Learning

Outside Green Mountain Town, in a secluded valley.

The morning mist had yet to fully dissipate, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of plants and a biting chill.

Mo Lin stood in the center of the valley, bare-chested, holding a long sword condensed from the ultimate ice.

The blade was crystal clear, as if carved from blue crystal, emitting a chilling aura that caused a layer of white frost to form on the grass around him.

He closed his eyes, focusing his mind, sinking into the golden-blue sea of consciousness.

On the ice plain, the Snow Emperor's figure solidified as if real. Her demeanor was cold and aloof, like the only snow lotus on the ice field. "Mo Lin, my lifelong understanding is condensed into three techniques: 'Emperor Sword: Peerless Ice Extreme', 'Emperor Palm: Great Cold Without Snow', and 'Emperor Cold Heaven: Snow Dance Shining Sun'. Since you favor the sword, we shall start with 'Peerless Ice Extreme'."

The Snow Emperor moved her fingers together like a sword, drawing slowly. The seemingly simple movement contained the rules of extreme frost and the ultimate principles of swordsmanship.

"A sword is the blade of the heart. Peerless Ice Extreme embodies the meaning of 'unparalleled sharpness, freezing all things'. It lies not in form, but in intent. Condense your ice-cold Fighting Energy into a single point; nothing is unbreakable, nothing is unfrozen."

As she demonstrated, a beam of ice-blue sword light, piercing the heavens and earth, seemed to appear in the sea of consciousness. The extreme sharpness and cold made Mo Lin's soul tremble.

"Do you understand?" the Snow Emperor asked, withdrawing her stance.

Mo Lin opened his eyes, taking a deep breath of the icy air, a flash of enlightenment in his gaze.

He gripped the ice sword in his hand and, following the Snow Emperor's guidance, madly poured the ice-cold Fighting Energy from within him, originating from the Snow Emperor's essence, into the sword.

"Hum--"

The ice sword let out a soft hum, the cold aura on its blade suddenly surged, and at the tip, a point of ultimate blue light began to condense, causing the surrounding temperature to plummet.

"Condense! Compress! Compress further!" Mo Lin roared inwardly, veins bulging on his forehead.

Compressing the wild ice-cold energy to its limit to form unparalleled sharpness required extremely precise control of power.

However, the first attempt was clearly not smooth.

"Crack!"

The ice sword in his hand could not withstand the sudden surge of energy pressure and shattered, exploding into a sky full of ice dust.

The powerful energy backlash caused Mo Lin to grunt, stumble back several steps, and feel a surge of Blood Essence in his chest.

"Idiot! Do you think Xue'er's ultimate techniques are that easy to learn?" The Ice Emperor's voice immediately rang out, with undisguised mockery. "You have the power but don't understand control, like using a sledgehammer to swat a mosquito! Your control is absolutely terrible!"

Mo Lin bared his teeth and rubbed his chest, retorting in his mind irritably, "Easy for you to say! Try it yourself if you can!"

"Hmph! How can this Emperor's talent be compared to yours? Watch closely!" Provoked by him, the Ice Emperor's arrogant temper flared up.

Although she had lost her physical body like the Snow Emperor, simulating her best friend's skills in this sea of consciousness was not a problem.

The Ice Emperor's phantom appeared. She clasped her hands in front of her chest and shouted, "Emperor Sword: Peerless Ice Extreme!"

A beam of emerald sword light suddenly flashed!

Unlike the Snow Emperor's pure, ultimate ice-blue, the Ice Emperor's sword light carried a touch more dominance and ferocity, as if it could freeze the soul.

The sword light flashed and disappeared, but it left a lingering trace of coldness in the spiritual ocean.

"Did you see clearly? The flow of energy, the condensation of intent! You dummy!" The Ice Emperor finished her demonstration, crossing her arms, raising her chin, with a smug expression of "praise me now," even though she was still scolding.

Mo Lin did not retort this time. Instead, he carefully savored the feeling of the Ice Emperor's sword strike.

The Snow Emperor's sword was absolute coldness and rules, while the Ice Emperor's sword carried an unstoppable sharpness and destructive power.

They were of the same origin, yet each had its own merits.

"Although Bing'er is impatient, she truly has a unique approach to offense," the Snow Emperor nodded slightly, acknowledging the Ice Emperor's demonstration. She then said to Mo Lin, "Do not be anxious. Control is not achieved in a day. First, try to evenly cover the sword body with your Fighting Energy, making it as controllable as your own arm, and then aim for compression and condensation."

Mo Lin nodded, suppressing his restlessness.

He condensed another ice sword. This time, he no longer pursued extreme compression but carefully felt the flow of Fighting Energy within the sword body, trying to make it more docile and controllable.

He swung the sword again and again, adjusting each time. Sweat soaked the tips of his hair, only to be instantly frozen into ice crystals by the surrounding low temperature.

With the guidance of the Snow Emperor, a top-tier expert, and the "sparring partner" of the Ice Emperor, who was venomous but occasionally offered crucial reminders, Mo Lin's progress was astonishingly rapid.

His control over ice-attribute Fighting Energy improved at a visible rate.

At the same time, he also began to dabble in some of the Ice Emperor's skills.

"Watch my Ice Emperor's Wrath!" the Ice Emperor excitedly demonstrated, condensing a giant ice cone to strike a virtual target. "And Ice Emperor's Claw! Although you can't fully replicate my scorpion claw now, you can transform it into ice crystal claw blades for close-quarters combat to ambush... ah no, to subdue enemies, it's very useful!"

Mo Lin's lips twitched slightly. This Ice Emperor's fighting style was indeed fierce.

He tried condensing his Fighting Energy onto his hands, forming sharp ice crystal claw blades. Although not as powerful as the Ice Emperor's original form, they were more than capable of tearing through ordinary wrought iron armor.

Time flew by in diligent cultivation. Mo Lin knew very well that no matter how beautiful a woman was, she was ultimately an external thing. Only by becoming strong oneself could one stand firm in this world.

The power of the Snow Emperor and the Ice Emperor were treasures, but they needed to be unearthed and mastered by him personally.

A week later.

In the valley, Mo Lin stood quietly.

His aura was much more solidified than a week ago, having stabilized at the One-star Dou Shi realm.

This was not only due to the nourishment from the essence of the two super Soul Beasts but also the result of his day and night arduous training.

He slowly raised his hand, and a simple, elegantly shaped ice-blue long sword condensed in his grasp.

This time, the ice sword was incredibly solid, its brilliance contained, no longer showing any signs of energy leakage.

His gaze sharpened, locking onto a massive bluestone in front of him, two people tall.

"Emperor Sword... Peerless Ice Extreme!"

A low hum sounded in his heart as Mo Lin moved his wrist, the ice sword thrusting straight out!

There was no earth-shattering momentum, only an ice-blue ray condensed to the extreme, flashing past as fast as lightning!

"Chh--"

A soft sound, like a hot knife cutting through butter.

Mo Lin retracted his sword and stood, his breathing steady. The next moment, a hairline blue thread appeared in the center of the massive bluestone.

Immediately after, a series of "cracking" sounds echoed, and the bluestone split neatly in two along the blue line. The cut surface was as smooth as a mirror and covered with a thick layer of solid ice, exuding cold air!

This sword already possessed a trace of the divine charm of "Peerless Ice Extreme"!

"Success!" Mo Lin's face broke into a delighted smile.

Although this sword consumed nearly a third of his Fighting Energy, far from being as effortless as the Snow Emperor, its power already far surpassed ordinary Profound-tier Combat Skills!

"So-so, at least it looks the part now, not enough to disgrace this Emperor." The Ice Emperor's voice rang out, still haughty, but with less mockery and a hint of imperceptible approval in its tone.

The Snow Emperor's clear and cold voice also carried a trace of praise, "Seven days, and you've managed to bring 'Peerless Ice Extreme' to the introductory level. Your swordsmanship talent is indeed outstanding.

However, remember that this move consumes a great deal. Do not use it lightly unless it's a critical moment. With your current cultivation, you can only use it at most three times before your Fighting Energy is depleted."

"I understand, Teacher Snow Emperor!" Mo Lin replied respectfully.

He held genuine respect for the Snow Emperor. This former King of the Far North had taught him wholeheartedly, holding nothing back.

He stroked the ice sword in his hand, liking it more the more he looked at it.

This feeling of condensing ultimate coldness onto the blade's edge perfectly matched his inner pursuit of the dashing swordsman image of "one sword to break all techniques."

"Compared to the Ice Emperor's violent 'Ice Emperor's Wrath,' 'Peerless Ice Extreme' is much cooler," Mo Lin thought gleefully.

"What did you say?! How dare you look down on this Emperor's ultimate skill!" The Ice Emperor immediately bristled, shouting in the spiritual sea, "Look at him, Xue'er! He's getting carried away after just a little success! If you've got the guts, don't use the claw blades I taught you!"

Mo Lin laughed heartily, in a great mood, and didn't bother arguing with the proud little girl.

He dispersed the ice sword, feeling the icy Fighting Energy flowing within him, a powerful confidence surging forth.

"My cultivation is stable at One-star Dou Shi, I've grasped the rudimentary form of 'Peerless Ice Extreme,' and I have some close-combat techniques from the Ice Emperor... Now, I finally have a little power to protect myself."

Mo Lin's gaze turned towards the direction of Green Mountain Town. "Xiao Yi Xian... and that treasure cave. It's time to go and explore."