Ice-Fire Dual Extremes, First Fusion

After arriving at the Consecration Hall's rear courtyard.

Jiang Qingyu swept his gaze over the area. The rear courtyard was essentially a vast open yard, with countless flowers and trees planted along both sides. At its center stood an Angel God statue much smaller than the one in the Consecration Hall, holding the Angel Sacred Sword and pointing it into the distance.

"This is where us seven old fellows gather from time to time. Little Qingyu, you probably wouldn't like such a noisy place, so this courtyard is perfect for you!"

Guang Ling Douluo introduced it with a chuckle.

Other than the consecrators and the Pope, no one came here. Fewer than ten people had ever set foot in this place.

"Thank you, Grandpa Guang Ling."

Jiang Qingyu also felt that the place was quite nice. He carefully inhaled the fragrance of the flowers and trees. "I like it very much. Cultivating here will definitely yield twice the result with half the effort."

The corners of Guang Ling Douluo's lips lifted. "Of course. And Little Qingyu, Grandpa Guang Ling is hungry. Shouldn't you make a meal to reward me?"

It had been quite some time since he had tasted it.

Although he could go without food, how could he possibly forgo the delicacies of the mortal world?

"Wait until I've comprehended the changes in my martial soul."

Jiang Qingyu decisively refused.

Guang Ling Douluo's expression fell.

"Little Qingyu, you've changed. You weren't like this before."

Jiang Qingyu rolled his eyes at Guang Ling Douluo.

"Grandpa Guang Ling, hurry up and leave. Stop lingering here. It's not as if I'm not going to cook, it's just not the right time yet."

Guang Ling Douluo only felt that he was no longer loved.

In the end, he could only leave silently and helplessly.

There was no point staying any longer.

Little Qingyu was not going anywhere, anyway.

After Guang Ling Douluo left,

Jiang Qingyu found a spot with good sunlight, sat down, and simultaneously released the Flame Phoenix Sword and Ice Dragon King martial souls.

Both martial souls had long undergone earthshaking changes.

"Can I coordinate the powers of the two?"

After consuming the Star Anise Ice Crystal Grass and Inferno Delicate Apricot, if the Flame Phoenix Sword could wield ice-attribute power, it could serve as a trump card in many battles.

No one would expect a fire-attribute martial soul to be capable of combining with ice-attribute power.

The Flame Phoenix Sword had reached ultimate fire, while the Ice Dragon King was already ultimate ice.

Ice element in his left hand, fire element in his right.

The two formed a ball of light.

Jiang Qingyu prepared himself and forcibly fused the two elements together. Then they exploded. With a thunderous boom, Jiang Qingyu was blasted five meters back.

"It didn't work?" Jiang Qingyu was puzzled.

It should have worked!

Which step had gone wrong?

The burning pain and numbing cold of the colliding elements still lingered in his palms.

Refusing to accept it, he clenched his fists again. Just as he was about to gather soul power and force a second fusion, the air before him suddenly rippled and twisted.

Two draconic phantoms, one red and one blue, flew out of his sea of consciousness. They were the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings.

Jiang Qingyu paused. "Why did you come out?"

"If we had come out any later, you would have been severely injured by your own power."

The Ice Dragon King's voice was cold, carrying a trace of reproach.

"Ultimate fire and ultimate ice are inherently the two most conflicting attributes in heaven and earth. If you tried to force them together with brute strength, it would be strange if they actually fused."

The Fire Dragon King's deep, resonant voice cut in.

"Kid, you possess arm soul bones of the same origin as us. Those are the key to fusion. You have a ready-made bridge, yet you insist on doing it the hard way."

Jiang Qingyu was stunned for a moment before immediately realizing.

The Ice and Fire Dragon King arm soul bones he had absorbed had originated from the same source. Their attributes opposed each other, yet their roots remained connected. He had focused only on activating his martial souls earlier and had instead overlooked the function of the soul bones.

"Watch carefully. The first level of fusion is called Ice-Fire Dual Extremes, External Overlay." The Ice Dragon King's phantom slightly raised a claw, sending a thought directly into Jiang Qingyu's mind.

This was the most basic fusion form. Its core was to use the arm soul bones as a medium and attach the powers of ice and fire to the sword simultaneously. It did not seek complete fusion, only a synchronized overlay.

The principle behind it was not complicated.

He would use the Ice Dragon King soul bone in his left arm to control the ice element and the Fire Dragon King soul bone in his right arm to control the fire element, with his own meridians serving as a relay.

By injecting both powers into the Flame Phoenix Sword at once, the shared origin of the soul bones would offset most of the opposing force, allowing the two ultimate attributes to achieve a stable balance over the sword's surface.

Jiang Qingyu immediately followed the instructions and tried.

He first focused his mind and held his breath, activating the soul bone in his left arm. Threads of icy blue chill spread down his arm.

Then he activated the soul bone in his right arm, and blazing crimson soul power followed closely behind.

The two powers met at his shoulders. Rather than colliding violently as before, they slowly merged through the connection inherent to the soul bones, flowing down his arms together toward the Flame Phoenix Sword in his palm.

Buzz~

The Flame Phoenix Sword let out a clear, ringing cry.

The originally blazing crimson flames over the sword gradually changed. A thin layer of frost covered the left side of the blade, where icy blue cold flames flickered.

The right side still surged with crimson fire.

The two colors split apart along the blade's centerline. Fine silver-white sparks crackled continuously where they met, while chill and heat waves spread outward at the same time.

"It worked."

A flash of delight appeared in Jiang Qingyu's eyes. He rose and swung his sword. A half-red, half-blue sword aura tore through the air and struck a stone platform not far away.

With a soft boom, half of the struck platform was scorched black and brittle, while the other half was frozen over with cracks. Its power was several times greater than sword aura of a single attribute.

"This is only an external overlay, the crudest application." The Fire Dragon King's voice sounded once more. "Only after you have fully mastered the first level can you attempt deeper fusion. Build a solid foundation for now. Do not rush for success."

The Ice Dragon King added, "Activate your arm soul bones more often to nourish your meridians. It will speed up your control over the two powers."

As their voices faded, the two draconic phantoms gradually dimmed and retreated into the depths of his martial souls.

Jiang Qingyu stood with his sword sheathed, feeling the ice-fire power flow smoothly through his body.

Others would only see him as possessing an ultimate-fire sword martial soul. They would never imagine that his blade also concealed the power of ultimate ice.

He turned to look beyond the courtyard, recalling how Guang Ling Douluo had asked for food earlier, then raised his hand and withdrew his martial souls.

"I've comprehended enough. It's time to make something he wants to eat."

He left the Consecration Hall's rear courtyard.

Less than five minutes after he left, Qingluan Douluo arrived and discovered that the stone platform he had carried over from afar had been split in two.

He was initially bewildered, then approached the platform and found traces of ice and fire lingering on either side.

"These sword marks could only have been made by Qingyu."

Qingluan Douluo gently ran a finger across them, thinking thoughtfully.

Using ice and fire attributes at the same time?

Qingyu, you're incredible!

By the time Jiang Qingyu reached the kitchen, he had already gotten busy, completely unaware that Qingluan Douluo was still marveling over it.

After half an hour of work, three dishes were finally complete.

Sticky rice chicken, crystal shrimp dumplings, and braised drake meat.

That was right, drake meat. It was far more delicious than ordinary meat.

He carried the three dishes to a small table outside the kitchen. The instant he set down his apron, Guang Ling Douluo came over, drawn by the scent.

"Little Qingyu, you've got Grandpa Guang Ling so tempted by the smell that I'm dizzy."