Shing.

Nine Heavens left its sheath.

The frost and cold nearly froze the passing wind solid, dropping scattered snowflakes that sprinkled across the grass. The tender blades seemed unable to bear the snow’s weight, bowing their heads to deliver the flakes to the earth. The white snow that should have melted instead disappeared quietly into the soil, leaving no trace of its existence.

I walked out of the peach blossom forest and turned to look back.

The path I’d taken was covered by wild grass, showing no signs that anyone had passed through. I calmly raised my sword.

Spiritual energy poured into Nine Heavens. The divine weapon hummed with joy at the prospect of battle, blazing with brilliant light. The cultivation method in my consciousness sea began to circulate as I swung my sword toward the peach grove.

On the distant mountain, Qiu Shuangshuang crouched like a guilty thief and suddenly widened her eyes.

Heaven’s wind rises and carries me to Mount Penglai.

But there was no Penglai here, no immortals to be seen.

Only endless snow swirling up against the wind, transforming under the swordsman’s command into countless sharp blades piercing toward the flourishing peach blossoms on the branches.

Inside the barrier, the soul remnants traveling together suddenly looked up toward the sky.

In that moment, time seemed to stretch infinitely. Snow surged from beyond the heavens, each flake becoming an ice arrow aimed at the peach blossoms. Yet the soft petals caught the arrow tips, gently melting the ice away.

The sky-filling snow came suddenly and vanished just as abruptly.

I didn’t move, staring at the peach forest that showed no change whatsoever. I couldn’t help but light up like a bulb.

If that’s the case, then Seraphine must be inside!

Water Dragon’s Hymn, standing behind Echo, transformed into a blue dragon and slowly swam over.

“Whoever set this barrier has profound cultivation.” it said.

I nodded. “Please let me try once more.”

Water Dragon’s Hymn flew higher, looking down at the thousand-meter expanse of peach forest from above, swimming through the air.

On the grass below, I stood with sword in hand. I whispered “You can do this” to myself, then raised my blade again. The pressure of mid-Nascent Soul stage spread out, making the surrounding air solemn as frost crept outward from my feet.

I opened my consciousness sea fully, surging spiritual energy flowing endlessly toward Nine Heavens, gathering all my power in one place.

On the mountain, Qiu Shuangshuang stared blankly at the ice and snow swirling around Echo, murmuring, “M-master?”

A brilliant flash suddenly appeared between heaven and earth—the full-power strike of a mid-Nascent Soul sword cultivator. Unique spiritual energy gathered in the world, blessed by divine weapons, transforming into boundless heaven and earth as a sudden frost descended upon the mortal realm.

Like a ten-thousand-foot iceberg losing control, it crashed viciously toward the pink peach forest.

In the grove, the woman with the fan froze mid-motion, covering her mouth in surprise. “Could this be the promised one you spoke of?”

Under the peach tree, inside the Brahma Bell, Seraphine said nothing, gazing toward a sky that seemed unchanged.

Beyond the heavens, there was only a thunderous crash

as heavy snow began to fall.

High above, Water Dragon’s Hymn lashed its tail and released a clear whistle, its ice-blue form weaving through the snow.

“What is that?” Error, who’d been watching the peach forest intently, spoke up. Under Echo’s full-power attack, a barrier suddenly rose from within the vast grove—like a transparent bowl overturned on the earth.

It was incredibly vast, encompassing not just the peach forest but the surrounding mountains and waters as well, large enough to contain an entire city.

But it was just a barrier.

It sat immobile as a mountain upon the earth, as if protecting this beautiful peach forest from human interference.

As a system, I frowned and threw Nine Heavens forward, leaping up to ride the sword into the sky for a bird’s-eye view of this enormous barrier.

Water Dragon’s Hymn swam over and circled around Echo.

I sighed. “I still have to trouble you with this.”

“I promise I’ll work hard to fight you properly afterward.”

Water Dragon’s Hymn stared down at the barrier on the ground. “My current contractor is only at mid-Soul Transformation stage. My abilities are limited by her cultivation.” From its words, it seemed uncertain whether it could break through this barrier.

Time for my ultimate weapon. I pressed my palms together, then opened them.

A bubble floated out from my palm, containing a silver system waving glow sticks. The silver system inside the bubble was also holding up a bubble, and both I and the text in the little bubble cheered: “You can do it! You can do it!”

Water Dragon’s Hymn nodded and flew in spirals, stopping at the barrier’s center. Its dragon body revealed the true spear form within, displaying the divine artifact’s majesty so intensely that even Echo couldn’t help but look away.

You can do it.

“Water Dragon’s Hymn is getting serious,” Qiu Shuangshuang whispered to Error. “The last time it was like this was when I was little and an extremely vicious beast invaded the Autumn Water Pavilion. It killed the thing.”

Error watched the divine artifact in the heavy snow, having to admit that Water Dragon’s Hymn was indeed powerful. But it was a weapon and she was a dragon—they weren’t even in the same category, so there was no need to compare!

Dragons would be powerful in the future too!

Water Dragon’s Hymn, unilaterally acknowledged as powerful by Error, blazed with water-blue light. The falling snow was completely swept away by the radiance, and its spear tip flashed with icy color. Its dragon mouth opened wide as it roared and charged toward the barrier.

BOOM!

The earth shook continuously. Cultivators thousands of miles away looked up in shock, staring in this direction with uncertainty.

What kind of monster? How terrifying!

Hovering in the sky, I watched the barrier with anticipation.

Against the barrier, the water-blue spear pressed desperately forward, like a thin needle trying to pierce through an enormous piece of cloth.

Come on!

I clenched my fists and shook them encouragingly.

Hum.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as hoped. Water Dragon’s Hymn couldn’t maintain its position and was bounced away by the barrier. Thankfully, the barrier seemed to have put all its points into defense and lacked offensive capabilities, so neither Echo nor Water Dragon’s Hymn were injured by our failure to break it.

One system and one dragon met up in the sky.

“Still far from enough.” Water Dragon’s Hymn said calmly.

I asked, “Do you think there might be other ways to break the barrier?”

As a weapon, Water Dragon’s Hymn had never liked thinking. It said, “Perhaps.”

I looked down at the transparent giant bowl covering the ground and said quietly, “Even if there are, I don’t want to wait anymore.”

“You and I together—let’s destroy it.”

I wanted to become that “far from enough.”

Water Dragon’s Hymn circled around Echo and said honestly, “Wait for the you of six months from now.”

Meaning the current Echo wasn’t good enough.

I opened the shop and glanced at my points.

I opened my inventory and took out a orb.

“When I was at mid-Nascent Soul stage, I killed a late-Nascent Soul cultivator.” I said.

Water Dragon’s Hymn replied, “Impressive.”

“If I advance to late-Nascent Soul stage, I wonder if I could fight an early-Soul Transformation cultivator?” I mused.

Water Dragon’s Hymn: “Perhaps.”

Whether I could or not, I had to try.

Water Dragon’s Hymn said, “Breakthroughs can’t be forced.”

There needed to be accumulation and foundation—even a spear understood this principle.

But I was a system.

“Please wait a moment.” I said, descending to the grass.

Water Dragon’s Hymn also landed, watching as Echo sat cross-legged and gripped that familiar orb in her palm. It lowered its head close to the ground to observe Echo, its water-blue eyes suddenly widening.

It sensed the spiritual energy fluctuations around her—Echo was actually breaking through!

The spiritual energy waves surged like an ocean, rolling in endless waves as the surrounding air trembled—for a full minute. After one minute, I opened my eyes and put the orb back in my inventory.

“Done.” My tone was as calm as ever as I told Water Dragon’s Hymn, “Actually, I wanted to save up enough spiritual energy to jump directly to Soul Transformation stage.”

Water Dragon’s Hymn: “Oh.”

“Now, let’s try once more.” I pulled out a box of spirit pearls.

A hundred spirit pearls exploded, releasing surging spiritual energy that was quickly absorbed by one person and one system, converting into spiritual power. Water Dragon’s Hymn roared as it flew into the sky, with me following close behind.

The previous scene repeated itself—the blue dragon whistling past, its spear piercing into the barrier.

But this time, it had backup!

“Ten Thousand Swords.” I murmured, turning a page in the sword manual within my consciousness sea.

Nine Heavens hummed beside Echo, one sword becoming ten thousand.

“Hiss, so cold.” Qiu Shuangshuang said from the distant mountain, hugging herself. Error transformed into her true form and coiled around her, one person and one dragon shivering together in the sudden winter.

High above, ten thousand swords rang out in unison. I closed my eyes, my fingers forming seals as the heavy snow between heaven and earth obscured my body and frost extended for countless miles.

“Fall!” I commanded.

Ten thousand swords descended.

Inside the barrier, soul remnants looked up and cried out in surprise. The woman with the fan raised her head, her movements freezing as she stared in amazement at the countless cold sword shadows overhead.

“Ten thousand swords—fall!”

One sword became a hundred more, densely packed as they struck the barrier. Water Dragon’s Hymn roared while Nine Heavens sang low.

I threw out over a thousand spirit pearls. The exploding spiritual energy wrapped around me, surging into my body and converting to spiritual power that flowed into my consciousness sea before becoming sword shadows of Nine Heavens.

“Ten thousand swords.”

“Fall!”

“Ten thousand swords—FALL!!!”

CRACK—

A tearing sound echoed through the void. The overburdened barrier wailed, splitting open with countless holes before shattering into myriads of fragments that were swept away by the heavy snow.

Water Dragon’s Hymn released a joyful howl that resonated through the universe as it soared through the snow.

From the earth, peach blossoms of spring’s third month were caught up by the flying snow, pink petals dancing through the sky like a rolling river, swept toward heaven and earth by the white snow. I raised my arm, bringing my fingers together as I swept them past my face.

Ten thousand swords returned to one. Nine Heavens sang softly as it returned to hover at my side.

Without spiritual energy to guide them, the pink and white fragments crashed down in a great rain of flowers and snow.

I slowly opened my eyes.

I looked down.

Winter embraced spring; ice and snow kissed fragrant buds.

The bare peach trees suddenly burst forth with verdant green leaves, and pink-white peaches hung heavily from the branches in crowded clusters.

Beneath the most flourishing peach tree, golden sutras formed the shape of a bell. The red-robed woman sitting within looked up with a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. As the Sanskrit text dispersed, she raised her hand to catch a peach that fell from the branch.

My heart skipped two beats. I called out “Seraphine” and leaped down from the sky.

My blue skirt spread like clouds against the heavens. The snow and flowers made time itself seem to blur as I descended through the pink and white, landing before Seraphine and dropping to one knee, raising a single hand.

Seraphine curved her lips upward, the flower crown pressing against her black hair. Those long-unseen but still beautiful eyes curved in a lovely arc as she also raised her hand, until our hands touched, palm against palm.

Our fingers interlocked.

It was Seraphine.

My eyes lit up immediately. The warm touch of human skin transmitted through our contact, making my heart race. How could I express this feeling of something lost and found again?

I opened my arms and gently embraced her.

I smiled with pure joy.

“It’s been so long, Seraphine. I found you.”

[Author’s Note]:

Work Log …

Points: 0