The evening clouds have scattered, letting the clear cold overflow; the Silver River silently turns its jade disc.
Bai Ningbing gazed through the window lattice at the distant night sky.
A full moon, crystal clear, hung suspended in the curtain of night. Occasional wolf howls from the distant mountains added a touch of desolation to the moonlight.
In the study, the Bai Family Patriarch sat nearby, his face drained of all color, looking utterly lost.
Just moments ago, Bai Ningbing had told him about the Beiming Ice Soul Body.
"Beiming Ice Soul Body… Ten Extreme Aptitude…" The Bai Family Patriarch murmured over and over.
"I can already feel that my days are numbered. My Empty Orifice has gradually become unable to bear the load. All these years, I've truly caused you so much trouble!" Bai Ningbing sighed softly.
His expression was calm. The sickly indulgence and madness of former days had completely dissipated. In their place was a serene tranquility.
This serenity came from within his heart.
He, Bai Ningbing, had found his own path and would no longer be troubled by life and death.
Everyone grows.
The stimulus of life and death accelerates one's maturation even further.
Moonlight cascaded down like water, illuminating Bai Ningbing's fair skin. As the radiance shimmered, a hint of depth appeared within his pair of blue eyes.
The picture-perfect youth, with snow-white hair and white robes, seemed like an immortal walking among clouds, turning heads wherever he went.
"How can this be? When your aptitude was tested before, it was clearly Grade A at ninety-nine percent—not the Beiming Ice Soul Body at all." The Bai Family Patriarch still couldn't quite accept it.
"That was indeed the case. But during the process of cultivation, one day my aptitude suddenly advanced. I checked the clan's records, and such situations are documented. A Grade A aptitude at ninety-nine percent has the potential to become a Ten Extreme Aptitude during cultivation," Bai Ningbing explained.
"Ten Extremes defy the heavens, and the Great Dao will not tolerate them. Even among the Ten Children of the Human Ancestor, not one met a good end. Sigh… is there truly no way to turn this around?" The Bai Family Patriarch gazed at the beautiful youth before him, feeling immense pity and regret.
He was the clan's pride, the hope for their rise. But his days were numbered, his life approaching its end. Though he grew ever more brilliant and radiant, like fireworks, he could only blaze in one final, dazzling instant.
"There is no cure, but there are some methods that can delay it. The problem is that every one of them requires years of preparation, and I no longer have the time."
When Bai Ningbing said this, he even managed a faint smile.
He was light and breezy, as though the person he was discussing was not himself but some unrelated stranger.
"It's alright. Who doesn't die? True immortality doesn't exist! As long as one lives brilliantly, that's enough." He turned around and comforted the patriarch instead.
"I refuse to accept this! I absolutely refuse!! Damn it—my Bai Family has been oppressed by the Gu Yue Clan for centuries. We finally dared to hope, and this is the outcome?! No—there's still a sliver of hope. There is!"
The Bai Family Patriarch's voice grew louder and louder, then suddenly stopped. His expression turned resolute, as if he had made some kind of decision.
"Come with me. I'll take you somewhere…" He rose to his feet and spoke.
A short while later.
Moonlight like water illuminated a deep pool.
"Could this be the Yuan Spring?" Bai Ningbing asked. He had been led by the Bai Family Patriarch through a long, hidden passage to reach this place.
"Correct. This is the clan's forbidden ground, the location of our Yuan Spring. As you know, the foundation upon which every clan stands is a natural Yuan Spring, which produces the Yuan Stones needed to sustain cultivation."
"Our Bai Family can only be considered a small-to-medium clan. Only by absorbing the Gu Yue and Bear families and possessing at least three spring sources could we be regarded as a large clan." The Bai Family Patriarch sighed.
"Then why did you bring me here, Patriarch?"
A complex expression crossed the Bai Family Patriarch's face. He turned to look at Bai Ningbing, his gaze growing hesitant. "Originally, I never intended to bring you here. But who could have predicted things would turn out this way—I never expected you'd become the Beiming Ice Soul Body. Your only chance lies within this spring source."
"What's in this spring source?" Bai Ningbing asked.
"The Great Immortal!" the Bai Family Patriarch said in a deep voice.
"The Great Immortal?" Bai Ningbing was surprised.
"'Great Immortal' is a respectful name for it. It is a Snake Gu left behind by our Bai Family's founding ancestor. It loves cleanliness and feeds on the waters of the Yuan Spring, having lived secretly within it all this time." The Bai Family Patriarch explained.
"Before the founding ancestor passed away, he established a hidden inheritance treasury and left this Snake Gu as the key. If you can earn the Great Immortal's recognition, it will guide you to the inheritance treasury. But if you fail to earn its recognition…" The Bai Family Patriarch trailed off, unwilling to finish.
"What happens then?" Bai Ningbing asked.
The Bai Family Patriarch's expression was grave. "Then it will kill you!"
At the same moment, at the Guye Stockade.
In the room, Tie Ruonan put away her investigation Gu and nodded with satisfaction. "The environment here is decent. Relatively clean."
When she said "clean," she didn't mean the room was tidy or well-kept. She meant there were no surveillance methods nearby.
But completely clean? That was impossible.
After all, Tie Xue Leng was a powerful Fifth Transformation cultivator—far too threatening. Precautions were necessary.
But the Gu Yue Clan's defenses and surveillance were perfectly calibrated, kept to a subtle minimum that wasn't off-putting. They could even be interpreted as overly eager, enthusiastic hospitality.
That was why Tie Ruonan described it as "relatively" clean.
Tie Xue Leng nodded slightly. "Ruonan, you've been at my side for a long time and have indeed learned a great deal. But some things you must do yourself—mere observation isn't enough. That's why I'm letting you solve this case."
"Father, I'll do my best and give it everything I have!"
"Mm, very good. Then let me ask you—what should be your first step?" Tie Xue Leng tested her deliberately.