Coexistence as One, Martial Soul Evolution

As the sacrifice began, the phoenix within the icy snow vortex gradually became transparent.

Every one of its feathers seemed to be burning, transforming into pure ice-element energy that slowly flowed toward Shui Bing'er.

Shui Bing'er sat cross-legged in the snow, feeling a warm yet powerful energy slowly entering her body.

That energy was not violent. Instead, like a gentle spring rain, it tenderly cleansed her meridians, bones, and flesh.

Her Martial Soul was released beyond her control, and an icy blue phantom of a phoenix appeared behind her.

The enormous icy snow vortex seemed to have been frozen in place, suddenly coming to a halt.

Even the surrounding space solidified.

Only that continuously burning icy blue light slowly flowed toward Shui Bing'er, completely enveloping her.

Xu Feng gradually sensed that the sacrifice was not proceeding as he had expected, but in an even more profound and mysterious way...

Leng Jun silently watched everything from the hillside, both nervous and expectant.

When the last wisp of icy blue light completely merged into Shui Bing'er's body, the valley returned to calm.

A full ten shichen had passed.

From day to night, and then until the first light of dawn.

Leng Jun had held his breath the entire time, not even daring to blink.

Now that he saw the light fade, he immediately moved to rush over.

However, the moment he took a step, an invisible barrier of icy cold blocked his path.

He immediately stopped.

The powerful energy field formed by the sacrifice of the hundred-thousand-year Ice Phoenix still remained.

"Looks like I was too anxious. Bing'er is adapting to that new power. It wouldn't be wise to disturb her now. I should wait patiently a little longer."

Leng Jun sat cross-legged nearby, silently standing guard.

At the center of the valley.

A faint icy blue glow emanated from Shui Bing'er's body.

Her eyes were tightly closed, and tiny ice crystals had formed on her long eyelashes, sparkling with a dreamlike sheen in the morning light.

At that moment, Shui Bing'er was immersed in a boundless Ice Field Illusion.

The ice field stretched endlessly beneath an eternally pale blue sky, while snowflakes drifted down in silence.

Standing on the ice, Shui Bing'er saw an Ice Phoenix.

This Ice Phoenix was somewhat different from the one she had seen before.

It was much smaller.

However, it was still in the form of a phoenix, with a slender body that exuded the majesty unique to the king of birds.

"Senior, is this formed from your consciousness?"

The Ice Phoenix nodded slightly and said softly:

"Little Bing'er, something unexpected happened."

"What unexpected thing?"

Shui Bing'er's heart tightened.

"Don't be nervous. What I mean is, the plan went even more smoothly than we imagined. My soul was not stored within the soul ring. Instead, it merged with your Ice Phoenix Martial Soul."

"You mean... your soul merged into my Martial Soul?"

Shui Bing'er froze.

Xu Feng explained:

"That's right. Now, I have become your Martial Soul and coexist with you. Through your senses, I can perceive everything you perceive. In short, until you become a god, I will remain closely connected to you."

"No wonder..."

Shui Bing'er murmured.

"I can feel that my Martial Soul is different now. It has become stronger than ever, far beyond anything I imagined."

This feeling was strange and wonderful to Shui Bing'er.

It was as though the Martial Soul she had been born with had suddenly come "alive" and gained a consciousness of its own.

She could clearly feel the icy energy, several times stronger than before, circulating through her body. Yet it moved as naturally as her own limbs, without the slightest obstruction or loss of control.

"Senior, you've become my Martial Soul, and you have your own consciousness. Then from now on, we..."

Xu Feng understood what Shui Bing'er meant.

A soul master's body and Martial Soul were closely connected, with the body controlling the Martial Soul.

But now, both Shui Bing'er's body and Martial Soul had their own consciousness.

"Bing'er, to be precise, when you don't summon your martial soul, I reside within your sea of consciousness. When you summon your martial soul, I become your martial soul. I can even take control of your body and maximize our combined strength. Even without releasing soul rings, I can display the power I possess as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast."

Shui Bing'er's heart skipped a beat.

"Take control of my body?"

Xu Feng immediately added, "Of course, I normally wouldn't do that unless you encountered danger or some unexpected situation. Most of the time, you're still yourself. I'm merely a 'living martial soul.'"

Shui Bing'er fell silent for a moment.

A trace of panic had indeed flashed through her mind at first.

Anyone would instinctively feel uneasy upon hearing that another being could take control of their body.

But she quickly calmed down.

She could feel the goodwill of this Ice Phoenix.

If he truly intended to harm her, there would have been no need to tell her any of this, much less ask for her consent before sacrificing himself.

"Senior, I trust you."

Shui Bing'er spoke softly, a faint smile appearing on her lips.

"I'm very happy to be able to feel your presence so clearly. I originally thought that, just as you said, your soul would be stored within the soul ring, and that I wouldn't be able to see you again until our plan was realized. I never expected that you could remain by my side all this time."

A hint of amusement entered Xu Feng's voice as well.

"Little Bing'er, I'm also very happy to accompany you as you grow. Now that we are one, stop calling me Senior all the time. In truth, mentally speaking, I'm only a few years older than you. Just imagine me as a handsome young man and call me Brother."

"Brother?"

Shui Bing'er met the Ice Phoenix's gaze and froze slightly before a light blush spread across her face.

Imagine him as a handsome young man?

Though he was a tiny Ice Phoenix, his eyes seemed to possess a kind of magic, genuinely revealing emotions like the eyes of a human youth.

After meeting his gaze for only a few seconds, Shui Bing'er's heart became flustered.

She pressed her lips together, lowered her head somewhat bashfully, and answered in a soft voice, "Mm... then I'll call you Phoenix Brother from now on."

"Alright."

Xu Feng's voice was becoming increasingly human.

"Bing'er, you should have felt the changes I brought you. Your martial soul has completely transformed."

Shui Bing'er nodded.

"Mm. I felt it. It's a stronger Ice Phoenix."

"Originally, I was somewhat worried that your third soul ring reaching the hundred-thousand-year level would make you the brightest rising star on the entire Douluo Continent, but would also invite jealousy and even bring you danger. But now that I've become your martial soul, there's no need to worry about that. I can restrain my Soul Power and make your third soul ring appear as a thousand-year purple ring. As you grow stronger in the future, I can gradually release more energy to you."

"That can be done?"

"Of course. I'm your martial soul now, so naturally I can control all of your energy."

A relieved smile appeared on Shui Bing'er's face.

"That's wonderful! The Ice Phoenix martial soul is simply too powerful. When my martial soul first awakened, it took me a long time to gradually adapt to it. But even after my Soul Power reached level thirty, I still couldn't fully control it. Now it's different. You've become my martial soul, becoming an even stronger Ice Phoenix, and you can keep everything under control."

"You're very smart, Bing'er. Trusting me was the wisest choice."

Xu Feng made no effort to hide his admiration for Shui Bing'er.

"I sacrificed myself to you, but I restrained most of my energy, so your Soul Power is currently only at level thirty-two."

Shui Bing'er had felt it as well.

Her Soul Power was much more abundant than before, but she did not feel the kind of explosive, leap-like increase she had expected.

Xu Feng continued, "The third soul skill I've given you is Eye of the Ice Phoenix. When you use it yourself, it only possesses the might of a thousand-year soul skill. But if I use your body to cast it, it will possess the might of a hundred-thousand-year soul skill."