He pondered for a moment, then opened his eyes and shook his head, a trace of understanding in his voice:
"Mother, this time seems different from the first.
It didn't condense into that strange Soul Ring that encircled my body."
He raised his right hand. With a thought, blue-violet lightning danced across his palm. Though the violet at its core was faint, it made the surrounding space ripple slightly, and the destructive force it gave off far surpassed anything before.
"The power of this tribulation seems more focused."
Xue Chen searched for the right words, trying to describe what he felt:
"Almost all its power, along with the essence left behind by the tribulation, has been absorbed into my original lightning attribute."
A flash of excitement crossed his eyes:
"I can feel that my Thunder Origin has been greatly strengthened and elevated!
It's no longer pure blue lightning. It's evolved into this blue-violet form.
Its power and speed—and especially its penetration and destructive force—are all far greater than before!
This feels more like... an improvement to its very essence, rather than being granted a whole new skill."
Snow Empress carefully sensed the blue-violet lightning in Xue Chen's palm and gave a slight nod.
With her cultivation, she could naturally detect the qualitative change within it.
That hint of violet even made her feel faintly threatened.
"That's good, too."
Snow Empress spoke softly, her voice full of approval:
"Strengthening your foundation and elevating your essence are far more important than gaining one or two more Soul Skills.
Your evolved lightning is of such high quality that it likely far surpasses ordinary Ultimate Lightning."
Snow Empress continued:
"Come, Chen'er. Let's go get your third Soul Ring today.
I've already found a suitable one for you."
At her words, excitement and anticipation blazed in Xue Chen's eyes. He immediately nodded.
"Okay!"
Unable to contain his curiosity, he quickly asked:
"Mother, what Soul Beast did you choose for me?"
Seeing his eagerness, Snow Empress's exquisite face softened into a faint smile.
"A Snow Domain Thunder Leopard, nearly twenty thousand years old."
"A Snow Domain Thunder Leopard?"
Xue Chen quickly searched his memory.
It was an exceptionally rare Soul Beast. It possessed not only extreme speed and fierce attacks but could also vanish amid blizzards and lightning, making its movements elusive and hard to predict.
If he could successfully absorb its Soul Ring, he might gain a powerful Soul Skill combining speed and explosive force!
"Let's go."
Snow Empress said no more. A gentle white radiance swirled around her, lightly enveloping Xue Chen, and then she turned into a streak of light and sped toward the eastern reaches of the Far North.
At Snow Empress's speed, it took them less than a quarter of an hour to reach a vast, towering range of snow-covered mountains.
With a clear destination in mind, Snow Empress flew straight toward the most treacherous peak. At last, she stopped before the entrance to a cave blanketed in thick ice.
Bitter winds howled at the mouth of the cave. Faint purple sparks flickered within, and the distinctive aura of a Snow Domain Thunder Leopard lingered there.
Snow Empress flew straight into the cave with Xue Chen.
The cavern was more spacious than expected, but dimly lit. Its walls were made of mysterious ice that had remained frozen for ten thousand years, and the cold pierced to the bone.
Snow Empress landed lightly. Her boundless divine sense swept through the entire cavern like invisible ripples, pinpointing an extremely weak presence deep within.
She did not seize the creature by force. Instead, she sent a clear thought to it through her spiritual power.
After a brief silence, a suppressed, pained rustling came from the depths of the cave, followed by heavy, labored gasps.
Then a figure trembled out of the shadows, moving with unsteady, faltering steps.
It was a Snow Domain Thunder Leopard!
Its body, which should have been sleek and graceful, was now gaunt and battered.
Its once-lustrous purple-and-white coat had grown dull, grimy, and lifeless. Horrifying scorch marks and deep, bone-exposing cracks covered it.
The leopard's eyes, which should have flashed with thunder, now held only boundless exhaustion and an almost extinguished stillness.
It moved painfully slowly. Each step seemed to drain the last of its life, its body swaying uncontrollably as its breath dwindled to almost nothing.
Anyone could see that it was on the verge of death. Its life burned like a dying candle, ready to go out at any moment.
Seeing the Snow Domain Thunder Leopard before him, its breath so faint that it seemed likely to perish the next instant, Xue Chen couldn't help asking Snow Empress:
"Mother, what happened to this Snow Domain Thunder Leopard?
Why is its aura so weak? It's as if... as if all its life force has dried up."
Snow Empress's gaze fell on the leopard's battered body. She sighed softly, her ethereal voice tinged with sorrow:
"It was hunted by a group of fairly powerful human Soul Masters. Though it fought back desperately and wounded several of them, it suffered grievous injuries itself.
Aunt Ice stepped in, rescued it, and brought it back to the Far North.
Unfortunately, its injuries were too severe, and its essence had already collapsed. Though Bing'er used her Soul Power to keep it alive, she could only delay the inevitable. In the end, nothing could be done."
She paused and looked at Xue Chen.
"I see that your attributes are highly compatible with its own. Rather than let it die in agony and have its Soul Ring disperse into the world, it would be better to let it help you—and give its turbulent life a more meaningful ending."
Just then, a soft gleam appeared in Snow Empress's eyes. She sent another wave of spiritual power toward the Snow Domain Thunder Leopard, which lay on the ground with dull eyes.
The leopard's massive body trembled slightly. It struggled to raise its head and look at Snow Empress, then slowly turned to Xue Chen.
A complex emotion seemed to flicker in its lifeless eyes—reluctance, then release—before settling into a strange calm.
It gave the faintest nod, as though it had made a momentous decision.
Then, to Xue Chen's astonishment, the Snow Domain Thunder Leopard—though it could barely stand—somehow summoned a surge of strength. Trembling, it made its way toward him, stopping with each step.
Not knowing what to make of it, Xue Chen instinctively took half a step back and watched it warily, uncertain what the dying Soul Beast was trying to do.
But in the next moment, everything changed!
When the Snow Domain Thunder Leopard was only three steps away from Xue Chen, it came to an abrupt halt.
It raised its head and let out a low, mournful howl that seemed to pierce the soul!
Then its massive body erupted in brilliant blue light!
This radiance was no attack. It was the culmination of its entire life force, its soul power, and all the cultivation it had accumulated over its lifetime!
Like blue flames, the light wrapped around its whole body and began to burn!
Its already feeble aura rapidly faded.
At the same time, however, a pure, immense, and gentle energy separated from the blue flames of its own accord.
Like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, it streamed toward Xue Chen without obstruction!
Before you continue