“With things still brewing, I can try infiltrating larger snow monster encampments…” The idea crystallized in his mind.

His purpose here was to test his hypothesis about Mortal Dust Qi. Though smaller encampments had already confirmed it, he suspected larger ones would yield the same result.

But for rigor’s sake, Jie Ming wanted more experiments.

As a researcher, skipping thorough verification left him uneasy, his thoughts unfulfilled.

Now was the perfect opportunity!

These defenseless, larger snow monster “cities” were ideal for his experiments!

More importantly, beyond experiments, he could now explore major cities he’d previously avoided.

With luck, he might uncover rare spoils unattainable before.

Resolved, he shared his intent with Edgar.

“Sir Edgar, I plan to scout several larger snow monster encampments,” Jie Ming said, giving a plausible reason. “With high-tier forces gone, the risk is minimal, and I might gather valuable intelligence.”

Edgar wasn’t surprised and even approved.

To him, Jie Ming was a driven, exploratory junior.

“Good idea, but be cautious,” Edgar advised. “I have intelligence on several large snow monster ‘cities’ in our outpost’s jurisdiction. You can use it.”

He transferred a 3D map marked with red dots to Jie Ming.

It detailed coordinates, approximate scales, and previously scouted defenses of several large snow monster settlements.

Jie Ming paid the required military merits and stored the valuable map in his magic network terminal.

Without lingering, he bid Edgar a brief farewell and pushed open the outpost’s heavy metal door.

“Thank you. I’m off.”

The icy wind enveloped him again, his Body Refinement Method autonomously generating warmth.

Glancing at the nearest red dot on the map, he confirmed his direction, flashed forward, and vanished into the blizzard.

…

With detailed intelligence from the outpost wizard and the precise 3D map in his terminal, Jie Ming traversed the blizzard for days.

Finally, a snow-covered abyss slowly appeared before him.

This was his first target: the so-called “Snow Monster City No. 4.”

However, the city’s location differed from his expectations.

It wasn’t built atop a towering iceberg or hidden within a glacier but nestled in a stunningly deep, circular crater!

The city’s outline seemed constructed along the crater’s edge.

Examining the intelligence, Jie Ming marveled, “From the smooth inner walls and residual traces, was this crater formed by draining a massive ice lake and building upon it?!”

According to the outpost’s data, typical snow monster settlements were carved into glacier cliffs or built as ice huts on flat plains.

But cities of this scale were uniquely constructed in lakebeds or basins!

“Such a site… for normal creatures, a single blizzard would bury the entire city!” Jie Ming mused.

For any tribe or town, choosing such a low-lying area in this extreme environment was suicidal.

Yet, for snow monsters—peculiar elemental beings—this choice was logical, even culturally significant.

In their culture, being buried in snow was sacred, a return to nature’s embrace. Being frozen deep in ice was a form of “dormant cultivation.”

As elemental beings, they didn’t need oxygen. Thick snow or deep ice was no different from open plains.

In fact, it was like fish in water, allowing them to better absorb the cold energy of the earth veins.

Hence, their unique city sites.

“But being in a pit makes infiltration easier,” Jie Ming chuckled.

Suppressing all energy fluctuations, he meticulously applied spells to block infrared detection, life sensing, and temperature fluctuations.

Using his Alchemy Technique, he skillfully dug a tunnel, carefully infiltrating the city’s interior.

The passage, crafted with his adept skill, slanted downward, bypassing the sparse patrols on the city’s outskirts and leading to the underground layer.

Once inside, Jie Ming’s first task was his critical “verification.”

Like a phantom, he glided through the icy passages, reaching the edge of the city’s core.

Hiding in the shadow of a massive ice sculpture, he calmly sensed the chaotic energy fluctuations generated by countless snow monsters’ activities.

For an entire day, he conducted this complex perception and confirmation.

He moved through the city’s districts, from common snow monster residences to a rudimentary “council hall,” from their “breeding grounds” to their “training fields.”

But the results were, regrettably, as expected.

Even in such a large snow monster city, no Mortal Dust Qi was generated!

“As I thought, there’s something wrong with this world,” Jie Ming sighed inwardly.

As he’d suspected, since elemental beings couldn’t produce Mortal Dust Qi, its scarcity was no longer his concern.

Though disappointing, this brought another piece of good news!

Through the day’s reconnaissance, he confirmed another hypothesis: the city teemed with an unimaginable number of First-Tier snow monsters.

But there were almost no Second-Tier or higher snow monsters!

He sensed only a few recently promoted Second-Tier monsters with unstable auras.

With no Mortal Dust Qi to gain, Jie Ming shifted to his second goal in the Frostshadow Realm: searching for rare resources!

Such large encampments typically hoarded vast quantities of rare materials, including high-tier ice-attributed resources and unique minerals from the realm’s depths.

With his prior strength, without a clear mission, he’d never have dared approach such settlements!

But now, with high-tier snow monsters gone, these resources were an open treasury!

Still, the city’s defenses posed a challenge.

Though lacking high-tier threats, the sheer number of snow monsters—over 100,000 by his estimate—was staggering!

“100,000…” Jie Ming calculated silently.

Even if they were all First-Tier, their numbers in this icy environment could overwhelm through sheer mass.

Even for him, conquering the city swiftly without significant losses was daunting!

He needed an efficient, wide-ranging method to clear the field.

Standing in the city’s underground core, Jie Ming closed his eyes, pondering for seconds.

His mind raced through countless plans, settling on a simple, direct strategy.

With a flick of his wrist, he retrieved a “Sixth-Tier Small Element Pool” he’d bought at a high price from Mentor Clark.

Originally intended as a backup power source for his Infernal Sulfur Plane, it remained unused since that plane’s infrastructure wasn’t complete.

The pool, a mysterious blue-black, brimmed with vast, stable energy.

Typically used for sustained elemental energy, Jie Ming had a different plan.

Using the pool as the core, he swiftly constructed a simple, efficient rune array on the ice.

The array’s runes glowed red, contrasting with the pool’s chilling aura.

The array’s function was straightforward: convert the pool’s vast energy into heat and release it all at once!

Simple, brutal, and highly effective!

His prior research on snow monsters was extensive.

Like lava giants unfazed by cold, snow monsters, as elemental beings, weren’t greatly affected by minor fire attacks.

Jie Ming’s lab studies revealed their white fur was crystalline energy, acting like “reactive armor” against external damage, up to a certain limit.

Conversely, like lava giants slowing under rapid cooling, snow monsters had a weakness.

If subjected to intense heat, their cores overactivated, destabilizing their physical forms.

In short—they’d melt!

This wasn’t fatal. Like lava giants, once the temperature normalized, their cores could reform their bodies.

But during this “melting” phase, their bodies were fragile, immobile, and defenseless!

This was Jie Ming’s “clearing” strategy.

“Activate!”

With his command, the array’s runes blazed with piercing red light, resonating intensely with the Sixth-Tier element pool.

Instantly, a massive energy wave surged outward!

Boom!

The air in the ice city exploded with near-cataclysmic force!

Visible shockwaves radiated from Jie Ming, spreading rapidly!

The pool’s stored energy, unleashed through the array, erupted as heat akin to a nuclear blast, vaporizing the city’s air!

The core activation zone even triggered a genuine explosion from the extreme temperature difference.

The city’s temperature soared from nearly -200°C to over 100°C in moments!

Steam rose everywhere, ice structures creaked as they melted, and water began pooling on the ground!

“Screech! Screech!”

Countless snow monsters roared in pain and chaos.

Their massive bodies were engulfed in searing steam and heatwaves, their crystalline fur evaporating, their sturdy forms softening like heated plastic.

Some cores flickered, their bodies collapsing like melting ice cream, reduced to shapeless sludge, writhing helplessly.

Second-Tier snow monsters could endure with stronger cores and physiques, but at a cost.

For most First-Tier snow monsters, this heat stripped them of mobility and resistance!

Jie Ming was unaffected.

His protective spells withstood the initial air shockwave, and his Body Refinement Method countered the temperature shift.

His sharp gaze swept the surroundings, casually deploying talisman artifacts to eliminate the few Second-Tier snow monsters still struggling.

Though resistant, they were sluggish in the heat, unable to dodge his lethal spells.

The city was thoroughly cleared!

He ignored the First-Tier snow monsters, now mere piles of “living material” awaiting reformation, posing no threat.

Time was short.

Jie Ming darted through the city, searching for its resource vaults and any high-value items!