At the back mountain of Skywater Academy, on an open space surrounded by tall trees, two figures were currently crossing paths, the sounds of impacts ringing out again and again.
Shui Bing'er was breathing slightly heavier, her ice-blue eyes locked tightly onto the casually standing young man ahead of her. At this moment, a bright yellow soul ring circled around her body. Behind her, a phoenix entirely condensed from ice gracefully spread its wings, exuding a biting chill. It was her martial soul—the Ice Phoenix.
As a prodigy born with full innate soul power who had reached rank twelve at the age of six, she had always been the center of attention in Skywater Academy. Yet right now, she was feeling an unprecedented pressure from Chen Yi.
As her opponent, Chen Yi simply stood there quietly, not even releasing his martial soul. Dressed in a simple purple training outfit, his figure was straight, his features firm and well-defined. Especially his eyes—calm like a deep pool, as if they could reflect every trace of Shui Bing'er's movements and trajectories.
There was no sign of soul power fluctuation from him at all, yet he gave Shui Bing'er a sense of absolute despair, as if he were undefeatable.
"Junior Sister Bing'er, pay attention." Chen Yi spoke, his voice even, his tone lacking the slightest urgency of someone in a battle.
Shui Bing'er bit down lightly on her silver teeth. She knew Chen Yi was instructing her; otherwise, with his overwhelming strength, she probably wouldn't be able to take even a single move. From beginning to now, Chen Yi hadn't used his martial soul or any of his self-created soul skills, and even so, she had been thoroughly suppressed. This made the always gentle and tranquil Shui Bing'er suddenly ignite a strong competitive spirit.
"First soul skill: Ice Seal!" Shui Bing'er shouted softly, and the yellow soul ring around her instantly lit up.
In that instant, the ground under Chen Yi's feet and the surrounding air instantly froze. Hard ice appeared out of thin air, about to completely encase him. This was a powerful control-type soul skill granted by the Ice Phoenix martial soul, almost instantaneous in speed.
However, just as the ice layer was about to close, Chen Yi's figure seemed to blur slightly. He didn't use any soul skill. He merely drew his left foot half a step diagonally back in what looked like a casual retreat, while his body twisted at an angle so tiny it was almost imperceptible.
"Crack!"
The spot where Chen Yi had originally been standing was now covered by thick ice, but he himself was standing outside the sealed area, not even the hem of his clothes touched by the chill. It wasn't the ultimate in speed, but more like a kind of foresight—predicting before the skill fully took effect, finding that slim, nearly nonexistent sliver of life.
Shui Bing'er's pupils shrank. Impossible. Her first soul skill was a lock-on instant-cast skill—how did he dodge it?
"The only thing your skill locks onto is my aura and position," Chen Yi explained calmly. "But in that instant before your soul power fully erupts, your gaze and the flow of your soul power will have a tiny directional shift."
"I just need to catch that, and then move away. It's less effort than taking it head-on."
Hearing this, Shui Bing'er's heart tightened. She had already tried her best to hide her intentions, yet she was still seen through so clearly.
Since control-type skills were ineffective, then she had to make it so he had nowhere to dodge. Thinking of this, Shui Bing'er no longer hesitated. Her body flashed forward, and the Ice Phoenix let out a clear cry. Its wings flapped fiercely, and dozens of sharp icicles shot toward Chen Yi like arrows, sweeping across the sky and sealing off all of his possible angles of evasion.
Facing this area-of-effect attack, Chen Yi did not retreat. Instead, he stepped forward to meet the icicles head-on. His movements did not seem fast, even a bit unhurried, but every step fell exactly into the gaps between incoming icicles. It looked perilous, yet every time the icicles brushed past his body by a hair's breadth. The cold wind they kicked up could only lift his hair, never touching his clothes.
Just like that, Chen Yi strolled through the dense rain of icicles as if walking leisurely through a garden, his control precise enough to make one hold their breath.
A few people secretly observing from afar couldn't help but have their pupils contract. Such perfectly measured dodges required not only extraordinary reaction and speed, but also an absolute insight into and control over the battlefield.
"Go, little sister! Junior Brother Chen is amazing!"
At the edge of the clearing, a lively voice rang out cheerfully.
Shui Yue'er cupped her hands in front of her chest, her big, watery eyes almost turning into heart shapes as she stared unblinkingly at that purple figure in the field. Although she was a bit older than Shui Bing'er, she was outgoing and energetic by nature. Her small face was filled with open admiration and infatuation for Chen Yi.
Hearing her elder sister's cheering, Shui Bing'er took a deep breath and pushed her soul power to the limit. The light of the Ice Phoenix grew even more dazzling.
She no longer attacked from range, but rushed in close. Both her palms were wrapped in extreme cold, and wherever her palms swept, the air itself condensed into tiny ice crystals. She attached the chill of her martial soul to her hands and launched a close-quarters assault on Chen Yi. Her agile figure danced like a butterfly, but carried remarkable power.
A trace of appreciation flashed through Chen Yi's eyes. Shui Bing'er's close-combat level was quite good—no worse than some disciples of the Body Sect of her age. But she shouldn't be using close combat in front of him.
Every one of Shui Bing'er's attacks was neutralized by Chen Yi at just the right moment. At the instant their hands met, Shui Bing'er only felt her strength vanish into nothing, as if thrown into the sea. It left her with an uncomfortable feeling like punching cotton.
"Pa!"
Very soon, Chen Yi's palm lightly rested on Shui Bing'er's wrist. With a gentle push of force, Shui Bing'er immediately lost her balance and stumbled two steps forward, her offensive collapsing in an instant.
"Wow! Little sister, that last move of yours was so pretty! And Junior Brother Chen's response was even more amazing!"
Shui Yue'er's exclamation rang out right on cue. She seemed completely immersed in this seemingly evenly matched battle. In her eyes, every one of Chen Yi's movements was filled with an indescribable charm—that absolute confidence and control made her heart flutter.
Chen Yi withdrew his stance and stood still, a faint smile on his face. "Not bad. In these last few days, your soul power circulation and attack rhythm are much better than before."
With his affirmation, the bit of discouragement in Shui Bing'er's heart instantly vanished. She took a deep breath, calming the surging blood within her, and said sincerely to Chen Yi, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother Chen Yi."
"No need to be polite. We're just learning from each other."
Chen Yi nodded. A few days earlier, after Shui Bing'er learned of Chen Yi's true strength, she had wanted to spar with him. At first Chen Yi hadn't intended to bother with it, but Mu Xi strongly supported the idea.
With the mental age of a middle-aged man, Chen Yi naturally knew what Mu Xi was thinking. But he really couldn't bring himself to feel any interest in this little sprout. However, since the Body Sect and Skywater Academy had just established cooperation, he truly couldn't refuse and could only agree to be the Shui sisters' sparring partner for a few days.
Just as the two had stepped out of the training ground, Shui Yue'er ran over like a cheerful little bird. She first told Shui Bing'er, "Little sister, you were amazing."
Then she immediately turned to Chen Yi, stars shining in her eyes. "Junior Brother Chen, you're incredible! You're so strong even without using your martial soul! How did you do it? Those icicles were so dense—"
She chirped on and on, her face full of admiration and curiosity.
Chen Yi didn't explain in detail, only saying simply, "Watch more, practice more, and you'll naturally learn."
Then he looked up at the sky and smiled lightly. "That's it for today. Junior Sister Bing'er, remember how it felt today. For a soul master, soul skills are just tools. How to use those tools depends on you."
Chen Yi then nodded to Shui Yue'er. "Senior Sister Yue'er, we should head back."
Hearing this, Shui Yue'er nodded hard and quickly followed beside Chen Yi, still asking question after question.
When the three of them stepped into the room, they happened to see the Third Elder resting with his eyes closed. Just as Chen Yi was about to speak, the Third Elder opened his mouth first. "The Grand Elder has sent word. Gao Zhan and Gao Wen have already found it. He wants me to take you to rendezvous with him."
"It's been found?"
Chen Yi froze for a moment, then was overjoyed. The Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well had been located. The Body Sect was finally beginning to set foot on the road to rise.
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