Soul Ice Threads

Huo Yuhao chatted with Ning Tian halfheartedly. Ning Tian probably sensed his distant attitude as well, and the atmosphere eventually fell silent.

Just as Ning Tian racked her brains for a new topic, she noticed Huo Yuhao raise his head toward the classroom door.

"The teacher's here."

Ning Tian could only turn away for the moment. Since it was the first class, it would be best to leave a good impression on the teacher.

Teacher Mu Jin stepped onto the podium, her footsteps light, as though afraid of disturbing the morning sunlight in the classroom. She placed a pot of Mind-Calming Grass on the desk. Its leaves gave off a faint fragrance that soothed everyone's minds.

"Students, welcome to Freshman Class Nine. I hope you can grow better in this big family and become better versions of yourselves."

"Everyone can stand up and introduce yourselves. First row, let's start with you."

"My name is Cui Yajie. My Martial Soul is the Nine-Tailed Fox."

"Wu Feng. Martial Soul: Fire Dragon. Level twenty-five Great Soul Master."

"Hello, everyone. My name is Ning Tian. I come from the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect. My Martial Soul is the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda. I am a level thirty-one support-type Soul Elder."

The classroom fell silent for a moment after Ning Tian finished speaking.

A level thirty-one Soul Elder?

To reach the Soul Elder realm upon entering Shrek Academy was rare across the entire academy. What was more, she came from the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect, and her Martial Soul was the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, hailed as the "number one support Martial Soul in the world." Even if she was only from a branch family, that talent was enough to draw everyone's attention.

Wu Feng stood beside Ning Tian with her chin raised high, like a proud little phoenix. She could feel the envy and awe directed their way. Those gazes tickled her vanity like feathers, making her even more determined to "follow the young mistress unto death."

When it was Huo Yuhao's turn, his voice was as calm as deep water. "Huo Yuhao. Martial Soul: Spirit Eye."

He did not state his Soul Power rank, mention any background, or even offer any unnecessary introduction.

"He doesn't even dare tell us his Soul Power rank. Maybe it's too low, and he's embarrassed?"

"Compared to Ning Tian, he's way too far behind..."

Whispers flooded in like a tide, carrying undisguised contempt.

Ning Tian did not laugh. Looking at Huo Yuhao's calm profile, she felt that things were not so simple. During her introduction, she had deliberately released a trace of Soul Elder-level Soul Power pressure. An ordinary level twenty-seven Great Soul Master would have shown some reaction, yet Huo Yuhao had not even raised an eyelid, as though the pressure had been nothing more than a breeze.

Moreover, when he said, "Martial Soul: Spirit Eye," his eyes seemed to flash for an instant, like two stars hidden in the deep sea, flickering faintly and impossible to see clearly.

"Maybe... he's just keeping a low profile," Ning Tian said softly.

Wu Feng curled her lips, clearly unconvinced.

Teacher Mu Jin lightly tapped the podium, and the classroom immediately quieted down. Her gaze lingered on Huo Yuhao for a moment, carrying a knowing smile. "Huo's Spirit Eye Martial Soul is very special. It is a rare spiritual-type body Martial Soul. As for his Soul Power rank, everyone will gradually learn about it in the future."

"Right now, Ning Tian has the highest Soul Power rank in the class, and her Martial Soul is the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda. For the time being, Ning Tian will be the class monitor of Class Nine."

She did not expose anything, yet skillfully resolved the awkwardness and smoothly shifted the topic elsewhere.

Huo Yuhao gave Teacher Mu Jin a grateful look. He was not deliberately hiding anything; he simply felt there was no need. First, his Soul Power was not low to begin with, so he did not need to reveal an excessively high rank to attract his classmates' attention.

Second, Soul Power ranks would rise over time, while the Spirit Eye's true strength could not be displayed merely by "announcing one's rank."

Huo Yuhao's attention had long ceased to rest on "rank" or "evaluation." What he saw was the most fundamental "potential" of a Martial Soul.

At this stage, Huo Yuhao was using nearly all his spiritual power to explore that formless Ice Martial Soul. He wanted to study the principles behind its ice attribute and find a better way to preserve the purity of the ice element while bringing the Martial Soul to the level of Ultimate Ice.

As Teacher Mu Jin began explaining the basic theory of Martial Souls, Huo Yuhao's thoughts had already sunk into the world of his Ice Martial Soul.

He quietly mobilized a thread of Soul Power, guiding that formless ice attribute through his palm. A thin layer of white frost immediately covered his fingertips. Coldness crawled up his meridians, trying to invade the spiritual region where his Spirit Eye resided. This was the most direct collision between the two powers, as well as the most dangerous period of adjustment.

"Hiss..." Huo Yuhao unconsciously furrowed his brow. The ice attribute was too domineering, like a herd of unruly wild horses, while his spiritual power was like a thin rein that could snap with the slightest carelessness. When he had used his Spirit Eye soul skill to integrate the ice element earlier, he had felt the ice attribute taking the opportunity to lash back, and his Spirit Eye had even throbbed with pain.

Huo Yuhao was somewhat astonished. His other self had never come into contact with this formless ice and had directly become the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, a Beast Martial Soul in essence. He had not expected this ice attribute to be so tyrannical.

The frost on Huo Yuhao's fingertips thickened again, and even his cuffs became dusted with icy flowers. He could clearly feel that this ice attribute was completely different from the Soul Power of the future Ice Jade Empress Scorpion. The Ice Jade Empress Scorpion's ice had a "master," carrying the pressure of Ultimate Ice while still following the rules of a Beast Martial Soul. But this formless ice before him was more like a boundless snowfield—wild, pure, completely unrestrained by any "Martial Soul form," recognizing only spiritual power as its sole rein.

No wonder the future me directly absorbed the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion. Huo Yuhao smiled bitterly inwardly. No one could withstand the scouring of this masterless snowfield. They could only use the form of a Beast Martial Soul to "contain" it.

[System Prompt: Analysis of the ice attribute's essence complete. Conclusion: Formless ice is "Origin Ice Element," with purity 37% higher than the ice attribute of ordinary Beast Martial Souls, but extremely low controllability. Recommendation: Use spiritual power as a guide and gradually create "inscriptions" to establish exclusive control rules.]

"Inscription?" Huo Yuhao froze for a moment, then understood. It was like carving out the first path across a snowfield, allowing the aimless snow and ice to flow along it.

He tried condensing his spiritual power into an extremely fine "needle" and carefully piercing the core of the ice attribute. This time, he no longer tried to "wrap" or "restrain" it. Instead, he gently used his spiritual power to "draw" an arc within the ice attribute.

Sss—

It felt as though countless shards of ice exploded inside his body. Cold sweat instantly beaded on Huo Yuhao's forehead. The ice attribute had been enraged by that "inscription," and violent chill surged back through his meridians, heading straight for the spiritual core of his Spirit Eye.

"Huo Yuhao?" Ning Tian, seated in front of him, suddenly turned around. Her eyes held a trace of vigilance. "Why is your face so pale?"

She had clearly seen it just now. When Huo Yuhao's cuff froze over, even the air around him seemed to grow several degrees colder. The sunlight shining on him looked as though it had been frozen into fragments.

Huo Yuhao had no strength to respond. He merely gritted his teeth and held the spiritual power "needle" steady. He could feel that although the ice attribute's counterattack was fierce, the instant it touched the Spirit Eye, it showed an extremely subtle "hesitation"—like a wild beast encountering prey it had never seen before, wanting to tear it apart yet instinctively wary.

Ever since gaining the memories of the future, Huo Yuhao had never experienced such a feeling of losing control.

Yet he did not feel panicked by it. Instead, it made him feel as though he had come back to life after a lifetime apart. At least this way, he could feel that he was walking a different road from his future self.

Without hesitation, Huo Yuhao sharply redirected the spiritual power "needle," drilling a tiny "spiritual vortex" into the core of the ice attribute. It was a small trick he had discovered while studying Spiritual Link, originally meant to disrupt an opponent's Soul Power circulation. At this moment, however, it was like blasting a tiny whirlpool into the snowfield, throwing the violent ice attribute into momentary disorder.

Taking advantage of the opening, he quickly used his spiritual power to deepen the "inscription" along the arc he had drawn earlier. This time, the ice attribute's backlash weakened considerably. A small wisp of ice attribute even followed the "inscription" obediently into his fingertips.

The frost on his fingertips faded, leaving only a faint chill, like an ice crystal warmed by body heat.

Huo Yuhao let out a long breath. His back was soaked in cold sweat, but his Spirit Eye shone with astonishing brilliance.

It worked.

He had left the first "inscription" within the ice attribute.

He silently sensed that obedient wisp of ice attribute. As it circulated around his fingertips, it could actually merge perfectly with Spiritual Detection. When he looked at a sparrow outside the window, not only could he catch the trajectory of its fluttering wings, he could also "see" the ice attribute spreading along the threads of Spiritual Detection and condensing into an imperceptible bead of ice beside the sparrow's feet.

[System Prompt: Successfully established "Spiritual Inscription." Ice attribute controllability increased to 12%. Ability unlocked: Soul Ice Threads (can attach ice attribute to Spiritual Detection threads, inflicting a slowing effect on targets).]

"Interesting." The corner of Huo Yuhao's mouth lifted slightly. Though this formless ice was difficult to tame, once tamed, its explosive power would likely far surpass that of ordinary ice-attribute Martial Souls.

"What exactly are you doing?" Ning Tian's voice sounded again, filled with obvious confusion. "It's one thing to space out in class, but why are you giving off cold air all over?"

Huo Yuhao raised his eyes and met her probing gaze. His fingertip moved slightly, and that obedient wisp of ice attribute quietly vanished. He merely said, "Nothing. Just cultivating my Martial Soul."

"Cultivating?" Ning Tian raised a brow. "A spiritual-type Martial Soul makes you give off cold air when cultivated? Do you take me for an idiot?"

"Believe it or not." Huo Yuhao turned back toward the podium, unwilling to argue further.

Ning Tian fell silent. Having been taught by her sect since childhood, she knew clearly that a spiritual-type Martial Soul could not possess another attribute. Otherwise, once spiritual power fused with an attribute, the pain inflicted upon the Sea of Spirit would not be something an ordinary person could endure.

There was only one possibility: Twin Martial Souls, with the second Martial Soul being a powerful ice-attribute Martial Soul.

Ning Tian's heartbeat inexplicably quickened.

Twin Martial Souls!

The thought exploded in her mind like thunder. Across the entire Douluo Continent, Twin Martial Souls were legendary. Every person who possessed them was destined to stir up monstrous waves. If Huo Yuhao truly had Twin Martial Souls, then his potential would far exceed her previous estimates—spiritual type for control, ice attribute for powerful offense. Such a combination was simply flawless!

She unconsciously clenched her fists, her fingertips turning faintly white from the force. As the future heir of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect, she understood better than anyone what a Twin Martial Soul genius represented. Recruitment, or... vigilance?

Although the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect was powerful, it was constantly watched by other forces. If someone as talented as Huo Yuhao were recruited by an enemy faction, he would pose an enormous threat to the sect. But if she could bring him under her command... Ning Tian dared not think further, though a faint blush still crept onto her face.

She secretly raised her eyes and looked back at Huo Yuhao in the rear row again. The youth still had his head lowered, his profile exceptionally calm beneath the sunlight, as though the dispute over the "ice attribute" had never happened. Yet Ning Tian could feel that the air around him seemed several degrees colder than elsewhere. Even the sunlight falling upon him appeared to have had its warmth filtered away.

Impossible... absolutely impossible... Ning Tian told herself over and over, trying to overturn this overly shocking guess. Twin Martial Souls were so rare. How could they happen to appear in an unknown youth? Perhaps his spiritual-type Martial Soul had merely undergone some rare mutation?

But as soon as the thought appeared, she rejected it herself. The sect's records clearly stated that Martial Soul mutations could only strengthen or weaken the original foundation. They could never create an additional attribute out of thin air, much less an ice attribute completely opposed to spiritual power.

"Young Mistress, what's wrong? Why is your face so red?" Wu Feng noticed Ning Tian's unusual behavior and asked softly.

"N-Nothing." Ning Tian hurriedly withdrew her gaze, her heart beating even faster. She could not let anyone see through her thoughts, especially without conclusive evidence.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to focus on Teacher Mu Jin's lecture again. Yet her ears seemed to have developed minds of their own, constantly and unconsciously picking up the sounds from the rear row—the rustle of a pen crossing paper, the youth's steady breathing, and... a faint, nearly imperceptible icy aura.

The aura was weak, yet like a thin needle, it pricked at Ning Tian's nerves from time to time.

Huo Yuhao in the back row had no idea that Ning Tian had already guessed the truth. He was focused on sensing the usefulness of Soul Ice Threads—attaching extremely fine ice attribute to the threads of Spiritual Detection, like coating an invisible net with a layer of ice. When his Spiritual Detection swept over the sparrow outside the window, the bird's wingbeats noticeably slowed for an instant, as though it had been tripped by invisible ice threads.

Interesting, Huo Yuhao thought. This ice-thread entanglement was not especially powerful, but it excelled at concealment. Combined with the precise targeting of Spiritual Detection, it was practically a perfect tool for ambushes.

Skydream Iceworm, however, shouted noisily in the Sea of Spirit. "Yuhao, look at that little girl in the front row. Her soul is practically flying onto you. Does she like you or something?"

Huo Yuhao could not be bothered with it. He had not even sorted out things with Dong'er and Qiu'er yet. How could he dare provoke anyone else?

The dismissal bell finally rang. After Teacher Mu Jin announced class was over, Ning Tian almost immediately stood up, turned toward Huo Yuhao, and tried to maintain a calm expression. "Huo Yuhao, about what happened just now, I was presumptuous."

Huo Yuhao raised his brow in slight surprise.

Ning Tian avoided his gaze, her tone somewhat unnatural. "After school, there will be free sparring at the academy's combat arena. Do you want to come take a look?"

It was the most natural way of testing him that she could think of. In actual combat, the traits of a Martial Soul were easiest to expose. As long as Huo Yuhao used his ice-attribute Martial Soul, she could confirm her guess.

Huo Yuhao looked at Ning Tian's deliberately composed profile. His Spirit Eye shifted slightly, instantly catching the flash of anticipation and nervousness in her eyes.

He almost immediately guessed Ning Tian's intention.

"Sure." A meaningful smile curved Huo Yuhao's lips. "Perfect. I also want to see just how strong a genius from the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect really is."

Ning Tian's heart skipped a beat. She forced herself to lift her chin. "Don't be scared when the time comes."

With that, she turned and left, though her steps were slightly quicker than usual.

Wu Feng closely followed behind Ning Tian and asked in confusion, "Young Mistress, why did you suddenly invite him to the combat arena?"

Ning Tian did not turn back, merely clenching her fists. "I want to see what secret he's hiding."

If he truly had Twin Martial Souls... then this spar would be far more than a simple test.

Huo Yuhao in the back row watched the two figures leave, a glint flashing through his Spirit Eye.

Of course, he knew what Ning Tian wanted to test.

From the first moment he saw Ning Tian, Huo Yuhao understood what he could gain from her.

The Seven Treasures Glazed Sect was known as the wealthiest sect on the continent. Huo Yuhao planned to reveal a little of his strength in order to gain the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect's support.