A Formal Meeting with the Ice Dragon King

Now, look at Gu Yuan.

His body, once thin and frail from malnutrition.

Had filled out with muscle, making his whole figure look more balanced.

He had also grown considerably taller, reaching one meter sixty.

One had to know that he was only ten years old at this point and had yet to obtain a soul ring.

His hair had undergone the greatest change. His black hair had gradually turned ice-blue.

Faint golden glimmers were mixed into that ice-blue color.

It was as dazzling as the Ice Dragon King Martial Soul coiling behind him.

"So this is the Ice Dragon King Martial Soul?"

At that moment, Gu Yuan's body had completed its reconstruction, and he was overwhelmed with excitement.

Compared to Gu Yuan, the Ice Dragon King—or rather, the phantom ice dragon behind him—was utterly bewildered.

What was going on?

Had she not fallen into an early slumber alongside the Fire Dragon King when their origins were nearly depleted?

How had she, after waking up, suddenly become a human's Martial Soul?

Naturally, Gu Yuan had no idea that the Ice Dragon King had already awakened.

Even if he had known, he would not have had time to care.

He glanced around at the forest, completely Ice Sealed.

Afraid that someone might notice the anomaly here.

He immediately recalled his Martial Soul with a thought, calmed himself, cast aside all distractions, and raced with full focus in the direction opposite Las City.

He ran for one or two hours.

Only stopping beside a small river once his Soul Power and physical strength had been completely exhausted.

Although he was tired.

The smile and exhilaration on his face could not be contained.

Innate Full Soul Power, the Ice Dragon King Martial Soul.

Either one was something he had once longed for but could never attain.

What delighted him even more was that when he reached the riverbank and saw his reflection in the water.

He was shocked to discover that his appearance had changed as well.

First, his body had become much sturdier.

He no longer looked thin and frail from malnutrition as before, yet he did not look overly bulky either.

He had the well-proportioned build of a standard nine-head-tall figure.

His skin was several shades fairer than before, with bright dark-red eyes and a head of beautiful ice-blue long hair.

Every flaw on his face had disappeared.

Combined with his already well-formed features, he appeared exceptionally resolute and handsome.

A hidden brilliance radiated from within him.

"Does this mean I received the same treatment as God King Tang's Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul after its second awakening?"

Gu Yuan touched his smooth face and murmured inwardly.

After washing his face, taking a drink of clear river water untouched by industrial pollution, and eating a rough flatbread to fill his stomach.

He then sat down cross-legged.

He began meditating to recover the Soul Power he had spent while traveling earlier.

At the same time,

Before using his newly gained nine exchange opportunities, it was time to face the Ice Dragon King's remnant soul that had just fused with him.

Gu Yuan did not know any meditation methods.

He only knew, based on his understanding of Douluo novels from his past life.

That he should sense the Soul Power within his body and use his mind to guide it through a crude circulation.

After Gu Yuan entered meditation, his consciousness arrived in a strange space.

The sky in this space was white, dotted with countless specks of light.

Below lay a boundless sea of ice.

"This should be my Spirit Sea. Has it already been expanded?"

Gu Yuan guessed inwardly. Just as he was marveling at the wonders of this space, winds and clouds suddenly churned within it.

Roar—

Accompanied by a deafening, terrifying roar, a frost giant dragon with a wingspan exceeding a thousand meters slowly rose from the ice-blue sea.

The moment she fully appeared before Gu Yuan, the visual impact she brought was unimaginable.

The giant dragon roared several more times. Her terrifying dragon's might was mixed with sound waves; if it were anyone else, even a Title Douluo would already have been consumed by fear.

Yet Gu Yuan remained completely fearless.

Seeing that she could not frighten Gu Yuan, the frost giant dragon spoke in human language. "Human, are you not afraid of me?"

Her voice rumbled, making it impossible to tell whether she was male or female, yet it carried an innate sacred pressure.

"You are my Martial Soul, my companion. Why should I fear you?" Gu Yuan said with a smile.

"Martial Soul? Companion? You humans are quite interesting..."

The giant dragon paused. Then, with a flash of blue light.

Her form rapidly shrank.

Before Gu Yuan's astonished gaze.

She transformed into the appearance of a girl around fourteen or fifteen years old.

She looked like a breathtaking beauty stepped out of a painting.

Her waist-length ice-blue hair hung in midair like a cascading waterfall. Beneath deep dark-red eyes like stars and the bright moon was a smooth, fair face.

Even her loose ice-blue gown could not conceal her slender figure.

Her lips resembled cherry blossoms, and her bearing was like autumn waters.

It was hard to imagine just how devastatingly beautiful she would become once she grew up.

"With my current strength, I can only maintain this form?"

The girl murmured, apparently very dissatisfied with her current appearance.

Then she looked at Gu Yuan, who was staring at her in astonishment, and said in a low voice, "Speak. What is going on?"

Her voice was cold, yet crisp and pleasant. Hearing it gave one the sensation of having their soul cleansed.

Gu Yuan smiled faintly upon hearing this. "It is my special ability."

"A special ability?" The girl furrowed her beautiful brows, confusion appearing on her exquisite face.

"Yes. After awakening my Martial Soul, I discovered that I had gained a special ability. I named it Treasure Exchange. As the name suggests, it allows me to obtain stronger treasures through exchange. I used my original Ice Snake Martial Soul in an exchange and turned you into my Martial Soul."

Gu Yuan nodded.

From the very beginning, he had never intended to hide everything.

There was no other reason.

He could not hide it, and there was no need to.

With his current strength, he had no way to prevent the Ice Dragon King from probing the outside world.

Rather than suspect each other.

It was better to be open and honest.

What pleased Gu Yuan, however, was that the Ice Dragon King apparently had not probed his memories like Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had done to Huo Yuhao.

Otherwise, she would not be asking all these questions.

Perhaps the system had automatically shielded him from all external probes.

That saved him quite a bit of trouble.

The Ice Dragon King neither chose to believe him nor disbelieve him. Instead, she said, "Prove it to me."

"You can't make bricks without straw. You have to give me something first."

Gu Yuan was speechless.

The Ice Dragon King did not waste any words and raised her slender hand.

Gu Yuan suddenly felt everything before his eyes blur. His entire body seemed to be instantly dragged into an enormous vortex, plunging into darkness.

When he regained consciousness, his eyes were already open, and an entirely ice-condensed cup had appeared in his hand, filled with clear water.

"System, exchange the water in this cup for me."

Gu Yuan silently recited in his heart.

The next moment, the clear water in the ice cup turned into cloudy rice wine.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have obtained Masticated Wine from the world of 'Your Name'.]

"So it really can be exchanged." The Ice Dragon King's crisp voice of surprise rang out in Gu Yuan's mind.

"Of course it can." Gu Yuan silently collected the Masticated Wine from the ice cup in the waterskin he carried with him.

Now that the Ice Dragon King had become his Martial Soul.

And he possessed the Treasure Exchange System, this top-tier cheat.

There was no need to take risks with Masticated Wine anymore.

When the cost and reward were disproportionate.

He had no desire to place himself in danger because of it.