"This energy... is it like Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Marrow? Can it increase cultivation?"
Snow Empress's expression shifted slightly as she stepped forward. "What did you say?"
"It's true!"
Ice Empress was both shocked and delighted, her golden eyes gleaming.
"After swallowing it, aside from that pure ice-element energy, a trace of incredibly refined origin power seeped into my Soul Power. The amount was small, but the feeling of increased cultivation was exactly the same as Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Marrow!"
Snow Empress reached out, broke off a small piece from the Mysterious Ice Beiming Lieyang offered her, and placed it in her mouth.
With the enhancement of two Spirit Rings, the Mysterious Ice's hardness had increased by 400%, but Beiming Lieyang could change its form at any time.
The Mysterious Ice melted the instant it entered her mouth. A cool sensation slid down her throat and entered her body, seeping into the origin of her Soul Power.
There truly was a weak yet extraordinarily pure power quietly raising her cultivation.
Snow Empress's eyes flickered.
Though this increase was not much for beings like them, who possessed several hundred thousand years of cultivation, it was a genuine improvement in cultivation rather than a temporary boost.
"Three times all attributes, and it can also increase cultivation."
Snow Empress looked at Beiming Lieyang, her tone serious. "What else can your Mysterious Ice do?"
Beiming Lieyang pondered for a moment.
Void Mysterious Ice was formed when the power leaking from the Star of the Galaxy fused with Salong's dark power and the Mysterious Ice of the Ice Planet. It could triple combat strength, control others, and recover rapidly.
Those were all methods of utilizing energy.
With that in mind, increasing cultivation made sense as well.
Although he was still weak, and the Mysterious Ice he condensed was merely a drop in the bucket for the Ice and Snow Emperors, once his strength increased, he would be able to create it endlessly.
This thing was basically a walking Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Marrow factory.
"No wonder, no wonder your aura attracted Bing'er before. Even when I first held you, I felt comfortable."
"That fragrance was the origin of Void Mysterious Ice tempting us." Snow Empress recalled the past.
Ice Empress had already gnawed that chunk of Mysterious Ice clean and licked her lips with lingering satisfaction.
"It tastes so good... It just can't increase cultivation by much yet. Not satisfying enough."
Her golden eyes turned. "But the biggest advantage is that there's plenty of it!"
"You can make it whenever your Soul Power recovers. Once your level gets higher, it'll be much more reliable than Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Marrow!"
"That stuff is rare as hell. I've lived this long and only eaten a few pieces."
"If I can gnaw on Xiaoyang's Mysterious Ice until I'm full every day in the future, hehe, just thinking about it feels great!"
Hearing this, Beiming Lieyang's heart stirred. He looked up at them. "Mother Xue, Auntie Bing, I know where there's Ten-thousand-year Mysterious Ice Marrow."
Ice Empress abruptly leaned close to his face. "Where?!"
"Did you hear it from that sun too?"
The two women exchanged looks, their expressions strange.
Hearing the location of an ice-element heavenly treasure from the sun...
No one would believe it, but when it came to this child...
That blue bead that had nearly caused Snow Empress to fall was still hanging around his neck. One more unbelievable thing was nothing.
"Where exactly?" Snow Empress stepped closer.
Beiming Lieyang knew that place. It was the Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Cave hidden beneath the Earth Dragon Gate near Dragon City, the northern fortress of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Its entrance was an icy pool approaching absolute zero, and the environment was extremely harsh.
But that was ten thousand years later. The Earth Dragon Gate had not yet been established, and Dragon City probably was not even called Dragon City yet. The only thing unchanged was the geography itself.
"At the northern border of the Heaven Dou Empire, at the fortress bordering the Far North."
"I'm not sure of the exact location, but Ten-thousand-year Mysterious Ice Marrow is an ice-element treasure. Mother Xue, Auntie Bing, you are embodiments of Ultimate Ice. You have a natural sense for treasures like this. Once we get near it, we'll definitely find it."
Ice Empress's golden eyes shone brilliantly. "The northern border of the Heaven Dou Empire... where it meets the Far North... the area isn't large!"
Snow Empress nodded faintly.
Over their hundreds of thousands of years in the Far North, it was not as if they had never searched for Ten-thousand-year Mysterious Ice Marrow. But it was far too scarce; whatever could be found had long since been harvested. As for the only complete Ten-thousand-year Mysterious Ice Marrow Cave, it had been devoured clean by some bug.
If this child could truly lead them to a new vein...
"Then what are we waiting for?" Ice Empress scooped Beiming Lieyang up and stuffed him into her arms. "Let's go!"
Three days later, at the southern edge of the Far North.
In the distance, the outline of a Heaven Dou Empire border fortress appeared amid the wind and snow. Its walls were tall and thick, built from dark gray boulders, while Heaven Dou Empire flags snapped fiercely atop the battlements.
"This should be the only place that closely matches Xiaoyang's description. None of the others fit very well."
Ice Empress gazed at the distant fortress, her eyes shining.
"Within the area where the fortress borders the Far North, there is a natural Cold Spring. The Ten-thousand-year Mysterious Ice Marrow is beneath it."
Beiming Lieyang looked around.
This was ten thousand years earlier. The Earth Dragon Gate did not exist yet, nor had it set mechanisms above that Cold Spring and built an ancient well. Finding the general area would be easy enough.
Ice Empress looked down at her emerald-green dress. It stood out far too much in this frigid land filled with wind and snow.
"Disguise ourselves."
Snow Empress took out two thick black cloaks from a Storage Soul Tool and handed one to her. "There are many people at the fortress. Better to be careful."
The Far North had existed for ages. Over the years, many human Soul Masters had attempted to enter it, but due to its brutal cold, only relatively high-level human Soul Masters could venture deep inside.
Some had encountered Soul Beasts or battles and ultimately perished there.
As the rulers of the Far North, the Ice and Snow Emperors had obtained quite a few Storage Soul Tools from those human remains.
Snow Empress also gave Beiming Lieyang several.
Fifty cubic meters, thirty cubic meters, twenty cubic meters.
The two women draped on their cloaks, the broad black fabric wrapping their figures tightly and leaving only half their faces exposed.
The closer they got to the fortress, the lighter the wind and snow became.
At the foot of the city walls ran a broad official road, its surface packed firm by passing pedestrians and carriages. A few taverns and blacksmith shops stood sporadically on either side. Several soldiers clad in thick leather armor huddled beside the gate passage to shelter from the wind, lazily sweeping their gazes across the people coming and going.
This border fortress lay in the empire's northern frontier and was the final stop before entering the Far North.
Though the environment was bitterly cold, plenty of merchant caravans, hunters, and adventurers passed through. The three of them hurried among the crowd with their cloaks wrapped around them, and did not stand out too much.
Snow Empress lowered her voice. "Let's find somewhere to settle in first. We probably won't find it so quickly."
Ice Empress nodded, but her gaze had already passed over the city walls toward the vast white wilderness north of the fortress. The corner of her lips lifted unconsciously.
Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Marrow, this Empress is coming.
The three walked along the main street for a while and spotted a three-story stone building midway down the road, its frontage much wider than the surrounding shops.
The wooden sign above its entrance bore the gilded words "North Wind Grand Hotel." An iron oil lamp hung on either side of the doors, their dim yellow light falling across the snow-covered steps and lending them a trace of warmth.
Through the windows, they could see the brightly lit lobby within. A dark red carpet covered the floor, several sets of sofas were arranged neatly, and the fireplace blazed warmly.
When they pushed open the door and entered, the lobby proved even more spacious than it looked from outside. Several stone pillars supported the high ceiling, and an iron chandelier hung at its center.
The front desk was at the back of the lobby, its countertop made of polished dark stone. Two attendants in neat uniforms stood behind it.
Ice Empress swept her gaze around the hall and raised an eyebrow slightly. "It's decent enough."
The three walked to the front desk.
The attendant's gaze swept over the faintly visible outlines of Ice Empress and Snow Empress beneath their cloaks, then fell on Beiming Lieyang's still-youthful face. She immediately understood and put on a professional, restrained smile. "Guests, staying the night?"
"Yes, we need a room."
The attendant's gaze shifted between him and the two tall figures behind him, and her smile deepened.
"Certainly. There happens to be one double room left. It's on the second floor, facing north, with a window overlooking the northern side of the fortress. It's quiet."
After all, when a man came to stay with two women, hotel attendants generally knew how to read the situation. Even if several rooms remained, they would only say there was one left.
Beiming Lieyang gave her a strange look, understood what she meant, and nodded. "That works."
He then took a bag of gold coins out of his Storage Soul Tool.
The attendant's eyes lit up. She quickly lowered her head to register them, then handed over a room card. "Room 203. Go upstairs, turn right, and walk to the end. Call for us anytime if you need anything."
Beiming Lieyang took the room card and led Ice Empress and Snow Empress toward the stairs.
As Ice Empress walked, she looked around with undisguised curiosity in her golden eyes.
For hundreds of thousands of years, she had lived amid ice and snow. This was the first time she had entered such a proper human dwelling.
After reaching the second floor, they found a dark red carpet covering the corridor and several oil paintings of Far North scenery hanging along the walls.
Room 203 was at the end of the hallway. Beiming Lieyang swiped the card, unlocked the door, and pushed it open.
The room was more spacious than expected. A double bed covered with a thick quilt stood against the wall, and a warm yellow table lamp sat atop the wooden cabinet by its headboard.
A long sofa and low table stood by the window. Several bundles of ice-blue dried flowers rested in a ceramic vase, adding a touch of warmth to the otherwise cool-toned room.
Thin frost flowers covered the window. Through them, they could vaguely see the outline of the fortress's northern walls and the vast snowline of the Far North in the distance.
Ice Empress removed her cloak the moment she entered, her emerald-green dress especially vibrant beneath the warm yellow light.
Ice Empress dropped onto the sofa, reached out to feel its fabric, then picked up the dried flowers in the vase and smelled them. Her golden eyes shifted, and she suddenly grew interested.
"Since we're here, how about we try human food?"
Ever since adopting Beiming Lieyang, a human cub, Ice Empress had begun trying the human methods of cooking food and adding various seasonings. Once she started, she could not stop, becoming completely obsessed with things she had never spared a second glance before.
Beiming Lieyang smiled and nodded. "I'm hungry too."
He directly had the attendant arrange a private dining room, and the three of them sat down inside.
Beiming Lieyang took the menu and ordered every hot dish and staple food the place had, intending to sample the local specialties. He also specifically added several portions of jam, honey, syrup, and milk.
The attendant was confused by the strange combination, but did not ask questions and turned to make preparations.
While waiting for the food, Beiming Lieyang took several pieces of Void Mysterious Ice out of his Storage Soul Tool and arranged them on the dining table.
He had been taking every spare moment on the way here to condense Void Mysterious Ice and store it in his Storage Soul Tool.
Though he was still weak and each piece of Mysterious Ice stored limited energy, even if he used Mysterious Ice Illusion to trap an enemy inside, he would not be able to hold a Title Douluo for long.
After all, his own strength was lacking, and so was his energy.
But then again, wasn't this essentially an energy crystal?
No one said he had to condense Mysterious Ice Illusion with Soul Power on the spot to activate it. If he condensed it in advance and stored it away, then took it out to replenish energy whenever he needed it, wouldn't that work just as well?
Just like Salong did.
And he could eat it himself, too.
Even better, when he ate the Void Mysterious Ice he created himself, there was no reduction in effect. It was unlike Food-System Soul Masters, whose effects were directly halved when they ate food they had made themselves.
If he had a sufficiently large Storage Soul Tool, he could condense Void Mysterious Ice day and night and store it all away. Then, whenever his Soul Power was depleted, he could casually take out a piece to replenish it.
Wouldn't that be equivalent to unlimited Soul Power?
Consume Soul Power → condense Mysterious Ice → restore Soul Power. This cycle itself was an efficient method of cultivation.
If nothing else, his Soul Power recovery speed would certainly far surpass that of ordinary Soul Masters.
Thinking of this, Beiming Lieyang silently condensed several more pieces inside his Storage Soul Tool.
Ice Empress did not care about all those twists and turns. Her attention had long since been firmly captured by the crystalline Mysterious Ice on the table.
Before the dishes even arrived, she had already hugged one piece and begun gnawing on it.
With her earlier experience, she did not let her aura erupt this time. She simply chewed away blissfully, her eyes growing brighter and brighter.
"As expected of Void Mysterious Ice with 500% higher purity. Delicious, delicious! It tastes even better than before!"
Snow Empress sat beside her, watching Ice Empress act like a complete little glutton without any concern for her image, and could not help curving her lips.
At that moment, the attendant arrived carrying hot dishes as well as the bottles and jars Beiming Lieyang had requested.
Beiming Lieyang accepted them, arranged several plates of fruit before him, then skillfully poured honey, syrup, and milk into separate small bowls.
He then condensed several portions of shaved ice as a base, drizzled them with syrup and jam, and shook together milk and crushed ice.
Before long, several bowls of crystal-clear shaved ice, a small cup of richly milky milk tea, and several portions of fried ice mixed with fruit chunks were neatly arranged on the table.
Snow Empress's eyes widened slightly. "This is..."
"Mother Xue, Auntie Bing, try it." Beiming Lieyang pushed a bowl of fried ice toward Snow Empress.
Ice Empress had already impatiently snatched up a bowl and scooped a spoonful into her mouth.
The instant the fried ice touched her tongue, the incomparably pure chill of Void Mysterious Ice exploded in her mouth alongside the sweet richness of honey and jam. Ice and sweetness fused into an exhilarating sensation that made her scalp tingle.
It was clearly icy cold, yet it felt like a warm, delicate thread slipping from her tongue down her throat, spreading through her meridians and into every limb and bone, gently caressing every inch of her.
Ice Empress's breath stopped for an instant. Her golden eyes abruptly widened, and then came the second spoonful, the third, one after another. The spoon clinked against the side of the bowl.
"Delicious!!!"
Her voice trembled, as though she had tasted something capable of making one lose all reason. That enticing sweetness and ultimate iciness hooked at her taste buds again and again, leaving her utterly unable to stop.
It was already this delicious now.
If he truly grew into a Title Douluo...
What kind of spectacle would that be?
Seeing that Snow Empress had yet to take a bite, Beiming Lieyang hurriedly urged her, "Mother Xue, you should try it too."
Snow Empress looked at the crystalline shaved ice in her bowl, then at Ice Empress, who was eating nearly frantically. She picked up her spoon and scooped a small mouthful.
The moment it entered her mouth, her expression froze.
The chill of Void Mysterious Ice became soft and lingering beneath the coating of honey and milk.
That pure ice-element energy slid down her throat and entered her body, quietly merging into the origin of her Soul Power.
Though the amount was tiny, the feeling told her clearly: she wanted more of this.
"...It really is different."
After saying that, she began scooping mouthful after mouthful into her mouth as well, her eyes narrowing slightly as though savoring an exceptionally rare delicacy.
Ice Empress was already hugging her bowl and eating with her head down, syrup clinging to the corner of her mouth. Her golden eyes stared directly at Beiming Lieyang. "Xiaoyang, is there any more?"
Beiming Lieyang pushed another bowl toward her. "Eat as much as you want."
Ice Empress accepted it without another word and buried her head in it again, as if afraid someone would steal it from her.
Snow Empress looked at the remaining shaved ice in her own bowl, fell silent for a moment, and then scooped up another spoonful.
Neither of them said much. They simply ate quietly.
But their speed, their silence, and the way they seemed determined to lick even the bottoms of their bowls clean all conveyed the same thing.
Once you got a taste of this stuff, you could never put it down!
Before you continue