Was Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's choice of the Ice Empress, beyond the needs of the God-Making Plan, mixed with certain private feelings that could not be spoken of to outsiders...
The screen gave a close-up of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's spiritual form.
It looked at the Ice Empress within the light, and an extremely complicated emotion seemed to flash through its ice-blue eyes.
I wasn't completely unaware of it, but I didn't care.
White Tiger Lin Qing's consciousness stood within the Spiritual Sea, calmly watching everything unfold before him.
His gaze was like a frozen lake, utterly without ripples.
Unlike the original Huo Yuhao, who would feel hurt or become overly sensitive because of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's "use."
My goal was clear and straightforward—becoming stronger.
As long as it could make me stronger and grant me greater power, the means, the process, even other people's emotions and motives, were all irrelevant.
All I saw was what the Ice Empress could bring me—Ultimate Ice, Soul Bones, a Second Martial Soul, and a path to higher realms.
The jade-green light of sacrifice flowed like a breached river of stars, slowly surging toward White Tiger Lin Qing, who stood where he was with his arms spread wide.
At that moment, even the snowstorm of the Far North seemed to come to a standstill.
New power was about to be born!
The jade-green light suddenly came alive and wrapped White Tiger Lin Qing up tightly.
The light was so dense it could not be dispersed, so green it was frightening.
Then, an overbearing, unreasonable torrent of energy crashed into his body!
The Ice Empress had begun sacrificing herself to me!
Even with it being a sacrifice, the residual power of a powerful 390,000-year beast nearly burst my body apart!
Three hundred and ninety thousand years!
That was 390,000 years of cultivation!
Even if the Ice Empress had willingly sacrificed herself, the lingering might of such a ferocious beast was enough to kill an ordinary person a hundred times over.
White Tiger Lin Qing felt as if he were a balloon inflated to its absolute limit.
Fine cracks tore across his skin with sizzling sounds, while his bones creaked and groaned in agony.
His internal organs churned violently, and the pain blackened his vision, nearly making him pass out on the spot.
"Damn... this is way more intense than the novel described..."
He clenched his molars, with only one thought left in his mind—hold on!
He absolutely could not pass out.
If he did, he would really be finished!
Just when he felt he was about to explode.
A warm, cool, silky force quietly protected his heart and meridians.
It was Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.
Setting aside everything else, this million-year shut-in was truly top-tier at staying alive and nurturing others.
"Brother, hang in there!"
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice rang through his Spiritual Sea, trembling slightly as well.
"Bingbing's power is too strong. Don't fall apart before this is over!"
"Shut up... you're too damn noisy..."
White Tiger Lin Qing cursed internally and devoted all his focus to fighting the pain.
Fortunately, I held on.
With Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's power, the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion with Ultimate Ice became my Second Martial Soul. Its first Soul Ring was the Ice Empress's 400,000-year red Soul Ring.
In addition, I received a 400,000-Year Ice Jade Empress Scorpion Torso Bone. The Soul Bone Skills I gained were the same as Huo Yuhao's.
Time crawled by bit by bit.
Every second felt as long as a year.
No one knew how much time had passed.
The agonizing pain that had seemed ready to tear him apart finally began to fade.
The jade-green light enveloping him also receded like the tide, thread by thread drawing into his body.
At last, it vanished completely.
Lin Qing opened his eyes and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.
The moment it left his body, it turned into white frost and scattered onto the ground.
He lowered his head and looked beneath his feet.
A Soul Ring was slowly rising from under his feet.
Its blood-red color was so vivid it hurt the eyes.
It was no ordinary 100,000-Year Soul Ring.
Over that dense bloody radiance, four golden patterns were clearly intertwined, like a scorpion's tail hooks—mysterious and domineering.
A 400,000-Year Soul Ring!
It had succeeded!
Feeling the surging power within him, so intense it nearly exploded.
The bone-piercing yet incomparably powerful warm current flowing through his spine told White Tiger Lin Qing that the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion Torso Bone was his as well.
As for the Soul Bone Skills... well, they were the same as that kid Huo Yuhao's in the original story.
"I finally... survived."
In the real world, Lin Qing finally felt the breath he had been holding ease as he watched this.
He leaned back.
"I really thought he was going to explode."
"The result isn't bad. Ice Empress Martial Soul, a 400,000-Year Soul Ring, plus a Torso Bone. Huo Gua's starting loadout is complete with another cheat."
He stroked his chin, pondering the "himself" in the footage.
The first half of White Tiger Lin Qing's path had basically followed the same route as Huo Yuhao's.
But the other differences were also quite obvious.
This guy had better talent, a higher starting point, and more solid Soul Power.
He had also latched onto the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Tool technology early on.
Most importantly, he had not been fitted with a "dog collar" by a certain "pure and spotless" God King.
"His luck isn't bad."
Lin Qing muttered to himself.
"I just wonder how he managed to lose with such a good hand?"
"Don't tell me he got himself killed from being too reckless?"
He grew more and more curious.
The footage did not give him much time to speculate. The scene shifted and continued playing.
After the Ice Empress's sacrifice ended, I also began considering the matter of my Spirit Eye Martial Soul's third Soul Ring. In the original story, Huo Yuhao absorbed a thousand-year Ice Silkworm as his second Soul Ring and gained the Simulation Soul Skill to conceal himself.
Deep within the glacier,
The cold wind sliced like knives.
White Tiger Lin Qing sat cross-legged inside an ice cave with his eyes closed, looking as if he were meditating.
In reality, a three-way discussion was taking place inside his Spiritual Sea.
"According to our original plan, your third Soul Ring should still come from our Ice Silkworm Clan."
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm spoke first, its tone somewhat consultative.
"Get a Simulation Soul Skill and hide that terrifying blood-red color of your Soul Ring."
"Playing the pig to eat the tiger. Safety first, you know."
The Ice Empress said nothing, merely letting out a cold snort in tacit agreement.
But White Tiger Lin Qing slowly shook his head.
He opened his eyes, his gaze clear and calm.
"I think the Simulation Soul Skill is a bit of a waste of a slot."
"A waste?" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm froze.
Huo Yuhao chose an Ice Silkworm from the Ice Silkworm Clan for his second Soul Ring according to Tian Meng's idea, obtaining the Simulation Soul Skill to conceal his Soul Ring.
But in my opinion, the Simulation Soul Skill wastes a Soul Ring slot.
"A precious Soul Ring slot, just to conceal the Soul Rings of my Second Martial Soul?"
White Tiger Lin Qing spoke bluntly.
"Yes, hiding them while I'm weak in the early stages would save me plenty of trouble."
"But what about when I become strong? When I become a Title Douluo? Or even a god?"
"At that point, what use would Simulation have? A nearly useless Soul Skill occupying a Soul Ring slot—isn't that extravagant?"
He quickly calculated in his mind.
Huo Yuhao chose Simulation in the original story because he had been too weak at the start and had needed to keep his head down.
But what about himself now?
Twin Martial Souls, a 400,000-Year Soul Ring as his foundation, and the Sun Moon Empire backing him.
Did he still need to keep his head down?
"I've been thinking about it too..."
White Tiger Lin Qing said softly to the air—though he was actually speaking to the two within his Spiritual Sea.
"Do I really need to hide?"
Lin Qing raised his eyebrows high.
"Oh, he doesn't plan on hiding it?"
"Going that hard?"
In his view, openly flaunting an Ice Empress Martial Soul and a 400,000-Year Soul Ring was no different from parading around with a sign that said, "Come steal my Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone."
It was far too conspicuous.
But on second thought, White Tiger Lin Qing was not him.
Personality determined one's choices.
"Interesting..."
Lin Qing leaned forward slightly, immediately becoming more engaged.
"Let's see what tricks you can pull off if you don't hide it."
"Just don't get blown up the moment you leave the beginner zone."
Before you continue