"Fox girl, I hope you realize on your own what might happen if you betray this trust." the Ice Saint warned the new Saint, just as the group arrived in the Icefire cavern.

Pef ignored the drama as he ran towards the gigantic cold fire and jumped right inside with his arms open, like greeting a long lost friend.

"I'm not stupid, frosty guy! The Icefire is a thousand times stronger than my divine mother..." the Fox Saint muttered in a low voice, as she sat down to wait.

The Ice Saint's eyes flashed with inner fire for a second, before he turned towards the other two in the group.

"Little Gonxian, you're still only in Sky Realm?" the Saint observed with a disappointed voice. Also true, not everyone was a prodigy like the blonde devil, but that was another story.

"...Yes. But I have other achievements, Ancestor." the man answered in a polite voice, flaring his two new Domains for a couple of seconds.

The old Saint blinked once, then turned towards the child inside the mighty Icefire, who seemed to be drawing something on his notebook, right in the middle of the existence-erasing flames.

"I also have a Domain now, Ancestor..." Lady Zara added hesitantly, while manifesting her meager Water Domain.

"Fine! Our smart Holy Son is on to something then. Cultivation is not required to reach the Dao, if his immense Sword Domain wasn't any clue before this. Ha! Now I see why the bald moron is still sweeping the pavement in the Outer Court." The Ice Saint exclaimed in a wry voice, then winked towards the Fox Saint.

"Indeed, frosty guy. You should come by our array room one day, and try learning new things as well." the foxy woman spoke gently while cycling through four Domains in a row, showing off her new understanding of the Dao, without being rude.

That shut the Ice Saint up, as he began to frown. He hadn't actually internalized his own words yet, but the lower two-Star Saint had already left him behind. Domains were the ultimate weapon among Saints, and gaining another one could spell victory or defeat in any encounter.

But four Domains? Too strong!

"I guess I should indeed come to that array room, fox girl. A few more Domains wouldn't go amiss, just to pass the time." he muttered in a gruff tone.

"Come here, Zara!" Pef shouted from inside the flames, making the woman pale for a second.

The fear of those ice-cold soul-destroying flames was visceral and incontrollable, no matter what her eyes showed her, a blonde boy sitting in the middle of Icefire unharmed.

She bit her lip and stepped forward with small steps. She did ask for this, after all.

"It's alright, you are already an Icefire Disciple. You need to feel blessed instead." Gonxian spoke gently as he landed beside the woman and escorted her into the cold inferno.

"Thank you, Gonxian. I should not doubt..." she answered in a calmer voice as she entered the flames, chin high.

'Such drama...' Pef noted inward, although most of his thoughts were focused on the better inner screen and the rapid conversations taking place as he communed with the gigantic fire.

'You could Ascend even faster, little one. You have all those herbs and pills now.' Icefire observed in a cold tone.

'I know. I probably will use some pills to enter Sovereign Realm this year. It is the soul entanglement that bothers me. I recall little about that.' Pef admitted in a sad voice, sounding less confident than before.

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'And that's why all your elemental methods stop in the Sovereign realm. I noticed that. And yet, you know so much about divine powers, more than even me. I suspect you might have damaged some memories, when you died...' Icefire spoke inside his mind, seemingly less concerned with the pitiful Monarch Realm that the young user.

'It's fine. I'll figure it out, I guess. It can't be too hard if so many people achieve that, even without my memories.' Pef decided as he took out the Lightning Method and examined it for any hidden flaws.

'I've read the method, little one. It will work very well, possibly even into Saint Realm. Just add a vague line here, like: bind your soul to flesh, and step into heavens. The talented ones won't need anything more to Ascend. That stone tablet in the Repository doesn't even have that.' Icefire advised Pef in an easy voice.

'I guess it could work...for now. I do intend to research the exact procedure when I reach that point myself. Cultivation should be quite easy if you don't step on the wrong steps.' Pef mused for a moment, although the decision was already made. It wasn't like he would stop Ascending anyways.

'Your grandpa...it seems today was an eye-opening event. He is Ascending right now.' Icefire commented slightly amused, as Gonxian sat down in the middle of the azure flames and formed his last Star.

'Grandpa did gain two Domains today. Even with your help, he touched the Dao and now he reaps the reward. How is Zara?' Pef asked while shifting his gaze on his best apprentice.

'I'm fusing the screen formation into her soul. But, it's more complicated than we thought. She has a Skill.' Icefire disclosed while projecting the woman's inner screen for Pef to see.

'Really? Can we see what kind of Skill?' Pef asked in amazement. Skills were so rare as to be game-breaking, just as Gonxian had just proved today.

Even in his memories, there were few Skills among millions of cultivators.

'Skills...are so strange. Some can be used at will, while others need a powerful incentive or threat. Some are cost-free, while others take a big toll or even cause a tribulation. And this new screen we made doesn't show it. Only the extra code, in the same place as your Voidcutter.' Icefire explained, seeming rather troubled.

'Compare the code with the blue flames. If it's similar, there could be another type of flames, or Sword Skill.' Pef said while examining the inner screen page again.

His own Voidcutter had reached 9 percent now, and would probably change something important on the screen once he reached 10 percent, just like the Elemental Domain appeared.

'It's not flames or swords. I guess we'll just have to wait for the right trigger to appear.' Icefire concluded as another sprite detached from the big fire and sat on the woman's hand.

'If we have the time, Icefire. Your opponent will not wait forever. Going by how spread the Nether infiltrations are, I'd say a decade at most, before it comes to a showdown. We're not ready.' the 10-year-old Overlord said in a sad voice.

'Prepare more users then, little one. While I cannot move, my Avatars can, if carried by people. I'll search among the Divines for some recruits as well.' the big fire demanded in a more urging tone.

Pef glanced up, as if trying to scry the sky for some Divine cultivators in gas form. Sadly, his senses couldn't yet detect Gods, unless they simply showed themselves.

Then, another idea came into his mind. He did remember some kind of special glasses to see divine beings. Pef ran out towards the Refinement Hall, oblivious of everyone else. He had work to do.