Playing inventor in a cultivation world

At the Winter Peak, Ariana and Tamar continued to train as outer court disciples, attending the few classes that had been held by the elders.

"Tamar, I want to spar with you."

Ariana said, her blue eyes resolute.

They were currently at the bottom of the mountain, preparing to head out for their weekly mission.

However, since the others had not yet arrived, she wanted to test how much she had grown.

The black-haired girl looked at her expression, then nodded.

"What kind of spar? I don’t think you’d gain anything from a sword spar with me."

After sparring with Ariana several times, Tamar had come to understand that the girl was better than her.

She was the only one learning new moves from Ariana everytime.

Smiling faintly, Ariana shook her head.

"You’re right. We’ve had enough sword spars. I want us to spar with our elements."

Hearing this, Tamar paused. "Elemental mastery? Why?"

Tapping the hilt of the sword strapped to her waist, Ariana closed her eyes and answered.

"Although Big Brother teaches me a lot about the sword, he doesn’t really say much about my affinity. That’s why I want to see if my improvement can impress him."

A look of bewilderment appeared on Tamar’s face, followed by a frown.

"Impress? Are you serious? Elder Mei is the one who has been training us, and she’s insanely skilled. Why would you need Seraph’s approval?"

Shrugging, Ariana shook her head with a smile.

"You don’t understand. I’ve known Big Brother since I was a kid, and I can say he’s a great sage. Trust me."

Narrowing her eyes, Tamar gave her a skeptical look, then sighed.

"You’re really a bro-con."

Hearing this, Ariana stiffened. "W-well, he isn’t really my brother..."

"Forget it. Let’s spar."

Tamar cut her off, then got into a fighting stance.

Their surroundings were clear, with only snow and some jagged stones beneath their feet.

Ariana’s expression because serious, and she also took a fighting stance.

"Ready?" Tamar asked calmly.

Taking a deep breath then exhaling, Ariana nodded.

Immediately, Tamar’s hand moved.

A pillar of rock shot forth from the ground, bursting through the snow and aiming straight at Ariana’s chest.

The silver-haired girl reacted instantly.

She spun around, crossing her arms and creating an ice shield right before the approaching boulder.

It pierced through the ice shield, then stopped just some inches from shattering it.

Tamar and Ariana locked eyes.

"Water dragon."

The surrounding snow was melted, becoming water and taking the shape of two large eastern dragons beside her.

Tamar reacted calmly.

"Earth pellets."

Medium sized stones flew from the ground, arranging themselves beside her.

Stretching her right hand forward, she flicked a finger.

Two stones shot forward, streaking straight at Ariana.

The girl moved her hand left and gently, and the dragon immediately snapped into action.

It swung its tail at the incoming stones, smacking them away.

Immediately after, it charged straight at Tamar.

The black-haired girl moved calmly, and the stones snapped into position, arranging themselves before her.

"Shoot."

Several stones shot from the wall, striking the dragon and punching several holes through it.

Ariana’s brows furrowed, and she clenched her fists.

"Solidify."

The water dragon heading towards Tamar suddenly hardened into ice, slamming into the stone wall with fierceness that made everything shatter.

A cold wind brushed against Tamar’s white skin, and her black eyes gleamed faintly.

The second water dragon was already rushing at her.

Solid earth wrapped around her arms, and she charged at the dragon by herself.

She created an earth spike, then threw it straight at the dragon.

Ariana’s eyes narrowed, and she immediately controlled the dragon to dodge.

Suddenly, her eyes widened.

Her feet sank into the ground, and the earth solidified around her ankles, keeping her in place.

Meanwhile, the earth spikes dodged by the dragon was heading straight for her.

’I won’t be able to call the dragon back, and I won’t be able to control it while defending myself.’

Her eyes hardened, and she coldly whispered.

"Detonate."

The fire dragon that was opening its maw at Tamar suddenly exploded, sending her skidding backwards.

Meanwhile, Ariana hastily created an ice shield, blocking the spike from reaching her.

Now free from the threat of the spike, she focused her attention on the bindings on her leg, then easily broke through.

The two looked at each other, preparing to go again.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Someone’s clap interrupted them, and they immediately turned to the person. It was a familiar figure, one of the skilled disciples in the Winter Peak.

Straightening their postures, they cupped their fists and bowed slightly.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Fellin."

The white-haired inner court disciple stood tall, almost six foot, and two inches.

His long white hair swayed in the wind, its length reaching his back.

He carried a warm smile on his face, looking at the two girls with a soft gaze.

"Juniors." He nodded, "I’m impressed by the skills you displayed. It clearly shows that you’re training hard."

Tamar’s stoic expression eased slightly, and she looked at him with a faint smile.

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

Ariana’s reaction wasn’t as warm, but she showed enough respect for the young man.

"Is it just us three?"

Looking around, she asked.

There was no other disciple around, hence her question.

Fellin folded his arms and looked around with a bitter smile.

"We’re waiting for two more Inner Court disciples. But those sisters are, sigh..."

Before he could say more, they all heard a rumbling from above them.

"Eh?"

Seeing the large snow tide sliding down the mountain, Ariana let out a gasp of surprise.

"Yeehoo!!!"

A hysterical shout echoed from the distance as the snow slide drew close.

Putting on a helpless expression, Fellin turned to face the incoming snow.

Behind him, Tamara had already made an earth dome around herself.

’Hmph! She didn’t even make for me.’

Ariana snorted, then prepared to make an ice dome around herself too.

"No need."

Fellin shook his head, then raised a hand.

It felt as if the whole world had frozen. The snow side paused abruptly, sending the two people skating on it flying like rag dolls.

"Ugh!"

"Ugh!"

The two collapsed to the ground before Fellin, their bodies half buried in snow.

Tamar, sensing the disturbance quieten, unfurled the dome around her and looked at the new arrivals.

The two girls buried in snow stood up cursing and dusting the snow away from their hair and skin.

Unlike what Tamar expected, they were young—around the same age as her.

Yet, they were already wearing inner court disciple robes.

"How is that possible?"

The two girls were twins, with one having white hair while the other had black hair.

After patting the snow off their bodies, they turned to Fellin with sharp glares.

"Hey, why did you interrupt our slide down the mountain?"

The white-haired one placed her hands on her hips, a displeased expression on her face.

Fellin smiled bitterly and pointed at the two girls behind him.

"You could potentially hurt then if I didn’t stop you. Also, doing such things are dangerous, they might hurt innocent people on your paths.

The black-haired girl snorted and looked away.

"Then they should get lost. Not our problem."

Frowning, Ariana and Tamar came to a conclusion—the little twins were stubborn.

Fellin’s expression became helpless, and he sighed.

"Alright. Let’s just forget it. We have a mission to clear."

Instantly, the two girls’ expressions became serious.

"Sera, did you pack all my weapons?"

The black-haired girl asked, her arms folded.

Frowning with a displeased expression, the white-haired girl clicked her tongue.

"Of course, Senior Sister Dera. It’s all in my storage ring."

Her tone was fully sarcastic, but Dera didn’t even mind.

She nodded with a pleased smile, then turned to Fellin.

"Alright. Let’s get going."

Her gaze shifted to Ariana and Tamar.

"Are they coming with us?"

Fellin nodded. "They’re new disciples so they’re with us to gain experience."

Dera’s eyes lit up, and she dashed at the two girls.

"Really? You’re new disciples? Quickly, quickly, tell me about your hometown."

Faced with her sudden enthusiasm, Tamar was tongue-tied and couldn’t say a word.

Ariana’s smile became strained, but she still spoke.

"Well, um... my hometown is quite nice. What do you want to know about it?"

Before Dera could speak, Sera appeared behind her and smacked her head.

"Are you deaf? We have a mission. No time to satiate your curiosity."

"Ow!"

The black-haired girl groaned in pain, glaring at her twin sister before snorting rebelliously.

Sera turned to Tamar and Ariana, her eyes sharp and cold.

"Initial Advanced Stage and Peak Beginner Stage." She frowned, "You’re still weak for now, so you should focus on not dragging us down. Is that clear?"

Tamar frowned but remained silent.

Meanwhile, Ariana opened her mouth to retort sharply.

Thankfully, Fellin intervened before it could become a verbal conflict.

"Don’t worry, Sera. They’ll be doing fine. They’re quite talented and strong too."

The white-haired girl was surprised, but still remained skeptical.

"In that case, I should have no worries."

Turning around, her back looked straight and resolute.

"Let’s get moving."