Ice Wing Metamorphosis, Surpassing Limits

The cold wind of the Far North whipped up snowflakes, which condensed into tiny ice beads on Qian Lingche's eyelashes.

"Brother Ling, that swan is glowing!" Qian Lingche suddenly leaned out of the carriage window, his wings brushing against the Warm Jade lamp on the ceiling and knocking it down.

Guang Ling grabbed him by the back of his collar and hauled him back into his seat, brushing the ice crystals from the tip of his nose with his fingertips. "How many times must I tell you? You are not to move around when your wings aren't tucked in properly."

Though his tone carried a note of reproach, he channeled a gentle stream of Soul Power through his palm to soothe the meridians in the boy's body.

As a flock of Ice Crystal Swans swept across the glacier, the crystal on the forehead of the lead swan refracted the shadows of snowflakes before it landed on an ice platform in the distance.

"A thousand-year Soul Beast?" Guang Ling frowned, holding back an eager Qian Lingche. "Xiao Che, even though your Martial Soul is powerful enough, I fear your body won't be able to withstand the strain. It would be better to find a hundred-year Soul Beast."

Qian Lingche tugged on his silver sleeve, swaying back and forth. "But I don't want a hundred-year Soul Beast!" His ice wings shivered unconsciously. "Brother Ling, look, my Soul Power has become much more stable."

Guang Ling's fingers paused on his pulse; the Soul Power was indeed purer than before, but the risk of backlash from a thousand-year Soul Ring...

He gazed at the swan on the ice platform, which was bowing its head to preen its feathers, his silver eyelashes masking the struggle in his eyes. "We will try only once. If it doesn't work, we give up."

An Invisible Arrow instantly pierced the wings of the Ice Crystal Swan. Qian Lingche trotted over, intending to deliver the finishing blow, but was sent flying by a sudden burst of ice-attribute Soul Power.

Guang Ling teleported to catch the falling Qian Lingche, his Soul Power gently soothing the boy's injured veins. "Why must you be so reckless!"

"Try again..." Qian Lingche gripped Guang Ling's lapels, white mist puffing from his frozen, purple-tinged lips. "I can do it."

"If I were just a little more outstanding, Grandfather and Mother would like me more..."

He didn't want to be an invisible presence anymore. Qian Lingche felt that it was because his Martial Soul had mutated that his mother and grandfather didn't care for him.

He wanted to prove himself to them, to prove his talent. He never wanted to be left alone, gazing longingly at the Worship Hall and the Pope Palace ever again.

Guang Ling released him in silence, the third arrow he fired carrying a sigh-like tremor.

As Qian Lingche plunged his blade down, the dying swan suddenly spread its wings, and a pale purple Soul Ring wrapped in an ice-blue halo gently lifted the boy into the air.

Guang Ling's Soul Power remained wrapped around Qian Lingche the entire time, like a pair of spread wings, ready to catch him at any moment.

Inside the makeshift ice hut, Qian Lingche lay across Guang Ling's lap, letting him regulate his Soul Power. "Brother Ling's Soul Power is like honey tea steeped in snow water."

Qian Lingche buried his face in the silver hair and mumbled, "Cool, yet a little sweet."

Guang Ling flicked his forehead with a finger. "Stop with the flattery." His movements, however, grew even lighter as his Soul Power threads meticulously repaired the damaged meridians. "Starting tomorrow, you will copy the Martial Soul Containment Method. If you miss a single character, you will copy it all over again."

When the morning light of the seventh day pierced through the ice walls, Qian Lingche finally condensed his first complete Soul Skill.

A tiny Ice Cone circled around Guang Ling, eventually leaving behind a few ice particles that looked like sugar frosting. "Look, Brother Ling!"

Qian Lingche held up a frozen Snow Honey Cake like a treasure. "If I use my Soul Power to keep it cold, it won't melt!"

Guang Ling took a bite of the cake, a helpless smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

On the fifth day of searching for a second Soul Ring, a painful cry echoed through the blizzard.

A three-thousand-year Ice Soul Profound Bird stood on a cliff, ice-blue blood droplets seeping from a wound on its right wing.

Qian Lingche had just opened his mouth to speak when Guang Ling pressed a hand over it. "Don't even think about it."

"But it's badly hurt..." Qian Lingche's ice wings brushed against the back of Guang Ling's hand unconsciously. "It would be a waste if I didn't absorb the Soul Ring, and I really can do it."

The bow in Guang Ling's hand materialized and dissipated, finally turning into a sigh.

As nine Cold Formless Arrows sealed off the bird's escape route, his Soul Power barrier had already enveloped Qian Lingche's entire body. "Get ready."

Yet, through the gaps in his fingers, Qian Lingche caught sight of Guang Ling's tightly pressed lips.

Qian Lingche fluttered his wings and flew over, landing before the Profound Bird.

His first Soul Ring lit up, and an Ice Cone tapped into the center of the bird's brow. "Be good, it won't hurt for long." Qian Lingche's fingertips touched the bird's gradually cooling beak.

The absorption process lasted thirteen hours. Qian Lingche's expression twisted in pain many times, and Guang Ling stood by, anxious but unable to help.

When Qian Lingche woke up, he found himself curled in Guang Ling's arms, his wings having grown into four.

"You are grounded for a week when we get back." Guang Ling issued the punishment, yet he stuffed a piece of candy into the boy's mouth. "So reckless, absorbing a three-thousand-year Soul Ring just like that."

Listening to that helpless tone, Qian Lingche did not know that for those thirteen hours, Guang Ling had stared at him without blinking, never once letting his guard down, terrified that something might happen to him.

The return carriage rattled over the newly thawed ice, and Qian Lingche slept soundly with his head on Guang Ling's lap.

His newly grown ice wings folded into a cocoon-like shape, rising and falling gently with his breath.