Ice and Fire Body Tempering

The Snow Empress stepped forward. At a light touch of her fingertips, the first Jade Box opened.

A crisp chill, not piercing but carrying the all-embracing sensation of the deep sea, spread through the room. Inside lay an azure paste, like condensed essence of seawater, its sheen soft and lustrous.

"This is Sea Soul Ice Marrow Paste, refined primarily from the condensed essence of Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Clams from the Extreme North Deep Sea," the Ice Empress spoke from the side, her tone carrying a trace of matter-of-fact pride.

"I just brought back this fresh batch from the depths of the northern ice sea. Water is at its gentlest and best at guiding. This will protect the meridians and soothe unrest with the greatest gentleness and safety. It's just right for your little body as the first step."

The Snow Empress nodded slightly. With a flick of her fingertip, a streak of azure paste turned into flowing light and entered Xue Lingyun's brow.

The icy sensation penetrated straight to the crown of his head before becoming a clear current that spread through his limbs and bones.

Xue Lingyun felt his mind become utterly clear, while his perception of the energy around him grew sharper. The surging blood and qi within him, stirred by anticipation, also settled considerably.

The second Jade Box opened. Inside was a small segment of a crimson ginseng-like root, as though lava lay contained within it, along with a small pile of darker crystalline powder that was nearly dark red.

"These are sliced essence of Fire Yang Ginseng, along with Blazing Blood Powder ground from its accompanying Flame Crystals." This time, the Snow Empress explained in a steady voice.

"Fire Yang Ginseng is fierce yet pure in nature. It contains abundant yang energy and firepower, able to strengthen one's foundation and source while stimulating the blood and qi."

"This Blazing Blood Powder uses its medicinal power as its core, with an added explosive catalyst to ignite the 'Furnace Fire' of ice and fire clashing within you and awaken your potential."

"Binger found this ginseng in her early years. I personally processed and preserved it until now."

With a sweep of her delicate hand, the crimson ginseng slices and dark red powder swiftly merged beneath the wrapping of golden-white Soul Power. They became a denser crimson-gold mist, as though molten gold flowed within it, slowly descending to envelop Xue Lingyun's entire body.

A scorching warmth seeped through his skin and entered his body. Yet it was not violent; instead, it carried a solid, weighty feeling, forming a wondrous echo with the cool, profound sensation brought by the Sea Soul Ice Marrow Paste.

Under the Snow Empress's exquisite control, the two forces did not simply clash. Instead, they began circulating through Xue Lingyun's body along mysterious paths.

The boundary between ice and fire blurred, forming a dynamic balance brimming with tension that continually stimulated and tempered the depths of his meridians, flesh, and blood.

The third Jade Box was the smallest. Within it were only three drops of viscous liquid resembling liquid jadeite, radiating a vast yet gentle aura of life.

"This Jadeite Dew was obtained by me in my early years and contains pure Origin of Life. At the most critical moment, it will protect your heart meridian and vitality."

The Snow Empress suspended the three drops of dew above Xue Lingyun's head, waiting for the right moment.

Finally, she picked up the Ice Crystal Jade Pot and removed its stopper. A scent blending sweet freshness with icy medicinal fragrance drifted out.

"This is Ice Soul Body Tempering Soup, prepared with the Golden Jade Ice Orchid Fruit you found as its main ingredient, supplemented by other Ice Attribute herbs."

"Drink it. It will serve as the final catalyst, thoroughly integrating the foundation you built over seven years with today's external forces."

Xue Lingyun accepted the Jade Pot. It felt cool and warm in his hand. Without hesitation, he tipped back his head and drained the medicine in one gulp.

As the liquid passed down his throat, it was initially as smooth as an icy spring. In an instant, it became countless streams—some freezing to the bone, others pleasantly warm—rushing toward every part of his body!

The Snow Empress raised both hands, her palms pressing down through the air. Gentle yet vast ice-white Soul Power poured forth like spilled mercury, completely enveloping Xue Lingyun.

This Soul Power was not meant to suppress him. Rather, it was like the most precise woven net, guiding and sorting through the complex energies beginning to surge within him.

The Ice Empress stood guard at the side with focused attention, emerald green Soul Power lingering around her fingertips as she prepared to deal with any accident at any moment.

The true transformation had begun.

Boom!

The warm current from the Fire Yang Ginseng and Blazing Blood Powder, the coolness of the Sea Soul Ice Marrow Paste, and the immense life essence and blood-and-qi foundation Xue Lingyun had accumulated through seven years of arduous cultivation—

Under the guidance of the Ice Soul Body Tempering Soup, they completely boiled, merged, and erupted!

His body seemed to become a fusion of furnace and ice cellar. Extreme cold and warmth did not confront each other brutally; under the Snow Empress's guidance, they underwent a profound tempering and fusion.

His bones produced dense cracking sounds like beans popping in a pan. His muscle fibers tore apart and reformed again and again, while his meridians became tougher and broader through their repeated expansion and contraction.

The pain was undoubtedly intense. It was the grinding one had to endure before a leap in the level of life.

Xue Lingyun clenched his teeth tightly, his face twisting slightly. The moment sweat seeped out, it was either evaporated or frozen by the energy circulating across his body.

Yet deep within his consciousness was an Ice Mirror protected by the Sea Soul Ice Marrow Paste, clearly reflecting every change within his body.

He circulated the Dharma Cleansing Marrow and Changing Tendons Scripture with all his strength, actively cooperating with the Snow Empress's guidance and drawing the violent energy into the technique's circulation path. With every Ice and Fire Loop, he felt his body become more solidly tempered, while his connection to something between heaven and earth grew closer.

The Ice Empress sensed Xue Lingyun's condition with complete focus, especially the point of balance in that Ice and Fire Loop.

Meanwhile, the Snow Empress was like a supreme artisan. With unparalleled control, she precisely regulated every fraction of energy, ensuring that the tempering process remained on the most effective and safest path.

Time passed amid the silent yet intense transformation.

When the torrent of energy within Xue Lingyun reached its peak and was about to complete its final breakthrough—

The Snow Empress's gaze sharpened slightly, and the three drops of Jadeite Dew suspended above Xue Lingyun's head fell.

The gentle, vast essence of life was like sweet rain descending from the heavens, instantly merging into the boiling torrent of energy.

Not only did it stabilize the nearly completed tempering process, but like the finishing touch to a masterpiece, it thoroughly activated and fused all the results of the tempering, guiding them toward their final ascension.

Crack... hum—!

A silent shattering and a hum rang out simultaneously from the depths of Xue Lingyun's soul.

The invisible barrier that had confined a certain form of his Origin of Life burst open before this power accumulated to its utmost limit!

Light blazed throughout the quiet chamber!

First, a warm and dazzling golden-red light erupted from Xue Lingyun's chest!

The light was not harsh, yet it carried the vigor and tenacity of newborn life, as though a miniature sun had been ignited within his chest.

Immediately after, a phantom of a "heart," somewhere between solid and illusory, crystal-clear throughout as if condensed from the purest life energy and some fundamental law, clearly appeared over his left chest!

It beat powerfully and steadily. Every contraction and expansion caused the blood, qi, and Soul Power throughout his body to resonate in harmony, even faintly drawing the primordial energy of heaven and earth around him into its rhythm.

A vast, warm aura brimming with limitless vitality and inner strength spread outward. It was the powerful manifestation of the Origin of Life—the foundation that bore all things was awakening.

At the same time, a clear and majestic Dragon Roar, as though it had pierced through eternal ice, reverberated from within Xue Lingyun's body!

Ice-blue radiance shot into the sky from behind him, swiftly condensing into the phantom of a gigantic dragon!

The dragon was covered in scales as profound as Xuanbing aged ten thousand years, flowing with a deep blue cold light. Its head was raised high, its dragon eyes clear and cold. Pure Dragon's Might, mingled with an ultimate chill surpassing ordinary ice and snow, instantly blanketed the entire quiet chamber!

The temperature in the chamber plummeted. Thick, magnificent frost flowers formed across the walls and ceiling, while tiny Ice Crystals appeared from thin air and slowly drifted down.

Twin Martial Souls awakened at once!