Inner Sect Grand Competition
On the Cold Jade Ice Heart Pavilion's fighting platform, two youths in inner disciple robes faced each other from opposite sides. The white-haired youth on the left was neat and immaculate, pointing his sword at his opponent with one hand and holding the other behind his back, calm and composed. The black-haired youth on the right knelt on one knee, leaning on his sword, his clothes torn and marked with patches of frost. The contrast between them was stark.
An old man with white hair and a youthful face, bearing the air of an immortal, stroked the beard that reached his chest. "Pavilion Master, I don't think there's any doubt about the outcome of this inner sect grand competition. Though Tianshuang's cultivation is on par with Tianyu's, he's several times better than Tianyu in both his understanding and application of the arts and their practical use in combat. It seems our Cold Jade Ice Heart Pavilion has a worthy successor, haha." The old man chuckled happily.
The old man beside him, whom he had called "Pavilion Master," said nothing, but the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. Watching the white-haired youth on the platform, he gave an almost imperceptible nod.
The black-haired youth, kneeling on one knee and leaning on his sword, strained to push himself up with both hands, but Cold Qi had long since invaded and frozen his body. After several attempts, he let out a long breath. "Tianshuang, you're formidable. My skills aren't a match for yours. I concede." With those words, the black-haired youth seemed to lose what little support he had and collapsed unconscious on the platform.
The white-haired youth slid his sword back into its sheath and looked up at the old men above.
Whew, I finally won the inner sect grand competition. Now I can finally learn the Ice Heaven Sword Scripture, the pavilion's supreme art. The founding patriarch relied on this art to suppress an entire era and establish the Cold Jade Ice Heart Pavilion in the very heart of Central Province. He might have appeared utterly relaxed and composed to others, but only he knew he had enough True Qi left for a single strike.
The old men above slowly flew down to the platform. The one who had spoken to the Pavilion Master waved his sleeve, restoring the frozen ground across the platform to normal. The unconscious black-haired youth's face, pale from the Cold Qi that had invaded him, regained its color at a visible rate, and the frost on his body slowly melted.
"Tianshuang, you are the ultimate victor of this inner sect grand competition. You shall be the chief disciple of our Cold Jade Ice Heart Pavilion. I will grant you the Chief Disciple Purple Seal and pass on to you our sect's supreme art, the Ice Heaven Sword Scripture. I hope you will carry our sect to greater heights and uphold the founding patriarch's illustrious name."
With that, a jade slip emitting white Cold Qi and a jade seal with a subdued purple glow slowly flew from the hand of the old man called the Pavilion Master toward the white-haired youth named Tianshuang.
Tianshuang cupped his fists and bowed slightly to the old men before him. He then accepted the jade slip emitting white Cold Qi and the purple seal with both hands. After placing them in his storage ring, he cupped his fists and bowed to each of the old men on the platform.
"I will not fail the sect's trust or the kindness the Sect Master and elders have shown me."
At Tianshuang's residence, a day had passed since the end of the inner sect grand competition. Having become the Cold Jade Ice Heart Pavilion's chief disciple and obtained the Ice Heaven Sword Scripture and the Chief Purple Seal, Tianshuang had returned to his residence to study the supreme art.
Tianshuang calmed himself and let out a long breath, then picked up the jade slip containing the Ice Heaven Sword Scripture and examined it carefully.
The Ice Heaven Sword Scripture was divided into three parts: a cultivation art, sword moves, and divine abilities comprising an eye technique and a movement technique. The cultivation art was the foundation, while the sword moves and divine abilities supported it; all three complemented one another.
The cultivation art was called the Frozen Sky Condensing Sea Art. It had eleven layers, corresponding to the eleven major realms of cultivation, and was a heaven-grade ice-element art that could be cultivated to the Tribulation Transcendence Realm. As the cultivator's realm advanced, condensing seas and freezing the heavens would become as easy as turning over a hand, just as the art's name suggested.
The sword moves were called the Ice Heaven Frost Sword. Corresponding to the layers of the cultivation art, there were eleven moves in total. When unleashed, Sword Qi crisscrossed the air, accompanied by frost.
The Ice Heaven Sword Scripture contained two divine abilities: the eye technique Extreme Ice Eternal Frost Eye and the movement technique Ice Shadow Seven Star Steps.
The Extreme Ice Eternal Frost Eye mainly enhanced the user's ice arts and dynamic vision, and also possessed a divine ability spell. Depending on the user's cultivation, it could freeze anything within their gaze.
The Ice Shadow Seven Star Steps passively increased the user's movement speed. When actively used, it allowed the user to tread upon the seven stars and produce illusory ice shadows.
After carefully studying and understanding the first layer of the Ice Heaven Sword Scripture, Tianshuang prepared to circulate his Qi through a full cycle along the first layer's cultivation route.
Tianshuang sat cross-legged in meditation, the fingertips of both hands touching before his dantian, and slowly began to circulate the first layer of the Ice Heaven Sword Scripture.
Empty the heart and fill the belly. The Dao gathers only in emptiness; this emptiness is the fasting of the heart. Embrace the origin and hold fast to the one; let Qi flow through the dantian.
He calmed his mind and stilled his Qi, sinking all his attention into his sea of Qi. When it began to churn, the chaotic Qi of various colors around him began gathering toward him. It was gradually purified through the extraordinary meridians throughout his body, slowly transforming into blue True Qi that converged on his dantian. The acupoints throughout his body throbbed faintly. Strand after strand of the purest blue True Qi was absorbed and refined by his dantian, then sent into his limbs, bones, and internal organs. They in turn released even purer blue True Qi, which flowed through the open acupoints throughout his body and gathered once more in his dantian. After several cycles, the True Qi cultivated through his previous art had been completely converted into the True Qi of the Frozen Sky Condensing Sea Art. Once the conversion was complete, Tianshuang had also mastered the art's first layer.
Slowly exhaling a breath of turbid Qi, Tianshuang opened his tightly shut eyes. A flash of blue light flickered in them and vanished, and he stopped meditating.
Having mastered the first layer of the Frozen Sky Condensing Sea Art, he could now begin cultivating the sword moves and the movement and eye techniques among its divine abilities.
Tianshuang picked up the white jade slip containing the Ice Heaven Sword Scripture and was about to examine it when the purple Chief Purple Seal suddenly rose into the air, emitting a dazzling purple light that enveloped him.
Before Tianshuang could see what was happening, a bout of dizziness sent heaven and earth spinning, and his vision went black.