My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

Chang'an was like a giant steamer, without a breath of wind. The cicadas in the trees chirped incessantly, their calls irritating and unsettling.

In the courtyard of a side hall of the Cold Palace.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The dull thuds continued.

Crown Prince Li Chengqian was shirtless, revealing a muscular physique with well-defined lines and a rock-hard appearance. Sweat streamed down his broad back, reflecting a blinding light in the sunlight.

The solid wooden stake in front of him, as thick as an adult's waist, had been hammered into a pitted mess, with wood chips flying everywhere.

Li Chen lay on a rocking chair under the largest locust tree in the yard.

He held a palm-leaf fan in his hand, idly waving it. Looking at the "underworld prince" not far away, sweating profusely and with a fierce look that seemed to want to devour people, Li Chen couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"I said, Your Majesty."

Li Chen yawned and said lazily, "Your leg is all healed now, and you're in great shape. I even gave you a set of low-level body-tempering techniques."

"Why are you still lingering in this dilapidated courtyard of mine? Aren't you going back to your magnificent Eastern Palace to enjoy yourself?"

Li Chengqian stopped what he was doing, grabbed a gourd ladle from the bucket next to him, and poured a ladle of well water over himself from head to toe.

The cool well water washed over his burning muscles, releasing a puff of white steam.

He turned his head, wiped the water droplets from his face, and grinned.

"What's so great about the Eastern Palace? It's full of rules and watchful eyes. How can it compare to the peace and freedom you enjoy here, Sixteenth Brother?"

Li Chengqian walked to the side, picked up a coarse cloth, and wiped his body.

He has now completely let loose. Ever since that day when he beat Li Tai to a pulp at the Prince of Wei's mansion and spread rumors that ruined the reputation of those pedantic scholars, he feels as if he has broken free of a thousand-year-old shackle.

Forget about the refined and elegant demeanor of a prince.

Just then.

"Sixteenth Brother! It's so hot!"

The gate to the side hall was pushed open.

Little Sizi, dressed in a light pink ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), ran in like a little ball of flesh. The little girl was covered in sweat, her rosy cheeks glistening with fine beads of perspiration, and she fanned herself with her little hands as she ran.

She ran to Li Chen's rocking chair, plopped down on the ground, and hugged Li Chen's leg while whimpering.

"Sixteenth Brother, Si Zi is about to melt from the heat. Quickly cast a cooling spell to cool Si Zi down."

Li Chen put down the palm-leaf fan in his hand and reached out to pinch her hot little face.

"I cast ice spells on you every day to blow wind around you, do you think Sixteenth Brother is a human ice shield?"

Despite saying that, Li Chen still sat up from the rocking chair.

He stroked his chin, his eyes scanning the storage bag.

A few days ago, when I was refining magical artifacts, I had a few scraps of century-old cold jade left over to be used as the base of the array, as well as a piece of ironwood of good age.

"Alright, I'll get you something fun today."

Li Chen reached out and grabbed.

A piece of white jade exuding a faint chill and a piece of jet-black, shiny wood appeared in his palm.

Without using his inner fire, he simply forced out a wisp of dark golden true essence from his fingertips, like an invisible carving knife, rapidly sculpting the ironwood and cold jade.

Wood chips and jade powder fell in a flurry.

In less than half an incense stick's time.

A short staff, about a foot long, jet black, with a round, cold jade inlaid at the top, appeared in Li Chen's hand.

Li Chen had deliberately added a small raised button to the handle of the short staff.

He inscribed a basic miniature array combining a "Gathering Qi Array" and an "Ice Array" inside the jade. No cultivation level was required from the user; simply pressing a button would cause the array to draw in the faint spiritual energy in the air and transform it into frost power.

"Take it and play with it."

Li Chen handed the "trigger-activated ice crystal staff" to Xiao Sizi.

"See that little bump on the grip? Press it down, then swing it forward forcefully. Remember, don't swing it at close range."

Little Sizi's eyes lit up, and he grabbed the staff.

The cool touch instantly dispelled the summer heat from her body.

Curious, she grasped the staff, pressed her little thumb against the protrusion, and then, mimicking the action Li Chen had just taught her, forcefully swung it towards an open space in the corner of the yard.

"Buzz—!"

It was accompanied by an extremely faint tremor.

The cold jade at the tip of the staff instantly lit up with a blue light.

Immediately afterwards, a fist-sized ice crystal, formed from pure cold air, whistled out from the top of the staff.

"Snapped!"

The ice crystals hit the bluestone slab and exploded instantly!

A visible white aura of cold air spread outwards in a ring. The temperature within a radius of ten feet instantly dropped by more than ten degrees, and a thin layer of white frost even formed on the ground.

Li Chengqian was just wiping his sweat when he was startled by the sudden chill and couldn't help but sneeze loudly.

His eyes widened as he stared intently at the short staff in Xiao Sizi's hand, his mouth agape enough to fit a duck egg.

"What...what kind of divine artifact is this?!"

No incantation needed, no internal energy required—a little girl can conjure frost out of thin air with a simple wave of her hand? If this were on the battlefield, it would be an absolute divine weapon!

Little Sizi jumped and bounced excitedly as he looked at the layer of white frost on the ground.

"Wow! It's so cool! Sixteenth Brother is amazing!"

The little girl was running around in the yard with her magic staff.

"Whoosh! Snap!"

"Whoosh! Snap!"

She flung out ice crystals, which exploded in mid-air or on the ground. The temperature in the courtyard plummeted, as if winter had arrived prematurely.

Li Chen even had to use his true energy to protect the pot of hot tea that he hadn't finished drinking from, lest it freeze into an ice block.

"Okay, okay, don't turn my yard into an icebox."

Li Chen quickly stopped him, "This thing won't hurt you if it touches someone, it just makes you feel cold. You can take it and play somewhere else."

Little Sizi held the staff as if it were some rare treasure and nodded heavily.

"Sizi is going to show Father and Mother! Sizi has a magic weapon now!"

After saying that, the little girl turned around, took short steps, and ran out of the side hall like a gust of wind.