Since their in-depth discussion at the Royal Palace last time, Xu Jiawei and Shu Yan had developed a subtle sense of understanding between them.
Their ideas were surprisingly similar when dealing with certain matters. Xu Jiawei became increasingly satisfied with Shu Yan, and Shu Yan also learned a lot of new 'knowledge' from Xu Jiawei.
His temperament seemed to have undergone a cleansing transformation, appearing slightly more mature, and he became more rational and clear-headed when looking at problems.
Upon returning to the Princess Manor, Shu Yan found himself in a difficult situation again, looking at the three beautiful women, each with her own unique charm.
Snow Empress was kneeling before a low table, the tea in front of her steaming. Ice Empress and Xu Jiujiu were sitting on the other side, their backs to Shu Yan. Lost in their own thoughts, they genuinely didn't notice Shu Yan's presence for a moment.
Shu Yan lightly coughed. Snow Empress merely lifted her eyes lazily. Ice Empress and Xu Jiujiu, however, were startled. After recovering, Ice Empress gritted her teeth and then softly shouted, "Why are you coughing? Can't you see I'm thinking? If you interrupt my thoughts, I'll make you bungee jump from ten thousand meters again."
Xu Jiujiu also glared at Shu Yan reproachfully before lowering her beautiful eyes again.
Shu Yan shrugged, then sat directly on a soft cushion nearby. With practiced elegance, he poured himself a cup of tea and drank it in one gulp.
Of course, the teacup he used this time was naturally not the Snow Empress's.
The Snow Empress watched Shu Yan's actions, a flicker of emotion passing through her eyes, then she spoke calmly, "Your mental strength seems to have increased significantly. Moreover, your Sea of Consciousness seems to be protected by something. Even I find it difficult to see through its mysteries."
Ice Empress examined Shu Yan for a moment, then revealed the same expression as the Snow Empress.
As for Xu Jiujiu... well... forget it; her strength was still a bit too weak, she couldn't sense anything.
Shu Yan didn't hide anything further, simply telling the three everything he could in a soft voice. The three were silent for a while after listening. After a long time, Snow Empress finally spoke again, "Is that Yi, one hundred percent reliable?"
Shu Yan nodded, saying with a touch of emotion, "Yi is very reliable; there's no doubt about that. As for his own powerful abilities, I'll show them to you in the future. I think you'll be shocked by then."
Ice Empress pouted, then said softly, "Why does something like Netherworld Magic or Death Saint Mage God feel so much like what you humans call Evil Soul Master? It just sounds evil and ominous."
Xu Jiujiu also nodded in agreement, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes.
"This..." Shu Yan was momentarily speechless, truly not knowing how to respond to Ice Empress's words. It seemed that what she said was indeed not wrong...
Iliex's Display
Just as Shu Yan was silent, the gray bead in his Sea of Consciousness suddenly trembled slightly again. The next moment, Shu Yan's consciousness suddenly felt a sense of dizziness. Then, his consciousness was surprised to find that he had lost control of his body. However, relatively speaking, he could still perceive everything happening outside with extreme clarity.
The change came quickly. Shu Yan's aura changed abruptly, transforming from the previous indifferent nobility to a majestic and deathly coldness in an instant. Gray airflow slowly swirled up from his sides, and an indescribable power lingered in Shu Yan's palm. Snow Empress and the other two felt the changes in Shu Yan's body and were all stunned for a moment.
The next moment, the gray airflow suddenly disappeared, and the deathly gray in Shu Yan's eyes also vanished, slowly regaining clarity.
Looking at the three women with astonished expressions, Shu Yan rubbed his eyebrows and said somewhat helplessly in his Sea of Consciousness, "Yi, next time, please tell me in advance. Your appearance just now was quite frightening."
A soft laugh seemed to come from the Living Gold deep within the Sea of Consciousness, but it quickly disappeared. Shu Yan didn't receive a specific response, but he wasn't annoyed. His consciousness returned, and he looked at the three women in front of him, then asked with a light laugh, "How does it feel? Is this power different from what you imagined?"
Snow Empress put down the teacup in her hand, pursed her lips, and then said, "It's very strange. Initially, based on everything you said, I thought this was an evil and ominous power. But by sensing the power just now, I felt an unparalleled sense of holiness within it. This is completely unlike the power of an Evil Soul Master; it's more like a brand new and powerful force."
Ice Empress's expression also became serious. She looked at Shu Yan and then said, "Just now... I seemed to feel an extremely terrifying mental fluctuation. That mental fluctuation was so powerful that it made me feel as small as an ant..."
Snow Empress and Xu Jiujiu also nodded. The latter's expression was slightly numb. It was clear that the Princess's confidence had been severely impacted by Shu Yan, and it might take some time to recover.
Shu Yan smiled, then said, "Yi still needs some time to repair his own soul. Afterward, I'll let him get to know everyone properly. By then, you'll find that Yi's true terrifying power is far beyond this..."
The three women looked at Shu Yan and didn't say anything further. What Iliex had just shown had already shocked them. Regardless, since he had become one of Shu Yan's helpers, wasn't this a great good fortune for them as well?
The Golden Crocodile
The four sat in relative silence for a while. This was already the norm. Shu Yan didn't talk much to begin with, and the Snow Empress and Ice Empress even less so. Xu Jiujiu didn't know what to say in this kind of situation, so she simply sat there, which wasn't bad either.
Xu Jiujiu lowered her eyes and looked at the table in front of her, her thoughts racing. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck. Xu Jiujiu seemed to have suddenly remembered something and abruptly looked up, saying, "A'Yan, there's something I forgot to tell you. Do you want to hear it now?"
Shu Yan looked at Xu Jiujiu with a hint of surprise but still nodded.
Xu Jiujiu cleared her throat, then said, "Didn't you mention something about the Martial Soul Hall remnants before? Just two days ago, several special guests arrived from the southern part of the Empire. One of them has a Golden Crocodile as their Martial Soul. I think you'll be interested in them..."
"Golden Crocodile..." Shu Yan murmured softly, then suddenly remembered something, and a smile appeared on his face.
"Then these guests are indeed quite special. Let's go and meet them. I'm just curious about what the spark left behind by the former Martial Soul Hall looks like in this era. I'm somewhat looking forward to it..."