Cultivating the Frosty Snow Step

After resting against a large tree for a while, Xiao Shuang lightly struck the trunk again, knocking down several dozen leaves.

He leaped onto the leaves once more. The instant his toes touched one, he exerted force, channeling all the Dou Qi within his body through his toes and into the leaf.

This operation demanded extremely precise control over Dou Qi, and Xiao Shuang's toes touched the leaf only briefly before pulling away.

With a dull thud, the frost on the leaf's surface cracked, yet the leaf itself remained completely unharmed.

This signified failure. The very fact that it had made a dull sound was already unacceptable, not to mention that his Dou Qi had dissipated before even reaching the leaf.

Landing on the ground again, Xiao Shuang's fingers swirled with Dou Qi. With a single thrust of his finger, he pierced several leaves together.

"This Frosty Snow Step truly deserves to be called an Earth Tier Dou Technique. It's ridiculously difficult to cultivate."

Comparing it to his Profound Tier Dou Technique, the Ice Breaking Finger, Xiao Shuang shook his head. He had already mastered the Ice Breaking Finger to perfection, yet after an entire night, he had not even managed to get started with the Frosty Snow Step.

After a whole night, most of the Dou Qi in his body had been exhausted. He could only circulate his cultivation method to recover his strength.

Although the sun had risen, the morning breeze still carried a trace of chill. Xiao Shuang quite liked this feeling.

Sitting cross-legged beneath the large tree, he circulated his cultivation method, absorbing the energy between heaven and earth while refining the medicinal power within his body.

Instructor Ruolin glanced at him from afar but said nothing. She still had to answer the freshmen's questions today. As for Xiao Shuang, it did not matter if he was absent. After all, he was somewhat special.

The pavilion was elegant, and the surroundings were exceptionally quiet. The occasional birdsong sounded pleasant to the ear.

Once the Dou Qi in his body had mostly recovered, Xiao Shuang rose to his feet again and looked toward the large tree. His cultivation of the Frosty Snow Step began anew.

Instructor Ruolin gathered together the freshmen she had recruited this time. The Outer Academy of Jia Nan Academy had cultivation chambers and a Dou Technique Hall, each staffed by instructors specifically responsible for teaching.

After briefly introducing the cultivation chambers and the Dou Technique Hall, Instructor Ruolin dismissed them. Cultivation was ultimately up to the individual. She could hardly force someone to cultivate, could she?

Most freshmen chose the Dou Technique Hall. It contained many kinds of Dou Techniques, though most were Yellow Tier.

However, the Dou Technique Hall also had an arena. It used a points system, and every student could register to participate. If they accumulated enough wins, they could freely exchange them for a low-level Profound Tier cultivation method or Dou Technique to cultivate. For those lacking resources, this was truly wonderful news.

Those from powerful families naturally had little interest in such Dou Techniques, so they chose the cultivation chambers instead.

These cultivation chambers contained special incense. Once lit, it helped cultivators focus their minds and significantly increased the speed at which they absorbed Dou Qi.

This incense was supplied by Jia Nan Academy's Alchemy Department and required no payment whatsoever, making it extremely popular. One even had to reserve a cultivation chamber in advance.

Still, this incense was only equivalent to a first-grade medicinal pill and was useful only to students at the Dou Zhe level. Those at the Dou Master level had to use the advanced cultivation chambers.

The incense in the advanced cultivation chambers used more medicinal ingredients and was fully worthy of being called a second-grade medicinal pill. Even students from the Alchemy Department did not have a high success rate in refining such pills.

If a student reached the Da Dou Shi level, they would basically qualify to cultivate in the Inner Academy, so there would be no need for these cultivation chambers.

After Xiao Shuang finished cultivating and returned to the pavilion, the empty room left him somewhat bewildered. He then slowly walked out of the pavilion, intending to take a look around Jia Nan Academy.

Walking along the path, he happened to encounter Instructor Ruolin, who had just returned. Xiao Shuang smiled and greeted her.

"Finished cultivating?" Instructor Ruolin stopped and pointed in one direction.

"The Dou Technique Hall is over there. The cultivation chambers are in the opposite direction."

After giving him a simple introduction, Instructor Ruolin returned to the pavilion. She still had other matters to attend to. In two days, the Freshman Tournament would be held, and every instructor had to select five freshmen under their care to participate.

The victors would receive prizes from the academy, and even the instructors would be rewarded.

Well, Xiao Shuang was definitely going on the list, though she still needed to ask for his opinion. As for the other freshmen, Instructor Ruolin already had a list in mind.

However, her class was only Yellow Tier. It would be quite difficult for them to advance to Profound Tier, and the overall strength of her freshmen was inferior to those students from Central Continent.

Now that she had Xiao Shuang, perhaps he truly could overwhelm the competition. After all, Dou Master-level combat strength was rare among freshmen.

Instructor Ruolin opened a piece of parchment, and two newly recorded sets of freshman data unfolded before her.

They belonged to several of the strongest freshmen in this year's intake.

First was Xiao Shuang. The parchment recorded him as a Five-star Dou Master upon admission!

Lin Xiuyai: Four-Star Dou Master, from Central Continent.

Liu Qing: Four-Star Dou Master, from Central Continent.

Aside from Xiao Shuang, all of these people came from Central Continent. At such young ages, they had already reached the Dou Master level. Their families had surely provided them with plenty of medicinal pills for cultivation, and coupled with their outstanding talent, they had achieved such results.

Instructor Ruolin lightly tapped the section bearing Xiao Shuang's name. Compared with them, Xiao Shuang of the Xiao Family from Wutan City could not possibly enjoy such cultivation resources.

If they truly competed, it would surely be a fierce clash between dragons and tigers. Even Instructor Ruolin was looking forward to it.

Just then, Xiao Shuang knocked and entered. Instructor Ruolin chuckled softly, pulled him to a seat, and personally picked up a teacup before placing it in his hands.

"Cough, cough. Instructor Ruolin, is there something you need?" Caught off guard by her sudden enthusiasm, Xiao Shuang accepted the teacup and asked in confusion.

"Hehe, it's nothing major. The Freshman Tournament will be held in a few days, and I hope you can represent our class."

"The Freshman Tournament? Us freshmen fighting each other?"

"That's right. Also, the top three can receive prizes provided by Jia Nan Academy."

Hearing Instructor Ruolin's words, Xiao Shuang became somewhat interested in the Freshman Tournament. He then raised the teacup and drained it in one gulp before asking, "Then, Instructor Ruolin, are there any opponents I should watch out for?"

Instructor Ruolin unfolded the parchment, which contained information on several freshmen. What she was doing was not considered a violation, since the other instructors would do the same.

"Everyone listed here can be considered a strong competitor for you."

Xiao Shuang took the parchment. It listed only their specific strength levels, revealing nothing about their cultivation methods or Dou Techniques.

"These two aren't simple. Four-Star Dou Masters—they probably possess several Profound Tier Dou Techniques as well."

After pondering for a moment, Xiao Shuang pointed at two names on the parchment. Four words were marked behind them: From Central Continent!