Twin Martial Souls Emerge

The Ice Empress's jade eyes suddenly contracted, the expression on her face replaced by pure shock.

The aura of that Ice Dragon Phantom... its bloodline was of such a high tier, its authority over ice so pure, that even she, an Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, felt a powerful tremor born of instinct.

The vast life force and inner strength represented by that heart phantom far exceeded her expectations.

An unprecedented brilliance also burst from the Snow Empress's sky-blue eyes.

She stared intently at the pulsating energy heart and the majestic Ice Dragon Phantom, clear emotion surfacing on her usually calm face.

She could clearly sense that the essence of this Ice Dragon Martial Soul—its "purity" and "height" in ice—even faintly touched upon the level of certain laws.

The Heart Martial Soul, meanwhile, was the perfect core of life and energy, the source of its inclusiveness and immense capacity to bear power.

This perfectly matched the strange attraction and sense of destiny she had felt when she first found this child.

Outside the door, Xiao Bai let out a low whimper as the suddenly erupting Dragon's Might and chill struck him. Yet he only grew more excited, trying hard to squeeze his furry face inside to see what was happening. "So amazing! Little Cloud is glowing! And there's an Ice Dragon!"

Xue Lingyun slowly opened his eyes. Deep within his left pupil, it was as though an endless Ice Abyss was reflected, clear and icy blue.

His right eye contained a gentle yet resilient golden-red radiance.

An unprecedented sense of fulfillment, strength, and "wholeness" filled his entire body.

His body felt light yet powerful, and his senses had become incomparably sharp.

He could clearly "look within" and see that two closely connected yet relatively independent origin spaces inside him had stabilized, resonating respectively with his chest and the phantom behind his back.

He unconsciously raised both hands.

With a slight shift of thought, the Ice Dragon Phantom behind him quietly receded.

Yet above his right palm, an exquisitely delicate Hexagonal Ice Crystal condensed. Its edges were sharp, as if it could freeze the soul. It hovered silently, emanating an ultimate chill that made one's heart tremble.

Immediately afterward, the warm halo over his left chest rippled faintly, and a gentle pale golden light cluster, somewhere between tangible and illusory, appeared above his left palm.

At the center of the light cluster, a miniature heart phantom faintly pulsed, giving off a life aura and sense of power that was reassuring yet incomparably solid at its core.

Xue Lingyun looked at the two utterly different manifestations in his palms. Feeling their seamless connection to his soul and bloodline, he was filled with indescribable shock and joy.

The Snow Empress was the first to recover her calm. She stepped forward and held a hand above Xue Lingyun's lower abdomen as a thread of gentle Soul Power entered him for a careful examination.

After a moment, she withdrew her hand, her eyes filled with approval and certainty. "Very good. The Twin Martial Souls have awakened perfectly. They are balanced and without conflict. Your Soul Power..."

She paused, then clearly announced, "Innate Full Soul Power, rank ten. And because your foundation is deep and the origins of your Twin Martial Souls are powerful, the refinement and density of this initial Soul Power far surpass those of ordinary people."

The Ice Empress also walked over at this point, circling Xue Lingyun once. Her jade eyes swept over him repeatedly before finally stopping at the place where the heart had vanished into his chest, though its aura remained. Then she looked at Xue Lingyun's now-clear eyes.

She clicked her tongue. "What an extraordinary 'heart,' and a 'dragon' I can't see through. Kid, your starting point is frighteningly high."

"Sister Xue, Sister Bing," Xue Lingyun said as he dispersed the energy in his palms, his eyes full of inquiry and thought. "These two Martial Souls... they both feel very special. What should I name them?"

The Ice Empress folded her arms and looked at the Snow Empress, her jade eyes clearly saying, You decide.

The Snow Empress's gaze shifted between the Ice Dragon Phantom and the warm glow at Xue Lingyun's chest. After a moment, her cool voice rang out with the calm of one who saw through to the essence. "This Ice Dragon Martial Soul is majestic in form and ultimate in cold. Call it the Ice Prison Dragon King, to display its supremacy over ice and the might of the Dragon Clan."

"As for this Heart Martial Soul..."

She looked at Xue Lingyun's chest, where invisible warmth seemed to continue surging. "It is the core source of your life and strength. It seems to possess the foundation of inclusiveness, bearing, and evolution. How about calling it the Primal Heart?"

"Primal Heart... Ice Prison Dragon King..." Xue Lingyun repeated quietly. The two names felt incomparably fitting for the sensations his Martial Souls gave him.

Another, more direct thought had actually crossed his mind: the aura of this Ice Dragon was so ancient and pure—could it be related to the legendary Ice Dragon King?

But no one would likely believe him if he said that, and it would only seem strange.

The name "Ice Prison Dragon King" highlighted its ultimate chill and majestic nature, and it sounded sufficiently domineering. It was very suitable for announcing to others for now.

"Those are very fitting names." He raised his head and looked at the Snow Empress and Ice Empress with certainty. "Then they'll be called the Primal Heart and the Ice Prison Dragon King."

"Which Martial Soul should I cultivate first?"

"Focus on the Primal Heart first." The Snow Empress's voice was gentle, yet it held clear guidance. Her fingertip lightly tapped the spot over his chest, where the warm aura of the Primal Heart still lingered.

"Feel it. This Martial Soul is connected to the strength of your breathing and the power in your bones. Cultivate it until it is solid, like driving deep piles into the Icy Plains. No matter how much you add later, your foundation will remain steady."

She lifted her eyes to Xue Lingyun, whose reflection lay in her sky-blue gaze. There was patient guidance in her voice. "Its nature is gentle and it can contain any kind of power. It is perfect for paving a broad road for you."

"As for that Ice Dragon, it is too fierce. If it starts showing its edge now, it could easily hurt you."

"Wait until your body is stronger and you can truly control your power. Then you can let it grow alongside you. It will not be too late."

Xue Lingyun nodded solemnly. This perfectly coincided with his own thoughts.

Strengthen himself first, then reveal his edge.

"Good. Your Martial Souls have formed, and your realm has initially stabilized." The Snow Empress gave her final words, her gaze turning beyond the meditation chamber as though she had seen through the Ice Palace and toward somewhere in the Extreme North Land.

"Next, it is time to find the first Soul Ring for your Primal Heart. There have indeed been unusual fluctuations recently in the direction you sensed before."

Xue Lingyun's spirits rose, expectation and fighting intent blazing in his eyes. "Yes, Sister Xue! I'm ready."

He could feel that, with the awakening of his Martial Souls, the vague sensation from before had become much clearer.

That "opportunity" in the forest on the outskirts of the Far North was producing a powerful attraction with the vigorously pulsating Primal Heart in his chest.

"We'll stop here for today. Go back, rest well, and consolidate this newborn power." The Ice Empress's tone returned to normal, though the faint upturn of her lips showed that she was in quite a good mood.

"I'll take you there tomorrow morning. Even though it is only the outskirts, do not let your guard down."

"Yes, Sister Bing!"

Xue Lingyun clenched his fist, feeling the brand-new power flowing through his body and the steady beating of the "Primal Heart" in his chest, as though it contained countless possibilities.

The corners of his mouth could not help lifting—this was his own Martial Soul, something real and tangible, no longer those untouchable sensations and vague thoughts from before.

"Tomorrow... I'll be able to obtain my first Soul Ring."

The thought made his heartbeat quicken. There was anticipation, as well as a little nervousness in the face of the unknown.

But more than anything, he felt an eager urge to give it a try.