Time flew by in cultivation, and in the blink of an eye, the day of departure arrived.
"I never expected Whale Rubber to have such a use—"
Having successfully absorbed the effects of the Whale Rubber, Shui Yunxin handed a batch of purchased Hundred Year Whale Rubber to Shui Yue'er and instructed, "Yue'er, stay at the academy and train your body properly first. Once your physique reaches its limit, I'll take you Soul Hunting."
"Mom is playing favorites! I want to go Soul Hunting with you too!"
Hugging the Whale Rubber, Shui Yue'er's little lips puckered enough to hang an oil bottle from them, her eyes filled with nothing but resentment.
Shui Yunxin pinched Yue'er's cheek and smiled. "The Ice Forest has a harsh environment this time, and we don't know how many days it'll take. Absorb the Whale Rubber properly. Maybe you'll even be able to absorb a Thousand Year Second Spirit Ring."
"Be good."
Shui Bing'er merely glared at her, releasing the bloodline suppression of an older sister.
"Fine—"
Though unwilling, Shui Yue'er could only watch longingly as Bai Mu and Shui Bing'er packed their things and boarded a carriage heading north.
The farther north they went, the colder it became.
At first, they could still see a few cities, but soon there were only scattered villages. Later, there was nothing but an endless snowy wilderness.
Two days later, the three of them arrived at a forest blanketed in ice and snow.
Ice Forest was the name of this forest.
The cold wind howled, sweeping up Ice Crystals.
The ground was permafrost frozen as hard as steel, and visibility was poor.
"This is woven from Ice Silkworm Silk. It's quite warm."
Shui Yunxin took out an ice-blue cloak and draped it over Bai Mu. "The Ice Forest is an extreme environment, rarely visited by people. Who knows how many dangers lurk here? Stay close to me."
"Okay, Auntie."
Bai Mu tightened his clothes around himself.
Perhaps because Zygarde was four times weak to ice, he always felt somewhat unsafe in a place like this.
No, why should I be the only one freezing?
Bai Mu had a thought and immediately released Zygarde without hesitation.
"Aw~"
The moment it appeared, Zygarde shivered as the cold wind blew over it.
Then it immediately turned and gave Bai Mu a complicated look.
Why did you let me out in weather this cold?
Bai Mu grinned teasingly. "Snow-covered and silver-clad—how could I enjoy such beautiful scenery alone? Of course, Xiao Ruan has to experience it with me!"
You're such a bastard!
Zygarde was utterly speechless.
The next second, it actually split apart on its own, sending all its excess Z-Cells into Bai Mu's body. It then turned back into its core form and hid in Bai Mu's pocket.
"Many thanks for your hospitality!"
It shifted its palm-sized body and lay comfortably in the warm pocket, leisurely admiring the scenery outside.
Bai Mu fell silent at the sight. 6!
"Your Martial Soul can even degenerate?"
Shui Bing'er, walking ahead, froze when she saw this.
She had heard of Martial Soul Evolution, but Martial Soul Degeneration was unheard of.
"It's one of its special abilities."
Bai Mu smiled without explaining much.
"What a mysterious little fellow."
After being shocked so many times, Shui Yunxin had already become somewhat immune.
Her gaze swept across the surroundings as she said, "Mirror Shadow Beasts can refract light and almost blend completely into icy, snowy surroundings. They often remain motionless while waiting for a chance to attack their prey. Keep an eye out as well, so we don't miss one."
"Don't worry, Auntie. If it enters my field of vision, I'll definitely spot it immediately."
Bai Mu grinned.
He was now extremely sensitive to Light Perception. Unless it could become completely invisible, merely reflecting light would never escape his eyes.
Snowflakes drifted~ drifted~ the north wind howled~ howled~
Searching for Spirit Beasts in the snow was extraordinarily dangerous and difficult.
On the first day, they found nothing, encountering only a few Ice Plain Bears and Snow Claw Wolves that were hundreds or thousands of years old.
On the second day, they still found nothing.
The third day—the fourth day—
It was not until the fifth day, as they passed by an Ice Lake, that they suddenly discovered several strange Claw Marks on a nearby rock.
"Those are traces of a Mirror Shadow Beast. It must be active around here!"
Shui Yunxin's spirits lifted. She led the other two along the trail for half a day before finally arriving at a Glacial Canyon.
Ice Walls dozens of meters high stood on both sides, with a passage over twenty meters wide in the middle.
At the center of the passage, two massive rocks leaned against the ice wall, standing silently there.
"Auntie Yunxin, there's something wrong with the rocks ahead."
With less than fifty meters left between them, Bai Mu suddenly spoke softly.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Shui Yunxin was slightly startled. Without another word, she activated Martial Soul Possession and raised a hand toward the Ice Rock.
"Ice Seal!"
The instant her First Spirit Ring lit up beneath her feet, the two boulders were completely frozen within solid ice.
Buzz~
The next second, the boulders that had seemed like dead objects began to move, as though trying to break free of the Ice Seal's restraints.
Unfortunately, although Ice Seal was merely her first Spirit Skill, its effect was too overpowered. Breaking free easily was no simple matter.
"This is a Mirror Shadow Beast? It's really cunning!"
Shui Bing'er blinked her beautiful eyes.
Only after looking carefully did she realize that one of the boulders was actually disguised by a gigantic beast over five meters long, its entire body covered in mirror-like scales!
"A Mirror Shadow Beast with a thousand years of cultivation is three meters long, and it grows half a meter for every additional thousand years of cultivation. This one has just over five thousand years of cultivation!"
Bai Mu quickly recalled the Mirror Shadow Beast's information. "This is the one!"
"Ice Blade Storm!"
Shui Yunxin softly uttered two words. As her fifth Spirit Ring lit up, over a hundred ice weapons instantly appeared above her head and descended upon the restrained Mirror Shadow Beast like a volley of arrows.
"Roar~"
Seeing that it could not evade, the Mirror Shadow Beast, only halfway out of the solid ice, suddenly made its scales shine with a strange white light, instantly forming an indestructible barrier.
"Interesting. It can actually greatly weaken the power of my Spirit Skill."
Shui Yunxin chuckled. While maintaining the ice blades, she created an ice ring and sent it flying, knocking away the Mirror Shadow Beast that was stubbornly resisting.
In an instant, the barrier shattered.
The ice blades seized the chance to fall, mercilessly cutting the Mirror Shadow Beast apart.
"Roar~"
The Mirror Shadow Beast howled in agony. Its silver eyes flashed as it actually condensed an ice-blue phantom identical to Shui Yunxin before itself. The phantom also raised a hand and formed ice blades!
Though the ice blades were not as powerful as Shui Yunxin's original ones, they were sixty to seventy percent as strong as they howled toward her!
"Mirror Projection?"
Bai Mu instantly recognized the ability.
Shui Yunxin's expression did not change. She merely adjusted the trajectory of her own ice blades slightly, forcing her way through the enemy's ice blades from the front.
Dozens of sharp ice blades poured down like a torrential rain, covering every possible route of escape for the Mirror Shadow Beast!
"Swish, swish, swish!"
The ice blades pierced through its scales, splashing vivid blood.
The Mirror Shadow Beast wanted to flee, but it could not.
Is this the solo combat ability of a Spirit Saint-level Control Type Spirit Master—
Bai Mu watched in alarm.
Unlike when she had faced the Wolf Bandit horde, where oversights had been unavoidable,
in a one-on-one fight, Shui Yunxin was utterly calm and composed, completely controlling the situation.
Before he even had time to let Zygarde use Glare to assist, the Mirror Shadow Beast had already collapsed into a pool of blood, barely alive.
It was already taking more breaths out than in.
Shui Yunxin hurriedly said, "Xiao Mu, finish it quickly."
"Okay!"
Bai Mu reached into his pocket, grabbed Zygarde, and tossed it out.
"Aw~"
Nine streaks of green light flew from Bai Mu's body into the core, and the proud Dragon Dog appeared once more.
"Use Dragon Pulse!"
"Aw~"
Zygarde opened its mouth, and purple energy surged toward the Mirror Shadow Beast like a vicious dragon baring its fangs and claws, swallowing it whole in one bite.
Boom!
An explosion erupted, shaking the canyon.
Whoosh~
A wave of Dragon Might burst from Zygarde's body, dispersing the smoke like a gust of wind.
The dying Mirror Shadow Beast fell into eternal slumber, and a deep Purple Spirit Ring slowly rose from its body.
"Go absorb it quickly, Xiao Mu. This Spirit Ring is of exceptional quality and should grant you a good ability."
Shui Yunxin withdrew her Martial Soul, her breathing steady as though the battle just now had merely been a warm-up.
Shui Bing'er smiled. "We'll stand guard for you!"
"So will I!"
Zygarde lay quietly beside Bai Mu, watchfully scanning the surroundings.
"Okay!"
Bai Mu took a deep breath and stepped forward.
He sat cross-legged, circulated his Soul Power, and began to draw in the Spirit Ring.
Before you continue