73: Chapter 73 The Ice Key is Not a Gift

A female projection stood at the doorway.

An ice-blue spear hung at her side.

She did not release any pressure.

She did not even deliberately strike an attacking pose.

Yet, the moment she appeared, the temperature in the entire old classroom dropped.

Frost formed on the window frames.

The desktops turned pale.

The shield-shaped light shard Chen Ye had just obtained in his hand trembled slightly from the cold.

Shen Tingxue looked at her.

Her gaze was very calm.

But Lin Jin noticed that the fingers she used to hold the Ice Key were gripping it tighter than before.

That face was too similar to the Shen Qingshuang in the old photograph.

It was not exactly the same.

But the coldness in the brows and eyes, the posture of holding the spear, and that temperament of merging oneself with the chill all seemed to have walked out of a shadow from twenty years ago.

The blackboard slowly wrote out a prompt.

［Target: Shen Qingshuang Frozen Projection］

［Positioning: White Tower Pressure Rehearsal Sample］

［Adaptability: Ice-type Lockdown Role］

［Advantages: Port Nine freezing experience, original White Tower Ice Key adaptability, S-rank Lockdown Role stability］

［Suggestion: Replace Shen Tingxue］

The Shen Qingshuang projection looked at Shen Tingxue, her voice very soft.

"Your current low-temperature circuit is too shallow."

"The Ice Phoenix Dharma Aspect has not fully unfolded yet."

"The things inside the White Tower cannot be locked down just by being calm."

"Give the Ice Key to me."

"I know better than you how to save Shen Qingshuang."

Chen Ye frowned.

"This sounds wrong."

Zhou Heng said coldly:

"It is using Shen Qingshuang herself to pressure her."

Lin Jin did not speak.

The Hand of Rules had already unfolded.

［Bloodline and profession dual induction detected］

［Induction direction: Rewrite "find Shen Qingshuang" to "let Shen Qingshuang replace yourself"］

［Warning: Do not transfer the Ice Key］

［Hint: The Ice Key is a coordinate, not a certificate of inheritance］

Lin Jin said in a low voice:

"Shen Tingxue."

"The Ice Key is not a transfer object."

Shen Tingxue nodded.

"I know."

She raised her eyes and looked at that projection.

"You are not Shen Qingshuang."

The projection did not deny it.

"I am not the complete her."

"But I possess the Lockdown Role experience she left behind."

"I can take you through the first level."

"And I can tell you what she saw in the White Tower back then."

As these words fell, the blue light in the Ice Key trembled visibly.

Shen Tingxue's gaze also flickered slightly.

She wanted to know.

From the moment she saw that old photograph, from the moment she heard Teacher Xu Wenzhou say that Shen Qingshuang was left behind in the 104 Incident, she had always wanted to know.

Where exactly did Shen Qingshuang go?

What was left of her?

What exactly had the Shen Family been hiding all these years?

Now, a projection that was almost Shen Qingshuang stood before her, saying it could provide the answer.

The price seemed to be just handing over the Ice Key.

Just taking one step back.

Letting someone more suitable take the Lockdown Role Position.

The text on the blackboard began to change.

［Lockdown Role Position comparison generated］

［Shen Tingxue current Lockdown Role stability: 67%］

［Shen Qingshuang Frozen Projection Lockdown Role stability: 94%］

［White Tower first level pollution freezing success rate increase: 52%］

［Suggestion: Replace］

Chen Ye couldn't help but curse.

"Why does it always use numbers to pressure people?"

In the heavy armor sample round, the White Tower used defensive strength to pressure Chen Ye.

Now, it was using Lockdown Role stability to pressure Shen Tingxue.

And these numbers were not necessarily fake.

Shen Tingxue was indeed not as good as Shen Qingshuang right now.

At least not as good as that frozen projection carrying White Tower experience and Port Nine freezing records.

The projection raised her spear.

"You can try."

The old classroom changed again.

The walls faded away.

Everyone was pulled into a white training field.

This time, the ground was not a pollution chain.

It was a lake of white text that was constantly spreading.

In the text lake, various rules swam like fish.

［Replace］

［Transfer］

［Inherit］

［Higher adaptability］

They constantly spread toward the feet of the four.

The blackboard floated in mid-air.

［Pressure rehearsal: Lockdown Role Position replacement］

［Scene: White Tower text lake spreading］

［Goal: Freeze polluted text for thirty seconds to buy time for the Maintenance Position to calibrate］

The text lake spread extremely fast.

Shen Tingxue raised her hand, and frost spread from under her feet.

A thin layer of ice quickly covered the lake surface.

But the white text still swam under the ice.

The ice layer was constantly being pushed up with cracks.

Shen Tingxue's gaze turned cold, and the Ice Phoenix phantom appeared.

The temperature plummeted.

The ice layer thickened.

But cold sweat quickly seeped from her forehead as well.

Blackboard record:

［Shen Tingxue Lockdown Role performance: Stable］

［Polluted text residual movement: 31%］

［Maintenance Position actionable time: 17 seconds］

［Suggestion: Replace］

The Shen Qingshuang projection moved.

She just took one step forward and thrust her spear into the ground.

Click.

A very light sound of ice cracking rang out.

The entire text lake was instantly frozen.

It was not a surface freeze.

The rule movement itself was frozen.

All those swimming white texts stopped in the ice, like they had been sealed into transparent amber.

The blackboard immediately recorded:

［Shen Qingshuang Frozen Projection Lockdown Role performance: Excellent］

［Polluted text residual movement: 0%］

［Maintenance Position actionable time: Over 60 seconds］

［Strongly suggest replacing］

Chen Ye's expression sank as he watched.

"It really is strong."

Zhou Heng did not refute either.

This kind of Lockdown Role power far exceeded the current Shen Tingxue.

The Shen Qingshuang projection looked at Shen Tingxue.

"Did you see that?"

"You still need to grow."

"But the White Tower will not wait for you to grow."

"Give the Ice Key to me."

"I will lock down the first level for you."

Shen Tingxue did not answer.

She looked at that text lake that had been frozen to near perfection.

Then, she slowly frowned.

"Lin Jin."

Lin Jin saw it too.

This ice was indeed perfect.

Perfect to the point that nothing could move anymore.

The polluted text did not move.

They did not move either.

Chen Ye's shield was frozen on the ground.

Zhou Heng's Thunder Spear was half frozen.

Lin Jin's Hand of Rules prompt also became extremely slow.

［Absolute Lockdown Role detected］

［Effect: Pollution stops moving］

［Side effect: Maintenance path synchronized freezing］

［Warning: Excessive Lockdown Role, Maintenance Position unable to reach the fault core］

Lin Jin looked up.

"This is not buying me time."

"This is freezing the problem."

The projection said calmly:

"Freezing the problem is also a way to solve it."

Shen Tingxue shook her head.

"No."

She raised her hand, and frost spread from her fingertips layer by layer.

But this time, she did not go to compete with the projection to see who was colder.

Instead, she let her ice form a narrow path along under Lin Jin's feet.

That path did not completely freeze the text lake dead.

It only pressed out a briefly stable window where the polluted text was most active.

The lake surface was still dangerous.

There was still white text colliding under the ice.

But Lin Jin could walk.

He could see the core.

He could reach out with his wrench.

More cold sweat appeared on Shen Tingxue's forehead.

But her voice was very steady.

"The Lockdown Role Position is not about freezing everything."

"It is about letting the people who need to move be able to move."

As these words fell, the Ice Key lit up violently.

Lin Jin seized the window and rushed toward the center of the text lake.

There was a constantly rotating white word core there.

［Transfer］

This was the core of this round's pressure.

It defined the Ice Key as a transferable object and the Lockdown Role Position as a transferable position.

Lin Jin smashed down with his wrench.

"The Ice Key is a coordinate."

"It is not a transfer certificate."

Bang!

The word core cracked.

The Shen Qingshuang projection frowned for the first time.

"You will lose the chance to know the truth."

Shen Tingxue looked at her.

"If the truth requires me to hand myself over."

"Then it is not the truth Shen Qingshuang left for me."

The projection's eyes moved slightly.

She suddenly changed her tone.

She no longer sounded like a sample generated by the White Tower.

Instead, there was a hint of faint exhaustion.

"Descendant of the Shen Family."

"What if she is really still suffering inside the White Tower?"

Shen Tingxue's eyelashes trembled gently.

But she did not retreat.

"Then I will go find her."

"I will go as Shen Tingxue."

"Not as her shadow."

The Ice Phoenix phantom unfolded behind her.

It was not a fully mature Ice Phoenix.

The wings were still a bit ethereal.

The tail feathers were also incomplete.

But that chill no longer imitated anyone.

It rose from Shen Tingxue's own soul.

Lin Jin's second wrench strike fell.

［Correction progress: 72%］

The text lake began to collapse.

The projection raised her spear, seemingly intending to freeze everything again.

Zhou Heng's Thunder Spear thrust out, blocking the spear tip.

"This round is hers."

"Don't answer for her."

Chen Ye also used his shield to smash the ice under his feet, forcibly pulling his feet out.

"No matter how pretty the freeze is, you can't freeze your teammates into ornaments!"

Shen Tingxue clasped her hands together.

She did not pursue absolute low temperature.

Instead, she divided the frost into four thin lines.

One stabilized Lin Jin's maintenance path.

One suppressed the counterattack under Chen Ye's feet.

One restricted Zhou Heng's Thunder Spear from being counter-frozen.

The last one locked the "transfer" definition at the deepest part of the text lake.

Her face was pale, but her voice was clear.

"I am not as good as Shen Qingshuang."

"But this Ice Key is in my hand right now."

"I will not hand it over."

"And I will not replace myself with her."

Lin Jin's third wrench strike fell.

"Lockdown Role does not equal replacement."

Bang!

The word core shattered completely.

The training field collapsed.

Everyone returned to the old classroom.

The Shen Qingshuang Frozen Projection stood at the doorway, her figure already much fainter.

The comparison data on the blackboard disappeared line by line.

［Shen Tingxue Lockdown Role strength: Insufficient］

［Shen Tingxue path Lockdown Role adaptability: Excellent］

［Maintenance Position action window: Successfully established］

［Teammate action retention: Successful］

［Replacement suggestion: Rejected］

The projection looked at Shen Tingxue, the ice in her eyes fading a little.

"You are still too weak."

Shen Tingxue said calmly:

"I will become stronger."

The projection nodded gently.

The ice-blue spear in her hand turned into a tiny ice crystal and fell in front of Shen Tingxue.

［Lockdown Role Position replacement pressure passed］

［Obtained training fragment: Low-temperature path diversion］

［Description: Can improve Lockdown Role Position multi-target low-temperature control ability］

Shen Tingxue caught the ice crystal.

The blue dot in the Ice Key stabilized accordingly.

Before dissipating, the projection suddenly whispered a sentence:

"The first level of the White Tower."

"Don't take the coldest path."

Shen Tingxue looked up.

"What do you mean?"

The projection did not answer.

Her figure shattered completely into frost light and dissipated at the doorway.

The chill in the classroom gradually faded.

Chen Ye breathed a sigh of relief.

"Don't take the coldest path?"

"Are there still fork roads inside the White Tower?"

Lin Jin looked toward the Hand of Rules.

［Additional hint detected］

［Credibility: Medium-High］

［Meaning unknown］

Zhou Heng said coldly:

"At least it shows there is more than one path on the first level of the White Tower."

Shen Tingxue gripped the training fragment tightly.

"The coldest path might be the one that looks most suitable for an Ice-type Lockdown Role Position."

Lin Jin nodded.

"It could also be the path closest to Shen Qingshuang's remains."

This was the troublesome part.

The White Tower might very well set the "coldest path" as a shortcut to the truth about Shen Qingshuang.

Yet that projection had warned her not to take it at the very end.

Was it a trap, or another layer of counter-induction?

No one could judge immediately.

The blackboard did not give them too much time to rest.

The temperature in the classroom had just recovered when thunder sounded outside the door.

It was not natural thunder.

It was the sharp screech of a Thunder Spear piercing the air.

Zhou Heng's expression sank instantly.

In the white light, the figure of a young man slowly walked in.

He wore the old academy uniform from twenty years ago and held a silver-white Thunder Spear.

His brows and eyes were similar to Zhou Heng's.

But more mature.

And colder.

New prompts on the blackboard emerged stroke by stroke.

［White Tower first level pressure rehearsal］

［Third round: Barrier Breaker Position replacement pressure］

［Target: Zhou Heng］

The young man looked at Zhou Heng and spoke faintly:

"Your thunder."

"Is too slow."