The Deal

"Martial Soul Possession!"

Old Xiu Nuo had refrained from using his Martial Soul Avatar simply because he knew this was not the time to fight his old friend to the death.

He only needed to knock some sense into him.

But defeating Old Ma here, on what was now his home turf, would still take some doing.

His Soul Rings lit up!

A cold wave poured from Old Xiu Nuo's body like flowing water.

In an instant, Old Xiu Nuo began trying to wrest control of the surrounding terrain from Old Ma.

And that was not all. Under Old Xiu Nuo's control, the cold air he had developed from his Martial Soul's instincts became a storm, whipping up a cold wind around them.

This old ice-attribute Soul Saint had spent his life battling Sea Soul Beasts, and his skills had long since reached the pinnacle of mastery.

He did not waste a shred of power.

Everything he did now was meant to freeze Old Ma's brain.

An overheated brain needed to cool down.

Old Xiu Nuo's eyes had begun to glow blue.

"Third Soul Skill: Bone-Piercing Cold Wind!"

"Second Soul Skill: Fluttering Winter Snow!"

"Fifth Soul Skill: Ice Rain and Cold Frost!"

With his powerful control over his Soul Skills, Old Xiu Nuo changed the weather within ten meters of himself.

Amid the howling cold wind, his normally sluggish movements gained a boost in speed.

Those he did not recognize, however, had to contend with the onslaught of frost, snow, and rain, their movements greatly slowed.

As one side waned and the other waxed, Old Xiu Nuo reached Old Ma before he could act, ahead of the waves of memory illusions Old Ma unleashed.

"Sixth Soul Skill: Freezing Technique!"

He struck with a hand wreathed in cold air.

Old Xiu Nuo watched as Old Ma, whose face had been livid, was completely sealed in a block of ice, but his own expression was hardly any better.

If not for Old Ma's disregard for the future of Soul Masters, Old Xiu Nuo would not have been the so-called vice dean of Vast Sea City Junior Martial Soul Academy.

Old Ma had gone so many years without an episode that Old Xiu Nuo had thought he was cured.

But as it turned out...

It was simply because those children had never met Old Ma's expectations, so naturally they had never triggered his madness.

Little Tian'en's talent and Martial Soul, however, were as perfect a score as Old Ma could possibly give.

His going mad had been inevitable.

But...

Old Xiu Nuo had not expected him to go mad right in front of that junior.

His face livid, Old Xiu Nuo turned to look at the man standing in front of Mu Tian'en, who had blocked every bit of frost, snow, and rain before it could reach the boy. His expression darkened slightly.

The Ice Sea Cave Turtle's trait, Cold Air Collection, began to take effect.

It recovered the cold air released during battle afterward, greatly improving Old Xiu Nuo's staying power in combat. This was also one application of his Seventh Soul Skill, Ice Sea Cave Turtle Martial Soul Avatar, which he had obtained through a fortuitous chance by absorbing a Frost Demon Spirit.

But Old Xiu Nuo had deliberately kept Old Ma's entire body sealed in ice, leaving only his nose and mouth uncovered so he could continue to breathe.

Clap, clap, clap!

As he applauded, Jin Huang stepped into the area where a trace of cold air still lingered.

He touched the ice encasing Elder Ma, then looked at the weather phenomena continually forming around them as cold and warmth alternated. A hint of admiration flashed in his eyes.

Every region had its own conditions, and naturally gave rise to different styles of Soul Masters.

Jin Huang had already learned from the records that Soul Masters in Vast Sea City possessed astonishing methods and skills for controlling and recovering Soul Power when using Soul Skills.

Now he saw that the intelligence had not misled him.

If he could take that technique for controlling the battlefield by changing only the area within a few meters back to headquarters and let the geniuses there learn to use it, that would be a great contribution.

After all, many Soul Skills suffered from wasted Soul Power and excessive damage when used.

Using the smallest force to move the greatest lever—that was the hallmark of Vast Sea City.

"Bishop Xiunuo, your methods of controlling and recovering cold air are extraordinarily ingenious. I wonder what price I would have to pay to obtain a training manual for this technique from you." Jin Huang spoke with nothing but esteem for the skill.

Old Xiu Nuo did not answer. He merely looked at the man before him, who had opened his mouth and asked to trade for the secret technique of Vast Sea City's Ice Sea Cave Turtle lineage. An unfathomable chill pool lay in his eyes.

Yes, the gap between a Soul Douluo and a Soul Saint was enormous.

But Old Xiu Nuo did not believe this man could kill him and get away unscathed.

Besides, he, Bishop Xiunuo, had a modest reputation at Martial Soul Headquarters as well.

Seeing Bishop Xiunuo's expression grow increasingly grim, Jin Huang slapped his forehead and raised both hands in surrender. "Oh, you think I want to get it for free."

"I swear on the reputation and Martial Soul of the Golden Crocodile lineage that I, Jin Huang, will never resort to trickery or force to take what I want." Jin Huang took a book from the Storage Soul Tool he carried and placed it before Old Master Xiunuo. "Your Excellency, this is what I offer in exchange. You can read the first part first."

"I think that after you read it, you'll be willing to trade with me."

With that, Jin Huang stepped back several paces. He even sent Mu Tian'en, who should have made an excellent hostage, back to Old Master Xiunuo's side as a show of sincerity.

Seeing Mu Tian'en return to his side, Old Xiu Nuo's expression improved considerably.

He had seen Jin Huang's sincerity.

Old Xiu Nuo reached out and patted the head of Mu Tian'en, who could more or less understand what had happened. As the little fellow drew in his neck, cold air curled around Old Xiu Nuo's hand, drawing the book Jin Huang had placed before him into his grasp.

"On the Theory of Soul Power Amplification"...

This is a little interesting!

Old Xiu Nuo raised an eyebrow.

As a control-type Soul Master who controlled the battlefield through the environment, his greatest frustration was that the ice cave he created was neither strong enough nor large enough.

Otherwise, he would long since have killed those lords of the beast tides who were always stirring up the barely sentient Soul Beasts around them.

Every time, they relied on an endless stream of Sea Soul Beasts to wear down his strength and escape his grasp.

Moreover, this method would complement his own technique for precise Soul Power manipulation perfectly. Together, they could be called a Soul Master family's most closely guarded trump card.

And he's just offering it like that?

Bishop Xiunuo glanced at the middle-aged envoy, whose eyes showed not the slightest trace of guile, then silently opened the book in his hands.

With his Soul Power having reached the Soul Saint level, his Martial Soul, the Ice Sea Cave Turtle, had begun to make its first forays into spiritual power.

With the aid of his formidable spiritual power, he read ten lines at a glance.

In only a moment, Old Master Xiunuo closed the book.

His heart was beating noticeably faster.

His eyes shone as he looked at Jin Huang, a hint of delight in his gaze. "Envoy Jin, are you sure you want to trade this book with me?"

But neither of them noticed that, not far away, a giant crocodile covered in armor was silently watching everything from among the clouds.

From the very beginning, Jin Huang's arrival had been nothing more than a smokescreen, a signboard for outsiders to see.

Mu Tian'en was an exceptional prospect with Innate Full Soul Power and a top-tier Beast Martial Soul, a potential final disciple who might inherit Golden Crocodile Douluo's position as a pillar of Spirit Hall.

Golden Crocodile Douluo was bound to come in person!