——————

System Shop

Winter Berry (Tier 1) — 1,000 SP

Freezing Touch (Tier 1) — 1,000 SP

...

Cold Mist Palm (Tier 2) — 3,000 SP

Blue Ginseng (Tier 2) — 1,500 SP

Black Ice Sword (Tier 2) — 5,000 SP

...

Shallow Frost Formation (Tier 3) — 7,500 SP

Frost Seed Pill (Tier 3) — 10,000 SP

Water Clone Art (Tier 3) — 10,000 SP

Frost Silk Robe (Tier 3) — 5,000 SP

...

Mist Body Technique (Tier 4) — 30,000 SP

...

——————

After spending quite a long time carefully browsing through the System Shop, Caelum finally selected three things that perfectly fit within his remaining budget.

Although after calming down slightly, he also realized that his choices were perhaps a little impulsive.

Still, this was the very first time he had ever possessed System Points that he could freely spend, equivalent to his first income.

How could he resist spending them?

Especially when the shop contained techniques and treasures that looked straight out of those ancient cultivation novels he used to read.

——————

Freezing Touch (Tier 1) — 1,000 SP

Allows the user to freeze the struck area through direct contact.

Frost Seed Pill (Tier 3) — 10,000 SP

Plants the first seed of Ice Qi in the Dantian

Water Clone Art (Tier 3) — 10,000 SP

Creates water clone with 60% power that evaporates on destruction.

——————

The moment he confirmed the purchases, another twenty-one thousand System Points disappeared instantly.

Leaving Caelum with a rather miserable balance of only four thousand points remaining.

At the same time, streams of information flooded directly into his mind.

The knowledge related to [Freezing Touch] and [Water Clone Art] engraved itself within his consciousness as naturally as breathing, while the [Frost Seed Pill] quietly appeared inside his inventory.

Caelum slowly exhaled while glancing outside the frozen cave toward the endless snow-covered mountains.

’This environment is practically perfect for cultivating ice-related abilities,’ he thought.

’Mana in this region is also denser so I should use this opportunity to strengthen both my cultivation and my ice affinity as much as possible.’

With that thought in mind, he sat down cross-legged once again.

Then he removed several Ice Fruits from his inventory before beginning to eat them one after another.

Naturally, Caelum understood that if those fruits were properly refined through alchemy, their medicinal essence could be absorbed much more efficiently.

However, finding an alchemist inside a forbidden zone sounded somewhat unrealistic.

Besides, according to his rough estimate, when he directly consumed these fruits it still provided him with nearly ninety-six percent efficiency.

And in his opinion, ninety-six percent was already excellent.

Thus, for nearly an hour, Caelum continuously consumed Ice Fruits while streams of cold energy circulated throughout his body.

The chilling essence entered his energy channels before gradually being absorbed into his Primordial Chaos Core, steadily strengthening his ice affinity while slightly improving his cultivation.

Although despite all this, he still remained within the Qi Condensation Realm.

After finishing another fruit, Caelum quietly summoned his status screen.

——⟬ Simple Normal System⟭——

Host: Caelum Annum

Age: 7

Race: Human

Class: Cultivator

Titles: Heir of the Immortal Count, Baby Aura Farmer, Reincarnator.

Status: Disappointed because Ice Fruits no longer taste sweet due to partial freezing of tongue

«Cultivation»

Realm: Qi Condensation (10/12)

Physique: Eternal Immortal Physique

Eyes: Heaven Reading Eyes

Bloodline: ???

Technique: Myriad Heavenly Ascension, Heaven Dominating Divine Sword Art, Freezing Touch, Water Clone Art

«Innate Traits»

Aura Body

Trinity

Primordial Chaos

«System Functions»

System Shop

Inventory

Quests: [1]

System Points: [4000]

————————————

’So only techniques obtained directly from the System appear within the Technique section...’ Caelum thought thoughtfully while observing the screen.

Several techniques his father personally taught him, such as [Air Steps], did not appear there at all.

Honestly, he preferred it this way for now.

At least it clearly separated the abilities he obtained from the System from those he learned normally.

Another thing Caelum immediately noticed was the change in his realm limits.

Before undergoing rebirth, the maximum limit within a realm had been nine layers.

Now, that limit had been increased to twelve.

As for the active quest still displayed, it was most likely the mission related to surviving and escaping this frozen land.

After dismissing the status screen, Caelum finally removed the [Frost Seed Pill] from his inventory.

The moment the pill appeared, the surrounding temperature dropped noticeably.

Even Bonjour unconsciously shivered in his sleep nearby.

"This thing better be worth ten thousand System Points..." Caelum muttered with visible reluctance while staring at the freezing pill.

Still, after spending such painfully earned points on it, he no longer had any choice.

Thus, without hesitating further, he swallowed the pill.

The instant it entered his body, an enormous amount of ice energy erupted violently throughout his entire system.

If an ordinary cultivator had consumed such a pill, their body would likely have frozen solid before exploding apart from the overwhelming energy contained within it.

However, Caelum possessed the [Eternal Immortal Physique] alongside completely open energy channels.

His body endured the terrifying influx of cold energy while rapidly refining it.

Thus, time slowly passed.

And in approximately the same amount of time it would take someone to gather enough courage to confess to their crush sixty-six separate times, which was roughly eleven hours.

Bonjour finally opened his eyes from deep sleep.

***

Kalar Mountains, Unknown Location.

Two groups stood facing each other amidst the endless snowy mountains.

On one side stood only a handful of figures.

On the other, thousands of warriors stretched across the frozen land like an unstoppable tide.

The sheer pressure radiating from them distorted the atmosphere itself.

Not a single weakling could be found among their ranks.

Every individual standing there had long surpassed the realm of Masters.

If such a force truly marched outward, it would not have been surprising if they invaded an entire kingdom, or perhaps even attempted to conquer multiple nations.

The tension within the mountains felt suffocating.

Then finally, one of the towering figures stepped forward.

He possessed an enormous physique and a domineering presence capable of shaking lesser minds merely through sight alone.

"King, are you still intending to reject the proposal?" the man spoke in a deep voice that echoed throughout the mountains.

Then his gaze sharpened.

"Even Death has already been captured."

The man standing opposite him remained completely calm despite facing an army powerful enough to drown nations.

"You misunderstand the situation, Death was only captured because I allowed it."

His gaze then shifted toward another figure standing behind the speaker.

"And now that Conquest has appeared among you, I suppose it is finally time to end this farce."

The atmosphere instantly became heavier.

Then the man slowly stepped forward.

"I will fight both of you alone," he declared calmly, as though speaking about something insignificant.

"I will crush your hands and feet until you once again remember what true insignificance feels like."

A terrifying aura slowly began radiating from his body.

"And after that, I will personally suppress this idiotic rebellion all of you are trying to start."

Despite those overwhelming words, the towering barbarian did not retreat.

Instead, he slowly nodded.

"Very well, I will not refuse." he answered.

Although he spoke confidently, he understood perfectly well how absurd it was to directly confront the Guardian.

The King of the Barbarians.

Without the support of another Pillar.

And that day, the mountains shook violently, the skies themselves screamed.

The aftermath of the battle shook oceans, shattered lands, and sent tremors throughout countless territories.

Even across the distant Human Continent, people could feel the lingering aftereffects of that terrifying clash.