’Amazing...’ Yi Chen thought with a completely thrilled feeling when he saw more than a hundred Glacial Soldiers turning into black fragments the moment he finished his move.

Meanwhile, Gao Zhen’s gaze fell on Yi Chen’s figure at this moment, and she couldn’t help but feel an aura of invincibility emitting from him.

The moment she had decided to start helping Yi Chen, the previous thoughts of getting back at him had long disappeared. However, now that she had witnessed what he was truly capable of, even if their temporary truce came to an end after this, she didn’t dare to retaliate.

Fighting against him, especially now that he had reached the stage of Becoming the Sword, would only result in one conclusion...her death.

With an amazed expression, Yi Chen was breathing heavily to recover his breath. His eyes remained on the countless black ice shards that were spread all around him, stretching dozens of meters ahead.

These black shards were the only thing that remained of his hours-long battle and served as proof of how many of those Glacial soldiers he had actually slain all by himself.

However, just at that moment, the entire place once again shook.

’Could it be...?!’

Thinking that another similar wave was about to come at them, both Yi Chen and Gao Zhen tensed up and looked around vigilantly.

However, nothing of that sort happened.

The vibration this time was coming from the stone tablet. It was glimmering with an intense black light at this moment, and while this happened, both Yi Chen and Gao Zhen’s attention was drawn towards the black shards.

’This?!’

A frown formed on Yi Chen’s face when he saw all the shards in front of him turning into a vast expanse of black fog, and the very next instant, this fog began rising high up in the air.

A few seconds later, they all drifted towards the black tablet and started circling it.

’Just what is happening...’

Gao Zhen thought in confusion, seeing the dense black clouds that were now circling just above the stone tablet like a violent brewing storm.

Just then, the stone tablet that had been glimmering all this time finally dimmed, making both Yi Chen and Gao Zhen notice something new.

On the very top of the tablet, in golden words, a few digits had appeared.

72:00:00

’What’s this?’ Yi Chen knitted his brows when his gaze fell on the set of digits. However, just a second later, his doubts were answered.

71:59:59

71:59:58

.

.

’Ah! It’s a countdown.’

Both Yi Chen and Gao Zhen widened their eyes in realisation. However, a similar question rose in both their minds the very next instant.

’Just what is this countdown for...’

’Could it be that another wave would attack in three days?’

’Would they be the same ones, or would different monsters show up?’ 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

.

.

.

A variety of questions came to Yi Chen’s mind. However, he soon shook them away while letting out a deep breath.

’Whatever the outcome might be...since I’ve reached Expert Swordsmanship, I refuse to believe it would be something I won’t be able to handle...’ Yi Chen thought with confidence.

Breeze~

Feeling a sudden gust of cold air, he couldn’t help but shiver.

Earlier, he had been actively engaged in fighting, so despite being completely drenched in sweat, he barely felt the cold.

However, now that he was just standing still, the extreme cold once again became apparent to him, especially as the cold wind passed through his drenched robes and went past his skin.

As a result, he immediately turned towards Gao Zhen and asked, "How are your injuries now? Can you move fine?"

Gao Zhen, who was lost in her own set of thoughts while staring at the countdown, was jerked awake by Yi Chen’s sudden question and immediately turned towards him while tensing up.

Seeing his inquisitive expression, the question he had just asked played out in her mind, and she answered immediately, "Y-Yes...I’m fine now."

At the same time, she couldn’t help but frown inwardly. She had half expected things to turn hostile the moment the Glacial soldiers weren’t taken care of, so seeing him asking such a question the moment the external threat was taken care of made her even more confused.

’Is he worried about me? But why...There shouldn’t be any reason for that to be the case.’

"That’s great." Yi Chen nodded and said the next instant, "Help me set up the tent. I’ve had enough of this cold."

With that said, he took out the tent materials from his storage ring.

"..."

A blank expression formed on Gao Zhen’s face, seeing this.

’So that’s why...’

"Why aren’t you taking out your items?" Yi Chen frowned when he saw her still standing there with a blank expression.

"A-Ah, yes." Gao Zhen immediately nodded, and a few moments later, two tents were pitched right in front of the stone tablet.

Soon, both of them had changed into a dry pair of robes and were inside a tent with fire burning right next to the entrance.

"What did you want to discuss?" Gao Zhen asked with a wary expression. With the other party now having the ability to take her life whenever he wanted to, she couldn’t help but feel tense around him.

"About the Abyssal BlackGlacial Arts, of course." Yi Chen answered while stretching his hand towards the flames.

"However, before that, let me warm my fingers first," he said while raising the intensity of the flames by several degrees.

Both his fingers and toes were stinging from the cold, and being familiar with the stories of people needing to cut off their fingers because of frostbite, he didn’t dare to take the risk.

Hearing those unexpected words, a frown appeared on Gao Zhen’s forehead, but still, she nodded and awkwardly sat at a distance while absorbing the heat from the flames.

’...I can never really gauge his next actions.’

She thought while stretching her hand towards the flames.