Learning

Outside Qingshan Town, in a secluded valley.

The morning mist had yet to fully disperse, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of vegetation and biting cold.

Mo Lin stood bare-chested in the center of the valley, holding a longsword condensed from Extreme Ice.

The blade was translucent, as though carved from blue crystal, radiating a chilling aura. A layer of white frost had formed over the surrounding grass.

He closed his eyes and focused, sinking his mind into that golden-blue Sea of Consciousness.

Upon the ice plains, Snow Empress's figure was as solid as if she were real. Her bearing was cool and aloof, like the only snow lotus blooming upon the tundra. "Everything I have comprehended in my life is condensed into three moves: Emperor Sword: Peerless Ice Extreme, Emperor Palm: Great Cold Without Snow, and Emperor Cold Heaven: Snow Dance Shining Sun. Since you favor the sword, begin with Ice Extreme Unparalleled."

Snow Empress held two fingers together like a sword and slowly traced through the air. The seemingly simple movement contained the laws of ultimate frost and the profound truths of swordsmanship.

"A sword is the blade of the heart. Ice Extreme Unparalleled embodies the meaning of 'unmatched sharpness, freezing all things.'

"It lies not in form, but in intent. Condense your icy Dou Qi into a single point—nothing can withstand it, and nothing cannot be frozen."

As she demonstrated, an ice-blue sword light seemed to appear in the Sea of Consciousness, piercing through heaven and earth. Its ultimate sharpness and coldness made even Mo Lin's soul tremble.

"Did you understand?" Snow Empress withdrew her hand and asked.

Mo Lin opened his eyes and drew a deep breath of cold air. A flash of realization passed through his gaze.

He tightened his grip on the ice sword and, following Snow Empress's guidance, frantically poured the icy Dou Qi originating from Snow Empress's Origin into the blade.

"Bzz—"

The ice sword gave a soft hum. The cold aura around it suddenly surged, and a point of extreme blue light began gathering at its tip as the temperature around him plummeted.

Condense! Compress! Compress it again! Mo Lin roared inwardly, veins bulging across his forehead.

Compressing violent icy energy to the extreme and turning it into unmatched sharpness required extraordinarily precise control over one's power.

However, his first attempt was clearly not going to be so smooth.

Crack!

The ice sword in his hand could not withstand the sudden pressure of the rising energy and abruptly shattered, exploding into a sky full of icy powder.

The powerful backlash made Mo Lin grunt as he staggered several steps back, his blood and Qi churning in his chest.

"Idiot! Do you think Xue'er's ultimate technique is that easy to master?" Ice Empress's voice rang out at once, filled with undisguised mockery. "You have power but no idea how to control it. It's like using a sledgehammer to kill a mosquito! Your control is absolutely terrible!"

Mo Lin grimaced as he rubbed his chest, snapping back in his mind, "Easy for you to say! Why don't you try it yourself?"

"Hmph! How could my talent possibly be compared to yours? Watch closely!" Provoked by him, Ice Empress's proud temperament immediately flared up.

Although she and Snow Empress had both lost their physical bodies, simulating her best friend's skill in the Sea of Consciousness was no problem.

Ice Empress's phantom appeared. She brought her hands together before her chest and cried out, "Emperor Sword: Peerless Ice Extreme!"

A jade-green sword light suddenly flashed into existence!

Unlike Snow Empress's utterly pure ice-blue light, Ice Empress's sword light carried a greater sense of dominance and ferocity, as though it could freeze the soul itself.

The sword light vanished in an instant, yet it left behind a lingering trail of frigid intent within the Sea of Consciousness.

"Did you see that clearly? The flow of energy, the gathering of intent! Idiot!" After demonstrating, Ice Empress crossed her arms and lifted her little chin, looking immensely pleased with herself as if waiting to be praised, even though she was still insulting him.

This time, Mo Lin did not retort. Instead, he carefully recalled the feeling of Ice Empress's strike.

Snow Empress's sword was absolute coldness and law, while Ice Empress's sword carried an indomitable sharpness and destructive force.

They came from the same source, yet each possessed its own strengths.

"Though Bing'er is impatient by nature, she does possess unique insight into the path of attack." Snow Empress nodded slightly, acknowledging Ice Empress's demonstration. Then she told Mo Lin, "Do not be impatient. Control cannot be achieved in a day. First, try to evenly coat the sword with Dou Qi and make it move as naturally as your own arm. Only then should you attempt compression and condensation."

Mo Lin nodded and suppressed the restlessness in his heart.

He condensed another ice sword. This time, he no longer sought extreme compression. Instead, he carefully sensed the flow of Dou Qi within the blade, trying to make it gentler and more controllable.

Again and again, he swung his sword and adjusted his control. Sweat soaked his hair, only to freeze into ice crystals in the surrounding cold.

With Snow Empress, a supreme expert, guiding him at his side, and Ice Empress serving as a sparring partner who was sharp-tongued but occasionally offered crucial reminders, Mo Lin's progress was astonishingly fast.

His control over ice-attributed Dou Qi was improving at a visible pace.

At the same time, he also began studying some of Ice Empress's techniques.

"Watch my Ice Emperor's Wrath!" Ice Empress excitedly demonstrated, condensing enormous ice cones and blasting them at a simulated target. "And there's Ice Emperor's Claw! You can't fully replicate my scorpion claws yet, but you can form crystalline claw blades. They're excellent for catching enemies off guard in close combat... ah, no, I mean subduing enemies!"

Mo Lin's lips twitched slightly. This Ice Empress really did have a fierce combat style.

He tried gathering Dou Qi in his hands, forming sharp crystalline claw blades. Though they were far less powerful than Ice Empress's true body, they could already tear apart ordinary refined iron armor with ease.

Time flew by amid his grueling cultivation. Mo Lin understood very clearly that no matter how wonderful beautiful women were, they were ultimately external things. Only personal strength was the foundation for surviving in this world.

Snow Empress and Ice Empress's power was a treasure trove, but he needed to excavate and master it with his own hands.

One week later.

In the valley, Mo Lin stood silently.

The aura around him was far more solid than it had been a week ago. He had already stabilized at the realm of a One-star Dou Shi.

This was not only due to the nourishment of the two super soul beasts' origins, but also the result of his relentless cultivation day and night.

He slowly raised his hand, and an ice-blue longsword with an ancient design and flowing lines condensed in his grasp.

This time, the ice sword was incomparably solid, its radiance restrained, with no sign of energy leaking from it.

His gaze sharpened as he locked onto a massive bluestone ahead, towering as high as two people.

"Emperor Sword... Ice Extreme Unparalleled!"

The low shout sounded in his heart. Mo Lin flicked his wrist, and the ice sword thrust straight forward!

There was no earthshaking spectacle, only an ice-blue streak condensed to the extreme, flashing past like lightning!

Ssh—

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

Mo Lin withdrew his sword and stood still, his breathing steady. The next moment, an incredibly fine blue line appeared down the middle of the huge bluestone.

Then, a series of cracking sounds rang out. The bluestone split neatly in two along the blue line, its cross-sections smooth as mirrors and covered in thick ice, cold air spilling everywhere!

This strike had already captured a trace of the true essence of Ice Extreme Unparalleled!

"I did it!" A delighted smile appeared on Mo Lin's face.

Although this attack had consumed nearly a third of his Dou Qi, and he was still far from Snow Empress's effortless mastery, its power had already far surpassed an ordinary Profound-tier Combat Skill!

"Passable, I suppose. At least it finally looks somewhat presentable. You won't disgrace me now." Ice Empress's voice rang out. She was still as proud as ever, but there seemed to be less mockery in her tone and a faint, almost imperceptible approval.

There was also a trace of praise in Snow Empress's cool voice. "To bring Ice Extreme Unparalleled to the beginner stage in seven days, your talent for the sword is indeed exceptional.

"However, remember this well: this move consumes a tremendous amount of energy. Do not use it lightly unless it is a critical moment. With your current cultivation, you can use it at most three times before your Dou Qi is exhausted."

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

He sincerely respected Snow Empress. This former ruler of the Far North had spared no effort in teaching him and held nothing back.

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

The feeling of condensing ultimate coldness upon a blade perfectly matched his inner image of a carefree swordsman who could break through ten thousand techniques with a single sword.

Compared to Ice Empress's brutally violent Ice Emperor's Wrath, Ice Extreme Unparalleled is way cooler. Mo Lin thought smugly.

"What did you say?! You dare look down on my ultimate technique?!" Ice Empress immediately bristled, shouting within the Sea of Consciousness. "Xue'er, look at him! He's already gotten carried away after achieving so little! If you have the guts, don't use the claw blades I taught you!"

Mo Lin laughed heartily, in an excellent mood and unwilling to argue with this proud little girl.

He dispersed the ice sword and felt the icy Dou Qi flowing through his body. A powerful confidence rose within him.

"My cultivation is stable at One-star Dou Shi, I've grasped the beginnings of Ice Extreme Unparalleled, and I have some of Ice Empress's close-combat techniques... I finally have some ability to protect myself."

Mo Lin looked in the direction of Qingshan Town. "Xiao Yi Xian... and that treasure-filled mountain cave. It's time to take a look."