The aurora overhead burned green and violet as Leng Xue stood in the open courtyard of Frostpine Stronghold. Snowflakes drifted across his hair, sinking into the thick fur robe his mother had sewn.
Around him, half a dozen cousins laughed, sparring clumsily as their faintly awakened spirits flared. One bludgeoned the other with icy hammer construct; another froze patches of snow beneath boots.
Xue stood apart, palms glowing faint as his own Frost Veil aura shimmered outward. It was not dazzling. Only a haze of cold air. Yet wherever children tried to rush him, their steps grew heavy, slowed by fractions. Their laughter turned awkward as they stumbled, slipping, falling.
"Xue always does that!" one cousin shouted, cheeks flushed red. "Your frost tricks are annoying."
But the elder watching from steps chuckled. "And so Xue survives when you fall. Pay attention."
Those words lingered. For the first time, Xue was not ridiculed for weakness, but as example. The contrast from his first life struck him deep.
This time, they notice. This time, patience is seen as strength.
That night, curled beside fire with Yuexin—his mother Luo humming lullabies—he whispered inwardly: "My roots grow already…"
Training Under Frostpine
Lessons became stricter as weeks passed. Every dawn, youths gathered to chant lines from the Frost Creed:
Even weak frost has use. Clan above self. Preserve, endure.
Elders drilled them. Some cousins advanced faster, boasting that they reached Rank 5, 6. Whispers compared numbers, measuring worth by rising ranks.
Leng Xue, steady at Rank 4, ignored envy. His Frost Veil grew denser, lasting longer. Though slow, it never weakened.
One cousin mocked loudly: "You'll always be behind, Xue. My power burns brighter!"
Xue only smiled faintly. "Snow always falls quiet. But when storm comes, let's see who still stands."
His quiet words unsettled even the elder listening. They remembered ancestor Tian had spoken similarly—centuries past.
The legend lived again, unbroken.
🔥 End of Chapter 56