When I woke up, the entire cultivation world was talking about my master.

"The jade pendant that Master always wore before... was made when I was fourteen years old. My skills weren't good enough back then. So I've always wanted to make a better one for Master."

The glass box gleamed with a warm light in the boy's palm. Chu Xianlan lowered his eyes slightly and used his fingertips to open the clasp on the side.

The moment it was activated, an icy blue aura flowed out.

Yi Chen seemed not to have reacted, his gaze following the movement of his fingertips.

When he saw it clearly, he was momentarily speechless.

It was a translucent white jade pendant shaped like an ice lotus, of exceptional quality. Each petal, as thin as a cicada's wing, was inlaid with icy blue ice crystals from the frigid land. The most unique part of it was not the lotus itself, but rather the lifelike white snake coiled around the ice lotus.

The snake's head is slightly raised, its body is wrapped around the lotus stem, and its tail replaces the silk tassel of a typical jade pendant, with a small section of the tail tip winding down below the lotus seat, appearing lively and natural.

Upon closer inspection, one can discover that the overall shape of the White Snake is very similar to that of the Unbound Boat, almost exactly the same as the ancient sword transformed into a hairpin.

Such exquisite craftsmanship must be the result of countless hours of painstaking refinement.

"At first I only carved lotus flowers, but I felt it was too monotonous. Then I remembered the shape of the Unbound Boat after it became a hairpin, so I made a corresponding one." Chu Xianlan smiled and looked at Yi Chen's hair.

"This is an ice-type protective magic artifact. In addition to its function of resisting attacks, the Frosty Ice Soul can enhance the power of ice-type spiritual energy. Wearing it daily can also nourish the meridians..."

Chu Xianlan stopped halfway through her self-introduction.

Why isn't Master speaking?

They just kept staring at me with such a serious expression, it didn't seem like they were going to accept it.

"Master," Chu Xianlan asked proactively, "How is it? Do you like it?"

After all, it was her masterpiece, which she had painstakingly crafted. Chu Xianlan was quite confident in this aspect, at least much better than the one from a few years ago.

"Your teacher..."

Suddenly, Yi Chen was startled awake, and the words "I like it" that were on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back down.

Like? What do you like?

It's not about liking the gift, but about...

Yi Chen naturally liked the magical artifact crafted by his disciple. Just thinking about the sincere feelings the boy had poured into it filled his heart with a touching warmth, as if he were being filled with something soft and fluffy.

However, the way a weapon cultivator courts...

Isn't it just a magical artifact that I personally crafted for the person I love?

Chu Xianlan couldn't possibly be unaware of this, because since it couldn't be expressed in words, she... chose to take direct and forceful action?

Is deliberately not pointing it out an intentional hint, or is it hiding a cunning little scheme, afraid of being discovered?

No, maybe she's actually hoping he'll find out.

Otherwise... I wouldn't have deliberately asked him "whether he likes it or not," since it sounds like I'm asking about his liking for the magical artifact, but in reality... who can really say for sure?

How should I answer this?

Yi Chen is caught in a dilemma.

Does accepting it mean tacitly acknowledging his feelings and accepting his advances?

To refuse would be disrespectful to Chu Xianlan's sincere feelings for him; wouldn't it break his heart?

After a long while, Yi Chen finally managed to find his voice, asking in a low, hoarse voice, "When...did you start preparing?"

Chu Xianlan thought for a moment and then said, "Actually, I started drawing the design before Master came out of seclusion. I originally intended it as a gift to celebrate his coming out of seclusion, but I couldn't send it out in time because I always felt it wasn't good enough and revised it many times."

Every word he spoke seemed to weigh heavily on Yi Chen's heart, growing heavier and heavier. Yi Chen listened, not daring to look into Chu Xianlan's burning eyes.

Did he seclude himself in the forbidden area for five years, while his disciples just waited foolishly, repeatedly refining and pondering day and night, gradually casting all their unspoken thoughts and expectations into the work?

The snow fell silently, and the night wind passed between the two of them, blowing a few strands of hair on Chu Xianlan's cheek. He felt itchy and wanted to brush them away, but because he was still holding the glass box in his hand, he could only squint.

When Yi Chen saw that he couldn't free his hands, he came to his senses and had already taken the glass box from him.

"Ah, thank you, Master."

Yi Chen: "..."

He looked at the glass box in his hand and belatedly realized what he had done.

But the body acts before the brain, and it's too late to regret it.

Seeing that her master had accepted the gifts, Chu Xianlan was no longer nervous. She rubbed her itchy eyes with the back of her hand, feeling very relaxed and happy. Her eyes sparkled, and she took a step forward.

But in someone's mind, his appearance was the epitome of triumphant elation.

Yi Chen kept a straight face, knowing he shouldn't have accepted it, but since things had come to this, he could only nervously hold the still-warm glass box.

As Chu Xianlan approached, the boy's scent, like the fresh air after a snowfall, wafted over her.

Yi Chen felt his heart beating faster; a wave of panic washed over him, his chest pounding, and he could almost foresee—

The next second, Chu Xianlan would excitedly rush into his arms.

Should he avoid it?

Or... should I just stand here and let him lift me up?

A simple hug shouldn't be considered inappropriate. He knew Chu Xianlan was likely emotionally agitated and might not be able to maintain proper boundaries. Although he wanted to be closer to her, but...

This is the sect's mountain path; if a disciple happens to pass by and sees us... that wouldn't be good...

As a result, Chu Xianlan stopped just half a step away from Yi Chen.

He said half-jokingly, "Master, I have been rude."

The boy didn't hug him. Instead, he bent down slightly, reached out and untied the old jade pendant that Yi Chen had worn for several years from his waist, and put it back into his storage pouch.

Yi Chen: "?"

Then, Chu Xianlan deftly flipped her long, slender fingers and personally hung a new jade pendant on the other person's wrist.

After doing all this, he immediately stepped back, his gaze lingering on his master's waist for a moment. He nodded in satisfaction, thinking to himself, "It really matches my master's perfectly."

That's so true to me!

The sense of accomplishment is off the charts!

"Then I'll go into seclusion in the Mirror Spirit Realm. See you in half a month. This disciple takes his leave!"

After bowing, Chu Xianlan turned and ran, her tall, dark hair swaying behind her head. In the blink of an eye, she disappeared into the falling snow.

Everything came to an abrupt end.

Yi Chen stood quietly in place for a while.

The night wind suddenly picked up, and the light snow that had been falling gently just moments before suddenly turned into a heavy, downpour.

"Achoo—!"

A disciple passing by the mountain path sneezed loudly and muttered to himself, "Strange, why is it suddenly so cold?"

Chu Xianlan, on the other hand, was not cold at all. He was running so hard that his whole body was warm and his hands felt hot. He had a lot of energy to spare and couldn't wait to activate the formation as soon as he arrived at the entrance of the Mirror Spirit Realm.

Only when he sensed signs of his cultivation level weakening did he dispel all the illusions of demonic beasts around him, sit cross-legged, and close his eyes to concentrate.

Meanwhile, Master Zhiyue lay on the eaves, lost in thought with his eyes closed.

Metal generates water, water generates wood, wood generates fire, fire generates earth, and earth generates metal.

Since the child can use the spiritual power of water and wood, it means that he must also be able to merge with the spiritual power of fire and earth.

The five elements are in harmony, allowing for effortless cultivation.

Unaffected by the slowdown in cultivation speed caused by multiple spiritual roots, it is inclusive and integrates the five elements of heaven and earth into one, evolving into all phenomena.

Master Zhiyue opened his eyes and sighed.

"...Oh dear, I really don't know if this is a blessing or a curse."