Changes and Harvest

The world was pitch black, with only a few stars shining upon the ground. The ice crystals on the surface refracted dazzling light, giving the terrain a crisp, crystalline texture. If one were to widen their field of vision, they would be shocked to see that these ice crystals were not mere ice, but the crystallized remains of the body of the Far North's sovereign. Its emerald-green shell highlighted a majestic and imposing physique, though it no longer held any signs of life.

This body had now lost all its energy, leaving behind only an empty husk. As time passed and the snow covered it, it would likely soon vanish into this land. Ice Empress looked at her former body with indescribable emotions in her eyes. What were they? She couldn't quite put them into words; perhaps it was the uncertainty brought on by the unknown. But this was the only path forward.

It was simply a road with no turning back. Ice Empress lowered her head to look at her current host and couldn't help but frown. He was simply too weak, and his talent wasn't particularly good, though his temperament was worth noting. Everything had come to an end, and now they just had to wait for Huo Yuhao to wake up. No soul beasts would come to this place; her aura of intimidation would persist for some time yet.

Ice Empress only wanted to wait for Huo Yuhao to wake up. Tian Meng had already gone into a deep slumber. Ice Empress had actually discovered another extremely powerful soul within the mind, but since neither of them said anything, she didn't ask, though she remained vigilant. Once he woke up, her task would be complete. A new life would begin.

Just as Ice Empress was feeling melancholic, the ice pillar where Huo Yuhao was fused with the ground suddenly developed a few cracks. The crisp sound of the fracturing was far too prominent in this extremely quiet place, and it continued; the cracks grew more numerous until, finally, the ice shattered. Huo Yuhao opened his eyes, broke out of the ice, and ice crystals scattered all over the ground.

These crystals were not simple ice, but leaked remnants of Ice Empress's core energy from when she was remodeling Huo Yuhao's body. Even if it was just a drop in the bucket compared to the energy within the torso bone, it was still a priceless treasure. This substance was similar to a silkworm slough; creatures born here would normally consume it, but Huo Yuhao couldn't quite bring himself to do it.

He still couldn't let go of his pride, even though Ice Empress didn't want him to eat it either. These were just scraps, and the core was already inside Huo Yuhao's body, so there was no point in looking far for what was already near. Huo Yuhao subconsciously gathered them up; who would turn down something useful? As long as he ignored Ice Empress's look of disdain, it was fine. He hadn't even seen what Wang Yi and Tian Meng had done yet.

Huo Yuhao hadn't expected this item to have a boomerang effect; the two of them could truly leave Huo Yuhao speechless. That time wasn't far off, but Huo Yuhao was now truly assessing his gains. He discovered that he could move freely in this frozen wasteland without feeling a hint of cold. One had to remember that this was a forbidden zone for humans.

He could survive even without the Silkworm Slough; was this the benefit of Ultimate Ice? Would he be able to play snowball fights as he pleased from now on? After thinking this, Huo Yuhao gave himself a mental slap; he was being too small-minded, even if he couldn't describe the benefits of Ultimate Ice right now.

Ice Empress, having held on this long, didn't mind holding on a little longer to speak to Huo Yuhao. "I am about to fall into a deep sleep, so don't disturb me unless it's important. However, I estimate there won't be any danger at your current stage. Do not use the soul ring I gave you yet; it is not something you can withstand right now. If you must use it, you must have me take the lead, or you will be drained dry."

"At this stage, just focus on experiencing the attribute of Ultimate Ice, the absolute attribute that allowed us Ice Jade Empress Scorpions to dominate the Far North," Ice Empress said, revealing her pride. "Your strength is too weak right now, so work hard to improve your soul power. Ultimate Ice requires immense accumulation, or rather, any ultimate attribute requires accumulation far beyond that of ordinary people."

"What this brings is combat power that surpasses your peers and even allows you to fight above your rank, but the price is a slower cultivation speed. I recommend you cultivate here; this is your best environment for growth, not some Shrek Academy. But you won't listen anyway, so be it."

When Huo Yuhao heard that his cultivation speed would slow down, he immediately felt depressed. His soul power had always been a thorn in his side, making him feel inferior from childhood, and even after arriving at Shrek, it hadn't disappeared, only slowed. Every time he encountered a new person, he would subconsciously note their soul power level, even if he could beat them.

He had hoped his second martial soul would change this situation, but Ice Empress's words shattered his delusions. Cultivate slowly, then. Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and then shouted it out loud. This time, the duration seemed a bit long, which finally made Huo Yuhao feel the changes in his body. He stretched his limbs, and his whole body popped with sound.

As he stretched, he realized his most direct change was that he had grown much taller. His body had become much stronger, though the power of the soul bone hadn't been fully absorbed, so the improvement wasn't very obvious. If he had absorbed it all, beating up Bei Bei and kicking Xu Sanshi would be child's play, but that was just a dream.

Huo Yuhao now had to go find his second soul ring to successfully reach the second ring. He certainly wouldn't have to start training from level 21; he could clearly feel that his soul power had increased significantly.

He activated Spiritual Detection, and the range startled him. Furthermore, the pressure of maintaining it was much lower. The two days of trials had not been in vain; his previously unstable spiritual power had been tempered, becoming more refined, and the amount he could control had increased. Although he didn't have full control over his spiritual power, he had made significant progress; the stars in the sky appeared much closer in Huo Yuhao's field of vision.

As for why one had to reach the second ring to perform a soul fusion, Tian Meng had explained it this way: the rules were just like that, or rather, the loophole that could be exploited was just like that. It was an understanding Tian Meng had traded his life for. The node between the first and second ring was the easiest to slip through, simulating the acquisition of a second martial soul via the second soul ring, making it impossible for the rules to distinguish the truth.

This line of thinking was a precious experience that Huo Yuhao would definitely use in the future. His task now was to familiarize himself with his body and wait for Tian Meng to wake up so he could find a suitable second soul ring. Now was the time to experience the local customs of the Far North. Huo Yuhao picked up the Silkworm Slough and draped it over himself; even if he wasn't afraid of the cold, it was still very useful for hiding his aura. It was foreseeable that this skin of Huo Yuhao's would have many appearances and play a huge role.

He planned to record information about the Far North, as Shrek's records were too sparse, consisting only of fragmented notes. This was something he, Huo Yuhao, had to do. With his mind made up, he set off. First, he walked out of this area; Ice Empress's majesty ensured that no soul beasts dared to approach. As for her body, he would leave it here; since Ice Empress hadn't spoken, he couldn't make decisions on her behalf.