4: Chapter 4 Heartless Genius? This is a Fetus Protecting the Body!

Lingxiao Sect, Back Mountain Forbidden Ground.

The cold wind howls; this is the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Cave that strikes fear into the hearts of countless Disciples.

This cave leads directly to the Extreme Cold Ice Vein deep underground. The cold Qi is enough to freeze the Divine Soul, making it both a Holy Land for cultivating Ice-attribute Cultivation Techniques and a desperate place where one's Foundation could be completely destroyed with the slightest carelessness.

Today, because the Law Enforcement Elder Yun Liu specially approved the "Deep-level Trial" for Lin Qingxue, many Disciples gathered outside the cave to watch the spectacle.

Among them, the most eye-catching were several young women also dressed in Core Disciple attire.

"Senior Sister Zhao, look, that's Junior Sister Lin who just returned."

A female Disciple whispered to the woman in the red dress beside her, her tone carrying a hint of flattery.

"I heard she went down the mountain this time to break that Mortal Marriage Contract, causing her aura to become unstable. I think she's just going through the motions this time."

The woman in the red dress was named Zhao Rushuang, with a Late Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation. Her eyes were sharp, and she was one of the strongest competitors in this Saintess Competition.

She sized up the newly arrived Lin Qingxue, a contemptuous smirk playing at the corners of her mouth:

"To be in such a sorry state just to break a marriage... if it were me, I would have just killed him with a single sword strike. Why go through all that trouble?"

"Look at her unsteady steps and her pale, flickering complexion; I'm afraid even her Foundation is shaken. Does she still dream of competing with me for the position of Saintess in a month?"

Zhao Rushuang deliberately raised her voice and sneered, "What a joke."

Lin Qingxue turned a deaf ear to the whispers around her.

Her face was as cold as frost, but her jade-like hands were crossed naturally in front of her flat lower abdomen—a subconscious, absolutely protective posture.

"Qingxue."

Elder Yun Liu appeared at this moment, her gaze sweeping across the field before landing on her beloved Disciple, filled with a mix of expectation and sternness.

"Since you have severed your ties with the Mortal World, today's Ice Cave trial is the first step in reforging your Dao Heart."

"The Ice Cave is divided into nine levels; the further down you go, the heavier the cold Qi. For the competition, I require you to descend to the third level and persist for a full month!"

Zhao Rushuang chimed in sarcastically from the side.

"Junior Martial Uncle Yun, Junior Sister Lin is in poor condition after all. Even I can only barely stay on the third level for three days. If Junior Sister Lin can't hold on, she shouldn't force it. If she freezes her body, how will she get married later... oh wait, how will she Cultivate then?"

A burst of low laughter immediately erupted around them.

Lin Qingxue raised her beautiful eyes slightly and gave Zhao Rushuang a faint glance.

That look wasn't one of anger, but rather a kind of indifference, as if looking at a clown.

It was the confidence given to her by the little life in her womb.

"The third level is unnecessary."

Lin Qingxue opened her vermilion lips slightly, her voice not loud, but it reached everyone present:

The entire area fell silent.

"What?" Zhao Rushuang was stunned for a moment.

Lin Qingxue's eyes were firm.

"I want to go down to the sixth level."

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd erupted!

Even Yun Liu's expression changed drastically: "Nonsense! The cold Qi on the sixth level is something even those at the Foundation Establishment Great Perfection must handle with care. One mistake and your Divine Soul will be frozen to death! You've only just..."

"This Disciple wishes to try. If one's Dao Heart is firm, why fear heat or cold?"

Lin Qingxue didn't explain much; she simply played the "Dao Heart" card, then turned and resolutely jumped into the dark, bone-chilling entrance of the cave.

...

Inside the Ice Cave, the astral winds were like knives.

The further down she went, the more terrifyingly low the temperature became. If it were before, Lin Qingxue would have needed to fully circulate her Spiritual Qi to resist the Cold Poison entering her body as soon as she stepped into the first level.

But at this moment, a strange scene occurred.

Just as the cold current, capable of freezing flesh and blood, came within three feet of her.

Buzz—

Deep within her lower abdomen, that golden speck of light trembled with excitement, like a picky gourmet smelling a feast.

Slurp—!

It was like a giant whale swallowing water!

That violent, frigid Spiritual Qi was sucked into her lower abdomen by an invisible force before it could even touch Lin Qingxue's skin!

Immediately after, a warm current of extreme purity flowed back into her entire body!

"Mm~"

Lin Qingxue couldn't help but let out a comfortable hum.

In this terrifyingly desperate place, not only did she not feel the slightest bit of cold, but she felt as if she were soaking in a top-tier Spiritual Qi hot spring; she was so comfortable that her pores opened up!

In fact, with the frantic influx of cold Qi, she felt her Ice Spiritual Root undergoing some kind of qualitative change, becoming more crystal clear, and its purity was soaring!

"Is this the ability of that child..."

Lin Qingxue was shocked in her heart.

What was originally a dangerous trial had now become a "buffet" for her and the child!

First level, second level, third level...

Her steps were light, as if she were strolling in a courtyard, and she didn't even bother to activate her Protective Spiritual Shield!

...

Outside the cave, there was a massive Profound Ice Mirror that reflected the situation inside the cave in real-time.

At this moment, aside from the sound of the wind, there was a deathly silence.

Everyone's eyes were wide, as if they had seen a ghost, and their jaws dropped to the floor.

"How is this possible?!"

Zhao Rushuang cried out in shock, her previous contempt completely gone, replaced by a face full of horror.

"She... she actually didn't activate her Protective Spiritual Light?! She's resisting the cold Qi with her Physical Body alone?!"

"Is she made of iron? Even a Body Cultivator wouldn't dare play like this!"

On the Profound Ice Mirror, the speck of light representing Lin Qingxue not only didn't stop but continued to descend at a steady speed!

Fourth level... fifth level... sixth level!!

"She's reached it! The sixth level! She's actually still smiling?!" a Disciple pointed at the mirror and screamed.

Elder Yun Liu stared intently at the mirror, her concern long since transformed into extreme ecstasy and shock, completely unaware that she had snapped several strands of her whisk.

Her hands trembled as she muttered to herself:

"A Physical Body without impurities, immune to all techniques... this is one of the highest Realms of Supreme Emotionless, 'Jade Skin and Ice Bones, Selfless Formlessness'!"

"A Genius! No, a Prodigy!"

"I knew it! The pain of severing emotions was not suffered in vain! Qingxue has truly reached a great enlightenment!"

Yun Liu was flushed with excitement. She turned to look at the Disciples who were already dumbfounded, especially the pale-faced Zhao Rushuang, and scolded loudly:

"Do you see? This is the power of a firm Dao Heart! You spend all day scheming over minor conflicts. Look at your Junior Sister Lin; for the sake of the Great Dao, she finds life in a dead end! This is true great perseverance and great wisdom!"

Zhao Rushuang trembled under the scolding, her head bowed, but her heart was in a state of collapsing turmoil.

How could this be?

Just by breaking a marriage, she could become this strong? Does severing emotional ties really have such great magic?

Should... she find a man to try it too?

...

The sixth level of the Ice Cave.

The cold Qi here had condensed into solid Ice Malevolence; ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators would die upon contact.

But around Lin Qingxue, a strange vacuum zone had formed.

Ice Malevolence? That was just a snack for the child.

"*Burp*~"

Sitting cross-legged on the ten-thousand-year profound ice, Lin Qingxue let out an ungraceful burp.

It wasn't that she was hungry, but the little ancestor in her belly was stuffed.

The extreme cold Qi within a hundred-meter radius had been swallowed clean, and that purple-gold Chaos aura had grown a tiny bit stronger.

At the same time.

Crack!

The cultivation barrier within Lin Qingxue's body shattered once again!

Her aura surged!

Late Foundation Establishment Stage!!

Less than twelve hours had passed since her last Breakthrough!

If this cultivation speed were to get out, the entire cultivation world would probably go crazy!

"Revered Master said this is the power of Supreme Emotionless..."

Lin Qingxue looked down and stroked her slightly warm lower abdomen, feeling the intimacy and dependence coming from within. A playful and charming smile played at the corners of her mouth.

"Revered Master, oh Revered Master, if you knew that this shocking cultivation of mine was all thanks to being pregnant with the seed of that mortal man you look down upon..."

"I wonder if you would be so angry that you'd suffer a Qi Deviation?"

A sharp light flashed in her eyes.

Since everyone has misunderstood, let the misunderstanding go even deeper.

"Roar—wu..."

Just then, a low growl came from the depths of the Ice Cave. It was a Third-order Peak Yao Beast, a Cold Chi, that had guarded this place for hundreds of years.

It should have been awakened by a stranger's aura and become furious.

But at this moment, within that low growl, Lin Qingxue actually heard a deep... fear?

It was as if it were facing an ancient Bloodline sovereign, so scared that it shrank at the bottom of the cave, trembling, not even daring to show its head.

Lin Qingxue was taken aback, and then her smile deepened.

"Even this beast is afraid of you?"

"It seems Mother really made the right bet this time."

She slowly closed her eyes and began to stabilize her surging cultivation. The figure in her heart, which was originally a bit blurry, now became exceptionally clear.

"Brother Feng..."

"Wait for me to emerge from seclusion; I will surely give you a huge surprise."