Ice Seal Thousand-Blade Break

"Senior Dugu." Bing Yekong looked at Dugu Bo, a peculiar smile curling at the corner of his lips.

"I'd like to ask you to help me test the power of my soul skill. What do you say?"

Dugu Bo waved a hand helplessly. "Go ahead and attack. These old bones of mine can still take it."

Bing Yekong nodded. Then, the fourth Soul Ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up.

"Fourth Soul Skill!"

In an instant, an incomparably dense chill rushed forward, surging toward Dugu Bo.

Dugu Bo's expression shifted slightly. With a wave of his hand, a jade-green barrier of soul power appeared before him, blocking the invading cold.

But Dugu Bo could never have guessed that this was merely Bing Yekong's feint.

Countless chunks of solid ice instantly appeared around Dugu Bo's feet. In the blink of an eye, they spread across his entire body, encasing him completely in ice.

Bing Yekong's face remained utterly calm.

"Ice Seal Thousand-Blade Break!"

The moment his words fell, countless streams of sword energy, wrapped in icy winds, flew toward Dugu Bo from every direction.

The sword energy carried sword intent and possessed terrifying destructive power.

Boom!

Under the barrage of sword energy, the ice suddenly exploded.

Even Yang Wudi was left staring in a daze.

A fourth soul skill that combined control, attack, and explosion—and was this powerful too? That was simply outrageous.

When the smoke and dust dispersed, Dugu Bo's figure gradually emerged.

He stood there completely unharmed, but the way he looked at Bing Yekong now held a trace of disbelief.

"What do you think, Senior Dugu? How powerful is my fourth soul skill?"

Dugu Bo brushed the ice chips from his body and said irritably, "You little brat, you really are a freak. Only I could take that attack head-on. If it had been someone else, even a Soul Saint without their Martial Soul Avatar activated would have suffered quite a bit."

Having personally taken Bing Yekong's fourth soul skill head-on, Dugu Bo had the most direct understanding of its power.

When Bing Yekong's ice had restrained him just now, he exerted a little force and abruptly realized that with the ice's hardness, an ordinary Soul Saint without a Martial Soul Avatar would need to put in considerable effort just to break free.

From another perspective, if Bing Yekong wrapped himself in that ice, it would become a defensive soul skill capable of withstanding a Soul Saint's attacks.

And in terms of offensive power, those sword-energy blasts infused with sword intent were no weaker than a Soul Saint's attacks.

A soul skill that could attack, defend, and control was practically divine.

"Hehe, Senior Dugu, my fourth soul skill is far from that simple."

Before Dugu Bo could say anything, Bing Yekong lit up his fourth Soul Ring again.

This time, the ice did not merely encase Dugu Bo. It enveloped Dugu Bo, Yang Wudi, and Bing Yekong himself.

The ice was transparent, allowing Dugu Bo and Yang Wudi to see what was happening outside.

Controlling three people at once—group control!

Inside the ice, Yang Wudi and Dugu Bo wore extraordinarily vivid expressions.

Bing Yekong did not trigger the second stage of his fourth soul skill. Instead, he directly dispelled the ice.

"Group control?!"

Dugu Bo's voice rose sharply. Even with the breadth of experience of a Titled Douluo, he could not help losing his composure.

His green vertical pupils widened as he stared fixedly at the pitch-black Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring beneath Bing Yekong's feet, as though he intended to find some hidden secret within it.

Yang Wudi's reaction was even more direct. He put away his Soul-Breaking Spear, strode up to Bing Yekong, and planted his rough, massive hand directly on Bing Yekong's shoulder, squeezing hard enough to make him wince in pain.

"Kid, explain this to me clearly. Does your fourth soul skill really have group control? It isn't limited to controlling just you, me, and that old poisoner, is it?"

Bing Yekong rubbed his aching shoulder and replied irritably, "Senior Yang, are you accusing me of faking it? Want me to demonstrate it again?"

As he spoke, he made as if to activate his Soul Ring once more. Yang Wudi hurriedly waved his hands, though his face was full of barely concealed excitement and shock.

"No, no need. I believe you! But do you realize just how absurd your fourth soul skill is?"

Yang Wudi clasped his hands behind his back and paced in circles, muttering to himself. This battle maniac and alchemy fanatic had always admired gifted juniors most of all, but Bing Yekong had shocked him so deeply that he could no longer find words to describe it.

"A fourth soul skill with group control, one that can attack and defend, and with this much power too. I've lived more than half a lifetime, and this is the first time I've ever seen something like this." He stopped and turned to look at Bing Yekong with blazing eyes.

"For ordinary Soul Masters, having a powerful single-target control skill as their fourth soul skill would already be a blessing. Yet yours has an initial freezing stage, a second-stage sword-energy burst, group attack, and group control. Are you trying to say the heavens haven't made your talent freakish enough already?"

Dugu Bo nodded in wholehearted agreement.

Although he had not seen the fourth soul skills of many Soul Masters, he had lived for so many years that he still possessed basic common sense.

Generally speaking, the stronger the effect of a soul skill granted by a Soul Ring, the greater its cost. Bing Yekong's fourth soul skill had a broad range, long control duration, and powerful follow-up burst damage. No matter how one looked at it, it exceeded the limits a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring should possess.

There was only one possible explanation.

"Kid, you've probably pushed the potential of the ice element to its limit."

Dugu Bo spoke slowly, a trace of admiration in his voice. "When ordinary Soul Masters absorb a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring, drawing out seventy or eighty percent of its power is already considered impressive. But you're different. Your ice attribute is like the sharpest key, capable of prying out every last bit of power within the Soul Ring. That is why your fourth soul skill seems so unreasonable in other people's eyes."

Bing Yekong secretly nodded to himself.

"You flatter me, Seniors." Bing Yekong withdrew his martial soul with a smile. "I merely benefited from the quality of my martial soul. When it comes to actual combat experience, I still have a long way to go."

Yang Wudi burst into laughter and slapped Bing Yekong on the back, nearly knocking him off balance.

"Enough, enough. Stop pretending to be modest in front of me. I saw that self-created soul skill of yours, Profound Ice Dragon Soar, with my own eyes. Is that something a Soul Exalt should be able to devise?"

Dugu Bo also revealed a rare smile. The way he looked at Bing Yekong had changed from his initial vigilance and probing to genuine approval.

This little fellow had not only saved his life and that of his granddaughter, but had also displayed such heaven-defying talent. Having him tied to the same boat as himself was clearly a bargain for Dugu Bo.

"Alright, now that you've obtained your fourth Soul Ring, it's time for us to head back."

Bing Yekong glanced toward the mist-shrouded horizon deep within the Far North before turning to the two seniors. "Senior Yang, Senior Dugu, come back to Element City with me. The Shui Family may not be some prestigious great clan, but we can still arrange a respectable place for the two of you to stay."