Within the Tai Su Sect was a nameless mountain, covered entirely in jagged, bizarre rocks, with not a hint of natural beauty. Though not particularly remote, the area for miles around was completely uninhabited.

The Beiji Pavilion was built upon this mountain. It had the outward appearance of a pavilion, with its halls built into the mountainside. The carvings were archaic and simple, the interior spacious and unnaturally silent.

The reason for this desolation was that the Beiji Pavilion was the most well-known place of bitter austerity in the Tai Su Sect. Only two types of people ever came to this pavilion.

The first were cultivators who, having reached a certain realm, struggled to break through their bottleneck. In a desperate, do-or-die attempt to achieve a breakthrough, they would enter seclusion here.

These people were, at the very least, Golden Core Cultivators seeking to shatter their Cores and form a Nascent Soul. Some were even Nascent Soul Great Cultivators hoping to pass through the Life and Death Profound Gate, refine a Primordial Spirit, and attain true longevity. Once such a person entered the Beiji Pavilion, they would likely never emerge unless they succeeded...

Let alone having anyone come to visit.

The second type were those, like Xuzhuang, who had been sentenced to confinement as punishment.

Xuzhuang landed on the terrace in front of the hall. Everything before the gate and behind the hall was desolate and cold, without a single sign of life. He wondered to himself, ’The Beiji Pavilion may be a place of austerity, but there should still be servant disciples on duty. Why is there no sound or movement at all?’

Seeing no one around, Xuzhuang certainly wasn’t going to wait outside like an idiot. He strode into the hall. The interior was just as silent. Aside from vermilion walls, red pillars, and intricate carvings of gold and jade, it appeared to be completely empty.

Xuzhuang scanned his surroundings. Not far into the hall, he spotted an exquisite birdcage suspended in mid-air. Inside, a colorful parrot stood on a silver wire, its head nodding as if it were about to fall asleep.

Xuzhuang shook his head with a slight smile and had no choice but to call out, "Are any servant disciples present!"

"Oh!" The moment Xuzhuang spoke, a startled cry came from deeper within the hall. "Friend, please wait a moment."

After a moment, a Tattered Taoist came jogging out in a hurry, shouting, "Coming, I’m coming!"

When he reached the main hall, he saw Xuzhuang standing calmly in the center with his hands clasped behind his back, still looking with amusement at the colorful parrot.

The Tattered Taoist saw the parrot, still drowsing and completely oblivious. He instantly flew into a rage and bellowed, "You beast! We have a visitor, and you’re still lazing around!"

The colorful parrot started, its eyes snapping open. It squawked, "Master, a visitor! Master, a visitor!"

The Tattered Taoist’s face twitched. "I’ll deal with you in a minute!" he said angrily.

Xuzhuang couldn’t help but smile at the sight. The Tattered Taoist kept up the act for a moment before finally stepping forward. "My apologies, young friend," he said. "The Beiji Pavilion is a place of hardship, so no disciples have been willing to serve here for a long time. I’ve run to the Merit Hall about it more times than I can count, but the issue was never resolved, so I had to just let it be."

"So now I’m managing the place myself. Fortunately, visitors are rare. For the sake of my own cultivation, I raised this little beast to announce arrivals."

"I see." Xuzhuang shook his head with a smile.

"Ahem." Seeing that Xuzhuang didn’t seem inclined to press the issue, the old Daoist cleared his throat and asked in a more serious tone, "So, young friend, what brings you to the Beiji Pavilion?"

Seeing that the old man seemed completely unaware of his impending arrival, Xuzhuang had no choice but to present the Decree and say, "This junior, True Disciple Xuzhuang, is here under the Master’s Decree to be confined to the Beiji Pavilion for ten years." Stating his own crime so plainly made even Xuzhuang feel a little embarrassed.

"Ah, so it’s Nephew Xu." The Tattered Taoist seemed completely unfazed as he took the Decree, chuckling. "The Beiji Pavilion may be a place of hardship, but it’s a first-class Earth Realm for cultivation. Confinement here is the most face-saving punishment our sect has. Nephew Xu, you needn’t take it to heart."

He glanced up at the sky to check the Celestial Time, then raised a hand to stroke his tangled beard. Finding he couldn’t smooth it out, he awkwardly lowered his hand and said, "The sun is at its zenith. This is the perfect time to enter the pavilion. Come with me."

The Tattered Taoist led the way, and the two walked toward the back of the hall. They went deeper and deeper, eventually arriving before a white jade gate some eighty to ninety feet high. The jade emitted a faint, ethereal glow, illuminating the winding, profound cave path beyond.

The Tattered Taoist pursed his lips and blew out a stream of spiritual light to brighten their way. Without pausing, he led Xuzhuang straight through the gate and down the cavern path.

Gradually, the faint sound of mournful whistling began to drift from up ahead. A bone-chilling cold swept out from the depths of the cavern. Even with Xuzhuang’s cultivation, he felt a shiver run down his spine. After another few dozen steps, his vision suddenly opened up, and he found himself standing in an Abyssal Gorge.

Xuzhuang gazed out. The Abyssal Gorge snaked away for an unknown distance. Both sides were lined with eerie blue glaciers and walls of cold, frozen rock. Though they were theoretically in the heart of the mountain, he could still see the sky above. It was as dim as twilight, and snow fell ceaselessly, carried on a biting wind that howled through the gorge for over a hundred li. It was clearly a Grotto Heaven.

The old Daoist stopped in his tracks. "This is as far as I go, young friend," he said. "But there are still a few matters I must explain to you."

Xuzhuang replied humbly, "Please speak, Senior."

"See the caves on those two ice walls?" The old Daoist pointed to the dark caverns dotting the ice cliffs on both sides of the Abyssal Gorge. "Those are the cultivation grounds here in the gorge. You can choose any one you like and go in and out as you please. But remember, if you come across a cave protected by a formation, do not, under any circumstances, disturb the person cultivating peacefully inside." The old Daoist picked at his beard again and added with a grin, "There is one other thing you must keep in mind if you intend to venture deeper into the gorge."

"Within this Abyssal Gorge, a fierce wind blows at all times. It’s manageable here, but the deeper you go, the more intense the cold in the gorge becomes. The wind grows more sinister and biting, cold enough to freeze the heavens and crack the earth. If a cultivator with even slightly insufficient cultivation is caught by a single gust, their life force will be instantly extinguished, their body frozen solid and shattering to pieces. This wind is weakest at noon and at its most ferocious in the early morning hours. You must pay close attention to this if you wish to venture deeper into the gorge."