[Mission: Surpass Yourself, completed!] [Mission duration: Seven months and eleven days!] [The host faced difficulties fearlessly and dared to challenge himself. With talent as his foundation and effort as his driving force, he successfully broke the all-time record for the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Engineer assessment!] [Congratulations to the host for achieving "Peer-Dominating MVP"!] [Calculating mission rewards...] [Distributing rewards...] [Congratulations to the host for receiving: Comprehension +10%, Physique +15%, Spiritual Power +20%! Endurance +10%] [Congratulations to the host for receiving: One Soul Ring Absorption Card (Limited Edition)!]
Chen Mo returned to his dorm wearing his Level 3 Soul Engineer badge.
The system's mission completion notification echoed in his mind.
"That's it?"
"Holy shit! Seriously?"
"I worked my ass off for over half a year and finally passed the Level 3 Soul Engineer assessment, and this is all I get?"
Chen Mo felt bitter.
For seven whole months, he had risen before dawn and worked late into the night.
What had it all been for?
Wasn't it because he hoped for better rewards, and more of them?
Yet in the end, he had been fobbed off with a single limited-edition Soul Ring system card.
[Item: Soul Ring Absorption Card (Limited Edition)] [Grade: Rare] [Effect: Allows the host to absorb any Soul Ring with a 100% success rate and no side effects!]
"Any Soul Ring? A hundred percent success rate? No side effects?"
"Now that's interesting."
"Doesn't that mean I can absorb that Million-Year Soul Ring whenever I want?"
After reading its effect, all of Chen Mo's resentment vanished.
Wild joy surged through him.
Heaven knew.
He had wanted to cultivate his second martial soul for ages.
Unfortunately, the Million-Year Soul Ring he had obtained before was far too old.
Absorbing it had been nothing more than a fool's dream.
Now, with this Soul Ring Absorption Card, he could finally let his second martial soul, Dimo, shine.
"Little Mo, what are you thinking about? First you're dejected, then you're excited."
"You haven't developed some kind of mental problem, have you?"
The King Ball slowly floated out of the Storage Soul Tool at his waist and into the air.
With a flash of white light, the Ice Empress's petite figure slowly appeared.
"Oh, it's you, Ice Empress."
"I'm fine. I just thought of something that made me happy."
Chen Mo scratched his head and offered an offhand excuse.
"Speaking of which, it isn't the weekend yet. Why did you suddenly come out?"
Ever since the Ice Empress arrived in a human city, she had been like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden, dazzled by all the novel things she had never seen before.
Pretty clothes, delicious food, advanced technology, and so on...
She insisted on going shopping every weekend.
But that made life miserable for Chen Mo.
The Gulou Ball's properties meant the Ice Empress could not stray too far from him.
So whenever she went shopping, he had to tag along—and foot the bill.
Only once she had played to her heart's content would she return to the Gulou Ball to rest.
Chen Mo, however, got no rest, because Meng Hongchen would seamlessly take over for round two.
With her arms folded, the Ice Empress slowly flew over and settled onto the sofa. A rare look of embarrassment appeared on her face as she stammered, "Well... I suddenly remembered something... and I'd like your help."
"What is it?"
Chen Mo could not help being curious.
With the Ice Empress's current strength, what could she possibly need his help with?
"It's nothing major. Didn't you use that cage, the Faradey Cage or whatever it's called, to help me survive my Four Hundred Thousand Year Tribulation? Could you lend it to me?"
"It's a Faraday Cage." After correcting the name, Chen Mo asked, "What do you need it for? Are you about to face your five hundred thousand year tribulation?"
Although he knew that was impossible, he could not think of another reason she would need the Faraday Cage.
"I suppose you're half right."
"I do want to borrow the cage for a tribulation, but I'm not the one facing it."
"It's my dear sister, the Snow Empress!"
Once the Ice Empress finished, Chen Mo finally remembered.
Indeed.
According to the original timeline.
The Snow Empress's seven hundred thousand year tribulation was fast approaching.
And during that tribulation.
The Snow Empress had been gravely injured by the lightning tribulation, and when she transformed into an embryo, a Level 9 Soul Engineer ambushed her.
He sealed her using the God-Sealing Platform.
Then he took her out of the Far North, and after changing hands, she appeared at an auction in the Star Luo Empire.
In the end, through a series of unexpected events, the Ice Empress fell into Huo Yuhao's hands.
Such an opportunity.
Now that he was here, he absolutely could not let that dog Huo snatch such an opportunity away again.
"No problem. When the time comes, I'll go back to the Far North with you and help the Snow Empress survive her tribulation."
"Thanks. Consider this another favor I owe you," the Ice Empress said, toying with her hair.
At that moment, she had no idea.
In the future, her debt of favors to Chen Mo would only grow, until even giving herself to him would not settle it.
"Speaking of which, why did you only tell me now? If you'd mentioned it earlier, I could've started improving the Faraday Cage ages ago," Chen Mo could not help asking.
An embarrassed look appeared on the Ice Empress's face.
After thinking for a while, she said, "I only recently sensed that the Snow Empress's tribulation was approaching."
That was what she said.
In truth, however, the Ice Empress had been having so much fun in the human city that she had completely forgotten about it.
But she was the Ice Empress.
The second-ranked of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North, a ferocious beast who had survived the Four Hundred Thousand Year Tribulation.
The haughty pride ingrained in her bones meant she would never admit that she had forgotten her dear sister's approaching tribulation because she was too busy having fun.
The bustle of the human world must have clouded my eyes.
Yes! That's right! That must be it.
She swore.
Starting next week, she would not go shopping for a whole month... no... a week... three days.
While the Ice Empress was inwardly convincing herself to believe that excuse.
Chen Mo had already sat down at his desk and begun considering how to improve the Faraday Cage.
"A seven hundred thousand year tribulation is no trifling matter. Besides, we already used this method for the Ice Empress's last tribulation, so the heavenly tribulation will surely come prepared."
"I'll have to think these improvements through carefully."
"As for materials, I might need some expensive, rare items."
"That part's easy enough. I can just ask my teacher."
After he passed the Level 3 Soul Engineer assessment, Jing Hongchen had immediately informed Chen Mo.
From that day onward, he was an exclusive student of the Illustrious Virtue Hall.
He had also promised that whenever Chen Mo needed materials for his Soul Tool research, all he had to do was submit a request, and he would approve it.
In that case, there was no need to stand on ceremony.
Chen Mo immediately picked up his pen and began writing the materials he needed on a sheet of paper.
Black tortoise iron, amethyst copper, deep-sea sunken silver iron mother, sheet metal...
After listing the materials needed to improve the Faraday Cage, he added a long list of medicinal ingredients.
In a previous mission.
The system had rewarded him not only with an alchemist's inheritance, but also Heavenly Flames and a Medicine Cauldron.
Since he had been given everything he needed.
Wouldn't leaving it unused be a waste?
Once he finished the list, Chen Mo went to find Jing Hongchen.
Jing Hongchen looked at Chen Mo's list.
The corners of his mouth twitched.
"Hold on, are you robbing me? This is almost enough to make a Level 9 Soul Tool!"
"And you even want hundred-thousand-year-old deep-sea sunken silver iron mother? The entire academy barely has any of that!"
"Ten-thousand-year-old or thousand-year-old will do too. I'm not picky," Chen Mo said.
Noticing the medicinal ingredients farther down, Jing Hongchen could not help asking, "I understand why you need metal, but what are these herbs for? Don't tell me you can make Soul Tools with herbs too?"
"No, I'm planning to start a side business."
"As an alchemist."
The moment Chen Mo mentioned being an alchemist, Jing Hongchen burst out laughing.
"An alchemist? Are you sure?"
"Just don't poison yourself to death. That would be a huge loss for the academy."
There were pill refiners on the Douluo Continent, though they were few and far between.
Otherwise, where did Mystic Water Pills and Soul Ascension Pills come from?
Chen Mo immediately objected.
He had, after all, obtained an Eighth-Rank Alchemist's inheritance, along with Heavenly Flames and a Medicine Cauldron.
Refining a pill should not be too difficult.
He immediately declared, "Just you wait, old geezer. I guarantee you'll be begging me for pills someday."
"Fine! I'll be waiting."
Jing Hongchen smiled indifferently.
Then he took Chen Mo to the Academy Warehouse to find the materials.
Before you continue