Three days and three nights passed in
absolute seclusion.
Then—
A violent tremor tore
through the Blue Steel Pavilion,
shaking pillars, cracking the air itself
as if the heavens had shifted their footing.
The entire structure groaned under the pressure.
Twenty seconds later… silence.
The doors creaked open.
El-Mond stepped out.
Eldred rushed forward the moment he saw him.
"Master?! What's wrong—are you okay?!"
His voice was filled with alarm.
El-Mond's appearance was dreadful—
sunken eyes, dark shadows beneath them,
his aura worn thin as if he had battled the night itself without rest.
El-Mond brushed past him.
"Forget it. Follow me."
Without another word, he walked out of the pavilion.
The sky above glitched.
Reality fractured like broken glass.
High above the Blue Steel Pavilion,
a figure manifested—
Glacier.
She hovered in the heavens, her presence commanding.
Her bearing regal—like an empress born of frost.
The icy shell surrounding her body
melted away, dissolving into radiant mist.
In its place appeared a flowing frost-white
hanfu, embroidered dress with patterns resembling falling snow.
Her long, frosty blue hair shimmered like
crystal strands, drifting gently in the wind.
El-Mond and Eldred appeared in the air above
the pavilion, gazing upward.
So did countless experts.
So did the people on the ground.
Every eye was fixed on the sky.
Some stared in confusion.
Others—those who understood—
waited sharply, holding their breath.
Glacier's eyes opened.
BOOM—!
An IMMENSE surge of energy erupted
outward,
whipping across the land for hundreds of miles.
Misty white power flooded the heavens,
blanketing the sky as her aura reverberated endlessly.
This was the energy,
OF A Half-Step Mortal-God Evolver.
"Master… is that Miss Glacier?!"
Eldred's voice trembled as he stared in disbelief.
The Glacier before him looked nothing like before.
She resembled the ancient gods of legend.
Even El-Mond was taken aback.
"Even Elder Lu never reached something like
this…
She's in a league of her own."
"And that power… it doesn't feel complete yet."
Yet his expression remained calm.
Suddenly.
The void ripped open.
Space tore apart behind Glacier.
A man stepped through.
His body was massive, sculpted, overflowing
with oppressive might.
He wore simple grey hanfu trousers and a
short-sleeved shirt,
his presence alone bending the air.
"What luck," he said, eyes gleaming.
"An icy-physique bearer… female?"
Glacier did not move.
The man smiled coldly.
"I'll be taking her away. Any objections?"
BOOM—!
A tremendous burst of energy exploded from
his body.
The sky recoiled.
Experts floating in the air instantly retreated,
fear flashing across their faces.
No one objected.
This was the aura of a Mid-Rank Mortal-God
at peak strength.
"Master…?" Eldred whispered,
glancing between the man and El-Mond.
But El-Mond only shook his head—in pity.
Eldred frowned and looked back up.
The man spoke again.
"You're coming with me."
The moment the words left his mouth,
Cold air poured out with his breath.
Instantly, his eyes turned white.
Frost spread across his body.
His form shattered,
dissipating like frozen mist And vanished into
the wind.
Silence.
Eldred's eyes widened in absolute
astonishment.
"Is… is Miss Glacier stronger than Master…?"
He dared a glance at El-Mond.
Everyone present was stunned.
And terrified.
Barefoot, radiant, and terrifyingly beautiful,
Glacier descended.
She landed before El-Mond.
"You now possess the strength
to contend with a mid-rank Mortal-God,"
El-Mond said.
"How does it feel..?"
"Stepping into the god realm?"
Glacier looked at her hands, then at herself.
"I'm still getting used to it," she replied softly.
"It feels strange… not like an evolution."
She clenched her fist.
"But stronger."
She looked different.
Strange.
Yet magnificent.
Suddenly.
"OH NO—!"
A panicked voice rang out.
"GLACIER! Your grandmother,
something happened to her!"
Nina's shout cut through the air like a blade.
The world froze.
To Be Continued