Yet a young woman in a blue gown sat cross-legged there in silence, unmoved even as wind and snow battered her.
Her beauty was peerless, her skin fairer than snow. Her long ice-blue hair danced in the wind, making her seem like a spirit of ice and snow—pure and noble.
Above her head, a colossal Ice Phoenix, vast enough to blot out the sky, circled through the air. Its clear, resounding phoenix cries stirred countless ice and snowflakes into resonance.
The vast fluctuations of divine power proclaimed the extraordinary nature of its master.
It was Shui Bing'er.
When the Golden Ranking in the sky changed, and that heaven-shaking sword aura came from the south—
Shui Bing'er's tightly shut eyes flew open!
What kind of eyes were those?
Clear and pure, as though they contained all the ice and snow in the world. Yet deep within that ultimate chill burned an undying flame.
Her gaze immediately fell upon the Golden Ranking in the Sky Screen.
"Exotic Treasures Ranking, first place, Taichu Sword?"
She murmured softly. Then, when the two familiar words under "owner" entered her sight, she froze.
After a brief daze, indescribable ecstasy flooded her peerless face.
"Lu Ming?"
"It's Master!"
Her voice no longer held the coldness that Snow Empress and Ice Empress remembered.
Instead, it brimmed with boundless delight and longing, like a child who had finally glimpsed the hope of returning home.
That sword, that sword aura—without a doubt, they belonged to her master!
Her master... had finally returned to the world!
Shui Bing'er slowly rose to her feet. The wind and snow around her surged with her emotions, while the Ice Phoenix above her released a joyous cry that shook the heavens.
She gazed toward the south, unprecedented passion and determination blazing in her ice-blue eyes.
"Master, wait for me!"
"I'm only one final step away from fully refining the Heart of the Ice God, breaking through to Rank One Deity, and attaining the true position of the Ice God!"
"Once I break through to First-level God, I'll come find you!"
"This time, I won't let you run away again!"
Shui Bing'er murmured to herself, her voice gentle yet filled with unwavering resolve.
A sparkling teardrop slid down her smooth cheek, instantly freezing into an ice crystal in midair and refracting brilliant light.
Memories surged into her mind like a tide.
"I was an orphan from the time I was little..."
"I remember that when I was five, I was still a ragged little beggar..."
The scroll of memory slowly unfolded.
It had been a freezing winter day, with heavy snow falling. Cold and hungry, she had curled up in a corner, feeling as though she could die at any moment.
To survive, she spotted a bun shop. Taking advantage of the owner's inattention, she rushed over like a madwoman, snatched up a steaming bun, and ran.
Naturally, the enraged shop owner caught her and gave her a brutal beating.
Just when she thought she was about to be beaten to death, a warm, large hand pulled her up from the freezing snow.
That person was her master.
"Master, you saved me and took me as your disciple!"
"You taught me how to read, how to cultivate, and the principles of being human..."
"You even... even sacrificed your own life force to treat all the hidden injuries I had accumulated while begging as a child..."
"And you depleted your own origin life force to help my Martial Soul Evolution and reshape my aptitude... allowing me to possess the Extreme Ice Martial Soul and Innate Full Soul Power!"
By this point, Shui Bing'er's voice had choked up, and tears streamed down like pearls from a broken string.
She would never forget that scene.
Her master's palm had pressed against the center of her back, and waves of incomparably warm energy filled with Life Aura flowed into her body.
She could clearly feel her broken body being repaired, her blocked meridians being widened, and even her Martial Soul undergoing an earth-shaking transformation.
She had been overjoyed.
But she could also feel that as the energy flowed into her, her master's aura was weakening at an astonishing rate.
His once-black hair had even gained a trace of gray at his temples.
She had cried and begged him to stop, but he had merely smiled and rubbed her head.
"You even comforted me, saying it was all right..."
"But how could it possibly be all right?!"
"That was life force! That was lifespan! Once lost, it could never be recovered!"
"You should know that even lofty Deities cannot live forever! How could that possibly be all right!!!"
Shui Bing'er hugged her arms and crouched down, burying her head between her knees.
The grievance, heartache, and longing she had suppressed for so long erupted completely at that moment. She cried like a child.
He had given so much for her, yet when she had finally gained the ability to repay him, he had left without a word.
He had only left behind a letter saying that he was going on a long journey.
She knew that he had been avoiding her.
After a long while.
Shui Bing'er raised her head. The tears on her face had already dried in the wind, and nothing remained in her ice-blue eyes but endless determination.
"Master..."
"Bing'er won't let you run away again!!!"
Shui Bing'er rose to her feet and looked toward the direction where sword aura crisscrossed the sky, making up her mind!
Heaven Dou City.
In the south of the city stood a quiet courtyard.
Several verdant bamboo plants grew within, alongside a stone table and a few stone stools. It was simple yet elegant.
Lu Ming sat beside the stone table, lifted his teacup, and took a light sip, his brows faintly furrowed.
Just then, the golden light in the sky changed again.
The domineering descriptions of the Taichu Sword appeared word by word.
Within the courtyard, Ye Lingling, Bai Xiuxiu, and Ah Yin were also looking upward, each wearing a different expression.
"Ancestor..."
Ye Lingling's beautiful eyes shimmered with wonder. She looked at Lu Ming, her voice full of worship and reverence.
"First place... you really guessed it. It was the Taichu Sword."
"..."
Just before the Ranking List announced first place, Ancestor had casually said, "First place should be Taichu."
At the time, she had thought Ancestor was joking.
After all, even the Sea God Trident and Asura God Sword had only ranked below it.
But the facts proved that Ancestor had been right.
Ye Lingling now felt more and more that her Ancestor was unfathomable, as though he knew every secret between heaven and earth.
Who exactly was he?
Bai Xiuxiu, standing nearby, wore a faintly proud expression as though it were only natural.
She walked behind Lu Ming and said softly.
"Master never lies."
In her heart, Master was synonymous with omnipotence.
Whatever he said was the truth.
Ah Yin's azure eyes reflected the lines of description on the Sky Screen. She read them softly, her voice full of shock.
"Same lifespan as the world, same age as the Great Dao..."
"Its might... can slay a God King!"
"This Taichu Sword is far too powerful. It can actually tear through space-time and cut down a God King!"
"With such strength, such terrifying power, even the God Realm will fear it!"
"!!!"
Before you continue