Immortal Ice Empress: Path to Vengeance

Stretching her stiff limbs, Mira slowly got to her feet. A sense of calm strength enveloped her, different from the raw, tumultuous power she had felt just a while ago.

'Time to test out my new abilities,' Mira thought, a spark of excitement igniting within her.

Taking a deep breath, she circulated her Qi. Instead of the usual flow she was accustomed to, she felt an overwhelming surge of energy rush through her. Her entire body seemed to resonate with the pulsations of her Qi, the vibrations humming along her bones and muscles.

She took a moment to observe this phenomenon. Mira could feel the once separate centers of power – her body, Qi, and soul – merging in harmony. Each center no longer stood alone but synchronized with the others, resonating as one.

Gathering Qi from the air, it entered her core like usual, condensing ever so slightly before sending out the newly strengthened energy to her body and soul. Just from that short, few-second-long period, she felt her overall strength increase. It might've been an infinitesimal amount, but it did increase.

Aside from that, the energy transformed to resonate with each specific part of her body on its own. Meaning that while Qi is still the primary source of energy, the body and Soul use unique forms of it to strengthen themselves.

'This...is incredible!' Mira exclaimed inwardly, marveling at the remarkable transformation. Unfortunately, her comprehension of elemental affinities didn't increase alongside her cultivation, but Mira had some ideas on how she could use her Dao and the [Harmonic Trinity] Technique to assist her with that.

Though, that was for another time.

With her newfound ability, she decided to test it out. Concentrating on her Qi, she commanded it to surge through her body, focusing it in her right arm.

Instantly, she felt a burst of power flood her arm, its strength surpassing anything she had experienced before. Mira's eyes widened as she looked at her arm, feeling the potent energy coursing through it.

'It's almost like my Martial Manifestation Realm has taken form and linked with my Qi!' Mira exclaimed. While she wasn't wrong, she wasn't right either. Since her Martial Manifestation was directly linked to the comprehension of the body, the [Harmonic Trinity] technique was connected to it.

However, the core of her Martial Manifestation didn't change.

In her next experiment, Mira projected her Qi outwards. A brilliant aura materialized around her, its radiance pulsating with the same rhythm as her body. She felt her surroundings respond to her energy, the subtle forces in the air synchronizing with her Qi.

The result of her experiment was stunning, to say the least. Mira had successfully bridged the gap between her centers of power, achieving an unprecedented level of synergy between them.

Yet, she understood this was merely the first step in a long journey. Her body was still adapting to the changes, and she needed more practice to harness this power fully.

'I'll have to find time to actually test out my limits and see how strong I've become after breaking through three times.' Mira thought as she clenched her fists, causing mini explosions within her palms.

She felt several times stronger than she did earlier, but it was hard to determine such a thing by herself.

'Should I spar with Nova and the girls?' Mira considered for a second before shaking her head, 'I don't want to ruin their confidence just yet. I'll wait until things settle down before I break their confidence.'

Although she felt it'd be a tough fight for sure, as you don't become a Core Disciple of the Battle Maiden Sect by simply being lucky, she didn't feel they were as strong as Zehir. He had a bloodline related to Dragons, all sorts of fantastical techniques, strength above his cultivation level, and a very strong body.

His only problem was he was a bit too reliant on his bloodline, cultivation, and raw power.

'However, it's not like he was lacking. If he had a completed bloodline and was a bit more experienced, it's hard to say if I would've won.'

As she reflected on everything, Mira remembered her last task during this retreat – Zehir's Ouroboros Bloodline.

Mira had slain and stored Zehir's body, intending to extract his bloodline. However, she had put the task on hold due to her focus on her cultivation breakthrough.

Now, with her cultivation stabilized, Mira decided to proceed.

She summoned Zehir's corpse, observing the lifeless body before her.

It was a grim sight, but Mira held no pity for him. The man had proved himself a formidable foe, yet one who sought to harm her friends and her sect.

Shaking off her thoughts, Mira's mind connected with her Infinity Garden, and a small vial materialized in her hand. The vial contained the Celestial Nectar from the Harmony Blossom.

With this, she would try to "purify" Zehir's bloodline to see if she could actually do such a thing.

'If the Basilisk could do it, I should be able to as well, but it's hard to say. Zehir's dead, after all.'

Normally, she'd just try it on herself and test its effects that way, but she wasn't sure what'd come out of that. The [Sub-Zero 9-Tailed Fox Progenitor] bloodline suited her perfectly, and she hadn't even explored all of it yet. She didn't want to possibly ruin it by "purifying" it.

However, an incomplete dragon bloodline? She could work with that!

She placed Zehir's body on the ground in front of her and took a deep breath. Extracting a bloodline wasn't as simple as plucking a fruit. It was a delicate process that required an intricate knowledge of Qi manipulation and the human body. Blood Essence is the core of any cultivator, so messing with it in any way could yield unwanted results.

This became exponentially more difficult now that she was trying to purify it.

Mira began by circulating her Qi, sending it into Zehir's body, gently tracing the intricate web of Qi channels and searching for the distinctive pulse of the bloodline.

Once she had identified it, she extended her senses, attempting to fully grasp the dragon bloodline's complex nature. She could sense the raw, primordial power within and the underlying flaws that had hindered Zehir's development.

Mira was about to connect with the [Sub-Zero 9-Tailed Fox Progenitor] bloodline within herself, intending to use it as a guide during the process. But at the last moment, she stopped, remembering her apprehension about potentially tainting it.

Deciding to rely solely on her comprehension of Qi and her intuition, Mira dove into the task.

Uncorking the vial of celestial nectar, she infused her Qi into the liquid, guiding it towards the pulsating dragon bloodline within Zehir's body.

A sudden, almost violent reaction occurred as the celestial nectar met the bloodline. Zehir's body jerked involuntarily, and his Qi network erupted in turmoil. The celestial nectar, a pure manifestation of harmony and balance, attempted to expel the impurities within the bloodline. The impurities resisted, creating a chaotic battle within the dead man's body.

But Mira was prepared. Using her cultivated Qi, she bolstered the celestial nectar's efforts, pushing against the resisting impurities and enforcing a balance.

The process was strenuous and demanded her total concentration.

Gradually, the tumult within Zehir's body began to subside. With the support of Mira's cultivated Qi, the celestial nectar started winning over the impurities. One by one, the flaws within the dragon bloodline were expunged, replaced with the harmonious energy of the celestial nectar.

As the impurities were purged, an incredible surge of power erupted from within Zehir's body. Mira quickly backed away, watching in awe as the now purified and complete Ouroboros Dragon bloodline materialized before her.

The dragon bloodline was a magnificent sight, releasing an ancient, primal energy. It was unlike anything she had seen before, and she knew then that she had succeeded…. partly.

With practiced ease, Mira extracted the Blood Essence and contained it in a vial specially designed to hold such energies. Then, with the task complete, she sealed Zehir's body back into her storage space.

Exhaustion washed over her as the adrenaline began to recede. She had taken a risk, and it had paid off. The purified Ouroboros Dragon bloodline was a testament to her efforts and her potential.

'I did it,' Mira thought, looking at the vial with a sense of satisfaction. This was a major accomplishment that would open up new avenues for her cultivation. Not just her own cultivation, either. With this discovery, she could help Aelina transform the entire Battle Maiden Sect into an unstoppable force!

But for now, rest was needed. She knew her experiments with the dragon bloodline were far from over. She didn't believe that a bloodline related to dragons would be purified so easily. Unfortunately, she didn't have any more Celestial Nectar at the moment. But those were concerns for another day.

With a final look at the vial, Mira left the cultivation chambers and headed towards her sleeping quarters, looking forward to a well-deserved rest.