Chapter 18

As she stepped onto Ice Veil Peak, Su Jiu felt as though she had entered a world of ice. The ice spiritual energy all around made her feel wonderfully comfortable. Even though she knew little about formations, she could tell that multiple formations must have been layered over Ice Veil Peak to create this frozen landscape.

There were few buildings on Ice Veil Peak. Apart from the palace made of ice at its center and a handful of ice houses scattered around it, there were no other structures-only vast expanses of ice underfoot.

When Su Jiu lowered her head, she could even see her reflection clearly.

A small beast stood before the palace. Su Jiu thought it looked vaguely familiar.

The little beast was mostly ice-blue, its body marked with intricate patterns. The two horns on its head resembled an elk's antlers, and its entire body was crystalline.

The more Su Jiu looked, the more familiar it seemed. Finally, she remembered a travelogue she had read a few days ago. It had included illustrations, and the Ice-Congealing Beast described in it seemed to be the very creature before her.

She clearly recalled the Ice-Congealing Beast's traits: cold by nature, fond of eating Ice Jade Fruit, descended from Bai Ze, and capable of Ice Element spells.

The corner of Su Jiu's mouth twitched. It probably just looks similar. Never mind whether it truly had Bai Ze's bloodline-Ice Jade Fruit alone was something no ordinary person could afford to feed it.

She had lived to a hundred in her previous life and had only seen Ice Jade Fruit once, at an auction.

Seeing someone approach, the little beast reacted just as it had last time. First, it lifted its eyelids, then pushed with its two forelegs to prop up its entire body.

It walked over unhurriedly on its four little hooves, circling Su Jiu and curiously sniffing her from head to toe.

Su Jiu stiffened a little. Instinct told her that this little beast's cultivation was far higher than hers.

After sniffing Su Jiu, the little beast caught her sleeve in its mouth and tugged her in a certain direction. Not daring to resist, she could only let it drag her along. The farther she went, the more astonished she became. This world of ice and snow made her feel extremely comfortable.

Before long, the little beast had dragged her into a Spirit Garden.

The Spirit Garden was enormous, planted with all manner of rare and wondrous herbs. There were even some spiritual plants that Su Jiu herself could not name.

But all these spiritual plants shared one trait: they favored the cold and could only grow amid ice and snow.

Finally, the little beast pushed her beside a tree bearing translucent blue fruit.

Su Jiu felt as though she were dreaming. Those translucent blue fruits were none other than Ice Jade Fruit.

The little beast let out a string of "awoo, awoo" cries at Su Jiu. She was fairly certain what it wanted: for her to pick the fruit for it.

But how could Su Jiu dare to pick fruit from this garden?

She could only pretend not to understand and stare at the little beast as it stared back at her. Eventually, it seemed to grow impatient and kicked her in the calf. Su Jiu stumbled and fell to the ground.

The little beast stamped its legs anxiously against the ground, expressing its intense displeasure with Su Jiu. It simply wanted her to pick the fruit.

Just as Su Jiu was agonizing over what to do,

"Ice-Congealing!" A cool male voice rang out.

Perhaps it was Su Jiu's imagination, but she thought the little beast had just trembled.

Then the little beast walked over to the man, looking somewhat guilty.

Su Jiu looked up and froze. Rather than a man, he was more of a youth.

Perhaps he had spent too long in this frozen landscape-even his brows and eyes carried a chill. A heavy sword case rested on his back, and he wore the sect's white robes, identical to those Chu Mojin had worn when she first met him, with black-and-gold embroidery along the collar and cuffs.

The youth also seemed slightly taken aback at the sight of Su Jiu, but that fleeting surprise vanished so quickly that it might have been an illusion.

Without saying anything to Su Jiu, the youth left with the little beast. At last, she could begin her work.

The water in the bucket was clear enough to see the bottom. Only the occasional flicker of mottled light told her it was no ordinary well water.

The Spirit Garden was enormous, yet there was only one bucket of water for all that land. There was not even a well nearby. Just as Su Jiu was wondering where she could find well water, a male voice burst beside her ear.

"Little girl, stop looking. This bucket holds enough water for the entire plot."

Su Jiu turned around. The person she saw was none other than the man who had held her suspended in midair back in Peace City.

It was Chu Mojin, the current peak master of Ice Veil Peak.

Upon seeing him, Su Jiu merely bowed respectfully with her hands clasped. "Greetings, Senior."

Chu Mojin circled her with interest. "Second Qi Refining Layer already. Not bad."

Su Jiu continued, "This junior still has work to do, so I won't disturb you any further, Senior."

Chu Mojin raised an eyebrow. He had the distinct impression that the little girl before him harbored resentment toward him. A moment later, he recalled what had happened in Peace City.

"Little girl, do you resent me for not taking you as my disciple on the day you joined the sect?" Chu Mojin tapped Su Jiu's head with his fan. She was not even as tall as his legs were long.

Su Jiu pressed her lips together and replied, still respectfully, "This disciple wouldn't dare!"

Chu Mojin smiled. "So you wouldn't dare, rather than feel no resentment."

Su Jiu kept her composure and said nothing. It was impossible to claim she felt no resentment at all, but she also knew that such resentment was unreasonable and meaningless. Reason was one thing; feeling was another uncontrollable force that drove people's emotions.

Yes, Su Jiu had felt resentment. That feeling had swelled to its utmost when Su Mianmian and the other two were selected that day. She did not understand. Her aptitude was clearly better than in her previous life, so why had she instead been dumped into the Outer Gate? People had even fought over her in Peace City, yet after she joined the sect, no one showed any interest in her. Driven by that stubborn indignation, Su Jiu had made no attempt to conceal anything and proceeded straight to qi induction. A month later, she had even broken through to the Second Qi Refining Layer.

Unbothered by the cold, Chu Mojin sat directly on the icy ground. Watching the little girl watering the plants nearby, he spoke without the slightest concern for his dignity, as though he knew what was on her mind. "Su Jiu, do you know? Aptitude alone already limits a great many cultivators in this world. Those who catch someone's eye the moment they enter the Azure Tide Sect are as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. Most people are just like you, struggling bitterly in the Outer Gate."

"Of course, you're different too. After all, aptitude like yours only appears once in ten thousand years. You must think the sect has treated you unfairly and that I failed to keep my word. You think a cultivator with your aptitude ought to receive the sect's full support."

Chu Mojin suddenly paused here. "Actually, you're not wrong to think that. After all, that's how the sect has always operated. Take those three little friends of yours, for instance. Oh, there are only two left now."

Su Jiu stopped watering and turned to look steadily at Chu Mojin. "May this disciple ask why?"

Chu Mojin took a flask of wine from his Storage Bag and drank a large mouthful, showing none of the ethereal elegance of an immortal carved from jade that he displayed outside Ice Veil Peak.

"Why what? Why weren't you chosen by the other peak masters or elders?"

Chu Mojin smiled. "If you had any other Spirit Root, even a Thunder Spirit Root or a wind Spirit Root, you would probably be receiving the same treatment as Su Mianmian by now. Blame it on your ice Spirit Root."

"Ice Veil Peak has already reserved you. You-"

"Chu Mojin! You talk too much."

The youth had appeared again, but the little beast was no longer by his side.