Ten Soul Skills!

"Fifty thousand!"

Boom!!

The entire crowd fell deathly silent in an instant.

Everyone turned in unison, their gazes sweeping like a tide toward the boy in the crowd who looked no more than eight or nine.

On the auction stage, the burly auctioneer's eyes flew wide, his pupils gleaming. The flesh on his face quivered with wild delight, and he nearly leaped off the stage.

Fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins!

This was no mere slave purchase. That sum was enough to buy an entire well-equipped Soul Master guard unit!

After a brief, deathly silence, the crowd below erupted in laughter.

"Hahaha, fifty thousand? Has this kid's brain been cooked?"

"Fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins for an ordinary girl with no Martial Soul or Soul Power? A fool and his money!"

"What family's spoiled young master came out to squander his fortune? He's a sucker if I've ever seen one!"

The people who had been competing over the bids sheepishly abandoned the idea. None of them wanted to go head-to-head with a fool who spent so recklessly.

In their eyes, competing with a hotheaded rich kid like this would bring no honor if they won and even more shame if they lost.

No one raised the bid again.

The auctioneer paid no heed to the crowd's mockery. He no longer dared show the slightest neglect, treating Qian Lingye like some revered and honored guest as he hurriedly called out and brought down the hammer. "Fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins! Going once! Going twice! Going three times! Sold!!"

The hammer crashed down, and the matter was settled.

He hurried off the stage in a flash, all smiles and bowing and scraping, his manner fawning to the extreme. The way he looked at Qian Lingye, he might as well have been looking at an enormous fat sheep that had delivered itself to his door.

In his mind, this was a noble child spoiled by a life of luxury and bedazzled by beauty, someone who could be coaxed into parting with heaps of money.

"Young honored guest! Please wait a moment! I'll have the goods delivered to you right away!"

The burly man waved to his subordinates, signaling them to unlock the iron cage.

The little girl in the cage kept her head lowered, her long bangs hiding her eyes. She heard all the jeering, filth and laughter around her, yet she neither cried nor begged for mercy. Only her frail shoulders trembled slightly.

Two subordinates roughly seized her arms and half dragged, half supported her through the crowd of onlookers, delivering her to Qian Lingye's carriage parked by the street.

"Young master, she's here!"

Qian Lingye nodded calmly and said nothing more, doing his best to remain mysterious and inconspicuous.

Under the pointing fingers and gazes of the onlookers, he reached out to lift the carriage's thick cloth curtain and was about to turn sideways and climb in.

But the instant the curtain lifted, an ice dagger stabbed straight at his face!

"So fierce? I did save your life, after all."

A teasing, playful smile hung on Qian Lingye's lips.

The girl before him had icy eyes and brows, and a bone-piercing chill pressed out from her body. She was on full guard and looked determined not to appreciate his help.

Qian Lingye shook his head helplessly inwardly. In the present situation, saying more would do no good.

Whether it was a misunderstanding or hostility, he couldn't possibly explain it away.

Rather than waste his breath, he might as well be direct and forceful.

His hand didn't slow in the slightest. He lightly tapped out a wisp of dark Soul Power from his fingertip, striking precisely between the girl's brows.

Hum-

A glimmer of pitch-black light vanished into her sea of consciousness in an instant.

The coldness in the girl's eyes faded at once. Her taut body went limp, and she passed out, falling gently.

Qian Lingye caught her light body securely and gave a soft sigh. Without lingering, he turned and left, driving the carriage into the city.

He found a high-class inn with peaceful surroundings nearby and rented an elegant guest room with its own private courtyard.

He gently laid the girl on the soft bed.

Looking at the girl's pale yet incomparably beautiful profile, Qian Lingye's gaze softened somewhat.

She had been forcibly abducted, tossed about on the journey, and subjected to fear and torment. She had indeed been through a great deal.

He would leave her asleep for now.

Let her have a good night's rest.

With such an unearthly appearance and a cool, ethereal bearing untouched by the mortal world, she could never be a child from an ordinary family.

She was most likely the cherished daughter of some reclusive great clan or top sect.

Yet she had fallen into such a helpless predicament. It truly made one sigh.

Putting aside his stray thoughts, Qian Lingye calmed his mind and summoned the system panel.

"System, tell me, how do I fuse with this origin power?"

[Top-tier ice and snow origin detected!]

[Only by forming a Dark Master-Servant Contract with the target can you inherit all of the target's origin Soul Skills!]

Qian Lingye understood and hesitated no longer.

Dark mist rose from his palm, curling and swirling as it slowly poured into the space between the girl's brows.

Invisible contract markings silently formed a pitch-black bridge between their souls.

The Dark Contract was completed in an instant.

Having done all this, Qian Lingye sealed the doors and windows with a turn of his hand, cutting off sound from inside and out. The entire room instantly became a sealed cultivation chamber.

He drew a deep breath, sharp intent blazing in his eyes.

It was time to condense his Second Soul Ring!

Rumble-

Deep, dark Soul Power erupted from within him!

Overbearing and ancient, it bore the supreme pressure of a Great Old One.

Time slowly passed.

Two full hours passed in the blink of an eye, and it was already midnight.

The night sky was dark, and all was silent.

Just then!

Pitch-black light blazed above Qian Lingye's head!

A Soul Ring, black throughout and deep as an abyss, slowly rose from the void and hovered quietly above his head!

Unlike the plain coloring of ordinary Soul Rings, this black ring was entwined with strands of incomparably noble golden markings!

That was the Earth Vein's origin trait! Weighty and solid, it suppressed everything in all directions!

The Second Soul Ring had been successfully condensed!

With a thought, Qian Lingye reached out to touch the girl's sleeping sea of consciousness, preparing to complete the final step of connecting their origins.

But the instant their souls touched-

Hum!!

An extreme chill capable of freezing souls and sealing heaven and earth in ice exploded outward!

Bone-piercing, desolate, annihilating!

This was no ordinary ice-attribute Soul Power!

It was absolute, extreme cold stemming from the soul itself!

Qian Lingye's head felt as though it had exploded. His soul trembled violently and nearly collapsed on the spot!

Towering waves surged through his heart, and his pupils contracted sharply!

Outrageous! Far too outrageous!

The vastness and purity of this chill were more than a thousand, ten thousand times greater than Ning Rongrong's!

"Is this fucking thing even human?!"

"She's a lump of ice that turned into a spirit, isn't she?!"

Qian Lingye roared wildly in his heart, his scalp tingling.

It was hard to imagine that a seemingly fragile sleeping girl possessed such a terrifyingly profound soul!

He gritted his teeth and endured the excruciating pain of his soul freezing, holding out through an entire incense stick's worth of extreme torment.

Finally!

The system's crisp notification suddenly rang out!

[Ding! Ice and snow origin fusion complete!]

[Congratulations, host! You have inherited all of the target's origin abilities at once!]

[Congratulations, host! Ten exclusive Soul Skills unlocked!!]

In an instant!

A massive flood of skill information poured wildly into his mind!

Qian Lingye froze on the spot, his brain shutting down!

He was utterly dumbfounded!!

He stood rooted to the spot, pupils dilated and face full of disbelief!

What was going on??

Ten Soul Skills!

Holy shit! Was this real?! Wasn't it an illusion?!

Ten whole skills!!

Qian Lingye's gaze swept rapidly over the skill list.

[First Soul Skill: Ice Empress' Lament]

When activated, a phantom image of an unparalleled Snow Empress appeared behind him and opened her mouth to unleash an endless ice tide, freezing everything over a wide area and sealing the battlefield in ice.

[Second Soul Skill: Snow Dance Rainbow Dress]

Countless ice lotus runes entwined the enemy, freezing their Martial Soul Origin and locking down all movement.

[Third Soul Skill: Ice Heaven Snow Shadow]

It conjured multiple Snow Empress clones capable of instantaneous movement, fighting in coordination and making it difficult to distinguish real from false.

[Fourth Soul Skill: Ice Heaven Snow Domain]

It spread a domain of extreme ice and snow, boosting the user in every respect while continuously eroding the enemy's Soul Power. [Notice: The host currently has insufficient Soul Power. Forcibly using this skill will result in backlash.]

[Fifth Soul Skill: Absolute Zero]

A single thought summoned extreme cold, instantly freezing everything, including space and the flow of Soul Power. [Notice: The host currently has insufficient Soul Power. Forcibly using this skill will result in backlash.]

[Sixth Soul Skill: Emperor Sword: Ice Extreme Peerless]

It condensed the sword of the ultimate Ice Empress and unleashed a wide-ranging, destructive slash, a top-tier core offensive skill. [Notice: The host currently has insufficient Soul Power. Forcibly using this skill will result in backlash.]

[Seventh Soul Skill: Snow Empress Avatar]

It transformed the user into the true form of the seven-hundred-thousand-year-old Snow Empress, multiplying all attributes several dozen times and fully unleashing the laws of ice and snow! [Notice: The host currently has insufficient Soul Power. Forcibly using this skill will result in backlash.]

[Eighth Soul Skill: Light of Ice and Snow]

A beam of extreme cold pierced everything, solidifying the enemy's blood and freezing the circulation of their Soul Power. [Notice: The host currently has insufficient Soul Power. Forcibly using this skill will result in backlash.]

[Ninth Soul Skill: Emperor Palm: Great Cold Without Snow]

The heavy snow fell silent, and a single palm brought desolation: a wide-ranging, destruction-class Ice Empress palm strike. [Notice: The host currently has insufficient Soul Power. Forcibly using this skill will result in backlash.]

Nine whole god-tier ice and snow Soul Skills!

Every one of them was incomparably overbearing, far surpassing ordinary Soul Skills.

The instant Qian Lingye saw the words "Seventh Soul Skill," his whole body jolted, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back!

*Snow Empress Avatar!!*

An incomparably ancient name that had shaken the entire Douluo Continent rushed into his mind-

*Foremost of the three overlords of the Far North!*

*Third on the Ferocious Beast rankings!*

*Seven hundred thousand years of cultivation!*

*The ultimate being born of heaven and earth's ice and snow-the Heavenly Snow Woman!!*

*It was her! It really was her!*

The supreme ruler of the Far North, a terrifying Ferocious Beast who had lived for seven hundred thousand years!

She had taken the form of a girl and fallen into his hands!

No wonder her beauty was peerless, her bearing cool and unearthly, untouched by the slightest trace of mortal life.

For she was the daughter of heaven and earth's ice and snow, someone who should never have existed in the mortal world.

Suppressing the shock churning like an overturned sea within him, Qian Lingye turned his gaze to the tenth Soul Skill.

[Darkness Origin Soul Skill Two: Evil God Authority]

Effect: Doubled the power of a single Soul Skill and granted immunity to all skill backlash and negative costs!

It could be actively triggered once every hour!

**Boom!!**

Qian Lingye was instantly overcome with delight!

*Heaven-defying! Unbeatable! Perfect!*

He had just been lamenting that he couldn't use any of the nine top-tier ice and snow divine skills because his own strength was insufficient, and that they also carried a risk of backlash.

Now!

[Evil God Authority] perfectly made up for every shortcoming!

*Backlash? No such thing!*

*Insufficient strength? Just forcibly overdraft it for a doubled burst!*

All nine forbidden divine skills were instantly unlocked and usable!

They complemented each other-an unbeatable combination!

At that moment, Qian Lingye's combat power underwent an extreme leap, as though he had shed his mortal body and been reborn!

At the same time, the Soul Power within him surged and soared!

His level instantly broke through its restraints!

[Current host Soul Power Level: Level 22 Soul Grandmaster!] ```

With the 700,000-year-old Snow Empress's origin power bolstering him, the sheer terror of it was enough to make one's hair stand on end!

The room was still and silent, with only a sharp glint in the young man's eyes.

Just then, a sudden sound of footsteps came from outside the inn.

A chilling voice suddenly came through the door, brimming with killing intent:

"This is it, boss! That kid's staying in this room. Make your move!"