Xiao Fan woke up the next day to an unusual chill in the air. It wasn't the crisp morning breeze that usually greeted him. No, this was something far colder—a presence that made the very atmosphere feel hostile.
As he stepped outside his humble quarters, he found the courtyard completely frozen. Ice sculptures adorned the once lush trees, and the training grounds were encased in a thick layer of frost.
"Looks like someone's upset," Xiao Fan muttered to himself with a grin.
He knew exactly who this was—the Ice Fairy herself. Leng Qingxue wasn't one to let things go lightly, and after the slap, there was no way she'd let him walk away unscathed.
Xiao Fan's first stop was the Inner Sect courtyard, where Leng Qingxue had meditated the day before. The icy aura was thicker now, as if the very landscape had become a reflection of her rage. Every step Xiao Fan took caused small crystals to form beneath his feet, and the temperature continued to drop the closer he got to the center of the courtyard.
And there she was—standing in the middle of the courtyard, her long white robes trailing in the frozen wind. Her pale skin almost blended with the snow around her, but her eyes—they burned with cold fury.
"Xiao Fan," Leng Qingxue's voice was as cold as the ice around them. "You've crossed a line. A line that shouldn't be crossed."
Xiao Fan stood tall, unfazed by the icy winds blasting through the air. "Oh, I thought I already did. But, if you need me to cross more lines, I'm happy to oblige."
Leng Qingxue's eyes narrowed. The temperature dropped even further, and Xiao Fan could feel his breath turn to mist in the air.
[Ding! New Quest: Survive Leng Qingxue's Ice Fury]
Objective: Avoid being frozen solid.
Reward: +1000 EXP, +1 Slap Dao Mastery, and +1 "Frozen Heart" (Special Item)
"Are you trying to freeze me?" Xiao Fan laughed, his body still warm despite the freezing conditions. "If you think this will stop me, you're wrong."
The next instant, Leng Qingxue raised her hand. With a single gesture, the entire courtyard seemed to shudder, as if the very fabric of the air had turned to ice. A massive wave of freezing energy shot toward Xiao Fan, the sharp sting of it cutting through the air.
Xiao Fan didn't flinch. He didn't dodge. Instead, with a loud crack, he slapped the incoming wave of ice energy.
SLAP!
The slap resounded like thunder, and the wave of ice shattered in mid-air, evaporating into mist. The sheer force of the slap sent a shockwave that rattled the courtyard, freezing the ground beneath Xiao Fan's feet but leaving him untouched.
Leng Qingxue's eyes widened. She had never met anyone who could challenge her ice like this. Her fury only intensified.
"Don't think for a second you've won," she hissed, her voice now more dangerous than before.
Xiao Fan grinned. "Oh, I'm just getting started."