So it's the Continent's Number One Bootlicker, the Sky Dream Ice Worm! (Seeking reads

Its entire body was crystalline and white, resembling the finest mutton-fat jade, with skin that looked bouncy and hydrated.

Its body was segmented, appearing exceptionally plump.

Most striking of all, its round, chubby body was marked by eight distinct, faint golden patterns that shimmered with a strange light!

Behind the eighth golden mark, a ninth seemed to be vaguely and slowly coalescing, flickering in and out of existence while radiating an arcane aura.

At this moment, this chubby worm was lying flat on its back on an ice platform, its tiny eyes tightly shut, with a trace of something crystalline hanging from the corner of its mouth... drool?

Rhythmic snoring emanated from it.

Beneath it and piled up like a mountain all around were Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow, from which wisps of extremely pure blue origin energy seeped out, flowing continuously into its white, chubby body as if drawn by a tether, being absorbed unconsciously.

This scene of extreme contrast caused Xue Chen's brain to instantly crash.

A... worm?

Sleeping on a bed of Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow and using it as a snack to absorb???

The sight was so preposterous that Xue Chen couldn't react for a moment.

He stared at the eight clear golden marks and the ninth flickering one on the fat worm's body, and a strong sense of déjà vu surged in his heart.

Why... does this look so familiar?

Xue Chen furrowed his brows, desperately searching his memory.

Fragments of his memories from before he transmigrated flashed by, finally settling on a setting regarding the sequel to "Douluo Continent."

A name struck through the fog in his mind like lightning!

Xue Chen's pupils contracted violently, his heart thumping wildly, nearly leaping out of his throat.

"Sky Dream Ice Worm?!

The soul beast in Peerless Tang Sect known as the number one simp—no, the number one in cultivation on the Douluo Continent, the Sky Dream Ice Worm?!"

All the information regarding this legendary soul beast flashed through his mind instantly:

He relied on sheer luck to reach a million-year cultivation level, yet his actual combat power was pathetic; he possessed immense spiritual power and vitality, eventually becoming Huo Yuhao's wisdom soul ring.

The time and place matched perfectly!

In the original work, the Sky Dream Ice Worm was indeed in the Far North, searching everywhere for Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow, and it was only by absorbing the marrow that he luckily broke through the million-year bottleneck.

Looking at the eight complete golden marks and the one flickering ninth mark on his body, he was clearly still in the stage of over eight hundred thousand to nine hundred thousand years, not yet having reached true million-year cultivation.

Based on Xue Chen's calculations and the vague timeline of the original work, combined with these eight and a half golden marks on Tian Meng, this was highly likely the last and largest Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Cave in the Far North!

It was the crucial place for the Sky Dream Ice Worm to achieve his million-year status!

"No way!"

Alarm bells rang in Xue Chen's heart, and a strong sense of urgency arose:

"I can't let this stupid worm keep absorbing it!

The Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow here is the key resource for Mother, Aunt Ice, and Xiao Bai to improve their strength and deal with the Heavenly Tribulation!

If he absorbs it all, wouldn't it be a waste? And what will I have to give them?"

Thinking of the seven-hundred-thousand-year Heavenly Tribulation that Snow Emperor might face in the future, Xue Chen felt he had to do something.

He was determined to obtain this Profound Ice Marrow!

His gaze fell back onto the Sky Dream Ice Worm's white, chubby, soundly sleeping body, his mood complex.

"...But then again, this guy... he actually looks quite cute..."

Xue Chen subconsciously rubbed his chin, looking at Tian Meng's bouncy, hydrated, and translucent skin; it was hard to associate him with "over eight hundred thousand years of cultivation."

He knew that although the Sky Dream Ice Worm's cultivation was terrifyingly high, his actual combat power was likely inferior to an ordinary ten-thousand-year offensive soul beast; almost all his talent points had been invested in vitality and spiritual power.

Therefore, although Xue Chen was vigilant, he didn't feel much fear—at least, not on a physical level.

"Sigh... strange," Xue Chen suddenly realized a problem, his brows knitting together:

"With the Sky Dream Ice Worm being the soul beast known for having the number one spiritual power on the Douluo Continent, even while sleeping, his perception should be freakishly sharp.

I've gotten this close, so why hasn't he reacted at all? Why is he still snoring?"

This was highly abnormal.

Unless... he was in the critical moment of deep cultivation or evolutionary absorption, with his spiritual power completely internalized to guide and digest that massive amount of Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow energy, causing his perception of the outside world to drop to its lowest point?

Xue Chen stared at the snoring Sky Dream Ice Worm, his brain racing as he weighed the pros and cons of various plans.

Direct attack? The thought had barely surfaced before he extinguished it.

Are you kidding? This was the Sky Dream Ice Worm, possessing nearly nine hundred thousand years of cultivation and the greatest spiritual power on the continent!

No matter how trashy his combat power was, once that vast, ocean-like spiritual power was used for passive defense or instinctive counterattack, his own frail body would likely be blasted into dust instantly.

Furthermore, even if he just lay there and let him hit him without fighting back, with his current soul power of only level twenty-something, trying to kill him was a fantasy.

"Can't win by force, must use wit..."

Xue Chen stroked his chin, his eyes flashing with calculating light.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck his mind as he recalled the plot of the original work.

"That's right!

In the original story, wasn't the Sky Dream Ice Worm the primary contributor to Huo Yuhao's path to godhood, known as the chief engineer of the 'God-Making Project'?

It voluntarily sacrificed itself to become Huo Yuhao's wisdom soul ring, kicking off Huo Yuhao's cheat-filled journey..."

Thinking of this, Xue Chen's mind became active, and an indescribable sense of confidence surged in his heart.

"If even that loser Huo Yuhao could make Brother Sky Dream willingly sacrifice himself... then what about me?"

Xue Chen looked down at his own hands:

"Innate full soul power of level twenty, twin top-tier martial souls—the Thunder Dragon Emperor and the Radiant Thunder Dragon Spear, a lightning tribulation baptism that covered the entire Far North, and bearing a mysterious seal...

With this setup, how could I look anything but far more luxurious than Huo Gua at the same stage?

I am the textbook definition of a peerless genius!"

This thought made him tremble with excitement.

If the Sky Dream Ice Worm's immense spiritual power could become his own aid, wouldn't his chances of becoming a god in the future also increase significantly?

Moreover, recalling the original work, besides being a bit of a show-off who loved to act cool, Brother Sky Dream actually had a pretty good personality; he was loyal and righteous, willing to give everything for the Ice Emperor.

Essentially, he was not an evil soul beast at all.

"Hmm... this is doable!"

The more Xue Chen thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.

"I'll go up, praise him a few times, butter him up, and make him feel comfortable.

Then, I'll demonstrate my talent and potential, letting him see the massive return on investing in me.

The most crucial part is..."

A cunning smile appeared on Xue Chen's face.

"There's also the connection with Aunt Ice!

I can hint or promise that in the future, I can help him pull some strings and create opportunities for him to get close to the Ice Emperor!

For an 'ultimate simp' like him, that is absolutely an irresistible temptation!"