Morning light seeped through the seams of the tent and Lin Xi slowly opened her eyes.

The exhaustion of last night had made her sleep deeply, yet at this moment her body felt surprisingly light.

She turned her head. Luo Bingning was still lying quietly by her side, her breathing steady and the color in her face had returned.

"She looks much better."

Lin Xi carefully sat up and stretched out her fingers to feel Luo Bingning’s pulse.

Her temperature was still cold, but her pulse was strong and the spiritual power inside her was no longer so chaotic.

[System Notification: Supreme Empress Luo Bingning’s injuries have recovered to 30%. Vital signs stable!]

Lin Xi let out a sigh of relief and was about to pull back her hand when the system’s voice suddenly rang.

[Congratulations, Host! Supreme Empress Luo Bingning has been bound!]

[Binding Reward Granted: Early Foundation Establishment cultivation, Heaven-grade Spiritual Root!]

[Opening Empress Training Panel! Unlocking System Store!]

As the words fell, an overwhelming surge of spiritual energy instantly flooded into Lin Xi’s body.

“Hmm—”

Lin Xi almost cried out, quickly covering her mouth.

The power was too overwhelming. She felt as if her whole body was being reshaped.

Her meridians widened, her dantian condensed and her once frail body was undergoing an earth-shattering transformation.

Most miraculous of all, she could clearly feel a brand-new organ forming inside her body—her spiritual root.

It was an indescribable feeling, like gaining an extra organ beside her heart solely for processing spiritual power.

And this spiritual root was of exceptionally high quality, exuding a faint golden light as if it had been born for cultivation.

The entire process lasted about ten minutes before Lin Xi’s body gradually calmed down.

She opened her eyes and found that the entire world had changed.

Her vision had become incredibly sharp, able to see every vein on the leaves outside the tent.

Her hearing had greatly improved, even picking up the footsteps of small animals hundreds of meters away.

Most importantly, she could feel the spiritual energy drifting in the air—those invisible particles of energy slowly flowing.

“So this is a cultivator’s perception?”

Lin Xi clenched her fists, feeling the power surging within her.

Although it was only the early Foundation Establishment stage, compared to her former mortal body, it was heaven and earth apart.

Just as she was reveling in the joy of her newfound power, another change arose in her body.

A warm stream of energy flowed from her dantian throughout her body.

This should be the transformation brought about by the Supreme Queen Body.

Lin Xi could sense a subtle shift in her aura, as if she now carried an indescribable allure toward all females.

But at this moment, her attention was wholly absorbed by her cultivation improvement and she temporarily ignored this change.

[System Notification: Empress Training Panel has been opened. Please check!]

With a thought, a translucent panel immediately appeared before Lin Xi’s eyes.

[Supreme Empress: Luo Bingning (Frost Empress)]

[Cultivation: Peak Divine Transformation Stage (Sealed)]

[Bloodline: Ice Phoenix Bloodline (Unawakened)]

[Status: Severely Injured (30% recovered), Strength Sealed 85%]

[Loyalty: 30/100 (Dependent)]

[Favorability: 15/100]

[Current Quest: Heal Luo Bingning to full recovery!]

[Quest Reward: Core Formation Stage cultivation, Ice Phoenix Bloodline Awakening Pill, System Points ×1000]

Looking at this data, Lin Xi felt both excited and stunned.

Peak Divine Transformation stage? That was a legendary realm!

No wonder Luo Bingning carried such terrifying pressure even while gravely injured and unconscious.

And she even possessed the Ice Phoenix Bloodline, a legendary divine beast bloodline.

“But with 85% of her strength sealed, doesn’t that mean she currently only has Foundation Establishment level combat power at best?”

Lin Xi pondered.

This meant their current situation was indeed dangerous.

Those Blood Shadow Sect pursuers could return at any moment and Luo Bingning currently had no ability to protect herself.

[System Store Unlocked. Please check!]

Another panel appeared before Lin Xi.

The dazzling array of goods made her dizzy.

[Supreme Healing Pill] [Price: 100 Points]

[Foundation Establishment Pill] [Price: 500 Points]

[Core Formation Stage Technique “Xuan Tian Art”] [Price: 2000 Points]

[Concealment Array Disk] [Price: 800 Points]

[Teleportation Talisman] [Price: 1000 Points]

[Ice Phoenix Bloodline Awakening Pill] [Price: 5000 Points]

Lin Xi twitched her lips at the prices.

[Current Points: 50]

“With so few points, what can I buy? Not even half of a Supreme Healing Pill.”

She flipped through the store and finally found some cheap goods tucked in a corner.

[Low-grade Healing Pill] [Price: 20 Points]

[Basic Qi Nurturing Technique] [Price: 30 Points]

Without hesitation, Lin Xi exchanged for both.

Though the quality was low, it was better than nothing.

Just after completing the exchange, Luo Bingning’s eyelashes trembled slightly.

Lin Xi quickly closed the system panel and stared at her nervously.

A few seconds later, those ice-blue eyes slowly opened.

Luo Bingning’s gaze first swept around in confusion, then fixed on Lin Xi.

Her eyes were still cold, but compared to yesterday, there was less killing intent and more confusion.

She tried to sit up, but as soon as she exerted force, she coughed up a mouthful of blood with a pfft.

The blood splattered on the ground, shocking to the eye.

Her complexion immediately paled further and fine beads of sweat seeped onto her forehead.

She tried to circulate her spiritual power, but found her meridians broken and her dantian cracked, unable to function.

What shocked her even more was that her cultivation had been mostly sealed, leaving her at most with Foundation Establishment strength.

Her cold gaze locked onto Lin Xi again, her voice frosty.

“Who are you? Why am I here?”

Lin Xi inwardly screamed, ‘Here it comes, the memory loss trope! But no, she hasn’t lost her memory, she just doesn’t know me.’

Outwardly, she remained obedient, quickly stepping forward to support Luo Bingning.

“Elder sister, you’re injured, don’t move around. I was the one who saved you. Please don’t mind how simple this place is.”

Luo Bingning instinctively wanted to avoid Lin Xi’s touch, but her weakened body left her unable to resist.

Lin Xi’s hand gently supported her shoulder and a warm aura spread through.

It was strange—although Lin Xi was only a small Foundation Establishment cultivator, Luo Bingning felt an inexplicable sense of peace.

Like suddenly hugging a warm fire on a cold winter night.

Her body involuntarily relaxed slightly, though her reason screamed at her to stay wary.

“You saved me?”

Her voice remained cold, but now carried uncertainty.

“Why would you save me? Do you even know who I am?”

Lin Xi blinked her eyes, pretending innocence.

“I don’t know elder sister’s identity. I only saw you injured and wanted to save you. My name is Lin Xi. What is elder sister’s name?”

Luo Bingning stared into Lin Xi’s eyes, trying to find any flaw.

But in those clear eyes, she saw nothing but concern and a hint of nervousness.