CHAPTER 297: SECLUSION 3

Determined to understand and master this newfound power, Lucas straightened where he sat, his expression turning calm and resolute. The faint traces of frost that lingered in the air around him seemed to pulse in rhythm with his breathing, answering his will even before he began. He crossed his legs and placed his hands upon his knees, his eyes drifting shut as he drew in a long, steady breath.

The cold within him stirred. It was faint at first...a subtle shimmer in his meridians, a whisper of divine frost...but as he focused, it began to bloom. He could feel it clearly now, weaving through his Qi pathways like liquid crystal, sharp and pure. It was vastly different from the Qi he had cultivated before. While ordinary Qi flowed warm and vibrant, this one was calm and precise, like water frozen into a thousand perfect shapes.

Lucas began circulating his energy slowly, guiding it through his dantian and meridians. The process was delicate; the Ice Qi resisted at first, unwilling to merge completely with his base Qi. It wasn’t malicious...just proud, independent. He understood immediately that this was the divine essence of the Ice Belle, a force that carried the dignity of its origin.

He smiled faintly and whispered, "So, you’re not going to make it easy for me."

The Ice Belle, still perched on a nearby cushion, opened one eye, watching him curiously. The air around her rippled with cold energy. She stretched lazily, and in response to her faint hum, Lucas felt a gentle wave of frost wash through him, as if she were lending him strength...or testing his control.

Taking that as a challenge, Lucas centered himself once more. He summoned his Qi to balance the element...the familiar warmth of his inner energy and the crisp clarity of the Ice Affinity. At first, they clashed, creating a jarring tremor within his body, but he endured it calmly. Slowly, he coaxed them into harmony, letting each cycle of breath blend one element into the other.

Hours passed unnoticed. The frost on the walls thickened, layering like glass. The air grew so cold that even breath turned to mist. But Lucas didn’t shiver; the cold had become a part of him now. Each cycle of energy smoothed his control, and each ripple of Qi carried a faint glint of blue.

When he finally opened his eyes again, twin wisps of cold mist escaped them. His aura was no longer the same...it carried a faint, glacial hue, serene but intimidating. He lifted a hand, and a small shard of ice appeared above his palm, perfect and translucent, spinning slowly in the air.

He smiled faintly, the corners of his lips curving upward in quiet satisfaction. "It’s responding," he murmured. "Good."

The Ice Belle fluttered over to him and perched lightly on his arm, inspecting the crystal he had formed. She touched it once with her tiny hand, and the shard shimmered, transforming into a delicate snowflake that dissolved into the air.

Lucas chuckled softly. "You really don’t like to be outdone, do you?"

The Ice Belle puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms, clearly pleased with herself. But beneath her playful pride, Lucas could feel the faint pulse of approval through their bond...she was proud of his progress.

He took a deep breath and resumed his cultivation, determined to refine this new affinity until it became an extension of himself. Each session brought more precision, more control, and a deeper connection with the divine frost energy flowing within him. Days turned into weeks, and by the time he paused again, the chamber itself had become a miniature realm of winter...quiet, still, and beautifully cold.

It had been almost five long months since Lucas had gone into seclusion, locking himself away in his frost-covered chamber to focus on cultivating his newly awakened Ice Affinity. Those closest to him...Lira, Nyx, Henrietta, and Selene...the waiting had become unbearable. They tried to remain patient, trusting in his strength and discipline, yet the silence had stretched on for too long. Even the Empress, who occasionally passed by the sealed chamber, had begun to wonder how much longer he could stay inside without food or rest.

None of them knew that the Ice Belle had been silently keeping him alive. The tiny divine creature, bound so closely to Lucas that their life forces intertwined, had been transferring her divine energy to him in subtle, steady pulses. Through her essence, she sustained him....feeding his meridians with pure elemental Qi that replaced the nourishment he lacked. Without her, he would have perished weeks ago, but with her constant support, his body continued to endure the relentless cycles of cultivation.

Still, for those waiting outside, worry turned into fear. Days blurred into weeks, weeks into months, and by the time the fifth month arrived, their patience had frayed completely.

Lira was the first to say it aloud one morning as she stood outside the frozen door, her hand pressed against the icy surface. "We can’t keep waiting like this. He hasn’t come out. What if something’s gone wrong?"

Selene, who had been pacing nearby, stopped and turned sharply, her brow furrowed with concern. "I agree. It’s been too long. He might have overdrawn his Qi or... worse."

Henrietta, folded her arms, though her eyes betrayed the same worry. "He’s strong...but..." she exhaled deeply, the mist of her breath visible in the cold air, "five months without food or water? Even cultivators have limits."

Nyx, who had been silent the entire time, stepped closer to the door. Frost coated the frame so thickly that it shimmered like crystal under the faint light. She pressed her palm against it, and immediately, a pulse of chilling energy rippled outward, reacting to her touch. "The cold isn’t natural anymore," she said softly. "It’s too concentrated. His Ice Qi has spread through the entire room."

Lira’s heart tightened. "Then we’re going in."

Nyx nodded, her voice steady but tense. "Let’s do it together."

The four of them stood before the door, each gathering their energy in preparation.

The moment her energy touched the frost, the air trembled. A wave of cold lashed outward, forcing them to shield themselves as flakes of ice spiraled through the corridor. The entire palace wing seemed to shudder from the sheer density of the frozen Qi that clung to the walls.

"It’s sealed too deeply," Selene hissed, her breath visible in the freezing air. "He’s turned this entire place into a glacier."

Nyx’s eyes glimmered faintly, her irises glowing with a blue hue as she channeled her energy deeper. "No," she murmured. "It’s not just the frost. It’s his cultivation. His energy has become one with the room."

The frost cracked faintly beneath her touch, releasing a thin trail of shimmering mist. Encouraged, she pushed harder, her own Ice Affinity intertwining with the cold that resisted them. For a moment, the air itself seemed to freeze still, then a faint sound echoed...a groan of splitting ice.

"Keep going," Lira urged, her fiery Qi flaring brighter, melting away the brittle edges of the frost.

Together, they forced the seal to weaken. The ice began to crumble away in crystalline shards that fell like fragments of glass. The temperature dropped lower still, but they persisted, Nyx at the center, guiding their combined effort with her calm but unyielding will.

Finally, with a sound like thunder cracking through a frozen lake, the door yielded. Frost burst outward in a dazzling spray, and a gust of icy air swept over them, numbing their skin and stealing their breath.

When the air cleared, they stood before the open entrance of Lucas’s chamber. The walls glittered with frost, every surface encased in translucent ice that caught the faint light like a thousand stars. The air was so cold it stung to breathe.

Nyx lowered her hand slowly, her voice soft but filled with awe. "We’re in."

The others looked around in silent astonishment, feeling the sheer magnitude of energy that still lingered in the room. Somewhere within that frozen sanctum was Lucas...their lover, their anchor...still deep within his cultivation, unaware of the world outside.