"Cold is not merely the absence of heat—it is the memory of warmth taken away."
— Teachings of the Frost-Bound Dragon, Scroll III
❄ The Arena Freezes Over
The molten rivers from the First Trial hissed and solidified as frost devoured the arena floor.
The temperature dropped so sharply that cultivators watching from the platforms had to channel their own qi to keep blood flowing.
From the Northern platform, the frost-iron warrior descended—armor gleaming like shards of frozen moonlight. Her name was announced by a voice neither mortal nor dragon:
"Yura, Blade-Saint of the Northern Spine, Keeper of the Second Seal."
Jin felt the cold biting through his robes before she even spoke.
"Your flame burned pacts. Let us see if it can survive being smothered."
🗡 The First Clash
Yura struck without warning.
Her Frost-Pierce Sword Art sent a wave of cutting wind toward Jin. The Leviathan Blade met it midair, water qi surging in defense, but the impact was enough to freeze part of the blade's edge.
Jin spun, channeling the Tidebound Reversal Sutra—redirecting the frost-laced qi back toward Yura.
She stepped through it unharmed, her armor glowing faintly with dragon-scale resonance.
From the Southern platform, one of the Golden Plume Monks muttered:
"That armor… it's forged from the spine of the North-Frost Dragon itself."
Lin Xue gritted her teeth.
Ash-Eye only chuckled.
"Well… this will be fun."
🧠 Jin's Strategy
Jin realized quickly: direct flame would be useless. The cold here wasn't mere elemental force—it was ancestral cold, carrying the will of a dragon that despised heat.
Instead, he drew deeper into his cultivation sea.
Water and flame clashed within him. His qi currents coiled into a new form—a steam-breath technique he'd never attempted before.
"Let's see if frost fears what it can't grip," he whispered.
🌫 The Mistborn Counter
As Yura lunged again, Jin exhaled—not fire, not water, but living mist infused with both.
The steam rolled across the arena, obscuring vision and coating Yura's armor in condensation.
She sliced the air in arcs, breaking the mist with sheer qi force, but that momentary disruption was enough—Jin's Leviathan Blade swept in low, striking the frost-layer beneath her boots.
The ice shattered.
Yura slid.
🐉 The Second Seal
Yura caught herself before falling into the arena's edge, then raised her sword in salute.
"Your flame did not smother mine. And mine did not extinguish yours. That is enough."
She tapped the blade to Jin's chest—just once.
The Second Seal of Awakening burned onto his other wrist, frost meeting flame.
The Western and Northern runes on the arena floor pulsed together.
⚠ The Third Challenger
Before the steam had even faded, a monk from the Southern platform stepped forward—robe sleeves lined with gold, every step leaving the scent of lotus and blood.
His voice was calm.
"The Trial of Breath begins."
Jin narrowed his eyes.
The monk smiled faintly.
"Let us see if your lungs can endure the storm that ends worlds."