Aina led Kai through the Eternal Ice Fort's labyrinthine corridors, their footsteps echoing like whispers in a tomb.
The ice walls shimmered with an ethereal glow, reflecting their silhouettes in warped, ghostly shapes, as if the fort itself were alive, watching.
The air was thick with ice Qi, a relentless pressure that squeezed Kai's fire meridians, making each breath feel like swallowing frost.
He pulled his new robes tighter, their weak cold-repelling runes offering little comfort against the biting chill.
"Points are the currency here," Aina said, her voice cutting through the silence.
"Spirit stones are useless in Frost Ridge. The ice itself holds more spiritual energy than any stone you've ever seen."
Kai paused, his eyes drawn to the wall beside him.
Under the faint glow of spiritual stones, he saw sparkles of ice Qi, like diamonds trapped in the frost.
Curiosity got the better of him, and he reached out, channeling a thread of fire Qi to absorb the energy.
The ice Qi surged back, clashing violently with his meridians, sending a jolt of pain through his arm.
He gasped, yanking his hand away, his fingers burning as if dipped in fire and ice at once.
Aina laughed, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
"Smart move, but reckless. This ice is for ice cultivators. Fire cultivators like you will only hurt themselves trying to absorb it."
Kai grimaced, frustration boiling in his chest.
His fire Qi, already weak, felt like a dying ember in this frozen hell.
"How am I supposed to cultivate here?" he asked, his voice laced with desperation.
"That's your challenge," Aina said, shrugging, though her gaze softened with sympathy.
"There are a few fire techniques in the fort, but they're rare. Master Lu is one of only two fire cultivators here. You could ask him, but don't expect him to hold your hand."
Kai nodded, his mind racing with the weight of his predicament.
Frost Ridge wasn't just a place of exile—it was a cage crafted to stifle his cultivation, to snuff out his fire.
But he couldn't falter, not when his sister Mina's face haunted his thoughts, her hopeful eyes waiting for him to return.
He had to find a way, no matter the cost.
They reached a grand hall, its ceiling lost in shadows, where a jade tablet glowed with listings of tasks: hunting snow guars, gathering ice herbs, patrolling the wastes.
Kai's eyes scanned the board, his heart lurching when he saw a task marked "Investigate Borai's Traces in the Northern Wastes."
Borai—the teleport leader with foul, rancid Qi.
Had he caused the malfunction?
Or was something darker at play?
The black Qi from the portal flashed in his mind, its sinister presence lingering like a ghost.
"What about these tasks?" Kai asked, keeping his tone casual, though his eyes betrayed his intensity.
"Simple enough," Aina said, leaning against the wall, her breath forming clouds in the cold.
"Easiest ones are cleaning or kitchen work—two points each. With your fire cultivation, I'd start there. Fire cultivators don't last long in Frost Ridge. One guy, peak Meridian Tempering, bragged about his strength but died to a common ice worm when his Qi ran out."
Her words were a knife to his pride.
Kai clenched his fists, anger and helplessness warring within him.
His fire Qi flickered, a weak protest against the icy air.
"So I'm stuck scrubbing pots forever?" he asked, his voice sharp with frustration.
Aina's smile was warm, almost pitying.
"A good cook can be worth more than a mighty cultivator. Come on, there's more to see."
She led him to the library, where ice shelves held thousands of jade slips, each pulsing with faint spiritual energy.
The air hummed with knowledge, but Kai knew he lacked the points to access it.
His fingers itched to touch the slips, to uncover secrets that might help him survive.
Next was the training ground, where disciples sparred, their ice techniques carving arcs of frost through the air.
Kai watched, feeling like a lone spark in a blizzard, his fire Qi insignificant against their power.
The sight fueled his determination—he would not be crushed by this place.
Finally, they reached the hot springs, a marvel that stole Kai's breath.
Stone pools steamed, their surfaces rippling with heat, separated by screens painted with jagged mountain peaks.
Faint fire Qi drifted in the air, a rare comfort in this frozen wasteland.
Kai absorbed a wisp, feeling his meridians warm briefly, but it was a drop in the ocean of his need.
"Consider this a welcome gift," Aina said, tapping her disciple token to a jade tablet on the door.
The tablet glowed, granting access.
"Wash up. That beetle blood will stink worse tomorrow."
Kai grinned, gratitude softening his guarded heart.
"Thank you."
In the private booth, he sank into the steaming water, the warmth enveloping him like a mother's embrace.
The faint fire Qi in the jets soothed his aching body, but his mind churned.
Borai's foul Qi, the black wisp in the portal, the task on the board—they were pieces of a puzzle he couldn't yet solve.
Frost Ridge held secrets, and Kai was caught in their web.
As he closed his eyes, a faint hum vibrated through the water, like a whisper from the earth itself.
Was it the springs, or something deeper, watching him?