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**Chapter 8: Frozen Queen and First Burn**
Star Dou's mid-layer bit colder—soul particles crystallized faint, air humming with ancient pressure. Huo Yuhao led the expanded team: Tang Ya/Bei Bei core, dorm trio scouts, Shrek observer (Rank 35 auxiliary tagging "potential"). Frostveil Cloak trailed mist, masking Rank 17 surge.[1]
Tianmeng pinged frantic. *"Boss! Snow Empress ahead—700kyr ice sovereign! Million-year ripe!"*
*Canon pivot. Accelerated timeline.* Huo Yuhao's marshal scan plotted: 4.2km glacial lake, aura walls (tier 8 beasts circling), heavenly tribulation brewing faint (weakness window).
"Split formations," he directed casual. "Ya-jie vines perimeter. Bei Bei hammer breach. Triad: flank essences. Observer: support only."
Shrek tag raised brow. "Orders kid?"
"Tested efficient." Bei Bei grinned, Haotian blooming. Team fanned.
Lake edge: ice empress aura crushed casual intruders—century wolves frozen mid-prowl. Core: crystalline palace, Snow Empress silhouette gliding ethereal, cultivation cresting 700kyr. Tribulation clouds gathered slow.
*"Contact,"* Huo Yuhao signaled. Detection pierced veil: soul origin pure, wisdom vast, sacrifice instinct peaking.
Mental projection: *"Snow Sovereign. Tianmeng sends greeting. Partnership?"*
Xue Di paused—icy gaze pierced projection. *"Insect's host? Mental variant... divine shadow? Intriguing."*
Tianmeng bubbled. *"Sis! Join us! Shared Sea—million-year fusion!"*
Electrolux: *"Sovereign's Will: offer equality, not leash."*
Xue Di weighed. Tribulation loomed—double strike at 700k/800k fatal solo. *"Conditions: autonomy. No slave ring. Power shared."*
*Optimal.* "Agreed."
Fusion yanked. Sea expanded violent—icy domain clashed Tianmeng warmth, Electrolux mediated gray balance. Life Gold flared mediator, compressing Xue Di's essence: **800kyr second ring** (black veiled purple), **Soul Vein** (meridian replacement, ice regen infinite).
New skills matrix:
| Skill | Source | Effect |
|-------|--------|--------|
| Ice Realm | Xue Di | 20m domain: freeze time (slow 70%), shatter blade |
| Sovereign Descent | Fusion | Ice clone army (5 max, 50% power) |
| Vein Temper | Vein | Meridians crystalline: throughput 25x, poison null |
| Tribulation Echo | Compressed | Aura mimic: fake breakthroughs |
*Tier 2 secured. Physical god-tier.*
Surfaced: team stared frozen lake, Xue Di palace dissolved. Shrek tag pale. "Second ring?! Here?!"
"Compatible." Huo Yuhao casual. Rank 20 veil held.
Tang Ya hugged manic. "Dual million-year prodigy!"
Bei Bei analytical. "Shrek radar maxed. Inner Court lock."
Black Book thrummed—**first burn** unlocked: **Sun Moon Star Nine Elements Technique** (Lv1).[1]
*Test substrate?* Inventory scanned: Dragon Valley bone shard (fire attribute).
Burn initiated. Mental furnace ignited—nine stellar orbits spun: Sun (purify), Moon (refine), Star (condense), Elements (fire/water/wind/earth/light/dark/space/time/life). Bone dissolved essence pure, reformed: **SS Fire Dragon Marrow**—implant viable, skill seed.
*Success. Technique: treasure-to-SS/SSS converter. Worlds apart scalable.*
Implant choice: self. Marrow fused spine—fire vein pulsed, combat amp +40%. Nine Elements Lv1→Lv2 threshold.
Yan Shaozhe summons arrived: golden carriage. "Academy directive. Report."
Shrek Core: elders ringed. Flender stern: "Dual rings pre-twenty. Verify."
Arena duel: vs Rank 40 instructor. Huo Yuhao cloaked—Detection/Ice Realm combo: domain froze strikes, Sovereign clones flanked, Vein Temper no fatigue. 28s pin.
Elders conferred. Mu En (blind elder): *"God-rank potential. Hidden backer?"*
| Shrek Verdict | Rating | Action |
|---------------|--------|--------|
| **Talent** | SS | Core disciple |
| **Secrets** | ??? | Monitor |
| **Loyalty** | Neutral | Tang Sect tie leverage |
Mu En direct: "Join Inner Court. Resources full. Origin?"
Huo Yuhao bowed measured. "Orphan. Fate guided."
*Truth layered.* Mu En hummed—Tang San thread brushed, Book deflected seamless.
Tang Sect dorm: Ya/Bei celebrated. "Sect genius!"
Night. Book tallied:
**Vault** ↓: Fire Marrow integrated (SS+)
**Allies** ↑: Shrek Core access
**Threat** ↑: Tang San convergence (med-high)
**Tech** ↑: Nine Elements Lv2 (10/10 treasures burnable)
Tianmeng/Xue Di bantered Sea. *"Ice sis! Team up!"* / *"Worm. Silence."*
Electrolux: *"Next: Dragon Valley cleared. Burn shards."*
Forest depths beckoned. War board: owned.[1]
Citations:
[1] huo-yuhao-2-1.txt