Martial Soul Evolution

But he did not stop.

He could sense that the medicinal power within Shui Bing'er had reached the most critical stage of absorption. The core potency of the Ice Spirit Pill was striking at the origin of her martial soul. As long as she succeeded in this step, her martial soul would complete its transformation.

Just then, an unusual fluctuation burst forth from Shui Bing'er's body.

It was not a soul power rampage. On the contrary, it was a new aura spontaneously released after her martial soul successfully transformed. That chill was purer and sharper than ever before. Amidst the cold was an irresistible pressure—the aura of Ultimate Ice.

Shui Bing'er's Ice Phoenix martial soul had evolved.

Bing Yekong let out a breath of relief, withdrew his hands, and watched Shui Bing'er slowly open her eyes.

Her already clear eyes had become even more limpid, like a sky washed clean by ice and snow. A pale blue glow shrouded her body, a natural phenomenon caused by the outward release of Ultimate Ice soul power.

"How do you feel?"

Shui Bing'er lowered her head to look at her hands, then raised one hand to sense the soul power circulating within her. The light in her eyes grew brighter and brighter.

She raised her hand, palm facing upward, and a tiny ice crystal condensed above it. Unlike the ice she had formed in the past, this crystal was flawlessly transparent and radiated an almost sacred purity.

"I feel... different." Her voice carried a trace of incredulous delight. "It feels like something had always been weighing me down, but now it's suddenly gone. My whole body feels so light."

Bing Yekong smiled and nodded. "Congratulations, Sister Bing'er. From now on, your Ice Phoenix martial soul has the Ultimate Ice attribute. You won't have to worry about it losing control anymore."

Shui Bing'er looked at the ice crystal in her palm and gently clenched her hand. The crystal turned into specks of shattered light and vanished into the air.

She raised her head, her gaze falling on Bing Yekong's face. She looked at him for so long that he awkwardly averted his eyes.

"Thank you, Little Yekong."

Her voice was soft, yet it carried an almost solemn weight.

Bing Yekong scratched his head. Just as he was about to offer some polite reply, his expression suddenly stiffened slightly.

He sensed an unusual fluctuation.

This fluctuation did not come from outside, but from deep within his own body. More precisely, it came from his Martial Soul Origin.

At the moment Shui Bing'er completed her evolution, when her Ultimate Ice soul power was fully released for the first time, Bing Yekong's Heavenly Frost Sword Martial Soul and Ice Dragon King martial soul simultaneously produced a subtle resonance.

It was like someone who had been lonely for a long time suddenly hearing the call of another of their kind.

He instinctively released his Heavenly Frost Sword Martial Soul, wanting to confirm whether his perception was correct.

The instant the Heavenly Frost Sword appeared, Bing Yekong's pupils contracted sharply.

The pale blue Ultimate Ice soul power surrounding Shui Bing'er showed no resistance at all. It naturally flowed toward the Heavenly Frost Sword. At the same time, a gentle attraction emanated from the blade, drawing that soul power toward itself.

The two streams of Ultimate Ice soul power met in the air. There was no collision, no rejection. Instead, they blended together as naturally as water and milk.

Bing Yekong was stunned.

He had never expected the Ice Spirit Pill's transformation of Shui Bing'er to reach such a degree. Not only had it evolved her martial soul into Ultimate Ice, it had even given her the potential to merge her soul power with his.

One had to know that soul power fusion was not unheard of among Soul Masters, but it generally required a long period of coordination and adjustment. Even the primary martial souls of Twin Martial Souls users might not blend so smoothly.

Yet between him and Shui Bing'er, this fusion was almost spontaneous, instinctive, as though two puzzle pieces had finally found their proper places.

Shui Bing'er sensed the anomaly as well. Seeing an aura identical to her own soul power emerge on the Heavenly Frost Sword's blade, surprise appeared on her face.

"Little Yekong, what is this...?"

Bing Yekong came back to his senses, took a deep breath, and put away his martial soul. The signs of fusion faded along with it, but the feeling from that brief moment had already been deeply imprinted in his mind.

"I'm not entirely sure either," he said honestly. "But it seems that your Ultimate Ice soul power and mine are... very compatible."

Shui Bing'er blinked and nodded as if she only half understood.

She did not know what it represented, but seeing Bing Yekong's serious expression, she vaguely felt that this might be something very important.

Bing Yekong said no more, but he had already committed the matter to memory.

Soul power fusion was the prerequisite for a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

And if his and Shui Bing'er's Ultimate Ice soul power could merge so naturally, did that mean... that one day, they might develop a Martial Soul Fusion Skill unique to the two of them?

The thought flashed through his mind, but he did not rush to examine it further. His immediate priority was still helping Shui Bing'er find a suitable fourth Soul Ring. After all, she was already stuck at the level forty bottleneck.

"Sister Bing'er, what level is your soul power now?"

Shui Bing'er closed her eyes to sense it, then opened them and said, "Level forty. I'm right at the bottleneck. I only need one Soul Ring to break through."

Bing Yekong nodded. "Then once Senior Yang has rested, I'll accompany you to the Far North and help you find a suitable fourth Soul Ring."

Shui Bing'er was slightly stunned upon hearing this. "You... want to come with me?"

"Of course," Bing Yekong said as though it were only natural. "I wouldn't be at ease letting you go alone. Besides, I just went to the Far North, so I know the route and where to find suitable soul beasts."

Shui Bing'er looked at him, and a smile slowly blossomed on her lips.

She did not decline or offer polite words like, "You don't need to trouble yourself." She merely nodded gently.

"All right. I'll wait for you to arrange it."

The setting sun beyond the window had completely disappeared. The last trace of orange-red afterglow slowly faded from the horizon, replaced by a deep blue curtain of night.

The two of them sat facing each other like that, neither in any hurry to rise.

Shui Bing'er looked down at the glow that had yet to fully disperse from her palm. Feeling a lightness and clarity within her body unlike anything she had ever known, something that had long hung in her heart finally settled peacefully into place.

By the time he left Shui Bing'er's room, the night had already grown deep.

Bing Yekong stood in the courtyard and let out a deep breath. Moonlight stretched his shadow into a long, thin line.

The strange sensation from when his soul power had merged with Shui Bing'er's still lingered in his heart. He could not yet make sense of what it meant, but his intuition told him it was worth considering carefully.

However, there was another matter to attend to first.

He touched the twelve remaining Creation Mystic Soul Pills in his Soul Guidance Device and walked straight toward Shui Yue'er's room next door.