Mina Tempesta’s grace erupted in full to the amount she could release. She then turned to Imperial Protector Ban Yan.

“Take me to Long Di now!”

****

A cloud of diaphanous ice qi swirled endlessly around the body of a young female within an ice chamber.

Her face was at peace even though there was no emotion to be found. Her red lips were a straight line that provided a stark contrast against her white skin.

Her translucent robe billowed gently within the chamber as the ice energy gushed towards her.

Nine ice cauldrons orbited her in a profound sequence as they absorbed the ice qi around them.

Their pattern appeared erratic but intentional. In this, one would feel a dangerous chill if they stared at it for too long.

Outside the ice chamber was Qin Ling’s teacher, Hong Wei. Just like before, she was watching the cultivation of Qin Ling.

To be specific, she was watching the trajectory of the latter’s cauldrons as they followed the path outlined in her cultivation technique.

Her eyes were flashing with a chilling light as she tried her best to derive the mysteries hidden within the cauldrons’ flight path.

The cauldrons moved as if they were on a mission to derive the dao, the ice dao, and her own aura fluctuated in tune with their ebb and flow.

As the cultivation progressed, the cauldrons in their dance of ice and gelidity rose together like the climbing waves as they neared the crescendo of their journey towards the end of this mystery.

Hong Wei could feel her breath quicken as her own understanding of the ice dao deepened.

‘Incredible!’ she thought, still in awe of this technique.

D-Dum!

Without warning, a cauldron shuddered as the ice qi within the chamber rushed towards it like a thundering murderous army.

They crashed into it relentlessly as if dictated by some unknown law. However, one could see that despite the copious amounts of energy that streamed towards it, the cauldron only absorbed the purest of ice energy within the chamber.

This particular ice qi was incomparably pure and appeared like a milky string within the abounding waves of ice qi. Yet nothing less was accepted by this cauldron.

Hong Wei moved towards a mechanism outside the room and increased the amount of ice qi within. Soon, not even the figure of Qin Ling could be seen through the icy mist that formed as a result.

Any other disciple that experienced such a drastic increase in the ice qi whilst they practised would be unable to adjust to the change and might even experience their own spiritual energy freezing putting both their cultivation and their lives at serious risk.

However, this was exactly what Qin Ling needed as her Cold Heart True Ice Physique needed this ice qi for it to be fully realised.

The milky strings of ice qi increased in quantity and her cauldron drank it up like a thirsting desert under the cascading blessings of rain.

Several strands combined to form a thick thread of purified ice qi.

Qin Ling could sense as the ice thread made its way through the cauldron towards her dantian. She channelled it along the great path through her opened main meridians supported by hundreds of minor meridians. It was these smaller variations that made it the unique cultivation method that it was.

After this was done, the ice thread was purified even further. But Qin Ling wasn’t satisfied by this, so she sent it for another circulation, and another, and another until she was satisfied.

She could tell for every core she rose by, the corresponding core required the spiritual qi to go through an increasing number of circulations for it to be further purified and the effort to do so magnified.

She knew why this was the case, it was because the cultivation method was incomplete and was going to soon become obsolete following the rise in her cultivation base. However, she didn’t mind this and would just go as far as it takes her.

By the time she was done, this ice thread lost its thickness as it shrank to a thin strand but its purity increased many times over. It was no longer milky white but crystal-like in appearance with a chilling affinity with a bit of hardness.

This was extremely condensed spiritual qi also known as spiritual essence. Furthermore, this was condensed to the extreme which made it firm and rigid.

Qin Ling’s lips curved upwards slightly as a result before she channelled it back to her cauldron, having it travel along the grooves that covered it.

The strand flowed through the intricate designs that arrayed the cauldron before it pooled in the round indentation in the centre where the spiritual pearl or core was to be condensed.

However, when the strand of spiritual essence landed within, it was like it fell into a black hole, disappearing without a trace. Not even a faint light could be seen as it dipped into this inky black sea.

Despite this, Qin Ling didn’t lose heart, and she got to work on repeating the process. Losing track of time, she had lost count how many times she had gone through this mundane act, but she persevered.

As she purified the already purest ice qi within the ice chamber using the process explained before, it landed in the indentation when finally…

Shing!

‘Success!’

Hong Wei’s eyes lit up when she felt the fluctuation within the ice chamber.

Inside, after the influx of purified spiritual essence, the indentation beheld a glittering pearl!

Its beauty could barely be described with words. It shone with a clear light as pure spiritual essence swirled within.

Unusually, however, there was a cold affinity to it that couldn’t be erased. But it didn’t take away from the fact that Qin Ling was now a four-core Martial Adept!

Whoosh!

To cement her cultivation base, the excess ice qi that pooled in the ice chamber began rushing once more towards the cauldron that housed its new core.

The cauldrons flew along the path Qin Ling’s cultivation method mapped out for them among the stormy sea of ice qi!

Hong Wei never lost sight of Qin Ling despite the room being filled with mist and ice qi.

She was also benefiting from Qin Ling’s cultivation method simply by watching the movement of the cauldrons.

As they moved and absorbed the ice qi, the fourth core grew brighter until its luminosity matched its three brethren.

The ice qi grew less and less during the cauldrons’ mad dance!

Hong Wei couldn’t peel her own eyes away and she felt as if she was falling into a void where this world pulled away from her when…

Vrrrm!

‘No!’

Suddenly, the path came to a maddening end as they shuddered as if not knowing where to go.

Hong Wei could feel that void-like world slipping through her own grasp when she found herself outside the ice chamber once more.

Her eyes narrowed before the cauldrons quickly assumed their previous positions circling Qin Ling as they did in the beginning.

“Sigh…” Hong Wei’s eyes fell to the ground in sadness. Though her first thought was on Qin Ling, she couldn’t help feeling saddened at being blocked by the cultivation technique’s incompleteness.

Qin Ling’s lashes fluttered before her eyes opened. Her brown pupils looked all around before a slight smile adorned her face upon feeling her realm increase.

Seeing this Hong Wei nodded while commenting inwardly, ‘Qin Ling told me it was this boy called Long Di who gave her this cultivation technique. Seeing as she came from the place where ‘that’ took place, this Long Di must be who they are looking for. But before they find him and dispose of him, I need to wring the rest of this cultivation technique from him first.’ Her eyes shone with resolve.

Shu!

The door to the ice chamber opened and out walked Qin Ling with a frosty expression. However, upon seeing Hong Wei, the expression disappeared as a bright smile made its way across her face.

Hong Wei couldn’t help but feel her own heart warm up in the face of this. She hugged Qin Ling who had leapt into her embrace.

“Master, I’m now at the fourth core of the Core Formation realm!” Qin Ling was excited to share her progress with her teacher, though she knew the latter was already aware.

“Ling’er is truly talented,” Hong Wei stated quietly with a smile.

“Has there been any news about Long Di as of yet?” Qin Ling asked when she finally calmed down.

Hong Wei’s smile disappeared when she heard this question.

Wei Yun had left to look for Long Di a few days ago and Qin Ling hadn’t gotten a chance to ask about their progress due to the fact that she was at a crucial part in her cultivation.

“We haven’t heard from Wei Yun as of yet. This Long Di seems to be deep in the demon region and it’s very dangerous there so even Wei Yun has to exercise extreme caution,” explained Hong Wei.

Qin Ling went silent as if thinking about something.

It was only the two of them here since the use of the ice chambers was something that only the disciples that contributed the most to the sect were allowed to use.

Of course, as the divine daughter, Qin Ling wasn’t limited by this condition. So she could use them as many times as she needed.

“Divine daug-”

“Ling’er!” Qin Ling pouted when she heard Hong Wei addressing her by her title.

Hong Wei smiled helplessly in the face of this. She truly spoiled the young girl. She loved Qin Ling and treated her like her own daughter.

As their relationship got better, she found herself calling Qin Ling, Ling’er every now and again. Something that Qin Ling made no effort to hide that she liked.

However, Qin Ling’s position exceeded even her’s so this was not allowed, but when it was the two of them alone, Qin Ling would become especially strong-willed and requested Hong Wei to call her this way.

Knowing that Qin Ling wouldn’t relent unless Hong Wei addressed her the way she did before, she could only obey.

“Ling’er,” she said quietly. “We will hear from her soon.”

“What if Wei Yun gets hurt during her journey?” Qin Ling asked with a touch of concern.

Hong Wei shook her head, “You can’t think like this. We are not raising flowers in a greenhouse. This is good for Wei Yun as well.”

Qin Ling went into deep thought once more upon hearing before a thought came to mind.

She looked at Hong Wei, and the latter could feel a bad idea upon the horizon but steeled herself for it all the same and then… it came.

Qin Ling asked, “can I go look for him?”