Snow falls quietly, burying their tracks as they leave the wilderness behind.
They do not return to the village but press onward, stopping beneath a lone tree at the edge of the plain.
A fire crackles in the cold night, its glow fighting against the drifting flakes, and the group sits in silence, their faces downcast.
Merin meditates with eyes closed, jade qi circulating through his body, while the others sit heavy with guilt.
At last, Wang Zhen breaks the silence, his voice rough. "Brother Yu Feng… how can you still cultivate after what happened?"
All eyes turn toward Merin, waiting.
Merin opens his eyes, calm but sharp. "Did you forget why we tucked our tails and walked away? It was because of our cultivation. If we were stronger, we would have acted. That is why I cultivate now—so next time, I won't just sit and watch."
Wang Zishan exhales, nodding slowly. "Yes. He is right. We should also cultivate. We failed because of our weakness."
One by one, they lower their heads, resolve flickering faintly within them.
Merin closes his eyes once more, jade qi flowing through his meridians. His circulation now reaches 185 turns, still 815 short of breaking into the Qi Master Realm.
His ripple technique deepens; he begins to sense the traces of fire, wind, water, and earth hidden within spiritual energy. With further refinement, he knows he will one day mobilise the four elements through ripples alone.
A week passes.
Snow still falls, but now the horizon shifts—the land of the Xue City State spreads before them.
In the far distance, the towering Frostmore Mountains rise, their icy peaks piercing the sky.
Crossing those frozen ridges, they know, will lead them into Wu City State—their destination, and the heart of their mission.
Yu Lei's eyes brighten. "We only need to cross the mountains, then we'll be in Wu State."
Wang Zishan shakes his head. "Crossing the mountains will be the hardest part of our journey."
Yu Han adds, "Yes, but if we encounter disciples of the Ice and Snow Palace, we can ask for their help."
The group nods, resolve firming, and begins walking toward the looming Frostmore range.
But only a few steps later, they freeze in place.
From the white expanse ahead, a chorus of wolves' howls rises, sharp and piercing, echoing across the snowy plain.
The sound grows louder—closer—coming straight toward them.
The wolves come into view through the drifting snow—yet they are not ordinary wolves.
Snow-white fur cloaks their bodies, but they walk upright on two legs, claws gleaming under the pale moonlight.
Yu Lei stares, voice trembling. "What are they? Wolves with the blood of a great demon?"
Wang Zishan narrows his eyes. "No… their eyes hold no wisdom, only madness. Perhaps some new kind of demon." He raises his weapon, preparing for battle.
Merin's gaze sharpens. Inwardly, he thinks, they look like… werewolves.
Yu Han blinks. "Werewolves? What are those?"
Merin says flatly, "I've named these demons."
The next instant, the two sides collide, snow spraying underfoot.
The werewolves fight with the raw strength of Qi Refining Masters, but they are savage, unskilled, their movements driven by instinct rather than technique.
The group cuts them down one by one.
Merin's palms ripple with Jade Qi, vibrations lancing through fur and flesh, shattering hearts from outside their bodies.
When the last beast falls, the snow grows eerily silent.
Then, to their shock, the corpses begin to change.
The thick white fur recedes into skin. The claws shrink, the teeth dull, and the muzzles collapse inward.
And there, on the frozen ground, lie ordinary humans, naked and pale, sprawled lifeless in the snow.
They exchange shocked glances, then hurriedly check the corpses one by one.
Merin's spirit scan had already confirmed—they are nothing more than ordinary people.
Yet before the battle, when they wore the shapes of wolves, his spirit sense had revealed nothing human within them.
Merin kneels beside one body, pressing his palm down as Jade Qi ripples through flesh and bone.
The vibrations reveal faint irregularities—some cells are different, alien—but the distinction is too subtle for him to understand with his current mastery.
Yu Han's voice is low. "How could this happen?"
Yu Qinshan mutters, "Perhaps some new trick of a demon."
Wang Zishan exhales heavily. "Let's bury them first."
Merin releases a ripple wave, sweeping the snow away in a wide arc and exposing the hard ground.
Then he stomps his foot, and the earth splits open, forming a deep pit.
The others stare at him with wide eyes.
Yu Lei blurts, "Junior brother, when did you start practising the Earth Control spell?"
Merin shakes his head. "I didn't. This is the use of the Ripple Technique."
Yu Lei frowns. "Ripple Technique can do this?"
Wang Zishan studies him with a serious expression. "Junior brother's hands no longer hold the same Ripple Technique. He must have improved it."
Merin only nods, saying nothing more.
One by one, they lift the cold bodies into the pit, then watch as Merin closes the ground again with a single wave of Qi.
No words are spoken as they resume their trek toward Xue City, questions weighing heavily on their minds.
A few hours later, after passing through two eerily empty villages, they finally reach the walls of the city at dawn—only to find its great gates shut tight.
All the villagers outside have turned into wolf monsters, another guard adds grimly.
Yu Han steps forward, voice urgent. "Have you found anything—how people are changing into these monsters?"
The guards exchange uneasy looks before one shakes his head. "No. None who've turned have ever turned back alive."
Another guard, trying to steady the air, says firmly, "Do not worry. The Ice and Snow Palace has sent an elder with disciples to investigate. Surely, they will uncover the truth."
The group nods at this, though unease lingers in their eyes, and they follow the guards' recommendation to an inn.
Once they are inside, Yu Han mutters, "I want to stay here until the mystery is solved."
The others—Wang Zishan, Yu Qinshan, Wang Zhen, and Yu Lei—nod in agreement, their voices quietly affirming, "Yes."
Then their eyes fall on Merin.
Merin meets their gaze briefly before saying, "I will go to my room," his tone flat.
Without waiting for a response, he turns and walks away.
The others watch his retreating back in silence, thoughtful expressions shadowing their faces.
Behind his door, Merin sits cross-legged, his breathing steady as jade Qi flows through his body.
A day of silent struggle passes, and finally the jade spirituality within Merin's bones fuses completely with his skull.
A faint, soft glow radiates from him as if his flesh itself is polished stone, his muscles and skin gleaming faintly like carved jade.
His qi surges wildly, and when the changes finally subside, he tests his circulation—astonished to find his qi can now flow through 267 complete turns before exhaustion sets in.
Yet, he knows this is not the end.
The Jade Body Technique has one last stage—the marrow change.
Unlike the jade bone stage, which only hardened the outer structure, this step requires transforming the innermost marrow, where blood itself is born.
Merin already understands the key—blood marrow bones, like those in the hips, are where he must begin.
He doesn't choose the gentle way.
Teeth gritted, eyes sharp, he channels the ripple technique directly into his hip bones.
Cracks splinter through him, pain burning into the core of his being.
With willpower like tempered steel, he holds on, pouring jade qi into the fissures, knitting the fractures even as they spread deeper, forcing the marrow to transform.
Three days pass in excruciating meditation.
At last, more than eighty per cent of his hip bones gleam with the texture of jade, the rest able to be completed at a slower, steadier pace.
Breathing heavily, yet calm, Merin rises from his room and steps into the inn's lobby.
There, he sees his fellow disciples gathered, speaking in low tones with another group.
From the snow-white robes and frost-shaped embroidery, he instantly recognises them—disciples of the Ice and Snow Palace.
Yu Lei notices him and steps over, quietly filling him in.
"They discovered a hidden passage leading deep inside one of the Frostmore Mountains," Yu Lei says. "They plan to enter soon."
Merin's gaze sharpens. "Then I will also join them."
The words fall with quiet certainty, leaving no room for refusal.