Qualitative Transformation of Spiritual Power: Wheel-Nourishing Realm, Fifth Stage

Winter had passed; the ice melted and snow thawed.

In the blink of an eye, more than a month had gone by since Kong Jiao entered seclusion.

The frost within his secluded cave remained, as cold as an ice cellar. The extremely cold solid ice showed no sign of melting despite the thawing ice and snow outside.

Having stood guard outside for over a month, Shangguan Yuzhou simply procured a fur rug and sat before the cave dwelling drinking alone, facing the spring scenery of singing orioles and flourishing grass in the outer sect. He was thoroughly at ease.

Whenever the mood took him, he picked up his longsword and practiced outside the cave dwelling. Worthy of being a swordsmanship prodigy, after squatting there for a month and watching the snow melt and grass grow outside, he had actually gained another new insight into the Sword Dao.

For a time, Sword Qi crisscrossed the air, its killing intent shrouding the entrance to the cave dwelling and leaving dense sword marks across the rock walls.

"Ha ha, splendid!"

Shangguan Yuzhou laughed heartily. Then his eyes narrowed as he looked down the only path leading to the cave dwelling, where a hunched old man was cautiously making his way over.

At the same time Shangguan Yuzhou spotted the old man, the latter's somewhat cloudy eyes also turned toward him, wariness in their depths. He seemed to have just witnessed Shangguan Yuzhou's display of Sword Qi.

"This senior brother must not come any closer," Shangguan Yuzhou called out brightly, waving for the visitor to leave.

The old man did not get angry. The apprehension in his eyes faded, and he merely stopped five zhang away from Shangguan Yuzhou. Smiling, he explained, "This old man is Feng An. I have come to see Junior Brother Kong Jiao. Would this junior brother please inform him?"

The visitor was none other than Feng An, who had gone through life and death alongside Kong Jiao at Frostmoon Altar. Kong Jiao had told him where he was in seclusion.

Now that Shangguan Yuzhou and Kong Jiao possessed the strength to guard that Spirit Spring, there was no longer any need for the concealment of before.

"Oh, then you came at an unfortunate time. He's in seclusion," Shangguan Yuzhou replied after hearing Feng An's explanation, still showing no intention of moving aside. Instead, his face remained guarded.

He had no idea what relationship Feng An had with Kong Jiao and feared that he might disturb the latter.

At the same time.

Inside the cave dwelling, where bitter cold lingered.

Kong Jiao, who had sat beside the eye of the Spirit Spring for over a month, suddenly stirred.

Whoosh! The sound of wind and snow howling suddenly burst from within his body, and an even more terrifying force of extreme cold surged out of him.

Visible ripples of frigid energy swept outward from where he sat.

As the extreme cold spread, the cave dwelling, already glittering and covered in ice crystals, became so cold that dripping water froze in an instant.

Even the eye of the Spirit Spring, which had remained unfrozen and continued to gush, was finally frozen into an ice pillar.

The cold seemed unwilling to remain within the cave. Roaring, it poured out of the cave dwelling and spread through the stone passage outside, laying a coat of white frost over it.

In the end, it even surged out of the cave.

Shangguan Yuzhou, who stood at the cave entrance speaking with the old man, bore the brunt of it.

Fortunately, he noticed the disturbance behind him in advance. With a flicker in his gaze, he shifted his feet and retreated to the side of the cave, avoiding the frosty chill.

Feng An was not so lucky. Caught off guard, he was struck head-on by the cold air roaring out of the cave.

In an instant, his entire body was coated in white frost.

Fortunately, after traveling such a long distance, the cold no longer had any destructive power. Coupled with Feng An's physical body being as tough as a demonic beast's, he merely sneezed.

Seeing Feng An's bedraggled state, Shangguan Yuzhou said with a smile, "Your luck is good. He should be coming out of seclusion."

The moment Shangguan Yuzhou finished speaking, the frigid air that had been raging and roaring a moment ago abruptly withdrew in the next instant.

The frost and solid ice in both the cave passage and the cave dwelling melted away in an instant.

It was as though all the frigid energy had been absorbed by Kong Jiao, who sat cross-legged within the cave dwelling.

Glug, glug! The Spirit Spring began gushing again.

Kong Jiao had completely absorbed the Frostsnow Essence and fused it with his spiritual power, achieving perfect control over it. Not a trace of cold leaked from him any longer.

At the same time, he had just broken through to the fifth stage of the Wheel-Nourishing Realm.

The spiritual power within his body was as pure white as snow, and he could control it as easily as moving an arm or finger. There was no longer the slightest sense of awkward resistance.

Within his dantian, the Spirit Wheel floating in what resembled an icy lake also shone brilliantly, pure as snow.

At that moment, he opened the eyes that had been shut for a month.

Perhaps under the influence of the Frostsnow Essence, his pupils had somehow gained a cool, otherworldly air.

Like a snow pine standing proud amid winter snow.

"The fifth stage of the Wheel-Nourishing Realm!" Kong Jiao spoke calmly as he sensed the surging spiritual power coursing through his meridians.

At last, as Yi-Twelve had demanded, he had thoroughly refined the Frostsnow Essence he absorbed in the assessment space and naturally entered the fifth stage of the Wheel-Nourishing Realm.

Under the influence of the Frostsnow Essence, his spiritual power had become even more extraordinary.

At the same fifth stage of the Wheel-Nourishing Realm, ordinary opponents would be unable to withstand even a single exchange with him.

"If Jiang Xingtian were still alive, I could kill him within ten moves." Feeling the changes in his spiritual power, Kong Jiao spoke with confidence.

Forget Jiang Xingtian—even that junior sister of Han Dong's who had blocked his path that day, he felt he could deal with her without much effort.

"Worthy indeed of an Earth-grade essence of heaven and earth."

Muttering to himself, Kong Jiao shifted his thoughts, and Lunar Scripture spiritual power suddenly gathered in his hand.

In the end, it condensed out of thin air into a crystalline longsword of dark ice. At its edge, a biting chill radiated, wreathed in Lunar Scripture spiritual power.

As his thoughts changed continuously.

The dark-ice longsword sometimes transformed into a spear, a curved saber, or even a battle halberd.

With his current control over ice, he no longer needed to rely on the Water-Drawing Formula.

Just as Kong Jiao was immersed in his own progress, playing with the Lunar Scripture spiritual power.

An aged voice traveled through the cave passage from outside and reached his ears.

"Is Junior Brother Kong there? Feng An has come to visit!"

Hearing Feng An's name, Kong Jiao waved his hand, dismissing the dark ice that had turned into a round shield again. It became specks of ice and vanished into the air.

"I'm coming!" After answering, Kong Jiao stepped out with a satisfied smile.

When he reappeared before Shangguan Yuzhou and Feng An, both unconsciously gave him several extra looks.

Kong Jiao's temperament had changed drastically. His appearance had never been bad before, but perhaps because he had spent too long in the Miscellaneous Books Pavilion, he had always seemed somewhat lazy and loose.

Moreover, when his eyes moved in the past, he gave people the impression that he was deeply calculating.

Now, all of that had become restrained, giving him an icy coolness like an iceberg.

"Good heavens, you're already at the fifth stage of the Wheel-Nourishing Realm!" Shangguan Yuzhou clicked his tongue in amazement as he looked at Kong Jiao, but he did not mention the Frostsnow Essence.

He was not Zhou Tingyu. Though he usually seemed unconventional, he was not stupid. How could he expose his junior brother's secrets before an outsider?

Feng An, on the other hand, wore a surprised expression.

He had been paying attention to this youth since Kong Jiao was still at the third stage of the Wheel-Nourishing Realm.

Less than a year had passed since then, and he had already broken through two stages in succession.

"This cultivation speed is far too fast." Feng An's envy was nearly impossible to conceal.

He looked at Shangguan Yuzhou again and secretly thought, Sure enough, geniuses stick together. For Shangguan Yuzhou to guard him during his seclusion, Junior Brother Kong's talent must be on par with his.

Shangguan Yuzhou and Kong Jiao's relationship was no secret in the outer sect.

Everyone knew that the swordsmanship prodigy Shangguan Yuzhou was close to an otherwise obscure disciple.

Feng An had once wondered why a genius like Shangguan Yuzhou would lower himself to befriend Kong Jiao.

Only after experiencing those upheavals with Kong Jiao could he say that he, Feng An, had simply been blind.

"Ah, Frostmoon Altar was a nine-deaths-and-one-life ordeal. It was far more dangerous than Senior Brother Shangguan sparring with others in the outer sect." Kong Jiao glanced at Shangguan Yuzhou and replied frankly, "If I hadn't made at least some progress, what would I even be cultivating for?"

"Well said!" Shangguan Yuzhou agreed wholeheartedly.

After responding to Shangguan Yuzhou, Kong Jiao turned to Feng An with a smile and teased, "Senior Brother Feng, what wind blew you here?"

This old fellow should have been doing quite well lately. His complexion was rosy, and it seemed the fire poison Jiang Xingtian had left in him had been fully purged.

"What are you saying, Junior Brother Kong? I should have come calling long ago. Didn't you give me the refining materials from Jiang Xingtian's pouch? I've crafted a few little trinkets these past days. They're at my place, and Junior Sister Zhou has already gone over. I came specifically to invite you." Men who had gone through life and death together were always closer.

Thus, Feng An spoke to Kong Jiao casually, without the politeness he used toward Shangguan Yuzhou.

"Oh, then I must have a look at Senior Brother Feng's craftsmanship." Kong Jiao nodded with a smile.

It was not that he coveted the little trinkets Feng An had refined. He was not lacking in magical artifacts now.

The main thing was that Feng An had invited Zhou Tingyu over as well.

It was the perfect chance to ask about the Twin-Stem Ice Lingzhi. Feng An had likely intended the same.

Thinking this, Kong Jiao secretly chuckled, This old fox truly handles matters with steadiness.

"Perfect. You two go on. I've been sitting for a month, and my bones are itching. I've gained some new insight lately, so I need to find someone to spar with in swordsmanship." Shangguan Yuzhou waved his hand and left without looking back.

He hurried away, vanishing from Kong Jiao's sight after several leaps.

Seeing how impatient he was, who knew which senior brother he would go bother this time.

"Junior Brother Shangguan truly deserves his reputation as a genius. His talent in the Sword Dao is indeed remarkable." Watching Shangguan Yuzhou's disappearing back, Feng An sighed sincerely.

Kong Jiao merely smiled, patted the old man on the shoulder, and urged, "Let's go. Stop looking, or Junior Sister Zhou will get impatient waiting."

Feng An's residence was built between two mountains behind Lingyu Pavilion, less than the time it took to burn an incense stick away from Lingyu Pavilion.

In Feng An's words, being closer to Lingyu Pavilion made it convenient to gather information and catch the sect's latest movements at the first whiff.

Kong Jiao could not help giving him a thumbs-up. His foundation had merely been damaged when he was young; had it not been for that calamity, Feng An would surely have had a place among the outer sect's first echelon.

Though Feng An himself was rather unkempt, his residence was built quite elegantly: a courtyard of blue bricks and black tiles backed against the mountain wall.

A clear spring that he had diverted down from the mountain ran through the courtyard, and the pond held several green fish.

Green plants grew around the courtyard. Since it was early spring, the flowers had put forth many tender shoots, lending the place a distinctive charm.

Only the forging furnace in the courtyard somewhat ruined the aesthetic. It was likely where Feng An usually studied artifact refinement.

By the time Kong Jiao and Feng An entered the courtyard, Zhou Tingyu had long been waiting there.

She was bent over beside the forging furnace, fiddling with something, completely unaware of Kong Jiao and Feng An's arrival.

"Junior Sister Zhou!"

Kong Jiao greeted her first. Only then did Zhou Tingyu react. Turning toward the two, she revealed a sweet smile. "Senior Brother Kong is here."