“Dream… is what you said really true? But… I’ve never learned anything like that anywhere.” My heart already held the answer like a seed under frost; I just didn’t dare let it sprout.
Dreamsound looked at me, voice calm as still water. “Shengsheng, truth is yours to judge. Don’t lean on others for every word.”
“I… got it.”
“We’re here. Little Shengsheng, the inner city’s just ahead.”
“Huh?! We swam this long and only now hit the inner city?”
“Yeah. Central City’s huge. We already cut through a shortcut. Once we reach the inner city, things get easy. We can use the teleport array straight into the palace.”
“…” Who sets a teleport array straight into the palace’s belly?
Complaints aside, the array’s sweet. It dropped us right at the target, skipping the grand tour.
“Heave-ho, here—give or take. Little Shengsheng, wait here. I’ll prep.”
This was likely the palace’s heart. A vast pool spread like a mirror, ringed by walls carved with script; no gaudy ornaments, just stone and silence.
Dreamsound walked to the water. She nicked her left wrist; blue-gold blood beaded and fell, rippling the surface like starlight.
“...Little Shengsheng, don’t stare. It’s required. To start the Ancestral Pool, you need royal blood.”
Soon the pool began to boil. The clear water deepened to the hue of her blood, a cauldron lit from within.
“Don’t tell me… I have to soak in it?”
“Mm. It’s about ready. Get in. Relax, it won’t drown you. It just… feels a bit rough.”
“Don’t say that! Hey—no, let go—don’t pull my tail, you old— Dream— aaah!”
Glug-glug.
“Phew. Quiet at last. Honestly, little Shengsheng has so many issues. All right… now it’s slow work.”
…
“Two hours, and she still hasn’t come out. Odd. Did she really drown? Shouldn’t be… her aura’s steady. No accident.”
“Cough, cough—Lady Dreamsound, bad news! That human. She’s here again!” Dreamsound’s brow tightened; the voice carried from another part of the sea.
“Shasha, what did you say?”
“That human woman is freezing the waters above Central City with ice magic, right over our heads. She says if you don’t come out, she’ll attack Central City directly…”
“Is that so. I ignored her before because I had to accompany little Shengsheng. And now she’s pushing her luck? … Ice magic, huh?” Could she be…
“Forget it. Sister Shasha, wait. I’m coming.” Dreamsound glanced at the still-bubbling pool and raised a hand, setting a ward like a shimmering shell.
That should do. If anything happens inside, I’ll know at once. Now, go.
…
On the wide, quiet sea, a colossal ice sculpture stood like a pale cliff. A deep-blue-haired girl perched on it, one leg crossed, an ice-carved spear resting by her side. Her face was calm; her eyes never left the water’s dark mirror.
Over the years, Ling Xuewei hunted records like fireflies. Many mentions of the Blue Domain Empire’s capital were erased, yet she found it. She also tracked the Wailing Sea Wraith, famous across the continent; odds were it haunted here, tied tight to this deep-sea empire.
She didn’t trust she could win. She did trust she could walk away whole.
She had a former Divine Artifact—Winter’s Iceflame. Its flame burned below zero, freezing as it blazed. Its fiercest trick was splitting ice. Touch a colossal ancient tree with Iceflame and, in a single breath, it turns to an ice statue; a few breaths later, the statue cracks and sifts into frost-dust.
Winter’s Iceflame is poison to water and ice. Its very existence runs against Heaven’s order. Iceflame had never appeared before. This supernormal element can only be met with raw mana; it’s nearly a bane to every element.
That’s why Ling Xuewei dared to come alone.
“Ah, what a hassle. Ice sculptures… Is this how you mainland creatures say hello—putting art on someone else’s roof?”
“You’re tied to the Blue Domain Empire after all.”
“Sure am. So what? Got a problem?”
“Where’s my brother?!”
“Your brother? If you just say ‘my brother’, how would I know who?”
“Ling Yehan! He came looking for you.”
“Plenty come here to die. How would I know if I never met the one you mean? Don’t look like you’ll throw your life away. I’m joking. I did meet your Ling Yehan…”
“But tell me, why should I say where he went? Who are you to me?”
“…”
“Do you think that odd spear lets you beat me? You don’t have the strength, you need a favor, yet you still act like that. You’re taking yourself too seriously, little sister.”
“...I’m sorry, senior. Xuewei just wants her brother back. I was out of line. I apologize.”
Able to bend and bear, steady as a mountain—she’s leagues better than that rigid blockhead at home. Are they really siblings? The gap is like heaven and earth.
“Fine, fine. I’m in a good mood. I’ll let this slide. Since you’re sincere, I can give you a lead on your brother. But—I’m bored. Keep me company. If you win, I’ll tell you his trail. If you lose…”
“Then please go back the way you came.”
“I see you use a spear. Funny, so do I. Here’s the deal: within ten minutes, if you can wound me, I lose. Begin!”
“What—? You—!?” Xuewei froze for a beat. By the time she reacted, the other had already slipped into the sea.
Who plays dirty like that!
Ling Xuewei snatched up Winter’s Iceflame and dove, her shadow cutting the water like a blade.
Qingyu Mengyin hadn’t left at all. She only wanted to draw Ling Xuewei underwater.
“I thought you’d chicken out.”
“Skip the talk and try winning.”
“...Then, as you wish!”
“Pierce—Winter’s Iceflame!”
