Chu Feng sat in the centre of it all.
Unmoving.
The pressure hammered against his consciousness like crashing waves, but he allowed it in. He welcomed it, letting it temper his Dao-heart just as his Master Han Long.
If this is what life at the border is like…
Then Master was not exaggerating.
When he finally stood, hours later, frost had gathered on his hair and shoulders. He brushed it off and continued walking.
The land grew harsher with every step.
Forests thinned into skeletal trees.
Hills twisted into jagged black stone.
The wind screamed across the plains like a beast mourning the dead.
By the tenth day, snowflakes swirled in the air.
By the fifteenth, everything was white.
He was now on the outskirts of the Northern Border—
the place where countless cultivators came to rise… or die.
Two days into the snowfields, the world fell silent.
Chu Feng paused mid-step.
…Killing intent.
It seeped through the snow like venom.
Before he even looked up, dozens of figures appeared along the ridge above him. Ragged armour, hungry eyes, weapons drawn.
Bandits.
One of them shouted, "Boy, leave everything you have, and maybe we will leave your body intact!" Laughter rolled across the cliffs. Cosmic souls flickered around them. Mutated wolves, venomous birds, twisted beasts.
Chu Feng did not even slow his pace.
"Fine! Kill!"
A brute barreled down the slope toward him, spear raised.
Chu Feng draws his sword.
A rune flashed.
A blade of sword qi ripped through the air.
A sharp crack exploded through the snowy valley as the brute's body flew backwards and slammed into the ground, unmoving.
Suffocating silence fell over the ridge.
One bandit swallowed hard.
"Wh-what…?"
Chu Feng kept walking, steps steady against the white ground.
Two more bandits snarled and rushed forward, trying to overwhelm him with desperate fury. The moment they entered his range, Chu Feng drew his sword again. Another burst of sword qi cracked through the valley, and the two bodies were thrown aside like rag dolls.
Another sharp impact echoed through the cliffs.
This time, no one dared to move.
The bandits turned and fled in every direction, tripping over one another in their haste to escape.
By the time Chu Feng reached the end of the valley, the cliffs were empty.
Fear had devoured greed.
Snow continued falling as he stepped beyond the frozen pass and entered the official boundary of the Northern Frontier Region.
Three days later, a massive shadow rose from the snowy horizon.
Chu Feng slowed to a stop.
There it stood in the distance.
Northwatch Stronghold.
A fortress city carved from metal and stone, towering from the frozen plains like a colossal beast guarding the final edge of the world.
Walls thick as mountains.Gates, tall enough for giant beasts.Runic cannons and ballistae lined along the ramparts. Armoured soldiers patrolled with steps so steady and cold that their killing intent felt like sharpened steel.
Even from miles away, Chu Feng felt the pressure settling on his shoulders.
"This place… is different."
There was no elegance here... only survival.
Men and women carrying scars deeper than the snow.
Veterans who had killed more beasts than most could imagine.
Merchants with blades hidden under their cloaks.
Children practising dagger techniques on wooden dummies.
This was the border.
Where the strong lived,
and the weak devoured.
Chu Feng inhaled the freezing air and stepped forward.
The gates were half-open, guarded by elite soldiers. Mercenaries, traders, and cultivators stood in long lines, each person observed with sharp, suspicious eyes.
When Chu Feng approached, several guards shifted their stance. Their gazes were cold and measuring, trained to spot fear and falsehood.
One of them, a broad-shouldered man with a faint wolf-shaped soul mark glowing on his wrist, stepped forward.
"Purpose of entry?"
Chu Feng cupped his fists respectfully and presented a letter. "I am here to join the Northern Border."
The guard raised an eyebrow and scanned him from boots to hair. His expression tightened slightly at the calm, steady eyes.
"You don't look like someone who belongs here," he said in a flat tone.
Chu Feng said nothing.
A few guards exchanged looks, surprised at the lack of reaction.
The wolf-marked guard finally grunted. He reached into his belt and tossed a cold metal plate toward Chu Feng.
"Take that to Ironwind Barracks. Registration is inside."
Chu Feng caught the plate with one hand and stepped through the towering gates.
Entering Northwatch felt like stepping into the jaws of a colossal beast.
He did not slow down.
Inside Northwatch Stronghold, noise struck him immediately.
The pounding of metal on anvils.The roar of soldiers training.The crackle of beast cores being refined.The sharp scent of smoke, sweat, and blood.
Armoured warriors sparred fiercely in the courtyards. Veteran cultivators meditated, weapons resting on their laps. Merchants shouted as they bargained over pills and talismans.
A city built entirely on the edge of conflict.
Chu Feng watched quietly.
Following the directions from the gate, Chu Feng arrived at a sprawling complex of barracks and training fields.
A grand building bearing a tempest insignia marked the entrance.
Ironwind Barracks.
Recruits ran laps, dragging heavy metal logs behind them. Officers shouted orders sharp enough to cut through the wind. Veterans watched with folded arms, eyes as sharp as hawks.
Chu Feng stepped into the registration hall.
Behind a desk sat a scarred officer, reviewing documents. He looked up and raised his brows slightly upon seeing Chu Feng.
"You are here to join the Northern Border Army?"
"Yes," Chu Feng replied.
The officer studied him for a long moment.
Then he handed Chu Feng a scroll.
"Steel Frost Cadet Quarters. Training starts at dawn. If you cannot meet the requirements during training, do not expect to be sent home. You will be reassigned to the kitchens or lesser labour duties. There is always something to do here until your three years are up," he said in a stern voice.
Chu Feng accepted the scroll calmly, as if receiving an ordinary assignment.
The officer clicked his tongue.
"…Insane, Brave... Or foolish. The border will decide."