The days leading up to the Profession Evaluation Exam passed quietly.
While rumors still stirred across Baihua City, Su Xue Qing remained calm — untouched by the noise.
Each morning, she rose early and trained in the Su family's private training grounds — a spacious open-air yard behind the main residence, paved with aged stone and lined with frost-resistant trees.
The Su family might not be famous for their strength, but wealth built a strong foundation. The yard had been enhanced with energy-absorbing wards, sound barriers, and solid training dummies.
Perfect for someone like her.
More than once, passing servants stopped near the training walls.
They stood in silence, watching her shape ice from thin air — not with wild gestures, but small, precise movements.
None dared to interrupt, but the look in their eyes was clear—
awe.
"They say it's a Hidden Class, right?"
"I don't know what the class is, but I saw her freeze an entire dummy rack yesterday. Didn't even move her hand."
"Shh—don't exaggerate."
"I'm not! Old Steward Lin saw it too."
"But she doesn't act arrogant at all..."
"That's what makes it scarier."
"You think she'll be famous? Like… national-level famous?"
"If she isn't, I'll eat my boots."
"...That's real ice. And not a single drop of water was used…?"
The last voice held disbelief — and just a little wonder.
None of them lingered long. No one wanted to disturb her.
Su Xue Qing stood in the center of the clearing, long black hair tied loosely behind her, her eyes calm.
She raised her hand. Frost bloomed in the air — not drawn from moisture, but summoned directly from her own energy.
A stream of sharp, translucent ice spiraled upward, then split into a dozen frozen petals.
Each one hovered perfectly still, spinning in harmony, forming the shape of a lotus.
She shifted her stance.
The stone beneath her feet crackled — a thin sheet of frost spread outward in a perfect circle, coating the practice ground in a shimmering pale-blue film.
Then she flicked her hand.
Two ice spears materialized from thin air, sharpened like glass, and fired at high speed toward distant targets.
Both struck their marks precisely — one piercing a dummy's heart, the other its forehead.
Not a single movement wasted.
She repeated the process, faster this time.
Three spears. Then four. Each one cast in under a second. Her breathing never changed.
Then she closed her fingers.
The entire structure collapsed — breaking into mist.
Control. Balance. Precision.
That was her path.
Later that morning, two visitors arrived at the gate.
"Xue Qing!"
"We brought snacks too!"
Chen Shuyun and Huo Lian hurried into the yard, both dressed in simple training gear.
Huo Lian waved excitedly, a wooden practice sword strapped to her back and a heavy shield slung over her shoulder.
Shuyun clutched a thick notebook and some scrolls, her expression nervous but eager.
Su Xue Qing greeted them with a faint nod, then gestured toward the open ground.
"We'll start with basics. Footwork first."
Huo Lian was physically strong but overly aggressive — she often leaned too far into offense, forgetting her job was to protect, not charge.
Su Xue Qing corrected her stance, adjusted her shield angle, then pointed out how to use the momentum of a parry to shift enemy pressure.
Shuyun was careful, but her enchantments lacked rhythm.
Xue Qing helped her stabilize output timing and layer spell effects more efficiently — small tricks Shuyun had never seen in books.
"Why do I feel like she was born knowing all these? She makes it look so easy," Shuyun whispered once.
"Probably because she's not human," Huo Lian muttered back with a crooked grin, tightening her grip on the sword.
Su Xue Qing didn't react. But the quiet glint in her eye gave away just a hint of amusement.
The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the yard.
Sweat clung to their brows, and steam rose from their shoulders, but neither girl complained.
They were too absorbed in learning.
And Su Xue Qing… didn't mind the company.
Elsewhere in the city, other students trained as well.
In the Lin residence, Lin Yanyue stood in a silent chamber, practicing spell sequences.
Her robes fluttered gently with wind magic as elemental auras flickered across her fingers.
She didn't speak at first.
But her eyes, cold and clear, narrowed slightly when her attendant whispered:
"They say Su Xue Qing hasn't left her house, but even her maids are scared to approach when she trains."
Lin Yanyue didn't respond right away.
She finished casting a full sequence — lightning to ice, then wind — before lowering her arms.
"Frightened servants don't prove strength," she said calmly.
"But still... that class name. Frostveil Monarch."
The attendant hesitated.
"Miss, do you feel... pressure?"
"No," Yanyue answered flatly.
"But I will not lose to her. I can't afford to."
She walked away, gathering her robes.
"Tell Instructor Feng to adjust my training. I want combat rotation drills added. No elemental rests."
"Yes, Miss!"
In a nearby residence, Zhao Wenting sparred with one instructor after another.
He grinned lazily, but his movements were sharp.
"Hero Rank isn't enough. I need to crush the evaluation."
He didn't say it aloud, but the image of Su Xue Qing's calm face still floated in the back of his mind.
And in a noisy courtyard, Gu Jinyuan slashed at training dummies with raw force.
His shirt was soaked. His stance was wide.
But his breath grew ragged.
His instructor frowned.
"You're swinging too wildly. You'll waste strength."
Gu Jinyuan didn't care.
"It doesn't matter. I just need to be strong enough to protect her."
The instructor sighed.
"You're not training to protect her. You're training to catch up."
That evening, as the sun dipped below the rooftops, Chen Shuyun and Huo Lian finally left the Su residence — still chatting excitedly about everything they learned.
Su Xue Qing stayed behind.
The yard was quiet again.
She raised her palm one last time — ice spread outward in a perfect ring at her feet, the lines so clean they looked carved by blade.
She studied it for a moment.
Then, for the first time in days—
she smiled.
Not because of anyone else.
Not because of attention or expectation.
Just quietly, because she was pleased.
[End of Chapter 5]