Wait, I'm only learning a Soul Skill to hide my Soul Ring's age. How did that trigger a side quest?
Watching Sky Dream Ice Silkworm act so mysterious, Yu Hengqing grumbled inwardly.
"My abilities are limited. Sorry for the trouble, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, but you'll have to find someone else!"
Yu Hengqing didn't want to get mixed up in Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's affairs. It definitely couldn't offer him anything good right now.
"I know you won't help unless I give you something good. Fine, I won't keep it from you. I happen to have some Ten Thousand Year Cold Ice Marrow."
"That Ten Thousand Year Cold Ice Marrow would be enough to help you break through from Soul Douluo to Titled Douluo, or help an ice-attribute Martial Soul undergo a transformation."
"If you agree, move your left index finger. If you don't, move your right index finger."
This time, though, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's mouth didn't move. It was communicating with Yu Hengqing through its spiritual power.
Yu Hengqing raised an eyebrow slightly, not immediately believing what Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had said.
He couldn't verify whether Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had actually saved any Ten Thousand Year Cold Ice Marrow. What if it was just bluffing him?
When Yu Hengqing still hadn't reacted after so long, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm grew anxious. It had been trapped here for a long time. What if its Bingbing was worried about it?
In the Far North, Ice Empress had been hunting Sky Dream Ice Silkworm alone when she suddenly sensed something. She stopped and looked around.
But apart from the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm she had just caught, there was nothing but a vast expanse of white. There wasn't a sign of any other living thing.
"Kid, I'm begging you! Say yes! If you do, I'll give you my Silkworm Slough right now!"
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's nearly pleading words echoed in Yu Hengqing's mind.
When Yu Hengqing heard that Sky Dream Ice Silkworm would give him its Silkworm Slough, he was tempted.
After all, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's Silkworm Slough was not only highly defensive, but could also conceal one's presence.
In this era, when the methods for making Soul Tools had all but been lost, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's Silkworm Slough could be called the finest armor around.
A few more minutes passed. Sky Dream Ice Silkworm saw that Yu Hengqing still hadn't moved and was about to give up when Yu Hengqing suddenly raised his left hand.
"May I ask when we'll start learning the Mimicry Soul Skill?"
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm froze for a moment, then caught on and immediately replied, "We'll start right now!"
Kid, since you raised your left hand, I'll take that as a yes!
I hope you'll go back and tell Bingbing—that is, the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion in the Far North, the one over four hundred thousand years old—that I have a way to help her survive her next tribulation!
Of course, so you'll be able to stand in front of Bingbing alive, I'll teach you how to form a Soul Core while I'm showing you Mimicry!
That way, you'll be strong enough to face Bingbing, and you'll also be able to convince her that the Soul Core method works!
Hahaha! I truly am the first million-year Soul Beast in history. What a thorough plan!
If not for the need to stop Di Tian from spying on the two of them, Yu Hengqing would have stuffed his shoe into Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's mouth right then.
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm really could chatter. Just a few short sentences were enough to give him a splitting headache.
But once it had finished celebrating, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm stopped fooling around and earnestly began teaching Yu Hengqing how to use his own spiritual power to perform Mimicry.
"The key to Mimicry is to use your Soul Power and spiritual power to form an energy membrane over your body. That lets you change your appearance and aura."
As he spoke, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm began demonstrating. This time, however, it didn't transform as quickly as it had when it took Di Tian's form.
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm deliberately slowed the flow of its Soul Power, giving Yu Hengqing the best possible view of how Soul Power and spiritual power blended together.
When the Soul Power and spiritual power successfully merged, Yu Hengqing sensed Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's body distort for an instant.
"Can you sense it? This is the Illusion Domain! Once you've mastered mixing Soul Power and spiritual power, you'll be able to form a stable energy membrane over your body, just like I have."
"Anyone who sees or senses you will be fooled by this membrane. And once you're skilled enough, you'll be able to extend it toward a specific person or Soul Beast."
As soon as Sky Dream Ice Silkworm finished speaking, an invisible energy extended from its body and spread over Yu Hengqing in the blink of an eye.
At that moment, Yu Hengqing was completely immersed in Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's illusion.
"Don't speak for now. Watch closely as I form a Soul Core."
To save time and avoid arousing Di Tian's suspicion, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, unusually, didn't ramble any further.
Within the illusion, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm became transparent, and its meridians turned translucent. Whenever Soul Power flowed through them, they turned golden.
Yu Hengqing had no time to be surprised that he was about to learn how to form a Soul Core. He had to focus entirely on watching Sky Dream Ice Silkworm circulate its Soul Power.
Under Yu Hengqing's gaze, the Soul Power within Sky Dream Ice Silkworm gradually gathered in its lower dantian, which gleamed a brilliant gold.
When the final wisp of Soul Power flowed into the dantian, the whole thing boiled over, like water dropped into a pan of hot oil.
Even without Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's reminder, Yu Hengqing knew this was the crucial moment in forming a Soul Core.
Once the Soul Power in the dantian was boiling fiercely, Yu Hengqing sensed Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's spiritual power surge into action.
The immense spiritual power wrapped around the boiling Soul Power and forcibly compressed it, bit by bit, toward the center of the dantian.
When it had shrunk to the size of a quail egg, the Soul Power wrapped in spiritual power began to change.
A solid speck, no bigger than a sesame seed, appeared at the center of the Soul Power. The moment it appeared, the liquid Soul Power, which had been boiling, settled down and gradually solidified around the core.
When Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had condensed all the liquid Soul Power in its dantian into a Soul Power crystal the size of a quail egg, a powerful aura burst from its body.
"Kid, did you see that clearly? That's how you form a Soul Core. Don't forget it, or my Bingbing could be in danger during her next tribulation!"
After finishing the demonstration, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm returned to its usual irritating self, making Yu Hengqing clench his fists without thinking.
"Of course, forming a Soul Core takes an enormous amount of Soul Power and spiritual power. Unless you reach the Titled Douluo level, or have enough spiritual power and absorb a sufficient amount of Soul Power, I strongly advise you not to try it."
After explaining the precautions, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm ended Mimicry. The human-shaped Sky Dream Ice Silkworm in Yu Hengqing's eyes turned back into a chubby white worm.
"That's what Mimicry looks like. But to pull off something like this, your spiritual power has to reach this level."
When Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's spiritual power pressed down on Yu Hengqing, he felt as if he were carrying hundreds of pounds on his back. He could barely catch his breath.
The moment the spiritual pressure lifted, Yu Hengqing began gasping for air. Under ordinary circumstances, only a Titled Douluo could probably reach this level of spiritual power!
Yu Hengqing silently memorized the spiritual power Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had just released. He knew it was reminding him of the standard his spiritual power would need to meet to form a Soul Core.
"Next, follow my method and try to mix your Soul Power and spiritual power, then form an energy membrane over your body."
"Once you can form a stable energy membrane, try using Mimicry to take the form of someone or something you know well. The more familiar you are with it, the harder it'll be to see through."
Hearing Sky Dream Ice Silkworm say that Mimicry worked better with familiar forms, Yu Hengqing suddenly remembered the Di Tian it had imitated at the start.
Damn, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm really is amazing!
Before you continue