Li Pingcan stood atop Listening Wind Cliff, the mountain winds howling as they whipped his robes. Information provided by the Omniscient Raven surfaced in his mind.

The Flesh Spirit Fruit, called "Profound Ice Marrow Fruit," grew in the depths of extremely cold pools. It took a hundred years to bloom, another hundred to bear fruit, and yet another hundred to fully ripen. Legend claimed it was formed from the remains of an ancient White Dragon. Its flesh was supremely yin and cold—ordinary creatures would turn to ice sculptures upon mere contact. Yet this extreme coldness made it the supreme treasure for tempering yang-based physical bodies.

The fruit grew deep within Spirit Mountain, perpetually shrouded in freezing gales that even birds couldn't traverse, with numerous other dangers besides. But no matter how difficult, he had to try.

"Little Fei, let's go!" Li Pingcan's gaze sharpened as he called out. The golden eagle that had been circling nearby let out a clear cry in response. With a powerful flap of its wings, Little Fei stirred up a fierce wind, carrying Li Pingcan skyward at astonishing speed. Within half a day, Wind Valley came into view.

Even from a distance, the wind howled like ghosts and wolves through the bare, sheer cliffs of the canyon where no vegetation grew. Li Pingcan suppressed his aura and carefully infiltrated the canyon's depths.

The deeper he went, the stronger the winds became, now carrying tiny ice crystals that clattered against his protective energy like cracking glass. He felt a chill—without his formidable physique, protective energy, and Little Fei being an Innate spirit beast, these gales alone would have stopped any ordinary Innate Realm martial artist in their tracks.

After an unknown time traveling, the scenery suddenly opened before him. At the canyon's end lay a small pond about an acre wide, its water deep blue verging on white, covered by a perpetually unmelted thin layer of ice. Wisps of white cold air rose from its surface, coating nearby rocks in thick frost that refracted eerie light under the strong daylight. The entire pond area stood deathly silent, devoid of life—a veritable forbidden zone.

"The cold energy here is intense." Li Pingcan frowned slightly before saying, "Little Fei, wait above. If anything happens, act accordingly." Patting the golden eagle's neck, he then concentrated and transformed mid-fall into an inconspicuous small crucian carp, slipping soundlessly into the pond with a quiet splash.

The moment he entered the water, despite being prepared, Li Pingcan couldn't help but shiver violently. The pond was even colder than he'd imagined—like countless tiny ice needles piercing every inch of his body. He quickly circulated both his true energy and magic power throughout his body before feeling slightly better.

Swimming downward with his fish tail, the water remained clear yet grew darker with depth, the cold intensifying the deeper he went. At the bottom, he finally saw it—a crystalline tree that seemed carved from ice and jade, atop which grew a deep blue fruit emitting a faint cold glow.

Yet just as he prepared to approach, a jade-like boulder at the pond's bottom suddenly "opened" a pair of ice-blue eyes!

"Gwaaa!" A deep, penetrating croak transformed into invisible sound waves in the water, making Li Pingcan's body tremble. The "boulder" then moved, slowly extending limbs to reveal its true form—a giant toad over ten feet long, snow-white with jade-like luster on its skin, covered in uneven bumps, its ice-blue eyes devoid of emotion as it coldly stared at the intruder.

Frostjade Demon Toad! This demonic beast's aura was far stronger and more sinister than the previous crab demon.

With a powerful kick of its hind legs, the massive toad shot through the water like white lightning, instantly closing the distance. It opened its mouth—stretching nearly ear-to-ear—and shot out a crimson tongue covered in sticky barbs like an arrow from a bow.

Fortunately prepared, Li Pingcan's fish tail whipped violently, tracing an arc through the water to narrowly dodge the lightning-fast attack. The tongue struck the pond bottom with a sharp "crack," leaving a deep groove in the solid rock.

Missing its target seemed to surprise the toad. Its back bumps began squirming as even more intense cold energy erupted from its body. "Gwaa! Gwaa! Gwaa!" The surrounding water visibly froze around it at astonishing speed. Within breaths, Li Pingcan felt like he was trapped in quicksand as the water's resistance grew overwhelming, making even tail movements extremely difficult.

"Bad! It's altering the battlefield!" Li Pingcan realized in alarm. In this freezing pond, the Frostjade Demon Toad was practically invincible. He immediately activated Earth Shaping to stir up bottom sediment and obscure its vision, but the mud froze solid into hard chunks the moment it was disturbed.

"Gwaaa!" The toad croaked triumphantly before opening its maw again—this time spewing not its tongue but a freezing current carrying countless tiny ice crystals! Wherever it passed, the water solidified into ice, forming an icy spike shooting toward Li Pingcan.

"The toad's freezing ability is too strong here." Seeing little chance underwater, Li Pingcan reverted to human form and kicked powerfully off the frozen pond bottom, shooting upward like a cannonball through the surface into midair.

"Scree!" Little Fei, who'd been circling above in readiness, immediately dove to catch him with outstretched talons.

"Gwaaa!" Enraged at its prey's escape, the massive toad burst from the water like a white jade mountain, barreling toward Li Pingcan and the eagle. Mid-leap, it stretched open its maw again—this time aiming directly at the golden eagle! It sought to eliminate Li Pingcan's mount as well!

"Perfect timing!" Li Pingcan's eyes flashed. This was exactly the opportunity he'd waited for! In the pond, he'd been at a disadvantage. But in the air? This was his domain!

Instead of being caught by Little Fei, he used Windriding to arrest his fall midair, flipping gracefully like a feather to actively meet the charging toad. Light as a swallow, he nimbly avoided the toad's tongue, brushing past its massive body to position himself beneath it—right at its soft, unprotected belly!

Gathering all his Innate Realm power into his right fist, where blood qi and true energy merged, his fist seemed coated in faint crimson light.

"Die!" With a roar, he delivered a devastating punch to the toad's soft white underbelly.

"BOOM!" The impact resonated like a heavenly drum! A dull thunderclap echoed through the canyon as the toad's seemingly indestructible jade-like body emitted a crisp "crack"—its belly deeply concaving inward!

"Gwaaaaa!" The toad shrieked in ultimate agony, its ice-blue eyes showing fear and pain for the first time. Its massive form lost balance midair like a severed kite string, crashing back into the pond with a tremendous splash, where tendrils of crimson blood mixed with icy blue fluid slowly diffused.

Li Pingcan landed steadily by the pond's edge, chest slightly heaving but wearing a satisfied smile. The battle had been perilous yet exhilarating.

Leaving no chance for counterattack, he immediately controlled his flying dagger with spiritual energy to drill into the toad's neck like an auger. Given varying demonic beast anatomies, he couldn't immediately locate its heart, so throat-slitting was the reliable method.

"Looks like frog meat for the next few days." With the beast dealt with, Li Pingcan wasted no time diving back to retrieve the Profound Ice Marrow Fruit.

The moment he touched it, a soul-freezing cold assaulted him! Despite preparing with protective true energy, the piercing cold still made his blood feel frozen solid. "Such tyrannical cold energy!" Startled, he quickly stored the fruit in a special jade box. This extreme yin item couldn't be consumed directly—it needed balancing with extreme yang substances, lest he turn into an ice sculpture before benefiting from its effects.

Extreme yang substances... A fiery red, multi-legged figure flashed through his mind. "Red-Eyed Dragonfly!" Without delay, he and Little Fei streaked toward the volcanic rift beneath Qing River.

Qing River's depths, Great Rift Valley. The scorching magma still flowed slowly, casting the dark waters in crimson light. Following his contract connection, Li Pingcan easily found the dragonfly's nest.

Upon entering, a familiar excited consciousness greeted him. "Zzzzzt!" Sensing its master, the fiery red dragonfly scurried from rock crevices, its antennae affectionately brushing Li Pingcan like a loyal dog seeing its owner—the same Red-Eyed Dragonfly he'd forcibly contracted. After recuperating by absorbing fire poison from magma, it had grown stronger and more substantial.

"Well done." Li Pingcan nodded approvingly. The little creature had dutifully gathered several high-grade fire-attribute herbs during his absence. Cutting to the chase, he produced the true energy-wrapped Profound Ice Marrow Fruit.

The fruit's emergence seemed to drop the surrounding temperature instantly, even making the bubbling magma hesitate momentarily. Sensing the extreme cold, the dragonfly reacted as if facing a mortal enemy—its carapace bristled with a "zing" as it hissed warily. Fire and water were natural opposites.

"Don't fear." Li Pingcan soothed it through their contract, explaining his plan to use the dragonfly's extreme yang fire poison to neutralize the fruit's extreme yin cold.

Though still somewhat afraid, the dragonfly obediently agreed out of absolute trust in its master. "Don't worry about the cold poison—I'll help you break through to spirit beast level first." The dragonfly was already nearing spirit insect grade, but insect breakthroughs were inherently difficult. His assistance would ensure better cold resistance.

Taking out all the fire-attribute herbs the dragonfly had collected—each brimming with pure fire spiritual energy from growing near magma—along with several spirit-nurturing pills, he said, "Go ahead, consume them all."

The delighted dragonfly wiggled its antennae and happily devoured the treasures. Instantly, violent energy exploded within it, turning its body red-hot like molten iron. It shrieked in agony as fine cracks even appeared on its tough carapace—the most perilous moment when a treasure beast advances to spirit beast rank, where failure means explosive death.

"Now!" Li Pingcan's eyes sharpened—he'd waited for this moment. Placing a hand on the dragonfly's head, he activated Divine Blessing of Nature! A gentle yet infinitely vibrant emerald light flowed from his palm like a clear spring into the dragonfly's body. The rampaging energy instantly grew docile under this sacred natural power.

Li Pingcan focused, guiding the tremendous energy to impact the invisible barrier. "Crack!" A crisp sound came from within the dragonfly as if some lock had shattered. Its old carapace shed piece by piece as a radiant new exoskeleton emerged—crystalline like carved ruby, gleaming with inner light. Its aura was no longer simply fierce but gained a profound, restrained spirituality.

Spirit insect—success! The now-transformed dragonfly looked at the blue fruit with arrogant disdain, no longer fearful. "This little bug's attitude sure changed fast." Li Pingcan chuckled wryly before directing it to work.

"Sizzle..." The moment ice and fire met, white mist rings billowed upward. The dragonfly glowed crimson, channeling its utmost fire poison against the cold, while frost visibly melted off the fruit, revealing what seemed like flowing seawater beneath its blue skin.

This process lasted three full hours. When the last wisp of cold was neutralized, the fruit had completely transformed—no longer icy blue but milky white like warm jade, exuding pure life essence energy. Exhausted, the dragonfly collapsed limply nearby, completely drained. Li Pingcan fed it a precious medicine before returning it to its nest to recover.

Spirit Mountain cave abode. Li Pingcan gazed at the transformed Profound Ice Marrow Fruit and his long-coveted Body Forging Pill. "Second Brother worked hard for this." The pill obtained through his brother's humble efforts emitted an exquisite fragrance.

The breakthrough moment had arrived. Without hesitation, he swallowed both the fruit and the deep-red, potent Body Forging Pill simultaneously.

Two vast medicinal powers exploded within him!

"BOOM!" The Body Forging Pill surged like a fiery dragon through his limbs, widening meridians and tempering bones, turning his skin red-hot from the scorching energy. Meanwhile, the fruit's power nourished his organs with incredibly rich life essence.

The two forces rampaged wildly—his meridians shattered repeatedly only to be instantly repaired by the tremendous vitality; his bones were pulverized and reforged in the flames. Over and over, an unending cycle.

"Maintain focus, refine and return to origin!" Li Pingcan dared not lose consciousness—without guidance, these violent energies would tear him apart! Enduring inhuman agony, he circulated Five Spirit Play's heart method to channel both forces through his body repeatedly.

"Crackle-pop!" His body emitted firecracker-like sounds as the energies gradually merged into something more profound and powerful. His peak Innate true energy was wildly compressed, purified, and transformed under this new power's tempering!

Behind him, five massive phantom figures—tiger, crane, bear, deer, and ape—manifested uncontrollably. No longer vague outlines, they now appeared vividly real, releasing unified heaven-shaking roars.

"Break!" Li Pingcan's eyes snapped open as he exhaled sharply. The long-standing invisible barrier between Innate and Divine Martial Realms shattered instantly!

"BOOM!" Under the pouring spiritual energy, his body emitted gem-like radiance—every inch of skin and bone seemingly perfected by divine craftsmanship. His true energy had completely evolved into a higher-level force—no longer mere qi but containing traces of "spirit" and "intent," capable of splitting mountains with mere thought.

Finally broken through! Divine Martial Grandmaster! Slowly opening his eyes, two dazzling golden lights flashed briefly within them. Raising a hand, he made a simple gripping motion. "Crack!" The cave air itself seemed to rupture under the pressure—such was his newfound absolute control!

"This... is the Divine Martial Realm." The pinnacle of mortal martial arts—a qualitative leap in martial progression!

Internal inspection revealed his formerly gaseous true energy had completely condensed into a single drop of liquid metal-like substance floating serenely—the hallmark of Divine Martial Grandmasters: True Essence! A single drop contained power equivalent to his previous total true energy!

Yet Li Pingcan remained unsatisfied. "While Divine Martial Realm is the peak for mortal martial artists, for me, it's merely the beginning." His bone-deep hunger told him this physical power was far from its limit.