Seated on the ground, Yun Luo thought over Du Busi's words, then raised his head and spoke.
"The Torso Bone."
"The Torso Bone will improve my physique the most. That should make absorbing the Soul Rings a little easier later."
The Ice Emperor raised her eyebrows slightly at his answer.
"You certainly know how to choose. But how does someone from a major faction like you not have even a single Soul Bone?"
Yun Luo gave a somewhat awkward smile at the Ice Emperor's words.
"Uh... I haven't found one I liked."
"Seriously? You're quite picky."
The Ice Emperor had misunderstood Yun Luo here. Soul Bones were scarce in the era of the Legend of the Dragon King, and Mu Ye had always insisted that he temper himself properly before absorbing any Soul Bones.
"All right, the Torso Bone it is. Rest first. Once you've recovered, we'll sign the contract."
With that, the Ice Emperor also found a spot to sit cross-legged and waited for Yun Luo's injuries to heal.
Du Busi walked over to Yun Luo and asked quietly, "Kid, how's your body holding up?"
"I'm fine, Sect Master. I'm just rather drained. I'll be fine after some time to recover."
Du Busi nodded, then turned and left, heading toward Jin Peng and Li Qing.
"Then get some rest. I'll leave you to it."
About five hours later, Yun Luo felt that the Soul Power in his body had mostly recovered. He took a deep breath, rose, and walked toward the Ice Emperor.
"I've rested enough. We can sign the contract now."
Hearing this, the Ice Emperor opened her eyes and looked at Yun Luo with her orange-gold eyes.
"Good. Let's begin."
Yun Luo nodded and walked into the center of the formation they had prepared earlier. The Ice Emperor followed him and stood at its other core position.
They faced one another, less than a meter apart.
"Ice Emperor, after you sacrifice yourself, your consciousness will remain, but your original body will cease to exist."
"Also, don't harbor any feelings of rejection when we begin the contract."
Before they began signing the contract, Yun Luo, still uneasy, reminded her once more.
"I know."
The Ice Emperor's voice was very calm.
"Having come this far, I have no reason to go back on my word."
Yun Luo nodded and said no more.
He crouched down, pressed both hands against the edge of the formation, and poured his Soul Power into it.
In an instant, the six-pointed star formation lit up with azure light. Two lines of light simultaneously appeared beneath Yun Luo's and the Ice Emperor's feet, converging toward the center of the formation.
"The contract has begun."
The Ice Emperor slowly closed her eyes, and the jade-green light surrounding her blazed brilliantly.
Her body began turning transparent. Starting from her toes, it dissolved bit by bit into jade-green motes of light that drifted toward the center of the formation.
Where she had dissolved, only a jade-green Torso Bone remained.
The instant the Torso Bone appeared, it flew toward Yun Luo as though it had a consciousness of its own.
The moment it reached Yun Luo, it began merging into his body.
Feeling that the pressure from the Soul Bone was even easier to bear than absorbing the origin essence, Yun Luo breathed a sigh of relief.
The instant the Torso Bone entered his body, Yun Luo's meridians began expanding wildly, and even his Soul Power soared.
Rank sixty-three... rank sixty-five...
Only when he reached rank sixty-seven did that rocket-like ascent slowly come to a halt.
In less than an hour, Yun Luo had successfully absorbed the Torso Bone.
First the bone, then the soul. The bone was a success; now it was time for the soul.
With that thought, Yun Luo looked at the Ice Emperor opposite him.
By now, the Ice Emperor's figure was almost transparent, merging into Yun Luo's consciousness.
"Yun Luo, the contract is a success."
"But I've expended too much origin essence and need to rest for a while. You'll have to absorb the Soul Rings yourself."
"Also, don't forget what you promised me."
Watching her gradually fading figure, Yun Luo spoke earnestly.
"I won't forget."
Hearing Yun Luo's words, the corners of the Ice Emperor's lips lifted slightly into a knowing smile.
The next instant, her figure dissolved entirely into a stream of jade-green light, all of it surging into Yun Luo's spiritual sea.
Yun Luo could sense that once he absorbed the Ice Emperor's Soul Rings, the embryonic form of his second Martial Soul would become the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion.
With that thought, Yun Luo sat cross-legged and began absorbing the Soul Rings.
"Sect Master, could the Holy Son have failed?"
"Half a month has passed, and he still hasn't finished."
Looking at Yun Luo, who had already been buried beneath the windblown snow, Li Qing spoke to Du Busi in a worried tone.
Although Jin Peng said nothing, he too watched Yun Luo with worry written across his face.
"Before we came here, young Yun Luo told me that as long as he didn't die, he would definitely succeed. We have to believe in him."
Although Du Busi comforted the two of them this way, he himself was uncertain.
His fingers curled, his nails digging into his palms.
Just as the three were worrying, a boom rang out, and all the snow covering Yun Luo exploded outward.
A figure stood up, his eyes brimming with excitement.
"It worked."
Rather awkwardly, however, Yun Luo had also shattered his shirt with his own Soul Power.
An image of the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion had appeared on his formerly smooth back.
Sensing that the embryonic form of his second Martial Soul had transformed into the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, Yun Luo finally breathed a sigh of relief.
That half month had nearly wrung him dry.
To inspect his second Martial Soul, Yun Luo released the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion Martial Soul.
A phantom of the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion appeared behind him, and four Soul Rings rose in succession beneath his feet.
Red, red, red, red.
Four blood-red Soul Rings, each bearing four golden markings.
Looking at the Soul Rings beneath his feet, Yun Luo could not suppress the corners of his mouth.
You, Huo Gua, still need to simulate six hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings, but I already have four.
"Holy shit..."
Jin Peng stared at those four red Soul Rings, his eyes nearly popping out of his head.
Li Qing's mouth fell wide open, and he could not close it for a long time.
Du Busi looked at the Soul Rings beneath Yun Luo's feet, the corners of his mouth twitching.
In all his years, this was the first time he had seen someone possess four hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings at the Soul Emperor realm.
Just how monstrous was this kid going to get?
As for why Jin Peng and Li Qing did not ask why there were four hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings, Du Busi had warned them beforehand.
He had told them not to ask. When the time came for them to know, they would naturally find out.
Furthermore, they were not to tell anyone that their sect's Holy Son possessed a second Martial Soul. Otherwise, whoever did so would have given him cause to kill them.
Having heard Du Busi's orders, the two naturally did not ask.
Yun Luo withdrew his Martial Soul, stretched his body, and walked over to Du Busi.
"Sect Master, although I've successfully signed the contract, I still need two days of rest."
"All right. I'll stand guard for you."
"But shouldn't you put on some clothes now?"
Du Busi nodded, then pointed at Yun Luo's upper body.
"Ah... this..."
Hearing Du Busi's words, Yun Luo hurriedly took a shirt from his storage soul tool and put it on.
Two days later, in the canyon within the core region of the Extreme North.
"Sect Master, I've rested enough. Let's go."
Du Busi nodded and flew toward the outskirts of the Extreme North with Yun Luo.
Seeing this, Jin Peng and Li Qing hurried to follow.
After flying for less than ten minutes or so, Yun Luo sensed a power resonating with his second Martial Soul.
He then spoke to Du Busi, who was carrying him through the air.
"Sect Master, my Martial Soul just gave me a signal. There seems to be something over there drawing me toward it."