Xi Lingyun wasted no time, immediately speeding towards Xi Meiyings direction. Having awakened a wind element, he was especially fast. But as he got closer to Xi Meiying, he realized she wasn't moving. Gathering a storm in his hand, he laughed maniacally.
Xi Meiying watched the buffoon get closer. She raised her snow white hand as she said in an ethereal voice, words so soft that they were not audible.
'Azures Dream'
A small transparent globe that appeared to be glazed with ice formed above her palm.
Back at the viewing platform, the Grand Patriarch immediately saw this and knitted his brows.
"This girl…"
The patriarch heard his commentary, and was about to ask the meaning of it until the Grand Patriarch disappeared. Appearing over the Arena, the Grand Patriarch lifted his arms, immense pressure emanating from him. White fog began to gather around the arena as it hugged it from all sides, blocking the audiences view. The audience stood confused as to why the grand patriarch would do such a thing, but speaking their minds was last on the list.
Seeing this, Xi Heji frowned. He then turned to look towards the patriarch, only to find him wearing a puzzled face too. Xi Heji immediately reached into his spatial ring, taking out a communication crystal.
"Grandfather, can you see what's going on behind the fog?"
The crystal lit up before Xi Heji received a response.
"I can't sense anything at all, the fog seems to have the ability to completely mask qi fluctuations."
Xi Heji thought for a moment
"Ok, let me know if you find something"
"Of course, Heji"
Xi Fengge put the crystal down, squinting his eyes at the arena.
"Before the fog screen, I sensed intense atmospheric change, but even the Grand Patriarch doesn't have this level of elemental mastery, even being at the stage he is."
He widened his eyes.
"Could someone have come to take Xi Meiying because of her potential, in order to keep the balance of power among the clans?"
Xi Fengge looked around the arena for anything that might attract his attention, finding nothing.
***
Back at the arena, Xi Lingyun felt a cold sensation in his head, but paid no mind to it.
Just as Xi Lingyun was about to reached Xi Meiying, she lifted her head to meet his eyes. Her eyes, even though behind a veil, shone an infinite blue, nearly causing Xi Lingyun to trip over himself after being lost in them for a moment. He started laughing.
"You must've thought me a fool to try to trick me with mere gimmicks!"
He continued laughing maniacally as he brought down his fist onto Xi Meiying. Xi Meiying, seemingly unprepared, was blasted backwards, her back dragging against the floor of the arena until she came to a stop. Xi Lingyun narrowed his eyes and jumped back.
"I'm not stupid, COME OUT!!!"
His voice rang out in the seemingly empty Arena. Xi Lingyun looked at the audience after hearing their complete silence. Seeing their faces filled with indifference, he felt chills down his spine. Something was screaming in him, trying to tell him something deep down inside of him, but he couldn't understand it. This feeling of unease was something unlike he's ever felt before.
The Xi Meiying he just hit slowly stood up, her body visibly shaking, but nothing was said in response. Her body slowly faded as if she was just a mirage.
He suddenly punched out behind him, his elemental wind compressing into a punch. Immediately jumping back, he realized no one was there. Betraying his feelings, he yelled out loud.
"HAHAHA, How long are you going to hide?! I can see where your little husband gets his traits!"
He laughed, though this laugh seemed more to comfort himself then he intended. He suddenly heard laughing right next to his left ear, he punched in the direction, causing the platform of the arena to crumble and crack. The laughing grew louder, he suddenly felt something running down in his chest area. He looked down, realizing the gaping hole that somehow appeared on his chest, blood endlessly oozing out. Trying to bring his hand to feel the hole in his chest, he realized he couldn't move. Raising his head up again, he saw Xi Meiying standing before him a couple meters away. He vision was blurring, and the next time his eyes focused, Xi Meiying was in-front of him. Her deep blue eyes fully in focus.
"You b*tch! You don't think I don't know this is an illusi-"
Xi Meiying put her finger on his mouth. He realized he could no longer talk. Her lifeless eyes that seemed like blue pearls looked down to his chest. Reaching her hand towards the gaping hole in his chest, she ran her hand around it.
She then traced her finger up his chest, up his face, until it reached his left eye.
He widen his eyes at the realization, trying to scream and move, but his body wasn't responding.
The same eerie smile appeared again. She no longer seemed like the ice fairy in his eyes. She seemed like an ice devil, lost in the frozen hell only to bring him with her.
She scooped his eye out, blood gushing out. He could suddenly move again, regaining control of his body.
"AHAHHAVHHIHAUH!"
He screamed, feeling like the inside of the body was burning. Though this sensation wasn't the same as someone feeling heat, this sensation was cold, so cold it was burning him from the inside out. He covered his now missing eye with his hand, unable to stop the blood that seemed to have no end. Feeling death loom over him, he looked towards Xi Meiying. He was in no state to fight. He reached out quickly, putting all the remaining qi in his body in order to generate wind, pushing him forward. Before he would die, he would sully her, giving him the last laugh. He laughed crazily as he approached her, reaching towards her bosom. But Xi Meiying made no attempt to move, allowing him to touch her.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-"
Xi Lingyun suddenly stopped laughing, feeling her body so cold, it could be mistaken for a corpse. He suddenly fell back, collapsing onto the floor. He started violently shaking, and wouldn't stop. Though he wasn't making any noise, he was still fully conscious. Feeling ice crawling all over his body, as it froze him then broke apart, slowly dismantling his body from the inside.
He would never wake up again.
***
Outside the arena, the fog had already long been faded away. Inside the arena, many outer elders appeared, seeing Xi Lingyun laying on the arena floor, they attempted to get a reaction out of him. Even after feeding him the all the recovery pills at their disposal, he showed no signs of waking up. He just laid there motionlessly on the ground.
All the while Xi Meiying slowly descended the steps of the arena. But before she could reach the final step, the Grand Patriarch appeared before her, putting a hand on her shoulder and disappearing from the scene.
***
Up in the elder viewing rooms, Xi Fengge eyed Xi Meiying. Something was off, though he couldn't comprehend it. He looked towards Xi Lingyun who was now being taken care of by the outer circle elders. Xi Fengge noticed the normal circulation of qi was no longer present. It seemed to be gathering to a single point. He widened his eyes and immediately leaped out of his seat, appearing beside the outer circle elders. He released his air qi, blowing all the elders out of the arena, before disappearing himself. Seconds later, the patriarch and 2nd elder also noticed the abnormality of the qi circulation in Xi Lingyuns body.
"Elder Hai!"
Elder Hai immediately disappeared from beside him. The patriarch raised his hands to reseal the barrier, while the 2nd elder quickly teleported out the outer circle elders that were about to enter the arena. Seconds later, Xi Lingyuns body exploded, causing a massive tornado to form, blasting apart the arena in the radius of the body of Xi Lingyun. The Arena barrier closed, containing the flying debris and violent winds from striking the audience.
The audience gaped at the sudden events, with the younger practitioners in the audience closing their eyes at the scene.
Xi Heji also noticed the different air Xi Meiying gave off as she left the field. He looked at the place she disappeared at, thinking to himself
***
The Grand Patriarch and Xi Meiying appeared in his residence. Not even a second later, ice started forming around his hand that was placed on Xi Meiyings shoulder. He immediately took his hand off and dispelled the ice. He started feeling the ice entering his veins, freezing the inside of his hand. He was all too familiar with this, and quickly chopped his hand of with his other hand, then sealing the wound with his own qi.
"You have it under control now?" The grand patriarch said as he looked up at her.
Even looking at the grand patriarchs missing hand, Xi Meiying showed no reaction. Her blue eyes looked up at the grand patriarch emotionlessly. It took awhile before her pupils shook as she closed her eyes and replied with indifference.
"Yes"
The Grand Patriarch discovered shortly after taking Xi Meiying as a disciple of the special nature of her Ice element. It seemed to be an extreme variant, a special constitution of ice unique to her, as she is probably the only one in the world that possesses it.
Azures Frost.
It is an ice that can act alive, able to create illusions, manipulate the thought process, as well as act as a virus that when coming in contact with a person, not only freezes the outside but completely takes over the inside. It would expand and contract, dismembering and ripping a person from the inside. It is also really tied to the emotions of the user. Any emotions they express are expressed many times over by comparison to a normal person. The Grand Patriarch realized that anytime she experienced frustration during training spars with him early on in her discipleship, her elemental mastery would increase by several fold, with her demeanor becoming almost unrecognizable. It would take some effort on his part to snap her out of this state. As time went on, she was able to control herself, allowing her to control the state she was in. Though something always puzzled the Grand Patriarch. From records of Azures Frost, a personality change never occurred. Although Xi Meiying tells him that she is fully conscious during moments in that state, having experienced her state many times during their training, he could say that she is almost a completely different person. A stark contrast to the usually calm, and indifferent personality, she because almost bloodlusted, doing inhumane things that completely changes her fighting style. The Grand Patriarch could never find out even after looking around the empire, so he assumed it was a mutation of the Azures Frost that may have caused it to deviate form the records the empire has on it. He looked at Xi Meiying blues eyes again.
"It would be best for you to not contin-" But Xi Meiying interrupted him.
"I'm returning". She said as her voiced faded and she disappeared.
The Grand Patriarch felt frustrated, but he wouldn't stop her, well because, he couldn't.
***
Appearing at the entrance of the Arena in order to not raise attention, she walked towards her seat.
Moments later, the Grand Patriarch reappeared in his seat, watching his disciple walk towards her seat next to him.
"Grand Patriarch, is there something that needs to be brought to my attention?"
The patriarch asked as he noticed the abnormal atmosphere between the disciple and master.
"Nothing of concern" His old voice replied.
***
Seeing Xi Meiying was just fine, Xi Heji felt relief. With the actions of the Grand Patriarch, he felt something had happened to her, but it turns out she was okay, or at least appeared to be.
Xi Heji reached into his spatial ring and pulled out a communication crystal. He waited until she was fully seated to activate it.
'Is everything okay?'
Xi Meiying also pulled her communication crystal out as she felt it's qi fluctuations inside the spatial ring. She looked towards Xi Heji, and tried to smile to reassure him. But her face wouldn't move, she closed her eyes as her answered him.
'I'm fine, a side effect of my cultivation art'
Seeing as Xi Meiying didn't explain, he didn't press any further. Many earth element outer elders were seen in the arena repairing it for the next battle. Soon, they were done.
The patriarch once again announced the drawing, reaching his hand as his announced the next battle.
***
As an hour passed by and battles were fought as the Sun settled a bit lower, shortly, Xi Heji was finally called.
"Xi Heji vs Xi Haohuan"
The audience gasped. It was the second strongest of the younger generation vs who could be said to be the weakest of both the outer and inner circle seeing as he never cultivated. Xi Heji stood up, walking towards the stairs of the arena. Regardless of the stares and exclamations of mockery. He then felt his communication crystal fluctuate. He pulled it out and heard a voice in his head.
'Good luck'
Xi Heji turned around to face Xi Meiying, and though her face and voice remained indifferent, he still managed to sense the feelings she was conveying.
"Senior brother?"
Xi Haohuan woke up out of his daydream as he was tapped by his junior brother. Seeing Xi Heji's confident walk up the stairs without a worry in the world only added to his unease. He reached into his spatial ring and pulled his communication crystal.
"Father, I would like to borrow the the Sky Qi blade."
"Hao'er?"
The 3rd elder looked at his son from the viewing room.
"I feel that Xi Heji may possess a spirit beast"
The 3rd elder widen his eyes upon hearing the news.
"Are you able to handle it? Last time you were only able to last a minute."
"I only need a minute father".
The sword Xi Haohuan was referring to was his families Legacy sword, as it was passed down for hundreds of years. It has incredible power, but puts incredible strain in the user, even at the 3rd elders level.
The 3rd elder appeared next to him. This action was noticed by may but no one thought much. Nobody would expect that the second strongest genius of the Xi Clan would use the strongest sword at his disposal to deal with a human with no talent in cultivation. He wanted to assure he would beat him, in front of Xi Meiying of course.
His father touched his spatial ring, transferring the sword to his ring.
"Don't over do it"
"Of course, father"
The 3rd elder then returned to his viewing room. All these actions didn't go unnoticed to Xi Fengge, but he couldn't figure out what he would need to tell his son that couldn't be told over communication crystals. He would make sure nothing happens to Xi Heji.
Xi Heji and Xi Haohuan stood across from each other.
"The 9th battle of the in-".
"Wait"
A/N: This was a longer chapter, but anyone have any guess on what happens to Xi Meiying in her Azure Frost state?🤔
*The cultivation stages will be in an info chapter at the beginning of the book, apologies for the inconvenience.