"What?! Luo Lingmiao isn't outside? Wait, why are you bathing in broad daylight?!"
Lu Bingxuan's mind raced with panic, a torrent of internal curses flooding his thoughts. With no way to back out gracefully, he steeled himself for what was to come. If he didn't complete the check-in now, there'd be no second chance.
"D*mn it, system! Check in and activate the Xuanming Dao Body now!"
Channeling his spiritual energy to quicken his movements, Lu Bingxuan bolted past the screen. With a leap, he plunged directly into the bathtub. He glimpsed a rare expression of shock flash across Luo Lingmiao's usually cold and aloof face before his eyes shut tightly.
The instant he made contact with the water, an overwhelming chill erupted from the tub. The once-steaming bath froze solid in an instant, encasing both the water and Luo Lingmiao in glistening ice. The extreme cold turned the mist into frost, which clung to her hair, eyebrows, and delicate skin.
"So cold…"
The biting chill dulled Luo Lingmiao's thoughts. She struggled to process why Lu Bingxuan had barged in and turned into what appeared to be an ice sculpture, sitting cross-legged in the frozen tub.
Instinctively, her body sought warmth, but any attempt to circulate spiritual energy only made the coldness more unbearable. Strangely, despite the ice, her movements weren't restricted.
What is happening? she wondered. Her intuition screamed at her to flee the tub immediately, even if it meant braving the freezing air to grab her clothes.
As she struggled to rise, the icy slickness caused her to slip back into the tub. Her black disciple robes, stored nearby, seemed to sense her plight and slithered onto her body like swimming fish, covering her fair skin. Despite this, she couldn't escape the tub.
Then, a surprising warmth spread from Lu Bingxuan's body. Luo Lingmiao stared at him in disbelief. This culprit—responsible for freezing the entire room—now radiated an inviting heat.
Confused but desperate, she found herself leaning toward him, her instincts overriding her conscious thoughts as she absorbed his warmth.
Meanwhile, Lu Bingxuan was entirely oblivious to her predicament. His consciousness was submerged in the depths of the Xuanming Dao Body's awakening. His mind was filled with a vision of endless ice and snow, suffused with divine intent that awaited his comprehension.
The chill radiating from him spread rapidly, frosting over the entire room. Ice crystals crept along the walls, furniture, and even seeped outside, blanketing the pavilion. The once rosy mist surrounding the Cloud Veil Pavilion crystallized mid-air and shattered into glittering fragments as it fell.
The Outside World
"What's going on? Such overpowering cold energy!"
"Lingmiao, are you alright? What happened?"
The closest disciple to Luo Lingmiao's residence, her senior sister Qianhua, noticed the anomaly and began calling through her identity token. However, there was no response from Luo Lingmiao.
Realizing something was wrong, Qianhua attempted to enter the pavilion, but the protective array blocked her path. Frustrated, she summoned her spirit treasure, a divine seal, and slammed it against the array's barrier.
A deep hum reverberated as the array resisted, glowing with layers of intricate runes. The commotion drew the attention of several nearby disciples, who arrived on beams of light.
"Qianhua, what's going on?"
Seeing the frozen pavilion and feeling the biting chill, the newcomers quickly used their divine sense to communicate. Realizing the situation might involve a hidden danger, they prepared to strike the barrier together.
But just as they were about to act, a dignified figure materialized, halting their efforts.
"Stand down."
The arrival was a stunning woman with a crimson mark on her forehead, dressed in ornate robes that exuded authority. All the disciples immediately bowed.
"Greetings, Elder Wuyun!"
"Master!" Qianhua, visibly relieved, quickly explained, "Master, something strange is happening inside Lingmiao's residence! It's completely frozen over!"
"Do not worry. I came because of this very incident. This is Lingmiao's opportunity. You all may leave," Wuyun Elder reassured them before issuing a firm dismissal.
Once the disciples departed, Elder Wuyun vanished and reappeared within the bathing chamber.
Inside the Icebound Chamber
Elder Wuyun's gaze swept over the frozen room, settling on Lu Bingxuan, who sat cross-legged, exuding an aura of profound depth.
The entire chamber had transformed into an ice cavern. Frost covered every surface, and the freezing air even attempted to encase Elder Wuyun herself in ice. Luo Lingmiao, however, was an anomaly. Despite the extreme cold, her complexion was flushed, and her body showed no signs of frostbite.
Instead, she was tightly pressed against Lu Bingxuan, in a position that could only be described as a ashamed posture.
"Is this… the Xuanming Dao Body?" Elder Wuyun murmured, her expression a mixture of surprise and intrigue.
She had initially assumed that Luo Lingmiao's spiritual root had undergone a mutation, transforming into an ice root. But the true source of this icy phenomenon was not Luo Lingmiao—it was the Seventh Sequence, Lu Bingxuan.
Still, questions swirled in her mind. Why had the Seventh Sequence left his pavilion and traveled all the way to her island? More bafflingly, why was he awakening his Dao Body in Luo Lingmiao's bathtub?
Given the rivalry between the Water and Fire Lineages, plus the engagement between Luo Lingmiao and Xiao Yi, Elder Wuyun couldn't help but detect the scent of drama.
"Lingmiao, clear your mind and begin cultivating. This is your opportunity. Don't waste it!"
Elder Wuyun's stern voice snapped Luo Lingmiao out of her daze. Still disoriented, she realized her intimate position with Lu Bingxuan and felt a surge of embarrassment and fury. Her usual composed demeanor cracked under the weight of the situation.
"Lingmiao, focus! Dispel distractions and meditate!" Elder Wuyun scolded, her tone brooking no argument.
Using her spiritual energy, Elder Wuyun forcefully stabilized Luo Lingmiao's state of mind, guiding her into cultivation. Though Luo Lingmiao didn't fully understand, her master's urgency convinced her to comply.
She soon discovered that the spiritual energy entering her body felt like piercing ice needles. The pain was unbearable, as though her meridians were being gnawed by countless ants.
"Endure, Lingmiao! If you want to annul your engagement, this is your chance!" Elder Wuyun encouraged her, recognizing the stakes.
Meanwhile, the Water Lineage Master
The intense fluctuations from Lu Bingxuan's identity token alerted the Water Lineage Master, whose divine sense quickly locked onto the scene.
"What's going on, Wuyun?"
The master immediately grasped the situation. Lu Bingxuan was awakening the Xuanming Dao Body, and Wuyun was guiding Luo Lingmiao to absorb the icy energy, transforming her root into a variant ice root.
Still, the bigger question lingered: Why was Lu Bingxuan in Luo Lingmiao's bathtub?
The Water Lineage Master's lips curled slightly. Oh, this is going to be interesting.