Frozen Pond

I asked around and got my Inner sect robes. I also headed to the Weapons Pavilion and saw that there were many armors from which I could pick. 

I took the one that was still relevant to my current cultivation. It had to withstand the onslaught of the fights that I was about to go through. 

I also wanted to hide the armor beneath my robes, and this armor was thin enough to do that. It was best to make this protecting grace a secret. 

With all of this in order, I asked around and reached the frozen pond. 

The frozen pond was very different from what I had expected. It had many, many layers. To call it a frozen pond was an oversimplification. 

There were layers. With each layer, the ice felt more solid, and at the very center of this pond, fog stopped my vision. I could not see what was there. 

And at the outskirts of the pond, numerous disciples bearing the Inner sect robes were sitting on the ice with closed eyes.