Chapter 94 - 39: One Sword Opens the Lake

Chapter 94: Chapter 39: One Sword Opens the Lake

SHIIING!!

The clear, resonant cry of the sword shattered the coldness around Jiang Xuan. The instant the Innate Qi Sword took form, his dying body began to emit a faint glow.

The Five Viscera are the foundation of the body and the source of life. Forged and sublimated from the Five Viscera Origin Qi, the Innate Qi Sword was both a blade of slaughter that could shatter the Ten Thousand Laws and a blade of life that could nourish all things.

SWOOSH!

The Sword Qi changed direction, then abruptly dispersed into a gentle, rich stream of Innate Spiritual Mechanism that surged into Jiang Xuan’s limbs and bones. His flame of life, which had dwindled to a dying ember on the verge of being extinguished, roared back like a withered tree in spring, burning brighter than ever.

Wherever this abundant life force passed, a portion of the bone-chilling cold entrenched within him was forcefully shattered and expelled from his body.

The next moment, having just regained a sliver of strength, Jiang Xuan focused his will, and a second Innate Qi Sword condensed in an instant!

This sword was not meant for life. Its edge, forged from the origin of the Five Viscera, moved with his thoughts, transforming into a bolt of silver-white lightning that shot up from his head, piercing straight into the heavens!

SWOOSH!

The incomparably sharp Sword Qi forcefully split the solid ice and lake water above him in two. Its momentum unabated, it flew a full twenty zhang, carving a path of light that reached for the heavens on the frozen lake’s surface. And so, Jiang Xuan, still in the Winter Lake, saw the Celestial Light once more.

This brilliant, fleeting strike made Xia He’s eyes go wide in shock. Even Granny Lan’s pupils contracted.

But just as the onlookers on the shore were lost in shock, Jiang Xuan... went completely still in the water.

He had never been facing a Cultivator of his own rank, but rather the Winter Lake—a creation forged at great cost by the sages of Four Seasons Valley, an incarnation of winter’s death.

Against this Power of Heaven and Earth that could utterly crush him, even a last-minute breakthrough was not enough to fight back.

Besides, he was already spent. The struggle to hold on for the time it took an incense stick to burn had already exhausted his last ounce of strength. This final sword strike was nothing more than a desperate flare-up before the end.

Had he been in peak condition, he might have used that carved path of light to escape. Of course, even if he had, Granny Lan would have most likely just shoved him right back into the lake.

...

SPLASH...

Granny Lan moved quickly. Seeing that Jiang Xuan had lost consciousness after unleashing that final strike, she twitched a finger, and the lake water lifted his body, raising it slowly to the surface.

Then, she poured a bowl of pre-prepared medicinal soup into Jiang Xuan’s mouth.

The medicinal soup didn’t forcefully dispel the coldness. Instead, it created a strange Resonance with the bone-chilling intent of the ice. The coldness, which had been harsh, violent, and bent on freezing all Vitality, was tempered by the soup and became tinged with a sliver of ancient, undying Frosty Winter Dao Rhyme.

Just as an ancient corpse preserved in ice can remain undecayed for decades, even centuries, this coldness now "froze" Jiang Xuan’s body in its near-death state.

Jiang Xuan was still weak, still plagued by the cold, but because of this undying aura, he was no longer in immediate danger of dying.

Only after doing all this did Granny Lan let out a sigh of relief.

Nearby, Di Chuan did the same.

"It wasn’t the Guicang Annihilation Sword Intent. Thank goodness, thank goodness."

As the words left his mouth, he saw Xia He give him a strange look and hurriedly explained, "I’m not jealous. It’s just that if Junior Brother Jiang Xuan mastered the Guicang Annihilation Sword Intent on his very first try in the lake, it would make me look completely useless."

"It would make me feel like my last few years of Cultivation were a complete waste."

This made Xia He laugh. "Of course I know you’re not that kind of person, Senior Brother. We’re not enemies. The greater Junior Brother Jiang Xuan’s Talent, the better it is for our Four Seasons Valley."

Di Chuan was busy talking to Xia He, so he didn’t notice that as he sighed in relief over Jiang Xuan not comprehending the Guicang Annihilation Sword Intent, Granny Lan’s expression grew exceptionally complex.

Her expression grew complex because she recognized the Sword Intent Jiang Xuan had just grasped. ’The One Qi Sword Technique... The difficulty of mastering the Innate Qi Sword is only a hair’s breadth less than that of the Guicang Annihilation Sword Intent. Moreover, this Swordsmanship is immensely useful, especially for a Cultivator who practices the Four Seasons Reincarnation Technique.’

However, considering Di Chuan had already suffered a significant blow to his pride, Granny Lan decided not to say anything. ’I can’t deal the boy another blow,’ she thought. ’It might completely shatter his spirit.’

...

"Ngh... COUGH, COUGH..."

"So cold..."

After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Xuan slowly stirred, waking from his unconscious state.

The moment he opened his eyes, a bone-deep chill instantly swept through his body. Even coughing was agonizingly difficult; each hack felt as if an ice pick was viciously stabbing his throat and lungs, and the pain made him tremble uncontrollably.

The cold seemed to seep from the very marrow of his bones, and an extreme weakness pervaded his limbs. He subconsciously thought he was still at the bottom of the Winter Lake.

Just as he struggled to move, he heard Xia He’s voice. "Granny, Jiang Xuan’s awake!"

"If you’re awake, sit up on your own."

Jiang Xuan forced his heavy eyelids open. He found himself in a small, elegantly simple hut filled with the faint, fresh scent of herbs and wood. Xia He and Granny Lan stood by the bed, while Zhou Qing and Meng Yingyue stood off to the side, holding food containers. Only Di Chuan and Wu Shan were nowhere to be seen.

"Senior Sisters, you’re here..."

Seeing Jiang Xuan force his weak, pained body to greet them, Granny Lan didn’t stop him. Instead, she said with a cold smirk, "You can feel the agony now, can’t you? For the foreseeable future, this icy chill will haunt your body and mind... Savor it."

Jiang Xuan’s brow furrowed at her words. He didn’t understand. With Senior Sister Meng Yingyue and Xia He present, why hadn’t they healed him?

Jiang Xuan could tell he’d been unconscious for a long time—long enough for Xia He and the others to have treated him. Even if they couldn’t heal him completely, they should have at least been able to alleviate his condition. He shouldn’t be this weak, in such a terrible state.

For a moment, he even suspected Xia He had given up on him.

But he extinguished the thought as soon as it arose.

’I remember, during the Ice Lake trial, my One Qi Sword Technique broke through at the last second because the danger was so great. A performance like that could hardly be considered poor.’

’Faced with that kind of performance, Xia He wouldn’t give up on me; she’d double down on her investment... So, there must be another reason for my current condition.’

Jiang Xuan was sharp. It didn’t take him long to figure out why he hadn’t been healed.

"So, my Cultivation isn’t over? This Weakness and cold... it’s a continuation of the Ice Lake trial?"

Xia He nodded. "You really are smart, Junior Brother Jiang Xuan. Sinking into the Ice Lake to face life and death was never the end. It was the beginning of your winter training."

"For the next few days, you have to live with this coldness and experience the essence of winter firsthand. Don’t worry, Granny already used a Secret Technique to temper the icy chill in your body. It won’t damage your foundation at all. It’s just... going to be very uncomfortable."

"But it’s not a bad thing. ’A heavy snow promises a good harvest,’ as they say. Being tempered by this extreme cold will make the Magical Power you refine in the future more full of Vitality, more resilient, and purer. Not only will it be a great help for your Enlightenment, but when you eventually switch to the Forest Spirit Scripture, your progress will be twice as fast."

"That’s good to hear." Knowing the coldness wouldn’t harm his body, Jiang Xuan immediately stopped worrying about it.

For the sake of future strength, Jiang Xuan could certainly endure some temporary discomfort and Weakness.

"Thank you for the explanation, Senior Sister Xia He. I understand... By the way, is there any food?" At this, Jiang Xuan rubbed his stomach, looking a little embarrassed. "After a full day of Cultivation, I’m pretty hungry."

"Yes, yes! Senior Sister Zhou Qing and Senior Sister Yingyue brought you food." Xia He then explained why Senior Brother Wu Shan hadn’t cooked for him tonight. "Senior Brother Wu cultivates the Flame Splendor Supreme Profound Chapter and has comprehended the Sun Radiance Dao Rhyme. The food he makes is full of Yang Qi. If you ate it, the Dao Rhyme in the meal would neutralize the coldness in your body. That’s a good thing for anyone else, but right now, you need to be experiencing that icy chill. So, you can only eat the grains and fruits that Senior Sister Yingyue and Senior Sister Zhou Qing brought."

"That’s more than enough."

Seeing Jiang Xuan so readily accept the pain and hardship to come without a single complaint, Xia He breathed a sigh of relief. She then helped Zhou Qing and Meng Yingyue arrange the vegetables and fruits in front of him.

Just as a warm atmosphere settled over the room, Granny Lan, who had been leaning silently by the window, suddenly spoke.

And her next softly spoken words left Xia He utterly stunned. Her eyes reddened, and she looked as if she was about to burst into tears right then and there.