Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Sky Above Baixia

“Are you leaving already?”

Feng Xiang was taken aback—the distant, elegant figure was nearly out of sight. Fan Zhutian was astonishingly abrupt and unwelcoming; once her business was done, she wasted no time in turning her back.

“I won’t wander. Take me to the Dance Sovereign; I don’t know the way.” Feng Xiang changed his mind, seizing the moment before Fan Zhutian departed completely.

“Come.”

Fan Zhutian retraced her steps, gathering her sleeves. A radiant emerald arc soared forth, enveloping the somewhat resigned Feng Xiang, carrying him alongside her among the clouds.

...

Heavenly Snow Peak was dressed in silver, gleaming with dazzling brilliance.

The weather was perfect. Sunlight shone bright, reflecting the faint color of the snow. Magnificent palaces, shrouded in mist and clouds, rose halfway up the mountainside, exuding an extraordinary aura.

The winding path led to a place worthy of immortals, white jade steps embedded in the mountain ridges.

Fan Zhutian left Feng Xiang behind and went on her own.

Feng Xiang sighed.

Fan Zhutian’s aloofness left him somewhat disappointed.

His birth was exceptional, guarded by nine sovereigns; in time, he would learn to refine the stars and surely become the sole heir to the Star Heaven Tower.

With such status, wherever Feng Xiang went, he was met with enthusiasm and praise.

But the Sea of Flowers was different. Here, the flower spirits were pure of heart, untouched by worldly strife, neither servile nor obsequious. As for the sovereigns, they were figures on par with gods, unlikely to indulge him as the elders once did.

The Dance Sovereign stood atop the peak, clad in white that outshone the snow, her long, lustrous black hair dancing in the wind. Her face was exquisitely beautiful, radiating a heart-stirring charm.

Her divine sense covered the snowy domain; as the two arrived, she sensed them and was already waiting atop the peak. When Fan Zhutian departed, her gaze flashed and settled upon Feng Xiang, her interest blooming intensely.

“Young Master Feng.”

Feng Xiang ascended the white jade steps, meeting the smiling Dance Sovereign. Behind her stood a line of maidens, about seventeen or eighteen years of age, each graceful and dignified, carrying plates of fruit and delicacies, stealing glances at him.

Since arriving at the Sea of Flowers, Feng Xiang had grown accustomed to such looks, unfazed. Outsiders here were like rare species.

“Dance Sovereign,” Feng Xiang replied.

He noticed the palace atop the snowy peak—a residence fit for a divine lord. Its vast structure was forged entirely from everlasting snow crystal, with the aura of the Dao flowing through it. The intricate carvings were breathtaking, and compared to Fan Zhutian’s refined bamboo retreat, this snow palace suited the status of the Sea of Flowers Sovereign far better.

Of course, it still paled before certain starry Dao gates and great powers of the divine realms.

The Sea of Flowers disdained ostentation, quite unlike those who, to display their might across the universe and attract disciples, built sanctuaries spanning millions of miles; every divine lord’s palace could be as grand as a star.

“Sister Fan personally escorted you—how enviable,”

The Dance Sovereign’s beautiful eyes sparkled, her meaning deep.

Feng Xiang smiled.

The Dance Sovereign, sensing a tacit understanding between them, did not press for details, instead smiling and saying, “I have a child here, who heard you came from the outside and, being a man, is very curious. Would you mind if I introduced you?”

“Who?”

No sooner had Feng Xiang spoken than a burst of clear, melodious laughter rang out. A girl, barefoot with snowy, crystalline feet, her eyes one violet and one emerald, as pure as ice and snow, walked toward them.

“She is Bai Xia Tian, spirit of this snowy domain. Years ago, when a piece of Heaven fell upon the Sea of Flowers, it landed in the northern realm where the former Flower Lord had gained enlightenment. She received its boon and has only recently taken form,” the Dance Sovereign introduced.

“Bai Xia Tian?”

Feng Xiang couldn’t help but laugh at the strange name, looking at the violet-and-emerald-eyed girl. She was beautiful, though he wondered at such an odd moniker.

“You’re the guest from outside? Laughing at a name—how uncouth, nothing remarkable.”

The girl called Bai Xia Tian was delicate and lovely, her entire body snow-white. Her heterochromatic eyes were bright and clear, gazing at Feng Xiang with a hint of hostility, her brows carrying a spirited, radiant energy.

Her petite feet, like polished jade, braved the cold snow, adorned at the ankle with a charming violet windchime, tied by a silver thread.

“Your name is bizarre—awkward, ill-fitting, and hardly harmonious. Did you choose it yourself?” Feng Xiang questioned her tone, listing the name’s peculiarities.

“How did you know I named myself?”

Bai Xia Tian was curious. “I fell from the sky; ‘Bai’ is my color, ‘Xia Tian’ marks the beginning of my life—my name fits me best.”

“It’s too easy to imagine—Bai Xia Tian, white falling from the sky… I think you’d be better off as ‘Bai Tian’,” Feng Xiang teased, unable to resist.

“You—” Bai Xia Tian was flustered, her eyes wide, her fine brows drawn together.

The Dance Sovereign laughed, “Enough, Bai Xia Tian. Young Master Feng has a point—you should change your name. I say ‘Xue’er’ would be lovely, but you refuse. With such an odd name, how can you avoid being laughed at?”

Bai Xia Tian replied seriously, “My name will follow me to the gods, inscribed on my monument, known throughout the spiritual universe, worshipped by countless people—it must be according to my will.”

The girl’s fair face was earnest, not a hint of jest.

Feng Xiang was bemused, somewhat stunned. Such lofty ambition from a young girl was strikingly incongruous.

“Very well, as you wish.”

The Dance Sovereign’s smile was gentle. This earnest and adorable girl was not long ago a hazy consciousness within the snow domain—who would have guessed she’d form so recently and already set her sights so high?

“Hey, Feng something Xiang,” Bai Xia Tian suddenly called.

“It’s Feng Xiang.”

Feng Xiang corrected her, suspecting it was deliberate.

“Oh, Feng Xiang,” Bai Xia Tian amended, then asked, “I heard you’re from outside the Sea of Flowers. Do you know much about the world beyond? Soon, I’ll travel the spiritual universe.”

Hearing this, Feng Xiang’s lips curled. “The vast cultivation realms, ten divine weapons. The starry seas, gods gathered. Dao sanctuaries, forbidden places of the universe. Peerless figures, heroes competing. The disputes and wonders are countless, more thrilling than you can imagine.”

“What else?”

A faint sparkle appeared in Bai Xia Tian’s eyes.

“If you seek knowledge, you must have the right attitude.”

Feng Xiang saw the curiosity in her gaze and knew she was a child innocent and full of wonder for the outside world, without guile. True to his nature, how could he not make things difficult?

“Attitude…” Bai Xia Tian pondered, considering how best to ask.

“No need. I don’t do anything without benefit.”

Feng Xiang cut off her thoughts, his critical gaze scanning her, speaking offhandedly, “If you have anything good, offer me one or two items, and perhaps I’ll tell you about the world outside.”

Bai Xia Tian frowned.

You had to pay just to ask a question?