Tacit Coordination

Xiao Han suddenly woke from his sleep and found Shui Bing'er no longer beside him. He got up and walked out of the tent.

"Bing'er, you're already awake."

"Mom, why didn't you wake me?"

Lin Zhiruo and Shui Bing'er were eating nearby.

"You were sleeping so soundly, so I didn't wake you. Come have something to eat. Once we're done, we'll help Bing'er find a suitable Soul Beast."

"Alright."

Shui Bing'er asked with a smile:

"Last night was your first time keeping watch. How did it feel?"

"Pretty good. From now on, whenever we come out to hunt Soul Beasts, leave the night watch to me."

"That won't do. Once I obtain my Second Soul Ring, I'll help share the burden too."

"No need. I'm a man, so I should take on more responsibility."

Lin Zhiruo smiled and teased him from the side:

"Brat, you've grown up and become more sensible. In another ten years or so, your mom will be able to enjoy an easy life."

After eating and packing up, the three of them set off.

Two days later, they entered a valley.

It was bitterly cold there, with the surrounding area covered in ice.

Just as the three cautiously made their way between the icy walls, a deep, powerful cracking sound shattered the silence.

Following the sound, they saw a massive figure slowly emerge from behind a huge block of ice not far away.

Sensing the Soul Beast's presence, Lin Zhiruo was delighted.

"It's an Ice Crystal Pangolin with six or seven hundred years of cultivation. It's perfect for Bing'er's Second Soul Ring."

As soon as Lin Zhiruo finished speaking, she dashed forward.

Xiao Han and Shui Bing'er followed close behind.

This Ice Crystal Pangolin was three meters long, its entire body covered in translucent blue ice armor. Every scale was not only incomparably tough, but also faintly emitted a chilling aura.

Its eyes appeared especially bright against the ice armor, gleaming with ferocious light.

Its thick, powerful limbs made the ice crack beneath every step.

Most eye-catching of all was its drill-like tail, formed from condensed ice crystals and extraordinarily sharp. It was both a tool for digging burrows and a weapon for attacking enemies.

The trio's approach made the Ice Crystal Pangolin sense a threat.

It let out a low roar as complex patterns gradually emerged across its ice armor.

Clearly, it was prepared for battle.

Xiao Han, Shui Bing'er, and Lin Zhiruo exchanged glances.

"Mom, let Bing'er and me handle it."

"Alright. Be careful. Though it only has six or seven hundred years of cultivation, neither its attack nor defense is any weaker than that thousand-year-old Ice Armored Thorn Beast."

"Mm, got it."

For Xiao Han and Shui Bing'er, this was another excellent opportunity to hone themselves.

The two simultaneously released their martial souls and Soul Rings.

As her First Soul Ring suddenly lit up, Shui Bing'er took the lead in unleashing Freeze. A layer of solid ice instantly sealed the Ice Crystal Pangolin within it.

However, the Ice Crystal Pangolin possessed tremendous brute strength and broke free from Shui Bing'er's Freeze in the blink of an eye.

But Xiao Han's Frost Edge Shot followed immediately, an icy-blue arrow slamming fiercely into the Ice Crystal Pangolin's neck.

Xiao Han had observed it carefully. The Ice Crystal Pangolin's back, head, and tail were all exceptionally tough, while its belly was its weakest point.

However, its enormous body meant it would surely protect its belly well. Using that as a breakthrough point would be extremely difficult.

Other than that, its neck was relatively vulnerable.

Xiao Han's Frost Shot had targeted precisely that weakness.

That arrow had directly blasted several pieces of ice armor away.

The Ice Crystal Pangolin was enraged. It opened its huge maw and lunged fiercely at the weaker Shui Bing'er.

Although it was massive, it was not slow in the slightest.

Shui Bing'er had only one Soul Ring, but her combat skills were superb. Faced with the Ice Crystal Pangolin's sudden attack, she lightly leaped aside with incredible speed.

At the same time, an Ice Blade flew swiftly from her hand.

The Ice Blade sliced through the air, bringing with it a biting gust of cold wind as it accurately lodged itself between the Ice Crystal Pangolin's hard neck scales.

Though it failed to pierce its defenses outright, it caused the beast intense pain. That spot had already suffered Xiao Han's attack.

The Ice Crystal Pangolin's roar became even more violent.

This sudden counterattack briefly threw the Ice Crystal Pangolin off balance, buying Xiao Han and Shui Bing'er precious time to strike back.

Xiao Han's gaze sharpened at the sight.

His body flashed as he used the terrain to circle around to the Ice Crystal Pangolin's flank, a blind spot in both its vision and defenses.

Soul Power surged through Xiao Han's body as his Second Soul Skill, Ten Thousand Arrows Firing, activated instantly.

The ice arrows seemed to come alive, transforming into a sky full of icy rain that densely shot toward every part of the Ice Crystal Pangolin's body.

Though the Ice Crystal Pangolin's defenses were astonishing, it still had to resist with all its might against such a dense barrage of ice arrows.

Its tail spun wildly, attempting to use its sharp ice crystal drill to shatter the arrows.

Yet every ice arrow contained a chilling force of incredible piercing power, steadily weakening the Ice Crystal Pangolin's defenses.

While the Ice Crystal Pangolin was defending itself, Xiao Han activated his Second Soul Skill again.

This time was different from the last.

At the command of his will, countless icy-blue arrows gathered and merged in midair, all piercing toward the Ice Crystal Pangolin's neck.

At the same time, Shui Bing'er did not remain idle.

She unleashed Freeze once again, solid ice sealing the entire rear half of the Ice Crystal Pangolin's body, leaving only its head and neck exposed so Xiao Han's ice arrows could strike their target smoothly.

Under their tacit coordination, the Ice Crystal Pangolin gradually began to falter.

Its roars grew increasingly frantic, and the ice armor around its neck was completely shattered.

"Bing'er, it's up to you."

"Understood."

Shui Bing'er leaped high into the air, gathering all the Soul Power she had left into her right hand. An incomparably sharp Ice Blade flashed out and struck the Ice Crystal Pangolin's neck with perfect accuracy.

"Bang!"

A dull thud rang out.

The Ice Crystal Pangolin's huge body crashed to the ground. It struggled a few times before becoming completely still.

Seeing this, Lin Zhiruo quickly stepped forward to inspect it. After confirming that the Ice Crystal Pangolin had completely lost all signs of life, she revealed a satisfied smile.

She walked over to Xiao Han and Shui Bing'er and patted them on the shoulders:

"Wonderful! The two of you are becoming more and more in sync."

"Of course. We've known each other for three years, after all."

"Stop fooling around. Bing'er, adjust your condition and prepare to absorb the Soul Ring."

"Alright."

A cluster of yellow mist slowly rose from the Ice Crystal Pangolin's corpse, gradually condensing into a Soul Ring.

After adjusting herself, Shui Bing'er drew the Soul Ring over and began absorbing it.

Lin Zhiruo stood quietly guard at the side.

Xiao Han sat down to cultivate, taking the opportunity to restore the Soul Power he had expended in battle.

Three hours later, Shui Bing'er completely absorbed the Soul Ring.