The Ice Empress's Utter Contempt

"Soul Beast Sacrifice!"

These four words were like a pebble cast into a calm pond, sending ripples through the hearts of the girls.

Shui Bing'er froze.

Records from the academy's ancient texts regarding sacrifices flashed through her mind.

When she looked at Su Hui again, her expression shifted from disbelief to shock, and then from shock to envy.

Shui Yue'er opened her mouth wide, slow to react.

The other girls also revealed looks of sudden realization.

Clearly, they were all thoroughly convinced by Shui Furong's words.

Su Hui was overjoyed in his heart.

His original intention had been to steer the conversation in this direction.

I hadn't even started guiding them yet, and Shui Furong already filled in the blanks with a Soul Beast Sacrifice herself; that certainly saved me the trouble.

An explanation of a Soul Beast Sacrifice coming from her mouth was a hundred times more credible than coming from his own.

Now, he only needed to continue playing the part of the ignorant and confused youth to fool them.

"How stupid."

Ice Empress's cold voice rang out in his Sea of Consciousness.

"To believe such a clumsy excuse—humans really are hopelessly foolish."

Su Hui gave a mental cough and didn't take the bait.

He was a human too, and he didn't want to admit that he was stupid.

Keeping that same innocent and confused expression on his face, Su Hui tilted his head. "Sacrifice? What is that?"

Shui Furong took a deep breath, struggling to suppress her surging emotions.

The boy before her clearly had no idea what kind of incredible luck he had stumbled upon; this ignorance only made her envy him more.

She switched to a gentle tone and said softly, "Young man, the wind and snow here are too heavy, and it is dangerous. This is no place to talk."

"Let us leave together first, and I will explain it to you in detail later."

Su Hui nodded. "Alright."

By the time the group reached the outermost edge of the Far North, the sky had turned completely dark.

The wind and snow were much lighter here.

Sparse coniferous forests could be seen in the distance, and the air was no longer bone-chillingly cold.

Shui Furong assessed the terrain and decided to set up camp for the night.

Traveling in the Far North at night was far too dangerous.

It was much safer here, and there was no need to take unnecessary risks.

Tents were quickly pitched.

Skywater Academy's equipment was quite complete, and the girls had a clear division of labor.

Some were responsible for securing the tents, some went to find dry wood, and others began preparing food.

Shui Yue'er was assigned to gather stones to build a fire pit.

Humming an off-key tune while she worked, her mood had recovered significantly.

Shui Bing'er walked over to Su Hui.

Her gaze shifted away quickly the moment it touched his bare upper body.

The campfire had not yet been lit, and only the faint moonlight shone upon him.

His wheat-colored skin and well-proportioned muscle lines were clearly defined under the cold light.

Shui Bing'er felt her cheeks heating up.

"Why aren't you wearing any clothes?"

She asked, trying to keep her tone steady, though the tail end of the last word wavered uncontrollably.

Su Hui gave a wry smile and spread his hands. "I lost my backpack."

Shui Bing'er paused, then immediately realized.

Su Hui had said earlier that he had fallen into an ice crevice and encountered disaster; his clothes must have been lost during that time.

She cursed herself silently for being inconsiderate and hurriedly took a spare robe from her storage Soul Tool and handed it over.

"My apologies, I forgot about your situation. You can make do with this for now."

Su Hui took the robe and draped it over himself.

The robe was a woman's style and was a bit short on him, but it was better than being bare.

He lowered his head and caught a faint, delicate fragrance; he couldn't tell if it was the incense Shui Bing'er used or the soapberry scent from washing her clothes.

"Thanks."

At this moment, Shui Yue'er's cheerful shout came from the direction of the campfire.

"Big Sister! Little Boss Su! Come over and warm up!"

"Coming!"

Shui Bing'er replied, casting a complicated glance at Su Hui. "Let's go over."

The campfire had already been lit.

Orange-red flames danced in the night, casting a warm glow over the surrounding snow.

Seven flat stones were arranged in a circle, supporting a small pot where snow was being boiled, bubbling and steaming.

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, plus Shui Furong, had sixteen eyes fixed squarely on him.

Shui Yue'er rested her chin in her hands, her large eyes blinking as if she were observing a rare animal.

Xue Wu and Yu Hairou hid behind each other, whispering and stealing glances at him from time to time.

Shen Liuyu, Gu Qingbo, and Qiu Ruoshui didn't say a word, but their gazes never really drifted away either.

What made Su Hui the most uncomfortable was Shui Furong.

The beautiful woman sat directly across from him.

The firelight reflected in her azure eyes, and her gaze was so intense it felt as if she wanted to swallow him whole.

It wasn't the heat of romantic interest.

It was more like a hardcore collector laying eyes on a peerless, one-of-a-kind treasure.

Su Hui rubbed his nose, deciding to take the initiative to break the eerie silence.

"Um, Dean Shui..."

He cleared his throat. "Could you explain what exactly a soul beast sacrifice is?"

On the road, Su Hui had already learned everyone's identity through their introductions.

Hearing his question, the envy in Shui Furong's expression deepened.

"A soul beast sacrifice..."

Her tone slowed, as if she were teaching an extremely important lesson.

"It refers to an act where a soul beast voluntarily converts its entire cultivation into a soul ring, or even a soul bone, to bestow upon a soul master."

"This method is completely different from forcibly absorbing a soul ring after hunting a soul beast. The entire process requires no active absorption or refining by the soul master; the energy of the soul ring automatically integrates into the soul master's body, and the success rate is—one hundred percent."

"As long as the age of the soul ring isn't excessively high, there is no risk whatsoever."

Su Hui feigned an expression of sudden realization.

Shui Furong continued.

"The first scorpion soul beast you encountered, based on your description, must have already been in a near-death state."

"It is extremely rare for a soul beast to choose sacrifice while near death, but it is not impossible."

"It sacrificed itself to you, which is why you obtained your first ten-thousand-year soul ring and the tattoo on your back."

Her train of thought became clearer as she spoke, and her tone grew more certain.

"As for the second one..."

She pondered for a moment before guessing, "The fact that the tattoo glowed to guide you to it suggests that there was some special connection between these two scorpions."

"It is very likely they were a mated pair, and their soul power fluctuations were able to sense one another."

"After the first one sacrificed itself, the residual soul power mark triggered a reaction in the second, ultimately prompting it to choose sacrifice as well."

"..."

Su Hui blinked his 'ignorant' eyes, looking thoroughly impressed.

He had merely scattered a few seeds.

Shui Furong had watered them, fertilized them, and built an entire garden for him.

Through her own imagination, she had filled in every detail perfectly, creating a logical chain so seamless that even he almost believed it.

Su Hui secretly gave Shui Furong a thumbs-up.

Inside the Sea of Consciousness, the Ice Empress let out a cold, cryptic huff.