In the early morning, before the sky had fully brightened, Bai Qingxue took the Ice Ganoderma to the cold pond.
The mist at the cold pond was thicker than usual, a vast expanse of white that obscured the opposite bank.
The pond water was bone-chillingly cold. Bai Qingxue removed her outer robe, stepped into the water, and sat cross-legged in her usual spot.
The cold surged from all directions, merging with the Mystic Frost spiritual power within her body.
Bai Qingxue took the Ice Ganoderma from her storage bag.
The Ice Ganoderma was snow-white throughout, its leaf edges shimmering with a faint blue light, and its cold air was condensed and persistent.
After watching it for a moment, she placed the entire plant into her mouth, chewed it, and swallowed.
The moment the medicinal power dissolved in her stomach, a surge of frigid air erupted from her dantian, spreading along her meridians to every part of her body.
It wasn't the warm medicinal power of a Spirit Gathering Pill, nor was it the simple cold of Ice Spirit Grass.
Though the medicinal power of the Ice Ganoderma was piercing, it was not violent.
It was like a calm frozen river, flowing steadily through her body. It shared the same source as her Mystic Frost spiritual power, feeling as though it had always belonged within her.
Then, the medicinal power of the Ice Ganoderma slowly melted like an iceberg, and the cold air surged into her dantian in a steady, unhurried, yet unending stream.
The spiritual power in Bai Qingxue’s meridians accelerated its circulation, and the frost patterns thickened and spread at a visible rate.
Immediately, Bai Qingxue closed her eyes and operated the 《Mystic Frost Heavenly Heart Art》.
The spiritual power began to rotate faster.
One cycle, two cycles, three cycles.
The medicinal power of the Ice Ganoderma and the spiritual energy of the cold pond were sucked bit by bit into Bai Qingxue’s dantian, merging into that pale blue orb of light.
As the orb grew larger and brighter, the frost patterns at its edges transformed into fine ice crystals.
The barrier leading to the seventh level of Qi Refining stood before Bai Qingxue like a massive iceberg.
With every impact, the barrier remained unmoved; only tiny cracks slowly spread across it.
Once. No reaction.
Twice. The cracks deepened slightly.
Three times. Still not enough.
Bai Qingxue did not grow impatient. She remembered what Liu Ningshuang had said.
“Your foundation is solid enough; all you lack is a catalyst.” The Ice Ganoderma was that catalyst, but a catalyst did not mean instant success.
She needed patience to let the medicinal power penetrate slowly, dismantling the barrier layer by layer.
The spiritual power flowed slowly through her meridians, cycle after cycle.
The medicinal power of the Ice Ganoderma was unhurried, and so was she.
Spiritual energy from the cold pond poured in from all sides, meeting the medicinal power, being refined and absorbed bit by bit. The orb in her dantian grew brighter, and the total amount of spiritual power increased steadily.
She didn't know how much time had passed.
It might have been one hour, or perhaps two.
Finally, the cracks on the seventh-level barrier connected into a single line.
Then, Bai Qingxue’s spiritual power began to seep into the interior of the barrier.
At this moment, the medicinal power of the Ice Ganoderma exerted its true effect.
That gentle and profound cold seeped into every crack like water into rock, then condensed and expanded within, forcing the cracks wider.
The first full-length crack appeared on the barrier. Then a second, and a third. The cracks spread like a spiderweb, radiating from the center to the edges.
Immediately, Bai Qingxue pressed all her spiritual power against it.
The barrier shattered.
Like a sheet of ice breaking under heavy pressure, the barrier splintered into pieces.
Bai Qingxue looked down at the ice beneath her feet, raised her right hand, and willed it so.
Cold air seeped from her palm. She had expected it to disperse into a frost mist or condense into a few drifting snowflakes as it had before.
But this time, the cold was remarkably quiet.
After emerging from her palm, it did not scatter but condensed into a small orb, hovering above her palm. It felt heavy, like a piece of transparent ice, incredibly refined.
Bai Qingxue tried to release her spiritual power outward, and the orb of cold expanded with it, turning into an ice blade about three inches long.
The edge was as thin as a cicada’s wing, its surface smooth as a mirror, glinting with a cold silver light under the mist.
Bai Qingxue could feel the sharpness of this ice blade. It was purer and more solid than any sword qi she had ever released with the Frost Condensation Sword.
If it were attached to the Frost Condensation Sword, she wondered what kind of power it would possess...
Bai Qingxue withdrew her spiritual power, and the ice blade shattered, turning into fine ice crystals that scattered into the mist. As she watched those crystals slowly dissipate, a long-lost sense of groundedness suddenly welled up in her heart.
She thought of those days when her spiritual power had stagnated.
Back then, he felt as if he were sinking to the bottom of the water.
It was a strange feeling—both too light to grasp and too heavy to let him breathe.
He couldn't quite say what it was, only that it wasn't there during cultivation, but the moment he stopped, it would flood in like water seeping into a crack, impossible to block or drive away.
But now, it had receded.
Bai Qingxue stood on the ice, the cold still lingering in her palm, and a rare trace of joy arose.
He was still growing. He still existed.
That was enough.
A few cries of surprise from the shore pulled Bai Qingxue’s thoughts back.
Several disciples of Xueji Peak had appeared by the cold pond at some point, likely having felt the unusual fluctuation of spiritual power and come to investigate.
They stared wide-eyed at the frozen surface of the pond, the snowflakes filling the air, and Bai Qingxue sitting on the ice.
“Is this... a breakthrough?”
“This is such a massive commotion...”
Bai Qingxue had no intention of paying attention to the onlookers. She immediately stood up from the ice and put on her outer robe.
“All of you, disperse.”
Liu Ningshuang’s voice came from the shore—flat, but carrying an unquestionable authority.
The disciples immediately lowered their heads upon hearing her, and after performing their salutations, they hurried away.
Only Bai Qingxue and Liu Ningshuang remained by the cold pond.
Liu Ningshuang stood on the bank, her gaze sweeping over the frozen pond and the snow-covered ground before finally landing on Bai Qingxue.
“Did you break through?”
“Yes, thank you, Perfected One,” Bai Qingxue nodded.
Liu Ningshuang did not approach. She simply looked at Bai Qingxue, her gaze lingering for a split second on Bai Qingxue’s hair. Her brow twitched almost imperceptibly, as if she had seen something unexpected.
But it was only for an instant. Liu Ningshuang quickly withdrew her gaze, her face returning to its usual calm, and asked, “That ice sword just now, did you condense it?”
Bai Qingxue nodded.
“I see. At the seventh level of Qi Refining, spiritual power begins to undergo a qualitative change.”
Liu Ningshuang’s voice remained flat, but it carried a hint more seriousness than usual. “The fact that you can actively condense an ice blade means you have already touched the threshold of Ice Spirit power.”
She paused for a moment, as if weighing her words.
“What one does in the late stage of Qi Refining is nothing more than gathering, compressing, and shaping the scattered cold intent. Many people only reach this step at the eighth or even ninth level of Qi Refining. That you can do it just after breaking through to the seventh level is due to your foundation and constitution.”
Bai Qingxue listened, knowing Liu Ningshuang had more to say.
Liu Ningshuang glanced at her and continued, “The next step in your cultivation is to turn ‘ability’ into ‘mastery.’ You can condense an ice blade now, but it cannot yet be called stable. Next, you must practice until the ice blade appears at a mere thought, with its size, shape, and number all subject to your will. Only then will you truly have entered the threshold of Ice Spirit power.”
Bai Qingxue bowed slightly. “This disciple understands.”
Seeing this, Liu Ningshuang said no more, turned, and left.
Bai Qingxue stood by the cold pond, watching her back disappear into the mist.
Then she looked down at her palm again. With a thought, this time, there was no ice sword, only a single snowflake.
She stared at the snowflake for a moment before withdrawing her spiritual power. The snowflake melted, turning into a tiny drop of water.
After tying the sash of her outer robe, Bai Qingxue headed back along the mountain path.
On the stone steps, she crushed the frost she had condensed under her feet. The faint cracking sounds were incredibly crisp.
...
Lu Xueqing stood behind a withered tree, watching Bai Qingxue rise from the ice and put on her robe, her expression as composed as ever.
‘Junior Sister Bai has already reached the seventh level of Qi Refining.’
Lu Xueqing counted the days.
From the time Bai Qingxue was at the sixth level until now, it had been less than half a year.
When she herself had gone from the sixth to the seventh level, it had taken nearly a year.
It wasn't just a matter of speed.
It was that some things were destined from the very beginning.
Lu Xueqing had long known that Bai Qingxue was highly talented. With an Ice Heavenly Spiritual Root, it might be difficult to find a second person like her in all of Xueji Peak.
But knowing it and seeing it with her own eyes were two different things. Watching the other person catch up step by step brought a different kind of feeling.
For some reason, Lu Xueqing suddenly remembered the first time she had met Bai Qingxue in the market.
At that time, Bai Qingxue was only at the third level of Qi Refining, while she was at the seventh.
Back then, she had helped Bai Qingxue out of a predicament, thinking only of “taking care of a junior sister from the same sect.”
Later, by the cold pond, that face in the mist had made her forget to look away for a moment. She told herself it was probably just because she was beautiful.
When exactly did her feelings for her junior sister begin to change?
Lu Xueqing couldn't say for sure herself. Perhaps it was the moment Bai Qingxue allowed her to tuck her hair back.
At that time, when she reached out, Bai Qingxue didn't dodge. Although she tilted her head slightly, she ultimately accepted the gesture.
Lu Xueqing didn't know if that was out of trust or indifference, but at that moment, her heart had undoubtedly skipped a beat for Bai Qingxue.
In that instant, a thought had suddenly popped into her head.
Junior Sister Bai could be hers.
As soon as the thought surfaced, she snuffed it out.
How presumptuous.
What was she thinking? She and Junior Sister Bai were just fellow disciples, and both were women. She was the senior sister, and Bai Qingxue was the junior sister. What right did she have to think she “could be hers”?
Lu Xueqing shook her head, constantly trying to justify it to herself: No, she didn't mean “could be hers,” but rather that she and Junior Sister Bai could “be together.”
She could stand with Junior Sister Bai, walk with her, and go on missions together.
A thought like that should be fine, right?
But Lu Xueqing knew herself that this was just a different way of phrasing it.
What she wanted to say had never been about just “being together.”
And now Bai Qingxue was at the seventh level of Qi Refining, just like she had been not long ago.
Lu Xueqing suddenly realized something. If she hadn't broken through recently, Bai Qingxue would already be at the same rank as her.
Moreover, with Bai Qingxue’s talent, she would soon catch up and surpass her.
She could even already foresee the scenes of her junior sister breaking through to the eighth level, the ninth level, and even Foundation Establishment.
When that time came, could she still call Bai Qingxue “Junior Sister”?
The identity of a senior sister had always been her most legitimate reason for getting close to Bai Qingxue.
Giving pointers on cultivation, going on missions together, and living next door—all of it was because she was the senior sister.
But if Bai Qingxue’s cultivation surpassed hers, what kind of senior sister would she be? A senior sister with lower cultivation than her junior sister—wouldn't that be a joke?
When that time came, how could she stay by Bai Qingxue’s side?
As a neighbor?
But after Bai Qingxue reached Foundation Establishment, the sect would assign her an independent cave dwelling.
At that point, they wouldn't even be neighbors anymore. Would she then never see Bai Qingxue again?
The thought was like a needle, giving her a sharp prick.
Lu Xueqing lowered her eyes and looked at her hands.
The calluses on her palms were still there, as were the marks from the sword hilt.
By all rights, she was Lu Xueqing of Xueji Peak, a respected senior sister, someone who didn't like to overthink things.
But she still couldn't help but wonder: if one day she was no longer Bai Qingxue’s senior sister, what would be left between them?
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