"Soul Beast sacrifice!"
Those four words were like a pebble dropped into still water, sending ripples through the hearts of all the girls.
Shui Bing'er froze.
The records about sacrifices in the academy's ancient texts flashed through her mind.
When she looked at Su Hui again, her expression shifted from disbelief to shock, then from shock to envy.
Shui Yue'er's jaw dropped as the realization finally hit her.
The other girls also wore expressions of sudden understanding.
Clearly, they were all utterly convinced by Shui Furong's explanation.
Su Hui was overjoyed.
He had intended to steer the conversation in that direction himself.
I haven't even started leading them there, and Shui Furong has already come up with a Soul Beast sacrifice on her own. That saves me a lot of explaining.
The explanation of a Soul Beast sacrifice sounded a hundred times more credible coming from her than it would from him.
Now all he had to do was keep pretending to be clueless and muddle through.
"Foolish."
The Ice Empress's frigid voice rang out in the Sea of Consciousness.
"They believe such a clumsy excuse? Humans really are hopelessly stupid."
Su Hui gave an awkward cough in his mind and didn't respond.
He was human too. He wasn't about to admit he was stupid.
With that same innocent, harmless, confused expression still on his face, Su Hui tilted his head. "Sacrifice? What's that?"
Shui Furong took a deep breath, barely suppressing the tumult in her heart.
The boy before her clearly had no idea how lucky he was. His cluelessness only made her envy him more.
She softened her tone and said gently, "Young man, the wind and snow are fierce here, and it's dangerous. This isn't the place to talk."
"Let's leave together first. I'll explain it all to you afterward."
Su Hui nodded. "Sure."
By the time they reached the outermost edge of the Far North, night had completely fallen.
The snow and wind had eased considerably.
Sparse coniferous woods could be seen in the distance, and the air was no longer painfully cold.
Shui Furong surveyed the terrain and decided they should make camp for the night.
Traveling through the Far North at night was far too dangerous.
It was much safer here. There was no need to take the risk.
They quickly put up the tents.
Skywater Academy's equipment was fairly complete, and the girls divided up the work efficiently.
Some secured the tents, others went to gather firewood, and a few began preparing food.
Shui Yue'er was assigned to collect stones and arrange them into a ring for the campfire.
As she worked, she hummed a tuneless little song, her spirits much improved.
Shui Bing'er walked up to Su Hui"
Her gaze quickly darted away when it landed on his bare upper body.
The campfire hadn't been lit yet, and only faint moonlight fell on him.
His wheat-colored skin and well-defined muscles stood out clearly in the cold light.
Shui Bing'er felt her cheeks grow warm.
"Why aren't you wearing any clothes?"
She asked, trying to keep her voice even, though the last syllable quavered despite her efforts.
Su Hui gave a wry smile and spread his hands. "I lost my backpack."
Shui Bing'er froze, then realized what must have happened.
Su Hui had said earlier that he fell into an ice cave and ran into trouble. He had probably lost his clothes then.
She silently scolded herself for being so inconsiderate, then quickly took a spare robe from her Storage Soul Tool and handed it to him.
"Sorry, I forgot about your situation. Make do with this for now."
Su Hui took the robe and put it on.
It was a woman's robe, and it came up short on him, but it was better than nothing.
He lowered his head and caught a faint, clean fragrance. He couldn't tell whether it came from Shui Bing'er's incense or the soap she used when washing clothes.
"Thanks."
Just then, Shui Yue'er's cheerful shout came from the campfire.
"Big Sister! Boss Su! Come over and warm up!"
"Coming!"
Shui Bing'er answered, then gave Su Hui a complicated look. "Let's go over."
The campfire was already burning.
Its orange-red flames danced in the night, casting a warm glow over the surrounding snow.
Seven flat stones formed a circle, with a small pot set over them. Snowmelt bubbled inside, sending up clouds of steam.
Su Hui and Shui Bing'er walked over and sat down.
Then he realized he had become the center of attention around the campfire.
Seven girls, along with Shui Furong, were all staring straight at him.
Shui Yue'er rested her chin in her hands, her big eyes blinking as if she were looking at some rare animal.
Xue Wu and Yu Hairou stood close together, whispering, and kept sneaking glances at him.
Shen Liuyu, Gu Qingbo, and Qiu Ruoshui hadn't said anything, but their gazes rarely left him either.
Shui Furong made Su Hui the most uncomfortable.
The beautiful woman sat opposite him.
The campfire's glow reflected in her deep blue eyes. Her gaze burned as though she wanted to take him in whole.
It wasn't the kind of heat between a man and a woman.
It was more like a collector of the highest order laying eyes on a priceless, one-of-a-kind treasure.
Su Hui rubbed his nose and decided to break the strange silence himself.
"Um, Dean Shui..."
He cleared his throat. "Could you tell me what a Soul Beast sacrifice is?"
During their journey, Su Hui had learned everyone's identities as they introduced themselves.
At his question, Shui Furong's envy deepened.
"A Soul Beast sacrifice..."
Her voice slowed, as if she were explaining a lesson of great importance.
"It's when a Soul Beast willingly turns all its cultivation into a Soul Ring, and even a Soul Bone, and gives them to a Soul Master."
"This is completely different from forcibly absorbing a Soul Ring after hunting a Soul Beast. The Soul Master doesn't need to absorb or refine it. The Soul Ring's energy merges into the Soul Master's body on its own, and the success rate is—one hundred percent."
"As long as the Soul Ring isn't absurdly old, there's no risk at all."
Su Hui put on an expression of sudden understanding.
Shui Furong continued.
"From your description, the first scorpion Soul Beast you encountered must have already been on the verge of death."
"It's extremely rare for a Soul Beast to choose to sacrifice itself when it's dying, but it isn't impossible."
"It sacrificed itself to you, which is why you obtained your first Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring and the tattoo on your back."
The more she explained, the clearer her train of thought became, and the more certain her tone grew.
"As for the second one..."
She pondered for a moment before guessing, "The tattoo glowed and guided you to it, which means those two scorpions must have shared some special connection."
"They were probably a male and female pair of Soul Beasts, able to sense each other's Soul Power fluctuations."
"After the first one sacrificed itself, the Soul Power imprint it left behind triggered a reaction in the second. In the end, that prompted the second one to choose to sacrifice itself too."
"..."
Su Hui blinked his "clueless" eyes, listening with genuine admiration.
He had merely scattered a handful of seeds.
Shui Furong had watered them, fertilized them, and built him an entire garden.
Through her imagination, she had filled every detail in perfectly, weaving a flawless chain of logic. Even he almost believed it himself.
Su Hui secretly gave Shui Furong a thumbs-up.
In the Sea of Consciousness, the Ice Empress gave an inscrutable cold snort.
Before you continue