Transmigrated back into the body of her child self, can the mighty Celestial Bing Meilu survive in a Xianxia world all the while staving off the advances of arrogant young masters and wannabe protagonists alike?

Why is life so hard for the Icy Beauty?

Any corrections or criticisms are welcome, I hope you enjoy Chapter 22: The Bluewing Alchemy Academy

---

With that, the ancient deity's avatar faded, face a twisted rictus of anger, and the world returned to normal. Bing Meilu did not know if whatever leftover scraps of power he had left had simply run out, or if the sheer apoplectic rage her admission had induced in him was enough for him to simply leave in a fury,

Either way, with the terrible pressure gone, Bing Meiul heaved a gasp of relief, face white before she steeled her expression.

She stood shakily, circulating her Qi through her meridians to strengthen her weakened body and strained mind. At the same time, she internally berated herself.

'Bing Meilu... You fool! You failed to pay attention to the differences between your first and second life and earned yourself a God's enmity! You're going to have to deal with this and it's going to be messy!'

Gods were beings that transcended reality and the era, entities whose means and existence those from lower words could not comprehend. As a lower being, having a God coming after you was as if the emperor personally wanted the death of a particular chicken.

Death was not a question of if, but when.

Even if she had been at the peak of the Paragon Realm, Bing Meilu would still hesitate to challenge an actual God. Luckily for her, the Blood Moon Spectral God was long past his glory days, nothing more than a decaying fragment of will, the vestige of a long-dead God who no longer qualified to hold the title. If Bing Meilu played her cards right, she felt she could still triumph. Even so, it was one more trial, one more enemy to be added to a mounting list of problems.

She still didn't know who was behind the destruction of the Moon Crying Swan Palace, nor if the Devil and Demon God who'd ended her first life were aware of her regression and coming after her. She didn't even fully know how many butterflies in time had been caused by her regression.

'There's no use crying over spilt milk, I can only ponder my next move,' Bing Meilu resolved, face emotionless despite the dangerous revelation.

She inhaled, the much denser Qi of Bluewing Prefecture compared to the north of the Bird Talon continent allowing her cultivation to progress quicker, though not nearly as fast as the Yin Qi of the Flesh Mountains.

Bing Meilu was still only in the fourth realm of Qi Condensation. Ultimately, the most important factor in her success was her own cultivation level, and she resolved to increase it as much as she reasonably could.

---

Hours later, Bing Meilu's cultivation was interrupted by Xia Xuefeng, who stumbled into her room, face pale. Being weaker than Bing Meilu, she has likely been even more affected by the crushing power of the Spectral God.

"Mistress..." the girl whimpered. "Something happened... There was- a man- he called me a 'filthy mortal'... he did something to me! There's something in my Dantian! He said I would be the 'vessel of his rebirth'!."

Even Xia Xuefeng, a twelve-year-old child, who was, by in large, unaware of how the cultivation world worked, knew that a foreign presence in her Dantian was not good.

"Come here," Bing Meilu ordered sharply.

The distraught girl nodded, nervously walking over to her mistress and taking a seat.

She gasped, as the icy power of Bing Meilu Qi infiltrated her body.

"It's a Sealing Mark," Bing Meilu eventually said.

"Wha-what the fuck does that mean?" Xia Xuefeng squawked in fear.

"Calm down." Bing Meilu ordered. "Your panic serves neither you nor me."

She sat in silence for nearly ten minutes, allowing the horrified mortal child to reach a semblance of calmness, before continuing.

"A Sealing Mark is something akin to a fragment of power or will from a cultivator. It's similar to avatars and incarnations. They can serve all sorts of purposes, but in this case, it's to allow the master to use your body for rebirth, allowing the shattered fragment of death to be reborn as a living being capable of regaining his glory and power."

"What will happen to me?" Xia Xuefeng asked, bravely attempting to hide the terror in her voice.

"There are multiple options, depending on your luck. The best would be the most literal case. Your womb is impregnated with the sealing mark and you literally give birth to his reincarnation. It's not uncommon for higher beings to use lesser mortals this way. It's the origin of such legends as the idea that sages and great conquerors were born of virgin women who became 'miraculously pregnant' upon viewing a falling star or such nonsense."

"That's the best option?"

"The next option is a simple possession of your body and cultivation. The Sealing Mark would slowly siphon away at your cultivation before taking over your body and mind in full."

"Is that the-"

"The worst option is to be used as a sacrifice." Bing Meilu continued calmly "At least if possessed, your body gets to share in the glory of a higher being. This method would turn you into nothing more than a pill waiting to be consumed at the right moment."

At this point, Xia Xuefeng's face was completely pale with fear.

"D-Do you know which option it is?"

"No. It's not possible to know at such an early stage. By the time I'm an immortal I could probably narrow it down."

"Is there anything I can do?" Xia Xuefeng asked, a note of desperation entering her voice.

"Yes. You could shatter your cultivation?"

"...Huh?"

"You're only a suitable vessel for this God's rebirth because of your cultivation method. If you were to shatter your Dantian and return to life as a mortal, you would not have to worry about it."

At this Xia Xuefeng paused. She sat in silence for nearly a full minute, brow furrowed.

"That's not an option."

Bing Meilu merely raised an eyebrow, suppressing her smile. Xia Xuefeng was only twelve but already had impressive willpower.

"If that's the case, there is only one other choice. You'll have to refine the Sealing Mark. In the world of cultivation, there is no perfect method. A Sealing Mark is not the full power of its owner, and with skill, power and a bit of luck, you can refine it, taking away the power left behind by the owner and making it yours. I once had a similar Sealing Mark applied to me by the Empress of the Golden Dragon Celestial Firmament, and that is how I dealt with it. It's highly risky but there's no other choice for you." Bing Meilu explained.

In the end, the two's problems were still solved by cultivating to a higher level. More challenges had been added, but the path remained the same. Power was the ultimate guarantor.

Bing Meilu allowed several hours for Xiaxuefeng to recover, the two cultivating in silence.

Bing Meilu Yin Qi thickened as she stepped into the fifth stage of Qi Condensation.

Her servant, on the other hand, formed her second and third blood cross, stepping into the second stage of Qi Condensation.

---

Bing Meilu calmy strode down the streets of Blue Pearl City, flanked by the still injured Zhao and Xia Xuefeng.

In the distance a tall palace stood, glistening blue domes standing proud, like pearls in the sky. This branch of the Bluewing Alchemy Acadamy was from where the city got its name.

They arrived at the outer gates to the palace compound, where a long line stood. Merchants, diplomats, alchemists and more are all awaiting their turn to enter and complete business.

Rather than take a place in line, Bing Meilu led her subordinates directly to the gate, ignoring the strange looks those waiting sent her.

At the gate three disciples of the Bluewing Academy stood, two guarding while one processed those trying to enter.

Bing Meilu silently stood, a few feet away from them. Eventually, one of the guards turned to look at her. After frowning for a moment, he walked over to her.

"Back of the line, Young miss," he said curtly.

"Disciple Bing Meilu of Moon Crying Swan Palace greets her junior brother," she said.

She heard gasps from the people in the line but ignored them.

The guard merely raised an eyebrow.

"The Moon Crying Swan Palace? You're claiming to be a survivor."

"I happened to be stranded away from the sect on a mission during its destruction and survived. "

"Do you have your identity token?"

"I'm afraid it was lost with my spatial ring during a fight," Bing Meilu said.

The guard's face had become suspicious, so Bing Meilu raised her hand.

A complex matrix of icy runes appeared, circling around her arm in the shape of a snowflake.

"... What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's a secret technique of the Moon Crying Swan Palace. Even if you don't recognize it, your superiors will."

"I can bring you in to have your case heard, but who are these two?" the guard said after a moment of contemplation.

"This is my Junior Apprentice Sister, Xia Xuefeng. Naturally, she'll be coming with me. This man is my protector, Zhang, whose brave sacrifice has led to him being injured. I'm sure the Twelve-Headed Avian Sect won't mind me bringing him along?"

The guard shrugged. If Bing Meilu was who she said she was, there was no problem with her bringing along a servant. If she was one of the many frauds who had attempted to sneak in using the catastrophe as cover, then he was sure his superiors would deal with things in a properly final fashion.

He pushed open the gates, blue robes fluttering in the gentle breeze, and led them to an office that stood isolated in the courtyard.

"Captian, I have a girl claiming to be a disciple of the Moon Crying Swan Palace..." the guard relayed Bing Meilu's story.

After a moment, a voice from within the office responded.

"Send them in."

The guard pushed open the door and the three walked inside. The office was humble and lived in, with trophies and personal effects covering the walls and desk.

A tall, slender man sat behind a desk, wearing the blue robes of the Alchemy Academy. Bing Meilu would describe his features as attractive, but more 'pretty' than handsome, like a pampered noble prince with elegant features, smooth skin and the like. Only his strong Yang aura, which revealed him to be at least in Core Formation, revealed he was a male.

Bing Meilu refrained from bowing, causing the man to snort in disdain. Instead, she raised her hand, using the same matrix as she had shown the guard.

At this, the guard captain froze, widening his eyes.

"Is that Hai Yu's Grand Xia Frozen Matrix?"

Hai Yu was the Prime Grand Elder of the Moon Crying Swan Palace, only behind the Palace Master Yueling Shang and Great Ancestor, Yueling He in authority. She also happened to have been Bing Meilu's Master in her first life, and as such the transmigrator naturally knew her secret techniques.

The Guard Captain stood up and bowed, sweat beginning to appear on his brow. As a guard captain of a branch sect from the sixth-ranked branch of the Twelve-Headed Bird Sect, he was far below the direct disciple of a high-level Grand Elder in status. Even with said Grand Elder dead, that didn't mean her name meant nothing.

Now, he couldn't know Bing Meilu was not only not the disciple of a Grand Elder, but not even actually a member of the sect.

"This humble guard's name is Xi Long. I'll immediately bring you to meet the Wing Master of our local branch. I'm sure she'll be delighted to help you sort out your issues, Senior Apprentice Sister."

Despite being only a child in Qi Condensation, he, a Core Formation Veteran who had been alive for centuries, had to address her as if she was his senior.

"'That is acceptable," Bing Meilu said.