June 19th, 2032 | [Frosted Blades]

Kaze and Evalyn took a shuttle to the edge of the Rimo Forest on the city's outskirts. They sat in silence during the trip, with the former enjoying the scenery and Evalyn pouting that he was ignoring her.

When they arrived at the mountain's base, Kaze pointed to the top. "Do you remember the flat face rock at the top of this section of the mountain?"

Evalyn gave him a quizzical glance. "Yes?"

He laced his fingers and stretched his hands above his head. "Good. Meet me there."

"W-Wait, meet—"

She watched in shock as Kaze ran up the hill at an absurd speed that would make competitive track runners blush.

"That jerk!" Evalyn yelled before running after him with an annoyed look on her face.

Thirty minutes later, she wandered through the forest near the top when she heard a voice.

"Eyoh! Seems you made it." Kaze said with a charming voice.

Evalyn looked up and saw him standing on top of a flat rock face fifty feet in the air. "How did you? Hey, what are you doing!? Kaze—"

Boom!

She covered her eyes as a cloud of dirt assaulted her eyes and coughed.

"Come now." Kaze chuckled, "You need to free yourself of old world standards."

Evalyn looked at him, back up at the rock face, and then back at him. Then she stumbled backward and fell on her butt. He was right next to her!

Thirty-foot falls into an ocean would kill a human three weeks ago, but Kaze jumped from a 50-foot rockface onto the earth and casually walked over to her.

"Free myself?" She laughed awkwardly, "If I did that, I'd die, yes?"

Kaze gave her a cheeky smile while reaching out his hand. "Well, yes. Thank you for reminding me I'm amazing."

Evalyn pulled her hand away in annoyance and stood up on her own.

"Yes, that word describes you. It fits in with the words asshole, narcissist, and criminal." She said with a scrunched-up face.

"I prefer the words generous, confident, and alive." He replied with a charming smile.

The blonde turned away from him, trying not to laugh.

"Come now. I saw a pond over in the distance that will be perfect." Kaze said while walking.

"You're walking this time? That's a shock." Evalyn scoffed.

He turned to her and sent her a slight smile. "Yes. I'm accustomed to following a woman's pace when there's time to enjoy their company."

Evalyn's eyes filled with indigent rage. "Do you have to—"

A cold gust of breeze hit her, and she turned to the source, widening her eyes in shock. The emperor was twirling an ice dagger in his fingers.

It was crystal clear with an intricate hilt carved with artistic engravings. The blade had floral designs that grooved through it, reflecting the light.

"Hoh? You're interested in cultivation?" Kaze mused mockingly, "I thought you came here just to complain I won't sleep with you."

Her eyes became crazed and her wry smile curved in a malicious signal of her mental state. However, she dropped it as the blade in his hand filled her mind with endless curiosity.

"That technique…." Evalyn asked.

"Is Frosted Blades." Kaze replied with a mysterious smile.

He lifted his hands, and the atmosphere plummeted, drawing moisture from the air and developing two dozen intricately designed blades.

Each swirled in the air, releasing gas like dry ice.

She stared at the hovering blades in a trance before—

Whoooooosh!

A dozen blades left gas trails through the air as they shot into the forest.

Evalyn looked just in time to watch them slice through a tree from all sides. She watched the sight in surreal disbelief as the tree tipped over.

"Wait, what…."

BOOM!

The forest trembled as the tree hit the ground. Evalyn turned to him in shock, demanding answers.

"What the hell was that?" She snapped.

Kaze scoffed in annoyance. "How long will you retain that habit of denying my words and questioning the obvious?"

Evalyn took a deep breath. "That's Frosted Blades, right? How can you use that technique?"

"I'm a fifth plane immortal. If I couldn't use a sky-grade technique, I'd hang myself from the Tree of Immortality." Kaze laugh-scoffed in exasperation.

"If it were still possible… oh, heh. I guess it is, isn't it?" He mused under his breath in amusement.

He remembered that the man gave him the technique to restore the Tree of Immortality. Turns out, he did just that.

Evalyn's head cocked in perplexion, unsure why his arrogance shifted.

"What? Never mind. The cultivator said that no one else could use this technique because they didn't have my body." She asked.

Kaze laughed and gave her an amused smile.

"That's why you don't take advice from ants." He chuckled, "Anyone can cultivate any technique. They're weak; therefore, they think like the weak. Come, I'll show you."

The two entered a meadow of lush green forest with a small, crystal clear pond. There was a wooden sign that said, Skaller Pond.

It looked like a small lake with defined shores, lacking the marshy area full of weeds that defined ponds. A major stream led into it, and various small streams exited it.

The area was surrounded by trees, seeping in the final rays of sunshine before sunset began.

Everything looked surreal and beautiful. It was the type of area women would love for a date spot. Evalyn didn't have any interest in that, but she still found it breathtaking.

"Now, sit." Kaze instructed while picking up a large stick and sitting under a tree.

She complied, sat in the lotus position, and turned to him.

"There are four types of five types of Qi." He explained, "Elemental Qi, which is general for all things is the Qi everyone is using."

Evalyn listened with an intrigued expression. He had never taught her anything before.

"Using Elemental Qi, you can alter the laws of physics however you wish." He continued.

"Then there's Yin and Yang Qi. When cultivators [breathe] Qi, it goes through a cycle, processed through the body and mixed with the individual's spirit.

In males, it develops into Yang Qi, and in females Yin Qi. Those types of Qi can only be mined if combined through dual cultivation. They mix, and the bodies share combined resources."

Evalyn's eyes widened, and she blushed furiously before turning away.

"The fourth type is soul Qi, which is released after the death of a being or organism rich with Qi." Kaze chuckled, "Lastly, there's spiritual Qi, which interacts with a person's mind."

She turned back to him to listen again. His ambivalence toward the subject made her realize how impersonal dual cultivation was to him.

"Using these types of Qi, anyone can cultivate any technique." Kaze explained, "However, natural physics comes to reap the souls of those foolish enough to cultivate techniques beyond their means."

Evalyn's ears perked up, ready to receive her answer.

"Observe." He said with a slight smile while holding his left arm out and raising the large stick above his head.

Her eyes widened in shock, and her heart pumped adrenaline, causing her to close her eyes in panic as he swung down.

SNNAAAAP!

"How am I supposed to demonstrate if you don't watch?" Kaze scoffed in annoyance.

Evalyn opened her eyes and found that his arm was in the same position without a scratch. She looked down and found half of the stick on the ground and Kaze waving the other half in his right hand.

"How….?" She whispered.

"This is a body constitution." Kaze said with an amused smile, "My body makes me generally resistant to elemental conditions and impervious to most attacks. However—"

He looked her in the eyes, capturing her full attention.

"It doesn't stop me from getting frostbite if I'm too exposed." He said with a charming half-smile.

Evalyn's eyes widened in understanding. "That…."

Kaze smiled and turned away.

"To use certain techniques safely, you must follow a special path. If you don't, the technique will kill you. That's why those ants found your technique useless." Kaze chuckled.

"That's also why I don't use ice cultivation techniques. However, that doesn't mean I can't use them if I know them."

Evalyn wanted to ask why he knew the technique, but she already knew the answer. It was surreal getting constant reminders.

"You can use these techniques faster in your cultivation journey than any other ice cultivator because your body tempers against the cold as you cultivate." Kaze said.

"That's the only thing that makes you special. Remember that before you get killed by a skilled mortal with a weak cultivation technique."

"I… will…." Evalyn said in a haze.

"Okay." He said with a clap, "Cultivate for an hour. We'll start once you're replenished."