I Grind to Martial Saint

It was this very Snow Dragon Mountain Range that isolated the Great Ling Dynasty from the other three great dynasties of the Southern Star Continent.

The climate there was extremely harsh, home to many terrifying Exotic Beasts and horrifying legends.

For an ordinary person, attempting to cross the Snow Dragon Mountain Range was simply a death wish.

Of course, for Han Yuan, none of this was a problem.

He traveled at a rapid pace, finally arriving several months later at a remote town in the far north of the Great Ling Dynasty.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The cold wind was like a knife, exceptionally biting.

The people here all wore thick Beast Robes, covering themselves so tightly that even their heads were bundled up.

Only Han Yuan stood out from the crowd.

He wore nothing but a black robe, seemingly unaffected by the biting wind.

When the townspeople saw someone as odd as Han Yuan, their gazes were filled with astonishment.

Anyone who dared to do this was certainly a powerful Martial Artist, whose vigorous qi and blood allowed them to resist the harsh winter.

To Han Yuan, the harsh climate of Snow Dragon Mountain had no effect on him whatsoever.

However, he still needed an old guide familiar with the conditions on Snow Dragon Mountain.

Otherwise, if he got lost in the Snow Dragon Mountain Range, there was no telling how much time he would waste.

This town was quite close to the Snow Dragon Mountain Range, and some people made a living by acting as guides.

But when Han Yuan approached them, they all refused one after another, no matter how much money he offered.

This made Han Yuan quite curious, so he began to ask a local old guide about it.

"Hero, I know you are very capable."

"But this is the season when the Snow Dragon King prepares to unleash his fury... Anyone who enters the mountain will die."

"That’s why no one is willing to go into the mountains with you."

the old guide said in a somber voice.

"The Snow Dragon King’s fury?"

Han Yuan was taken aback.

"Yes... It’s the most terrifying weather on Snow Dragon Mountain all year."

"Blizzards, avalanches... and all sorts of Exotic Beasts emerging..."

"I can tell you that when the Snow Dragon King is furious, I’ve never seen anyone who entered the mountain come out alive."

"That’s why no one is willing to go with you."

"It’s not just our town... it’s the same in all the nearby towns."

"So if you want to enter the mountain, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait."

the old guide said gravely.

"How long do I need to wait?" Han Yuan asked.

"The Snow Dragon King’s fury usually lasts for three months... It hasn’t started yet... You’ll probably have to wait three or four months..."

the old guide estimated.

Upon hearing this, Han Yuan shook his head. "I have no intention of wasting that much time."

The old guide said softly, "Then there’s nothing to be done..."

Han Yuan replied coolly, "Not necessarily... I believe money talks... As long as the price is right, someone will always be willing to enter the mountain."

"Help me spread the word. Whoever is willing to enter the mountain with me, I’ll pay one thousand taels of silver."

As he spoke, he took out another ten taels of silver and placed it in the old guide’s hand.

This was the payment for spreading the news.

"One thousand taels!"

The old guide was stunned when he heard this number.

To Han Yuan, one thousand taels was a trivial amount.

But in a remote town like this, one thousand taels was more money than most people could earn in a lifetime.

If someone pulled off this job, they could leave this place immediately and move to one of the prosperous, warmer cities.

"If I weren’t so afraid of the Snow Dragon King’s fury... I’d risk this old life of mine to take you in."

The old guide accepted Han Yuan’s ten taels of silver and sighed with emotion.

He was old, and ultimately, he didn’t have the courage.

There was no set time for the Snow Dragon King’s fury. Although it hadn’t started yet, it could erupt the moment they entered the mountain.

Of course, there was also a chance it wouldn’t happen at all... No one could say for sure.

The old guide didn’t dare take such a great risk.

"It’s fine. Someone will be in need of this one thousand taels of silver."

"When you have news, find me at the town’s inn."

Han Yuan said softly.

There was only one inn in this town.

"Alright... I’ll help you spread the word..."

"As for whether it will succeed... I can’t make any promises."

the old guide said.

Han Yuan nodded, then turned and disappeared into the wind and snow.

’One thousand taels of silver... what a tempting number.’

The old guide shook his head.

He thought that perhaps someone really would take the risk for that much money.

...

「Three days passed in a flash.」

On this day, the old guide came to the town’s inn. As soon as he entered the main hall, he saw Han Yuan in his black robe, along with that fat Orange Cat.

The man was eating lamb hot pot...

"Hero... I have news."

The old guide sidled up to him.

"I knew someone would be tempted."

Han Yuan put down his chopsticks and said with a smile.

"The man is called One-Eyed Dragon... He’s a guide from the next town over."

"He’s extremely experienced with entering Snow Dragon Mountain... To be honest, even though I’ve been doing this for twenty years more than him, I haven’t entered the mountain as many times as he has."

the old guide said.

"One-Eyed Dragon... sounds decent enough." Han Yuan nodded with a smile.

"However, he’s also taking other people into the mountain..."

"Since no one has dared to enter the mountain recently, a lot of people have been stranded here."

"So quite a few people have sought out One-Eyed Dragon..."

The old guide hesitated for a moment but decided to tell him the truth.

He felt that the young man before him was not someone who could be easily fooled.

’What a greedy fellow...’

Han Yuan shook his head but didn’t say anything more.

He didn’t have a choice, after all.

In the current situation, it seemed One-Eyed Dragon was the only one who dared to enter the mountain.

"He also asked me to pass on a message."

"You need to pay a deposit of five hundred taels before entering the mountain."

The old guide relayed One-Eyed Dragon’s condition.

"Fine."

Han Yuan had long since stopped caring about money like this and directly took out a silver note.

He wasn’t afraid of them trying any funny business.

"Alright, I’ll go give it to him now."

The old guide put the silver note away.

"When can we set off, roughly?"

This was Han Yuan’s main concern at the moment.

"In one day."

"We’ll gather at the foot of the mountain."

The old guide gave him the time.

"Then you should go."

Han Yuan waved his hand dismissively.

After the old guide left, Han Yuan picked up his chopsticks again and continued eating the lamb.

’Once I enter Snow Dragon Mountain tomorrow, I’m afraid it’s back to chewing on jerky.’

...

「One day later.」

Han Yuan arrived at the foot of Snow Dragon Mountain.

WHOOSH... WHOOSH... WHOOSH...

The wind and snow were as biting as ever.

Six people were already gathered at the foot of the mountain.

A lean man in a Beast Robe was saying something.

He wore a black eyepatch over his right eye.

Clearly, this must be One-Eyed Dragon.

Besides him, there were five other people.

However, most of them were carefully concealing their appearances.

Two figures with covered faces and longswords on their backs were huddled together.

They looked like they were part of the same group.

There was a young Scholar in thick clothes, his face all smiles.

But Han Yuan felt the man’s smile was fake; ’He’s probably wearing a human-skin mask or something similar.’

There was also a tall, thin man wearing a Conical Hat that obscured half his face.

In addition, there was a monk.

This monk held a string of Buddha Beads. He was about fifty years old, with a gaunt face and gray monastic robes, constantly fingering the beads in his hand as if chanting scriptures.

He was the only one who wasn’t hiding his face.

Of course, now there was also Han Yuan.

When the group saw Han Yuan approaching, their gazes all held a trace of shock.

To dare dress so thinly in such cold weather, one was either a fool or possessed a powerful physique.

After all, once they entered Snow Dragon Mountain, the temperature would drop even further.

No one thought Han Yuan was a fool.

Moreover, he dared to show his true face... This was a sign of great confidence.

Although Han Yuan looked very young, no one present looked down on him.

"You’re One-Eyed Dragon?"

Han Yuan looked at the lean man.

"And you must be Hero Han."

One-Eyed Dragon said with some caution.

When facing Han Yuan, he had a very dangerous and unsettling feeling.

He knew that this young man before him was definitely dangerous.

"I am."

"When do we enter the mountain?"

Han Yuan asked casually.

He could have hidden his identity like the others.

But he felt that doing so might attract trouble.

On the contrary, brazenly displaying his strength as he was doing would make these people wary and less likely to provoke him.