Lina seized the opportunity to make her demand. "If you can take one of my attacks, I'll let this matter slide."
"No way!" Before Sulan could respond, Sumin shot to her feet and rejected Lina's proposal.
She knew Lina was Level 6. Even though her Senior Brother stood at the pinnacle of the younger generation, he was still only sixteen. He'd be at a disadvantage against Lina. What if this awful woman took advantage of the situation and seriously injured him, or even...
"Everyone's responsible for their own actions. Since I was the one who offended you, I'm willing to accept punishment according to sect rules."
Despite being the weakest of the four present, the white-haired girl's spirit moved everyone.
Sulan was deeply touched, then stood up to stop her.
"Let's do as Lady Lina suggests."
Seeing his junior sister's anxious expression as she tried to say more, Sulan gently patted her shoulder and smiled confidently at her.
The moment Lina made her demand, Sulan understood.
As an elder and a master of one of the peaks who'd made a mistake in front of her junior, wanting to save face was only natural. At worst, she'd seal him once, what could happen?
After all, Lina had no evidence against him. At most, she'd give him a symbolic lesson and wouldn't really cause any serious trouble.
His junior sister was standing up for him. As her senior brother, taking this hit for her was only right.
Besides, Lina was protective of her own. By standing up for his junior sister, he might leave a good impression and make her go easy on him. If he chickened out here, not only would he disappoint his junior sister, but he'd also increase Jade Phoenix Peak's hostility toward them.
Whether from a rational or emotional standpoint, he chose to take Lina's attack, even if it meant taking it to the face.
Lina looked back and forth between them, approval flashing briefly in her eyes.
Sulan walked to an open area.
Lina stopped twenty paces away, while Sumin and Yunshu flanked her on either side.
Yunshu grasped Lina's sleeve with both hands, softly pleading with her master not to hurt Sulan.
"Don't worry, I know my limits."
Sumin could only stare helplessly from the side, her soft pink lips pressed tight, her expression unwilling yet helpless. I am still too weak, when trouble came, I still needed senior brother's protection.
"Are you ready?" Lina called out loudly.
Sulan held his sword diagonally in front of him, taking a defensive stance. "Please instruct me."
Lina's red robes fluttered without wind. She slowly extended her lotus-like right arm, using her overwhelming spiritual power to lock onto Sulan's aura, then casually snapped her fingers.
"Vast Sea Freezing Hundred Ice!" Her mature voice was lazy yet commanding, carrying undeniable authority.
Though it was a midsummer night, the temperature within dozens of steps was instantly drained away. With Sulan at the center, an extreme cold storm erupted. In the blink of an eye, Sulan was frozen into a crystal-clear ice sculpture.
He had no time to struggle, his expression perfectly serene.
Even the ground beneath his feet wasn't spared, covered in a thick layer of frost.
It was as if the seasons had reversed and winter had arrived!
Even from this distance, the two girls could feel the bone-chilling cold.
Yunshu looked at her master with complex emotions. She believed Sulan's cultivation was profound enough that he'd be fine, but she couldn't help muttering to herself: Freezing someone into an ice sculpture, what kind of "knowing your limits" is this?
Sumin's face went pale with fright. She almost rushed forward to throw herself against impossible odds.
Just then, a long crack appeared on the ice sculpture's surface. With crackling sounds, the crack spread like a spider web, then with a loud crash, Sulan broke free from the ice.
He stood like a lone figure in an icy wasteland, shaking himself off as tiny ice crystals scattered around him, creating a beautiful, dreamlike scene.
Looks like he'd bet correctly. Lina's technique looked fierce as a tiger but dealt damage that approached 0.5, and she'd specifically left a warm current around him just in case.
This time he learned his lesson though, waiting three second before shattering the ice from within.
Since Lina wasn't playing for real, he'd cooperate and put on a show too. Everyone wins, wouldn't that be wonderful?
Lina's expression was half-smile, half-knowing as she murmured "As expected." She'd only attacked to verify Sulan's true strength. If he couldn't break free as she anticipated, she would have personally rescued him. She was confident that even if Sulan's cultivation was only Level 3 like her disciple's, he wouldn't be in danger.
Sumin ran forward and circled her senior brother several times. Only after confirming he wasn't frostbitten did she relax and break into a smile. She'd been determined that if anything happened to her senior brother, she'd risk her life to seek justice from the sect leader.
Sulan saw his junior sister's concern and felt very gratified.
When he'd first brought this failure of a junior sister back, his main purpose was to keep her by his side as a foil, to have her attract his master's fire.
He never expected his deception would earn such genuine treatment from his junior sister. Honestly, Sulan felt a bit guilty about it.
Tomorrow I will double down on my efforts!
Sulan patted her head, looking at Lina with meaningful eyes.
Lina waved her hand grandly. "As the master of Jade Phoenix Peak, I naturally keep my word."
With that, the farce officially ended.
Afterward, Lina called Sulan aside.
Without a word, she tapped his forehead twice.
Just as Sulan was about to speak, he felt two cultivation techniques appear in his mind.
"The Universe Spirit Sealing Technique and Vast Sea Freezing Hundred Ice. You've passed my test, so I'm passing these two secret techniques to you."
All along, Lina had viewed everything related to Heavenly Jade Peak through colored glasses. But today, she truly realized that Sulan was nothing like she'd imagined. On the contrary, his appearance, cultivation, and character all matched the title of Celestial Gate's senior brother.
Especially when he knew he'd face her wrath but still stepped forward to protect his junior sister, that had deeply moved Lina.
Lina was protective of her own, so she felt a kinship with Sulan's actions.
She wouldn't bow her head, but passing secret techniques to Sulan was her way of compensating him.
Sulan figured these two techniques were probably look-but-don't-use for him, but he still had to thank her verbally.
Why look-but-don't-use? His cultivation was only Level 1, and these two secret techniques consumed far more spiritual power than any ordinary Level 1 cultivator could support. If he forced himself to use them, he'd probably be drained dry before the technique even activated, dying from energy exhaustion.
Whatever. Getting two secret techniques for free, what more can I ask for?
Since it was a rare opportunity, Sulan had a question he wanted Lina to confirm.
If Yunshu hadn't planned to screw him over, then...
But that guy had zero self-awareness. It was ridiculous!
Sulan hesitated for a moment, then spoke: "Elder, can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
"Does Yunshu have some very deep reasons?" If anyone in Celestial Gate might know the inside story, the first person Sulan thought of was Yunshu's master, Lina.
Lina's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly. She didn't confirm it, but she didn't deny it either.
"Someone entrusted me with certain matters. I'll tell her some things after she breaks through to Level 4."
"I understand. I'll pretend I don't know about this." Sulan's principle was that one less problem was better than one more. He certainly wouldn't spread the truth around and cause trouble for himself.
Lina placed her hand on his shoulder, gradually increasing the pressure with a KIND smile.
"Can you tell me how you found out?"