The leading raider remained silent, his eyes wide with terror as he looked at Ye Feng and the others.
Their intel had described this group as easy prey, laden with fire-attribute arcane origin stones, and generally weak. But this...
"The Extreme Cold Storm is different from an ordinary blizzard. It contains ice-attribute arcane energy, not comparable to ordinary cold!"
"A cup of steaming hot water, if caught in an Extreme Cold Storm, would turn to ice within three seconds!"
"The cold of the Extreme Cold Storm penetrates directly into the body. For those who have awakened their innate arcane energy, especially those whose arcane energy is of the water attribute, it is a nightmare. They would be frozen solid!"
"Conversely, those who possess fire-attribute arcane energy can withstand it relatively easily, but they cannot rashly venture into the core of the Extreme Cold Storm!"
"Extreme Cold Storms are rare on the outer edges of the Icebound Snow Domain. The deeper you go, the higher the probability of encountering them."
"Therefore, if you wish to explore the depths of the Icebound Snow Domain, having fire-attribute arcane origin stones is crucial. Without them, encountering an Extreme Cold Storm would be left entirely to luck..."
Nong explained rapidly while sipping her soup.
"So that's how it is."
Ye Feng finally understood. "I wonder how it compares to that sudden drop in temperature we experienced before?"
Lacking fire-attribute arcane origin stones, Ye Feng's immediate thought was to find a cave or retreat directly into his small cabin to escape the severe cold.
"By the way, Nong, those streaks of water you used against the raiders just now, was that arcane energy?"
After a pause, Ye Feng voiced another question that had been lingering in his mind.
"Indeed, it was arcane energy!"
Nong nodded. "And not just ordinary arcane energy, but water-attribute arcane energy!"
"I awakened my innate arcane energy at a very young age and practiced for many years before mastering the water attribute. Now, I can use water as a weapon, much like swords or blades."
Speaking of this, Nong was quite proud. Among her group of companions, she was the earliest to awaken her innate arcane energy, earning praise from her strict grandfather.
"Innate arcane energy?"
"Nong, are you from the City of Arcana?"
Mentioning this, Ye Feng couldn't help but recall Bing from the City of Despair.
"No."
Nong shook her head gently. "There are many ways to awaken innate arcane energy, all sorts of strange and varied methods. Some awaken through meditation, others through boxing, playing the trumpet, swimming, or even by falling off a cliff and awakening mid-air..."
"Mastering arcane energy doesn't automatically link one to the City of Arcana."
"It's just that the City of Arcana has many strong individuals who master arcane energy, so the chance of successfully awakening innate arcane energy there is higher. They also have a complete cultivation system for arcane energy, and abundant resources for practicing it..."
"That's why when people see someone wielding arcane energy, they automatically associate them with the City of Arcana."
"In reality, there's no necessary connection."
After explaining, Nong looked at Ye Feng with a hint of confusion. "Brother Ye Feng, you must have been exploring for quite some time and are quite strong. You wouldn't not know this, would you?"
"Uh... I was just asking."
Ye Feng scratched his head, feeling a bit awkward. Before Nong mentioned it, he genuinely didn't know this.
"Big brother, it looks like it's going to snow heavily!"
At that moment, a small voice chimed in.