maiden. I've known what that child thinks for a long time now."
"Heh."
So she knew all along.
I glanced back and saw Bing Yerin's face had gone almost pale. She hadn't even realized she'd been caught.
I shrugged and turned my gaze back to the Ice Palace Lord.
"From the way you speak, it sounds like you'd grant it if it were at all possible."
"That's right. Whether it's spiritual medicine or martial arts, I'm willing to give you as much as you want… if it's at all possible."
The Ice Palace Lord, still tense about my martial level, yet stubbornly saying everything she needed to say.
At that, I decided to answer her with a bit more sincerity as well.
"There is indeed a way. More precisely, it's not me, but the one beside me who has it."
"…Excuse me?"
When I pointed at the person next to me with sincerity, Tang So-wol, who had been singled out, asked back in disbelief for a moment.
However, not long after, she cleared her throat and began her explanation.
"Ahem! Since I haven't personally encountered the spirit beast called the Azure-White Cold Serpents, I can't say with certainty, unlike what young hero Cheon claims. However, among the poisons the Five Poison Sect used in the past to subdue the snakes of Yunnan… there were some."
The content was so complex that it was hard to fully understand, but as I listened, I found myself nodding along involuntarily.
Hmm. As expected, it was a good decision to leave this to an expert.