The Mighty Purple Sect was vast, its mountain fortress divided into layers that reflected the rigid hierarchy within. At the summit, the Inner Sect shone with jade towers and spirit gardens, while at the base sprawled the Outer Sect, crowded with wooden lodgings and training fields. Between them lay the gulf of privilege and struggle, a divide that shaped every disciple’s destiny.

  Uriel and Mateo were escorted into the Inner Sect compound, where disciples in violet?trimmed robes cultivated beside shimmering pools of liquid qi. They were given their own courtyard, uniforms, a jade identity token, and access to the lower floors of the sect library. The air there was fragrant with spirit herbs, and even the stones seemed to hum with energy.

  Nathan, on the other hand, was led down to the Outer Sect compound, where hundreds of disciples trained in crowded fields. His lodging was a wooden hut, his robes simple, and his token unadorned. Yet to Nathan, the sight carried a quiet wonder.

  For the first time in his life, he had a space that was truly his own—no one to command him, no duties to steal away his hours, only the freedom to cultivate and grow. The hut’s resin?scented walls and small window opened toward the training fields, where the shouts of disciples rose and fell like a chorus of ambition. The floorboards creaked faintly under his steps, but instead of weakness, they spoke of endurance, of a place that had sheltered countless cultivators before him.

  Nathan ran his hand along the rough grain of the wood, feeling its warmth under the afternoon sun. It was not luxury, but it was stability, and that alone filled him with resolve. He vowed to seize every opportunity, every resource, every breath of qi this place offered, until the humble hut became the cradle of his strength.

  He headed straight to the bathing room, eager to clean up. It had been days since he last touched water, and the grime of travel clung stubbornly to his skin. His hair felt heavy, his body sticky, and even his breath carried the faint taste of dust.

  This chamber was modest yet refined—a small stone pool fed by streams of qi?infused water. The surface shimmered faintly, releasing a cool mist that carried both purity and vitality. Subtle arrays carved into the walls kept the currents fresh, cycling the water endlessly so that impurities dissolved into qi and dispersed as harmless vapor. Lined with spirit?stone inlays that harmonized with the sect’s formation, the pool remained perfectly balanced—soothing the body and sharpening the spirit, far beyond anything Nathan had ever imagined.

  He discarded his robe without hesitation, letting it fall to the floor like a shed skin. His frame, lean yet defined from the marble’s tempering, caught the faint shimmer of mist curling through the chamber. Muscles tempered by celestial fire flexed subtly as he lowered himself into the pool, the silver?blonde strands of his hair catching droplets of qi?infused water. The currents embraced him, seeping into his pores, easing his fatigue, and clearing his mind.

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  The sensation was immediate—heat and weariness melted away, replaced by a cool clarity that spread through his limbs. Nathan closed his eyes, inhaling deeply as the mist curled around his face, and for the first time in days, he felt truly renewed.

  When he finally emerged, he reached for his new clan uniform. Though the fabric was plain and lacked the prestige of Uriel’s garments, it was sturdy, comfortable, and far finer than anything Nathan had ever owned. He slipped it on with quiet satisfaction, the robe settling across his shoulders like a promise of belonging, even if the sect had placed him in the Outer Sect, far below his brothers.

  Afterwards, Nathan sat cross?legged upon his bed, his breathing slow and deliberate. The quiet of late afternoon wrapped around him as he turned his focus inward. His mind reached toward his life?saving treasure, the marble. He hoped—no, he believed—that within it lay the key to his seventh skill of the Celestial Silver Method.

  As his consciousness scanned through his meridians, a faint glow stirred within the silver marble. At its core shimmered a blue hue, cold and pure, while around it drifted a misty white frost, curling like frozen breath. Nathan’s eyes remained closed, but his heart quickened. This was Ice Qi, essence drawn from the beast’s body and sealed within the marble.

  Then, like a scroll unfurling in his mind, a cultivation scripture revealed itself. Its title burned with crystalline clarity: Ice Art Manipulation.

  The marble imparted knowledge not in fragments, but in vivid detail. Nathan saw the first technique etched into his consciousness:

  Avalanche—a domain of frost that could transform the world around him into frozen silence. At his current realm, its reach was limited to twenty feet, yet even this was formidable. It could immobilize enemies in ice, yet erupt defensively like an avalanche to repel even powerful strikes.

  The marble showed him not only the technique’s name but also the methods of channeling Ice Qi, the visualizations required to harmonize his meridians, and the ways to wield the cold as both blade and barrier. Nathan marveled at the clarity of the teachings—every breath, every gesture, every thread of qi was laid bare before him, as though the marble itself were a master guiding his hand.

  For ten days, he remained in meditation, his body and spirit immersed in the marble’s teachings.

  Frost spread across his courtyard, creeping over stone tiles and wooden beams. Icicles formed along the eaves, and the air grew sharp, biting with unnatural chill.

  Nearby disciples abandoned their huts, driven back by the suffocating cold. Even at a distance, the aura of Ice Qi gnawed at their flesh, a warning that to linger too close was to invite frostbite.

  Within his chamber, Nathan’s breath became mist. His body resonated with the marble’s energy until the technique was no longer foreign—it was his own.

  On the tenth day, Nathan opened his eyes. A faint glimmer of frost lingered in his gaze, and the courtyard beyond lay transformed into a frozen sanctuary. He had grasped the essence of Ice Art Manipulation’s first technique.

  And now, with the Avalanche technique at his command, Nathan stepped forward into a new chapter of his cultivation journey.