The morning sun cast a shimmering golden light over the floating peaks as Hanyuan flew Lingxiao toward the central district. His destination was the Inner Sect Scripture Pavilion, a towering pagoda that looked as if it were carved from a single piece of starry jade. Inside, the air was still, heavy with the weight of ancient knowledge and the faint scent of old parchment.
Unlike the Outer Sect's library, the techniques here were not kept in simple scrolls, but in pulsating jade slips that required a Mortal Core's Sense to read. Hanyuan bypassed the lower sections and walked straight toward the high tier shelves.
His fingers brushed against several slips until he stopped at a deep blue jade that emitted a faint, oppressive chill.
[Frost Domination Spear Scripture]
Grade: Top-Spirit Grade Art.
Description: To stand at the center of the storm and command the absolute stillness of death.
As his mind touched the slip, the details of the manual flooded his consciousness. This wasn't a technique for the faint of heart, it was built on pure dominance. It consisted of two primary forms:
Blizzard's Hidden Fang: A deceptive sweeping strike that releases a high speed ray of frost Qi. While the opponent focuses on the visible attack, a second, invisible ray of frost Qi hides within the wake of the first, striking from a surprising angle to catch the enemy off guard.
Blizzard Domain: The ultimate move of the scripture. The user creates a ten meter radius around themselves where the very air crystallizes into hundreds of needle sharp frost Qi rays. Anyone entering this domain is subjected to a relentless barrage from every direction.
Hanyuan's brow furrowed as he read the requirements for the Blizzard Domain. The Qi consumption was monumental, he calculated that with his Core, he would likely need to reach the 2nd or 3rd Layer of the Mortal Core realm to sustain the domain for more than a few heartbeats.
"High risk, high reward," Hanyuan whispered. "I'll take it."
The price was 13 Mid-grade spirit stones.
Searching for a movement technique to replace his Azure Cloud Footwork, he found a slip crackling with energy: [Thunderclap Steps]. Also a Top Spirit Grade art, it utilized explosive bursts of lightning Qi to achieve instantaneous displacement. At seven Mid grade stones, it was quite cheap.
After paying the attendant, Hanyuan looked at his remaining funds. Including his recent allowance, he had roughly 32 Mid-grade spirit stones left in his storage ring. He had considered buying two more Star Breaker Pills to finally hit the 10 star ceiling, but he remembered the soul tearing agony of the last breakthrough. His soul needed time to adapt to the new potential before he could hammer it again.
Instead, he spent 10 Mid-grade spirit stones on a collection of Spirit Condensing Pills to boost his natural cultivation speed.
"Phew... spending stones is far easier than earning them," Hanyuan stretched his arms as he left the pavilion.
He flew back to his private estate on Lingxiao's back, the weight of the new jade slips against his chest fueling his ambition. Upon entering the quiet sanctuary of his obsidian pagoda, he ignored his meditation mat and went straight to the library room.
He sat on the floor, the Frost Domination Spear Scripture in one hand and Thunderclap Steps in the other.
A full week of isolated practice had passed. The walls of Hanyuan's pagoda were now covered in scorch marks from his Thunderclap Steps and light frost from the Frost Domination Scripture. He had spent nearly every moment drilling the meridian pathways for Blizzard's Hidden Fang. The transition from a Low Grade Spirit art to a Top Grade Spirit art was like moving from rowing a boat to steering a warship, the sheer volume of Qi required to maintain the Hidden portion of the strike was immense.
Today, the cool weight of twenty Mid grade Spirit Stones settled into his storage ring,his monthly allowance. It was also the day of the first public lecture. The announcements across the islands had identified the speaker as Elder Han, a legendary figure at the Soul Transformation Stage and a renowned swordmaster of the Southern Continent.
"Elder Han... a swordmaster," Hanyuan mused, leaning against the balcony railing. "I use a spear. A sword's logic is about the edge and the flow; a spear is about the point and the reach. Maybe I should just skip this and stay in the garden to cultivate?"
"Hu-huuu!"
A low, hooting sound echoed from the mist. Hanyuan looked up as a massive Snowy Owl with a ten meter wingspan banked over his estate walls and landed gracefully in the garden. Feng Yue jumped down from its back, her blue hair braided tightly.
"Hanyuan! Are you ready?" she called out, her blue eyes sparkling with an intensity he hadn't seen before. "We need to leave now if we want a decent spot. Elder Han is a true swordmaster! His understanding of weapon intent is said to be unparalleled in the Sect."
"Gah-aaa!"
Before Hanyuan could answer, a second shriek tore through the air. A huge White Crane descended, its wings kicking up a gale that ruffled the frozen spirit lilies. Qin Yu hopped down, nearly tripping over his own robes in his haste.
"Hanyuan! Let's go! The lecture is about to start!" Qin Yu shouted. Then, he blinked, finally noticing the girl standing near the pond. "Eh? Why is that cold girl here?"
Feng Yue's brow twitched, a vein bulging prominently on her forehead. She gritted her teeth and shot a look at the youth that could have frozen a river. "Go away, you annoying nerd. No one invited you to speak."
Hanyuan let out a weary sigh, sensing a long afternoon of bickering ahead. "Enough, both of you. If the lecture is as important as everyone says, we shouldn't be late."
He let out a sharp, piercing whistle. From the high eaves of the pagoda, Lingxiao dove through the mist, landing with a heavy thump that shook the basalt courtyard. Hanyuan mounted the Silver Winged Eagle, and the three of them took to the skies.
They arrived at the Ascension Plaza, a wide open air theater carved into the side of the highest summit. About fifteen other Inner Disciples were already seated on stone mats. Hanyuan scanned their faces but recognized no one, most of them looked much older, likely in their late twenties or thirties, radiating the dense, heavy auras of the middle to-late Mortal Core stages.
The trio sat down in the very back row, hoping to remain inconspicuous.
A moment later, the air over the stage seemed to distort. Without a sound, a man appeared in the center of the platform. He appeared to be middle aged, with long silver hair that flowed freely down to his waist like a frozen waterfall. He wore simple, dark blue robes and had a longsword strapped to his back. His eyes were a piercing, luminescent blue.
This was Elder Han.
The moment he appeared, the chatter in the plaza died instantly. It wasn't because of a loud command, but because the very air around him felt sharp. Every disciple felt a prickling sensation on their skin, as if they were standing in a field of unsheathed blades.
Elder Han sat down cross legged on the stone floor.