The Sovereign Luo Fengchan

Led by the security guard, Xu Ningbing headed deep into the warehouse, where there was a rolling shutter door.

After the door opened, the interior revealed a small storage room, about the size of an ordinary bedroom.

It was completely empty, save for a stone stele.

The guard placed her hand on the stele, turning back to Xu Ningbing and saying, "Come in."

Xu Ningbing nodded and stepped into the Cold Immortal Sect. The first thing that caught her eye was a massive waterfall plunging from a great height in the distance.

The female guard had originally planned to escort Xu Ningbing and hand her over to the distant sentries, but she spotted a middle-aged woman over there.

The woman was dressed in a long white dress. She was somewhat thin, but her eyes radiated a confident grace, clearly indicating an extraordinary status.

"Fifth Elder."

Seeing the woman, the guard immediately bowed her head in respect.

"Mm, you may return."

The Fifth Elder walked over from afar. "Xu Ningbing, right? The Sect Master asked me to bring you over."

The guard was filled with envy; it really was true that comparisons were odious.

When she first joined the sect, she was only received by ordinary disciples.

However, she also knew that this woman obviously had immense talent, something she definitely couldn't compare to.

Xu Ningbing followed behind the Fifth Elder, walking deeper into the ruins.

Along the way, she took in the surrounding scenery. There were mountains and waters, and the architectural style was graceful and elegant.

It truly lived up to being an all-female sect.

In the center of the ruins was a circular platform encased in ice, currently shimmering with a faint light.

"Let's go. This leads directly to the front of the palace where the Sect Master is."

The Fifth Elder glanced at Xu Ningbing and stepped onto the ice first.

"A teleportation formation?"

Xu Ningbing stepped up as well.

"Correct, but it's a bit more advanced than a standard teleportation formation. The source of this formation lies with the Sect Master. Unless she actively opens it, you wouldn't be able to activate it even if you stood on it."

After the Fifth Elder finished speaking, the two of them vanished from the spot.

Cold Immortal Sect, back mountain.

This place was like a world of ice and snow. Whether it was the trees and weeds on the mountain peaks or the palace at the summit, everything was covered in a thick layer of ice.

In front of the palace gates, four women sat around a square stone table, playing mahjong.

One of them was Ding Hong. Although her hair was completely white and she had aged, her temperament was exceptional.

Besides her, there was an even older woman. Her face was covered in deep wrinkles, and her hair was tied in a bun. This woman no longer had any discernible aura; only pure old age remained.

There was also a middle-aged woman dressed in Hanfu. She was slightly plump, with only a few crow's feet at the corners of her eyes, still retaining her charm.

The last one was a little girl of only eleven or twelve, wearing a standard elementary school tracksuit.

She wore her hair in twin braids resting over her chest, with slightly fluffy bangs framing her pretty face. She looked incredibly adorable.

"Mahjong! Hahaha! Pay up, pay up!"

The girl spread all her tiles out. As she laughed, her eyes curved into little crescents.

Just then, all four of them looked toward the nearby formation.

Subsequently, two people teleported in—the Fifth Elder and Xu Ningbing.

"Xu Ningbing has arrived. I will go attend to my duties now."

The Fifth Elder bowed her head slightly toward the group, then stepped back onto the formation and left.

Xu Ningbing looked at the people before her. Despite feeling a bit nervous inside, she walked over with poise.

"First Elder."

Xu Ningbing nodded to Ding Hong first.

Then, she shifted her gaze to the slightly plump middle-aged woman. "Greetings, Sect Master. I am Xu Ningbing."

"You've got the wrong person. I am the Second Elder, Chen Qiufen," the middle-aged woman smiled.

"Uh, I'm sorry."

Xu Ningbing immediately looked at the oldest woman. "Greetings, Sect Master."

"Hehe, Xu Ningbing, I am not the Sect Master either."

The elderly woman gave a faint smile.

"Ah?"

Xu Ningbing was a little dumbfounded. There were only four people in total, and one was Ding Hong. It couldn't possibly be this elementary schooler, right?

She then cupped her hands slightly. "Seniors, didn't the Sect Master ask for me? May I ask where she is?"

"Xu Ningbing! Do I really look that unlike a Sect Master?"

The little girl stood up, pressing her hands on the stone table. Her height only reached around Xu Ningbing's chest.

"Hahaha! Ningbing, let me introduce you."

Ding Hong pointed at the little girl first. "Our Cold Immortal Sect's Sect Master, Luo Fengchan."

After saying that, she pointed to the oldest woman present. "This is our Supreme Elder, and also the Sect Master's master, Gu Qin."

Xu Ningbing was full of disbelief. How could the dignified Sect Master be a little girl?

Had she even hit puberty yet?

"A Divine-tier cultivation method, much stronger than the Heaven-tier method 'Submerged Water Abyss' you displayed during the martial arts tournament."

Supreme Elder Gu Qin smiled faintly. "However, this Divine-tier method has a flaw. Once it reaches major completion, the practitioner's body will shift back and forth between the age they started practicing and the age they achieved major completion."

"That's right."

Luo Fengchan stood with her hands clasped behind her back. At this moment, she looked just like a brat pretending to be an adult. "I was about twelve when I first came into contact with the method, and I fully mastered it before fifty. Therefore, my body will constantly change back and forth."

Xu Ningbing had never heard of such a miraculous cultivation method. She asked in confusion, "How long does a cycle take?"

"About a year per cycle. Within a year, my body will grow from its current stage all the way to nearly fifty years old."

Luo Fengchan continued, "Starting from the second year, it will regress from fifty back to my current age, and then it repeats continuously."

Xu Ningbing was filled with shock. "Does that mean you possess eternal youth?"

"Correct, that's what it means. But my lifespan hasn't changed. When it's time to die of old age, I will still die."

Luo Fengchan cast a faint glance at Xu Ningbing. "Now it's my turn to ask you a question. How did you obtain our Cold Immortal Sect's lost Heaven-tier method, Submerged Water Abyss?"

Hearing this, Xu Ningbing's expression changed. Could it be that they only asked her to join the Cold Immortal Sect because they coveted the cultivation method she possessed?

"My master had me practice it."

Xu Ningbing said expressionlessly, "The manual is not in my hands right now. I haven't fully mastered it yet, and it's even more impossible for me to teach the disciples of the Cold Immortal Sect. If your purpose in finding me was just for the method, I think I'd better go home."

"This method was created by the ancestors of my Cold Immortal Sect. We have records of it here. Your master merely stumbled upon it by chance."

Luo Fengchan expressionlessly tilted her head up to look at Xu Ningbing's face. "I won't make things difficult for a junior like you. Do you have your master's contact information? I will speak with him personally."

"I don't. To be precise, my master only has one disciple, and that's my younger brother, Xu Mu. I only met the master through my brother."

Xu Ningbing didn't know how to answer either, so she could only toss the problem to Xu Mu.

"Then give me your brother's phone number. I'll go find him myself," Luo Fengchan said.

"Alright."

Xu Ningbing recited Xu Mu's phone number from memory, and then said, "It seems your goal was merely the cultivation method, not to take me in as a disciple. Since that's the case, we will part ways here."

"Wait!"

Luo Fengchan called out to stop Xu Ningbing.