Hearing this, Shu Yan showed a hint of surprise.
In seven years, advancing from a Level 75 Soul Sage to a Level 94 Titled Douluo—nearly a twenty-level leap in soul power, and during the later stages of cultivation at that—was undoubtedly an astonishing and terrifying rate of progress.
Noticing Shu Yan's surprised expression, Xu Jiujiu reached out and pinched his cheek, then said with a smile,
"The Starlight Valley accumulated the power of starlight for thousands of years, and my ancestor absorbed more than half of it in a single attempt. If she were able to completely devour all that starlight energy, becoming a Super Douluo in one leap wouldn't be difficult."
"After all, the Star Crown martial soul can only cultivate by absorbing the power of the stars or starlight. In essence, these two energies come from the same source—the cosmos. They're both derived from the starry sky, but because they differ slightly after reaching the mortal world, they ended up with two different names."
As she spoke, Xu Jiujiu seemed a little sentimental.
Her azure eyes shimmered faintly with golden light, like a vast ocean—captivating to behold.
To be honest, Shu Yan had always liked Xu Jiujiu's eyes. He felt that way from the very first time they met. Even now, whenever his feelings stirred, he still enjoyed gently kissing her eyes and watching her shyly struggle to suppress the fluttering emotions in her heart.
Of course, Shu Yan was the type who acted on what he thought.
The consequence of that was Xu Jiujiu becoming both embarrassed and angry—after which she rewarded him with a "treat" he was very familiar with: a playful but firm beating.
…
After a while, Xu Jiujiu finally regained her composure. She toyed with Shu Yan using a strand of her golden hair, cleared her throat, and continued,
"Even now, Starlight Valley remains the ancestral land of the Star Crown Sect. Many elders and clan members still live there."
"However, aside from the starlight being slightly denser at night, there's nothing particularly special about it anymore."
"Regarding the theory of martial soul evolution, the sect has actually conducted research on it. The reason the Star Crown martial soul is so powerful lies in its unique starlight energy. That energy comes from the cosmos, so many deceased elders believed that the starry sky itself represents the evolved form of the Star Crown martial soul. In a way, it's like tracing our power back to its origin."
Shu Yan nodded. Holding Xu Jiujiu's hand, he said softly,
"No matter what, we'll know once we try it in a while. After we secure the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, the results will become clear."
Xu Jiujiu nodded and gently rubbed Shu Yan's brow.
Outside the barrier, a blizzard raged and icy winds howled. The Snow Empress and Ice Empress were hunting a hundred-thousand-year Void Predator. Yet inside the barrier, Shu Yan and Xu Jiujiu were enjoying each other's company—so comfortable that all they lacked was a grill and a relaxing barbecue.
And as always, Shu Yan was someone who acted on his thoughts.
…
When the two Ice Empresses returned carrying the unconscious Void Predator they had beaten senseless, they fell silent upon seeing the glowing red charcoal and the sizzling chicken wings dripping with oil.
The Ice Empress abruptly tossed the giant silver-white mantis onto the snow below and shouted resentfully,
"Shu Yan, you bastard! Xue'er and I worked so hard hunting a soul beast for you, and you're here comfortably grilling chicken wings—and they smell this good!"
As she spoke, she expanded the surrounding blue barrier slightly and rushed to the grill, grabbing a skewer of chicken wings Shu Yan had already seasoned.
The Snow Empress rubbed her forehead and sighed helplessly. But a moment later, the Ice Empress stuffed a skewer of chicken wings into her hand as well.
"This…"
The Snow Empress hesitated, then leaned closer and gently sniffed the aroma. Her beautiful, usually indifferent eyes suddenly lit up.
"Shu Yan…"
Shu Yan looked up. Seeing a faint smear of oil at the corner of the Snow Empress's lips, he was about to speak when she continued,
"Use more seasoning. After finishing these skewers, go absorb your soul ring. And remember—don't burn them."
Shu Yan: "…?"
…
After quite a bit of commotion, Shu Yan gave the grilling spot to Xu Jiujiu and followed the Snow Empress toward the enormous silver-white mantis.
The Razor Mantis—also known as the Void Predator—was an extremely rare and powerful soul beast with spatial attributes. Because this one lived in the Far North, it had also developed an ice attribute on top of its spatial abilities, making it extraordinarily powerful and rare. For Shu Yan to encounter such a creature was truly an incredible stroke of fortune.
A spear of ice pierced into the Razor Mantis's brain. Its massive body twitched a few times before finally going still.
"Earlier, it nearly escaped to the human world using spatial refraction. Fortunately, Bing'er's Everfrozen Domain trapped it at the last moment," the Snow Empress said.
"This creature's control over space is truly unpredictable—spatial phantoms, spatial folding, spatial transfer, spatial severing, spatial refraction… Even some Limit Douluos cannot perform these feats easily, yet this creature wielded them effortlessly. Luckily Bing'er and I fought together, or we might have made a fool of ourselves."
"After absorbing its soul ring, you should inherit most of its spatial abilities. Especially its soul bone—you must absorb it. If everything goes smoothly, you might even gain control over spatial power while still at the Soul Emperor stage. That would be an enormous advantage for you."
After reminding him, the Snow Empress stepped aside and casually took a chicken wing from the Ice Empress.
The two of them sat on reclining chairs that had appeared from who-knows-where. The Ice Empress lazily watched Shu Yan. Noticing the strange look in his eyes, she glared at him and snorted.
"I just finished fighting for half a day. Now I'm enjoying myself. Go absorb your soul ring. Since those chicken wings you grilled were pretty good, if something goes wrong later, I'll step in and save you."
Shu Yan rolled his eyes at her before sitting cross-legged on the ground.
Looking at the bright red soul ring before him, he took a deep breath and guided it toward himself with his soul power.
A vast surge of cold, violent energy rushed into his body. Shu Yan trembled slightly as his meridians instantly expanded to accommodate the overwhelming power. The terrifying energy surged through his entire body.
Soon, subtle changes appeared. His skin was coated with a faint silver glow, and the surrounding space even began to distort slightly. Yet from beginning to end, Shu Yan's aura remained stable, showing no signs of losing control under the immense impact.
Seeing this, the Ice Empress said in surprise,
"Shu Yan's physical strength is truly beyond imagination. The energy of a hundred-thousand-year soul ring barely affects him. That part isn't worrying anymore. But the soul shock might still be troublesome. His spiritual power is strong, but facing the Razor Mantis's lingering resentment…"
"Bing'er, you're overthinking it."
The Snow Empress rolled her eyes.
"Don't forget the one inside his Sea of Consciousness."
The Ice Empress suddenly understood and laughed.
"Then there's nothing for us to worry about. Woohoo! Xue'er, let's keep grilling. Shu Yan left so many ingredients—we can't leave even a bit for that little rascal!"
The Snow Empress helplessly rubbed the Ice Empress's head, a deep smile in her eyes as she looked up at the endless snow crashing against the barrier.
For once, she felt unusually relaxed.
…
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
The recently awakened Electrolux was staring directly at the resentful spirit of the hundred-thousand-year Razor Mantis.
Seemingly realizing what had happened, Electrolux ignored the creature's overwhelming terror. He gently patted its head and spoke kindly,
"I happen to be lacking a pet. Why don't you stay here? What do you think—any objections?"
As he spoke, an overwhelmingly terrifying soul pressure descended upon the mantis's spirit.
The Razor Mantis wailed once before lowering its head obediently, as docile as a little puppy.
You guys have no idea what I just went through.
I was just killed today and planned to take revenge. But when I entered that guy's Sea of Consciousness, I ran into someone even more terrifying than the two women outside.
And he wants to keep me as a pet to pass the time.
I'm a dignified hundred-thousand-year Razor Mantis—the king of soul beasts known as the Void Predator! How could I possibly surrender and become a pet so easily…
So I decisively chose to become his dog.
After all… staying alive isn't shameful.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at patreon.com/c/Xentronix