They entered the Shui Family estate and found a pavilion to sit in.
After chatting for a while,
Lin Xiao suddenly spoke.
"Bing'er, may I take a look at your room?"
"There are some things I want to tell you."
"Just the two of us."
As soon as he said this, Shui Bing'er's cheeks flushed crimson.
Granny Shui Yuehua also looked at Lin Xiao in surprise.
As far as she knew, Lin Xiao had always been tactful. Why would he make such an improper request to enter a young lady's private chamber and be alone with her?
Although Granny Shui Yuehua trusted Lin Xiao and knew that he could endure the pain of Evil Fire Burning Body, so he certainly would not do anything indecent, she still felt it was inappropriate.
However, Shui Bing'er nodded with a blushing face.
"Okay. If Brother Lin Xiao says so, then it's fine."
Granny Shui Yuehua hesitated, as though she wanted to say something.
Lin Xiao turned to her with a smile.
"Granny Shui Yuehua, don't worry. It's a good thing."
Then Lin Xiao said to Li Bo,
"Li Bo, please don't let anyone come and disturb us."
Li Cangsong nodded.
Having accepted another's request, he would faithfully carry out his duty.
Naturally, he would do his part.
At that moment, Shui Bing'er shyly went over to Granny Shui Yuehua and whispered something in her ear.
A helpless expression appeared on Granny Shui Yuehua's face. This Little Ancestor actually knew it was inappropriate, yet she still wanted Granny Shui Yuehua to keep watch for her and not tell her parents. Really... sigh, there was nothing she could say.
Shui Bing'er brought Lin Xiao to her room.
A young lady's room was exceptionally elegant, with a delicate fragrance lingering in the air. It carried the refined air of a noble daughter.
The furnishings and decorations were also simple and tasteful.
Potted plants rested on the windowsill, their sparse shadows stretching across the room. They were a cluster of tiny dwarf bamboo, still lush and green beneath the snow. The exquisite window paper-cuttings seemed to reflect the maiden's gentle and graceful heart.
After confirming that there was no one else in the room,
Lin Xiao spoke with a serious expression.
"Bing'er, do you remember the gift I said I would bring you?"
Shui Bing'er lowered her head, her voice as soft as a mosquito's hum.
"Brother Lin Xiao, you coming here is already the best gift..."
Lin Xiao was slightly stunned.
A faint ripple stirred in his heart.
He had always believed that if people wanted a relationship to last, there should be less falseness and more sincerity. Thus, when dealing with Ye Qingxian and the others, he always treated them with genuine honesty.
And Shui Bing'er was his first friend, as well as the only person in this world who cared for and helped him without seeking any benefit or repayment.
Lin Xiao did not say anything more.
He took a Jade Box out of the Azure Water Jade.
"Bing'er, this is a Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure that Senior Poison Douluo and I found while traveling outside. It is a supreme treasure among herbs, called the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass. It can help your Martial Soul evolve."
"Take it together with the Ten Thousand Year Phoenix Blood Herb and the Thousand Year Cold Jade Mushroom."
Shui Bing'er stared blankly at the Jade Box.
She could sense the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass calling to her. The Martial Soul within her body had even begun to stir restlessly, as if it could not wait to swallow it.
But...
Shui Bing'er bit her lip and pushed the Jade Box away.
"No. Although Bing'er is young, I know the value of this. A Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure capable of helping a Martial Soul evolve is something even Titled Douluo dream of... It is too precious, Brother Lin Xiao. Bing'er cannot accept it."
In worldly exchanges, people were always accustomed to politely refusing gifts.
Yet when facing an unimaginably precious treasure, how many people could truly voice their refusal? Moreover, Lin Xiao could sense Shui Bing'er's inner struggle and the sincerity in her words.
It only made him feel that giving it to her was even more worthwhile.
"Bing'er, if you do not take this Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, who else in this world is worthy of it? Phoenix, oh phoenix, how you have declined. I want to witness the might of the Ultimate Ice Phoenix as well!"
Previously, Lin Xiao had thought that Shui Bing'er's Ice Phoenix Martial Soul possessed Ultimate Ice. But after gaining a deeper understanding of Martial Souls over the past few days, he realized that an Extreme Attribute and Ultimate Ice were two different things. Being close to Ultimate Ice was considered possessing an Extreme Attribute, yet it still had not crossed that critical threshold required for Ultimate Ice.
So the dignified Ice Phoenix Martial Soul was not Ultimate Ice, while the Ice Jade Scorpion Martial Soul was?
Lin Xiao wanted to see the splendor of the Ultimate Ice Phoenix!
Shui Bing'er was still deeply conflicted.
Lin Xiao frowned in thought, then suddenly said coldly,
"If you refuse it, that means you look down on me, or you do not want to be true friends with me. Since I have been sentimental on my own, then I shall return home!"
"Brother Lin Xiao!" Shui Bing'er's clear eyes were brimming with tears.
"I... I'll eat it."
Shui Bing'er accepted the Immortal Grass and silently swore to herself.
Bing'er, Bing'er, all you did was give Brother Lin Xiao your Storage Soul Tool and your little savings, yet he gave you such a precious treasure. Even selling yourself would not be enough to repay him! You must cherish Brother Lin Xiao and listen to him!
Lin Xiao watched Shui Bing'er consume the Immortal Grass.
The hundred-thousand-year Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, the Ten Thousand Year Phoenix Blood Herb, the Thousand Year Cold Jade Mushroom...
Immortal Grass was simply too precious. Lin Xiao trusted no one, including Granny Shui Yuehua. That was why he had asked to be alone with Shui Bing'er for a while. He had to personally watch her consume the Immortal Grass and see her Martial Soul evolve.
Shui Bing'er's ice-blue hair began to flutter.
The Phantom Image of the Ice Phoenix Martial Soul appeared behind her, letting out a long and melodious phoenix cry. Countless Ice Crystals fell from the Ice Phoenix's feathers, only for even colder, bone-piercing Ice Crystals to form in their place. The temperature in the room suddenly plummeted, and even the tables and chairs were coated in a thin layer of frost.
An inexplicably sharp and majestic aura emerged around Shui Bing'er's petite body, as though she were an Empress: "Above heaven and below earth, I alone reign supreme." She became increasingly noble and untouchable, like a divine maiden or celestial fairy.
The process lasted nearly half an hour.
The Ice Phoenix Martial Soul completed its transformation. Its magnificent feathers were more beautiful than the rainbow in the heavens, while its solemn aura was as noble as an Emperor's. Its ultimate chill kept others a thousand miles away. Even Shui Bing'er's temperament became difficult to approach, making others only able to admire her from afar and feel ashamed of their own inferiority.
Shui Bing'er opened her eyes. Bone-piercing cold shone from her clear blue pupils, yet it melted the instant she looked at Lin Xiao.
"Brother Lin Xiao!"
Shui Bing'er called out to him, then suddenly did not know what to say. The Immortal Grass Lin Xiao had given her was far more precious than she had imagined. This time, even selling herself truly would not be enough to repay him.
She only felt that a seed had been planted deep within her heart.
A faint smile rested on Lin Xiao's face.
"Bing'er, your Soul Power has reached level twenty now, right? You can hunt for your second Soul Ring."
"I wonder whether it has the power of your First Soul Skill."
Shui Bing'er's First Soul Skill, Ice Seal, sounded rather ordinary, but it possessed three attributes:
Instant cast, group control, and target lock.
This was no ordinary Ice Seal. This was the Ice Seal from Wang Wei's poem!
Now that Shui Bing'er's Martial Soul had evolved into the Ultimate Ice Phoenix, it had gained another attribute:
Extreme cold.
Before you continue