Then Qian Xunqian immediately tried to control the range of Fragrant Silk's effect. After two attempts, she succeeded in limiting it to Bibi Dong alone.
Hello, me. Hello, you. Hello, everyone.
After dinner, they all went to see the ice sculptures together. Bibi Dong and Qian Xunqian, the two youngest among them, even built a snowman.
After playing until they were worn out, they spent the night resting at an inn. They slept until the sun was high in the sky, combined breakfast and lunch into one meal, and then set off for the Far North in a grand procession.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was a Soul Beast of the lowest possible rank. It was called the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm because these caterpillars, which lived in snow and ice, were exceptionally lazy and slept all day long.
Names like "Day-Sleeping Ice Silkworm" and "Lazy Ghost Ice Silkworm" were far too ugly. But the word "dream" sounded so elegant to all the linguists, so after everyone discussed it, they settled on Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.
An ice silkworm that dreamed sweet dreams all day long was, after all, an ice silkworm that slept all day!
And what Qian Xunqian wanted was precisely this kind of laziness, where even the slightest movement could kill them. They did nothing but eat and sleep, and nothing but sleep and poop—pfft! Spin silk!
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm race was something else. Just because they were lazy, they'd been captured by humans and taken back for research. It was a rare occurrence, ancient or modern.
As low-ranked Soul Beasts, Sky Dream Ice Silkworms could be found everywhere throughout the Far North. They were at the very bottom of the Far North's food chain. Any penguin that came along might take a bite out of the ice with a "crunch" and find two or three ice silkworms inside, dreaming of spring and autumn.
Qian Xunqian carefully picked up the ice silkworms with tweezers and placed them in the ice-silkworm cultivation Soul Tool she had prepared in advance. There was no electricity in the Far North, so they couldn't convert electrical energy into Soul Power to recharge the Soul Tool.
So on the way back, they'd have to trouble Shui Xiaoer, an ice-type Soul Master, with keeping the temperature inside the ice-silkworm cultivation Soul Tool stable.
Catching ice silkworms wasn't just a technical job. It was a political one, too.
Because they had to guard against embezzlement!
Sky Dream Ice Silkworms were just too delicious. Right in front of the three Titled Douluo, Qian Xunqian took a bite. Juice burst out.
"Mmm, they're packed with protein! Uncle Sky Crocodile, Uncle Yue, Uncle Gui, want to try some? They're great for your complexion!"
"I think we'll pass, we'll pass..." Sky Crocodile and the others waved their hands repeatedly. They really couldn't stomach it!
Of course, catching ice silkworms was also a physically demanding job.
So far, the ice silkworms Qian Xunqian and the others had caught were all less than ten years old. They had found only a dozen or so that were over ten years old.
They hadn't seen a single hundred-year ice silkworm, let alone any that were a thousand or ten thousand years old.
Hard work finally paid off. At last, the seven of them found a hundred-year Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.
Bibi Dong had found it. Qian Xunqian realized that Bibi Dong's luck was on a whole other level compared to hers and the other five's.
As a scientist, she ought to have been a devout believer in science. But practice was the father of science, and practice had proven that Bibi Dong's luck was godlike. Was this what people meant by the supernatural?
Qian Xunqian was so nervous her heart ached. This was their one and only hundred-year ice silkworm! When she accepted it with both hands, they trembled uncontrollably.
"Qian, are you getting weak? This ice silkworm's so light, and your hands are still shaking!"
Bibi Dong teased her.
Qian Xunqian didn't dare say a word, afraid that if she opened her mouth, her voice would be enough to shake the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm to death. She tenderly settled the hard-won Sky Dream Ice Silkworm into the VIP ice-silkworm cultivation Soul Tool she had made.
Only then did she wipe the cold sweat from her forehead—or rather, the icy sweat—and let out a long breath of relief.
They continued searching the Far North, but they never found another Sky Dream Ice Silkworm over a hundred years old. They did find a few ten-year ones, though.
"Ow!" Bibi Dong was hopping around and playing in the Far North when, in one careless moment, she fell into an ice cave.
Hearing her cry, Sky Crocodile hurried over to check on her, then jumped into the ice cave right after her.
Once he had confirmed that Bibi Dong was unharmed, he was just about to take her back up when the sight before him left him stunned.
"A... a... a Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Cave..."
Qian Xunqian and the others jumped down after them, too.
Ning Fengzhi was utterly stunned. This Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow was a priceless treasure! Just what kind of absurd luck did his fiancée have?
Bibi Dong: At any rate, I'm the future big bad. The villain should be stronger than the protagonist, right? What's wrong with fate giving me something to boost my strength?
"Wow! A thousand-year ice silkworm!" Qian Xunqian shouted, then immediately covered her mouth and tiptoed toward the fat, giant worm, waving her hands excitedly.
Huo Yuhao: Kids, I've lost my cheat...
Shui Xiaoer said helplessly:
"Wait, Miss Qian, are we even focusing on the right thing?"
If anyone was drooling most over the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Cave, it was Shui Xiaoer. After all, as an ice-type Soul Master, absorbing even one piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow would help her immensely.
Though she was the most talented student at Skywater Academy, her Innate Soul Power was only level seven. Even if she pushed herself to the limit, she could at best just barely reach the Titled Douluo level.
But the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow changed everything. By absorbing its energy, she could purify her ice attribute and improve her Martial Soul's quality. Becoming a Titled Douluo would no longer be a far-off dream. She might even dare to hope for the rank of level 95 Super Douluo.
After placing the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm in her SVIP ice-silkworm cultivation Soul Tool, Qian Xunqian finally had time to examine the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Cave.
"This ice silkworm must have arrived here recently. It ate some Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow and only then raised its cultivation to the thousand-year level. Sigh, but we can't enjoy any of the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow here."
Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow: The core treasure of a Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Cave, formed when the source of profound ice condensed over ten thousand years. It comes in three grades: thousand-year, ten-thousand-year, and hundred-thousand-year. The deeper it lies, the higher its quality. Core effects: It can temper the body to the utmost and permanently improve the talent of ice-type Martial Souls and the upper limit of ice-based attacks. Ten-thousand-year Ice Marrow can break through cultivation bottlenecks, allowing even Titled Douluo to steadily increase their Soul Power. Hundred-thousand-year Ice Marrow can bring the dead back to life and restore damaged meridians, Martial Souls, and Spiritual Origins. It can even help ice-type Soul Beasts break through the hundred-thousand-year cultivation bottleneck. It is the supreme treasure of the Ultimate Ice attribute. Usage restrictions: Anyone without an ice attribute who touches it will have all their meridians instantly frozen. Forcing oneself to consume it will cause the body to explode. There is no way to counteract these effects.
"But the Cold Pole Spirit Spring here can help us. Soaking in its water permanently raises a Soul Master's spiritual power limit and tempers their Spiritual Origin. An ice-type Soul Master can cultivate in it at ten times their usual speed."
"This is an Ice God Crystal, a top-grade crystal found alongside a Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Cave. It was formed when the source of the Ultimate Ice attribute compressed over a million years. Its quality is extremely hard, yet it also has extreme flexibility, and it contains the life aura of the Ice Spirit. It's one of the highest-grade ice-type materials on the Douluo Continent and can be used to forge top-grade ice-type Soul Tools—even divine artifacts."
"Not only that, embedding it in a Martial Soul permanently boosts the power of ice-type Soul Skills. It can even let an ordinary ice-type Martial Soul touch the threshold of the Ultimate Ice attribute!"
With a thump, Shui Xiaoer dropped to her knees.
"Your Highness, Holy Maiden, Miss Qian, Elders, Revered Elders, could you give me a piece of Ice Marrow...?"
Sky Crocodile thumped his chest and promised:
"As long as your Water Element Family and Skywater Academy join our Spirit Hall, then forget one piece. My big brother and I guarantee that you can have as much as you want, as long as you don't damage the ecosystem of this Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Cave!"
Shui Xiaoer nodded excitedly. "Mother and the others will definitely agree!"