Meng Chen Makes a Slight Move, Shui Bing'er's Heart Stirs for the First Time

Having encountered a profound combat skill like the Frost Soul Palm for the first time, Shui Bing'er was exceptionally excited. After absorbing and digesting all the information about the Combat Skill, she immediately wanted to practice it, but Meng Chen stopped her.

"Are you trying to tear down your room by practicing palm techniques here? Find somewhere with fewer people. Your master will demonstrate it for you first."

After recovering for some time, Meng Chen's soul was no longer as weak as it had been when he first awakened. He had regained a trace of strength.

After thinking about it, Shui Bing'er remembered a small forest behind Skywater Academy. Few people went there during the day, making it a good place for cultivation.

She changed into a light training outfit and tied her ice-blue hair into a high ponytail, revealing her fair, slender neck. She looked full of energy.

The small forest was quite far away, and it took Shui Bing'er the time of two cups of tea to reach it.

The forest was not large, but the trees grew well. Most were fir trees dozens of meters tall, with lush branches and leaves, their trunks even reaching a meter in diameter.

The surroundings were quiet, with only the rustle of wind through the leaves and the occasional birdsong.

"Here will do."

Meng Chen's phantom flew out from Shui Bing'er's chest and floated at her side. After looking around, he nodded in satisfaction.

Shui Bing'er walked into an open space at the center of the forest, took a deep breath, stretched her wrists and ankles, and prepared herself.

"Master, I'm ready."

"Good."

Meng Chen drifted before a fir tree more than three meters in diameter and casually struck out with his palm.

His movement looked slow, like a slow-motion scene slowed countless times over, yet Shui Bing'er could clearly sense something rapidly gathering in the air.

A thick layer of frost condensed in Meng Chen's palm at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The air temperature plummeted. Shui Bing'er's breath instantly turned into white mist, and even the grass beneath her feet was covered in a thin layer of frost.

"Frost Soul Palm!"

"Boom—"

A thunderous explosion erupted through the forest, startling a flock of birds into flight.

Shui Bing'er only felt a biting gale rush at her like blades, carrying countless fragments of stone. She instinctively opened a Soul Power barrier, shielded her head and face with both hands, and narrowed her eyes.

When she opened her eyes again, she froze.

That massive tree over three meters in diameter, along with several equally large trees ahead of it, had all been snapped cleanly in half!

Starting from that great tree, an icy crystal path more than ten meters long and three to four meters wide stretched out ahead.

It was clearly broad daylight, with the sun shining brightly and the temperature at no less than thirty degrees.

Shui Bing'er walked to the broken trunk and reached out to touch the frost.

The icy sensation against her fingertips was utterly real.

"What terrifying power... It's almost equivalent to the full-force strike of a Soul Ancestor—no, a Soul King."

Shui Bing'er murmured, her beautiful eyes filled with shock.

So this was a Combat Skill?

On Douluo Continent, the equivalent of Combat Skills was Self-Created Soul Skills.

But Self-Created Soul Skills were already rare, and she had never even heard of one capable of reaching such a level.

Meng Chen withdrew his palm. Seeing Shui Bing'er's stunned expression, the corners of his lips curled up slightly. "What? Surprised?"

"Master, you... you didn't use a Soul Ring, did you?" Shui Bing'er asked uncertainly.

"No." Meng Chen spoke calmly. "This palm strike relies purely on one's own energy circulating through the meridians along the Frost Soul Palm's specific route. It doesn't require Soul Rings."

Seeing the awe on Shui Bing'er's face, Meng Chen suddenly felt like making a joke. "There is actually another palm technique that descends from the heavens. I see that your bones are extraordinary. Once you reach the realm of a Titled Douluo someday, I'll teach it to you."

Shui Bing'er was deeply moved by his words.

Across the entire Douluo Continent, there were countless Spirit Masters, yet there were likely no more than ten Titled Douluo.

So Master had such high expectations for her.

Shui Bing'er solemnly said, "Rest assured, Master. Bing'er will cultivate diligently and reach that level as soon as possible!"

Meng Chen looked at her, never expecting this girl to take his offhand joke so seriously.

She really lacked a sense of humor.

But with things already at this point, Meng Chen could only nod and tell her, "Master the Frost Soul Palm first. Take it step by step. Don't rush."

"Yes!"

Shui Bing'er walked up to another thick tree, raised her right hand, circulated her Soul Power according to the Frost Soul Palm's requirements, and struck out with her palm.

"Bang!"

A shallow palm print appeared on the trunk. A thin layer of frost formed around it, but quickly melted away.

Its power was far inferior to Meng Chen's strike, not even one percent of it.

But Shui Bing'er was not discouraged.

She knew there were no shortcuts in cultivation. Only through constant practice and accumulation could one turn quantitative change into qualitative change.

One palm, two palms, three palms...

Ten palms, twenty palms, thirty palms...

Shui Bing'er practiced the Frost Soul Palm again and again. Every strike was made with all her strength, and every strike was carefully understood.

Blisters formed on her palms. When they burst, tender red flesh was exposed, and the pain made her frown, but she gritted her teeth and continued practicing.

Her arms were so sore that she could barely lift them, so she alternated between both hands.

When her Soul Power was exhausted, she stopped and circulated the Nine Revolutions Ice Phoenix Art to recover. Once she had recovered, she continued practicing.

Whenever her resolve weakened even slightly, she told herself, Master is watching me. I can't let Master down!

Meng Chen floated nearby, silently watching her cultivate. From time to time, he spoke to correct Shui Bing'er's mistakes.

Shui Bing'er corrected them one by one, committing every piece of guidance to heart, pondering them repeatedly and practicing them again and again.

Time passed second by second.

The sun rose from the east to overhead, then slid from overhead toward the west.

The sky gradually darkened, and the light within the forest grew dim.

Shui Bing'er did not know how many palm strikes she had practiced. She only knew that the trunk of the great tree was now densely covered in palm prints, with layers upon layers of frost around them, as though the trunk had been dressed in icy armor.

"Alright, that's enough for today," Meng Chen finally said.

Shui Bing'er stopped, gasping for breath. Sweat had soaked through her training clothes, which clung tightly to her body and outlined the graceful curves of her young figure.

She walked up to the tree she had battered all day and lightly struck it with her right hand.

"Crack—"

A fissure spread from where she had struck the trunk, accompanied by a faint sound.

Shui Bing'er paused in surprise, then broke into a delighted smile.

She had done it!

Though it had taken her an entire day to break the tree, and she was still unimaginably far from "snapping a great tree with one palm," she was improving.

Meng Chen patted her head. "Bing'er, you did very well. Hold out your hands."

Shui Bing'er did as he said and stretched out her hands. Only then did she suddenly realize that they were covered in blisters and cracks, burning with pain.

Oh no, will my hands become ugly if this continues?

Shui Bing'er suddenly felt worried.

Looking at her hands, Meng Chen felt a little distressed, but this was a path every strong person had to walk.

He took out some medicine for external injuries from the small world within the Chaos Bead and applied it to Shui Bing'er.

Meng Chen's movements were very gentle. Shui Bing'er felt no pain at all. Instead, a cool sensation spread through her hands, and the burning pain gradually faded away.

Shui Bing'er's cheeks flushed. She discovered that at night, her Master's handsome face became even clearer—so clear that it seemed imprinted upon her heart, impossible to forget.