Immortal Ice Empress: Path to Vengeance

For the next six months, the two of them hardly interacted. This wasn't because they didn't like each other, but Celaine was on the cusp of comprehending Saber Intent. Asami knew this and didn't bother Celaine at all during this time. She knew just how rare it is for someone to comprehend Intent, much less someone so young, and she didn't want to be the reason why such a person couldn't comprehend it.

Then, one fateful day, Celaine was meditating in the cave. Suddenly, her mind cleared up of all unnecessary thoughts and only focused on the Saber. Her entire mind was focused on comprehending the profundities of the Saber and how to advance her proficiency in the weapon.

Quickly, she felt her understanding of the Saber reach its peak, but then she hit a bottleneck. Fortunately, Celaine's talent with the saber is abnormally high, and her foundation is rock solid, so it didn't take long to break the bottleneck blocking her progress!

Immediately after breaking the barrier, a sharp and domineering Intent washed over Celaine's mind and body, increasing her strength, willpower, and Saber proficiency!

Yes, this was it! This was Saber Intent!

Her body was constantly releasing this Intent as if it was excited that Celaine had finally reached this Realm.

However, Celaine's enlightenment hasn't ended yet, and she didn't want to waste this opportunity. So, she stood up with a saber in her hand, coated it in Saber Intent, and began practicing her Foundational techniques.

*Swish**Swish**Swish**Swish*

Her moves may look simple, but they are refined to perfection, and since her saber was coated in Saber Intent, the destructive power contained in each strike was incredible.

Asami watched all of this happening with her mouth agape as she didn't expect Celaine to comprehend Saber Intent so fast!

Not only that, but even she was a little terrified of those strikes. She didn't even know how such a thing was possible as she should be nearly invincible among those at the same cultivation as her or even a few stages above her.

Now, a girl at the Peak of the Foundation Realm actually has the power to fight her head-on! Although Asami is confident she would be able to beat Celaine if the two were to battle to the death, she certainly wouldn't come out unscathed.

Asami wasn't sure how to feel knowing that. She always thought she was a monstrous genius, but it seems it's just like her parents always said.

'There's always a sky above the sky, huh? I guess I've been thoroughly humbled by this mysterious girl in front of me. If only Celaine can form a strong Core when she breaks through to the Core Formation Realm, she'll actually be invincible among those at the same cultivation level.' Asami thought to herself as she stared at Celaine, who was still in the middle of her enlightenment.

Asami also thought about handing over her family's Core Formation Recipe, but she immediately dismissed that idea.

Who knows what sort of trouble Celaine will get into should her family find an outsider using their Core Formation Recipe?

Asami shook her head of these thoughts and decided to just spectate Celaine for now. She didn't want to miss this opportunity. Although she doesn't use a saber, just watching someone break through and comprehend Weapon Intent might be able to help bring her a bit closer to realizing her own Intent.

Asami watched in silence, enraptured by Celaine's performance until Celaine finally opened her eyes 30 minutes later.

"Huuu~ What an amazing feeling. I feel like I've been unshackled." Celaine muttered after letting out a sigh of amazement.

She felt like her body and mind were much lighter than before and knew that it was because she finally comprehended Saber Intent. She didn't know why she felt such a change and just attributed it to her recent enlightenment before pushing those thoughts out of her mind and focusing on the thing she was looking forward to the most.

Her breakthrough to the Core Formation Realm!

Now that she has finally reached the basic requirements for her new Cultivation Technique and Core, she can finally break through!

A smile broke out on her face when she thought of how strong she'll be after breaking through. That smile grew when the thought of using that strength to beat the shit out of Mira surfaced.

She really wanted nothing more than to give Mira a piece of her own medicine, and now that she's comprehended Saber Intent, she felt like such a thing was possible.

Asami saw Celaine's unusually large and genuine smile but only thought it was because of her recent breakthrough. That is until she heard something weird come out of Celaine's mouth.

"Hehe~ Now, Maria and I should be able to defeat you, Mira! Last time you may have won by catching us off-guard, but not this time! This time, I'll be able to return all the pain you've inflicted on me over the years! Hehehehe~~."

Celaine's dark chuckle sent chills down Asami's spine, but she also felt like now might be her opportunity to gather some information about Celaine!

"Oh? It seems you have a lot of built-up resentment against this Mira person. Is that person your rival or something?"

After hearing Asami's voice, Celaine realized she had forgotten she wasn't the only one in the room. Her smile slowly faded, and she stared at Asami for a few seconds, wondering if she should answer that question.

She knew that Asami was trying to probe her with that seemingly innocent question, but after thinking about it for a few seconds, she concluded that it didn't really matter. Mira's name will probably sweep through the continent soon anyways, as her strength and talent in fighting are simply unmatched.

Although Celaine hasn't seen what the geniuses from the Battle Maiden Sect's Main Branch are like, she's confident that Mira isn't any less of a genius compared to them.

"Hmmmm~ I guess you could call Mira a friend, companion, and trainer. She's the one who pushes me to become the best version of myself. I probably wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for her."

Celaine's answer surprised Asami because from the way Celaine said Mira's name, it sounded more like the two were enemies.

"Eh? Then why do you want to beat her up so bad if she means that much to you?"

Celaine just looked at her with lifeless eyes when she remembered Mira basically torturing her during what she called 'training sessions'. She can't even remember how many times Mira broke her bones for not performing up to her standards!

"Hmph! If you want to know, how about I introduce you to her? I'll even ask Mira to train you so you can get first-hand experience! I'm sure you'll want to beat her up after going through that shit as well!" Celaine said before turning around, ignoring Asami.

Asami was stunned by Celaine's aggressive answer but didn't think much of it. Instead, her curiosity about this Mira character reached its peak. She really wanted to know what kind of person could make Celaine feel such emotions.

Interacting with Celaine, Asami felt the future looked a little more interesting and less depressing than before she met Celaine.