Chapter 27: The Incantation

When the last of the Qingling Pills had finally run out, the sound of cracking at last reached her ears. It was as sweet as heavenly music; the shell was covered in a web of fissures. Though Han Su was nearly drained, she rallied herself, listening as the cracks grew louder and louder. She watched as the round shell split with a crisp snap, breaking cleanly in two. At the center lay a damp, white bundle. It stretched its body, then began to lick the sticky fluid from its fur. When it finished, it snatched the shell—still floating mid-air under Han Su's control—and ate it. After devouring everything, it stood curiously in the air, tilting its head as it stared at her for a long while. At last it spoke: "Master, why haven't you finished yet?"

Only then did Han Su remember to withdraw her spiritual energy. The little white bundle, now freed from her control, drifted gently to the ground. Standing there, it stared into her eyes, just as she stared back, neither moving to meditate and restore their energy. It seemed to understand her, and finally, the foolish master sat down and began her meditation.

When Han Su finished her cultivation, she discovered that her spiritual energy had suddenly increased. She could finally take a good look at the little creature she had just hatched. She grabbed the fluffy beast, who was gnawing on a magic artifact, and scolded it sternly, "Aren't you supposed to feed on fire spiritual energy? Why are you chewing on magic tools?"

"This is a fire-attribute artifact..." the little one blinked its big red eyes at her.

"Wait, are you a rabbit?" Han Su turned it over in her hands, inspecting it. "You look just like a lop-eared rabbit." At this, the creature bristled with indignation, its four fiery red paws flailing. "I'm not a rabbit! Your whole family are rabbits!"

"All right, all right, you're not a rabbit. But that's the name I'm giving you. How about it, you'll be called Ah Tu." The Xuanhuo Spirit Beast refused to accept this with all its might, and in the end, the name settled as "Snow Spirit."

Han Su hugged the adorable Snow Spirit and rubbed it vigorously for a while before finally remembering to ask about its abilities. Snow Spirit struggled free from her grasp, raised its head with pride, and strutted before her.

"I am the Xuanhuo Spirit Beast, have you never heard of me? I can swallow and breathe mysterious fire!"

"Swallowing and breathing fire... isn't that the Huodou?"

"I am not that idiot Huodou! Huodou is only a branch of my bloodline, possessing just a fraction of my power!"

"So what other abilities do you have?"

"You're too young, you wouldn't understand even if I told you. You'll see in time!"

"Hmph, you're the one who's young."

"Ah! Right, this! Where did you get this?" Snow Spirit suddenly reached under its belly and produced a jade token, which floated into Han Su's hand.

"Isn't this my jade token? How did it end up in your belly?"

"Hehe... While you were meditating, I saw it on the floor and picked it up."

Han Su knew that many high-level spirit beasts possessed their own storage spaces, so she wasn't particularly surprised. She gave it a stern warning not to touch her things, then turned her attention back to studying the jade token.

"Do you know what this is?"

"Try channeling both ice and fire spiritual energies into the patterns on each side of the jade, tracing the lines until they meet at the top."

Following its instructions, Han Su began the process, expecting it to be a simple task. To her surprise, guiding her spiritual power was unusually difficult. Several times she felt she could not push through, but she gritted her teeth and persisted. When the two energies finally converged at the point, her face was ashen, sweat pouring down, and she was on the verge of collapse.

As the red and white energies met, a brilliant light burst forth, enveloping the entire jade token. When the white light faded, Han Su found that the token had split into two parts: a jade talisman and a perfectly white pearl with faint red veins.

After adjusting her breath for a moment, she pressed the talisman to her forehead and then slowly lowered her hand in astonishment. It turned out to be a cultivation technique perfectly suited to her—"The Mysterious Fire and Ice Heart," a higher-level version of the "Ice and Fire Heart Sutra" once obtained by the sect's founder Daoist Ningyuan. It could be cultivated all the way to the Great Ascension stage. After reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, she could use a secret method recorded in the talisman to refine the pearl—it was an immortal palace.

For a moment, Han Su was at a loss for words. To have such a golden opportunity fall into her lap all at once—was fate afraid she would give up her destiny as a savior? Her mind was in turmoil. She did not begin practicing the new technique immediately. Instead, she carefully put away everything scattered in the room, withdrew the formation, and with Snow Spirit quietly allowing itself to be held, left the room.

She opened the cultivation chamber, summoned her flying artifact—the Little White Lotus—curled up inside, and floated up into the sky. Whenever her mood was troubled, she liked to fly among the sect’s mountains. In her previous life, months of work would earn her paid vacation; now she was finally living the idle life, and with travel so easy, she certainly took every opportunity for a spontaneous journey. Moreover, the Yaohua Sect occupied one of the best spiritual veins in the Luo Xing Realm, with abundant spiritual energy and unique scenery across each peak. Having experienced the worsening environment of Earth, Han Su could never tire of the beauty here. Spirit Mist Peak was shrouded in mist, covered in myriad spiritual plants, fresh and fragrant; Spirit Hidden Peak seemed to float in a sea of clouds; Spirit Pool Peak reminded her of a celestial lake; Spirit Sword Peak boasted blue skies, white clouds, and streaks of golden energy...

Lying in the Little White Lotus, she soared over mountain after mountain. When she reached Spirit Medicine Peak, she encountered a figure blocking her path.