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Chapter 54: Extreme North Specialty
When he opened his eyes, Huo Yuhao immediately saw the stunning figure standing vigil beside him.
"Awake?"
"Hm." Gently shaking his head, Huo Yuhao turned to Snow Empress. "How long have I been asleep?"
Performing a soul spirit contract with a fierce beast of Ice Empress's caliber had nearly drained all of his spiritual power. By the time the contract ended, he had collapsed from exhaustion.
"Ten days."
"Ten days?"
Huo Yuhao was momentarily stunned at the answer. Instinctively, he glanced at Snow Empress. "You've been guarding me all this time?"
Snow Empress shook her head, raising a hand to reveal a pale blue lotus resting in her palm.
"I set up a protective array during the ritual. I left briefly to retrieve the Snow Lotus you mentioned—the one that has existed for a hundred thousand years."
Before Huo Yuhao could fully react, the lotus was placed in front of him, and her cool, serene voice sounded once more.
"You still have room for another spirit ring. Absorb this one."
They had discussed this before performing the soul spirit contract with the Ice Empress. Unlike the Spirit Eyesmartial spirit, which allowed Skydream to supply multiple spirit rings, an ice-type martial spirit that could evolve continuously required a completely different approach.
That approach was to gather as much power from spirit beasts as possible to fuel the Martial Spirit's evolution. Although one could absorb strength by taking hits, the efficiency was far too low. Especially with a being like Snow Empress—if Huo Yuhao tried to evolve his Martial spirit by enduring her blows, he would likely be flattened long before any progress could be made…
For a second martial spirit, every spirit ring was crucial. Huo Yuhao had no intention of letting the soul spirit provide a second ring unless absolutely necessary.
"But… this isn't the one you were going to use for transformation."
Huo Yuhao blinked in confusion. Weren't they supposed to wait until the next time they met to decide? Giving him the Snow Lotus now seemed like cutting off his own path.
Seeing his bewilderment, Snow Empress pursed her lips but said nothing, simply placing the lotus firmly in his hands.
"The Snow Lotus contains the essence of heaven and earth. It is extremely rare for it to produce sentience. Even after a hundred thousand years, it places no demands. Now that I am here, absorb it quickly."
In the spiritual sea, Ice Empress turned her head to look at Skydream Ice Silkworm, puzzled.
"Why do I feel like Snow Empress is acting… strange?"
"No."
Skydream Ice Silkworm was silent for a moment, then shook his head slowly. "This is the normal reaction."
Ice Empress's forehead creased into a large question mark. "What are you talking about?"
"Ah, since you're genuinely curious, I'll tell you. In one sentence—"
Skydream Ice Silkworm's expression turned serious, mysterious, and profound.
"—Had heaven not born my little Yuhao, the succubus would have reigned eternal as endless night!!!"
Interrupting the spell, Ice Empress retracted her claws and snapped them threateningly at the air.
"Did you secretly do something? Before the soul spirit contract, I thought I saw you talking to Snow Empress."
"Ahem, I merely reported what little Yuhao did, providing some minor assistance. It's complicated, but you'll understand once you see more."
Ignoring the strange conversation between the two soul spirits in his spiritual sea, Huo Yuhao glanced at the Snow Lotus in his hand and nodded slightly.
"Alright."
With the second martial spirit released, a golden-orange spirit ring slowly rose from beneath Huo Yuhao's feet. Its vibrant hue marked a spirit beast that had existed for over two hundred thousand years. In contrast, Ice Empress's previous spirit ring had been intelligent, showing four golden veins in a blood-red ring.
The changes brought by absorbing Ice Empress and evolving his martial spirit again were now fully visible to Snow Empress.
Fine dragon scales emerged across Huo Yuhao's palms, spreading rapidly along his arms. This time, thanks to absorbing another spirit ring, the scales fully covered his arms rather than stopping at his forearms as before.
The transformation went beyond just coverage. The edges of the ice-white scales now bore a layer of deep blue trim, crystal-clear and radiant. From a distance, the scales shimmered in white and blue, like exquisite stained glass, elevating their beauty to a new level.
Because there was still a significant gap between Ice Empress and Ice Dragon King, the evolution maintained the dominant ice dragon features without drastically changing its appearance. Huo Yuhao sensed subtle enhancements from Ice Empress, but his cultivation was too low to fully manifest the Martial Spirit's true form.
Though the appearance hadn't changed much, Huo Yuhao could feel a substantial boost to his strength and physical condition from the evolved Martial Spirit.
Snow Empress studied him thoroughly before her gaze fell on the golden-orange spirit ring at his feet.
"What is the name of this martial spirit?"
Hearing her calm voice reminded Huo Yuhao that he hadn't named this Martial Spirit yet. Considering its ongoing evolution, he chose something simple.
"Let's call it Ice Emperor."
Snow Empress nodded as if approving the name. "Then begin—the third evolution."
"Not yet," Huo Yuhao shook his head. "Judging from Ice Empress's fusion, the Snow Lotus's quality likely won't trigger a fundamental change in the Martial Spirit."
Absorbing the Ice Dragon King had already elevated his Martial Spirit's baseline tremendously. Even the nearly four-hundred-thousand-year-old Ice Empress could only produce minor changes. The Snow Lotus could, at most, enhance it further.
Still, it was a hundred-thousand-year-old spirit ring. With enough accumulation, even a minor power could eventually trigger transformation. Besides, the Ice Dragon King was unique; where else could he find another spirit beast of equal stature? Huo Yuhao felt that only Snow Empress could induce a true qualitative change at this point.
Half a day later, a blood-red spirit ring rose following the golden-orange one. Absorbing the Snow Lotus was smooth and painless; Huo Yuhao even felt a subtle comfort.
As he had predicted, the hundred-thousand-year-old lotus only left delicate petal-like patterns on each scale. The markings were faint and easy to miss without careful observation.
Since it was made entirely of heaven-and-earth essence, it didn't provide a spirit bone. Huo Yuhao didn't mind—having a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring was already excellent. He could clearly feel his body subtly improving under the Snow Lotus's influence.
"Huh? My hair…"
Before he could wonder further, Snow Empress, who had been watching him quietly, lifted the corners of her lips and slightly nodded.
"The effect is quite good. You look much better."
"Huh?"
Seeing his confusion, Snow Empress waved her hand. A mirror made of pure ice appeared before him, reflecting his stunned, refined features.
"This is… me???"
(End of Chapter)