Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow Cave, WTF, Ice! It's Ice!

This energy... and the Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Marrow, can it increase cultivation?

Snow Emperor's expression shifted slightly as she stepped forward. "What did you say?"

"Really!"

Ice Emperor was both surprised and delighted, her golden eyes flashing with light.

"After entering the mouth, besides that pure ice-attribute energy, a trace of extremely refined origin power seeped into my soul power. Even though the amount was tiny, that feeling of increasing cultivation was exactly the same as the Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Marrow!"

Snow Emperor reached out, broke off a small piece of mysterious ice handed over by Beiming Lieyang, and put it into her mouth.

After the enhancement of two soul rings, the hardness of the mysterious ice had increased by 400%, but Beiming Lieyang could change its form at any time.

The mysterious ice melted the moment it entered her mouth, that cool sensation sliding down her throat and into her body, seeping into the origin of her soul power.

There was indeed a weak but exceptionally pure power quietly enhancing her cultivation.

Snow Emperor's gaze flickered slightly.

Although this increase was still not considered very much for beings of their hundreds of thousands of years of cultivation, this was a solid increase in cultivation, not a temporary boost.

"Triple all attributes, and it can also increase cultivation."

Snow Emperor looked at Beiming Lieyang, her tone serious. "Just how many things can your mysterious ice actually do?"

Beiming Lieyang pondered for a moment.

The Void Mysterious Ice was formed from the power leaked by the Star of the Galaxy fused with Salong's dark power and the mysterious ice in the Mysterious Ice Galaxy. It could boost combat power by three times, control others, and rapidly recover.

These were all methods of utilizing energy.

Put that way, enhancing cultivation also made sense.

Although his strength was still low right now, the mysterious ice he condensed was a drop in the bucket for the Ice and Snow Emperors, but as long as his strength improved, he could continuously manufacture it.

This thing was a walking Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Marrow manufacturing machine.

"No wonder, no wonder your aura before would attract Binger, and even when I first picked you up, I felt comfortable."

"That fragrance was the origin of the Void Mysterious Ice luring us." Snow Emperor recalled past events.

Ice Emperor had already gnawed that piece of mysterious ice clean, smacking her lips with a lingering aftertaste.

"It tastes so good... It's just that I can't raise my cultivation much right now, so it's not satisfying enough."

Her golden eyes rolled. "However, the biggest benefit is the large quantity!"

"You can make them once your soul power recovers. When your rank is higher later, that will be way more reliable than the Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Marrow!"

"That stuff is rare as hell; I haven't eaten a few pieces in all the time I've lived."

"If I can eat Xiaoyang's mysterious ice to my heart's content every day in the future, hehe, just thinking about it is awesome!"

Hearing this, Beiming Lieyang felt a stir in his heart, and he raised his head to look at the two of them. "Snow Mom, Ice Aunt, I know where there is ten-thousand-year Mysterious Ice Marrow."

Ice Emperor abruptly leaned right in front of his face. "Where?!"

"Could it be you heard it from that sun again?"

The two women looked at each other, their expressions strange.

Hearing the location of an ice-type heavenly treasure from the sun?

Nobody would believe it, but placed on this child...

That blue bead that had almost made Snow Emperor fall still hung around his neck, so having one more thing like this was nothing.

"Where specifically?" Snow Emperor walked closer.

Beiming Lieyang knew that place; it was precisely the Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Grotto hidden within Earth Dragon Gate in Dragon City, the northern fortress of the Heavenly Soul Empire.

The entrance was a bitterly cold pool of water close to absolute zero, and the environment was extremely harsh.

But that was a matter of ten thousand years later; today, Earth Dragon Gate had not yet been established, and Dragon City probably wasn't called Dragon City yet. The only thing that remained unchanged was the geography itself.

"The northern border of the Heaven Dou Empire, that fortress bordering the Far North."

"The specific location is uncertain, but the ten-thousand-year Mysterious Ice Marrow is an ice-type supreme treasure. Snow Mom, Ice Aunt, you are the incarnations of Ultimate Ice and have a natural resonance with such heavenly treasures. Once you get near there, you will definitely be able to find it."

Ice Emperor's golden eyes shone astonishingly. "The northern border of the Heaven Dou Empire... bordering the Far North... the range isn't large!"

Snow Emperor nodded slightly.

Having spent hundreds of thousands of years in the Far North, it wasn't as if they hadn't searched for ten-thousand-year Mysterious Ice Marrow, but that thing was far too scarce. Whatever could be found had long since been scavenged clean, and the only complete ten-thousand-year Mysterious Ice Marrow grotto had been swallowed dry by a certain bug.

If this child could really lead them to find a new vein...

"What are we waiting for?" Ice Emperor scooped up Beiming Lieyang and stuffed him into her embrace. "Let's go!"

Three days later, the southern edge of the Far North.

In the distance, the outline of the Heaven Dou Empire's border fortress appeared in the wind and snow. The city walls were tall and heavy, built from dark gray giant boulders, and on the battlements, the flags of the Heaven Dou Empire fluttered fiercely in the wind.

"The place most similar to what Xiaoyang described should only be this fortress; the others don't really match."

Ice Emperor looked at the fortress in the distance, her eyes sparkling.

"Within the range where the fortress borders the Far North, there is a natural cold spring, and the ten-thousand-year Mysterious Ice Marrow is right below it."

Beiming Lieyang looked around.

This was ten thousand years ago; Earth Dragon Gate had not been established, nor had mechanisms been set up above that cold spring to build an ancient well. Finding the approximate range made things easy to handle.

Ice Emperor looked down at her emerald-green dress; in this bitter, ice-and-snow-filled wasteland, it was far too eye-catching.

"Disguise yourselves."

Snow Emperor took out two heavy black cloaks from her storage soul tool and handed one to her. "There are eyes and ears everywhere in the fortress, so it's best to be cautious."

The Far North had existed for a very long time, and over so many years, quite a few human soul masters had tried to enter it. However, due to its extremely harsh and bitter cold, the ones who could penetrate deep inside were all relatively high-tier human soul masters.

There were also some who encountered soul beasts or bloody battles, ultimately perishing there.

As the rulers of the Far North, the Ice and Snow Emperors had obtained quite a few storage soul tools from the remains of these humans.

Snow Emperor also gave Beiming Lieyang several.

Fifty cubic meters, thirty cubic meters, twenty cubic meters.

The two of them put on the cloaks, the wide black fabric wrapping their figures tightly and thoroughly, leaving only half their faces exposed.

The closer they got to the fortress, the lighter the wind and snow actually became.

At the foot of the city wall was a wide official road, the surface beaten solid by passing pedestrians and carriages. On both sides, a few pubs and blacksmith shops opened sparsely, and a few soldiers wearing thick leather armor shrank to both sides of the gate passage to shelter from the wind, their gazes lazily sweeping across the incoming and outgoing crowds.

This border fortress was located in the northern border of the empire, serving as the final stop to the Far North.

Although the environment was bitterly cold, the passing caravans, hunters, and adventurers were quite numerous. The three of them, wrapped in cloaks, hurried and mingled with the crowd, not appearing too conspicuous.

Snow Emperor lowered her voice. "Let's find a place to stay first; it probably won't be that fast to find."

Ice Emperor nodded, but her gaze had already crossed the city wall, looking toward that vast white wasteland to the north of the fortress, the corners of her mouth curling up involuntarily.

Ten-thousand-year Mysterious Ice Marrow, this empress is coming.

The three walked along the main street for a moment, seeing a three-story stone-built structure in the middle section of the street, its storefront much wider than the surrounding shops.

On the wooden sign at the entrance, the large gilded characters read "North Wind Grand Hotel". On both sides of the heavy doors hung iron oil lamps, their dim yellow light reflecting on the snow-covered steps, exuding a touch of warmth.

Through the windows, one could see that the lobby inside was brightly lit. It was paved with dark red carpets, several sets of sofas were neatly arranged, and the fire in the fireplace was burning vigorously.

Pushing the door open, the lobby was even more spacious than it looked from the outside. Several stone pillars supported the high ceiling, and an iron art chandelier hung in the center.

The front desk was set at the very back of the lobby. The countertop was polished smooth dark stone, and behind it stood two attendants wearing neat uniforms.

Ice Emperor's gaze swept around the hall, raising her eyebrows slightly. "Not bad at all."

The three walked up to the front desk.

The attendant's gaze swept over the faint figure lines of Ice Emperor and Snow Emperor beneath their cloaks, then landed on Beiming Lieyang's still-immature face. She instantly understood, a professional and subtle smile blooming on her face. "Guests, staying the night?"

"Right, staying the night."

The attendant's gaze shifted between him and the two tall figures behind him, her smile deepening a bit more.

"Alright, there happens to be just one double room left. It's on the second floor, facing north, with the window looking out toward the north side of the fortress. Quiet."

After all, a man bringing two women to stay at a hotel—hotel attendants were basically very tactful; even if there were several rooms left, they would only say one was left.

Beiming Lieyang gave her a strange look, also understanding what she meant, and nodded. "That's fine."

Then he pulled a bag of gold coins out of his storage soul guide.

The attendant's eyes lit up. She lowered her head to briskly register them, took out a room card, and handed it over. "The room is 203. You folks go upstairs, turn right, and walk all the way to the end. Call us anytime if you need anything."

Beiming Lieyang took the room card, leading Ice Emperor and Snow Emperor toward the stairs.

As she walked, Ice Emperor looked around, unmasked curiosity in her golden eyes.

For hundreds of thousands of years, she had always lived in a world of ice and snow, and this was her very first time stepping into a human residence built in such a fashion.

Ascending to the second floor, the corridor was paved with dark red carpet, and several oil paintings of the scenery of the Far North hung on the walls on both sides.

Room 203's door was at the very end of the corridor. Beiming Lieyang swiped the room card, pushed the door open, and entered.

The room was more spacious than imagined. A double bed covered with thick cotton quilts was placed against the wall, and a warm-yellow desk lamp sat on the wooden cabinet at the head of the bed.

A long sofa and a low table were placed by the window, and a few bundles of ice-blue dried flowers were stuck in a clay vase, adding a touch of warmth to this rather cold room.

Thin frost flowers had formed on the window, through which one could vaguely see the outline of the northern city wall of the fortress and the vast snow line of the Far North in the distance.

The moment she entered, Ice Emperor took off her cloak, her emerald-green dress looking exceptionally vibrant under the warm yellow light.

Ice Emperor dropped onto the sofa, reaching out to touch the fabric, and then picked up the dried flowers in the clay vase to sniff them. Immediately after, her golden eyes rolled, and she suddenly grew interested.

"Since we're already here, how about trying some human food?"

Ever since adopting Beiming Lieyang, a human cub, Ice Emperor had also followed along in trying the human methods of cooking food thoroughly and adding various seasonings. She caught the habit and could not stop, completely falling in love with those things she used to never look straight at.

Beiming Lieyang smiled and nodded. "Just in time, I'm hungry too."

He directly had the waiter arrange a private room, and the three of them took their seats inside.

Beiming Lieyang took the menu and ordered all the hot dishes and staples available here, just to taste the local delicacies, and specially added several portions of jam, honey, syrup, and milk.

The waiter looked somewhat baffled by this strange combination, but didn't ask much and turned to go prepare them.

During the gap while waiting for the food, Beiming Lieyang took out several pieces of Void Mysterious Ice from his storage soul tool and arranged them on the dining table.

On the way here, he had been taking time to condense Void Mysterious Ice and store it in his storage soul tool.

Although his strength was still low right now, the energy stored in each piece of mysterious ice was limited. Even if he used the Mysterious Ice Illusion to trap an enemy inside, he wouldn't be able to trap a Title Douluo for too long.

After all, his own strength was insufficient, and the energy wasn't enough either.

But then again, wasn't this thing equivalent to an energy crystal?

Nobody stipulated that he had to use soul power to condense the Mysterious Ice Illusion on the spot to activate it. Condensing it ahead of time and storing it, then taking it out to replenish energy when needed—wasn't that the same?

Just like how Salong used it.

Moreover, he could eat this stuff himself.

What was even better was that eating the Void Mysterious Ice he created himself came with no discounts, unlike food-system soul masters whose effects were directly halved when eating food they manufactured themselves.

If he had a storage soul tool that was large enough, he could condense Void Mysterious Ice day and night and store all of it inside. In the future, whenever his soul power was exhausted, he could just casually pull out a piece to replenish himself.

Wouldn't this be equivalent to infinite soul power?

Consuming soul power $\rightarrow$ condensing mysterious ice $\rightarrow$ recovering soul power; this loop itself was a highly efficient method of cultivation.

At the very least, his soul power recovery speed would definitely far surpass ordinary soul masters.

Thinking of this, Beiming Lieyang quietly condensed a few more pieces in his storage soul tool.

Ice Emperor didn't care about those roundabout thoughts; her attention had long been firmly captivated by those crystal-clear pieces of mysterious ice on the table.

Before the dishes were even served, she was already hugging a piece and gnawing on it.

With her previous experience, this time she didn't let her aura burst forth, simply chewing happily. The more she chewed, the brighter her gaze became.

"As expected of Void Mysterious Ice with its purity increased by 500%. Delicious, delicious, even tastier than just now!"

Snow Emperor sat to one side, watching Ice Emperor's complete disregard for her image like a little foodie, and couldn't help but curve the corners of her lips.

At this moment, the waiter brought over the hot dishes and the jars and bottles Beiming Lieyang had asked for.

Beiming Lieyang took them, arranged several plates of fruit in front of them, and skillfully poured honey, syrup, and milk into small bowls respectively.

Then he condensed a few ice-shaved bases, drizzled them with syrup and jam, and shook milk and crushed ice together a few times.

Soon, several bowls of crystal-clear shaved ice, a small cup of milk-fragrant milk tea, and a few portions of fried ice mixed with fruit bits were neatly arranged on the tabletop.

Snow Emperor opened her eyes slightly. "This is..."

"Snow Mom, Ice Aunt, have a taste." Beiming Lieyang pushed a bowl of fried ice in front of Snow Emperor.

Ice Emperor had already impatiently snatched a bowl, scooping a spoonful into her mouth.

The instant the fried ice touched the tip of her tongue, the ultimate pure chill of the Void Mysterious Ice and the sweet moisture of the honey and jam exploded in her mouth, ice and sweetness blending into a scalp-tingling pleasure.

Clearly freezing cold, it felt like a wisp of warm, fine thread sliding from the tip of her tongue down her throat, spreading along the meridians to all four limbs, every inch gently caressed.

Ice Emperor's breathing paused for a second, her golden eyes widening abruptly, and immediately the second spoonful and third spoonful followed one after another, the edge of the spoon clacking rhythmically against the rim of the bowl.

"Delicious!!!"

Her voice trembled, as if tasting something sufficient to make one lose their reason. That enticing sweet fragrance and ultimate icy chill tugged at her taste buds over and over again, making it impossible to stop.

It was already so delicious now.

If he truly grew to become a Title Douluo...

Then what kind of sight would that be?

Seeing that Snow Emperor hadn't made a move yet, Beiming Lieyang hurriedly urged, "Snow Mom, you have a taste too."

Snow Emperor looked at the crystal-clear shaved ice in her bowl, then looked at Ice Emperor, who was eating with near-delirious abandon, and picked up her spoon to scoop a small mouthful.

The moment it entered her mouth, her expression froze.

The chill of the Void Mysterious Ice became lingering and soft, wrapped in the honey and milk.

That pure ice-attribute energy slid down her throat into her body, quietly melting into the origin of her soul power.

Although the amount was extremely minimal, that sensation clearly told her: she wanted more of this thing.

"...It really is very different."

After she finished speaking, she too continuously scooped mouthfuls into her mouth, her eyes narrowing slightly as if savoring some rare delicacy.

Ice Emperor was already hugging her bowl and burying her head in it to work hard, syrup stained on the corners of her mouth as her golden eyes stared straight at Beiming Lieyang. "Xiaoyang, is there more?"

Beiming Lieyang pushed another bowl over. "All you can eat."

Without a second word, Ice Emperor took it and continued burying her head, as if afraid someone would snatch it from her.

Snow Emperor looked at the remaining shaved ice in her bowl, fell silent for a moment, and scooped up another spoonful.

Neither of them spoke much more; they just ate quietly.

Yet that speed, that silence, and the posture of licking even the bottom of the bowl clean—all of it without exception spoke of one and the same thing:

Once this stuff touched your mouth, you couldn't put it down!