The night after my exile felt endless. The Northern Cold Residence was quiet—too quiet. Wind whistled through broken windows, and the world outside was nothing but a sea of snow. I sat there on the old wooden floor, breathing slowly in the dark, watching the faint glow of my chest through torn robes.
Arina's voice came softly, almost like it drifted from another life.
"Host, the primary task has now been activated."
I lifted my head. "What task?"
"To increase your cultivation," she said evenly, "to clear your name, to avenge the humiliation you suffered, and finally — to become the strongest in the Tianyuan Continent. The final goal: unify the entire world under your will."
Her words burned brighter than fire. My fists clenched unconsciously. "And how do I start?"
Arina's tone turned gentle but firm. "The System rewards strength and purpose. Your first Destiny Node is complete — therefore, your first signing reward will be distributed now."
A cascade of golden light filled the small room. I felt energy surge into my body, wild and powerful. My heart pounded, and my veins glowed faintly like lines of molten metal.
"Your previous cultivation realm," Arina explained, "was Body Tempering, Second Layer. The reward has elevated you directly to Qi Condensation, Third Layer. You have crossed three boundaries at once."
The moment she spoke, I felt it—a current of life bursting open in my chest. The air trembled around me. For the first time, I could sense the spiritual energy flowing in the world, a soft hum under everything.
I took a breath that felt sharper than any blade. "So this… is cultivation."
"Yes," said Arina. "And the journey ahead only grows deeper."
The light faded, but before it vanished completely, a circle of soft blue energy formed in front of me. Symbols of gold and ice danced within it. Arina's voice turned resonant. "Next reward: your first summoning. Summoning identity generation complete."
The circle spun faster until light erupted from its core. A figure stepped out, wrapped in silver mist.
When the glow settled, a girl stood there.
She looked about sixteen or seventeen—tall, slender, and dressed in a long white robe threaded with frost-blue marks. Her hair flowed down like spun snow, reaching her waist, and her eyes were the colour of the winter moon. Her presence felt calm, distant, but strangely sorrowful, as if her soul carried the silence of a thousand cold nights.
Arina's voice introduced her formally.
"Name: Lian Xueyin.
Age: 17 years.
Cultivation: Golden Soul Realm, First Stage.
Spiritual Root: Ice-Elemental Divine Root.
Innate Talent: Frost Heaven Enlightenment.
Physique: Nine-Frozen Veins Body—pure yin constitution, supreme compatibility with divine ice techniques.
Technique: Frozen Heart Scripture.
Speciality: Combat mastery, frost-element sealing and defence, and spiritual beast taming.
Favorability toward Host: 60%."
I stared, stunned not just by her beauty but by her aura. She was powerful—far beyond what I could imagine—yet carried an air of sadness so cold it hurt to see.
"Arina," I whispered, "what happened to her?"
Her tone turned quiet, like a story told beneath the stars. "Her past is tragic. She was once the daughter of the Divine Frost Clan, one of the Twelve Noble Families of Tianyuan. But her father betrayed the empire while hunting for forbidden cultivation. When the clan was punished, only she survived—spared because her fiancée's sect intervened to use her power. Yet, she was betrayed again. The man she loved sold her to demonic cultivators to steal her spiritual root. She was left half-dead in the snow."
I felt my heart tighten. "And I…?"
"In the rewritten memory of this world," Arina said, "you—Prince Mukul Zhao—were travelling through the north during your exile. You found her fainted near the Frozen Lake, healed her wounds with spiritual herbs, and carried her to safety. To her, you are the man who once saved her life and walked away without asking anything in return. Now, fate brings her back into your story."
As Arina's words faded, Lian Xueyin's silver eyes softened when she looked at me. Her voice was quiet but steady. "So you're alive… I've been searching for you."
Her breath made a faint mist in the air. I could feel the frost energy around her pulse with sorrow and gratitude.
Before I could answer, bright light returned around us again. My head spun. The world melted—cold wind, falling snow, everything twisting.
Then, I opened my eyes.
The world had changed once more. I was lying in the back of a wooden carriage meant for transporting warriors or prisoners—the kind with no canopy, creaking wheels, and the smell of dust and iron. My hands were free, but faint chains rattled behind me. Along the side of the road, armoured guards rode spiritual horses with glowing eyes, keeping their distance like they escorted shame instead of royalty.
I sat up slowly. The road stretched endlessly ahead through mountain fog.
Arina's voice sounded within my mind again, calm as ever. "Host, the system has adjusted your circumstances to maintain identity integrity. The world believes you have been transferred from exile to serve under an old military outpost. From here, your true story will begin."
I flexed my fingers. My energy felt alive—stronger, clearer. The power of the Qi Condensation Realm moved in slow circles beneath my skin.
Then, a faint cold breeze drifted from behind the carriage. I turned, and there she was—Lian Xueyin, walking beside the road with silent grace, a faint frost trail following her steps. The wind caught her white robe, and for an instant, she looked like snow come to life.
When our eyes met, she smiled softly—a fragile, distant smile that could melt stone. "It seems fate never lets us go, Prince Mukul."
I didn't answer. I only felt that old heaviness in my chest lifting, replaced with something sharp and cold—resolve.
Arina's voice whispered one last line. "Destiny Thread: The Frost-Bound Companion. Initiated."
I turned my gaze forward as the carriage rattled through endless mist.
The road was uncertain, but my heart no longer wavered. I had fallen once as a prince—now, I would rise as something far greater.
And this time, the world would remember the name it had cast into the snow.