That thread of fire was as fine as a hair, yet it wound across the ice crystal as if alive. Wherever it passed, the ice-blue petals glimmered with a faint golden radiance, like refined steel tempered by flame. Huo Yuhao held his breath, his spiritual power extending along the fire pattern like the finest carving blade—he wanted to see just how far this spark of "Ultimate Transformation" could spread.
The fire pattern gradually branched out, probing toward the ice flower's other petals like tree limbs. At first, it progressed smoothly enough. But when it touched an ice crystal at the very edge, it suddenly shuddered violently. The orange-red blaze leaped up half an inch, and that petal actually began to show signs of melting.
"Stop!" Snow Empress's voice rang out abruptly, carrying unquestionable authority.
Huo Yuhao immediately withdrew his spiritual power. The out-of-control fire pattern dimmed at once, and the melting traces at the crystal's edge solidified with it, leaving behind only a faint white mark. He stared at it with lingering fear, cold sweat beading across his forehead—at that instant, he had clearly felt a violent force surging back along the fire pattern. Had he not pulled back in time, it might have scorched the foundation of his spirit.
"What was the rush?" Snow Empress approached slowly, warning in her eyes. "Ultimate Transformation means seeking change within the ultimate, not using Ice Soul Power to play with fire. That fire pattern is the catalyst for 'change,' not fuel for 'burning.' You poured in your spiritual power too hastily just now. It was like feeding a gale to a spark. It would have been strange if it hadn't exploded."
With a flick of her fingertip, a wisp of ice-blue Soul Power landed on the white mark. It vanished instantly, and the crystal petal returned to normal. "Try again. Support the fire pattern with your spiritual power as if you were holding fragile glazed glass. Slower. Steadier. Remember, you are its guide, not its master."
Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and suppressed his impatience for quick results. This time, he released his spiritual power at an extremely slow pace, like a spring breeze brushing over a lake, gently supporting the fire pattern as it spread. Its orange-red glow softened, no longer carrying the urge to flare upward. Instead, it clung to the crystal's surface and slowly traced increasingly intricate lines—the pattern closely resembled the Resonance Pattern he had designed for Ning Tian, yet it possessed an added liveliness like the currents of the Life Star Sea.
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm watched from the side without daring to breathe. Its round body was taut, looking exactly like a firefighter ready to leap into action at any moment. Only after the fire pattern successfully spread to the third petal did he let out a breath and mutter, "You scared this worm to death. I thought half the spiritual world was about to blow up."
Snow Empress ignored him and merely stared at Huo Yuhao's consciousness form. "Can you feel it? Every turn of the fire pattern consumes a trace of your spiritual power, while also absorbing energy from the Life Star Sea. This is a balanced expenditure. It is like drawing fire from ice—you need the stability of ice and the agility of fire. Neither can be missing."
Huo Yuhao nodded. The spiritual power at his fingertips gradually formed a subtle resonance with the fire pattern's energy. He suddenly noticed that when the pattern reached the tip of a petal, a crystal-clear droplet condensed there. Half ice-blue and half orange-red, it hung in the air without falling, radiating a strange aura that was both freezing and warm.
"This is..."
"Marrow of Extreme Transformation." There was a hint of approval in Snow Empress's voice. "The condensed essence of ice and change. In future battles, fuse it into ice cones or ice spikes. It can freeze an opponent's Soul Power while using the force of Ultimate Transformation to corrode their meridians. It is more lethal than Ultimate Ice alone."
Huo Yuhao carefully drew that drop of Marrow of Extreme Transformation into his consciousness form. He could feel it slowly rotating within him like a miniature energy core. He looked up at the Life Star Sea, where the streams of light seemed to have grown more active because of the droplet's birth. Azure-gold waves crashed against the ribbons of light, as if cheering for him.
"That will be enough for today." Snow Empress turned and headed into the depths of the star sea, her silver hair drifting amid the light currents. "Do not condense too much Marrow of Extreme Transformation. One drop a day at most. Greed will only cause disorder. When you return, let your body adapt to this new power. Tomorrow, we will practice incorporating Ultimate Transformation into your soul skills."
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm immediately followed her, but not before turning back to remind him, "Remember, one drop! Just one drop! If you make too much, don't expect me to clean up your mess!"
Huo Yuhao smiled and nodded, his gaze falling once more upon the ice flowers on the web of light. Those flowers, half ice and half fire, bloomed quietly now. Fire patterns flowed across their petals like countless threads linking ice and change. He could feel his understanding of Ultimate Ice being completely reshaped by this trace of "Ultimate Transformation"—it was no longer aloof, solitary frost, but an agile force that embraced change.
When he withdrew from his consciousness realm, sunlight outside the window was just breaking through the clouds, casting a patch of warm light into his palm. Huo Yuhao opened his hand. An invisible drop of Marrow of Extreme Transformation rested quietly there. Though unseen, its presence was perfectly clear to him.
He rose and stretched his limbs. The Soul Power within him flowed more smoothly now, and every breath faintly drew the energies of his Twin Seas of Spirit into resonance. From the distant training grounds came the indistinct shouts of his classmates, filled with familiar vigor.
As Huo Yuhao followed the voices toward the training grounds, the Marrow of Extreme Transformation at his fingertips trembled lightly with each step like a dancing star. He had barely reached the edge of the field when a fiery-red figure rushed toward him on a gust of wind.
"Huo Yuhao! You finally came out!" She grabbed Huo Yuhao and looked him over again and again. "You have no idea how worried the young mistress was. It is good that you are safe."
Huo Yuhao followed her gaze toward Ning Tian in the distance. The girl stood by the training platform, the Glazed Ring in her hand flowing with a pale golden sheen beneath the sunlight. When she saw him looking over, she immediately smiled softly and raised a hand in greeting. There was no urgency in that smile, only the solid reassurance of relief.
"Sorry for making you worry." Huo Yuhao gently pulled free from Wu Feng's grasp. A wisp of ice-blue Soul Power condensed at his fingertips, wrapped around an extremely faint orange-red glow like an icy stream scattered with stars. "I was indeed fusing a new power called Ultimate Transformation. I practiced it in my consciousness for a while, so it took some time."
"Ultimate Transformation?" Wu Feng's eyes widened, and she unconsciously clenched her fists. "Is it the kind that lets ice carry fire? Hurry up and show us!"
Huo Yuhao smiled and nodded, sweeping his gaze over the target wall by the training grounds. It was a hard target made from Ten-Thousand-Year Ironwood. Ordinary Soul Masters could at most leave shallow marks on it with their soul skills. He raised his hand, and the ice-blue Soul Power at his fingertips shot forth, forming an ice arrow half a foot long.
The ice arrow cut through the sunlight, trailing a faint orange-red flame behind it. It looked like a fiery arrow encased in ice crystal. The moment it sank into the ironwood target, it did not explode with a bang. Instead, there came a soft hiss—the icy patterns on its surface rapidly spread, freezing the target face with spiderweb-like white cracks. Meanwhile, those orange-red flame traces burrowed along the grain of the wood, sending wisps of blue smoke rising beneath the ice as though countless tiny flames were gnawing at it.
"This... this is..." Wu Feng's eyes went wide. "The ice didn't melt, but the wood looks like it was burned?!"
Ning Tian walked over as well. Her fingertips lightly brushed the icy patterns on the target, and she could feel the faint scorching heat beneath the frost. "It is not fire, but another kind of Corrosive Force. The ice freezes the flow of Soul Power, while this Ultimate Transformation force breaks down matter itself... Against defense-type Soul Masters or soul beasts, it may be able to ignore their defenses directly." She looked at Huo Yuhao, amazement in her eyes. "This power is more troublesome than ice alone."
Before you continue