"Our cultivation aptitude is good? And we both have water attribute physiques?"
After hearing Mu Jinyu's explanation, Jian Ruyan and Wen Rou caught each other's eyes, both seeing a flash of realization in the other's gaze.
That's right, it made sense. According to Nameless, before she ambushed Zhen Wuming, her caretaking ability was rather poor. Had it not been for a stroke of good fortune, she would never have had the chance to seize Zhen Wuming's body.
Zhen Wuming had an extremely strong cultivation aptitude, and coupled with her invisibility ability, Nameless's success in taking her body by surprise as a mere mortal naturally made it difficult to utilize her physique's potential.
Thinking this, they both simultaneously operated their mental methods and raised their hands to condense a stream of True Qi.
The nature of the True Yuan in Jian Ruyan's hands rippled like water, soft yet firm. In Wen Rou's hands, the True Qi was misty like ice fog, as though it would solidify into hard ice at any moment.
Indeed, both were of the water attribute, just manifested differently, and since they were originally cultivation prodigies who had swapped bodies, fostering soul compatibility with the Soul Shaping Pill naturally allowed them to exhibit much of each other's aptitude.
After a moment of hesitation, Jian Ruyan, feeling a twinge of guilt as she looked into Wen Rou's eyes, then spoke with conviction, "Come, I'll teach you the 'Ice Phoenix Sky Technique', so you can utilize some of the strengths of my physique."
"Oh, okay…." Wen Rou wasn't quite clear on what the 'Ice Phoenix Sky Technique' was, presuming it to be a secret technique of Jian Ruyan's, and she nodded in agreement.
Jian Ruyan glanced at Mu Jinyu but ignored him, speaking softly to Wen Rou about the 'Ice Phoenix Sky Technique' on the side.
There wasn't anything to hide from Mu Jinyu; after all, once she decided to share it with Wen Rou, if Mu Jinyu wanted to know, Wen Rou would assuredly tell him without hesitation.
Moreover, Mu Jinyu was her brother's close friend, and she also believed that he wouldn't carelessly spread her 'Ice Phoenix Sky Technique'.
Jian Ruyan earnestly pointed out the key aspects of the 'Ice Phoenix Sky Technique' to Wen Rou, who nodded from time to time, memorizing them silently.
Once Jian Ruyan finished speaking, she asked Wen Rou, "Did you memorize it? Do you want me to repeat it…?"
She knew the 'Ice Phoenix Sky Technique' was profound, some parts were obscure and hard to comprehend, and she herself had spent considerable effort to memorize and understand this secret technique.
"No need, I've got it," Wen Rou gently shook her head, smiling.
"How could you?" Jian Ruyan was somewhat skeptical and said, "Then perform it once for me to see."
"Alrighty." Wen Rou consented and then recalled the essence of the 'Ice Phoenix Sky Technique', beginning to circulate it.
"Hum!"
Instantly, a glimmer of ice-blue light quietly bloomed at Wen Rou's forehead, growing brighter, until on her face, a pattern of an Ice Phoenix formed.
In the end, on her delicate face, it seemed as if an entire ice-blue Phoenix had been etched, giving Jian Ruyan's visage a mysterious and somewhat eerie aura.
Jian Ruyan watched, wide-eyed, as Wen Rou performed the 'Ice Phoenix Sky Technique', bringing forth a whole Ice Phoenix curse mark on her face—a transformation Jian Ruyan had never experienced, leaving her utterly astonished.
"How… how is this happening…" Jian Ruyan murmured, somewhat unable to accept it.
Using a Secret Bloodline Technique would cause some changes to one's body, which mostly involved the display of Bloodline Totems. However, the extent of the totem patterns was not only a matter of bloodline concentration but also one's control over the Bloodline Power.
For instance, Xiang Mantang, in the early stages of performing the 'Blood Phoenix Slaughter Art', could only condense a Blood Phoenix Curse Pattern at his forehead, and later, it covered his entire face.
Ultimately, after being possessed by a Ghostly Demon, his strength terrifyingly improved, and when he activated his Vermilion Phoenix Bloodline, his whole body could manifest a Blood Phoenix Ascension Diagram.
Like a vividly lifelike Vermilion Phoenix, clinging onto her.
Jian Ruyan's concentration of Ice Phoenix Bloodline Power was decent and not too diluted, but her control over the Bloodline Power was still inadequate, which was why every time she used the "Ice Phoenix Sky Technique," it would only condense into a small Ice Phoenix Curse Mark on her forehead!
However...
Wen Rou had seized her body and was using the "Ice Phoenix Sky Technique" for the first time, yet she could... she could actually manifest an entire face's worth of Bloodline Totem!
That was just too inconceivable!
Wen Rou's comprehension was just way too exaggerated, right?
It was as unbelievable as the time when Mu Jinyu finished reading the "Pill Scripture" and, after pondering for a while, was able to craft an Elixir with three Danwen on her first attempt—as if it were some unbelievable myth!
Jian Ruyan felt as if she had been stabbed in the heart again, in so much pain that it was killing her, heavily struck by Wen Rou's achievement!
So she really wasn't as good as Wen Rou, far from it. Comparing herself with her, she truly felt like a complete fool.
If Wen Rou hadn't swapped bodies with her, wouldn't she be able to manifest the full-body Bloodline Totem like Xiang Mantang did the first time she learned the Secret Technique to activate her bloodline?
As Jian Ruyan's facial expression changed and her lips twitched slightly, Wen Rou sensed the changes after activating the Ice Phoenix Bloodline and couldn't help but leap for joy as she said to Jian Ruyan, "Sister Ruyan, did I manage to perform it, even if just barely?"
"Did I learn it?" Wen Rou asked, not quite sure.
Hearing Wen Rou's question, Jian Ruyan felt like she had been deeply stabbed in the heart by her once more, nearly causing her to spit blood!
Dammit, you've managed to manifest an entire face's worth of Bloodline Totem and you still ask me if you've learned it? If it's a barely successful attempt?
What was I before then? I didn't actually learn it? I didn't even cross the threshold?
Jian Ruyan felt deeply hurt and heavily struck.
"Sister Ruyan..." Wen Rou had asked her question and received no reply from Jian Ruyan for a long time, which made her look at Jian Ruyan questioningly, and then upon seeing her unhealthy complexion, she asked with some concern.
She was somewhat worried that she might have made a mistake, botched something, and that was why Jian Ruyan was looking at her with such disappointed eyes.
Listening to Wen Rou's weak voice, Jian Ruyan snapped back to reality, took a deep breath, and forcibly suppressed the feelings of frustration, dejection, and despair in her heart, shaking her head and saying, "No, you did very well. I just feel like a failure, unable to compete with you..."
By the end, her tone was filled with despondency and a sense of despair.
Jian Ruyan found that her initial thoughts were wrong. Originally, she had thought that after swapping bodies with Wen Rou, both of them would turn from geniuses into mediocrities.
But she had completely mistaken the idea. While she had indeed turned from a genius into a mediocrity, Wen Rou had changed from an unparalleled genius to a common one!
She was still a genius, and Jian Ruyan had absolutely no right to compare herself to her!
"Sister Ruyan, you look... I'm sorry..."
As Wen Rou listened to Jian Ruyan's voice filled with despair and heard her praise, she felt no joy but rather that she had done something wrong. She hurriedly dissipated the Ice Phoenix Power, causing the Ice Phoenix Bloodline Totem on her face to disappear.
With some confusion, Wen Rou said, "Sister Ruyan, I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen..."