Return to Skywater, Sisters' Concern

The carriage slowly rolled through the gates of Skywater Academy. Leng Qishuang lifted the curtain and glanced at the familiar scenery outside, letting out a long breath.

The journey to the Extreme North Ice Plains had been fraught with twists and turns, but they had returned safely in the end.

Shui Yue'er was dozing off. Shui Bing'er sat beside her, smiling at her sleeping face as she reached out and pulled the slipping blanket back over Shui Yue'er.

A trace of gentleness flashed through Leng Qishuang's eyes as she watched the scene.

After enduring that blizzard, they had thankfully received a God's protection and escaped danger unharmed. Shui Bing'er had even broken through to rank forty-seven.

Leng Qishuang recalled Shui Bing'er's strange orange-gold Soul Ring.

That Lord of Heavenly Court must have done something to it. A God's methods truly were unfathomable.

"Bing'er," Leng Qishuang said softly, afraid of waking Shui Yue'er. "Rest well for a few days after we return. Don't rush into cultivation."

"You've exhausted yourself too much these past few days. Your body needs time to recover."

Shui Bing'er nodded. "I understand, Mother."

On the second day after returning to Skywater Academy, Xue Wu and the others immediately came to visit Shui Bing'er, each of them rushing over with anxious expressions.

"Bing'er!"

"Big Sister Bing'er!"

Yu Hairou was the first to arrive, her face filled with worry.

"You scared us to death! Yue'er said you got separated in a blizzard in the Extreme North Ice Plains. We're still terrified just thinking about it!"

"Come on, didn't I come back perfectly safe?" Shui Bing'er said.

The others then stepped forward to check on her one by one. Once they were done, they suddenly realized that something about Shui Bing'er was different.

Xue Wu's lips moved before she spoke first. "Bing'er, your aura... seems different."

Shui Bing'er froze slightly. Her teammates had finally noticed.

"Mm." Shui Bing'er did not deny it. "I made a little breakthrough."

"A little?" Xue Wu clearly did not believe her.

Shui Bing'er had no choice but to say, "Rank forty-seven."

Rank forty-seven?!

Hearing that shocking number, Xue Wu and the others were stunned.

How long had it even been? Shui Bing'er had jumped from rank thirty-five to rank forty-seven?

Even if they counted the three months when Shui Bing'er's Soul Power had vanished as time she spent cultivating, she still should not have progressed that quickly!

Xue Wu fell silent for a second, then squeezed out a sentence through clenched teeth. "Are you a monster?"

Shui Bing'er: "..."

She had no idea how to answer that question.

Although Shui Yue'er had known already, she still could not help rushing over to hug Shui Bing'er and cheer, "Yay! Big Sister is the best!"

Xue Wu and the others finally recovered from their shock and stepped forward to hug Shui Bing'er in congratulations.

"That's wonderful, Bing'er!"

"As expected of our captain! One day, you'll definitely lead Skywater Academy to a great result in the All-Continent Elite Soul Master Competition!"

"Oh, right, Big Sister Bing'er," Yu Hairou suddenly recalled something and asked curiously, "You've already broken through to rank forty-seven, so you must have absorbed a Soul Ring, right? What age was it? Let us see it!"

Shui Bing'er hesitated. She still did not know how to explain this Soul Ring to her sisters.

But she would have to reveal the Soul Ring eventually. She could not hide it for the rest of her life.

So Shui Bing'er said to them, "You can see it, but... don't make a fuss."

Hearing her words, Gu Qingbo blinked and joked half-seriously, "Make a fuss? What's there to make a fuss over about a Soul Ring? Don't tell me you absorbed a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring?"

Shui Bing'er felt helpless.

It was far more than ten thousand years—sixty times beyond the limits of your imagination.

She stopped hesitating, closed her eyes, circulated her Soul Power, and released her Soul Rings.

Ding, ding, ding, ding!

Two yellow and one purple Soul Rings appeared in sequence. Finally, an orange-gold halo emerged beneath her feet and slowly rose, eventually settling above her head.

The unusual color of this Soul Ring filled everyone present with confusion.

"...A Hundred-Year Soul Ring?"

Shen Liuyu unconsciously muttered aloud.

Gu Qingbo shook her head. "No, Hundred-Year Soul Rings are yellow. Shui Bing'er's is clearly different, and there are six strange patterns on it too..."

"Bing'er," Xue Wu said, her voice calm but tinged with confusion, "why does your fourth Soul Ring... look like this?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Yu Hairou snapped out of it and fired off questions like a machine gun. "Aren't Soul Rings only white, yellow, purple, black, and red? What the heck is orange-gold?"

Looking at her sisters' shocked and doubtful expressions, Shui Bing'er had already prepared an explanation.

She shook her head, her calm tone carrying a trace of helplessness. "I don't know what happened either. When the blizzard came, some Thousand-Year Soul Beasts happened to be in front of me. They had exhausted their Soul Power trying to withstand the storm. I chose a suitable Spirit Beast and killed it, but after I absorbed its Soul Ring, it became like this."

She paused before adding, "I was surprised too. I've never encountered anything like this before."

Shui Yue'er asked in confusion, "Could the Soul Ring have mutated?"

"..."

Everyone was speechless. They had only ever heard of Martial Souls mutating—when had Soul Rings ever mutated?

Xue Wu looked at Shui Bing'er in silence for a moment before nodding. "If even you don't know the reason, then forget it."

"The color may be strange, but as long as it's a normal Soul Ring and doesn't affect cultivation or combat, that's what matters."

"Exactly, exactly." Yu Hairou hurriedly nodded. "Big Sister Bing'er, don't overthink it. Besides, this Soul Ring looks pretty good. Orange-gold is so beautiful! It's much prettier than those generic-looking purple and black Soul Rings!"

Yu Hairou's innocent words made everyone in the room laugh.

In truth, Xue Wu and Gu Qingbo, the two more mature women, might not have believed Shui Bing'er's explanation. As friends who had known each other for years, they could both tell that Shui Bing'er was not speaking entirely sincerely.

But this was Shui Bing'er's own secret, so they could not press her further.

Shui Bing'er knew that she could fool innocent and lively Yu Hairou and Shui Yue'er, as well as shy and introverted Shen Liuyu and Qiu Ruoshui, but she could never fool Xue Wu and Gu Qingbo.

So she quickly changed the subject. "All right, all right, let's stop talking about this. Since everyone is free, I'll teach you the Frost Soul Palm."

This topic immediately drew everyone's attention away.

Yu Hairou was the first to react. She grabbed Shui Bing'er's hand and said, "Really?! Big Sister Bing'er, are you really going to teach us that Self-Created Soul Skill?"

Shui Bing'er nodded. "Mm. I've refined the Frost Soul Palm enough now. I can teach it to you."

"That's great!"

Yu Hairou jumped in excitement. "Big Sister Bing'er, you're finally willing to teach us! I've been waiting forever. This Self-Created Soul Skill of yours is seriously powerful."

The others also revealed delighted expressions. Then, led by Shui Bing'er, they slipped into the small grove and began learning the Frost Soul Palm.

The Frost Soul Palm lesson continued until nightfall.

Since Xue Wu and the others had never practiced the profound cultivation techniques from the Fierce-Flame Continent, they could not understand Combat Skills at all in the beginning.

Shui Bing'er spent a great deal of effort explaining, until her mouth was dry and her throat was parched.