The morning mist in the Serpent's Nest Pavilion was not composed of mere water vapor; it was a swirling, ethereal suspension of high-grade spiritual energy. After a single night of utilizing the Star-King Breathing Technique within this high-density environment, Yin Shen felt as though his very marrow had been replaced with liquid starlight.
The Chaos Meridian within him had acted like a gravitational well, greedily devouring the ambient Qi until the mist around his meditation mat had completely thinned.
As the first rays of the sun pierced through the lattice windows of the sandalwood hall, Yin Shen opened his eyes. A faint, violet-gold hum vibrated in the air around him. He stood up, his movements fluid and silent, his 6th-stage Body Tempering physique now feeling more like a coiled spring of tempered steel than the frail frame he had inherited.
However, the tranquility of the morning was abruptly shattered.
The heavy, jade-encrusted gates of the pavilion estate creaked open, and the rhythmic thud of boots announced the arrival of visitors. Yin Shen didn't need to look to know who they were; his Eye of Insight [Level 2] already picked up the signatures. One was a calm, frigid vortex of energy, as stable as a mountain of ice. The other was a jagged, flickering flame, unstable and fueled by a toxic mixture of shame and resentment.
Yin Shen walked onto the main balcony, looking down at the courtyard. Yin Xue stood in the center, her white robes fluttering in a wind only she could feel. Beside her, Yin Jian stood with his arm still in a complex wooden splint, his face contorted into a mask of pure loathing.
"You've made yourself quite comfortable in a place that doesn't belong to you," Yin Jian spat, his voice echoing against the jade pillars. "Savor it while you can, Trash. You have three days before the ancestors reclaim what you stole."
Yin Shen ignored his brother entirely, his gaze landing on the Third Sister. "I assume the Council has reached a decision."
Yin Xue looked up, her blue eyes reflecting the morning sky like two frozen mirrors. "The Council is divided," she stated, her voice devoid of emotion. "Elder Yuan believes you are a demonic fraud. The Merchants believe you are a miracle. To settle the matter, the Matriarch has decreed a re-examination. In three days, you will be taken to the Ancestral Vault to stand before the Major Awakening Stone."
Yin Shen's eyes narrowed slightly. He knew of the stone, but he also sensed there was more to this message.
"It is not merely a test of your veins, Yin Shen," Xue continued, her voice taking on a weightier tone.
"Because the Ancestral Vault is being opened, the Ancestors will be watching. Those who have broken through the Dao Manifestation Realm and ascended to a higher Realm of Existence maintain a spiritual link to that stone. They will look down from the higher planes to witness whether the Yin bloodline has truly produced a Supreme genius or a stain that needs to be erased." She finished her explanation.
A flicker of interest crossed Yin Shen's face. Ascended beings. In his past life, he had fought kings and emperors, but he had never encountered beings who had transcended the mortal coil entirely. The thought of being scrutinized by "gods" should have terrified him, but instead, it made the Chaos Meridian within him thrum with a defiant, predatory hunger.
"The Ancestors..." Yin Shen whispered, a small, dangerous smile playing on his lips. "I hope they enjoy the show."
"Arrogant bastard!" Yin Jian roared, unable to contain his bile any longer.
He took a step forward, his good hand clenching into a fist as orange Qi began to spark around his knuckles. "You think because you caught me off-guard once, you're suddenly a peerless genius? You're a 6th-stage Body Tempering fluke! I've spent the last twenty-four hours refining my Blazing Sun Qi with high-grade spirit stones. I'll tear that smile off your face before you even reach the Vault!"
Yin Xue didn't move to stop him, her gaze remaining fixed on Yin Shen. She seemed interested in seeing how he would handle a head-on confrontation now that Jian was prepared.
"Jian, don't." Xue said softly, though there was no real effort in her warning.
"Stay out of this, Sister!" Jian bellowed. He lunged forward, his feet cracking the decorative tiles of the courtyard. Despite his injury, his speed was significantly higher than their previous encounter. He didn't use a palm strike this time; he channeled his energy into a piercing finger-thrust aimed at Yin Shen's throat.
"Die!" He yelled as his fist lunged towards its target.
Yin Shen's Eye of Insight flared.
[Target: Yin Jian]
* Cultivation: Body Tempering (6th Stage - Peak)
* Status: Overloaded with Spirit Stone Qi, Mentally Unstable.
* Initial Intent: Piercing strike to the carotid artery.
Yin Shen didn't use Flash Step immediately. He waited until the last possible millisecond, his golden eyes tracking the trajectory of the orange sparks.
As the finger-thrust was about to connect, Yin Shen pivoted his heel, the silver starlight Qi in his legs snapping him into a blur.
He appeared to the left of Jian, his hand already rising to strike the back of Jian's neck.
"Again?!" Jian screamed, his desperation manifesting as a sudden, violent burst of Qi from his pores—a suicidal move that pushed his energy outward to create a barrier.
The two were less than an inch apart, their auras clashing with a sound like grinding metal. The orange fire of the Blazing Sun fought against the cold, dense violet-gold of the Star-King. For a moment, the courtyard was a vortex of clashing intentions.
"ENOUGH!"
The word didn't just vibrate in the air; it felt as though a mountain of solid ice had suddenly been dropped onto the courtyard.
Yin Xue stepped forward, and the world changed.
She didn't move fast, and she didn't strike. She simply released her aura entirely.
[Warning: Massive Spirit Pressure Detected!]
[Target: Yin Xue - Releasing 'Glacial Spirit' Domain]
[State: Absolute Zero Intent]
The spiritual energy in the courtyard, which had been warm and sweet, was instantly flash-frozen. The spirit lilies withered into crystalline dust, and the very air became a physical weight, thick with frost and killing intent.
Yin Shen felt as if his lungs were being filled with liquid nitrogen. His Chaos Meridian roared in protest, trying to devour the invading cold, but the sheer volume of the energy was overwhelming. It wasn't just Qi; it was a manifestation of a "Will" that had been tempered in the depths of a frozen hell.
THUD.
Yin Jian, already unstable from his forced cultivation and his rage, couldn't withstand the pressure for even a second. His knees buckled, cracking the marble as he was slammed into the ground.
He let out a choked gasp, his eyes rolling back in his head as the sheer cold of Yin Xue's aura suppressed his nervous system. Within heartbeats, he slumped forward, rendered unconscious by the absolute authority of his sister's power.
Yin Shen fared better, but only barely. He was forced down to one knee, his teeth gritting so hard they threatened to shatter. He used the Star-King Breathing Technique to create a thin layer of protective energy around his internal organs, but the "Ice Queen's" pressure was relentless. It felt like being a candle trying to stay lit in the middle of a blizzard.
He looked up at her, his vision blurring as frost began to coat his eyelashes.
Yin Xue stood over both of them, her white robes now glowing with a terrifying, pale blue light. She looked down at Yin Shen, her expression not of anger, but of a stern teacher disciplining an unruly pet.
"I told the Council that you were a resource," Xue said, her voice sounding as if it were coming from every direction at once. "Do not prove me wrong by fighting like a common thug in the dirt. You are a candidate for the Major Stone. Act like it."
She waved her hand, and the crushing pressure vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
Yin Shen gasped, the sudden return of warmth to his lungs causing a stabbing pain in his chest. He stayed on one knee for a moment, his heart hammering against his ribs.
'So this is the true power of the Foundation Establishment realm,' he thought, his mind racing. 'Even with a Divine-tier breathing technique and a Supreme-grade meridian, the gap in raw cultivation is a chasm I cannot jump yet. I am a 6th-stage Body Tempering mortal. She is an expert who has built her Spirit Sea.'
He recalled the rumors he had heard in the servant quarters years ago—the title that even the Elders whispered with a hint of fear when referring to the Third Young Miss.
The Ice Queen of Destruction.
She hadn't even used a martial art. She had simply existed with enough intensity to bring the world to its knees.
Yin Xue looked at the unconscious Jian with a flicker of annoyance, then turned back to Yin Shen. The frost on her robes vanished, and she returned to her state of serene indifference.
"Three days," she repeated. "Spend them wisely. If you show up to the Ancestral Vault with nothing but arrogance, the Stone won't just fail you. The Ancestors' gaze alone will shatter your soul."
She reached down, grabbed the collar of the unconscious Yin Jian with one hand as if he weighed nothing, and began to walk toward the gate.
"One more thing, Yin Shen," she said without looking back. "The Major Stone doesn't just measure what you are. It shows the path of what you will be. If your heart is not as strong as your blood, you will not survive the vision."
The gates closed behind her, leaving Yin Shen alone in the ruined courtyard. The spirit lilies were dead, the jade tiles were cracked, and the lingering scent of ozone and ice remained.
Yin Shen stood up slowly, dusting the frost from his silver hair. He looked at his hands, which were still trembling slightly from the residual cold.
"Ice Queen of Destruction..." he murmured, his golden eyes burning with a new, fiercer light. "Foundation Establishment is the third realm. I am only at the start of the first."
He looked toward the main hall of the pavilion, where the Qi mist was already beginning to reform.
"Three days is not much time," he said, his voice hardening into a vow. "But in three days, I will not be the same man who was just forced to his knees. If the Ancestors want to watch... then I'll give them a reason to never look away."
----