48: Chapter 48 Li Xuewei Awakens

Han Ming headed south all the way and soon found that bamboo forest.

The sea of bamboo was vast, and the temperature was significantly lower than outside.

Han Ming soon discovered Li Xuewei's tracks deep in the bamboo forest; she was moving slowly, seemingly searching for something.

Han Ming did not rush to reveal himself, following at a distance.

This girl was quite bold; she dared to run deep into the Secret Realm while only a Five-Star Martial Apprentice.

But Han Ming knew that she had been attracted by that Tier 4 Ice Spiritual Plant.

Although her Mystic Ice Spirit Body had not yet awakened, her Physique had already begun to sense cold-attribute spiritual objects.

The sky darkened.

The moon rose, and Li Xuewei stopped before a stream, reaching her hand into the water only to quickly pull it back; evidently, the water temperature was extremely low.

She walked upstream, moving slower and slower, her body beginning to tremble slightly. The temperature here had already dropped below freezing.

Han Ming frowned but did not stop her.

He had already sensed a cold pool beneath the cliff ahead, its water deep and dark, radiating dense cold Spiritual Qi.

The rocks by the pool were covered in thick frost, and a few low-tier ice-attribute Spiritual Plants emitted a glowing white light.

And in the deepest part of the cold pool, that snow-white Tier 4 Ice Spiritual Plant was emitting a faint spiritual glow.

Li Xuewei saw it too.

Her eyes lit up, and she quickened her pace, rushing toward the cold pool.

Seeing this, Han Ming's heart tightened; there were often exotic beasts guarding Spiritual Plants.

Although this was the Trial Grounds specifically for the Martial Exam and powerful high-tier exotic beasts had already been cleared out, it was inevitable that some might have slipped through the net.

Moreover, with Li Xuewei's current strength, a single Tier 2 exotic beast could easily take her life.

Han Ming was prepared to intervene at any moment.

However, it was clear that Han Ming's worries were unnecessary.

Those Tier 1 and Tier 2 exotic beasts simply could not withstand the temperature here.

Furthermore, it was impossible for the instructors who came in to clear out the exotic beasts not to have discovered the anomaly here; they had clearly left this Tier 4 Mystic Ice Spirit Plant here on purpose.

Ordinary Martial Artists could not even get close.

If someone could approach it, perhaps they possessed some special Physique, and Jiangbei City would gain another top-tier Genius.

A Tier 4 Spiritual Plant was indeed precious to an ordinary Family, just like how the Han Family had previously gone to great lengths to compete for a Tier 4 Purple Blood Lingzhi, even at the risk of offending the Zhang Family.

But for the Alliance and those top-tier powers, it was nothing.

Leaving one in the Secret Realm as a litmus test didn't bother them at all.

At this moment, Li Xuewei had already reached the edge of the cold pool, looking at the Tier 4 Spiritual Plant in the center with burning eyes.

A voice inside her told her that as long as she consumed this Spiritual Plant, she would definitely receive immense benefits.

At the edge of the cold pool, Li Xuewei crouched down and reached her hand into the water.

Piercing cold instantly spread from her fingertips to her entire body; she shivered but did not pull her hand back.

"So cold..." She gritted her teeth, her gaze locked firmly on the snow-white Spiritual Plant deep in the cold pool.

She did not know the name of this Spiritual Plant, nor did she know what effects it had.

But every cell in her body was telling her—eat it, you must eat it.

Li Xuewei took a deep breath and stood up.

She did not rashly jump into the cold pool but walked halfway around the edge, observing carefully.

The cold pool was not large, with a diameter of only a dozen meters, but the water was very deep, and the bottom could not be seen.

The pool water was dark and black, radiating a bone-chilling cold, with thin ice mist floating on the surface.

That Spiritual Plant was growing on a rock in the center of the pool, about seven or eight meters from the bank.

"How can I get it?"

Li Xuewei frowned in thought.

She tested the water temperature; it was too cold, and swimming across was simply impossible. Even if she risked frostbite to swim over, she might not have the strength to swim back after obtaining the Spiritual Plant.

"Right, I can use vines!"

Li Xuewei's eyes lit up. She turned and ran into the bamboo forest, cut a few long, thin bamboo stalks, tied them together with vines, and made a long bamboo pole.

She tested the length, and it was just enough to reach the Spiritual Plant.

Li Xuewei lay on the bank and extended the bamboo pole toward the center of the pool. The other end of the pole carefully nudged the rock at the base of the Spiritual Plant, attempting to pry it off.

Once, twice, three times...

The base of the Spiritual Plant loosened slightly.

Li Xuewei felt a surge of joy and applied more force.

"Snap!"

The Spiritual Plant came loose from the rock and floated on the water.

Li Xuewei quickly used the bamboo pole to nudge it to the bank and reached out to pick it up.

The Spiritual Plant felt ice-cold in her hand; it was snow-white and emitted a faint fluorescent glow.

A dense cold Spiritual Qi emanated from the leaves; just by smelling it, she felt the Qi and blood within her body become more active.

"What kind of Spiritual Plant is this exactly?"

Li Xuewei muttered as she carefully examined the Spiritual Plant, her heart racing.

She looked around; the bamboo forest was quiet, with only the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the bamboo leaves.

Without hesitation, Li Xuewei put the Spiritual Plant into her mouth.

The instant the Spiritual Plant entered her stomach, an overwhelming surge of cold ice energy suddenly exploded!

"Ah!"

Li Xuewei let out a scream, curling up on the ground and trembling violently all over.

That energy was too violent, like a burst glacier, rampaging through her body.

Her Meridians felt like they were about to burst, her blood seemed to be freezing, and eerie ice-blue patterns appeared on her skin.

In the distance, Han Ming stood in the bamboo forest, quietly watching this scene unfold.

He knew the outcome, so he was not worried at all, just waiting for her to awaken her Physique and soar into the sky.

At the edge of the cold pool, Li Xuewei's screams gradually faded.

Her body stopped trembling and lay quietly on the ground; the ice-blue patterns on her skin became denser and brighter, eventually converging at her Dantian.

"Boom!"

A terrifying cold aura erupted from her body!

The surrounding air instantly condensed into frost, the soil on the ground was frozen hard as iron, and the bamboo leaves were covered in crystalline icicles.

With Li Xuewei as the center, everything within a ten-meter radius was frozen.

Han Ming knew that Li Xuewei's Mystic Ice Spirit Body had awakened; her talent was comparable to an SS-Rank Genius.

However, it was not over yet; just as Li Xuewei successfully awakened her Mystic Ice talent.

The cold-attribute Spiritual Qi around the cold pool frantically gathered toward Li Xuewei, all being absorbed and refined by her.

Her aura began to soar rapidly!

Six-Star Martial Apprentice... Eight-Star Martial Apprentice... Nine-Star Martial Apprentice...

With a muffled boom, her Qi and blood instantly surpassed the 1,000 mark, breaking through to a One-Star Martial Artist.

But it was not over yet; her Qi and blood value broke through the 5,000 mark directly, only stopping after breaking through to a Five-star Martial Artist.

"This... what on earth is this? Have I already broken through to a Martial Artist?"

Li Xuewei stood up slowly, feeling the surging power of Qi and blood within her, and said in shock.

She wore an expression of disbelief.

One had to know that she had been Cultivating for a year, and with the many resources Han Ming had given her, she had only reached a Five-Star Martial Apprentice.

She had just consumed an unknown Spiritual Plant, and in less than half an hour, she had consecutively broken through a major Realm, reaching a Five-star Martial Artist?

Li Xuewei stood there in a daze, feeling as if all of this were a dream.

Yet the power within her body was so real.

"Hee hee... My strength is higher than Han Ming's now, right! I wonder if he will be happy for me when he finds out about my current strength?"

After confirming it was real, Li Xuewei became happy, giggled, and whispered.

She had always believed that Han Ming liked her, and she also had a good impression of Han Ming; she had already accepted herself as Han Ming's woman.

Now that she had broken through to a Five-star Martial Artist, she thought about giving Han Ming a surprise when she saw him.

However, she did not know that Han Ming was just a short distance away, watching her every move clearly.

"This girl, it seems she really has misunderstood!"

Han Ming heard her muttered words and shook his head with a helpless smile.

[Ding, detected that the host's disciple Li Xuewei has awakened the Mystic Ice Spirit Body; synchronizing feedback of the Mystic Ice Spirit Body to the host!]

[Ding, detected that the host's disciple Li Xuewei has broken through to a Five-star Martial Artist, Qi and blood value +5525! Synchronizing feedback of +5525 Qi and blood value to the host!]

"Boom!"

As the System's notification sound faded.

Han Ming felt his Physique undergo a world-shaking change.

His sense of the cold-attribute Spiritual Qi around the cold pool became clearer, and it was easier to absorb.

It felt as if with a single thought, without the guidance of a Cultivation Technique, he could absorb the cold ice Spiritual Qi within a radius of dozens of meters.

It was countless times stronger than his previous D-Rank Talent, Fire Element Affinity.

"Is this the feeling of a Spirit Body?"

Feeling the changes within his body, Han Ming was also intoxicated.

If he possessed an ice-attribute Martial Skill now, Cultivating would not only be twice the result with half the effort, but its power would also be at least ten times stronger than someone without a Spirit Body.

"Boom!"

However, it was not over yet; with the Awakening of the Mystic Ice Spirit Body and Li Xuewei's feedback of over 5,000 points of Qi and blood.

Han Ming also successfully broke through to a 9-Star Martial Master, and it was the Peak of a 9-Star Martial Master.

He was only one step away from a Great Martial Master.