The effect of the Xuanbing body?

Before his voice had even faded, a pair of hands wreathed in frigid ice appeared between him and the golden sword.

Those hands were as white as jade, with slender fingers covered in a thin layer of frost.

With a gentle pinch from those delicate hands, the golden sword was held fast as if clamped between two icebergs, unable to advance even a fraction of an inch.

"Crack—"

She exerted a slight force with two fingers, and the small golden sword shattered into a sky full of golden light particles, slowly dissipating into the air.

Mu Sining withdrew her hands, the frost fading from her fingertips to reveal the fair, smooth skin beneath.

Liu Xuantong's legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed, his forehead drenched in cold sweat.

Liu Xuantong forced his trembling body to stand up from the ground, glared viciously at Jiang Tian, and then turned to Mu Sining, his voice laced with hysteria: "Senior Sister! Kill him! This man's origins are unknown; he might very well be a spy planted in Blackwater County by the White Lotus Sect!"

It was a heavy accusation, delivered with haste and malice.

Jiang Tian's gaze flickered, his eyes narrowing slightly as his body tensed like a fully drawn bowstring.

The golden qi within him surged, rushing through his meridians, ready to strike at any moment.

Mu Sining was truly worthy of being someone with a red-tier trait; with just two fingers, she had neutralized his strongest move to date.

But if he wanted to leave, Mu Sining would not be able to stop him.

"Jiang Tian."

Mu Sining's red lips parted slightly, and her beautiful peach-blossom eyes remained devoid of any emotion.

She did not ask where he had learned his Qi Gathering Method, nor did she ask when he had begun gathering qi; she simply said calmly:

"Are you willing to join my Heavenly Fire Sect?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Liu Xuantong's eyes widened to the size of saucers, his mouth opening and closing as if he were being strangled.

He had almost been killed by this villain just moments ago!

"Senior Sister! He—"

"Shut up."

Mu Sining's willow-leaf brows furrowed slightly. This time, there was more emotion in her eyes, no longer the calm, ripple-free gaze from before.

It was disgust.

Liu Xuantong looked as if he had been choked by something, a "gurgle" sound escaping his throat, and he dared not utter another word.

Jiang Tian's gaze flickered.

After seeing the red-tier trait above Mu Sining's head, he was indeed even more inclined to join the Heavenly Fire Sect to encounter more people with high-level traits, striving to upgrade his own traits to gold and master even stronger techniques.

But this Liu Xuantong...

Mu Sining seemed to perceive Jiang Tian's hesitation and spoke with a calm expression: "The Heavenly Fire Sect treats all disciples equally. You need not worry about receiving any unfair treatment within the sect."

Jiang Tian nodded and said in a deep voice: "Very well."

Gold-tier traits... I truly look forward to it.

In the afternoon, a carriage with the character "Fire" printed on its side traveled along the official road from Blackwater County toward the Prefecture City.

The wheels rolled over gravel, emitting a muffled "rumble" sound.

The carriage curtains flapped noisily in the wind, occasionally lifting a corner to reveal the gray sky outside and the rolling mountain shadows in the distance.

There were four people sitting in the carriage.

Jiang Tian, Mu Sining, Liu Xuantong, and Yuan Manzhi.

Yuan Long did not follow. He had simply shoved his daughter into the carriage.

Mu Sining had been unwilling at first, but when she saw Yuan Manzhi, a flash of light suddenly crossed those eyes that had always been as calm as water, and after a moment of silence, she had agreed.

Although the others did not have Jiang Tian's cheat that allowed him to see others' traits, both of them had constitutions related to ice, so they should be able to tell, right?

Thinking of this, Jiang Tian felt a bit puzzled.

As someone who also possessed a red-tier trait, why was Yuan Manzhi still stuck at the Manifest Energy stage, unable to break through to Transformation Energy?

Could it have something to do with her [Mystic Ice Body]?

He didn't dwell on it and withdrew his thoughts.

Before leaving, he had told Old Man Yuan where the porcelain was hidden.

Old Man Yuan not only failed to thank him but kept urging him to take good care of Yuan Manzhi, saying that if he took good care of her, there would be a great opportunity gifted to him.

"What kind of 'great opportunity' could there be?"

Jiang Tian muttered to himself. He had already entered the Qi Gathering Realm; Yuan Long was just an old man at the Transformation Energy stage, what kind of opportunity could he possibly have that would catch his eye?

And a "great opportunity" at that?

Still, he had agreed. After all, the man had fed him so many Blood Vitality Pills back then and had even passed on the Five Animals Creation Play.

This favor must be repaid.

Along the way, Liu Xuantong would glance sideways at Jiang Tian from time to time, his eyes filled with a mixture of fear, resentment, and anger, as if he wanted to tear Jiang Tian apart and swallow him whole.

Yet, whenever Jiang Tian opened his eyes and glanced back at him, he would hurriedly turn his head away, pretending to look at the scenery outside the window, not daring to meet Jiang Tian's gaze.

Jiang Tian narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing in their depths.

He did not like making enemies.

Or rather, it would be more accurate to say... he did not like having enemies who were still alive in this world.

As long as he had an enemy, he could not sleep soundly.

This Liu Xuantong would have to be dealt with when the opportunity arose.

Just as he was pondering this, he suddenly felt a chill.

It seemed as if someone was watching him.

He turned his head to look, and Mu Sining was staring at him, her gaze shifting between him and Yuan Manzhi, who sat beside him.

That look made Jiang Tian feel very uncomfortable.

He frowned, met Mu Sining's gaze directly, and asked bluntly, "Mu Sining, is there something on my face?"

Mu Sining replied with a calm expression, "No."

"Then why do you keep staring at me?"

Mu Sining did not answer him, but instead shifted her gaze to Yuan Manzhi. After watching her for a moment, she looked back at Jiang Tian. "Do you want to know why I was staring at you?"

"Obviously," Jiang Tian said irritably.

"Very well."

Mu Sining nodded slightly, then turned to look at Liu Xuantong, who was sitting to the side.

Her gaze was calm, but her tone carried an unquestionable weight.

"You, get out first. When I tell you to come back up, then you can return."

"Huh?" Liu Xuantong was stunned, his face full of confusion. "Senior Sister, what for? Why do I have to get out..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

He saw the azure light flickering in the depths of Mu Sining's eyes.

Liu Xuantong shrank his neck and scrambled out of the carriage.

After Liu Xuantong left, Mu Sining waved her palm, and a layer of pale blue qi emanated from her hand, forming a thin barrier inside the carriage that enveloped the three of them.

The barrier was like a sheet of translucent glass, isolating the sounds from the outside completely.

The sound of the wheels crushing gravel and the whistling of the wind all vanished.

Jiang Tian's eyes flickered slightly.

This must be a method for soundproofing. He could achieve a similar effect using qi, but what he could produce was nowhere near as refined, and likely lacked this level of effectiveness.

It seemed Mu Sining's mastery of qi was more than a notch above his own.

After finishing this, Mu Sining glanced at Yuan Manzhi beside Jiang Tian, then looked back at Jiang Tian and spoke slowly, "Do you know that she has the Mystic Ice Body?"

"I do," Jiang Tian said in a low voice.

As expected, Mu Sining had discerned Yuan Manzhi's constitution.

Immediately after, Mu Sining said something that left Jiang Tian feeling somewhat confused.

"Then do you know... the purpose of the Mystic Ice Body?"

(Readership plummeted this chapter, what's going on? Is there a lack of interesting points?)

If you can't find the book by its title, try searching for the author; perhaps the name has just been changed!