Stronger than a god.
Lin Xiao knew at a glance that Elder Yi had taught him that line. No one else could have come up with something so outrageously boastful.
Fortunately, the Ice Empress's doubts were completely put to rest.
If he was stronger than a god, then this boy, as his disciple, was practically guaranteed to become one.
If things really were as he said, perhaps this could work.
She might not survive her 400,000 Year Tribulation anyway. She would most likely die beneath the Heavenly Tribulation.
Take a gamble, and a bicycle could become a motorcycle!
The Ice Empress looked at Lin Xiao. "Human boy, can this Soul Spirit Method really keep my soul alive?"
Lin Xiao smiled faintly at her question. "Ice Empress, my teacher developed this Soul Spirit Method with another senior."
You should have said so earlier! If the old grandpa came up with it, then there's nothing to worry about.
"All right. In that case, I agree to become your Soul Spirit."
After a little thought, the Ice Empress agreed outright. With two gods nurturing this human before her, this was an opportunity.
"What... do I need to do?"
The Ice Empress looked at Lin Xiao, unsure how to become a Soul Spirit.
"Just become my Soul Ring," Lin Xiao said.
"Tch, so you still want my Soul Ring?" the Ice Empress scoffed. After all that talk, wasn't it still just a Soul Ring?
Lin Xiao smiled awkwardly. "I never said I didn't need you to become my Soul Ring."
The Ice Empress rolled her eyes at him. After all that talk, he still needed her to become a Soul Ring?
"You're only rank fifteen. I can't become your Soul Ring."
The Ice Empress spoke calmly. Even if she wanted to become a Soul Spirit, it would be difficult.
She had barely finished speaking when a wisp of bone spirit white flame appeared in Lin Xiao's hand. It resembled bone spirit cold flame, but possessed less than a hundredth of its power.
The Ice Empress jumped in fright, but after sensing it carefully, she realized the boy's flame did not seem all that powerful.
It posed no threat to her.
Only after letting out a long breath did the Ice Empress speak. "You have twin Martial Souls? What does this flame have to do with that old grandpa's flame?"
Lin Xiao nodded. "I have twin Martial Souls. This flame mutated after receiving a trace of my teacher's divine essence."
The Ice Empress nodded. No wonder. No wonder it resembled that flame so closely-it had received a trace of his divine essence.
"Extreme ice."
"A flame of extreme ice."
The Ice Empress was even more shocked. Had extreme ice become so cheap now?
Even his casually revealed second Martial Soul possessed extreme ice. No wonder he wanted her to become his Soul Spirit.
Such powerful talent. Humans truly were blessed by heaven.
The Ice Empress also became more convinced of Old Medicine's identity as someone stronger than a god.
A mere trace of his divine essence had given this boy's Martial Soul extreme ice. No wonder she had been so terrified of that flame.
It truly was not something of the mortal world.
"Boy, what do I do next?"
The Ice Empress had made up her mind. She would cling to this powerful backer's leg, and cling tightly.
He already had the strength to kill her, yet he was offering her an opportunity. She would be a hopeless fool to miss it.
If that Great Worm became a god while she still wasn't one, how humiliating would that be for a scorpion?
Old Medicine then explained the method of becoming a Soul Spirit to the Ice Empress, along with all the precautions.
The Ice Empress listened in a daze, feeling as though her brain could not keep up. This method was far too incredible.
She swallowed and nodded, only half understanding.
"Don't worry, little scorpion. I'll assist you when the time comes."
Old Medicine spoke gently.
The Ice Empress nodded in agreement. "Boy, what Soul Bone do you need? I can condense one for you."
Lin Xiao was delighted. "A Torso Bone."
It would be a perfect opportunity to strengthen his Body Martial Soul.
The Ice Empress nodded slightly. "Get ready, boy. Here I come."
As she finished speaking, the terrifying Soul Power of her nearly four hundred thousand years poured forth. An icy-blue magnetic field enveloped Lin Xiao, and in an instant, the air fell silent.
The pounding of his heartbeat filled Lin Xiao's ears. Old Medicine stood nearby, observing closely. A sacrifice by such a powerful Soul Beast intrigued him as well, and he could not help studying it.
Following Old Medicine and Electrolux's research, the Ice Empress began her transformation into a Soul Spirit.
"Little scorpion, seal your energy away. Just leave enough for Xiao Xiaozi to reach rank twenty."
Old Medicine hurriedly spoke, stopping the Ice Empress's terrifying Soul Power from flooding into Lin Xiao's body all at once.
The Ice Empress began controlling her Soul Power, sealing it inside Lin Xiao's body bit by bit.
Following Old Medicine's earlier instructions, once she finished, the Ice Empress abandoned her physical body and entered the Soul Ring as a soul.
Lin Xiao's entire body trembled. The Ice Empress's power was far too violent. Even with his Body Martial Soul, he could barely withstand it.
Fortunately, the Ice Empress did not follow the original story's sequence of bone first, soul second, and ring last, so Lin Xiao suffered much less pain.
It was still agonizing, however, and cold sweat kept beading on his forehead.
Extreme pain spread throughout Lin Xiao's body, while extreme cold battered every limb and bone.
Time passed little by little, and the cold sweat on Lin Xiao's forehead gradually disappeared.
The Torso Bone condensed by the Ice Empress also appeared before him.
"Teacher, Ice Empress, I did it!"
Lin Xiao checked his current condition. His physique had improved roughly threefold at least, his Soul Power had reached rank twenty, and his Bone Spirit Fire Martial Soul had gained its first Soul Ring.
A red Soul Ring nearly four hundred thousand years old!
The Ice Empress emerged from the Soul Ring. Looking at her Soul Body, she was still quite curious. Nothing seemed wrong-she was still alive!
"Xiao Xiaozi, absorb my Soul Bone, and your physique will improve even further."
Looking at her Soul Bone, the Ice Empress felt a little reluctant to part with it. She had succeeded, and even if she became a god in the future, she would no longer have a Soul Beast's body.
Now that she was his Soul Spirit, their relationship had grown closer, and she had even started calling him Xiao Xiaozi.
"Teacher, would you like to study this Soul Bone?"
Lin Xiao pointed at the Torso Bone as he asked.
Old Medicine shook his head. "No need. It should fall into the category of treasures. A sweep of my Soul Power tells me what it contains."
"Once that fellow Electrolux recovers, though, we can let him study it."
"For now, you'd be better off absorbing it."
As Old Medicine had said, a Soul Bone was merely a treasure. Studying treasures was not his specialty. His specialties were medicinal pills and souls!
Lin Xiao nodded without insisting. He put away the Soul Bone, planning to absorb it somewhere safe.
"Little scorpion, there's no need for you to stay in that Soul Ring. How about keeping us two old fellows company?"
Old Medicine looked at the Ice Empress and extended an invitation.
The Ice Empress's eyes lit up, and she hurriedly nodded. "Of course, old grandpa!"
Old Medicine gently raised his hand and sent the Ice Empress into Lin Xiao's Ring.
Looking at Lin Xiao, Old Medicine spoke tenderly. "Xiao Xiaozi, there's no need to hide anything from your teacher in the future."
"Your teacher won't hurt you."
With that, Old Medicine shielded the ring, preventing those inside from hearing their conversation.
Lin Xiao's heart trembled at those words. Had Teacher discovered it after all?
Thinking about it, that made sense. No matter how careful he had been, there had been the Star Dou Great Forest, the Soul Spirits, the Far North, and now the Ice Empress, whose name he had spoken so naturally.
It would have been strange if his teacher hadn't become suspicious.
He simply hadn't expected it to happen so soon, nor had he expected Old Medicine to bring it up so quickly.
"Teacher, you know that my soul was reincarnated."
"I won't go into my previous life. I simply know a lot of things."
"That includes this world, as well as your world, Teacher."
"But knowing is all I can do. Compared with you, Teacher, I'm still far behind."
Old Medicine did not blame Lin Xiao upon hearing this. Instead, he smiled. "Xiao Xiaozi, naturally, I could see all of that."
"After spending so long together, I can see that you have talent, and that you know a great deal. But when it comes to cultivation and gaining experience, you're like a blank sheet of paper. You understand nothing."
"Yet at times, you seem to know so much. So that's what was going on."
When he had heard Lin Xiao call out the Ice Empress's name earlier, Old Medicine had already grown deeply suspicious. Now that Lin Xiao had explained, he felt relieved. Who didn't have a secret or two?
The little fellow's willingness to tell him now did come as something of a surprise.
Little fellow, since you've told your teacher all this, your teacher won't let you down.
Old Medicine thought to himself.
"Xiao Xiaozi, from now on, speak boldly whenever you have something to say. There's no need to hide things, carefully finding excuses and ways to remind me every time. Even if you don't find it tiring, I do."
Hearing this, Lin Xiao smiled helplessly. He had underestimated his teacher's generosity, and had been rather unfair to him. This was Old Medicine, a universally acknowledged good teacher.
Yet he had still done something so embarrassing. It was almost laughable. He didn't even know what he had been worried about in the first place.
Since he knew what lay ahead, he should put that foreknowledge to use. There was no need to tread so carefully.
"Teacher, thank you!"
Old Medicine smiled faintly and reached out to gently stroke Lin Xiao's head. "Little fellow, you still have your teacher."
Their bond as master and disciple was already strong. Lin Xiao had no need to keep hiding things.
"Teacher, aren't you curious about what I know about you?"
Lin Xiao looked at Old Medicine curiously.
Old Medicine shook his head, clasped his hands behind his back, and turned away. "No. Only the unknown is worth exploring."
"Besides, I'm no longer in that world. What difference would knowing or not knowing make? It would only add needless worries."
Hearing this, Lin Xiao felt even more like a clown. What he had tried to conceal was barely worth mentioning in the other man's eyes.
Old Medicine truly lived up to his name.
He still had much to learn.
Before you continue