Not even a day had passed, yet Nathan felt it had already stretched longer than Argentius had warned him.

  He bitterly realized he couldn't leave Evelyn's side. His tiger companion seemed to have predicted this all along.

  Evelyn suffered in the cold, which seemed counter-intuitive to Nathan's reasoning. He hadn't expected a girl who wielded ice to struggle absorbing power of a similar nature. Yet, as Argentius pointed out, everyone was still human at their core.

  Understanding dawned on Nathan. Body temperature needed to remain stable for organs to function properly. The cold emanating from Evelyn didn't mean her insides were equally frigid. Perhaps there wasn't a moment when she wasn't fighting against her own physiology.

  A mana aspect wouldn't cause such exaggerated effects since it strictly followed human will. When mana wasn't being actively used, neither ice nor fire aspects would manifest. Therefore, Evelyn's condition stemmed from the Winter's Heart Drop resonating with her physical constitution. Those small white particles were concentrated essences of heaven and earth, formed over time, far superior to regular essence and independent of external factors for power.

  The Shifting Trials organizers had truly invested tremendously in this event.

  The reason Nathan was forced to stay close was because of his [Cold Resistance Aura]. The skill Evelyn once despised now yielded unexpected results. The girl had to endure the cold while using what little warmth she could find for comfort during absorption.

  Thus, Nathan couldn't go anywhere and had to remain near her, ensuring his skill remained uninterrupted.

  When he tried moving away, Evelyn's breathing would become labored, her body curling up, tears flowing only to freeze immediately afterward. Nathan had no choice but to remain by her side, vigilantly watching over and protecting her.

  This simultaneously took a terrible toll on him. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't have mattered, he could have viewed the situation as training for his Physical Cultivation. The problem was that both his body and mind were already severely weakened. The rule of resting before returning to intensive training had never been wrong.

  His cells showed no improvement. The longer he stayed within Evelyn's sphere of influence, the weaker he became.

  They needed each other, aura overlapping aura, suffering alongside suffering.

  After just a few hours, Nathan reached his breaking point.

  He stood up, intending to go outside for a sip of liquor before returning, but Evelyn's whimpering made him stop. He didn't know if even a moment's negligence would cause her absorption process to fail. Would her life be endangered? Even if not, could it lead to foundation collapse, blocking her future path? Like everyone else Nathan had met, Evelyn, though not showing it openly, had her own will and goals.

  Sighing heavily, he returned and sat beside her. The bone-chilling cold crept into him like maggots in his bones. He gritted his teeth and endured.

  He wanted to abandon her here with all this suffering, but he couldn't if it meant harming another person's life. Especially someone who had shared hardships with him. Though they'd only been together a few days, Evelyn clearly harbored no ill intentions toward him like Lachlan or Ruby. She was simply someone who wanted to repay a debt.

  "Humans are truly difficult to understand," Argentius twitched his whiskers from a corner. "You worry about her future, but what about yours? Remember, The Shifting Trials aren't over yet."

  Nathan shrugged. He hadn't been particularly invested in this participation from the beginning. He had mainly come for honor and self-respect regarding Darkan, his master. He had achieved that and gained fame as a talented young chef. Even if he left now, nobody would dare criticize him.

  "You yourself said," Nathan wearily replied, "if Evelyn succeeds, she'll gain a profound opportunity. So this is just another gamble for the future. If she makes it through, I'll have a powerful ally who'll watch my back. If I leave her lying here, I'll have no one to accompany me or protect you. Whether I can protect you becomes questionable. If I'm defeated while you're hiding in the Monster Storage Pouch and my Spatial Pouch is stolen, your fate won't be easy either."

  "I can protect myself," Argentius bared his teeth.

  Yet Nathan could hear hesitation in the monster's voice. Argentius recognized the logic in his words. The one facing the greatest danger was the monster itself. Though not saying it directly, the creature appreciated that Nathan considered its welfare in his calculations. Argentius grew more confident in his choice after using Yin-Yang Eyes in Moirath Forest.

  To help Nathan, Argentius went outside to hunt, taking the spatial pouch with him.

  Left alone, Nathan adjusted Evelyn's position to reduce her suffering. He also covered himself with a blanket to reduce the cold slightly, then used that still-warm blanket to cover Evelyn. He kept alternating like this until the tiger monster returned.

  As requested, Argentius brought back only fruits, with meat being out of the question since Nathan couldn't cook anything decent in their current circumstances. Frozen fruit still contained nutrients and remained edible and delicious. He ate the fruits whole or crushed them, setting them aside to instantly transform into ice cream.

  The energy and essence in the fruits weren't particularly high, just enough to warm him slightly.

  He propped Evelyn up to lean against his back. Her slender, small frame felt like a frozen stone against his skin. He circulated essence throughout his body, making himself burn with heat, then transmitted that warmth to the girl.

  Evelyn's face didn't flush with healthy color, but still showed some comfort and ease. She instinctively arched herself, pressing her body closer to Nathan, hoping the warmth wouldn't end.

  Nevertheless, he couldn't maintain this for long and eventually laid her back down, sitting some distance away. His entire body had turned pale, his strength refusing to return. He never imagined that someone cultivating Physical Cultivation like himself would one day experience such bodily deterioration.

  He waved his hand, beckoning Argentius closer. The monster, fearing the cold, had always kept a safe distance to avoid its effects. Seeing Nathan's exhaustion, it didn't object and obediently approached.

  Argentius's thick fur gently embraced Nathan's entire body. Though the creature's body temperature wasn't particularly warm, it was still much better than Evelyn's coldness, making Nathan stir. With a small smile, he drifted into sleep.

  Only about half an hour later, Argentius nudged him awake. It motioned toward the girl, and Nathan immediately understood.

  Once again, Evelyn had curled up tightly, her hands encased in a thin layer of ice that looked like it would shatter if squeezed.

  Nathan hurriedly moved toward her, putting a frozen grape in his mouth, chewing vigorously.

  [Efficient Sleep] had helped him recover slightly, so his mind wasn't as tired anymore. His body, however, showed no progress.

  As essence flowed into his body, he once again let Evelyn lean against his back. His small warmth seemed to be absorbed by the girl. She became peaceful again, her breathing steady, her head leaning on his shoulder.

  The rest of the day passed in this manner. Nathan wasn't sure how many times he'd drifted in and out of consciousness while letting Evelyn lean against him. Each time he closed his eyes in discomfort was another time he was awakened in worry.

  One reason he couldn't abandon her was that the rescue bracelet had frozen over. He feared that if Evelyn perished, she would truly depart from the mortal realm. The Winter's Heart Drop's extreme protective mechanism frustrated him, but there was nothing he could do.

  The fruit sliding down his throat gradually lost its taste, as if his senses were beginning to protest his condition. His body needed to shut down completely, rebuilding itself gradually. Yet he stubbornly refused to lie down for extended sleep, like those nights staying up for deadlines, placing potential burdens on himself.

  When night fell, the bracelet vibrated to indicate ranking changes, but Nathan had no strength left to care. His last thread of consciousness was devoted solely to protecting Evelyn, not allowing any negligence that might cost her life.

  Argentius smelled intruders and silently departed. It returned near dawn, covered in wounds. Nathan tiredly pulled himself up to apply medicine to his companion.

  "Why did you take such a risk?" Nathan scolded.

  "If I told you, you would have stopped me anyway," Argentius frowned. "Better to say nothing and just do it."

  "Do we need to move from here?"

  "This is the best hiding spot. It's quite far and a harsh environment. The signal from the damned bracelet would be harder for others to detect. They came because of the disturbance created with the Lava Drake the other day. Now they'll likely think they arrived too late, that the treasure was taken by someone else. The chance of them returning is low."

  Nathan nodded, helping Argentius lie down. A deep cut on its front leg made movement difficult. It had used wind currents to bring itself back.

  "I just hope they know better, because next time I won't be as merciful—I didn't kill a single one this time. How frustrating!"

  With that, Argentius dozed off, snoring loudly.

  Nathan leaned against his companion's belly. Clotted blood mixed with fur made his skin itch. If things went dire, he would have to store Argentius away and carry Evelyn while running. He would try as long as he could still try.

  The second day passed.

  Too exhausted and dejected, Nathan finally checked the ranking board.

  Zeryn seemed to have completed whatever challenge he was participating in, shooting straight up to become one of the top 10. Zahra and Xander both had breakthroughs, exceeding three thousand points, moving closer to the top 200.

  Lachlan and Ruby had improved, crossing the two thousand point threshold, slowly ascending.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Nathan and Evelyn showed no improvement, so they had fallen back slightly.

  The names Nathan had noted at the bottom of the list showed no changes. The amount of these individuals was much higher than two nights ago. It seemed the elimination rate was increasing.

  Putting the bracelet away, Nathan furrowed his brow, calculating the time. The Shifting Trials had been going on for five days now. And the sacred number seven was approaching. Though somewhat speculative, he was fairly confident something would happen on or at the end of the seventh day.

  The Shifting Trials were indeed a competitive venue for the younger generation, but simultaneously an entertainment event. Both aspects had their reasons for existing, neither was wrong. The audience in Maelivar was certainly waiting to see more challenging, exciting phases, rather than contestants running around participating in trials everywhere. This was one of the major business opportunities in the city, attracting not just locals but outsiders as well. Making people feel bored was something the organizers wouldn't want. That was without even considering the time wasted for high-level cultivators and hidden organizations attending.

  Reasoning thus, Nathan felt uneasy and turned to ask Argentius for certainty.

  "At the current rate, how much longer will Evelyn need to complete absorption?"

  "At least two more days."

  That meant by the time the girl awoke, they would both be thrust into an uncertain scenario. Whether Evelyn would even be strong enough to move remained unclear.

  "Is there any way to accelerate the process?" Nathan wondered.

  His only answer was a head shake from Argentius's massive head.

  Scratching his head, he looked toward Evelyn lying under a thick pile of blankets, her eyebrows furrowing with each spasm.

  His gaze wandered absently to the spatial ring on her finger protruding from the blanket. If he could access it, he might find something to help her. However, he would also face unspeakable wrath when she discovered her personal items had been rummaged through.

  His own belongings consisted of only food and miscellaneous items.

  My own items? A spark ignited in his mind.

  He rummaged through his Spatial Pouch, dumping what he sought onto the ground.

  A blue stone larger than his palm rolled across the black volcanic rock surface.

  Evelyn had once gone to the lake area searching for this item. This was also a heavenly treasure of the same elemental nature as her. Though differences existed between water and ice, the benefits must have been considerable to make her seek it out personally.

  According to Argentius, the stone enhanced cultivation speed. Nathan wasn't sure if it could help Evelyn, but he wanted to take the chance.

  Though not overly concerned with the outcome, he still wanted to see The Shifting Trials through to the end, to witness how the geniuses would compete for their positions.

  "Ah, you'll owe me again, you know that?" Nathan chuckled, placing the stone in Evelyn's hand.

  The stone brightened, the mysterious liquid inside beginning to shift. A white membrane seemed to envelop Evelyn.

  "How is it?" Nathan asked Argentius.

  After probing for a while, the tiger monster nodded and said, "It's working! The absorption rate has improved."

  Nathan clapped his hands joyfully, at least he could shorten the time enduring this bone-chilling cold. The sooner they left, the more time he would have to recover.

  The liquid in the blue stone churned turbulently, simultaneously diminishing at a fairly rapid rate. Normally, this item didn't deplete with use, because when cultivators practiced, the stone itself absorbed energy from the surrounding world, compensating for its own consumption. That's what made it a heavenly treasure. Though not particularly valuable to high-tier cultivators, it held immense value for lower-tier cultivators. This made it worthy of placement in The Shifting Trials for contestants like Nathan to hunt.

  Yet now, this water-aspect blue stone seemed to be slowly dying. This occurred for two main reasons. First, the Winter's Heart Drop possessed a higher tier, accounting for why it was guarded by a Tier 3 monster. Second, Evelyn wasn't cultivating. What she was experiencing was a partial physical improvement, a foundation that would strengthen her ice power. This process demanded far more consumption than normal. All the essence within the stone was being utilized, causing it to gradually disappear.

  Nathan watched glumly as the item slowly lost its bright blue water hue. Initially, he had wanted to bargain with Argentius to possess this very item. Who knew, perhaps when he reached Tier 2, his mana aspect might need it.

  After a moment of reluctance, he firmly turned away, no longer paying attention to Evelyn.

  Upon waking from a short sleep, he returned to check on the girl.

  The stone had nearly turned completely white. He could feel that the energy surrounding Evelyn had undergone major changes, vastly different from before.

  "The absorption rate has improved significantly," Argentius explained. "The girl's physical constitution is truly superior, it just needed a catalyst."

  Nathan understood the catalyst was his accidental intervention. The unexpected consequences were remarkably beneficial.

  He continued his routine until nearly noon when Argentius warned him.

  "There are people outside. Four of them. Three are the ones I attacked last time."

  Nathan's companion had conducted patrol hours earlier and returned to recover from its wounds. Thus, the people outside had only just arrived. Or perhaps they had been waiting, following Argentius to exact revenge.

  Looking at Evelyn lying there, Nathan gritted his teeth, wrapped her in a blanket, covering her face, then carried her outside. Behind him walked Argentius, irritated and angry that humans dared approach its den.

  Nathan wasn't overly optimistic. From Argentius's words, they had found reinforcements. The fourth person was the main concern. The contestants were all elite disciples from various sects or organizations. Therefore, this fourth person must be significantly superior for others to rely on them.

  In his current state, Nathan couldn't even defeat an ordinary disciple, let alone these talented individuals.

  He didn't dare fight inside the volcano because he had studied the surrounding structure. Due to the Winter's Heart Drop's influence, the supporting pillars weren't very stable. Destroying a few places would cause the entire cave to be buried under rocks and soil. This would only interrupt Evelyn's process, bury Nathan alive, and leave Argentius with no space to maneuver.

  He took out the bottle of Thunder Embrace liquor with just a little remaining that he hadn't dared use for the past few days, then stepped into the light at the cave entrance.

  Before him stood four people, two men and two women. Three wore the same gray-black uniform, coming from the same sect. The remaining person wore tight purple clothes with gold metal rings on his arm that rotated automatically. His face was hidden under a hooded cloak, revealing only a confident, ambiguous smile.

  He was the first to speak.

  "Nathan Reed?"

  Forcing a friendly smile, Nathan raised his hand.

  "That's me!"

  "Are you the master of that tiger?" one girl asked.

  As a precaution, Nathan had placed Argentius in the Monster Storage Pouch, hoping his weak diplomatic skills could navigate this awkward situation.

  "I'm not sure what you're talking about," Nathan pretended.

  "Don't take us for fools," the girl shot a sharp glance at him. "We've been monitoring the monster from a distance. It's been going in and out of the cave as if guarding something. That must be you, right? And the girl lying behind you?"

  Nathan shifted, pushing Evelyn up slightly for comfort. Argentius's patrol actions had backfired. Instead of protection, they had brought unexpected trouble.

  "Hmph," the other girl in the group spoke. "Don't think your bit of fame means you can look down on others. We're rational enough to know how to hunt monsters. Hand it over, or must we force you?"

  For a moment, Nathan considered smashing the bracelet to escape, avoiding all the imminent pain. That way, he could take Argentius with him inside the Spatial Pouch.

  The cold emanating from behind made him push that thought aside. The escape plan could still work if everything fell apart. He still couldn't leave Evelyn behind.

  "Now, now," Nathan spoke reassuringly. "There's no need for violence. A monster like that tiger is worth only about a thousand points. Not enough for four people to share. I'll cook a meal as a peace offering for my friend, how about that?"

  The three looked at him like he was an idiot. Only the person in purple remained silent, as if leaving all decisions to the others in the group.

  "That sounds appealing," the first girl said. "If we were outside. Do you think your cooking, without any notable ingredients, could be more valuable than The Shifting Trials rewards?"

  "Not equal, but enough to compensate for a thousand points," Nathan didn't give up.

  "You really don't know," the second girl exclaimed along with a smirk from the boy beside her. "Where have you been these past few days?"

  "What do you mean?" Nathan asked cautiously.

  "Our targets include your points," the young man who had been silent finally spoke.

  Nathan swallowed hard. The worst-case scenario had finally occurred.

  He slowly raised his bracelet; the flashing lights had gone out since Argentius had been taken away. Now, on the floating screen, four arrows appeared. This certainly wasn't a feature from the first nights. Otherwise, he would have known.

  Evelyn's bracelet was covered, preventing him from knowing about this new function.

  He tried pointing his hand toward one person. The screen surface immediately changed, showing the opponent's score.

  1773 points.

  "Understand now?" one of the girls asked, though Nathan didn't care which one.

  His mind was thinking very slowly, analyzing everything in fragments. He understood this was a mechanism to change the event's approach. After monsters and challenges came hunting other contestants. This was inevitable.

  He needed to focus on finding a way to leave.

  Unable to hide anymore, he released Argentius from the dark space.

  The monster appeared and roared, sending out a sound that shook people's hearts. It circled around Nathan, its massive form displaying majestic power, fangs bared threateningly.

  With a quick motion, Nathan leaped onto Argentius's back, swinging Evelyn in front to lean against his chest. He tightened the cloth so she wouldn't fall.

  "No taste for battle, run!" Nathan ordered through the mental communication channel with Argentius.

  "Don't even think about it!" one of the girls on the enemy side shouted.

  A fire circle with a ten-meter radius appeared, surrounding the area where everyone stood.

  The remaining companions spread their hands, channeling mana energy into the fire wall, making its power stronger.

  "Charge through!" Nathan said fearlessly.

  With Evelyn on its back, Argentius ran swiftly in one direction, heading straight for the thick fire wall.

  As the wall was about to touch the tiger's head, the flames were pushed aside, their power weakening. Even while unconscious, the cold Evelyn emanated remained effective.

  Simultaneously, Nathan threw poison candies to Argentius, while also putting one in his mouth.

  Argentius had reported information about the team's strengths, so they had preventive measures. One of them used poison concealed within fire, very difficult to guard against. Argentius had overcome them by always protecting its nose with the wind aspect. The deep wound on its body was from using the metal aspect to cut away strongly contaminated parts. The poison inside its body could be fought off with its natural constitution, without Nathan's help.

  The three cursed, joining the purple-clad person in pursuit.

  Argentius chose to run toward the forest. There, it could maneuver more easily.

  From behind came various fireballs. They were all blocked by Argentius's tail spinning like a propeller, causing no significant injuries. The girl who first spoke to Nathan used the Lightning Aspect to close in.

  A blue light flashed, and Nathan saw a knife slashing toward him. He lacked the strength to do anything, only managing to shift his shoulder slightly so the knife would strike where it couldn't cause severe injury. Groaning, he swung his arm to push the girl away.

  She widened her eyes at the brief exchange. The young man's skin was incredibly tough. Her knife was a Tier 2 weapon, capable of severing a limb completely, not just causing a surface wound like it did. Nevertheless, she achieved her purpose and continued the pursuit.

  Triggered [Poison Processing]. One credit given.

  Poison again, Nathan silently lamented.

  He didn't bother raising his hand to stem the bleeding. All his concentration was on sensing the changes around him.

  Argentius divided its strength to counter the opponents' ranged attacks and couldn't divert attention to help Nathan. He also told his monster companion not to worry. Though weakened, he could still take a hit or two.

  This time, blue light flashed from three different directions. Nathan hugged Evelyn and ducked, narrowly avoiding one attack. The other two slashed across his back.

  Worse still, the two cuts left marks like two electrodes, connecting with each other, shocking Nathan nearly into unconsciousness. Fortunately, thanks to his training in Moirath Forest and [Living Resistor], he could withstand the enemy's attack. The problem was that he couldn't take too many hits because the opponent's techniques bypassed all his resistances.

  Argentius finally reached the forest edge. Their path to survival had opened.

  The girl using the Lightning Aspect, seeing she couldn't bring Nathan down and had let the monster reach favorable terrain, retreated and shouted.

  "When do you plan to act?"

  The hooded young man laughed contemptuously but still extended his hand forward.

  Argentius was moving with wind currents, gliding about a meter above the ground when suddenly it was forced down. It spun around, still managing to use its shoulder bone to knock Nathan into the air. When its belly was exposed, it used its claws to embrace its companion, minimizing impact.

  "What happened?" Nathan asked dizzily, looking around in confusion.

  "Gravity suddenly changed," Argentius answered.

  Rare Aspect, Nathan's heart sank.

  With just one fall, he and Argentius were surrounded.

  The four people were evenly distributed on all sides, staring intently at their prey.

  As he tried to stand, Nathan felt movement against his chest.

  He looked down and met a pair of crystal-clear eyes staring at him. Those eyes carried joy, tinged with shyness and concern. Sunlight filtering through the leaves cast rays on her mirror-like face, creating dreamlike spots of light.

  "Nathan, don't worry. I'm here," Evelyn said softly.

  Very Rare Skills: [Titan's Descendant] (Not Upgradable)