Chapter 116: Becoming a Disciple of the Ice and Snow Queen

Chapter 116: Chapter 116: Becoming a Disciple of the Ice and Snow Queen

Wang Xi savored the thrilling sensation that permeated him from the inside out, reaching the very depths of his soul. Goosebumps erupted all over his skin.

After several minutes, once the afterglow had faded, he reluctantly returned to his senses.

"Hah..." He flopped onto the ground, spread-eagled, and gazed up at the translucent ice crystal dome. Smacking his lips, he sighed, "I’d love to do that again."

Unfortunately, he lacked the physical and mental stamina to continue his meditation.

Wang Xi had no choice but to examine the results of his meditation.

[Frost Winter Meditation Technique (Technique Card/Deep Blue One Star): 10/500]

"Huh?!"

Wang Xi was stunned.

A single meditation session had directly increased his Experience by 10 points!

He then turned his attention to [Affinity for the Fifth Element] and found that the Card had successfully transformed—

[Ice Element Affinity (Skill Card/Deep Green One Star): 10/300]

It had also gained 10 Experience points!

’Is this the power of a prodigy?’

After the Awakening of his Ice Heart Curse, he had gained a full tenfold increase in cultivation efficiency. It was like having a permanent Tenfold Experience Card. How could ordinary people ever catch up...

Wang Xi used Kaos to look within himself and discovered a tiny, ice-blue seed had seemingly condensed inside him, enveloped by a watery mass of Magic Power.

’I finally have Magic Power!’

He couldn’t help but feel overjoyed.

’Finally, I don’t have to rely on brute force to work miracles anymore.’

Although he had a lot of stamina, using it as fuel for Magic consumed it at double the rate. It was unsustainable and didn’t last long.

Now he had a mana bar.

’I’m a noble Casting Unit now!’

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Wang Xi, and he sank into contemplation.

His original Magic System Card Set was centered around Water Magic, with [Lord of Sugar Water] as the Core Card. Its crystallizing and hardening properties were remarkably similar to Ice Magic.

’So, what would happen if I synthesized them?’

’Let’s try it!’

Acting on the thought, he immediately unequipped [Lord of Sugar Water] and [Tidal Blade]. These were two Deep Green Two Stars Cards. He tossed them, along with the Deep Green One Star [Ice Element Affinity], into the fissure in his mind.

’Kaos, synthesize.’

Three balls of dark green light intertwined and spun within the gray mist.

Finally, they embraced and merged into one.

A blue light shone.

BUZZ—

[Snow King (Skill Card)]

[Quality: Blue One Star (Upgradeable · 215/400)]

[One day, the evil Water-Spraying Warlock mutated. The sugar water he sprayed froze, allowing all who did not love him to feel a deadly sweetness.]

[Upon use, you will master Ice Elemental Magic, including the ability to control Ice Blade, Ice Arrow, Ice Armor, and Frost Beak. Each use will consume a certain amount of Magic Power.]

"..."

Wang Xi gripped the new Blue Card, speechless.

Ice, sugar, water...

The elements were all there.

’Great, I can open a shop now.’

’Let everyone who doesn’t love me feel the sweetness!’

’Freeze them hard.’

The [Snow King] Card not only inherited some of the Experience Points but also retained the [Bang Bang Candy] Seal, which provided an Enhancement to the durability of his Ice Magic. This was a delightful surprise.

Wang Xi studied the Card’s face. It really was the image of a snowman, only it was wearing a black wig in the same hairstyle as his own and grinning from ear to ear, looking as evil as could be.

A long, round wooden stick was stuck in the center of the snowman’s face, serving as a nose.

He had a reasonable suspicion that it wasn’t actually a wooden stick.

But rather, a toilet plunger.

"Oh well, at least I can finally say goodbye to the ’Water-Spraying Warlock’ title,"

Wang Xi murmured softly, consoling himself.

He quickly activated it. Out of sight, out of mind.

’As long as it’s powerful, who cares if the card art is a little ridiculous?’

A blue light flashed and attached itself to him.

Wang Xi felt his entire Magic System undergo a qualitative change, transforming from sugar water to frost.

From now on, he was an aloof warlock.

...

...

Wang Xi didn’t rush to use his Experience Library to upgrade [Snow King] or [Frost Winter Meditation Technique].

Because of his Ice Heart Curse, he had ten times the cultivation speed for Magic Power. Therefore, for these two Cards, arduous training was far more cost-effective than just dumping points into them.

A precious resource like Experience Points should be used where it counts most—investing it in Cards that were difficult to level up was more appropriate.

So, after careful consideration, he allocated the points to his Breathing Technique.

This Power and Intelligence Technique Card was a perfect fit for Wang Xi at his current stage. It could increase both his physical strength and his Magic Power limit—the undisputed choice for a Demon Swordsman.

[Consumed 474 Experience Points (789 Remaining)]

[Card has undergone Star Promotion!]

[Moonlit Night Breathing Technique (Technique Card/Blue Three Stars): 0/600]

The Breathing Technique’s potential was clearly quite high.

It had reached Three Stars but hadn’t yet hit Ultimate Quality.

However, the next Star Promotion required a full 600 Experience points, a huge deficit that would be hard to fill. Wang Xi’s Experience Library was nearly depleted, so he temporarily gave up the idea of promoting it further.

"Hiss..."

"Hooo..."

Wang Xi used the Breathing Technique to regulate his body’s condition.

His muscles rippled and trembled slightly. With the effects stacked on top of his perfected Body Refining Technique and Nine Rhymes Play, he felt that this improvement wasn’t as significant as the previous ones.

But overall, it was still quite good.

To put it in numerical terms, his overall Physique attribute had probably increased from 19 to 23.

At the same time, his Magic Power limit had also risen from about 25 to 27.

Looking back at his own stats, a qualitative change had finally occurred:

[Wang Xi (Five Stars/Elite)]

His current comprehensive strength was now enough to go head-to-head with the Lords of the Magic Forest!

After organizing his Card set, Wang Xi stood up.

Night had already fallen, and he didn’t want to disturb the Ice and Snow Queen.

Although he was like a primary school student who finished his winter break homework on the first day and was desperate for his teacher’s praise, Wang Xi wouldn’t be so rude.

If he really did shout for her, there was no telling if Isabella would fly into a rage from being woken up and freeze him solid for another half a year.

To be safe, Wang Xi quietly left the Ice Crystal Hall and walked out to an open area outside the castle.

Under the tranquil night sky, the world was still a land of ice and snow.

Daphne had now entered winter.

The environment on the snowy mountain hadn’t changed much, however; it was draped in silver all year round.

With the [Snow King] Card’s buff, Wang Xi couldn’t feel the environmental cold at all. It was as comfortable as being at home.

He sat cross-legged in the snow, using the [Unyielding Journey] Seal to recover his stamina. To avoid being covered in snow, he also draped the black [Wind Breath Cloak] over himself.

「Several hours later.」

It was around two or three in the morning.

Wang Xi felt that his stamina had more or less recovered, so he began cultivating with the [Moonlit Night Breathing Technique] to pass the long, dark night and wait for daybreak.

...

...

When he finished his Breathing Technique cultivation and opened his eyes,

the sky was already bright.

Blue sky, white clouds, and a brilliant morning sun.

Not far away, a tall figure stood quietly. Her pale blue, ice crystal dress swayed gently in the breeze, emitting an ethereal, crisp sound like a wind chime.

It was Isabella.

He didn’t know when she had appeared, but it seemed she was waiting for him to finish his cultivation.

Perhaps out of sheer boredom, Isabella had used Magic to conjure an Ice Element rose in her hand. She was admiring it, lost in thought, with a faint smile on her lips.

Wang Xi had never seen the Ice and Snow Queen look like this before.

It was like seeing a lonely little girl amusing herself, unable to put down the beautiful, delicate flower.

’So.’

’Isabella has a childish, innocent side to her too.’

In a situation like this, the low-EQ move would be to pretend he hadn’t seen anything. But Wang Xi was different. He had high EQ.

"Good morning, Your Majesty."

Wang Xi stood up naturally, gently shaking the snow from his Cloak, and greeted the Ice and Snow Queen with a smile.

SWISH!

The Ice Element rose in Isabella’s hand instantly disintegrated, scattering into a mist of ice. The smile on her lips vanished along with it, and her expression returned to its usual placid state.

Wang Xi walked toward the Queen, raising his right hand as he went.

SPLASH! The Ice Element gathered and instantly condensed into a crudely shaped, crooked, and ugly Ice Flower—much like something a child would make out of modeling clay.

"Your Majesty Isabella’s Ice Rose is like a work of art, whereas I can’t even shape the petals properly."

Wang Xi stopped in front of the Ice and Snow Queen and chuckled in self-deprecation.

He placed a hand on his chest in a bow and offered the Ice Flower with one hand.

"Thank you for your guidance. This student has learned the [Frost Winter Meditation Technique] and successfully mastered Ice Element Magic Power."

"..."

However, Isabella merely glanced at the ugly Ice Rose in front of her, showing no intention of taking it.

"I did not teach you. It was all your own talent and comprehension... and your incomprehensible physical changes,"

the Ice and Snow Queen said.

"Although you have successfully begun your study of the Meditation Technique, your control over Ice Element Magic Power is still weak... To create a lifelike Ice Rose, you need to make your Magic Power output more stable. You must be bold yet meticulous, completing it in one go, and you must never interrupt or alter the condensation process."

"Like this."

As she spoke, Isabella raised her hand, opening her slender, fair fingers. A cloud of ice mist appeared in her palm, condensing at an extremely slow pace into an exquisite Ice Rose.

She was clearly giving Wang Xi a demonstration.

"I see."

A look of realization dawned on Wang Xi’s face, his eyes filled with a mixture of joy and eagerness to try.

He dropped the pitiful Ice Flower from his hand and, mimicking Isabella, began to conjure another one.

His speed was slow, but the process was meticulous.

This time, he managed to conjure an Ice Rose that looked much better, but its petals lacked fine veins and still had some flaws; it wasn’t perfect.

But it was clearly a huge improvement.

"Thank you very much for your instruction."

Wang Xi presented the Ice Flower once again.

It was both a thank you and him turning in his homework.

Isabella raised a delicate eyebrow, her expression complex, as if surprised by the young man’s comprehension and speed of improvement... With just a single pointer, he had completely grasped the concept.

"Not bad." She nodded calmly but still didn’t take the Ice Flower. She turned and began walking toward the castle on her own. "But no matter how lifelike an Ice Rose is, it’s still fake. And no matter how beautiful a real rose is, it cannot endure the bitter cold... Real or fake, it’s all meaningless. In the end, they cannot be kept, only bringing more sorrow."

"I will only teach you for ten days. Follow me."

"Yes, Teacher."

Wang Xi said respectfully and followed silently.

’Could he really not create a more perfect Ice Rose?’

’The answer was no.’

’Having unintentionally glimpsed the Ice and Snow Queen’s childish side, he had simply decided to use the Ice Rose as an opening gambit.’

’Instead of the deliberateness of direct praise, he used his own "clumsy imitation" to shift her role from "the observed" to "the instructor," dispelling the awkwardness while naturally closing the distance between them.’

’This was the solution Wang Xi had come up with.’

However, Isabella’s final, slightly poetic lament had given him some food for thought.

’Real roses and fake roses...’

’Do both leave one with regrets?’