The winds howled atop the Broken Moon Ridge, slicing across the treetops like blades. Snow did not belong here, not in the middle of a southern forest, but the land had turned white, eerily silent, as if it sensed the storm that was coming.
A group of cultivators moved cautiously through the ridge's shadowed paths, their Spirit Beast Hall insignias glinting on their robes.
"Are you sure the Spirit-Eyed Thunder Tiger is still in this region?" asked a young man in blue robes, his expression filled with barely concealed greed. His name was Hao Fei, one of the four Inner Disciples sent on this mission.
"We need its core. Elder Lian said he can refine it into a Soul Tempering Pill," another Inner Disciple chimed in. This one, named Chen Yu, had sharp eyes and an even sharper tongue. "Besides, these rogue spirit beasts are becoming a nuisance. They need to be put down."
