Shui Bing'er's Fourth Soul Ring

In a patch of grass not far from the three of them, the Ice Mist Snow-Swallowing Rat was flapping its two short little arms, seemingly searching for something. Its little white eyes darted shiftily around.

Shui Xinrou motioned for the three of them to move back some distance before summoning their Martial Souls, so as not to alert their prey.

After quietly summoning their Martial Souls, the three exchanged glances as they watched the Ice Mist Snow-Swallowing Rat burrow into another patch of grass.

"First Soul Skill, Ice Seal."

Shui Bing'er struck first. Her Ice Seal, which locked onto its target and activated instantly, was the first to hit the little creature, but it broke free in an instant.

The Ice Mist Snow-Swallowing Rat turned its tiny, silvery-white body around after breaking free, its shifty little eyes glaring at Shui Bing'er and the others.

But in the next instant, Yu Tianshuang, who had prepared his Prismatic Barrier Ice Array, surrounded it with five ice walls.

Behind them, Shui Xinrou summoned countless diamond ice shards and waited for the little creature trapped within the ice walls to break out.

Thud! Almost in an instant, the Ice Mist Snow-Swallowing Rat broke a small hole through the ice wall closest to the three of them and slipped out.

But Shui Xinrou had long been ready. She waved a graceful hand at the Ice Mist Snow-Swallowing Rat as it emerged, and the countless diamond ice shards behind her flew toward it, wrapping around it one after another.

The Ice Mist Snow-Swallowing Rat struggled ceaselessly within the diamond ice shards, and it looked as though it was about to break free.

Shui Xinrou took a deep breath and said, "It really is an extremely rare Soul Beast. With just ten thousand years of cultivation, it can break free from the control Soul Skill of a Soul Douluo like me so quickly. But..."

Soul Power began gathering around Shui Xinrou, and ice mist visible to the naked eye began swirling around her. She then interlaced her fingers and clenched her hands together into a fist, releasing a terrifying pillar of light at the Ice Mist Snow-Swallowing Rat, which was about to break free.

"Eighth Soul Skill, Diamond Stardust Strike."

Terrifying frost energy began gathering in front of Shui Xinrou's clasped hands. Then an ice-blue pillar of light as thick as a bucket blasted out of them. The terrifying recoil sent Shui Xinrou skidding backward several meters, while the trees and undergrowth on either side of the ground over which the pillar passed froze in the terrifying cold it gave off.

Having just broken free of the diamond ice shards, the Ice Mist Snow-Swallowing Rat sensed the threat to its life from the Soul Skill Shui Xinrou had unleashed ahead of it. The short silver-white marking on its little tail suddenly lit up.

An Ice and Snow Vortex as large as a millstone formed in front of it, swallowing the pillar of light Shui Xinrou had released.

As Shui Xinrou continued releasing Soul Power to strengthen her Soul Skill, the Ice and Snow Vortex before the Ice Mist Snow-Swallowing Rat collapsed and cracked at a speed visible to the naked eye. At last, the Ice and Snow Vortex reached its limit. With a crack, it was frozen by the pillar of light, then shattered.

The unobstructed pillar of light then struck the Ice Mist Snow-Swallowing Rat hard.

Shui Xinrou raised a graceful hand to wipe the fragrant sweat from her forehead, then waved the Ice Mist Snow-Swallowing Rat, frozen into an ice sculpture, over to her.

Soul Power flashed in her hand, melting a small opening in the ice around the Ice Mist Snow-Swallowing Rat's neck. She said to Shui Bing'er, "Kill it, then absorb the Soul Ring."

Shui Bing'er nodded, drew a dagger, and stabbed it in the neck. A black Soul Ring then floated out of the Ice Mist Snow-Swallowing Rat.

Shui Bing'er hurriedly put away the dagger and sat upright on the ground. After a long exhale, she used her Soul Power to draw the Soul Ring in front of her and began absorbing it.

Although testing had shown that, after absorbing the Immortal Herb, Shui Bing'er had indeed reached the point where she could theoretically absorb a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring, Shui Xinrou still watched her tightly furrowed brow in silence, worry written on her face.

Time flew by. Two and a half hours later, just as night was beginning to fall, a wave of Soul Power rippled from Shui Bing'er. Her furrowed brow relaxed, and she opened her eyes and said in delight, "I absorbed it! I've broken through to a level 43 Soul Ancestor."

Shui Xinrou looked up at the sky, already shrouded in night, and nodded. "Mm, let's head back to Ice Seal Town first. We can talk on the way."

On their way back to Ice Seal Town, Shui Xinrou saw that they had left the central area of the Frozen Forest. She slowed her pace and motioned for Shui Bing'er to tell them about her Soul Skill.

"After absorbing this Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, my Soul Power rose by three levels. It gave me a group-attack Soul Skill that summons an Ice and Snow Vortex at a designated location. Enemies within its range take continuous ice-attribute damage, and it can absorb a small amount of their Soul Power when they use Soul Skills. I can also sense a slight change in my Martial Soul. The Undying Ice Phoenix's tail feathers have gained a silver-white marking just like the Ice Mist Snow-Swallowing Rat's. It passively increases the freezing attribute, and actively activating it increases the range and power of my Fourth Soul Skill."

Shui Xinrou nodded approvingly. "As expected of a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Skill from an extremely rare Soul Beast. Not only did it give you a group attack as your Fourth Soul Skill, it also brought a change and a special property to your Martial Soul. Not bad."

At the inn in Ice Seal Town, Shui Xinrou told Shui Bing'er that she didn't need to go to the Frozen Forest with them the next day and could stay at the inn to stabilize her realm. Then she returned to her room to rest.

Knock, knock, knock. Yu Tianshuang, who was sitting cross-legged on his bed cultivating, heard the knocking and rose to his feet, scratching his head in puzzlement.

"It's so late. Who is it?"

When he opened the door, he was greeted by Shui Bing'er's pretty, cool and commanding face and her eyes, blue as the sea.

"Senior Sister Bing'er? It's so late..."

"Um, thank you for your Immortal Herb. If... if it weren't for your Immortal Herb, I might not have been able to absorb this Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring. I just came to thank you. Thank you."

"But... didn't you already thank me back in the Frozen Forest?" As he spoke, he remembered the feeling of Shui Bing'er's red lips pressed against the side of his face and unconsciously raised a hand to touch the cheek she had kissed.

Seeing Yu Tianshuang do that, Shui Bing'er's normally snow-white face flushed red. She immediately lowered her head, not daring to look him in the eye.

"Y-you... didn't I tell you not to read too much into it? Th-that was just a way of thanking you."

Her cheeks flushed, Shui Bing'er parted her red lips and spoke haltingly to Yu Tianshuang.

"Then, Senior Sister, don't thank anyone else like that in the future."

"Y-you really are just like Yue'er calls you-a blockhead."

"Except... except for you, I would only... only do that..."

Shui Bing'er's voice grew softer and softer until Yu Tianshuang could no longer hear her.

"Senior Sister, what did you say? I couldn't hear you."

Shui Bing'er raised her head and gave him a coquettishly reproachful look. "You fool."

With that, she turned and left in high spirits.

Watching Shui Bing'er's graceful figure depart and remembering the look she had given him at the end, Yu Tianshuang felt as though his heart was beating a little fast. He hurriedly closed the door and sat on the bed to calm his mind and focus.

But it seemed that no matter what he did, he couldn't calm down. Shui Bing'er's every frown and smile kept surfacing uncontrollably in his mind, along with the soft, warm touch he had felt on his cheek.