The snow in the Northern Lands fell without end.
On the city wall, the wind and snow were silently pushed aside by an invisible force when they came within three feet of Qin Keqing.
Her eyes were closed, her breathing growing long and slow.
The bottleneck that had held her at the Nascent Soul Early Stage now gave a faint hum of resonance.
The Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth burrowed through her pores faster and faster, even forming a tiny vortex visible to the naked eye in midair.
She had not broken through to a higher cultivation stage.
But her presence had undergone a change that overturned heaven and earth.
In the past, Qin Keqing had carried an air of lofty arrogance wherever she went.
That arrogance had been backed by her standing as a True Inheritor Disciple of the Spirit Sword Pavilion, her sharp edges fully exposed and painfully prickly.
Now, those sharp edges slowly sank inward, merging into her blood and bones.
She seemed restrained and clear, even the rhythm of her breathing subtly matching the rise and fall of the surrounding wind and snow.
Lin Qingzhu stood a few paces away, her hands tucked into her sleeves, watching quietly.
The crunch of footsteps on snow came from a distance.
A patrol of Yang Clan disciples approached with windproof lanterns. Their leader was about to question them when Lin Qingzhu stepped forward, shielding Qin Keqing from the front and side, and waved them away.
By the lantern light, the leading disciple recognized her as the Dao Companion whom the alliance leader had personally endorsed in the great hall. Frightened, he immediately shut his mouth.
He waved his men around another way, keeping even their footsteps as quiet as possible for fear of disturbing the women.
Lin Qingzhu