The System remained silent for quite a while.
Imperial harem intrigue wasn’t about rigidly following scripts, so it was designed to grant the host great freedom, ensuring she could cater to whatever style of woman the current emperor preferred.
Yet it had encountered someone determined to pursue cultivation.
It wasn’t until the third watch of the night that the System finally spat out a scroll for Du Xinghe.
The scroll’s cover depicted a woman dancing gracefully with a long sword in hand—
“Rainbow Skirt Sword Sutra” Fragment.
The dance was ethereal and unrestrained, the sword techniques peerlessly exquisite.
When Du Xinghe opened it, she found the content profound and abstruse—it was truly a cultivation method that could lead to the late Golden Core stage, paired with a corresponding sword control technique! This sword sutra was more suitable for those with Water Spiritual Root, and while this chapter could directly point the way to immortality, unfortunately the System only provided a partial fragment.
Four swords, four realms, in order: Embrace Frost River, Borrow Morning Dew, Crush Snow Peak, and Phoenix Arrives.
Even better, cultivators with Water Spiritual Root who practiced this sword sutra’s cultivation method could also comprehend miraculous healing effects. Though it couldn’t revive the dead or regenerate bones, it was sufficient to turn the tide of battle.
When venturing into the martial world, how could one go without healing abilities!
Du Xinghe had Three Spiritual Roots, but since it included Water Spiritual Root, she could practice this sword sutra and serve as a healer too.
However, compared to healing, she preferred killing to her heart’s content.
Du Xinghe’s gaze shifted to A Qi diligently practicing qi cultivation in the corner.
If this girl succeeded, wouldn’t she become her dedicated healer, a mobile health potion in the future?
Then she thought about the Nine Yang Sect’s foundational techniques, which the elders hoarded and rarely taught to outsiders. Yuanming Zunzhe had bluntly stated that the original host’s aptitude was too low, insulting their Nine Yang Sword Techniques, and refused to teach her even a single move.
“Now that I hold the ‘Rainbow Skirt Sword Sutra’, I could even establish my own sect with this.”
As she spoke, Du Xinghe sat cross-legged on the ground, first taking a Warm Passion Pill, then began cultivating the first realm of the “Rainbow Skirt Sword Sutra” cultivation method—Embrace Frost River.
She placed her hands on her knees, palms facing upward, closed her eyes and circulated her energy.
A stream of heat surged up from her dantian. She naturally channeled her energy to clear her mind, and the sparse spiritual energy drifting around her responded to her summons, gathering from tiny streams into rivers that poured into the space between her eyebrows.
With the help of this profound cultivation method, her cultivation efficiency had doubled with half the effort!
When she realized this, Du Xinghe nearly lost her composure.
After all, even someone with the best temperament would be momentarily delighted upon suddenly discovering they’d been struck by fortune.
She quickly used the pill’s warm current to re-enter meditation.
…
When dawn’s first light appeared, Du Xinghe’s eyes twitched slightly before opening.
Through the paper window, the morning light cast into her eyes appeared blurry.
She scanned her surroundings and saw A Qi looking at her with a face full of concern. Warmth blossomed in her heart: “I’m fine, I just cultivated all night. For cultivators, meditation is equivalent to sleep. You’ll get used to it too in the future.”
“There’s something frozen on your face. I’ll fetch water for you to wash up, wait a moment.”
Saying this, A Qi turned to fetch water.
Du Xinghe raised her hand to wipe her face and discovered the reason her vision had been blurry—a layer of frost had formed on her eyelashes and face.
Spiritual power was formless, yet it could gather into tangible things.
A thought struck Du Xinghe. She lowered her head to look at her hand, where frost slowly condensed on her palm. She didn’t have a mutated Ice Spiritual Root, yet now she could effortlessly make water freeze into ice, with greatly reduced spiritual power consumption.
“Could it be that the ‘Rainbow Skirt Sword Sutra’ can alter my spiritual roots?”
“No, that’s not right—it allowed me to deeply master the power of the Water Spiritual Root!”
Her heart raced, unsure if her speculation was correct.
The Spiritual Root is the foundation for gathering the power of the Five Elements. Even if mutated spiritual roots were praised to the heavens, it inevitably raised doubts—isn’t ice just water that has condensed after cooling? Yet, with just a Water Spiritual Root, one simply couldn’t grasp the power of ice.
So, the “Rainbow Skirt Sword Sutra” was likely meant to allow cultivators to more comprehensively master the power of water.
However, after only one night of practice, Du Xinghe hadn’t made any major breakthroughs.
This ability to casually form frost…
Well, it just meant she could have iced cola anytime, anywhere.
“Master, I’ve brought back the water!”
Just as she was pondering, A Qi came staggering back, holding a basin of well water. She had filled it to the brim, and since her left hand wasn’t her dominant one, she stumbled forward. The full basin of water was about to splash all over her master!
In the blink of an eye, Du Xinghe glanced over, and the water instantly froze, suspended in mid-air for a second before shattering into pieces and crashing to the ground.
“Oh my heavens…”
A Qi was dumbfounded.
Du Xinghe was just as shocked.
But she didn’t show it on her face. Instead, she helped A Qi up and scolded her gently, “Don’t be so hasty and careless. Take your time and be steady. Are you hurt? Let me see if it hurts.”
From that fall, A Qi had scraped the skin off her knee.
But it also inflated Du Xinghe’s confidence. People’s physiques couldn’t be generalized—she might just be a genius suited for this sword sutra! With just a glance, she could freeze water into ice!
Du Xinghe placed her hand over the wound, attempting to use the Cultivation Method of the “Rainbow Skirt Sword Sutra” to heal it.
Wisps of white mist emerged, coiling around A Qi’s injury.
A minute passed, and while the wound hadn’t healed, it had indeed stopped bleeding.
A Qi exclaimed in delight, “It doesn’t hurt anymore. How amazing!”
The bright red blood turned purple, and the wound gradually took on a bluish-purple hue.
Du Xinghe observed it and realized that under her immortal arts treatment, the small wound on A Qi’s knee…
Had begun to necrotize.
It seemed she had only mastered the method of freezing things and was still completely clueless about healing injuries.
Just as she was feeling guilty, the System’s praise echoed in her mind:
[Abusing a palace maid, points +10]
[The host’s viciousness astounds the System!]
Under the girl’s admiring and grateful gaze, Du Xinghe’s conscience twinged with pain. She quickly exchanged for genuine wound medicine from the System store and properly treated the injury.
After washing up and removing the frost that had formed on her skin, Du Xinghe flew on her sword to the highest nearby peak to practice the Rainbow Skirt Sword Art. From the break of dawn until the stars and moon faded from sight, she finally returned to Yunshan Township and met with Xiang Zheng under the large banyan tree near the Lu Mansion, waiting for the demonic creature to appear and steal.
“Thank you for your trouble, Immortal.”
After just one day apart, Xiang Zheng noticed that the aura emanating from Du Xinghe was vastly different. Even standing a little closer, he could faintly feel waves of cold radiating from her.
Hiss…
It didn’t seem to be just his imagination!
As Xiang Zheng moved a bit closer, his arm broke out in goosebumps from the cold.
Though he didn’t know what changes had occurred to the Immortal, Xiang Zheng became even more respectful toward her.
“As long as that demonic creature dares to reveal itself and act, it will definitely not escape my notice.”
Du Xinghe kept a stern face, standing with her hands behind her back.
She had practiced Embrace Frost River all day, and every swing of her sword scattered shards of ice. As she was still in the early stage of Foundation Establishment and had yet to fully internalize her spiritual power, the lingering chill became a side effect, turning her into a human-shaped, self-propelled air conditioner.
While the two were speaking, a thin, dark shadow suddenly swayed above the Lu residence, vaulting over the wall and fleeing.
Without uttering a word, Du Xinghe drew her sword and struck!