Paragon of Sin

"Really?" Xiao Bing giggled from the side, her eyes smiling with relaxed joy. Wei Wuyin was taken aback, stunned by how beautiful she looked. He was initially only familiar with Xiao Bing's icy, unapproachable facial expression, quiet demeanor, and high-born bearing, but as he interacted more with her, he was exposed to her warmth and social side. 

She was unafraid to laugh, willing to frown if displeased, and ask questions when curious. It was this disparity that allowed him to realize that Xiao Bing's personality that he had been exposed to was the several layers of established protection against others. As she stood by his side, leaning ever-so-slightly towards him, she had willingly dropped all her shields against him. 

"Is something wrong?" Xiao Bing asked curiously.

"Hm?" Wei Wuyin's daze abruptly ended.

"Is there something on my face?" Xiao Bing rubbed her face with questions in her eyes. He then realized that he had been intently staring at Xiao Bing, but unlike inexperienced little boys who might blush and look away in embarrassment, he nodded seriously. 

"You're far too gorgeous," Wei Wuyin stated matter-of-factly. 

"Hm!" Xiao Bing's eyes went alight with shock, not expecting such a direct statement. However, she didn't blush as well or react as a typical woman would. She pouted her lips slightly, "It's the cultivation method of the Bing Clan—the Truefrost Ice Qi Method. It supplements Yin Energy, enhancing my innate charm, especially toward men. Also, the ocular spell—Truefrost Gaze Spell—has a beautifying aspect to it." 

She explained with a tinge of bitterness leaking. The Bing Clan was notoriously filled with beautiful female cultivators. 

"I was thinking of taking Highlord Frostwind's approach to avoiding unwanted attention…" Xiao Bing said with a tick of frustration. The cultivation world was incredibly cruel, dominated by power and desire, and she was widely considered high-quality goods by cultivators. Her outstanding looks only highlighted and elevated her value. But when she thought about the power that Wei Wuyin wielded, she no longer felt the slightest hint of frustration nor the intent to hide her looks. She had already decided in her heart that she would follow him.

"Highlord Frostwind?" Wei Wuyin was naturally curious. Wei Wuyin had never met Highlord Frostwind, also known as Bing Tian, so he was unable to understand what she meant immediately. After all, Wen Mingna had scarred her face, and others would simply wear veils to hide their looks. 

Xiao Bing nodded, sighing, "She purposely added imperfections to her features, offsetting the gains from cultivation, and that's why her portraits were just slightly better than the average woman in terms of looks. That said, it did her little good as her greatest value as a woman was her Primal Yin at the Demi-Mortal Lord grade." 

"Ah," Wei Wuyin understandably nodded. That tactic might have helped Bing Tian avoid being pursued early on by those superficial, but after her cultivation rose, the difficulty of suppressing the innate characteristics of her cultivation method would similarly increase, and her charm shifted from looks to Primal Yin. Additionally, while she might have been ugly as a mortal, as she continued to ascend it became harder to hide her naturally cultivated charm. 

This type of cultivated beauty didn't have lines of falsity and could be compared to a state of puberty for cultivators, as natural as can be. If Xiao Bing cultivated a Yang Method, she would naturally grow taller, attain a bulkier musculature, and exude a masculine aura. The ordinary man would find this off-putting and unattractive. Not all, of course. 

"This cultivation method of the Bing Clan, is the boost to dual cultivation great?" Wei Wuyin was quite educated regarding various cultivation methods, having the experience of two different lives and the Palace of Eden, but there were questions that his debonair version had little information on because he didn't care or the library had no information on them.

The Truefrost Ice Qi Cultivation Method was not in the Sacred Library, so he wasn't familiar with its characteristics. 

Xiao Bing stared at Wei Wuyin as if trying to ascertain if he was asking this for insidious reasons. However, she had already felt that Wei Wuyin wasn't that type of person, and when she saw no lust burning in his enchantingly silver eyes, she steeled her will and nodded. 

"Yes. It's no less effective than some of the Dark Yin Palace's Yin Cultivation Methods. In fact, in some ways, it's exceptionally better." While she didn't want to be seen as a Yin Cauldron by Wei Wuyin, she didn't hide its characteristics and benefits. She explained everything about the cultivation method, stunning Wei Wuyin as he curiously asked if she wasn't under any oaths to protect their cultivation method.

However, shockingly, Xiao Bing said the Truefrost Ice Qi Method wasn't a heavily guarded secret. "Actually, the Tian Clan found the Truefrost Ice Qi Method in ruins of the ancient world and bestowed it out without a price shortly after the beginning of their reign, and the first Ascended being to be born from this method became the Bing Clan's first Matriarch, regarded as their ancestor. More importantly, she became the Divine Emperor's first concubine. 

"The other cultivators of the method were gathered together and formed the Bing Clan. They renamed themselves and were bestowed territory by the Imperial Clan. However, the Imperial Clan never outlawed the circulation of the method. Anyone qualified to cultivate it would be considered an official member of the Bing Clan." Xiao Bing explained with a faint expression. 

"Only its Mystic Ascendant Realm portion was restricted from the public because it was created 'after' the Bing Clan was established, created by the ancestor herself. Without it, the only future those who cultivate the method would have is to be halted at the Mystic Star Phase." Xiao Bing added. Those with the potential for this high-quality cultivation method would be forced to travel to the Bing Clan and join them. Considering how the Bing Clan had a chance to marry the Imperial Clan, this likely caused countless maidens to cultivate it bravely for their ambitions to ride the dragon's lap. 

"Is it difficult or dangerous to cultivate?" Wei Wuyin thoughtfully asked.

"Very. It can be cultivated by men and women, but men have a heavier chance of losing their fertility if they can't combat the Yin-Yang imbalance born from it. But there are real dangers involved, such as the possibility of becoming an ice sculpture with the slightest deviation. I would say that the Mortal Realm portion of the Truefrost Ice Qi Method is likely one of the highest, if not the highest, graded cultivation method in the entire Grand Cyclic Stellar Region." Xiao Bing confidently replied, her words laced with confidence and genuine belief in her statement. 

"..." Wei Wuyin silently pondered the validity of this statement, knowing this might just be Xiao Bing's pride talking. After all, while they might be absurdly powerful among mortals, it was clear their Mystic Ascendant Realm portion was greatly lacking, created by an ancestor who only reached the Demi-Mortal Lord Phase. Bing Tian couldn't even catch Wu Yu, who was a stage lower than her. An unmistakable sign that her cultivation method was no longer qualified to be regarded as among the 'highest-graded'. 

"So the Tian Clan is indeed cultivating the Bing Clan to be Yin Cauldrons. Especially since most of them become infertile, unable to propagate their lineage by blood. No wonder they publicly released the cultivation method to attract members." 

Xiao Bing's eyes dimmed. Fortunately, she didn't have to worry about infertility or the need for the Mystic Ascendant portion of the cultivation method. She had the Everlasting Ice Essence Physique, like the Ancestor, so her body's ability to handle the Yin Ice properties of the method was unfathomably high. In a way, she was like the first Bing Clan's Ancestor and could give birth to a proper blood lineage.

Bing Liya, Bing Jingru, and Bing Tian were all members of the first Bing Clan's Ancestor's proper blood lineage. It was thanks to this link to their ancestor, the first concubine of the Imperial Clan, that they were never arranged to marry any of the Imperial Clan's direct lineage of the Divine Emperor and had the freedom to choose their partners without interference.

That said, those of the Imperial Clan and their lot all sought after the ancestors' lineage for the faint traces of Everlasting Ice Intent they carried in their bloodline. 

Wei Wuyin looked at Xiao Bing as their conversation entered this phase, and she, too, stared at him. The two exchanged lingering gazes. The former was piercingly curious, and the latter was shocked by Wei Wuyin's unsaid question, stunned by how adroit his mind was to instantly grasp this point.

"..."

"Blood lineage?" Wei Wuyin asked.

"..." Xiao Bing.

"When did the Ancestor of the Bing Clan die?" 

"..." Xiao Bing.

"Why did the Divine Emperor not arrange for you to marry into the clan, given your unique physique?" 

"..."

"Well, it's fine." Wei Wuyin didn't pursue the topic seeing how Xiao Bing was unwilling to delve into it. However, he suddenly had the feeling that Xiao Bing's past was heavily connected to the Bing Clan's ancestor, and her Xiao Clan lineage likely had an unfathomable secret.

"Thanks…" Xiao Bing softly said. 

Wei Wuyin smiled. From the very beginning, he knew that each of the women that met Long Chen on his path had an astonishingly great history or past, orchestrated by the Heavenly Daos to assist him on his journey. None of them were simple. 

After learning about Xiao Bing, he was now aware of almost all their origins, from Lian Yu's Dragon Lineage to Lin Ziyan Multi-Clan Lineage and Long Tingyu and Qing Qiumu's relations to those former hegemonic figures. He was just curious about Hong Ru. What was her story? 

Just as he thought about this point, they had finally met the one they were waiting for. Using the Golden Life Pavilion's import and export channels, they arrived at the Vermillion Domain's Golden Life Pavilion branch and had been waiting for their escort to arrive, drowning the wait with conversation.

Wei Wuyin didn't have the Locator Rune Spell for Hong Ru, so he was unable to pinpoint her location like Xiao Bing. Each spell was tailored to each protective rune, uniquely designed to be separate for differentiation purposes, and he didn't think of retrieving Hong Ru from the Tang Clan's Domain until a short while ago.

Considering the vast distance between the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region and the Heptasage Pillar Stellar Region, and Wu Yu's inability to create a Void Gate at a moment's notice, he decided to simply have an escort and source of information by his side familiar with the Vermillion Domain.

Since he was here, he might as well complete another objective of his. 

"Little Boss!" A familiar voice resounded joyfully.