Second Martial Soul

When Ji Lin broke through, the fusion was finally complete.

Ji Lin's body had also undergone earth-shaking changes. Nourished by the tremendous influx of energy, every bone in his body had visibly grown somewhat. His shoulders had broadened, his frame had grown taller, and his muscles, tendons, fascia, blood vessels, and internal organs had all become countless times tougher than before. His skin even carried a jade-like sheen, radiating an air of nobility.

His already handsome face had become even more striking. His skin was fair and clean, and he possessed an innate noble aura. This was the temperament brought to him by the Snow Empress's Soul Bone.

The pain gradually faded, and Ji Lin's body finally relaxed.

Weariness filled his eyes. Although he had broken through, he had endured such prolonged torment that both his body and mind had long reached their limits. Now that the Soul Bone fusion was over and the most important foundation had been laid, overwhelming exhaustion came crashing down on him.

It was a full half hour before Ji Lin recovered. He focused his mind and called out to the Snow Empress, "Snow Empress, are you all right?"

The Snow Empress's voice sounded in Ji Lin's mind. "I'm fine. You did not disappoint me. It seems I chose the right person."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm also cut in. "To be honest, I didn't expect Ji Lin's willpower to be this tough. Looks like Brother Sky Dream really does have a good eye. Snow Empress, hurry and begin the Martial Soul Fusion. You extracted the most important source of your body. If this goes on too long, it will damage the source of your spirit."

"Mm. Guard me." The critical moment had already passed for Ji Lin. Having successfully fused with the Snow Empress's Soul Bone, the following Martial Soul Fusion and the fusion of the Heavenly Snow Woman's first soul ring would be much easier with the Torso Bone as a foundation. The sealing and fusion mainly depended on the power of the Snow Empress and Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.

But for the Snow Empress, the most crucial moment was only just beginning. Completing the Martial Soul Fusion while protecting her spiritual source from being completely assimilated, preserving her intelligence—this was the foundation for future God Creation and immortality. She had never considered such a possibility before, much less conducted any experiments. It would have been a lie to say she was not nervous. One mistake, and she would lose herself, her consciousness vanishing forever.

"Don't worry, Snow Empress. Leave it to me. I've succeeded once before, so this time will definitely succeed too."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm confidently assured the Snow Empress.

The Snow Empress did not speak again. Immediately afterward, a dense white glow began to envelop Ji Lin's entire body.

A wave of icy mist spread out, concealing Ji Lin's figure.

The Snow Empress began burning the source of her body, while Sky Dream Ice Silkworm began to act as well.

A golden glow quietly emerged, guiding the white radiance into Ji Lin's body bit by bit. Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was indeed doing everything it could to help the Snow Empress. It protected Ji Lin's Sea of Consciousness while also safeguarding the Snow Empress's spiritual source, all while splitting its focus three ways to assist the Snow Empress in compressing her own power. Under its immense Mental Power, the Snow Empress's fusion process became much easier. Even so, the process remained lengthy.

Time slowly passed. The icy mist had already spread through the entire cave, and Chi Yuan had retreated to the entrance, vigilantly using her Mental Power to watch the outside world and prevent any accident from disturbing Ji Lin.

Soon, with a soft sound, the icy mist gradually dispersed, revealing Ji Lin within the cave.

He slowly walked toward the cave entrance, astonishing cold radiating from his entire body. Ice crystals spread wherever he passed, turning the entire cave into a frozen world.

A soul ring glittering with dazzling brilliance rose from beneath his feet. This ring was incredibly strange, entirely blood-red in color. Its noble, icy hue, like a sea of blood, emanated endless majesty. Seven golden patterns flickered in and out of view upon the blood-red ring. Red and gold intertwined, shining brilliantly against the snow-covered ice plains. The instant the soul ring appeared, the young man's aura abruptly changed as a noble and mysterious presence poured from his body.

The Snow Empress's soul ring had originally not reached seven hundred thousand years, but during the fusion, it absorbed the source of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and broke through to seven hundred thousand years, which was why it bore seven golden patterns.

His body did not undergo any obvious changes. Only a phantom appeared behind him. It resembled a human girl of seventeen or eighteen, with long snow-white hair flowing behind her all the way to her feet. Her sky-blue eyes were ethereal and clear, as though they could see through everything in the world. Her slender, delicate body was flawless, and though her white dress bore no decoration whatsoever, it made her appear so pure and peerlessly beautiful.

This was Ji Lin's second Martial Soul: the Heavenly Snow Woman of Ultimate Ice and Snow.

"I succeeded." Reaching the cave entrance, Ji Lin smiled at Chi Yuan.

Seeing how drastically Ji Lin had changed, Chi Yuan smiled and nodded. "It's good that you succeeded."

"Finally, it worked. All my painstaking effort was not in vain after all." Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's weary yet relieved voice rang out.

"Brother Sky Dream, thank you for your hard work." Ji Lin knew that without Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's help, he could never have succeeded.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm chuckled. "It's good that you succeeded. With this seven-hundred-thousand-year Soul Bone the Snow Empress gave you, your physical constitution has improved tremendously. With your current physique, you can at least fuse with a thirty-thousand-year soul beast's soul ring. The Snow Empress's Soul Bone and soul ring have also given you four Soul Skills."

"Four Soul Skills? Then, Brother Sky Dream, how is the Snow Empress? Were her consciousness and intelligence harmed?"

Compared to the four Soul Skills, Ji Lin was clearly more concerned about the Snow Empress.

"The Snow Empress is fine. She has only just fused with your body, and although I protected her, she is still very tired and has fallen asleep. After all, her situation was different from mine back then. When I fused with you, I had almost no Soul Power left. It was purely a fusion of spiritual sources, and I have a spiritual attribute, so it was much easier. But hers was far more troublesome. Fortunately, it succeeded. She will wake up before long."

At the mention of the Snow Empress, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm clearly revealed a delighted mood. Now that the Snow Empress had succeeded, the Ice Empress would not be able to escape him. Thinking that he would soon see the Ice Empress again, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm wore a foolish grin.

A dark line appeared on Ji Lin's forehead. Here he went again—this hopeless simp.

As for the four Soul Skills provided by the Snow Empress, Ji Lin understood them after taking a moment to sense them.

Aside from the Snow Empress's Three Absolutes—Emperor's Palm, Emperor's Sword, and Emperor's Cold Sky—there was one final skill. It was also the strongest Soul Skill the Snow Empress had given him: Above Heaven, Below Earth, I Alone Am Supreme.

The effect of Above Heaven, Below Earth, I Alone Am Supreme was to freeze space within a hundred-meter radius. Enemies within its range would not only have their bodies frozen and immobilized along with space itself, but their consciousness would also be frozen. Only Ji Lin could move, which was the origin of the skill's name.

As long as an enemy's level did not surpass Ji Lin's by too much, they would be controlled. Even opponents stronger than him would be heavily affected. It was truly a divine skill of the Control System. Its only drawback was that it did not distinguish friend from foe, apart from Ji Lin himself.