This was the first time Shu Yan had truly witnessed the terror of the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow.
After summoning his martial soul, and with the assistance of the Snow Empress, he directly wrapped a medium-sized strand of Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow in his soul power.
As the flawless outer shell of the Ice Marrow shattered, a stream of deep-blue liquid suddenly surged out and drilled straight into Shu Yan's body.
He let out a muffled groan. The instant the Ice Marrow broke apart, an even more powerful wave of cold descended. Dense ice-attribute energy filled the cavern. Even the already extremely concentrated ice energy within the cave was stirred up, surging toward Shu Yan's body all at once.
The Snow Empress watched him with a soft smile. With a wave of her hand, six more strands of Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow of varying sizes were drawn over to his side. Ice-blue light linked them together in a chain. Shu Yan raised his eyes slightly and heard her clear voice say:
"I've made a rough assessment. With your current physical strength—and with my assistance—you can endure at most seven strands of Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow."
"Calm your mind and focus. I will help you integrate all seven strands into your body. Remember, this is not about absorbing all of their energy at once. It is about fully merging them into your soul power and your origin. During your future cultivation, the energy I seal within your soul power will gradually be drawn out and refined by you. This is the gentlest method—and the most suitable for a soul master at your level."
"If you truly wanted to absorb everything in one go, Bing'er and I could wait here while you slept for ten years or so before awakening. During that time, we would slowly integrate the remaining Ice Marrow into your body. When you wake, your cultivation might leap directly to the level of a Titled Douluo—or even a Super Douluo…"
Hearing the Snow Empress's crisp voice, Shu Yan couldn't help but shudder. While circulating his soul power to absorb the pure ice-attribute energy and origin from the Ice Marrow, he replied:
"That won't be necessary. Sleeping for ten years would be fatal for me. I don't have that kind of time, and I don't want to waste it. I'd rather absorb it gradually. If it were truly possible to absorb so much Ice Marrow at once without consequence, then the Skydream Iceworm wouldn't have needed to sleep for so many years. Even blessings have limits. Once you exceed what you can bear, whether it becomes a gift or a disaster is impossible to say."
The Snow Empress chuckled softly, though the speed at which she inscribed runes with her hand increased slightly.
As the energy of seven strands of Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow poured into his body simultaneously, Shu Yan's body swelled and contracted like an overinflated ball. Fortunately, nourished by the Life Gold within him, his physique was already exceptionally strong—especially his meridians, which possessed remarkable elasticity. Only because of this could he barely withstand such terrifying energy.
Throughout the process, Shu Yan continuously observed his body internally. As the Snow Empress had said, the Ice Marrow integrated into him was vastly different from his ordinary soul power.
The portions he could not yet absorb floated within his soul power and meridians like tiny shards of ice. Each shard contained considerable energy. As long as he circulated his soul power in cultivation, he could refine and absorb them little by little. This was precisely the method the Snow Empress described as most suitable for him.
In essence, it was somewhat similar to the Snow Lotus origin she had once sealed within him. The difference was that the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow primarily enhanced cultivation, while the gentler Snow Lotus origin focused more on nourishing his body, meridians, and fundamental essence. No matter what, this was an enormous opportunity for him. Aside from the current pain, it brought virtually no drawbacks.
While the sealing process continued, Shu Yan exerted himself to absorb as much of the ice-attribute energy as he could draw in. As the massive influx of energy entered his body, his soul power began to fluctuate—like a giant stone crashing into a calm lake, stirring towering waves…
…
In the blink of an eye, a full day passed. Waves of soul power rippled outward again and again. From a slightly wider view, the original seven strands of Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow had long since shattered. At this moment, the Snow Empress was guiding a brand-new strand, carefully injecting its energy into Shu Yan's body.
Crack—
Not long after, accompanied by a crisp breaking sound, a completely different fluctuation of soul power spread outward. The ice-attribute energy in the cave grew even more active. Only when Shu Yan's aura gradually stabilized did the Snow Empress stop. She tossed the strand—at least half of which had already been absorbed by Shu Yan—to the Ice Empress.
The Ice Empress received it with delight, her gaze toward Shu Yan filled with astonished admiration.
"I have to admit, this kid's physique is truly impressive. That was nearly eight strands of Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow. Even if part of the energy was directly refined to raise his soul power, the remaining seven alone are far beyond what an ordinary person could endure."
The Snow Empress smiled faintly.
"The treasure within his spiritual sea is extraordinary. With such immense life energy, it's almost impossible for him to die. Coupled with the constant nourishment of the Snow Lotus origin, his physical strength has always far exceeded his current level. In comparison, it's his spiritual power that lags slightly behind."
"Though with Elder Yi's presence, he is practically immune to spiritual attacks. That's hardly a concern."
Hearing this, the Ice Empress clicked her tongue and said with a hint of envy:
"Such a lucky boy. In both career and love, he's far ahead of his peers. And with his personality—seemingly devoted yet somewhat sentimental—he probably won't lack admirers in the future. I almost feel sorry for Jiujiu. She finally raised such an outstanding boyfriend, and the trouble that comes with it certainly won't be small…"
The Snow Empress's expression shifted ever so slightly. Then she smiled and shook her head, her voice gentle.
"There's no need to think so far ahead. Our priority now is to protect him and help him grow stronger as quickly as possible. The rest can be left to fate."
"That is the way of the strong. Just like among soul beasts—strength naturally grants more choices, even in mating rights. Humans are no different. As long as he becomes strong enough, who would be able to refuse what he desires?"
From behind, the Ice Empress wrapped her arms around the Snow Empress. Inhaling the faint fragrance from her, she gave a mischievous laugh.
"Then… Xue'er, do you like me?"
The Snow Empress stiffened slightly. A trace of confusion flickered in her sky-blue eyes, but she quickly spoke:
"Bing'er, I don't quite know how to answer that. But from the depths of my heart… I believe I do like you. It's just that, after hundreds of thousands of years together, I can no longer tell whether what I feel for you is friendship… or what people call love."
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