Pure Ice Elemental Life, Level Fifteen

Half an hour later, at the edge of the Extreme North Core Zone, at the bottom of an abyss shrouded year-round in extreme freezing storms.

"This is it."

Snow Empress landed lightly on the ground, pointing toward a strange entity not far ahead.

Xue Bingchen looked closely and saw, resting on the ice rock at the deepest part of the abyss, a cluster of ice-blue light that looked like transparent crystal, constantly shifting its form.

It had no physical body, formed entirely from the purest extreme cold ice elements; the surrounding air was visibly distorted by the chill it radiated.

"This is... a Polar Ice Spirit?!"

Ice Empress gasped, exclaiming, "This is a pure ice-elemental lifeform nurtured by heaven and earth! It is indeed a perfect fit!"

Snow Empress smiled faintly, "For Chen'er, everything in the Far North is available for the taking."

Then, Snow Empress turned to look at Xue Bingchen, her expression turning somewhat solemn:

"Chen'er, this Polar Ice Spirit has exactly one thousand four hundred years of cultivation.

Its ice elements are extremely pure, but also extremely violent.

Are you... certain you want to choose it?"

"One thousand four hundred years?!"

Upon hearing the age, the face of Ice Empress, which had been triumphant just a moment ago, instantly changed color.

She grabbed Xue Bingchen's arm, anxiously urging:

"Little Bingchen, this is no joke! One thousand four hundred years—that is more than three times the limit for a normal human's first spirit ring! Furthermore, the soul shock from elemental spirit beasts is terrifying! How about... how about we pick another one? Let's keep looking, finding one around eight or nine hundred years would be fine too!"

However, Xue Bingchen's gaze remained locked onto the Polar Ice Spirit, and in those eyes, alternating between gold and red, there was not a hint of fear, but rather a burning, intense desire!

He could clearly feel his dormant "Body Martial Soul" roaring wildly within him, as if a strong man who had been starving for three days and nights had just seen a peerless feast, urging him on frantically!

"No, Aunt Ice Empress, no need to change!"

Xue Bingchen took a deep breath, his tone resolute:

"This is the one! I can feel it—my body can absolutely handle it!"

Seeing that Xue Bingchen had made up his mind, Snow Empress stopped wasting words.

A sharp, icy glint flashed in her ice-blue eyes, and the terrifying pressure of the Far North's sovereign descended instantly.

Snow Empress slowly raised her right hand, her slender index finger pointing from afar at the shivering Polar Ice Spirit.

"Freeze."

A cold, clear syllable escaped her lips.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, nor any flashy spirit skill light show.

With just that single point, the Polar Ice Spirit, possessing one thousand four hundred years of cultivation and capable of giving even a normal human Spirit Saint a headache, was instantly frozen solid by an irresistible absolute zero!

The violent elements within it were suppressed in an instant, its life force plummeted to the bottom in the blink of an eye, and it fell into a state of absolute near-death.

The strength of a seven-hundred-thousand-year-old fierce beast was truly terrifying!

"Chen'er, do it." Snow Empress withdrew her finger and said calmly.

Xue Bingchen nodded, stepping forward quickly to deliver the finishing blow.

"Pop—"

With a soft sound, the pure life force of the Polar Ice Spirit dissipated completely.

Immediately after, countless ice-blue light particles rose from its remains, rapidly gathering and compressing in mid-air until, finally, they transformed into a spirit ring radiating a deep purple glow!

A thousand-year spirit ring! A purple ring!

Watching the purple ring floating silently in mid-air, Xue Bingchen suppressed the excitement in his heart and sat cross-legged on the ice rock.

He closed his eyes, and with a thought, the aura of his Heavenly Snow Woman martial soul was released, guiding the purple thousand-year spirit ring in mid-air to slowly descend and settle around him.

"BOOM—!!!"

The moment the spirit ring entered his body, a massive, violently cold, and bone-chilling energy exploded within Xue Bingchen like a wild horse breaking free!

"Ugh!"

Xue Bingchen let out a muffled groan, his delicate, porcelain-like face turning deathly pale as his brows knit together tightly.

The energy of a one-thousand-four-hundred-year spirit ring was simply too vast!

That violent, icy power felt as if it were tearing his meridians apart and freezing his internal organs solid!

However, just as this power was about to run rampant, the hidden "Body Martial Soul" within Xue Bingchen stirred.

His powerful physical body, tempered by countless heavenly treasures, finally revealed its terrifying foundation!

A rich glow of blood-red and brilliant gold erupted from the surface of his previously pale skin.

Time ticked by, second by second.

The absorption process was incredibly arduous.

Gradually, in the extreme cold of the Far North, where temperatures dropped dozens of degrees below zero, an incredibly inconceivable scene began to unfold.

A fine layer of sweat had actually seeped out onto Xue Bingchen's forehead!

The sweat had barely emerged before it was frozen into tiny ice crystals by the surrounding extreme cold, clinging to his eyelashes and white hair.

Seeing this, the Ice Empress and Snow Empress, who were standing guard nearby, instantly became tense to the extreme.

"He's sweating! To actually sweat in this godforsaken place! Just how much internal pressure must he be enduring!"

The Ice Empress was so anxious she was hopping on the spot, her hands clenched into fists so tightly that she didn't even notice her nails digging into her flesh.

The Snow Empress's face was as still as water, her peerless eyes fixed intently on Xue Bingchen, her 700,000-year soul power on the verge of erupting at any moment.

The moment Xue Bingchen showed the slightest sign of collapse from being unable to endure, she would strike immediately to forcibly shatter that thousand-year soul ring!

Chen'er, hold on... the Snow Empress prayed silently in her heart.

A quarter of an hour... half an hour... an hour...

For the Ice Empress and the Snow Empress, this period of time felt even longer than ten thousand years.

Finally, as the layer of golden-red blood-energy light on Xue Bingchen's body gradually receded, his tightly furrowed brows slowly smoothed out.

"Hoo—"

Xue Bingchen suddenly opened his mouth and exhaled a long, stuffy breath mixed with faint gray impurities.

He slowly opened his eyes, and a flash of extremely profound purple light flickered within his originally clear, ice-blue pupils!

He had succeeded!

"Hum—!"

The moment he opened his eyes, a beautiful, graceful figure quietly emerged behind him.

It was the Heavenly Snow Woman martial soul, vivid and lifelike, as if a deity had descended upon the world!

And beneath the illusory feet of the Heavenly Snow Woman, a deep, noble purple soul ring, radiating a terrifying pressure, was quietly floating up and down!

First soul ring, thousand-year! A purple ring!

"He succeeded! Hahaha, he really succeeded!" The Ice Empress was so excited she grabbed the Snow Empress beside her, jumping and cheering.

The Snow Empress also let out a long sigh of relief, a smile of relief blooming on her taut, peerless face that could topple kingdoms.

Xue Bingchen stood up from the ground, clenched his fists, and felt the earth-shaking changes within his body, his young face filled with wild joy.

"Not only did I absorb it, but..."

Xue Bingchen closed his eyes to sense carefully, then suddenly opened them and shouted in surprise, "Mother, Aunt Ice Empress! My soul power... my soul power has skyrocketed to level fifteen!"

Level fifteen!

Because of the accumulation of heavenly treasures and other factors over the past six years, the effects had compounded.

Just by absorbing a first soul ring, he had jumped five levels in one go!

Hearing this number, the Ice Empress and the Snow Empress once again gasped in shock.