Ice Phoenix

Nie Li sat down in front of Ye Ziyun.

"Ye Ziyun, we meet again." Nie Li gave her a faint smile.

Nie Li had an air of calm confidence about him. Compared to him, the other boys his age seemed painfully lacking. Still, Ye Ziyun didn't have any special feelings for him yet. She was only a little curious about him, and genuinely admired him.

Nie Li's knowledge was indeed incredibly broad. Even Aunt Xue had thought he was a master of inscription patterns.

She'd already had Aunt Xue make his rune into a scroll. Sure enough, it was a Silver Rank inscription pattern. The shock it gave her was unimaginable—Nie Li even knew Silver Rank inscription patterns!

"Nie Li, after I went home yesterday, I checked it. That really was a complete Gale Snow inscription pattern!" Ye Ziyun said, looking at Nie Li.

But Nie Li showed no trace of pride. He merely answered, "Oh," as if it were nothing worth bragging about.

As the Wind Snow Family's heaven-blessed daughter, Ye Ziyun had a certain pride, though she rarely let it show. But when she thought back carefully, Nie Li had always been extremely low-key in class, despite his tremendous talent. He never bragged about anything. Only when Instructor Shen Xiu's words provoked him did he fire back. By comparison, Ye Ziyun felt a little ashamed. Next to Nie Li, she had nothing worth being proud of.

Now Ye Ziyun was beginning to admire Nie Li. It wasn't quite to the point of liking him, but he was already the only boy she'd ever been willing to get close to.

For Nie Li, that was already a huge step forward.

"Nie Li, here's the Soul Crystal you asked me to get." Ye Ziyun took out the Soul Crystal.

"Pour your Soul Power into the Soul Crystal," Nie Li said, looking at Ye Ziyun. Ye Ziyun had been his woman since his previous life, so he naturally wouldn't hold anything back from her.

Ye Ziyun nodded and poured her Soul Power into the Soul Crystal. It gradually began to glow, shining with dazzling white light.

When he saw the form of Ye Ziyun's soul, Nie Li drew a sharp breath. He hadn't expected her talent to be even greater than Xiao Ninger's. It was like a mass of ice crystals, with a phoenix sleeping faintly within.

It was the legendary Ice Phoenix soul form.

One of the strongest soul forms in existence.

Before reaching Black Gold Rank, the Ice Phoenix form cultivated at about the same speed as the Winged Dragon form. But once it reached Black Gold Rank and the phoenix hatched, its cultivation would advance by leaps and bounds. Unfortunately, in his previous life, Ye Ziyun had died in battle before she ever had the chance to reach Black Gold Rank. Otherwise, she might well have become a pillar of the City of Brilliance.

"A wind-and-snow type, with an Ice Phoenix soul form!" Nie Li looked up at Ye Ziyun, his eyes brimming with excitement. "I'll teach you a cultivation technique!"

"Teach me a technique? What technique?" Ye Ziyun asked in surprise. She already cultivated the most profound technique of the Wind Snow Family. Could Nie Li really know an even better one?

The Wind Snow Family ranked first among all the families in the City of Brilliance. Even the Sacred Family and the Sacred Nether Family couldn't compare. That was because the Wind Snow Family had a Legendary Demon Spirit Master at its head: the fabled Ye Mo! The Wind Snow Family's collection was beyond an ordinary person's imagination. Ye Mo liked exploring the Sacred Spirit Continent, and had explored some lost ancient cities in the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range, where he found many powerful techniques and translated them.

"The Nine Revolutions Ice Phoenix Art!" Nie Li taught Ye Ziyun the incantation and technique. The Nine Revolutions Ice Phoenix Art wasn't the most powerful technique Ye Ziyun could cultivate, but it was the most mysterious. If she succeeded, she would have nine lives. As long as her soul didn't perish, she could come back to life.

In this life, Nie Li would never let Ye Ziyun leave him again!

Ye Ziyun only had to silently recite the incantation a few times to be stunned by the power of the Nine Revolutions Ice Phoenix Art. It was absolutely beyond comparison with any of the techniques in the Wind Snow Family's collection!

"Thank you, Nie Li!" Ye Ziyun thanked him sincerely. She was a little surprised that Nie Li would teach her such a precious technique, considering they'd only just met.

As far as Ye Ziyun was concerned, they'd only just met. But in Nie Li's eyes, he'd known her for far, far too long. And in his heart, Ye Ziyun was already his woman. A single Nine Revolutions Ice Phoenix Art was nothing.

Ye Ziyun followed the Nine Revolutions Ice Phoenix Art's method. Soul Power surged through her Soul Sea. The technique was practically made for her!

While Nie Li and Ye Ziyun were chatting, someone walked over. It was Shen Yue.

Seeing Nie Li and Ye Ziyun chatting so happily, and Ye Ziyun's beautiful, captivating smile, Shen Yue could no longer suppress his jealousy. He came over from a distance.

"Ziyun!" Shen Yue looked at Ye Ziyun and smiled faintly.

"Mm." Ye Ziyun answered coolly. She no longer felt the slightest fondness for Shen Yue.

Shen Yue sat down beside them and glanced at Nie Li, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

The atmosphere between the three of them suddenly turned awkward.

"Nie Li, we meet again." Shen Yue gave a cold laugh, making no effort to hide his hostility.

"What, you haven't had enough of the lesson you got last time?" Nie Li looked completely at ease. From beginning to end, he'd never taken Shen Yue seriously.

"You..." Shen Yue clenched his fists. If Ye Ziyun hadn't been there, he would definitely have had his men give Nie Li a thorough beating.

Ye Ziyun looked surprised. From the way Nie Li and Shen Yue were talking, it seemed Shen Yue had suffered at Nie Li's hands. She was curious: Shen Yue was a direct descendant of the Sacred Family, so how had Nie Li managed to get the better of him and make him swallow the humiliation?

Shen Yue forcibly swallowed his resentment. He glanced at Ye Ziyun and said, "My family and Ziyun's family have been family friends for generations. We grew up together and know each other very well. Our elders have always approved of us spending time together."

Shen Yue said this to remind Nie Li that he and Ye Ziyun were a perfect match, with the approval of both families' elders. What was Nie Li, anyway? Did he really think he could compete with him for Ye Ziyun?

Hearing Shen Yue's words, Nie Li couldn't help sneering inwardly. Could Shen Yue really know Ye Ziyun as well as he did?

Shen Yue glanced at Ye Ziyun and gave her a tender smile. "You could say Ziyun and I understand each other so well that we know each other's likes and dislikes, even our daily habits, inside and out."

Ye Ziyun's expression turned displeased at Shen Yue's words. She wanted to ask him, Had she ever been that close to him? After several incidents in class, she'd gradually grown to dislike Shen Yue. At the very least, the Sacred Family didn't seem nearly as bright and noble as it appeared.

Ye Ziyun couldn't help glancing at Nie Li. He wouldn't misunderstand, would he?

"Since you know Ziyun so well, tell me what you know about her. I'm all ears." Nie Li tapped the tabletop lightly with his finger. In his previous life, Ye Ziyun had come this close to marrying Shen Yue. In this life, he would never let that happen.

"Ziyun likes eating bananas, likes reading, and likes staring out the window in a daze..." Shen Yue gazed at Ye Ziyun with deep affection.

Nie Li smiled faintly. "Actually, she doesn't like eating bananas. Ye Mo tricked her by saying they could strengthen her Soul Power. And who in their right mind likes reading those obscure, hard-to-understand books? Ziyun likes going out on adventures best. She stares out the window because she yearns for the world beyond it."

Ye Ziyun felt as though she'd been struck by lightning. She stared blankly at Nie Li. How did he know all this? She couldn't even imagine that someone could understand her so well.

Nie Li took a deep breath. Back then, he'd wanted so badly to take Ye Ziyun across the entire continent, but that wish had gone unfulfilled. In this life, I'll help you fulfill it.

"You're talking nonsense..." Shen Yue was about to argue, but when he saw Ye Ziyun's expression, he opened his mouth and couldn't get a word out.

"Since you know Ziyun so well, she has a butterfly-shaped birthmark on her body. Do you know where it is?" Nie Li looked at Shen Yue with a knowing smile.

"How would I know!" Shen Yue snapped angrily.

At Nie Li's words, Ye Ziyun's face immediately turned scarlet. How did Nie Li know she had a butterfly-shaped birthmark? A strange, unsettling feeling rose within her. She stood up. "Nie Li, you lecher!" Ye Ziyun stomped her foot and ran off, torn between shame and anger.

Ye Ziyun's figure was graceful in her white silk dress, her long, shapely legs adding to her beauty.

Seeing Ye Ziyun's strange reaction, Shen Yue's expression darkened. The relationship between Ye Ziyun and Nie Li was definitely not simple. Perhaps the two of them were carrying on some dirty affair. His face turned frighteningly grim. "Nie Li, remember this. I'll make sure you die a horrible death!"

Nie Li looked at Shen Yue with disdain and gave a cold laugh. "You're still leagues beneath me. If you keep acting so blind, I won't mind teaching you another lesson." Nie Li stood up and left without another word.

At the City Lord's Mansion.

The flush still hadn't faded from Ye Ziyun's cheeks.

"Nie Li, you bastard! You bastard!" Ye Ziyun stomped her feet in anger. How did Nie Li know about the butterfly-shaped birthmark on her left breast? Her thoughts churned like a pot of mixed flavors. Had Nie Li secretly watched her bathing?

If Nie Li had seen her butterfly-shaped birthmark, then hadn't he seen everything else, too?

No, she had to confront that bastard!

Ye Ziyun was overwhelmed with embarrassment and anxiety. She gazed outside. Why did Nie Li know so much about her? Could he have been secretly spying on her all along? But the City Lord's Mansion was enormous and heavily guarded. Not even a fly could get in, could it?

***