But he did not stop.
He could sense that Shui Bing'er's absorption of the medicinal power had reached its most critical moment. The core medicinal power of that Ice Spirit Pill was assaulting 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 riot. On the contrary, it was a new aura spontaneously released after her Martial Soul had successfully transformed. That chill was purer and more piercing than ever before. Within its icy coldness 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 as Shui Bing'er slowly opened 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 external 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 body. 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, radiating an almost sacred purity.
"I feel... different." Her voice carried a trace of incredulous joy. "It's like something had always been pressing down on me, and now it's suddenly gone. My whole body feels so much lighter."
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 ever again."
Shui Bing'er looked at the ice crystal in her palm and gently closed her hand. The crystal turned into specks of shattered light and dispersed into the air.
She raised her head and let her gaze fall on Bing Yekong's face. She looked at him for so long that he became slightly embarrassed and turned his eyes away.
"Thank you, Little Yekong."
Her voice was soft, yet it carried an almost solemn weight.
Bing Yekong scratched his head, just about to say something polite when his expression suddenly stiffened slightly.
He sensed an unusual fluctuation.
This fluctuation did not come from the outside world, but from deep within his own body. More precisely, it came from the origin of his Martial Soul.
At the moment Shui Bing'er completed her evolution, when her Ultimate Ice Soul Power was fully released for the first time, the Tianshuang Sword Martial Soul and Ice Dragon King Martial Soul within Bing Yekong simultaneously produced a faint resonance.
It was like a person who had been lonely for a long time suddenly hearing the call of another of their kind.
He instinctively summoned his Tianshuang Sword Martial Soul, wanting to confirm whether his perception was correct.
The instant the Tianshuang Sword appeared, Bing Yekong's pupils contracted sharply.
The pale blue Ultimate Ice Soul Power surrounding Shui Bing'er actually flowed toward the Tianshuang Sword without the slightest resistance, slowly and naturally. At the same time, a gentle pulling force 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 merged together as naturally as water and milk.
Bing Yekong was stunned.
He had never imagined that the Ice Spirit Pill's transformation of Shui Bing'er would reach such a degree. It had not only evolved her Martial Soul into Ultimate Ice, but had even given her the potential to merge her Soul Power with his.
Soul Power fusion was not without precedent among Soul Masters, but it normally required a long period of coordination and adjustment. Even the primary Martial Souls of Twin Martial Souls might not blend so smoothly.
Yet between him and Shui Bing'er, this fusion had been almost spontaneous, instinctive, as if 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 appear on the Tianshuang 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 with it, but the sensation from that instant had already been deeply etched into his mind.
"I'm not entirely sure either," he admitted honestly. "But it seems your Ultimate Ice Soul Power and mine are rather compatible."
Shui Bing'er blinked and nodded, half understanding.
She did not know what this meant, but seeing the serious look on Bing Yekong's face, she vaguely felt that it might be something very important.
Bing Yekong said nothing 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 blend so naturally, did that mean... one day, they might be able to develop a Martial Soul Fusion Skill unique to the two of them?
The thought flashed through his mind, but he did not rush to investigate 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 bottleneck of level forty.
"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 that. "You... will come with me?"
"Of course." Bing Yekong spoke as though it were only natural. "I won't feel at ease letting you go alone. Besides, I just went to the Far North, so I know the way and where to find suitable soul beasts."
Shui Bing'er looked at him, and a smile slowly bloomed on her lips.
She did not refuse or offer empty pleasantries such as "you don't need to trouble yourself." She merely nodded gently.
"All right. I'll wait for you to arrange it."
The sun outside the window had completely sunk below the horizon. The last trace of orange-red twilight slowly faded from the sky, replaced by a deep blue night.
The two sat facing each other like that, neither in any hurry to rise.
Shui Bing'er lowered her head and looked at the glow that had not yet fully faded from her palm. Feeling the unprecedented ease and clarity within her body, something that had long been hanging in her heart finally settled safely into place.
By the time Bing Yekong left Shui Bing'er's room, the night had grown deep.
Bing Yekong stood in the courtyard and let out a long breath. The 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 sort out what it truly meant, but his intuition told him that it was worth studying carefully.
But there was still one more thing to do.
He touched the twelve remaining Creation Mystic Soul Pills in his Soul Tool and headed straight for Shui Yue'er's room next door.
Before you continue