Chapter 457: Extreme Cold Abyss
Ruoshui sat hugging her knees, smiling at her little junior brother next to her.
"Back when I was younger, I also admired some men. Well, 'admired' is more accurate than 'liked.' I once thought about finding someone I truly loved and spending a lifetime together. But as I grew stronger and went through countless battles, people around me became nothing more than passersby—either falling in battle or leaving. Gradually, I lost interest in love. When I finally had some downtime, I realized that those I once admired had either died or been left far behind."
As she spoke, Ruoshui reached out and ruffled Li Meng's hair.
"Your senior sister has very high standards. Anyone who wants to be my man must be stronger than me!"
She withdrew her hand and sighed.
She looked up at the dense canopy of the Giant Spirit Tree.
"For us professionals, falling in love too early isn't a good thing. Endless battles with the Demon Race often tear lovers apart. These tragedies happen every day. Love is beautiful, but it can also make a professional more vulnerable. Little junior brother, if you ever feel down and want to cry, my embrace is always open for you!"
Ruoshui lowered her head and looked at her little junior brother beside her.
She smiled gently, quietly watching him munching on small dried fish.
Li Meng glanced at his senior sister.
His gaze lingered for a moment on her towering peaks.
Seemingly sensing his gaze, Ruoshui's lips curved into a playful smile.
"If nothing else, they must be very soft!"
Li Meng pretended not to hear her teasing and silently continued eating his dried fish.
"Aren't you going with them?"
Li Meng finished the fish tail in one bite, then wiped his hands.
"Xiao Sheng is with them."
Yaba Lake Academy wasn't far from Spring City.
There shouldn't be any foolish troublemakers on the way.
"Little junior brother, is my inability to break through to Ninth Rank Level Five related to the Ice Marrow Liquid?"
As the principal, Ruoshui naturally understood the side effects of the Ice Marrow Liquid.
Since breaking through to Ninth Rank, she had stopped cultivating in the Ice Spirit Cavern.
Although her spirit power growth slowed considerably, she still managed to reach Ninth Rank Level Five over the years.
However, once she hit Ninth Rank Level Five, everything changed.
No matter how hard she cultivated, her spirit power wouldn't improve.
Even cultivating in the Ice Spirit Cavern didn't help.
Ruoshui knew she had hit a bottleneck.
If she couldn't break it, she would be stuck at Ninth Rank Level Five for life.
Ruoshui had a feeling that her little junior brother might have a solution.
"Mm!"
It seemed senior sister was well aware of her own issues.
"Is there a solution?"
Ruoshui looked at him with hopeful eyes.
Li Meng felt a bit uneasy under her gaze.
Was senior sister treating him like a million-year-old shapeshifting beast?
"There is a way, but it's not easy."
Upon hearing this, Ruoshui's eyes lit up.
As long as there was a way, no matter how hard, it was better than having no options.
"Tell me. Your senior sister isn't afraid of hardship!"
Faced with her expectant gaze, Li Meng hesitated.
Although he could easily solve her problem, he couldn't afford to be too conspicuous.
He could only use the world's established rules to help her.
Glancing toward the distant lake, he noticed the little girls were no longer in sight.
"There are two ways: one is to consume an Extreme Cold Ice Spirit Grass to create an acquired Ice Spirit Body. The other is to form a contract with an Ice Elemental Spirit and make it your Wisdom Magic Ring. It can gradually transform your physique into an Ice Spirit Body."
Extreme Cold Ice Spirit Grass?
Ice Elemental Spirit?
Both options left Ruoshui speechless.
Li Meng was right—it would be very difficult.
Ordinary Ice Spirit Grass was already rare.
Extreme Cold Ice Spirit Grass was the king among Ice Spirit Grasses.
It only evolved after growing for a hundred thousand years.
It not only possessed extreme ice power but also developed sentience.
Even Ninth Rank experts would struggle to capture it.
As for an Ice Elemental Spirit, that was even more impossible.
Whenever an Elemental Spirit appeared, it triggered bloody battles.
They were treasures coveted by both the Demon Race and humans.
Signing a contract with one would eliminate bottlenecks, dramatically speed up cultivation, and extend lifespan far beyond normal Ninth Rank experts.
"Little junior brother, it seems this is my fate. I'll let it be. What's not meant for me can't be forced."
Ruoshui was already content with reaching Ninth Rank Level Five.
Crossing Ninth Rank Level Five was an insurmountable barrier for most professionals.
If she could cross it, reaching Ninth Rank Level Nine would just be a matter of time.
But 90% of professionals failed to cross that gap.
Senior sister giving up so quickly?
Li Meng activated his "Eye of God" ability to glimpse her future.
His brows furrowed.
Sure enough, she hadn't truly given up.
"Senior sister, Extreme Cold Abyss isn't a place you can go!"
Li Meng saw her future: heading to the Extreme Cold Abyss.
It was deep within Demon Territory.
A training ground for the younger generation of the Demon Race.
Far more dangerous than the Monster Beast Forest.
Even Demons only dared to linger at its outskirts.
Although this was many years away, her future showed she would die at the edge of the Extreme Cold Abyss.
She would be ambushed by a Demon King and over a dozen Eighth Rank Demon experts and die in battle.
Ruoshui awkwardly laughed, pinching Li Meng's cheek again.
"Little junior brother, you're not a worm in my stomach. How do you know what I'm thinking?"
She had indeed considered heading to the Extreme Cold Abyss to find the Extreme Cold Ice Spirit Grass.
That place was saturated with ice elements, the perfect environment for Ice Spirit Grass.
If lucky, she might really find an Extreme Cold Ice Spirit Grass.
Li Meng peeked again into her future.
Nothing changed.
Meaning, she hadn't listened to his warning.
But then, why should she?
Extreme Cold Ice Spirit Grass was crucial to her.
Even if the chance was one in ten thousand, she would never give up.
What should he do?
Li Meng fell into deep thought.
His senior sister's future was now intertwined with his.
If he hadn't told her about the Extreme Cold Ice Spirit Grass, she wouldn't have known it could break her bottleneck.
Meaning, no matter what he did, she would still head to the Extreme Cold Abyss.
Li Meng had originally thought about searching Dreamland Paradise.
Maybe he could find the Extreme Cold Ice Spirit Grass there.
But given her future journey to the Extreme Cold Abyss, it was clear: future him hadn't found it.