Chapter 1467 — An Invitation to Join
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
"I am at the peak of the mid Profound Rank, the same as Brother Ling; little Jiu is late Profound Rank, a touch above us." When Zhao Qilei spoke of Zhao Qiwu, he could not help but show a trace of pride. This was his hidden card. In the grand trial, qualification in the Profound Rank capped out where it stood, and Zhao Qiwu was a late Profound Rank expert — which made their advantage plain, and their chances of victory far greater than those of the early Profound Rank contestants.
"Then you two must be quite confident of winning the trial?" Wei Zhao flattered them without a flicker of expression, fishing for more.
"Hard to say. There may well be experts at the peak of the late Profound Rank among them." Zhao Qilei smiled faintly. "Besides, no one knows the format of this trial — not until the people of the Ice Palace arrive..."
"True enough. But even if you two are not the very best, you are sure to rank near the front, so there is no need to worry." Wei Zhao kept up the flattery. "By the way, have you ever been to the Ice Palace before?"
"Who could have been there? It seems Brother Ling truly knows nothing at all. Naturally — elders and masters never speak of such things before the hour comes." Zhao Qilei himself was in just that position, yet he was confident he knew a little more than Wei Zhao. "Who has ever been to the Ice Palace? All of us are here for the first time!"
"Then where is the Ice Palace? Is it somewhere near here?" Wei Zhao asked.
"Indeed, it is right over there!" Zhao Qilei pointed in a direction. "I know the rough location, but I have never been there either. To reach the Ice Palace, one must first pass the trial — how could an ordinary person go there just as he pleased? The Ice Palace is unlike our hidden families and ordinary sects: they are an ancient sect!"
An ancient sect after all! Wei Zhao nodded inwardly. Yet he hesitated over the direction Zhao Qilei had indicated — was that not the direction of the Fire Spirit Sacred Fruit? Was that not the land of utter cold, the far north? How could an Ice Palace have appeared there?
By Zhang Lifeng's account, this place ought to have been a boundless emptiness without a soul; otherwise, had any sect been here, Zhang Lifeng would surely have mentioned it... Of course! How many years had passed since then? Times change, and it was hardly strange that a sect should have arisen here.
But that made Wei Zhao's search for the Fire Spirit Sacred Fruit far more troublesome. If the Ice Palace stood in that direction, then the Fire Spirit Sacred Fruit had likely long since been discovered by its people, and he could not hope to pick it without their leave.
At the thought, Wei Zhao could not help frowning. He had supposed his greatest difficulty would be finding the exact location of the Fire Spirit Sacred Fruit amid all that desolation — but now it seemed the Ice Palace itself had become his greatest obstacle.
"Who knows whether I can win this time..." Wei Zhao said with some worry. This was a true reflection of his feelings, and he had no need to feign it.
So in Zhao Qilei's eyes Wei Zhao was genuinely anxious, and he made a show of comforting him: "Who among those who come here does not wish to win? But after all, the Ice Palace takes only a limited number of outer disciples, and the right to exchange for heavenly treasures is not so easily obtained either, so... I wonder, Brother Ling, have you thought of forming a team?"