In the Far North, the wind and snow are like knives.
Lin Ciyan walked through the snow, his thin clothes fluttering in the sub-zero temperatures.
However, a faint five-colored radiance flowed around him, Five Elements Rotation in a self-contained cycle, completely isolating him from the biting cold.
This is the third day since we entered the Far North.
Following the route he remembered, he was heading towards the area where he had agreed to meet Ice Empress.
All around was a vast expanse of white, with extremely low visibility; the only sounds were the howling wind and the crunching of the snow underfoot.
"This awful weather..." Lin Ciyan muttered, raising his hand to conjure a shield of light in front of him, blocking the oncoming ice shards.
He walked slowly, even leisurely.
The Slacking Value is slowly increasing every moment...
The system determines that "maintaining Relaxation Domain state in extreme environments" is a high-level slacking behavior, and awards a fixed +30 points per hour.
[Ding! The host is leisurely strolling through a blizzard in the Far North, having deeply grasped the essence of " Relaxation Cultivation ". Slacking Value +30! Current: 266,520 points!]
Look, here we go again.
Lin Ciyan's lips curled into a slight smile.
Even if I do absolutely nothing and just wander around here for a month, I can still earn over 10,000 "Slacking Value on this Journey to the Far North.
A huge profit.
Just then, the wind and snow ahead suddenly intensified.
This wasn't just any ordinary blizzard... it was the kind that changes the very landscape, instantly reducing visibility to less than ten meters!
"Tsk." Lin Ciyan stopped and narrowed his eyes.
The Five Elements' radiance flowed faster across the body's surface, and the aura of the Holy Radiance Qilin naturally emanated.
The imposing aura of the auspicious mythical beast caused even the onrushing wind and snow to pause slightly.
But he did not rush forward.
Because at the moment the blizzard descended, deep within his heart, the golden bloodline that had been dormant since its resonance with the Auspicious Beast in the Star Dou Great Forest suddenly trembled slightly.
Immediately afterwards, a strange pulling sensation came from the northeast.
It's faint, but it's real.
It was as if... something was calling to him.
"Guided by the bloodline of Auspicious Beast?" Lin Ciyan seemed to be deep in thought.
In the original work, Auspicious Beast can attract rare and precious materials and even influence the fortune of a region.
Although I was only slightly tainted by cause and effect, it's not surprising that I had this feeling.
He glanced at the direction he was originally going, then looked northeast.
There's still time before we meet at Ice Empress; there's no need to rush.
Opportunities... are something you can only encounter, not seek.
"Let's go take a look." Lin Ciyan made his decision and turned to walk in the direction he sensed.
The blizzard lasted for a full two hours.
As the snowstorm subsided and visibility returned, Lin Ciyan found himself standing in a strange Ice Valley.
There was no snow at the bottom of the valley; instead, a layer of deep blue ice was exposed.
Beneath the ice, a faint, flowing light could be seen.
The source of the pulling sensation lies in the center of the Ice Valley.
Lin Ciyan approached, his pupils slightly contracting.
There is a hot spring there.
"No! This isn't a hot spring; it's more like a condensed energy Far North Condensed Spring!"
The name came to Lin Ciyan's mind.
This must be the essence of the Far North, formed over tens of thousands of years, with each drop containing the purest ice-related energy.
For ice-attribute Soul Master, this is an unparalleled treasure.
but...
"It's so cold." He reached out and touched a plant by the pool, his fingertips instantly covered with a thin layer of ice.
Even he, with his Ultimate Ice Torso Bone, felt a chill; the temperature of this Condensation Spring was probably close to absolute zero.
The Five Elements Divine Light Inner World trembled slightly.
The figure of Snow Empress appeared, her long, ice-blue hair cascading down to her waist, her exquisite face filled with curiosity.
"This is..." She looked at the Condensation Spring, a hint of surprise flashing in her ethereal eyes, "The core essence of the Far North? It actually formed Condensation Spring here."
" Snow Empress, can you absorb this?" Lin Ciyan asked.
Snow Empress walked to the edge of the pool and gently touched the water with her slender hand.
Buzz...
Ripples spread across the water's surface, and a pale blue chill crept up her fingers.
Snow Empress frowned slightly. "It's very cold. Although I am an elf from the Far North, the chill of this Condensation Spring has reached the level of the ' Ice Rule,' which also suppresses me."
She paused, then added, "However, if you can absorb it, my essence will be greatly restored, which will also be of great benefit to the development of your Second Martial Soul, the ice attribute."
Lin Ciyan's eyes lit up.
But here's the problem... how do we absorb it?
Jump right in? You'd probably freeze into an ice sculpture instantly.
"Use the Five Elements Rotation." The Snow Empress seemed to see through his thoughts. " The Five Elements generate each other: fire generates earth, earth generates metal, and metal generates water. First, use the fire attribute to protect your body, then gradually switch to the water attribute, aligning with the Condensation Spring's frequency. Perhaps this will help you resist the cold."
"Try it."
Lin Ciyan took a deep breath and released the Holy Radiance Qilin Martial Soul.
The fourth Soul Ring lit up, Five Elements Rotation: Qilin Divine Light!
A radiant glow flowed around him, and his main attribute switched to fire.
Crimson flames enveloped his entire body, instantly melting the surrounding snow.
He walked step by step toward Condensation Spring.
The closer you get, the colder it gets.
The fire-attribute protective flames began to flicker violently three meters from the edge of the pool, as if they could be blown out at any moment.
"Not enough." Lin Ciyan gritted his teeth and unleashed his full Soul Power.
The flames barely held together as he approached the pool, crouched down, and dipped his hand into the Condensation Spring.
A bone-chilling cold surged wildly into my fingers!
The fire-attribute protective shield instantly collapsed!
"Switch! Earth generates metal, metal generates water!"
The Five Elements ' radiance rapidly shifted, from crimson to earthy yellow, then to pale gold, and finally settled on aquamarine.
The chill eased slightly, but it was still bone-chillingly cold.
"I'll stay with you," Snow Empress said softly, her figure transforming into a beam of blue light and merging into Lin Ciyan's body.
The Ultimate Ice Torso Bone was activated, and icy blue patterns spread from the chest.
The chill has lessened by another 30%.
"It's ready!" Lin Ciyan's eyes lit up, and he leaped into the Condensation Spring.
Thump.
The moment his body was immersed in the liquid, he couldn't help but gasp.
It's cold! Extremely cold!
Even with the Five Elements Rotation and the blessing of the Snow Empress, this chill still penetrated through layers of protection, piercing straight to the bone marrow.
Blood flow slowed down drastically, and the circulation of Soul Power became sluggish.
"Circulate your Soul Power!" The Snow Empress's voice echoed in my mind. "Guide the energy, do not resist!"
Lin Ciyan gritted his teeth and sat cross-legged at the bottom of the spring, channeling his Soul Power to its fullest extent.
The pure energy from the Condensation Spring begins to seep into the body through the pores.
At first, it was a sharp, needle-like pain, but soon, a cool and comfortable feeling spread.
Wherever the energy passes, the meridians are widened and strengthened, and the Soul Power increases at a visible rate.
The water element in the Five Elements is rapidly perfected, and the blue radiance representing the water attribute within the body is becoming increasingly bright.
Even more remarkably, these energies contain fragments of the " Ice Rule " accumulated over millennia in the Far North.
Although fragmented, the improvement in understanding ice attributes is revolutionary.
Lin Ciyan was immersed in the exhilarating feeling of rapid advancement.
He didn't know how much time had passed when he felt a warm, soft body press against him.
The Snow Empress reappeared in human form and sat opposite him, their knees touching, their eyes meeting.
She wore only a thin layer of icy gauze, her graceful curves faintly visible.
Her long, icy blue hair floated in the water, and a rare blush graced her exquisite face.
"The energy of the Condensation Spring is too vast; it's too slow for me to absorb it alone," Snow Empress explained softly, her voice trembling slightly. "We... guide it together."
She reached out and intertwined her fingers with Lin Ciyan's.
The moment their skin touched, both of them shuddered simultaneously.
The speed of energy flow has increased dramatically!
The Condensation Spring formed a vortex around the two of them, and pure energy surged wildly into their bodies.
Lin Ciyan could clearly sense that the Snow Empress's essence was rapidly recovering.
As she recovered, the energy she received also caused his Soul Power to rise steadily.
Level 64: Mid-stage, Late-stage... Peak!
The bottleneck is beginning to loosen.
In the Sea of Consciousness, Xiyao puffed out her cheeks and watched this scene with a huff.
"I was here first..." she muttered softly, "Whether it's a kiss or a hug, I was first! How could they..."
But seeing Lin Ciyan's strength improve rapidly, she couldn't help but feel happy.
"Never mind, the most important thing is for Ci Yan to become stronger." Xiyao comforted herself, but her eyes still couldn't help but glance at the two people pressed tightly together outside.
Within the Condensation Spring, Lin Ciyan's Soul Power finally broke through its bottleneck.
Level 65!
And it continues to improve.
With the water element fully complete, the Five Elements Rotation more smoothly and freely.
His control over ice attributes has reached a whole new level... He is now confident that he can crush most Soul Douluo with his ice attribute abilities alone.
The Snow Empress's essence has recovered to about 30%. Although she is still far from her peak, she is no longer as weak as before.
"That's about enough." Lin Ciyan opened his eyes. "If we absorb any more, our bodies won't be able to handle it."
Snow Empress nodded, and the two of them simultaneously stopped circulating their cultivation techniques.
As Lin Ciyan stood up from the Condensation Spring, he could clearly feel the changes in his body... he was stronger, lighter, and his perception of the energy of heaven and earth was more acute.
He glanced at the plants by the pond, and a thought struck him.
An ice crystal plant broke off automatically and flew into his hand.
"This is the ' Ice Heart Grass ' that grows alongside the Condensation Spring, which can stabilize the foundation of ice-attribute Soul Master," Snow Empress explained.
"Although your primary attribute isn't ice, your Second Martial Soul requires it, so you can take it with you."
Lin Ciyan unceremoniously stored all the plants into the Five Elements Space.
Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly sensed something and looked in a certain direction.
There, a cold yet powerful divine sense swept across.
Although it was only a fleeting moment, he recognized that aura all too well...
Ice Empress.
"Did you sense it?" Snow Empress asked softly.
"Hmm." Lin Ciyan's lips curled up slightly. "It seems she's been waiting for us too."
The core objective of the Journey to the Far North lies just ahead.