When Shui Bing'er stepped onto the frozen lake, the lake surface made no sound.
Her feet sank into the ice, and not a single crack appeared. The lake was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the gray-white sky of the Far North, and also her receding figure.
Feng Xiaotian stood on the lake shore, watching her walk step by step towards the center of the lake. Little Frost lay a few steps behind him, her head resting on her front paws, her eyes fixed on the lake.
Shui Bing'er stopped in the middle of the lake.
She glanced down at the ice beneath her feet. The ice was thick, so thick that she couldn't see the bottom, but something seemed to be flowing beneath it, like a faint blue light slowly drifting deep within the ice.
She sat cross-legged, palms facing upwards, and the phantom of the Ice God Bow emerged from her palms, hovering in front of her.
She slowly closed her eyes.
At first, there was nothing. The wind blew from the lakeshore, brushed against her face, circled the lake, and then dispersed. The frozen lake remained still.
Then the blue light deep within the lake stirred.
It rose from the deepest part of the ice layer, initially just a small, blurry halo, growing brighter and closer as it rose. Shui Bing'er felt the Ice God Mark on her forehead begin to heat up, and the illusory Ice God Bow in her palm trembled, as if in response to something.
Blue light rose from beneath the ice, not breaking through the ice layer, but merging into the ice itself. A very faint blue light began to emanate from the ice, spreading outward from the center of the lake and illuminating the entire surface.
Shui Bing'er opened her eyes.
There was a person standing in front of her.
It was the figure of a woman, her entire body composed of ice-blue light, semi-transparent, with indistinct features. But she stood upright, draped in a long robe that looked like it was made of ice crystals, the pattern of which was exactly the same as the shape of the Ice God Mark on Shui Bing'er's forehead.
That chilling aura and oppressive power that emanated from the very core of her being was something Shui Bing'er had only ever sensed in the deepest part of the Ice God Mark.
She sat up straight instinctively.
"I am... the Ice God."
The voice was very soft, as if it came from a very far place, with a hoarseness as if it had been asleep for too long. When Shui Bing'er heard these four words, the Ice God Mark on her forehead felt slightly hot.
Shui Bing'er didn't stand up. She sat on the ice, looking up at the remnant soul. Her throat moved, as if she wanted to say something but then swallowed it back. This was the first time she had truly faced the Ice God herself, after inheriting the Ice God Mark for so long.
The remnant soul looked down at her, its gaze calm, as if scrutinizing her or confirming something.
After a few breaths, the remnant soul finally spoke. Its voice was very soft, like a breeze coming from a very distant place.
"You've finally arrived."
Shui Bing'er didn't speak immediately. She looked up at the figure, her throat bobbing as if she wanted to say something but then swallowed it back.
She didn't know what to say. She had prepared many things to say to the Ice God, but at this moment she couldn't remember a single word.
The remnant soul didn't press further. She looked at Shui Bing'er, her gaze sweeping from her forehead to the illusory image of the Ice God Bow in her palm, finally settling back into her eyes.
"The prototype of the Ice God Bow," the remnant soul said, "Has passed the Third Trial."
"Yes," Shui Bing'er said.
The remnant soul asked, "What do you think ice is?"
Shui Bing'er was taken aback.
She thought the remnant soul would ask her to do something, or give her some kind of test. But the remnant soul simply stood there and asked a question.
Shui Bing'er thought for a while.
"Ice comes in many forms," she said. "It can be invisible cold air, or it can be tangible ice crystals, ice walls, or ice chests. It has no fixed shape; what it becomes depends on how the person using it thinks."
The remnant soul's gaze flickered.
"I used to think that because I possess the Ultimate Ice Martial Soul, ice should obey me," Shui Bing'er said. "Later I realized that ice doesn't obey anyone. I'm just guiding it to become what I want it to be. If I force it, it will be unstable. If I follow its own natural patterns, it will take shape on its own."
She paused, then continued.
"Ice has its own way of living. What I do is understand it, and then guide it."
The remnant soul did not respond.
After a while, she moved. She raised one hand, palm down, and gently pressed it against the surface of the lake.
The ice surface began to change from the center of the lake. The ice beneath Shui Bing'er's feet suddenly became transparent, like an open window. Through that ice, she could see the bottom of the lake.
Something is sinking at the bottom of the lake.
At first, Shui Bing'er thought they were Shitou or natural structures formed by ice. But when she looked closely, she found that they had shapes. Some looked like huge scales, some like coiled bones, and some like frozen nests.
She suddenly understood.
Beneath the ice lies the remains of Soul Beast from the Far North.
Shui Bing'er stood there, stunned.
The remnant soul's voice rang in her ears, softly but clearly.
"They are my people."
Shui Bing'er looked up at her.
"When I perished, I couldn't protect them," the remnant soul said. "They retreated to the deepest part of the Far North, and only a small portion survived. I left behind a wisp of divine will to block them at the deepest point, allowing them to continue living. But it couldn't last long."
She paused.
I've been waiting for someone.
Shui Bing'er looked at her.
"Waiting for someone who understands ice. Only those who understand ice can understand these things," the remnant soul said. "You're not the first person to come here, but you're the first to tell me that 'ice isn't determined by anyone else.'"
The remnant soul swayed slightly, as if someone who had been standing for a long time was finally letting out a sigh of relief.
"Put your hand out."
Shui Bing'er stood up, palms facing upwards, and stretched out towards the remnant soul.
The remnant soul lowered her head, and her hand, made of ice-blue light, gently covered Shui Bing'er's palm.
Shui Bing'er felt a surge of power flowing into her meridians. It was cold, colder than the wind of the Far North, bone-chillingly cold. But it was different from her own Ultimate Ice.
Her own Ultimate Ice is an innate attribute of her Martial Soul; although it is sharp and hard, it doesn't actually feel very strong.
But this current force was thicker and heavier, appearing mild and seemingly harmless. However, Shui Bing'er could sense what was pressing down beneath that thick layer—its sharpness was still there, just hidden. It was usually concealed, but once it erupted, it was more ruthless than any ice with its sharp edge fully exposed.
"This is the remaining essence of my Ultimate Ice," the remnant soul's voice rang in her ears.
Shui Bing'er felt that power slowly flowing through her meridians, gradually approaching the Ultimate Ice within her body.
"Your Ultimate Ice is still too weak," the remnant soul said. "What I'm giving you now is the perfected level of Ultimate Ice. The purpose is to let you experience what perfection is like. This power will guide you, allowing you to have a more thorough understanding of ice, thereby elevating the level of your Ultimate Ice."
"Comprehend it carefully," the remnant soul said.
Shui Bing'er gritted her teeth and caught it. The essence flowed down her meridians, gradually merging with the Ultimate Ice within her body.
Just as the source of energy surged in, a scene suddenly flashed before her eyes.
On the icy plains deep in the Far North, a figure stood in the snow, with thick snow beneath his feet and a retreating horde of Soul Beast behind him.
The figure was the Ice God, much clearer than the remnant soul Shui Bing'er had seen. Her entire body was composed of ice-blue light, and her features were clearly visible; she was a woman with a cold and aloof expression.
Then Shui Bing'er saw that tear.
The Ice God stood in the snow, silent, only shedding a single tear.
The tears fell on the snow, not freezing, but melting into the snow layer, leaving a tiny, almost invisible indentation on the snow surface.
Shui Bing'er was stunned.
She could see it in the Ice God's eyes. Those weren't tears for her own demise. They were tears of resentment at watching her people leave, powerless to protect them.
The Ice God was filled with regret—regret for not being stronger, regret for not having made arrangements sooner. She was also worried—worried that after she left, these Soul Beast would be left without anyone to protect them.
Shui Bing'er looked at that tear, and felt as if something was gripping her chest.
She thought of Little Frost. She thought of what would happen if Little Frost were hunted down one day, and she wasn't there to protect her—just thinking about that scene made her heart ache.
She suddenly understood.
The Ice God showed her this scene not simply so she could receive the power, but so she could receive the entire icy plain and take on that responsibility.
The Ice God's essence surged in completely. Shui Bing'er opened her eyes; the remnant soul's hand had already withdrawn, and her form was much fainter than before, like the last wisp of smoke before being blown away by the wind.
"I'm tired," the remnant soul said.
Shui Bing'er looked at her.
Please keep an eye on them for me.
Shui Bing'er knelt on the ice, the chill beneath her knees penetrating the fabric and seeping into her bones. The essence of the Ice God flowed slowly within her body; the Ultimate Ice had been perfected, and she could feel herself stronger than ever before. But she did not stand up.
She glanced down at her hands. The warmth of the Ice God Bow still lingered in her palms. She had been trembling when she held out for three breaths, but the trembling had stopped. However, she felt that her palms were heavier than before.
She raised her head and looked in the direction where the remnant soul had dissipated. The ice surface was completely frozen, and blue light flowed slowly beneath the ice, like the breath of the Far North.
The Ice God's Nine Trials, Fourth Trial: Ice Resonance. Passed.
Reward: Ultimate Ice High-Level → Perfection, Fourth Soul Ring Age Increased by 500 Years (Purple → Black).
Feng Xiaotian stood on the lake shore, watching Shui Bing'er's back as she knelt on the ice.
He took a step forward.
Then it stopped.
He saw Shui Bing'er looking down at her hands, her shoulders and back tense, but she didn't stand up. He suddenly realized that what she needed at this moment wasn't for him to go over and help her. She needed to get up on her own.
He retreated and stood quietly by the icy rocks on the lake shore, waiting.
Little Frost lay behind him, quietly watching the lake.
The wind blew across the frozen lake, brushing past Shui Bing'er's shoulder and then brushing against Feng Xiaotian's face. The two were separated by a stretch of ice, neither of them speaking.