A WESTERNER'S ROUTES INTO THE MARTIAL UNIVERSE

Chapter 14. The Frostbound Torrent

Xiaobo was not the only person looking intently at the invisible sphere in his hands. Kathryn, from her elevated space, stared into the same point with unseeing eyes. Within the ethereal plane of her mind, she contemplated the mental representation of a glistening water sphere, a liquid globe in constant motion. Patches of crystal-clear transparency revealed glimpses of its hidden depths, while dark-blue sinuous streams kept coiling on its surface, reflecting the ebb and flow of the universe.

Kathryn's inner realm extended towards the arena, where Xiaobo was staring into the same globe, striving to bring it from the ethereal plane into the real one. Their energies, like two rivers converging into one, met within the ever-changing confines of the globe. The unexpected intimate connection transcended the boundaries of the tangible, creating the resonance of souls and bringing their combined power into the real world.

The crystal water sphere from the ethereal plane manifested itself in Xiaobo's hands, now visible to everyone on the Tranquil Currents Terrace. For a few brief moments, lowering his left hand, he held the iridescent globe in his palm. Then, with a swift motion, he sent it up into the air. Reaching its apex above the arena, the sphere broke into multiple streams.

Before the water could fall to the stone surface and flow back into the geometric ponds, Xiaobo extended his hands, and the streams froze - gradually, from top to bottom. They did not crush to the ground but stayed hanging in the air, glistening like a frozen waterfall.

"It's good that I didn't listen to Leader Huang and stayed in the Pavilion. This experience is worth getting a little cold," said Leader Zhang.

"Is Xiaobo doing something that much out of the ordinary?" asked Miss He.

"Not really. Or rather, he is doing something unexpected. The whole sect thinks he's in stage two when he's already broken through into stage three. But that in itself is not something too extraordinary. We all knew he'd do it one day."

"Xiaobo's just seventeen. Leader Zhang does not find it extraordinary?"

"Ah, Ling Wu. Don't say we haven't seen this before. Hong Junjie did that at fifteen."

"Right, but he's a genius. Normally, you need at least fifteen years more."

"Well, we have a new genius in the Three Planes Sect. An extra one is always good. Xiaobo's Frostbite Spray was spectacular. Do you envy the Court of the Four Seas Pavilion now, Ling Wu? I bet you wish Xiaobo was the senior disciple of the Martial Arts Court instead of wasting his time around the Library."

Leader Huang shrugged his shoulders and eye-rolled.

"He's a novice to Calm Stillness Amidst Turbulence. He knows what it's about, but understanding the depth of its application has not yet come to him. Let's see if he'll be bold enough to do the Frostbound Torrent."

Leader Zhang was not wrong about the need for warmer clothes. The air of coldness radiated from the central area where Xiaobo continued to channel his mastery over the Calm Stillness Amidst Turbulence. Soon, a thick layer of ice covered the water in the pools of the arena, and the entire surface turned frosty white.

The show, however, did not stop there. With lightning speed, Xiaobo dropped on one knee, and his palm met the stone floor with a resonant thud: the ice all around him shattered, creating a myriad of razor-sharp fragments. The power of the energy wave broke the majestic frozen shapes in the air, turning them into clouds of icy shards.

Now standing upright, Xiaobo extended his arm, palm facing upwards, and his fingers formed a delicate lotus shape. A subtle glow surrounded Xiaobo, hues of deep blue and aquamarine undulating with a calming rhythm of flowing water.