Not Suited to Swordsmanship

"Learning the sword is hard, but you must not give up halfway. Are you sure?" After speaking, Tang Ling hung the longsword at her waist and looked at Xue Qingxi with a serious expression.

Xue Qingxi paused, then bent over in a bow, his face solemn. "This student wants to learn the sword because it looks cool and is highly lethal.

"Although my martial soul is powerful enough, as a prince, I will surely face all kinds of assassination attempts in the future.

"I want to give myself another trump card."

Tang Ling gazed at him calmly. Once she saw that he was sincere, she nodded in agreement. "All right. Once we return, I'll add it to your curriculum."

"Thank you, Teacher!" Xue Qingxi clasped his hands and bowed again, bending deeply in thanks.

After accepting his salute, Tang Ling helped him up. Xue Qingxi straightened with her pull, grinning from ear to ear.

Standing beside them, Tang San's eyes showed a trace of sympathy. The happier he was smiling now, the more miserably he would cry once sword training began.

Then Tang San remembered that, because of his martial soul, he would have to learn swordsmanship too. His expression instantly changed from sympathy to fellow feeling.

"Third Brother, will you learn with me when the time comes?" As Xue Qingxi walked forward with the others, he moved closer to Tang San and asked.

Tang San nodded. "We'll learn together. Senior Sister should arrange suitable sword techniques for us then."

"Then how about a competition to see who learns faster?" Xue Qingxi excitedly nudged Tang San with his elbow.

Tang San shot him a sidelong glance, then nodded in agreement. Studying was boring, and having someone alongside him would make it more interesting. Besides, he had trained in martial arts for years; he certainly would not lose.

Tang Ling walked ahead, listening to their conversation with a faint smile. Had A-Xuan agreed so readily because he had forgotten that she had said he was unsuited for swordsmanship?

Thinking of that, Tang Ling joined their bet with great interest. No matter who won, there would be plenty of entertainment to watch.

"Stop!"

The group ventured deeper and deeper. By the time they were exhausted, Tang Ling's shout to stop sounded especially pleasant.

"Senior Sister, are we there?" Tang San leaned against a tree trunk and pulled out some dried meat, handing it to her. After she accepted it, he took out more and distributed it to Xue Qingxi and the others.

"Once we cross the valley ahead, we'll reach our destination. Rest for a while. Eat and drink your fill before we head in." Tang Ling pointed at the dark valley in the distance, then pulled out several chairs and tossed them onto the ground.

Xue Qingxi quickly unfolded the chairs. After handing one to Tang Ling, he decisively dragged another over and flopped down on it.

Tang Ersui set down the packs, accepted the small pot Tang San handed him, and began cooking. Before long, bowls of meat porridge were passed into everyone's hands amid eager anticipation.

Xue Qingxi quickly took a spoonful, then threw back his head with a long sigh. "This is delicious! I never expected to eat so well even out in the wilderness!"

After saying that, seeing no one pay him any attention, he fell silent and joined the army of people quietly eating.

Thirty minutes later, after eating their fill and packing up, the group followed Tang Ling toward the valley.

"Teacher, are we going down into the valley?" Xue Qingxi looked down at the fog-shrouded, bottomless gorge and swallowed.

"No." Tang Ling shook her head, then pointed ahead. "We're going to the other side."

"Then how are we getting across?" Xue Qingxi had just breathed a sigh of relief, but when he saw the faint outline of land in the distance, his face fell again.

"Follow in my footsteps. We'll walk in." Tang Ling looked toward the valley and blinked lightly. Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, she stepped forward, her foot landing steadily in midair.

She continued onward. Tang San hurriedly followed, with Xue Qingxi and the other two close behind.

After nine steps, Tang Ling turned sideways into empty space and vanished. Tang San did not hesitate and quickly turned sideways after her.

Staring wide-eyed at the two people who had disappeared, Xue Qingxi hurried after them in two quick strides. He had not expected this was what his teacher meant by walking in.

Once the five of them entered that hidden space safely, a figure slowly descended onto a tree branch at the edge of the valley, standing guard in silence.

"There's actually an ice field inside!" Xue Qingxi stepped on the crunching snow, gazing in amazement at the vast white world.

"The world is vast, and wonders abound." Tang San followed closely behind Tang Ling. Although Little Heavenly Dao had said before that this place was a world of its own, seeing it in person was even more shocking.

"Even though it's amazing, there don't seem to be any Soul Beasts here." Xue Qingxi walked alongside Tang San, looking disappointedly over the empty ice field.

"There are. You just can't spot them without looking closely." Xue Qi stared at the insects crawling in the distance and spoke softly.

He could not help sighing inwardly. As expected, those acknowledged by the King were not to be underestimated. As a Soul Douluo, he often entered and left the Star Dou Great Forest and had seen that valley before, yet he had never known there was a small ice-field world hidden here.

Hearing this, Xue Qingxi grabbed Tang San with one hand and shaded his eyes with the other, narrowing them as he carefully examined the white ground.

"Don't look like that. Xue Qi is using Soul Power. Not only will you fail to see anything this way, but you could easily get snow blindness." Tang Ling looked toward the ice lake in the distance, turned around, and gave Xue Qingxi a smack.

Xue Qingxi quickly turned his head, scratching his hair awkwardly.

"Wait here. I'm going to find my Spirit Ring." After dealing with the child, Tang Ling picked up her sword and headed for the ice lake.

Before she could approach, an ice ball shot toward her. The Iceburst Otter revealed two pairs of eyes above the water, silently watching the intruder on the shore.

Tang Ling dodged the ice ball and slashed her sword toward the frozen lake. In an instant, the ice shattered and water sprayed everywhere, sending a white Iceburst Otter over a meter long bursting from the water.

The next second, before it could react, a streak of sword energy radiating cold cut through its skin and claimed its life.

Tang Ling withdrew her sword. Looking at the orange-yellow Spirit Ring floating in the air, she sat cross-legged and began absorbing it.

Tang San hurriedly pulled Xue Qingxi closer to the lakeshore, then stopped two steps away from Tang Ling and waited quietly.

"Third Brother, do you know what Soul Beast Teacher hunted? I didn't see it clearly." Xue Qingxi glanced curiously toward the ice lake and leaned close to Tang San as he asked.

"A 450-year-old Iceburst Otter. One of its attack methods is launching ice balls. Senior Sister probably wants to obtain the resilience from its soul skill." Tang San pointed at the ice ball on the ground, which had only chipped slightly, as he explained.

After getting his answer, Xue Qingxi crouched down to grab the ice ball. To his surprise, even though the Soul Beast was dead, its soul skill remained intact.

Seeing this, Xue Qingxi squatted on the ground and repeatedly poked the ice ball, studying how long it would last.

A moment later, Tang Ling opened her eyes, and the ice ball on the ground instantly melted away. Seeing Tang Ling rise, Xue Qingxi stopped paying attention to it and eagerly followed Tang San over.

"Senior Sister, show us your soul skill too." Tang San glanced at the sword in her hand, which radiated cold air, and looked at her eagerly.

"Yes, Teacher. That Soul Beast's soul skill lasted until you finished absorbing the Spirit Ring before it dispersed. I'm really curious what it'll be like once it becomes your soul skill!" Xue Qingxi stood close beside Tang San, looking at her expectantly.

Tang Ling looked at the two of them and smiled lightly. Then she raised her sword. "Then I'll show you."

As she spoke, the sword in her hand floated into the air.

"First Soul Skill, Iceburst Edge."

The Spirit Ring descended. Tang Ling grasped the longsword and swung it one-handed.

The sword energy, normally pale blue, turned brilliant blue, and it became even more solid.

The sword energy slashed swiftly across the ice lake in the distance. Water and shattered ice instantly flew into the air, clattering down onto the shore. When the lake surface calmed, solid ice floated silently atop it.

"If the sword energy can solidify, then if I bind it with my whip, wouldn't it deal damage a second time?" Tang San looked at the solid ice and spoke excitedly, then turned to Tang Ling.

Tang Ling nodded in agreement.

"Then it could catch enemies off guard in battle!" Xue Qingxi gave Tang San a thumbs-up in praise. "As expected of my Third Brother. Your mind works so fast."

At once, Tang San's ears flushed red. He smiled obediently.

Xue Qingxi raised his brows in surprise, swallowing the teasing remark he had been about to make. He turned to Tang Ling instead. "Teacher, which direction are we heading next?"

"We're going straight back. We'll go to the Soul Hunting Forest to find a Spirit Ring for A-Xuan's other martial soul." Tang Ling withdrew her martial soul and called everyone to leave.

After leaving the valley, the group ate a quick bite before heading toward the exit of the Star Dou Great Forest.