Shadow Ming twisted to the side in the air, his form blurring with unnatural speed. The Ice Crystal Frog tongue missed by inches and slammed into the wall behind him, sending shards of ice flying.
Shadow Ming float back and nocking another arrow.
"I'll keep it busy"Xiao Wei said, his expression calm but focused.
Spiritual Energy surged through his limbs as he activated Mountain Fist, grounding his body and enhancing the weight behind his blows.
With a roar, he charged at the Ice Crystal Frog, moving low and fast.
Boom!
He struck the frog's hind leg with a thunderous Mountain Fist. The force rippled through the monstar's icy hide, knocking it off balance momentarily. The Ice Crystal Frog staggered, then spun with surprising speed, swiping at Xiao Wei with one of its frost-covered limbs. Xiao Wei ducked under the swing and leapt backward, barely avoiding the impact that cracked the ground where he'd been standing.
"Keep hitting it!"Shadow Ming called, loosing another arrow toward the Ice Crystal Frog's wounded eye.
Thwack!
A third arrow embedded into the same spot—three arrows now jutted from the Ice Crystal Frog ruined left eye, forming a grotesque crown of blood and wood.
Blood flowed freely now, dark and steaming against the cold air. The Ice Crystal Frog bellowed and stomped, cracking the ice beneath its feet. Its mouth opened again, and this time, frost energy surged outward in a wide arc.
"Back!"Xiao Wei shouted, retreating into a roll as freezing mist surged past him, encasing stone and moss in shimmering ice.
The cold seared his lungs, but he pressed forward again. Another Mountain Fist strike landed against the Ice Crystal Frog's underbelly, sending shockwaves up its spine. The creature shuddered and swayed. The relen ikotless onslaught was breaking through its defenses.
"Kid, these arrows—made from tree branches—aren't very powerful. Get me some proper high-tier arrows next time. Something that can pierce a monster clean through, not just tickle its hide."Shadow Ming muttered between shots.
Xiao Wei grunted, dodging another swipe from the Ice Crystal Frog tongue.
"Alright, alright! Let's just kill this thing first!"Xiao Wei muttered.
The frog tried to leap backward, but its injuries were mounting—blood now poured from its mouth and eye socket. It was cornered, wounded, and furious. Yet it still had power left. With a violent screech, it slammed its body downward in an attempt to crush Xiao Wei.
But Xiao Wei was faster.
Using Water Flow Steps, he danced across the frost-covered floor, blurring from side to side, his movements fluid and unpredictable. He dashed around the Ice Crystal Frog side and launched a heavy, double-fisted blow into the side of its massive head.
Crack!
The impact left a deep dent along the icy scales covering its skull. The Ice Crystal Frog groaned, visibly staggering now. Its vision was gone, its body bloodied, its spirit failing.
Shadow Ming final arrow ready.
"One more to kill."Shadow Ming muttered.
The bow creaked, the air shimmered—and the arrow flew.
Thwip!
It plunged deep into the frog's exposed neck.
The Ice Crystal Frog jerked, gave a final, weak croak—and collapsed with a heavy thud, its weight shaking the ground. Its limbs twitched for a moment, then fell still. The soft blue glow in its eyes faded into dim nothingness.
Silence returned to the cave.
Only Xiao Wei's breathing, ragged and heavy, filled the void. He wiped the frost from his brows and stared down at the corpse.
"Finally killed it"Xiao Wei said quietly, then glanced at Shadow Ming.
"Get some high Tier arrows for me or I won't be able to help you in for future battles."Shadow Ming said as he get closer the corpse.
Xiao Wei nodded, stepping closer to the corpse. The once fearsome monster now looked like a massive, frozen mound. Blood still pooled beneath it, freezing into crimson crystals.
Kneeling beside the body, Xiao Wei pressed his hand to the Ice Crystal Frog's chest. After a moment, a pulsing blue orb—the Ice Crystal Frog's Core—rose into his palm, radiating both cold and spiritual energy.
"Perfect"Xiao Wei said softly, admiring it before sealing it in his Storage Ring.
Then, he opened the Storage Ring and carefully stored the entire body of the Ice Crystal Frog.
"It might be useful later"Xiao Wei murmured.
Suddenly, Shadow Ming spoke.
"Kid, do you know how to pluck that Ice Crystal Flower? If you don't do it right, it may lose its value."Shadow Ming warned.
Xiao Wei snorted lightly, brushing frost off his fingers as he approached the shimmering bloom nestled at the far end of the icy chamber. The flower stood upright like a crystal sculpture, translucent petals radiating a soft blue glow that lit the walls with ethereal light.
"Of course I know.I'm an alchemist, remember?"Xiao Wei replied with confidence.
He pulled a thin jade box from his Storage Ring.
Kneeling beside the Ice Crystal Flower, he slowly channeled a thread of Spiritual Energy through his fingertips. He clipped the stem carefully at its base, ensuring that nothing were severed improperly. As the flower was released, he placed it gently into the jade box, locked the lid, and then returned it to his Storage Ring.
Shadow Ming standing beside him, arms crossed.
"Well done. But what are you going to do with that flower? I doubt it'll be useful to you at your current level."Shadow Ming said.
"True. It might not help me now, but it's rare. Someday, it could be exactly what I need—or valuable enough to trade for something more urgent."Xiao Wei said, as he sit down in lotus position.
He retrieved a small Spirit Power Pill from his Storage Ring and swallowed it.
Shadow Ming grunted and walk to the floor, beginning to collect any usable arrows from the battleground. Many were broken beyond repair, but a few had survived the clash. He muttered to himself about the poor quality of makeshift weapons.
A day later, Xiao Wei emerged from the mouth of the cave. The waterfall still roared behind him, its mist casting a pale rainbow under the morning sun.
The moment he stepped out, a flash of black darted through the air.
Chirp!
The Shadow Bird flitted down from a dark overhang and landed gracefully on his shoulder.
"Come back"Xiao Wei said.
The bird chirped softly once more before entering Xiao Wei shadow.
Shadow Ming emerged beside him.
"Where to now?"Shadow Ming said.
Xiao Wei shrugged, eyes scanning the dense forest ahead.
"I don't know. Let's just keep exploring. Maybe I'll run into some rare monsters."Xiao Wei said.
With that, Shadow Ming melted back into his shadow, and Xiao Wei moved forward without hesitation, his feet crunching softly against frost-laced leaves as he ventured deeper into the Secret Realm.
Five days passed.
In that time, Xiao Wei hunted tirelessly. With Shadow Ming's assistance, he had slain over twenty Tier 2 monsters. Some were swift, others very strong, but none had proven a match for the duo's coordination. While Shadow Ming fired precisely from a distance, Xiao Wei took advantage of distractions to close the distance and deliver crushing blows.
He harvested Monster Cores, claws, skins, and herbs—anything of alchemical or economic value. His Storage Ring was filling steadily. Though he had not found any rare treasure on the level of the Ice Crystal Flower, he did manage to gather a few ordinary Tier 3 herbs growing in hard-to-reach cliffs and valleys. They were decent for pill refining, but nothing he hadn't seen before.
What excited him the most, however, was the subtle but unmistakable improvement in his martial arts.
Day by day, his understanding of Mountain Fist deepened. More fluid. More precise. Now, the technique had reached the peak of Large Perfection, and he could feel a breakthrough coming. It wouldn't be long before he entered Great Perfection.
On the sixth day, Xiao Wei sat beside a small campfire in a sheltered alcove beneath the thick roots of an ancient tree. The light flickered over the roasted meat of a Tier 2 monster. He carved pieces from it with a dagger and chewed slowly, savoring the mix of smoky flavor and monster blood. It wasn't gourmet, but it was nourishing and kept his strength up.
He was just lifting another bite to his mouth when a flutter of feathers and a sudden gust of cold wind brushed his face.
Chirp!
The Shadow Bird swooped down and hovered in front of him, its eyes flashing with urgency.
Xiao Wei froze, meat halfway to his mouth.
"What happened?"Xiao Wei asked, his voice low and serious.
Chirp! Chirp!
The Shadow Bird fluttered anxiously in the air, its dark feathers catching the fading light. It hovered just above the ground, eyes gleaming with urgency, trying to communicate something important. It let out another series of sharp, rhythmic chirps, its small body tilting this way and that as it flapped its wings in emphasis.