The Transmigrator’s Cultivation

Arc 20: Affairs of Frozen Snow Plains | Chapter 379: Becoming Friends via Sparring

Once Zhuang Wei finished speaking, Xu Ziqing sighed deeply, “It is indeed a remarkable coincidence that you could reunite with Palace Master Le Zheng. This must be a destiny ordained by the heavens.”

A hint of melancholy flashed in Zhuang Wei’s eyes, but mostly he felt joy: “Since reuniting with Hezhi, this life has been sufficient for me.” He had never asked for much; the warmth of childhood lingered, and with Le Zheng Hezhi’s generous treatment afterward, he had no lingering regrets. Moreover, that small secret realm could be considered a blessed land for a fifth-rank sect, though it had many spatial fissures. Even Le Zheng Hezhi needed to be cautious, for once sucked into a fissure, it was likely one would be thrown into an unknown place, even if their life was spared.

Thus, when Zhuang Wei agreed to follow Le Zheng Hezhi, he saw the spatial fissures gradually widening. If they continued to grow and engulf the entire secret realm, it would likely affect the surrounding external space. Therefore, even though he lacked the ability to mend the fissures, he used great magical power to destroy the secret realm before leaving.

There were countless such small secret realms in the Qianyuan Greater World, so it was no great loss for them to be completely obliterated by this calamity.

The remaining spatial fissures were not large and were easily contained and absorbed by the external rules, disappearing from the world.

At the same time, the fissures connecting to the falling world also vanished.

Zhuang Wei had previously wasted his efforts at the fifth-rank sect, ultimately never able to truly enter this so-called “blessed land.”

But those matters no longer concerned Zhuang Wei.

He followed Le Zheng Hezhi to the Bingxue Immortal Palace, becoming his attendant, and serving him daily, and they were inseparable.

Le Zheng Hezhi treated him very well, not only choosing a cultivation technique suitable for him after examining his pulse but also providing ample resources. Compared to his previous circumstances, it was a world of difference.

Filled with gratitude, Zhuang Wei’s feelings for the once “Miss Ziluo” surged again. Having realized his mistake in recognizing the wrong person, he would not foolishly invest his feelings again, instead feeling ashamed of his previous ignorance and realizing how naive he had been. His admiration was hard to suppress; despite the apparent disparity between him and Le Zheng Hezhi, he merely concealed his feelings quietly while becoming increasingly considerate toward Le Zheng Hezhi. Thus, many years passed.

After their conversation, Xu Ziqing and Zhuang Wei became like trusted friends, each aware of the other’s secrets, and their bond deepened.

Unbeknownst to them, two hours had already passed.

At that moment, everyone suddenly felt a sense of extreme danger emanating from outside, caused by the aura of a powerful individual.

Zhuang Wei was momentarily taken aback before rising, “Hezhi is back.”

Sure enough, the hall doors swung open, and a figure in purple rushed in, long hair flowing, exuding an imposing presence.

His expression was cold and arrogant; he glanced at the crowd before fixing his gaze on Zhuang Wei, “You still have unfinished business.”

Zhuang Wei gave a naive smile, “I’ve been talking with Brother Ziqing for too long, causing me to miss my appointment with Hezhi. That’s my fault.”

Le Zheng Hezhi’s eyes were equally indifferent, “Someone will lead them to the guest room. Come with me.”

Zhuang Wei nodded and turned apologetically to Xu Ziqing, “Brother Ziqing, I’ll have to leave you for now.”

Xu Ziqing also rose and smiled, “You go ahead; don’t mind us.”

After exchanging a few words, Le Zheng Hezhi turned and exited, his robe sleeves swirling as if he couldn’t contain his rising anger, yet it seemed to instantly cool down like ice glaciers suppressing a storm.

This fluctuation of emotions was unpredictable, yet it was subtly controlled, resembling a storm entering the sea, with a sense of ice and fire merging together.

Xu Ziqing watched the two of them leave, then sighed, “This Le Zheng Palace Master really has a strange temperament.”

Outside the door, a girl in a yellow dress approached and bowed, “Please follow me, esteemed guests.”

Xu Ziqing did not want to make things difficult for her, so he took Yun Lie’s hand and followed her.

Le Zheng Hezhi had arranged guest rooms for them within this small palace, but they had to walk around to the back, which was not very close to Zhuang Wei’s quarters.

As Xu Ziqing and Yun Lie entered the room, a wave of cold air hit them; everything inside was made of ice jade. It was luxurious but extremely cold.

No matter the bed, wardrobe, or table and chairs, they all emanated an oppressive chill.

It seemed that this second young palace master had a high status, and even when entertaining guests, she expected them to follow her rules without setting up any formations to dispel the cold air.

The maid quietly withdrew, and Xu Ziqing said little, lightly stamping his foot.

In an instant, a wave of warm wood energy spread throughout the room, momentarily making it feel as if spring had returned to the earth, banishing all frost.

Yun Lie, with his ruthless swordsmanship, felt little of the cold, and he did not react much to Xu Ziqing’s actions.

Everything seemed normal.

Xu Ziqing walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, smiling slightly, “It seems Palace Master Le Zheng really treats Brother Zhuang well.”

Yun Lie, who had remained silent before, finally spoke, “Zhuang Wei thinks too much.”

Xu Ziqing’s gaze softened, “I was also quite anxious when I had feelings for my shixiong back then.”

Yun Lie replied, “There’s no need to be like that.”

Xu Ziqing chuckled, “Shixiong’s resolve is so strong, yet suddenly to speak of marrying me caught me off guard.”

In this world, people in love, like shixiong, are rarely so straightforward and pure. At that time, when shixiong was possessed and awakened, he thought their ambiguous feelings would be forgotten, but in the end, just one sentence from him had completely shattered that notion.

Looking back now, it felt rather amusing.

Yun Lie approached Xu Ziqing, gently stroking his hair, and said, “Cultivating immortality is about refining one’s true self. Since your heart is set, there’s no need to hide it. Ziqing, in the future, you must cultivate a heart untainted by dust to attain the Great Dao.”

Xu Ziqing smiled even more brightly. He stood up on tiptoe and leaned in to lightly kiss Yun Lie’s lips, saying, “You are right, shixiong.” His lips warmed as they touched Yun Lie’s, and his smile was gentle. “Right now, I want to be close to you. What do you think, shixiong?”

Yun Lie lowered his eyes and embraced him, slightly parting his lips to take in Xu Ziqing’s tongue.

At that moment, their breaths intertwined, enveloped in tenderness.

Even after being companions for many years, such intimacy still brought joy.

Xu Ziqing’s eyes sparkled with laughter as he breathed with Yun Lie.

Having weathered many hardships over the years, being able to achieve true love with his shixiong was truly rare. Thinking of his friend Zhuang Wei’s struggles, and comparing them to his own, he felt fortunate.

Even amidst countless tribulations, he and his shixiong were always in sync in their hearts, which was already a great blessing.

They spent a dreamless night, falling asleep on that icy bed.

The next day, upon waking, Xu Ziqing smiled at his shixiong, whose expression softened slightly as they both got up.

At this time, the sky was still dimly lit. Yun Lie stepped outside, closing his eyes in the courtyard.

The courtyard was filled with numerous grass and trees resembling ice and snow, all appearing translucent and snowy white as if sculpted from ice.

However, Xu Ziqing, possessing a legendary wood-element cultivation technique, could easily tell that these were actually special ice-type plants, not fake.

The wood energy was also distinctly clear.

Seeing that his shixiong was focused on contemplating his swordsmanship, Xu Ziqing did not want to disturb him. He thought that this unique environment would surely benefit his shixiong’s sword cultivation.

As for himself, he stood before a giant tree, gently touching its extremely white trunk, slowly infusing wood energy into it while exploring its structure.

Before leaving, if he did not want to trouble the host too much, he might also try to obtain a few seeds of this type from his friend, to cultivate as a support for his own growth.

The two were so immersed in their understanding of the Dao that they paid little attention to their surroundings.

After a while, Xu Ziqing first gathered the wood energy and felt a friendly vibe coming from the giant tree, which made him smile.

Yun Lie suddenly opened his eyes, and a flash of black-gold light flickered within them.

In an instant, a leaf fell, sliced in half by that light.

After witnessing this, Xu Ziqing turned his head. He had sensed someone watching them from behind earlier, but since there was no malice, he hadn’t been on guard. Now that he looked, it was indeed that Palace Master Le Zheng, standing in the long corridor beneath an ice pillar, his gaze fixed on the two of them.

Xu Ziqing smiled and said, “Greetings, Palace Master Le Zheng.”

Le Zheng Hezhi’s gaze swept over, and he spoke, “How is his sword intent realm?” It was clear he was asking about Yun Lie.

Xu Ziqing glanced at his shixiong and replied with a smile, “Even when my shixiong was still in the Golden Core stage, he had already attained great perfection in his sword intent. As for his current swordsmanship, I can sense it, but I cannot articulate it.”

Le Zheng Hezhi nodded slightly and then looked back at Xu Ziqing, saying, “Your technique is quite good.”

Xu Ziqing was taken aback but quickly responded warmly, “There are countless techniques in the world; the best one is the one that suits oneself.”

Le Zheng Hezhi’s expression improved a bit; although there was still a hint of killing intent in his brows, the sense of distance had lessened.

Yun Lie stood by Xu Ziqing’s side, his demeanor unchanged, his coldness seeming even more pronounced than that of Le Zheng Hezhi.

Although he was still in the early stage of the Nascent Soul, he had never flinched when facing this Divine Transformation expert.

However, he understood that this Le Zheng Hezhi was different from the Divine Transformation he had seen during the battle at the Sky Pillar. He was a natural prodigy, with both talent and comprehension far exceeding ordinary people, not someone easily dealt with. At the same time, this sparked a hint of fighting spirit within him.

Suddenly, Le Zheng Hezhi smiled. His smile was like the bright moon, instantly bringing life to his previously cold features. “Do you want to fight me?”

Yun Lie nodded slightly, “The path I practice is one of relentless battle.”

Le Zheng Hezhi’s figure swayed, and he stood before Yun Lie, asking, “What path do you practice?”

Yun Lie replied, “The Ruthless Killing Sword Path.”

Le Zheng Hezhi’s eyes brightened, “In that case, I shall also fight you at the early Nascent Soul stage.”

Yun Lie said, “That sounds excellent.”

Although it was easier to break through under the suppression of a higher realm, he knew that Le Zheng Hezhi wanted to see his swordsmanship, and he also wanted to see what this supreme technique of the Bingxue Immortal Palace was capable of, and how far it could push him.

Thus, it was a perfect match.

Xu Ziqing observed and felt his expression soften.

Although his shixiong shared a deep bond with him, his cultivation level was still insufficient to spar with him.

He wondered if, under similar conditions as when he suppressed his realm against his shixiong, the second young palace master could engage in a hearty battle with him.

Moreover, with his shixiong’s qualifications, he would undoubtedly gain much from sparring with a Divine Transformation expert.

His shixiong’s sword path was solitary, and his innate talent was extraordinary; there were few who could match him. Even with Xu Ziqing’s companionship, some enjoyment was inevitably lost. While his shixiong seemed oblivious to this, Xu Ziqing could not bear it.

Le Zheng Hezhi had an exceptional demeanor and character. If they could become friends through battle, that would be wonderful indeed.

Translator: Lynn

Translations are not 100% correct. Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

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