The Frostfire Sect's environment was as harsh as it was magnificent.

Located deep in the northernmost regions, its landscape was a frozen expanse of sharp mountains, perpetually covered in snow, with occasional wisps of steam rising from concealed geothermal cracks. Glacial winds roared across the cliffs, while icy rivers shimmered beneath a pale sun that struggled to rise above the horizon.

Yet, beneath the cold surface, pockets of intense heat emanated from the volcanic veins running below, creating a strange contrast of fire and frost.

As the flying boat approached the sect, the striking beauty of the terrain became fully apparent.

Inside the vessel, however, conditions were much more pleasant. A design etched on its hull controlled the temperature, providing a cozy warmth and shielding everyone from the biting cold outside. For the children on board, this was just a glimpse of the difficulties they would encounter at the Frostfire Sect.

The moment any of them stepped outside the boat, the reality of the Frostfire Sect’s climate would hit them. The sect robe’s protective abilities would become essential, as the chill would pierce to the bone for anyone without sufficient cultivation to withstand it.

These robes, adorned with a subtle flickering pattern of blue and red, could alleviate the biting cold with the touch of spiritual power, adjusting perfectly to the wearer’s body. The design cleverly balanced style and practicality, perfect for life in a sect where fire and ice coexisted.

As the children were dismissed to change into their new sect robes, they dispersed throughout the boat. Some of the wealthier children flaunted their robes, activating the adjustment feature immediately with a flourish of spiritual power.

One of the wealthier children glancing nervously at the white expanse beyond.

"Is it really that cold out there?"

Another child from a prominent clan scoffed, adjusting his sect robe.

"You’ll freeze if you don’t know how to use spiritual power."

The commoner children, meanwhile, gathered more quietly, still unaccustomed to such luxurious clothing, unsure how to properly use the robe's feature.

Rinne, unnoticed as usual, slipped into a secluded corner of the boat. Her ragged clothes, torn and dirty, were finally replaced with the crisp, new sect robe. Yet unlike the others, she chose not to activate the automatic adjustment.

Instead, she let the robe hang loosely, oversized and ill-fitting. It concealed her small frame, blending her into the group of commoner children who had not yet begun cultivating. She moved with deliberate humility, wanting no attention drawn her way, blending in among the weakest—those who had not yet learned to harness spiritual power.

One of the commoner children whispered nervously.

"I’m not sure how to adjust mine,"

Another child replied.

"Just leave it, we’re all the same here—no spiritual power yet."

The boat finally arrived at the Frostfire Sect, its grand landing platform framed by massive glaciers and overlooking the sect’s vast territory. As the children disembarked, the frigid air hit them all at once. The well-dressed children quickly activated the protective functions of their robes, but the commoners, including Rinne, bore the cold in silence, shivering in their oversized garments.

As they regrouped, Rinne, noticing Kael in the distance among the wealthier children, said nothing and quietly walked away. She blended into the crowd, disappearing without a trace.

Meanwhile, Kael was searching for her. He scanned the groups of disciples disembarking from the boat, looking for Rin’s familiar figure, but to his dismay, he couldn’t find Rin's figure anywhere. His shoulders slumped slightly in disappointment, but he remained optimistic.

“We’re in the same sect now. I’ll definitely meet Rin again,”

He thought to himself, determined to find his friend at a later time.

The new outer disciples were then directed towards a dormitory located in the outer sect area, which would serve as their temporary living quarters.

It was a grand structure that showcased the unique architectural style of the Frostfire Sect. The walls were constructed from Glacium Stone, a material renowned for its ability to isolate extreme temperatures. This stone kept the cold of the northern region at bay, allowing the inhabitants to remain warm and unaffected by the biting cold outside.

The building was split into two sections, one for male disciples and one for female disciples, maintaining the sect's policy of gender separation. Each section housed multiple rooms, with each room designed to accommodate four people, offering just enough space for basic necessities.

Faylen’s voice echoed across the cold air, capturing everyone’s attention.

"New disciples, listen closely! This dormitory is your temporary living quarters, and it is separated by gender. Males, you’ll head there, the right section! Females, your dormitory is on the left!"

While speaking, he directed the new disciples with gestures, indicating where they should head.

"Register your name inside and assign yourself to a room. Don’t linger too long. The orientation begins tomorrow."

With that, Faylen turned on his heel and left the group, not bothering to wait for questions. The newly recruited disciples exchanged glances, some excited, others nervous, and they began walking towards their assigned dormitories.

Rinne, however, did not follow the instructions.

She already knew the Frostfire Sect’s grounds, including this dormitory’s layout. She knew the details well enough to navigate without any help and was resolute in one fact—there was no way she would tolerate sharing a room with anyone. While the other children shuffled towards their dorms, she slipped away unnoticed.

Before walking through the cold, Rinne used her spiritual sense, gently injecting a bit of wood-attribute spiritual power, processed from the leftover spiritual power of the Verdant Meridian Pill—to activate the size adjustment function of her sect robe.

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The robe responded immediately. First, the size adjusted itself, shrinking to fit her small frame perfectly. It was a subtle shift—one that made the previously loose garment snug and comfortable.

Next, she triggered the heat adjustment function, allowing the robe to insulate her from the biting chill. Though her spiritual root remained unstable and caused her constant pain, it still allowed her to use her spiritual sense without issue.

"Fortunately, I insisted on creating my spiritual root during the trial,"

Without it, she would have been forced to rely on a blood talisman again, wasting a chunk of her vitality each time she needed spiritual sense, shortening her lifespan in the process.

She knew, however, that this feature had its limits. The size adjustment would remain as it was until she decided to readjust again, but the heat regulation required a continuous supply of spiritual energy to maintain its function. The small amount she had used would only last a few hours at most. But for now, it was more than enough.

And then, she focused on the way.

Despite the cold, the Frostfire Sect was teeming with life—plants infused with both ice and fire spiritual energy thrived in this harsh environment.

Towering Frostpine trees lined the walkway, their silvery needles glittering under the faint sunlight, each branch radiating cold, yet emanating a subtle, comforting warmth. Near the base of these trees, Snowberry bushes grew low to the ground, their bright red berries gleaming with a thin layer of frost, as if crystallized but somehow still ripe.

In one particularly eye-catching spot, she spotted a cluster of Frostfire lilacs. The delicate flowers had petals that appeared frozen solid, shimmering with an icy sheen. But as Rinne brushed her fingers across them, they were unexpectedly warm to the touch, emitting a soft heat that belied their fragile appearance. These rare plants held immense value, and Rinne didn’t hesitate.

image [https://images-ng.pixai.art/images/orig/164ff9ec-60a1-49ff-ad74-a790dd93fe32]

Without a second thought, Rinne began to collect everything in her path, from Snowberries to the frosted bark of the Frostpine trees, and even the tender petals of the Frostfire lilacs. She stored the plants inside her spatial bag, which she had obtained during the third trial.

'This spatial bag is most likely a hidden subsidy from the Immortal Alliance...'

The bag, despite being labeled as "lent" by the elder examiner at the time, had never been requested back.

This low-grade spatial bag, crafted from the stomach skin of a lake-swallowing toad, had the capacity of roughly the size of her bedroom during her previous life in the modern world—an ample amount of space for someone in Rinne’s current position. Though it paled in comparison to the vast planting space Roran once possessed, for now, it served her needs perfectly.

By the time she neared her destination, her bag was already full, brimming with the unique flora of the Frostfire Sect.

♠♠♠

Rinne soon reached her destination, the Outer Affair Hall, its cold stone exterior rising before her.

The halls were relatively quiet at this time, with other new disciples still occupied with their arrival. Without hesitation, she entered and approached the front desk, where the teller, a woman named Talia Sartin, sat.

“I’m here to register as an outer disciple, and I’d also like to ask about my monthly resource allocation.”

Talia looked up as Rinne approached, her amber eyes flicking over the small figure in front of her. She recognized the new recruit immediately. The clean, unblemished robe and the kid's stature were clear indicators of one of the recent inductees. Talia’s sharp gaze briefly assessed Rinne, finding nothing of immediate interest.

Rinne, however, recognized Talia from memories she had harvested in her previous life. This woman was one of her victims. The Sartin clan which was Talia’s family, had been a minor target in one of Rinne’s more ruthless raids. Now she was just another face in the sect, a worker handling mundane tasks.

Talia spoke, her voice devoid of warmth.

"You're quite early to register. The orientation hasn't even started yet. Isn't it tomorrow?"

Rinne didn't hesitate, lying without so much as a blink.

"Yes, but my father told me to ignore the orientation. He said it was a waste of time and instructed me to register as soon as possible and begin practicing immediately."

She effortlessly spun a tale that painted her as the child of a cultivator family. Her calm demeanor and unwavering gaze gave the impression of confidence, as though she had every right to speak about her supposed father's orders. In reality, her family were mere mortals, with no connection to the world of cultivators.

Talia raised an eyebrow, then laughed—a short, humorless sound.

"Ha! Waste of time, huh? That's quite accurate. And who is your father, exactly?"

It was an innocent question on the surface, but Rinne could sense the subtle probe behind it. In a sect like Frostfire Sect, where lineage and family ties often carried influence, knowing who someone's father was could explain a lot about their confidence and actions.

Rinne gave a curt smile.

"I was told not to share personal information with strangers."

Talia blinked, a momentary flicker of surprise passing over her face. For a second, it seemed she might press further, but then she shrugged and dismissed the matter with a wave of her hand.

"Fine by me. It's none of my business anyway. Take out your token."

Rinne obediently pulled out her sect token. While handing it over, she discreetly used her spiritual power to imprint her information into the token, linking it officially to her identity.

image [https://images-ng.pixai.art/images/orig/758fa476-d94a-45bc-b491-4b59f2341f26]

Talia reached out with her spiritual sense, quickly scanning the token for the registration. She then glanced at the records before pulling out a small pouch and two porcelain bottles.

"Alright, your allocation for this month as an outer disciple: ten spiritual stones, a blue bottle with ten Qi Gathering Pills, and a green bottle with ten Healing Pills. That’s all for now."

Rinne took the items without a word, briefly inspecting them before slipping them into her storage bag.

But she didn’t leave just yet.

"I’d also like to rent a small house with a courtyard in the outer sect area. The cheapest available."

Talia raised an eyebrow, staring at Rinne for a moment. She tapped her chin in thought before answering.

"A house, huh? There’s one vacant right now. It'll cost you 5 spiritual stones per month. Are you sure?"

For outer disciples, they received an allocation of 10 spiritual stones each month. Since the rent cost 5 spiritual stones, this meant that half of their monthly allocation was spent on rent.

Talia glanced at Rinne’s unassuming figure, silently noting how most outer disciples, especially the ones from poorer backgrounds—typically chose to live in the dorms to save their spiritual stones. Sharing a room with three others might not be ideal, but it allowed them to keep all 10 spiritual stones for other needs. Yet, this kid seemed more concerned about privacy than conserving her resources.

Without hesitation, Rinne nodded in agreement.

"I’ll take it."

The decision to rent a small, private house was a necessary one. Sharing a dorm room with three other disciples would have been far too risky, and now she could avoid any unnecessary entanglements.

Seeing the firm determination in Rinne’s eyes, Talia decided not to press the matter any further. It was clear that this child had made up her mind, and nothing she said would change it.

After all, her job was simply to handle the paperwork, not to question the choices of disciples.

"Alright, five spiritual stones,"

Rinne took out five spiritual stones, which had not yet been warmed up in her bag, and placed them on the table.

Talia took the payment without a word, her fingers brushing over the stones to confirm their authenticity, before quickly finishing the registration. She took out a token and handed it to Rinne, who then accepted it.

"It’s yours for the month, but make sure to pay on time. If you don’t, we won’t hesitate to kick you out."

Without lingering, Rinne gave a slight nod, then turned on her heel and exited the building.

A sense of satisfaction settled over her. The transaction was complete, and with the house secured, she no longer had to worry about sharing her space with others.