Chapter 301: Ah, This Hand Is So Smooth

The G. S. C. interlude, like a sudden gust on the plateau, faded swiftly. The basin's center returned to silence, leaving only the Exploration Squad and the unknown journey ahead. With external forces gone, the team, under Qin Feng's guidance, pressed deeper toward the coordinate's core.

As they advanced, the surroundings grew stranger. The ambient energy field thickened, no longer the quiet, exclusionary force of before, but now carrying a hint… of guidance. Jagged rocks arranged themselves in rhythmic patterns, as if following ancient arrays. Rare, faintly glowing mosses and lichens dotted the rock crevices, adding mystery to this desolate land.

Xia Wan could clearly feel the resonance deep within her Bloodline growing stronger, like a wanderer hearing his mother's call. She even caught fleeting fragments of images and data streams—ancient memories of this land, of guardianship, of waiting.

The team followed a glacial erosion canyon that appeared natural but concealed hidden design. On both sides rose ice walls unchanged for ten thousand years, translucent and crystalline, as if trapping flowing blue luminescence within. Beneath their feet lay solid permafrost, crunching softly with each step.

Suddenly, Qin Feng, leading the way, halted.

"Here."

Everyone followed his gaze. The canyon seemed to end; ahead loomed a towering, mirror-smooth ice wall, blocking their path. It was seamless, with no door or crack visible.

"Is this it?" the Tactics Captain scrutinized the ice wall, then checked his locator—its screen swarmed with static. "The coordinates confirm this area, but… there's no entrance."

The Geologist stepped forward, touching the ice wall, feeling its bone-chilling cold and unyielding texture: "This is ancient ice, over ten thousand years old. Its structure is extremely stable, hardness comparable to alloy. Conventional methods won't break it."

Xia Wan stepped forward. She felt the intense call emanating from beyond this ice wall. She pressed her palm against the surface and activated her Bloodline Power.

Hum—

The flowing blue luminescence within the ice wall stirred, brightening sharply. A gentle yet potent force flowed back through her palm, resonating with her inner energy. On the ice wall, centered on her hand, intricate ancient runes—drawn by light—began to emerge, faintly visible.

"Reaction!" Xia Wan's heart leapt.

But the runes flickered briefly, then slowly faded. The ice wall remained unmoved.

"It seems a specific method is needed—or… the key itself is inside, requiring someone who meets the condition to unlock it." Xia Wan withdrew her hand, glancing helplessly at Qin Feng.

Qin Feng said nothing. He stepped forward, extended his right hand, and gently tapped the center of the ice wall with his index finger.

His motion seemed casual—but the instant his fingertip neared the ice, another change erupted!

Crack—

Above them, a massive ice prism, the size of a house, shattered without warning. With thunderous force, it plummeted straight toward Qin Feng, standing before the ice wall!

The change came too fast, too sudden! The falling ice prism accelerated far beyond freefall, as if propelled by invisible force. Writhing threads of ominous black energy clung to its surface—identical in origin to the Tomb Guardians' energy, yet denser and more malevolent!

"Sir, watch out!" Xia Wan, closest, cried out. Instinctively, she unleashed her power, her body flashing forward to shove Qin Feng aside!

But someone moved faster.

Or rather—she didn't need to move at all.

Qin Feng's right hand, originally aimed at the ice wall, moved in a tiny, subtle arc—natural, as if he'd anticipated the attack from above. He didn't look up. He didn't dodge. He merely rotated his wrist slightly, changing the tap into a brush, like swatting away an annoying fly, and lightly flicked his sleeve upward.

No thunderous collision echoed.

The massive ice prism, capable of crushing an armored vehicle into scrap, halted abruptly—less than half a meter from Qin Feng's head—as if striking an invisible, absolute barrier.

Instantly, the black energy clinging to the prism shrieked "ssss" and vanished. The ice prism itself began to disintegrate silently from the point of impact, crumbling into countless glittering ice crystals that drifted down like snow, refracting the sunlight filtering through the canyon into a kaleidoscopic halo—a dreamlike rain of ice.

The entire process was quiet, swift, carrying an almost artistic brutality.

Qin Feng's robe didn't even stir.

His flicking hand, still moving, descended naturally, gently clasping Xia Wan's wrist—she had rushed forward in panic and now stood frozen, stunned by the spectacle.

Xia Wan felt a gentle but unyielding force halt her forward momentum. Then, a cool touch on her wrist.

She snapped back to awareness, looked down—and saw Qin Feng's long, slender fingers, clearly defined, holding her wrist. His fingers were cool, yet radiated an uncanny steadiness, as if calming her racing heart.

At that moment, Qin Feng lifted her wrist slightly, exposing both their hands to the falling ice crystals. The tiny particles, charged with faint energy and extreme cold, brushed their skin, bringing a delicate chill.

Then, Xia Wan heard Qin Feng speak—in a tone tinged with… amusement? Or something utterly unlike his usual self: a faint, almost flippant chuckle, as if speaking to himself:

"Ah… this hand, so smooth."

Xia Wan: "!!!"

She froze as if struck by lightning, her mind going utterly blank.

The cool touch on her wrist suddenly burned. Blood surged to her face, reddening even her ears. She felt her heart skip a beat—then begin pounding like a war drum!

Sir…?

What did he just say?!

This hand… is smooth?!

How could those words come from him?! The Qin Feng she knew—calm, unfathomable, untouched by mortal concerns?!

She snapped her head up, meeting his deep eyes. Now, those eyes no longer held the stillness of a bottomless well—they flickered with the faintest, quickest hint of mischief, so fleeting she thought she'd imagined it.

Was it imagination?

But the words, the tone—still echoed in her ears. And his hand… still hadn't let go.

The other Exploration Squad members had witnessed the dramatic scene, sighed in relief—then heard Qin Feng's remark. Seeing Xia Wan's blazing face and rigid posture, they all wore strange expressions: wanting to laugh but daring not to, forcing themselves to look away, pretending to study the ice wall's patterns or the ground moss.

The Tactics Captain cleared his throat, turned away, feigning seriousness as he scanned the canyon's upper edges for other loose ice prisms.

The atmosphere grew strangely delicate… and awkward.

Xia Wan's face burned hot enough to melt the ten-thousand-year ice. She jerked her wrist to pull away—but Qin Feng's fingers, though seemingly casual, held her with unbreakable strength.

Just as she was about to collapse from sheer embarrassment, Qin Feng released her.

The faint, elusive smile vanished from his eyes. He returned to his usual calm, detached demeanor—as if the shocking words and flippant tone had been nothing but a collective hallucination.

He turned back to the smooth ice wall, as if nothing had happened. Only the still-falling ice crystals proved the brief, strange interlude.

"The door should open now."

He said calmly, extending his finger once more toward the ice wall.

Xia Wan remained frozen in place, feeling the lingering, faint coolness on her wrist—and the word "smooth," echoing endlessly in her mind, making her heart refuse to settle.

What… just happened?