The wind of the Immortal Realm was unlike any other.
It carried the scent of eternal mountains, drifting lotus petals, and the faint hum of countless immortal veins that webbed across the heavens like rivers of light.
A single streak of silver descended from the northern skies — elegant, silent, and pure.
When it touched the clouds, snow bloomed in its wake.
That streak was Feixue.
Her slender figure floated upon the void, robes of pale silk fluttering around her like frost-kissed petals. Her moonlit hair flowed in rhythm with the wind, and her eyes — calm, silver, and ancient — reflected a realm she had never stepped into before.
Beneath her lay the continent of Yuanhe, a land of endless immortal sects, towering cities carved from jade, and skies split by swords of light. The realm pulsed with divine energy, vast enough to make even a true immortal kneel in awe.
Feixue, however, simply looked down, expression unreadable.
> "So this… is the Immortal Realm," she whispered, her voice faint as falling snow.
"Beautiful. Yet… fragile."
---
She descended upon the borders of Azure Flame Sect, a powerful sect known for their mastery over fire and rebirth. Flames of blue roared across their mountain peaks, forming a radiant sea of burning lotuses that never dimmed, even in moonlight.
The moment her foot touched the boundary stone, the flames faltered.
Not extinguished—frozen.
The blue fire turned crystalline, shimmering in shades of white and silver.
In an instant, the once-fiery mountains became a world of frost.
Immortal disciples rushed from the gates, startled.
"What kind of energy is this? It's freezing the Azure Flame itself!"
"Impossible! Even an Immortal King couldn't—"
Their words fell silent when they saw her.
A girl no older than sixteen, standing barefoot upon the frozen ground, surrounded by a slow swirl of snowflakes. Her aura was tranquil, yet each breath she took bent the flow of heaven and earth.
Her gaze shifted toward them, calm and unthreatening.
"I seek a place to cultivate," she said softly.
"I will repay the debt in silence."
The disciples stared, speechless. Her tone carried neither arrogance nor humility — only a quiet certainty, like a celestial law that had simply decided to exist.
---
Within the sect's inner court, Sect Master Yan Lie watched from his divination mirror. His eyes widened as the reflection trembled with frost.
> "An anomaly… one that extinguishes the Azure Flame?" he murmured.
"No… it doesn't extinguish. It embraces."
He turned to the elder beside him, voice grave.
"Summon her. But speak carefully. The heavens are watching."
---
When Feixue entered the grand hall, the air itself stilled.
Rows of elders, their bodies radiating immortal flames, could not meet her eyes for long.
Yan Lie rose from his throne, cloaked in azure fire. "You have stepped into sacred land unbidden, child. Tell me, who are you?"
Feixue bowed her head slightly, her voice like a soft winter breeze.
"I am Feixue, child of the northern snows. I seek knowledge — and silence."
Her words rippled through the hall.
The Sect Master studied her aura. Within it, he felt… not the chill of death, but the stillness before creation. The kind of silence that existed before even light was born.
> This is not mortal power, he thought. Nor immortal. She stands between heaven and void.
Aloud, he said, "Very well. You may enter our sect as a guest disciple. But be warned — those who enter Azure Flame must prove themselves by fire."
Feixue lifted her gaze, her silver eyes gleaming faintly.
"Then let the fire prove itself."
---
Days passed.
Within the sect, rumors spread like wildfire.
Some admired her beauty and calm; others mocked her for her coldness.
But none could approach her for long — her mere presence caused nearby flames to freeze solid.
One night, a proud disciple named Luo Han challenged her publicly in the Sect's Flame Courtyard.
"Your icy tricks may frighten the weak," he sneered, "but fire devours frost. Let's see what your silence can do against the Azure Flame!"
He conjured a roaring inferno — a crimson phoenix of pure immortal fire that screamed through the courtyard skies.
Feixue merely lifted her hand.
Snowflakes gathered around her fingers, forming a blade of translucent light. She sliced once, without emotion.
The phoenix froze midair, its cry cut short.
A moment later, it shattered into countless glittering fragments that fell like starlight upon the stunned disciples.
Luo Han fell to his knees, coughing blood, unable to comprehend what had happened.
Feixue lowered her blade. Her tone was calm.
> "Your fire was beautiful. But fire is born from heat. Mine… from stillness."
And with that, she turned and left, her steps leaving a trail of frost upon the immortal marble.
---
That night, Yan Lie stood atop his sect's highest peak, staring at the frozen horizon.
"The child of snow has entered the world of flame," he murmured. "But if her existence spread, heaven itself will awaken."
In the sky above, unseen by all, a faint ripple stirred in the divine firmament.
A golden eye — vast, ancient, and unblinking — opened for the first time in ages, gazing down upon the girl who defied its warmth.
And in the silence of her chambers, Feixue's voice whispered softly to herself:
> "So, they finally noticed…"
> "Let them watch. I was never theirs to begin with."