A Father's Love from Shui Bing'er

As if sensing the intruders' presence, the ice-attributed Soul Beast suddenly turned around, and the ghostly blue light in its eye sockets flared fiercely.

The next second, the ten ice rings around its neck detached from its body at once and began spinning rapidly in midair.

Fine icy patterns intertwined between the rings, instantly forming a vast ice-attributed shockwave. Accompanied by howling frigid winds, it swept toward the four of them.

Wherever the shockwave passed, the snow was instantly frozen into ice, while moisture in the air condensed into countless tiny ice needles that shot densely in all directions.

Shui Bing'er's father blurred forward, charging at the Ice Bear.

As he ran, his Soul Power erupted. Seven Spirit Rings arranged themselves neatly beneath his feet: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black.

Behind him appeared the phantom of an ice-attributed phoenix.

The dense aura of a Soul Sage spread through the air.

He crossed his arms before him, trying to block the ice-attributed shockwave, but the shockwave was exceedingly strange.

The instant it made contact, an immense force slammed into him. His feet carved two long trenches into the ice, and he was thrown several meters away like a kite with a severed string, spraying snow half a person's height into the air.

Shui Bing'er's father quickly steadied himself, but his gaze only grew firmer, without the slightest hint of retreat.

He took a deep breath. The sixth black ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up, and ice-attributed Soul Power surged wildly around him. He frantically drew in the cold air, gathering it over his right fist.

His fist was gradually wrapped in a thick layer of ice armor, bristling with sharp ice spikes. As Soul Power poured into it, the spikes gleamed with an eerie blue chill, while an even more powerful ice-attributed force brewed within him.

"Sixth Soul Skill: Ice-Splitting Cold Sky Fist!"

The ice armor around his fist suddenly shattered. Countless sharp ice fragments and vast ice Soul Power formed an enormous phantom ice fist, which smashed viciously toward the Ice Bear with world-destroying force.

The Soul Beast let out a low roar and activated the ice rings around its neck again, trying to block the fatal blow. But the phantom ice fist was far too powerful. It instantly shattered the spinning rings and struck directly into its chest.

A dull impact rang out, and the Soul Beast's body shuddered violently.

The fur on its chest was torn apart by the ice Soul Power, exposing the icy skin beneath.

A deep wound instantly appeared, pale blue blood flowing from it. The moment it touched the air, it froze into tiny ice crystals.

The Soul Beast's enormous body staggered back several steps. The ghostly blue glow in its eye sockets dimmed, and the ice-attributed Soul Power around it became chaotic. It had clearly been severely wounded.

The entire exchange had been swift, precise, and ruthless, without the slightest delay.

Shui Bing'er's father called out, "Bing'er, hurry over and kill it. Obtain its Spirit Ring!"

Shui Bing'er stepped forward, a trace of reluctance in her eyes.

"Bing'er, don't hesitate."

Hearing her father's words, Shui Bing'er closed her eyes, raised the dagger in her hand, and stabbed it into the Ice Bear's body.

"Sshk!"

Blood sprayed out.

Shui Bing'er had not closed her eyes because she lacked the courage to kill a Soul Beast, but because she was too kindhearted.

The Ice Bear convulsed and wailed for a while before falling completely still. A ghostly blue glow rose from its body and condensed into a Spirit Ring in midair.

Shui Bing'er sat cross-legged, two yellow Spirit Rings appearing beneath her feet. Accompanied by a phoenix's cry, an ice-attributed phoenix appeared behind her.

As her Soul Power touched the Ice Bear's Spirit Ring, the ring swiftly enveloped Shui Bing'er's body.

All that remained was the time needed to absorb the Spirit Ring.

About two hours later, Shui Bing'er opened her eyes. The Ice Bear's Spirit Ring was not particularly old, at exactly fifteen hundred years, making it suitable for Shui Bing'er at level thirty.

Shui Bing'er's father asked with great concern, "Your Soul Skill—tell me, what is it?"

"Resist Ice Ring!"

With a thought, Shui Bing'er activated her Spirit Ring. Instantly, a white ice ring spread outward.

Just as Lin Hao had expected, Shui Bing'er had obtained the Ice Bear's repelling-type Soul Skill.

More than ten minutes later.

Lin Hao turned and walked to a clearing in the woods not far away. With a wave of his hand, he released a weak strand of Soul Power, clearing the snow and dead branches from the ground. Then he gathered several thick pieces of dry wood and set up a simple grill.

Qin Ming and Shui Bing'er sat beside him.

Shui Bing'er's father had gone ahead to scout the path.

Lin Hao took a sharp short blade from his storage Soul Tool and walked over to the Ice Bear's corpse. Skillfully, he cut off several pieces of fatty meat, removed the sinew and ice chips, diced the meat into evenly sized chunks, threaded them onto special iron skewers, and placed them over the grill.

Then he took a smooth jade bottle from his robes. The bottle was entirely milky white and carved with delicate patterns. When he gently twisted off the stopper, a rich fragrance immediately spilled out, carrying the mellow aroma of seasonings and a faint spiciness.

Holding the jade bottle, Lin Hao tilted his wrist slightly and sprinkled the fine seasoning evenly over the meat.

Each time he sprinkled some on, he gently turned the chunks with the skewers, ensuring every piece was evenly coated.

As Lin Hao grilled the meat, Shui Bing'er sat quietly beside him.

A faint strand of fire-attributed Soul Power gathered at his fingertips. He touched it to the dry branches beneath the grill, and they instantly burst into dancing flames. Orange-red fire licked at the meat on the skewers, producing a sizzling sound.

"It smells so good!" Shui Bing'er said.

As the temperature rose, the fat on the meat's surface slowly seeped out and trickled along the grain of the chunks. It dripped into the flames, kicking up tiny sparks and releasing an increasingly rich meaty fragrance mixed with the aroma of the seasoning.

Shui Bing'er praised, "I never expected you to know how to grill meat. I just don't know how it tastes."

Lin Hao smiled. After a while, he tore off a piece of roasted meat and handed it to Shui Bing'er.

Shui Bing'er accepted it, opened her small mouth, and took a small bite. After chewing for a moment, her taste buds exploded. "Th-this... is this grilled meat?"

Qin Ming and Lin Hao looked at Shui Bing'er at the same time.

Shui Bing'er's face reddened slightly as she awkwardly explained, "Sorry, I lost my composure. I've never had grilled meat that smelled this delicious. Whoever marries you in the future will definitely be in for a treat!"

Lin Hao said, "If you want to learn, I can teach you."

Shui Bing'er said, "No need. We've been through hardship together for several days now. We're friends, right?"

Lin Hao nodded.

Shui Bing'er smiled and continued, "Since we're friends, why would I need to learn when you'll be the one grilling meat for me from now on?"

"Lin Hao!"

Shui Ruohan's voice came from the bushes.

Lin Hao looked over at the sound and saw Shui Bing'er's father dragging a Soul Beast behind him as he walked toward them.

The Soul Beast was entirely golden, seemingly a metal-attributed Soul Beast.