"..."
"Ah???"
Chapter 75 Even the Dragon God Doesn't Care About Me
Several days later, with the carriage traveling at full speed, Xuan Ming finally arrived near the Star Dou Great Forest.
The carriage that Dugu Bo found for him was not an ordinary carriage. The horses pulling the carriage were tamed Soul Beast that could travel a thousand miles a day. Even so, it still took him seven days to get here.
Previously, Dugu Bo had led him from the Heaven Dou Empire's army camp on the border of the Balak Kingdom back to Heaven Dou City in less than a day, so much so that he had no concept of the distance at that time.
"Actually, you can take a break; you don't need to push yourself so hard."
Watching Xuan Ming switch between two thoughts to control his body and cultivate day and night, the Ice Dragon King could no longer bear to watch.
Although Xuan Ming has two thoughts, he only has one Divine Power. His method of alternating and misaligning the two thoughts to control his body is not only extremely dangerous, but also keeps his mind in a state of high consumption and tension for a long time.
Cultivation requires a balance of relaxation and rest; how can you push yourself to the limit like this?
If it were an adult, it wouldn't be so bad, but Xuan Ming is still a child. His mind and body haven't fully developed yet. If he's risking his life like this, he might cause problems.
"I know what I'm doing," Xuan Ming said.
The dragon souls of the Ice Dragon King and the Fire Dragon King resided in his body, essentially forming a small-scale Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well within him. This not only helped him continue to digest the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot he had previously consumed, but also created a personal environment for body refining.
Given these conditions, he naturally wouldn't waste them.
"You have absolutely no sense of propriety," the Ice Dragon King, somewhat exasperated.
"Before, you lacked a sense of security, being fought over by those humans, constantly afraid that you would die at any moment. I understand why you trained so desperately under those circumstances."
"But now that I've got your back, why are you in such a hurry?"
"You'll protect me?" Xuan Ming paused.
"Then I can't be lazy."
The Ice Dragon King's phantom soul loomed close to Xuan Ming's eyes, almost touching them, "You just don't believe me."
"Whether you believe it or not, it's all the same," Xuan Ming said.
"To believe doesn't mean I'll rely on it."
"To rely on someone else means to entrust one's fate to another."
Xuan Ming's gaze was calm, his youthful face revealing a maturity beyond his years. "Senior is strong, but there are countless strong individuals in this world. If I am not strong enough, one day, when a crisis comes, you may also be unable to attend to everyone. At that time, how will I cope?"
The Ice Dragon King paused slightly, a complex emotion flashing in his dragon eyes. "I'm worried that you're too young, and that pushing yourself too hard might damage your very foundation."
Xuan Ming's body and mind were not yet fully developed. Although he used a method he learned from who-knows-where to manipulate his two thoughts into a misalignment and shield himself from the mental fatigue brought on by continuous cultivation, he was not immune to fatigue; rather, he forgot that he was tired.
If Xuan Ming's soul were strong enough, he could do whatever he wanted, but he is just a child now, and his soul is extremely fragile. If he is not careful, he will turn himself into an idiot!
"I know what I'm doing," Xuan Ming repeated.
"Measures?" The Ice Dragon King was somewhat displeased. His chill condensed into tiny ice crystals around Xuan Ming, but ultimately did not materialize into a real attack.
"You little brat, you've certainly picked up all the Dragon Clan ' arrogance."
"However, you are the successor I chose. If you continue to mess things up like this and ruin yourself, I'll be at a loss."
" Fire Dragon King, please help me."
As soon as he finished speaking, the energy of the two dragon souls residing within the Black Dragon transformed into two thin streams, one cold and one hot, which rushed straight into the sea of consciousness along the meridians.
Xuan Ming felt a sudden, sharp pain between his brows and let out a muffled groan. His eyes instantly flashed with patterns of icy blue and crimson gold. His two thoughts were forced apart in the intense pain, one sinking into the icy mist and the other falling into the sea of fire. In the next instant, the two thoughts switched places again.
"What are you doing?" Xuan Ming gritted his teeth, resisting the soul-tearing pain.
"How does it feel to have your soul tempered by ice and fire?" The image of the Ice Dragon King appeared in Xuan Ming's mind.
"Your soul is too fragile. If you continue training like this, you might ruin yourself at any time."
"I will use the power of the dragon soul to temper your soul, making it more resilient, but this process..."
Xuan Ming gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, and cold sweat soaked through his clothes.
The energies of ice and fire raged in his sea of consciousness, each exchange of thoughts felt like a sharp blade tearing him apart, yet he stubbornly straightened his back, letting his soul suffer repeatedly between tearing and reshaping.
"Ah--!" Xuan Ming roared like a wild beast, his soul almost disintegrating into pieces amidst the intertwining of ice and fire.
A hint of pity flashed in the Ice Dragon King's eyes. "If you can't hold on, just say so, and I..."
Before he finished speaking, a serene white light exploded from the depths of Xuan Ming's soul, colliding with the energy of ice and fire.
"Annihilation..." The Ice Dragon King's eyes changed slightly.
The Dragon God bestowed various attributes from the evolution of his bloodline upon the most outstanding Dragon Clan geniuses, granting them the nine attributes of water, fire, earth, wind, light, darkness, space, time, and stability.
Among them, the Dark Dragon King controls darkness and annihilation.
Xuan Ming's innate ability, though it is light, is a deathly light...
What are you doing?
The Ice Dragon King, who was channeling dragon soul energy, looked with some surprise at the Fire Dragon King, who had remained silent since leaving the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
"Didn't you think he was too weak? Why did you give him to him?"
"Just a little bit," the Fire Dragon King said.
"Oh, oh, oh, just a little bit? You proud old dragon, you've taken a fancy to him?" the Ice Dragon King said.
"It's still early," the Fire Dragon King said calmly.
"Tsk, saying one thing and meaning another, feigning modesty," the Ice Dragon King said disdainfully.
"It's better than you offering it to me willingly," the Fire Dragon King said speechlessly.
"Is there a problem with me giving some good things to my successor?" the Ice Dragon King said matter-of-factly.
"He doesn't seem to be..."
"I say he is, and he is!"
"Don't be so hasty..."
"I was too hasty! It's none of your business! Even the Dragon God doesn't care about me!"
"..."
After an unknown amount of time, Xuan Ming finally awoke from his deep sleep.
Instead of the sharp pain I felt before fainting, I felt an unprecedented clarity.
"How are you feeling?" The illusory image of the Ice Dragon King's dragon soul approached Xuan Ming's eyes.
"Thank you," Xuan Ming said.
He could feel his spirit becoming fuller, no longer feeling the brokenness that had caused him to crumble after a long period of cultivation.
"You should thank me. To help you, I gave you all the dragon soul power I had left." The Ice Dragon King's gaze was somewhat resentful.
She hadn't originally planned to give it to him so quickly. Just like Xuan Ming said, people's hearts are treacherous, and she didn't know what kind of person this kid was, but... she acted impulsively!
"Can you... stop looking at me like that?" Xuan Ming's expression was somewhat unnatural.
"Oh? So you know what kind of look that is." The Ice Dragon King was somewhat surprised.
"Someone has looked at you like that before."
"Hmm." Xuan Ming nodded.
" The Pope I told you about before, the one who helped me repair my Martial Soul."
Back in Spirit City, after Bibi Dong helped him repair his Martial Soul, she viewed him this way for a long time.
Heartache, reluctance, frustration, and even some regret.
In summary, it's like the lingering effect of throwing good money after bad.
"Looks like you're not so unlucky after all." The Ice Dragon King's eyes held a strange expression.
"However, shouldn't you change your tune?"
"Change your tune?" Xuan Ming looked puzzled.
"Change what?"
"Call me Mother," said the Ice Dragon King.
"..."
Chapter 76 It's easy to talk when you're lying down.
"You heartless bastard! I've given you so much, and you won't even call me 'Mom'!"
The Ice Dragon King was extremely displeased, and a strong chill rose up, almost freezing the entire carriage space.
"Senior, I feel that this title... is inappropriate and does not suit your status," Xuan Ming said.
"Identity? What, do you think I'm too old?" The Ice Dragon King's eyes held a dangerous glint.
Xuan Ming's lips twitched slightly. "Of course not. You are a senior member of the Dragon Clan, with unparalleled strength. How could I dare to complain about your age?"
"You dare not, but do you really mean that?" The Ice Dragon King's eyes grew increasingly dangerous.
Xuan Ming took a deep breath. "I mean no disrespect, it's just that this form of address is somewhat special to me, and I... find it difficult to say it."
The Ice Dragon King snorted coldly, but the chill subtly lessened a bit. "Special? What, are you still thinking about that Pope?"
Xuan Ming was speechless. "How did this involve her?"
"Don't you have any other feelings for her?" The Ice Dragon King narrowed his eyes, clearly disbelieving.
According to Xuan Ming, the female Pope was one of the few people who treated him well and were truly helping him during his short and tumultuous life.
Even if there were ulterior motives behind his actions, at least he was genuinely good to them.
Utilitarianism and emotion are not contradictory, and there is no emotion in this world that is not tainted by utilitarianism. The beginning of an emotion must have something that attracts it, whether it is wealth, appearance, ability, or something else. No one will have any feelings for a person who is worthless.
Although Xuan Ming was young, he understood these things very clearly.
"If I say yes, you'll definitely be unhappy; if I say no, you definitely won't believe me, and you'll be even more unhappy because you think I'm lying to you," Xuan Ming said.
"So, you're just making things harder for yourself with this question."
The Ice Dragon King was Xuan Ming, his dragon eyes wide with shock, but he couldn't find a word to refute him.
"Fine, you don't have to call me Mom, but... can you at least call me Sister?" The Ice Dragon King leaned closer.
Xuan Ming was somewhat puzzled, "You are the high and mighty Dragon King, why...?"
"Because she's naive," the Fire Dragon King's voice drifted out.
"No one will think you're mute if you don't speak!" the Ice Dragon King said unhappily.
"Kid, you'd better go along with her, or she'll really get angry," said the Fire Dragon King.
As the youngest of the nine sons of the Dragon God, the Ice Dragon King always called the Dragon God" Dad" in private, and the Dragon God always treated the Ice Dragon King like a daughter.
Now, the Ice Dragon King has taken a liking to this child and treats him as his own, so naturally he hopes that the child will call him "Mom".
But judging from the child's resistance, he couldn't bring himself to call her that. Resigning himself to being called "older sister" was already the Ice Dragon King's limit.
If she doesn't call out again, she'll really get angry.
"..."
Xuan Ming's lips twitched as he looked at the Ice Dragon King's "I'm about to explode if you don't agree" expression.
He realized that although the Ice Dragon King possessed extraordinary strength, he harbored a childlike willfulness deep down.
"Ex... sister." Xuan Ming finally gave in. He didn't think there was anything wrong with the form of address; it was just that he wasn't used to these forms of address.
Upon hearing this, the Ice Dragon King's eyes lit up instantly, and the chill surrounding her vanished without a trace, replaced by a warm and inviting aura. She moved closer to Xuan Ming, her dragon tail swaying joyfully. "That's more like it! From now on, you're my little brother. With your big sister protecting you, who would dare to bully you!"
The Fire Dragon King scoffed, "Look at you, so pathetic. You're an old dragon, and you still expect people to call you 'sister'?"