Cangyuan twisted his body to move the Soul Ring in front of his mouth, then spat out a bubble that enveloped it and carried it over to Yang Xingchen.
Yang Xingchen took the bubble and sat back down in the Ice Spirit Cold Spring, which had turned pale blue. The Snow Empress once again began gathering Heaven and Earth Yuan Power and channeling it into his body to help him absorb the Soul Ring.
Because the Soul Ring was highly compatible with him, Yang Xingchen completed the absorption of his Second Soul Ring in just three minutes.
The effect of Yang Xingchen's second Soul Skill, Rewind · Reversal Hook, was simple: it could transform the attribute clusters caught by his first Soul Skill.
Fire-attribute Soul Power he caught could be converted into ice-attribute Soul Power and released; defense he caught could be converted into an attack wave and released; speed he caught could be converted into an effect that caused anyone struck to pause in their movements.
"Level twenty-three! Absorbing Soul Rings above my level really does raise my Soul Power faster!"
As Yang Xingchen spoke, he stood and stepped out of the Ice Spirit Cold Spring, changed all his clothes, and summoned his fishing rod, ready to cast.
"After another round of ice body tempering tomorrow, this empress will release the second seal. Otherwise, this empress won't feel at ease about the journey ahead."
Once the second seal was released, the power the Snow Empress could command would reach the level of a ten-thousand-year soul beast.
With Heaven and Earth Yuan Power assisting her as well, the Snow Empress would have no need to worry about anything happening to them as long as they did not encounter a hundred-thousand-year soul beast.
Having fished up a pair of smelly boots, Yang Xingchen calmly answered the Snow Empress as he removed them from the hook.
"Sure, but with the Ice Spirit Cold Spring in its current state, won't we have to move somewhere else after another two or three rounds of ice body tempering?"
Over three days of ice body tempering, Cangyuan and Yang Xingchen had already absorbed most of the Heaven and Earth Yuan Power contained in the Ice Spirit Cold Spring.
With every additional round of ice body tempering, the ice-attribute Heaven and Earth Yuan Power contained in the Ice Spirit Cold Spring would diminish, and the effects would grow weaker.
"We'll travel around a little when the time comes. This empress hasn't yet thought of a place to take you. Though the Far North has many opportunities, few are suitable for you."
This was indeed a headache for the Snow Empress. Most of the opportunities she knew of were suitable for those at the level of ten-thousand-year soul beasts.
Had she not patrolled the Far North, this Ice Spirit Cold Spring would never have entered her memory at all.
Now that she could no longer freely exercise her authority as ruler of the Far North, finding something suitable for Yang Xingchen would probably come down to luck.
Just as the Snow Empress was trying hard to recall the opportunities she had encountered, Yang Xingchen finally landed something worthwhile after fishing up trash five times in a row!
"Mystic Water Pills?! To think I actually fished these up! Now my cultivation can speed up again."
When Yang Xingchen saw the words "Mystic Water Pills" written on the bottle, it would have been a lie to say he was not excited.
With only level-six Innate Soul Power, he had managed to reach level twenty-three in a year mostly through outside help, having put in practically no effort himself.
If he took this bottle of Mystic Water Pills now, Yang Xingchen's subsequent cultivation speed would at least rise a notch.
The Snow Empress, who was working hard to increase the concentration of Heaven and Earth Yuan Power in the Ice Spirit Cold Spring, heard him and leaned over for a curious look.
"After months of fishing, this empress finally gets to see you catch something useful for cultivation."
Previously, because they had been traveling, Yang Xingchen had only casually cast a few times by the water during their breaks. Of everything he caught, only the food and soul coins had been valuable.
Now that Yang Xingchen had finally fished up something useful, the Snow Empress could not help feeling somewhat gratified.
"Ahem, even a fishing grandmaster like me can have his horse stumble now and then. Besides, didn't you enjoy those bags of chicken drumsticks too?!"
Remembering the things he had fished up before, Yang Xingchen found it a little hard to save face and hurriedly changed the subject.
Those bags of chicken drumsticks, however, had naturally come from a certain "Grand Elder" of the Holy Spirit Cult who preferred to remain anonymous.
Having successfully ended the subject, Yang Xingchen impatiently tipped out a Mystic Water Pill and swallowed it, completely forgetting its "side effect."
"Hmm? Why does the ice cavern stink? Even if the Ice Grudge Snow Fiend's corpse were rotting, it wouldn't happen this quickly. Besides, didn't Xingchen already dispose of it?"
The Snow Empress had just finished regulating the Heaven and Earth Yuan Power when a foul stench suddenly assaulted her nose.
Following the direction of the stench, the Snow Empress immediately spotted Yang Xingchen, covered in grime and reeking.
Having just finished absorbing the Mystic Water Pill's medicinal power, Yang Xingchen opened his eyes to find the Snow Empress standing before him with a hand over her nose.
"Mm, the Mystic Water Pill worked well. Once you've bathed, this empress will release the second seal for you."
"Bathe? Why do I need to-"
Before Yang Xingchen could finish, an indescribable stench burrowed into his nostrils and furiously assaulted his respiratory tract.
Under the stench's relentless assault, Yang Xingchen finally remembered the Mystic Water Pill's "side effect": his pores were taking a shit!
After much fuss from Yang Xingchen and the Snow Empress, Yang Xingchen finally earned the right to take a cold bath.
As for why it was not a hot bath-what a joke. This was an ice cavern, with ice in every direction. How could they possibly get a fire going?
Cangyuan circled Yang Xingchen, who had washed himself clean and returned to the Ice Spirit Cold Spring, quietly waiting for the Snow Empress to release the second seal.
"Once the second seal is released, you should be able to draw on this empress's power to awaken a domain for your Second Martial Soul."
The strength of the Heavenly Snow Woman Martial Soul was tied to the Snow Empress's power to begin with, so possessing a domain was only natural.
As soon as she finished speaking, the Snow Empress released the second seal. Origin power purer and vaster than that from the first seal surged into Yang Xingchen and Cangyuan.
This power split into two streams. One went to transform Yang Xingchen's body, doing everything it could to increase his physical strength; the other became resources for Cangyuan to grow stronger.
As the Snow Empress watched over Yang Xingchen while he underwent the strengthening of his body, she suddenly thought of her adopted son, Ice Bear King Xiaobai.
"This empress remembers that Xiaobai's breakthrough to two hundred thousand years seemed to happen around this time. Back then, it was while looking for an opportunity for Xiaobai that this empress happened upon a clue to a ninety-thousand-year snow lotus."
"But by the time this empress returned with the ninety-thousand-year snow lotus, Xiaobai had already broken through to two hundred thousand years on his own and was confident he could survive the two-hundred-thousand-year lightning tribulation."
It was precisely because she had not used that ninety-thousand-year snow lotus this time that she had later been able to preserve her life when her first attempt to break through to seven hundred thousand years failed.
She wondered whether Xiaobai could live well as a bear all on his own after she left.
The Snow Empress had also fantasized that perhaps one day Yang Xingchen might fish Xiaobai out of her own timeline.
But unlike her, Xiaobai had not been sealed inside the God Sealing Platform by Soul Masters. With Yang Xingchen's strength alone, he certainly could not fish up an Ice Bear King with nearly three hundred thousand years of cultivation.
Before this, this world's Ice Bear King Xiaobai, who was about to break through to two hundred thousand years, was staying in the Snow Empress's palace, bored out of his mind.
To ensure Xiaobai had a hundred-percent chance of surviving the two-hundred-thousand-year lightning tribulation, the Snow Empress had deliberately taken advantage of the active Heaven and Earth Yuan Power during the polar day to search for an opportunity suitable for him.
"Honestly, Mom went out alone again. This bear is already a hundred-thousand-year soul beast! I can look for opportunities to break through on my own."
"No, this bear has to prove himself to Mom, or A-Tai will laugh at me again!"
At that thought, Ice Bear King Xiaobai abruptly rose from the ground and strode out of the Snow Empress's palace, head high and brimming with vigor.
Yet the moment he stepped out of the Snow Empress's palace, Xiaobai froze at the entrance. He suddenly realized he had no direction to head in.
"I remember Mom went north, so this bear will go south! I remember the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm found the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow in the south back then."
Having made his decision, Xiaobai strode toward Yang Xingchen and the Snow Empress, who were still at the Ice Spirit Cold Spring.