Han Xuan pushed aside all distracting thoughts and slowly exhaled. The night was silent except for the faint hum of spiritual energy in the air. Within the meditation room, a soft blue glow pulsed from the formation lines etched into the stone floor, responding to the surge of cold energy bubbling inside his meridians.
He straightened his posture and began circulating the Eternal Frost Sovereign Sutra.
The moment he activated the sutra, a crisp, icy sensation ran down his spine. Threads of frigid energy coiled around his meridians like tiny silver serpents, weaving through him with elegant precision. A cold, faint mist unconsciously drifted from his skin and frost over the floor tiles
The temperature in the room dropped sharply.
Candles flickered.
Frost bloomed delicately along the edges of the meditation mat.
Even Baobao, hiding in the corner after being thrown aside earlier, croaked weakly and hopped farther away.
But this cold was not violent or chaotic—it was steady, composed, and sovereign, as though it carried its own silent authority.
Within his dantian, spiritual energy surged, stabilized, and settled.
The newly broken realm fit him perfectly, no longer feeling loose or turbulent.
Han Xuan slowly opened his eyes, "Good… the Seventh Stage of Qi Refining has been completely consolidated."
A hint of emotion flickered in his gaze.
He still remembered vividly when the system first rewarded him with the Eternal Frost Sovereign Sutra.
At that time, he had been completely reliant on the Northwind Ice Technique, a pitiful cultivation technique with limited potential—barely passable for ordinary cultivators, completely useless for reaching Foundation Establishment.
However, the Eternal Frost Sovereign Sutra was different. It was profound, far beyond the Northwind Ice Technique.
As he cultivated it, he could feel his entire being quietly reshaping. The method did not merely channel cold spiritual energy through the body—it refined the cultivator from the inside out.
Over time, his body would awaken the Frost Sovereign Veins.
These veins held incredible effects. They steadied breakthroughs, fortified the flow of spiritual energy, and shielded him from cold or spiritual fire. More importantly, they subtly strengthened his physique, tempering his flesh and bones with a quiet, icy resilience. It felt as though every cycle of the technique bathed his muscles and marrow in sovereign frost, polishing him like a sword being tempered in both extreme cold and steady pressure.
What made the Frost Sovereign Veins most extraordinary, however, was their ability to refine and produce a higher form of cold energy—Sovereign Frost Qi. This qi was concentrated, pure, and overwhelmingly domineering. With every successful cycle of the Eternal Frost Sovereign Sutra, more of these veins would slowly awaken within his body, increasing both the quantity and potency of the Sovereign Frost Qi he could summon.
Sovereign Frost Qi served several remarkable purposes, each one profound enough to change the course of a cultivator's future.
Its first use lay in combat. When channelled into spells or weapons, it did more than merely increase their sharpness or destructive force—Sovereign Frost Qi altered the very nature of the attacks. A blade infused with it could freeze flesh before it even cut through. A palm strike could send frost burrowing into an opponent's meridians like poison, slowing their circulation and impairing their reaction speed. Against cultivators of a similar realm, this chilling, venomous frost was almost impossible to dispel. Only those whose cultivation vastly surpassed Han Xuan's would be able to purge it without suffering lingering effects.
The second use was recovery. In dire situations, should Han Xuan be gravely wounded, he could envelop his entire body in a controlled layer of extreme frost. The Sovereign Frost Qi would freeze him just short of harming him—slowing blood loss, suppressing internal injury, and forcing his body into a state where regeneration became several times faster. It was a self-preservation technique unique to this cultivation method.
The third and perhaps most transformative use was nurturing his own spiritual root. Through long-term absorption and refining, Sovereign Frost Qi could gradually alter the nature of his spiritual root, guiding it toward becoming an Ice Spiritual Root.
In this world, most spiritual roots belonged to the five basic elements: water, fire, earth, metal, and wood. Even geniuses with Rank 8 or Rank 9 roots were usually bound to those five.
However, there existed attributes beyond the five elements—ice, lightning, wind, and other, more obscure variations. These were known collectively as mutated attributes.
Mutated spiritual roots are not particularly rare. Some cultivators were simply born with them, their bodies naturally attuned to a mutated element from the moment they first breathed. Others, however, obtained them later in life through fortuitous encounters, heaven-defying treasures, or profound cultivation techniques—just like what the Eternal Frost Sovereign Sutra promised.
Importantly, an acquired, mutated spiritual root did not replace one's original five-element affinity. Instead, it overlaid a new elemental resonance atop the old, greatly amplifying a cultivator's connection to that mutated element. Those who awakened such an attribute often found their cultivation paths broadened, their spells growing sharper and more diverse, and their future potential rising far beyond that of ordinary spiritual roots.
Unfortunately, even though the Eternal Frost Sovereign Sutra could gradually transform his spiritual root, the process was painfully slow, and the amount of Sovereign Frost Qi required was immense.
Within the Qi Refining Realm, the limit of Frost Sovereign Veins he could awaken was 360. Yet after years of cultivation, Han Xuan had only awakened 200 of them.
Those 200 veins allowed him to condense a single strand of Sovereign Frost Qi each month.
Over the years, he had already spent 40 strands of Sovereign Frost Qi nurturing his spiritual root. Even so, the change remained faint, barely scratching the threshold of true transformation.
By his estimates, he would still need at least sixty more strands of Sovereign Frost Qi before his spiritual root could fully evolve into an Ice Spiritual Root.
Currently, he had only twenty strands of Sovereign Frost Qi stored.
And even then, he had no intention of using them all on nurturing his spiritual root. As precious as the transformation was, Sovereign Frost Qi was also his greatest trump card—essential for emergencies, life-and-death battles, or unexpected crises. To exhaust his entire stockpile recklessly would be the height of foolishness.
The next morning, the courtyard was filled with the gentle scent of dew-covered grass. Sunlight streamed through the swaying bamboo, and the crisp morning air carried a faint trace of frost—residual cold escaping from Han Xuan's body earlier that dawn.
A rhythmic whoosh—whoosh—whoosh echoed across the yard.
Han Xuan stepped outside and immediately saw a young boy practicing with full concentration.
A slender figure, barely ten years old, stood in the center of the practice field. His sword was thin, simple, and unadorned, but in the hands of this boy, every swing felt sharp and precise.
This was his son—Han Qixing.
The boy's eyebrows were strikingly sharp for his age, his eyes focused like an eagle locked onto its prey. Each movement flowed seamlessly into the next, smooth yet fierce, disciplined yet natural. Whenever he swung his wooden practice sword, a faint arc of starlight streaked behind the blade, like a trail left by a falling star.
That radiance was proof of his special physique—Seven Star Sword Body.
Han Xuan stood quietly under the shade of a large peach tree, arms crossed, watching without interrupting. Pride welled up in his chest. His son wasn't just talented—he worked relentlessly, far more diligently than Han Xuan had at his age.
Qixing continued to practice for a full hour.
Only after completing his final strike—one that left an especially bright flicker of starlight in the air—did the boy lower his sword. Sweat dampened his forehead, yet his breathing remained controlled. It was clear he had been tempering both body and spirit.
When he turned around, he finally noticed Han Xuan.
"Father," Han Qixing said, bowing slightly with a guilty tone, "forgive me. I didn't notice you were here."
Han Xuan chuckled softly. "Don't apologize, Xing'er. You were focused. That is good."
Despite his young age, Han Qixing was always composed and polite, almost overly proper at times. Han Xuan still didn't know where this temperament came from. He and his wives were anything but reserved, yet their son carried himself like a young noble or a scholar swordsman.
"How is your practice today?" Han Xuan asked.
Han Qixing straightened his back, his eyes bright with suppressed excitement. "Father… I broke through to the Fourth Stage of Qi Refining last night. Not only that, my cultivation technique has also advanced to the second level."
Though the boy's expression remained calm, his eyes betrayed him—sparkling with pride and joy. He was trying hard to maintain dignity, but Han Xuan could see right through him.
A warm, satisfied smile spread across Han Xuan's face.
Han Xuan wasn't surprised by his son's breakthrough in cultivation as the system had already notified him the night before. But the breakthrough in his cultivation technique was another story entirely.
That because the last night, the system only rewarded him for cultivation realm advancements, not for technique comprehension.
Could it be that a breakthrough in cultivation techniques cannot be considered an achievement?