"Teacher, you summoned me back. What's the matter?"
A woman dressed in silver-white armor materialized within the crystalline chamber. Her short aqua-blue hair framed a strikingly beautiful face that radiated heroic confidence. She spoke respectfully, her voice carrying the practiced deference of a long-established disciple.
"Lianyi, you might have a junior apprentice in a few days," the Lord of Ice Peak said, his voice carrying that characteristic icy undertone that made even casual statements sound like pronouncements.
"Junior apprentice? Who?" Venerable Lianyi felt a sudden sinking sensation in her chest.
Her teacher hadn't accepted a disciple in countless epochs. Why would he suddenly decide to take one now?
"Han Jue, ranked first in the Genius Battle," the Lord of Ice Peak said casually, as though discussing the weather rather than a decision that would shake the foundations of his lineage.
Of course!
The disciple she'd intended to recruit had been claimed by her own teacher!
"What's the matter?" Seeing Venerable Lianyi's expression shift slightly, the Lord of Ice Peak took the initiative to ask.
"Nothing, Teacher," Venerable Lianyi forced a smile, quickly smoothing her features back into professional neutrality.
She couldn't very well complain about losing a prospective student when her own master had made the decision. Besides, having an additional junior brother, especially one of Han Jue's caliber, would ultimately benefit their entire lineage.
"Then go and bring Han Jue to me," the Lord of Ice Peak commanded with a slight nod, gesturing Venerable Lianyi out of the dimensional plane.
A closer examination of the hall where the Lord of Ice Peak resided would reveal striking similarities to Venerable Lianyi's own Ice and Snow Temple, though with numerous refinements and perfections that spoke to the vast gulf in power between master and disciple. The resemblance was no coincidence. Venerable Lianyi had modeled her own temple after this very hall.
And its true physical form in reality was the Iceberg Palace, a pinnacle flying palace-type treasure that represented the absolute peak of defensive architecture!
In Primal Chaos City, Han Jue remained completely unaware that the highest echelons of humanity had already convened a Great Axe Conference specifically to discuss his situation and future.
His more immediate concern was practical: finding suitable accommodations in Primal Chaos City.
"Teacher Norton, do you have any recommendations for residences in Primal Chaos City?" Han Jue asked through the Virtual Universe connection.
Norton, a fellow cultivator of the Ice Peak Chaos Monument, had spent considerable time in Primal Chaos City during his own development. He naturally knew better than Han Jue which accommodations were most suitable for practitioners of their lineage, locations where the spatial laws manifested in ways particularly conducive to Ice Peak techniques.
"Of course," Norton replied readily, his tone warm with the satisfaction of a teacher helping a promising student. "Go to residences numbered 57852005 and 78587110 on the western side of Primal Chaos City..."
Han Jue carefully recorded each address Norton mentioned, planning to visit them systematically to determine which would best serve his needs.
"You've already observed the Ice Peak Chaos Monument, correct? How was the experience?" Norton asked with an encouraging smile.
He genuinely liked geniuses like Han Jue. What teacher wouldn't appreciate a student who mastered everything quickly, understood concepts after a single explanation, and could even extrapolate broader applications from specific lessons? Moreover, Han Jue possessed an excellent personality, confident without being arrogant, driven without being reckless. Beyond that natural confidence, he lacked the volatile temperament that plagued so many talented individuals.
"The first two diagrams weren't too difficult for me to grasp," Han Jue replied with honest assessment rather than false modesty. "I plan to focus my intensive study on comprehending the third diagram."
"Excellent approach," Norton nodded approvingly. "My own teacher is also residing in Primal Chaos City. His name is Silver Moon King. When you successfully pass the third level of the Tongtian Bridge, you'll be qualified to attend his lectures."
Those who could establish formal teaching schools within Primal Chaos City were invariably at the peak of the Immortal King realm at minimum. This Silver Moon King stood as a pinnacle-level King within the Ice Peak lineage, a being whose casual insights could revolutionize an entire cultivation path.
"Huh? Wait..." Norton's expression suddenly shifted, his eyes unfocusing as he clearly received some unexpected communication.
After a brief moment, his gaze refocused on Han Jue with an expression of genuine surprise mixed with something approaching awe. "Han Jue, Grandmaster says she wants to see you."
Grandmaster?
Silver Moon King's teacher?
Was the Lord of Ice Peak looking to accept a disciple?
Before Han Jue could even begin processing the implications, Rimuru materialized beside him, his slime form practically vibrating with excitement.
"Master! You've received an official email!" Rimuru announced.
"Teacher Norton, this..." Han Jue began, uncertain of the protocol.
"It's perfectly fine, go ahead," Norton said quickly, waving away any concerns. His voice carried genuine encouragement. "Although I've only met Grandmaster a handful of times over the epochs, she's known to be quite approachable despite her power. Perhaps she intends to accept you as her personal disciple? Her strength surpasses even that of ordinary Universe Masters, she stands among the true pillars of our race."
"Yes, Teacher Norton. Thank you for your guidance," Han Jue said respectfully, bowing before severing the connection.
"Master, we've been granted access authorization to the 'Ice and Snow Temple,'" Rimuru reported, his voice carrying unusual solemnity. "This isn't just any meeting, this is a summons from one of humanity's greatest beings."
With that email, Han Jue's authority level within the Virtual Universe had increased dramatically. Previously restricted information suddenly became accessible to him, a clear demonstration of how seriously the upper echelons were taking his potential.
For example, he could now access detailed information about Silver Moon King's teacher: Venerable Lianyi.
Venerable Lianyi was recorded as the eldest and most powerful among the handful of remaining disciples of the Lord of Ice Peak. She possessed strength equivalent to an ordinary Universe Master, a being who could casually obliterate entire star systems and whose presence alone could cause lesser cultivators to lose consciousness. Within humanity's complex hierarchy, she was ranked just below the absolute top tier of Universe Masters.
"Let's go," Han Jue said with quiet resolve.
The world shifted.
Teleportation!
In the span between one heartbeat and the next, Han Jue and Rimuru found themselves transported to an entirely different dimensional plane.
A vast expanse of pristine white stretched endlessly in every direction. Snow and ice formed the fundamental substance of this entire world, creating an environment of such profound cold that normal matter would shatter instantly upon exposure.
"Is this the Ice and Snow Temple?" Han Jue wondered aloud, his breath forming crystalline patterns as he gazed at the magnificent palace before him.
The entire structure appeared carved from a single impossible diamond, every surface engraved with countless intricate patterns that seemed to shift and flow when observed from different angles. The palace exuded an ancient, overwhelming aura of icy power that made even the void around it seem frozen in time.
"No, this isn't the Ice and Snow Temple, this is the Iceberg Palace," a clear, heroic female voice announced from directly beside Han Jue.
He turned sharply to find a stunningly beautiful woman standing there, her silver-white armor gleaming with power.
"Greetings, Venerable Lianyi!" Han Jue immediately bowed respectfully, recognizing her from the newly accessible information.
"Come, follow me inside to meet our teacher," Venerable Lianyi said softly, her voice carrying unexpected warmth. She extended one elegant hand and gently took Han Jue's, leading him toward the palace's towering gates.
Han Jue didn't dare resist or question, allowing Venerable Lianyi to guide him forward. His mind, however, raced with implications and calculations.
Venerable Lianyi's teacher... that would make this the Primal Chaos City Lord's junior martial brother, the Lord of Ice Peak himself!
The realization made him feel slightly dizzy with the sheer scale of what was happening.
It was like an absurd progression of nested relationships, starting with his Immortal-level instructor Norton, rising through Silver Moon King, ascending to Venerable Lianyi, and culminating at the Lord of Ice Peak. Each step represented a leap in power so vast it was difficult to conceptualize.
Was this what the original protagonist felt when meeting such legendary figures?
Stepping through the gates into the Iceberg Palace proper, Han Jue immediately spotted a figure seated at the hall's center.
A man with distinctive white hair graying at the temples sat with absolute stillness, wearing ancient armor stained with what appeared to be millennia-old blood. A sword rested across his shoulder with casual familiarity, the stance of someone for whom weapons were as natural as breathing. His presence radiated such profound power that the very space around him seemed to crystallize.
The Lord of Ice Peak!
"Teacher," Venerable Lianyi said respectfully, her usual confidence giving way to genuine deference.
The Lord of Ice Peak acknowledged her with the slightest nod, his attention immediately fixing on Han Jue with an intensity that seemed to pierce through flesh and bone to examine the very essence of his being.
"Han Jue," the Lord of Ice Peak's voice cut through the frozen air like a blade through silk, cold, direct, and absolutely certain. "Are you willing to become my disciple?"
The question hung in the crystalline air for exactly one heartbeat.
"This disciple greets his Master!"
Han Jue's expression registered momentary surprise before he immediately dropped to one knee, performing the formal apprenticeship ceremony with perfect precision. His voice rang clear and steady despite the monumental significance of this moment.
There was no hesitation, no consideration of alternatives. An opportunity like this came once in countless epochs, perhaps never for most cultivators. To refuse would be the height of foolishness.
"Very good," the Lord of Ice Peak said, the corners of his mouth curving upward in what might have been the ghost of a smile, barely perceptible, but genuine.
"From this moment forward, you are my seventeenth-ranked disciple, and the fifth disciple still living," the Lord of Ice Peak pronounced formally, his words carrying the weight of cosmic law. "The others have either fallen in battle or transcended to heights where they no longer require my guidance."
"Junior Brother, from now on you must address me as Third Senior Sister," Venerable Lianyi said with a bright laugh, her earlier disappointment completely vanished.
Although it felt slightly awkward that her originally designated prospective student had become her junior brother instead, having an additional junior brother of such exceptional talent was ultimately a positive development. The Ice Peak lineage would only grow stronger with his addition.
"As my disciple, I will naturally treat you appropriately," the Lord of Ice Peak continued, his voice returning to its characteristic cold clarity. "I am aware of your unique bloodline and the situation surrounding Earth. The tribe's leadership has decided to transfer ownership of Earth directly to you, temporarily administered through the Virtual Universe Company's oversight. You must establish a proper bloodline and ensure its continuation. Earth will serve as the sacred founding ground for your lineage, a protected origin world for your descendants."
The Lord of Ice Peak's penetrating gaze fixed on Han Jue. "Do you have any objections to this arrangement?"
"Teacher, I have no objections," Han Jue replied with appropriate respect.
Objections?
Han Jue simply didn't possess the authority or standing to protest decisions made by humanity's highest council. He was a newly minted Universe-level cultivator, albeit an exceptional one, facing decrees from beings who could reshape galaxies with casual thoughts.
Honestly, this outcome exceeded his most optimistic expectations. It seemed the human race valued peak bloodlines even more intensely than he'd imagined. The potential represented by his genetic legacy had prompted Universe Masters to personally intervene and restructure territorial administration.
Of course they did. Each of the twelve peak bloodlines among the Star Beast races had produced at least one Universe Master, with some bloodlines boasting multiple individuals who'd reached those transcendent heights. The potential contained within peak bloodlines was simply immeasurable, worth any investment to secure.
"I happen to possess a treasure that can resolve your bloodline inheritance concerns more efficiently," the Lord of Ice Peak said with deliberate casualness, though his words carried profound implications. "After you leave Primal Chaos City, Lianyi will escort you back to Earth. Once you've successfully produced an heir, you may return to the Primal Secret Realm to continue your cultivation."
His tone suggested this was a minor administrative detail rather than a life-altering command.
"As for your immediate training," the Lord of Ice Peak continued, "you haven't attempted the Tongtian Bridge yet, correct? After you successfully pass the sixth level of the Tongtian Bridge, come see me again for formal instruction. Until that time, Lianyi will be responsible for your guidance and any questions you might have."
The implications were clear, the Lord of Ice Peak expected Han Jue to reach the sixth level relatively quickly, demonstrating the fundamental mastery required before receiving direct teaching from a Universe Master.
"Yes, Teacher! I will strive to meet your expectations," Han Jue said with genuine determination.
"Come along, Junior Brother," Venerable Lianyi said with an encouraging smile, gesturing toward the palace exit. "Let me show you around Primal Chaos City properly and introduce you to the facilities available to Ice Peak lineage disciples. We have quite a bit to discuss about your training regimen."
As they departed, Han Jue couldn't help but feel the weight of what had just transpired. In the span of mere minutes, his status had transformed completely. He now stood as a direct disciple of the Lord of Ice Peak, one of humanity's absolute pinnacles.
The real journey was only just beginning.