Within Zhu Ziyang's spiritual sea, he and Electrolux stood before a pure white pearl. This pearl was the soul of Xue Di.
"Teacher, wake her up," Zhu Ziyang said calmly.
"Very well." Electrolux nodded, raising his hand. He waved lightly over the soul pearl, and it began to tremble. Watching this, Electrolux said blandly, "No need to pretend. Since you're awake, come out."
The trembling grew more intense until, under Zhu Ziyang's gaze, the pearl shattered, transforming into an ethereal woman. She wore a long dress, her silver hair flowing to her feet. Her gaze was indifferent, her expression cold, as she silently looked at Zhu Ziyang and Electrolux. There was no doubt – she was the Snow Empress.
Zhu Ziyang was surprised. He had expected her to lash out furiously upon awakening, but she remained calm. That saved him trouble; at least he wouldn't have to subdue her first. Clearly, she understood her situation left her no room for recklessness.
"Despicable humans, what do you want?" Though she had resigned herself inwardly, her pride wouldn't let her yield so easily. "You've stolen my cultivation, imprisoned my soul – what more do you want?"
"Greetings, Snow Empress. As your future partner, I think introductions are in order," Zhu Ziyang said with a smile, ignoring her hostility. "I am Zhu Ziyang, fifteen years old, a peerless genius with both Ultimate Light and Ultimate Ice. This is my teacher, Electrolux – the Death God Holy Magister from another world."
"God?!" A flicker of shock appeared in Xue Di's eyes. After all, she had chosen to abandon her soul beast form and become human precisely to pursue godhood.
"The Soul Spirit system – your current state – is something my teacher created. It allows soul beasts and soul masters to coexist in symbiosis. You can sense it, can't you?" Zhu Ziyang continued calmly. "This means that if I become a god, you will ascend with me. Isn't that what you desire most?"
His words were half true, half hopeful. He didn't know if he would truly reach godhood; gods were far beyond reach. But it was his only bargaining chip. After all, with her cultivation of 700,000 years, Xue Di would never have needed to transform if the world's laws weren't so cruel to soul beasts. Her ultimate goal in becoming human was to become a god.
Now, Zhu Ziyang told her that by becoming his soul spirit, she could reach that goal without effort if he succeeded. He didn't believe she would remain unmoved.
"How can I trust you?" Sure enough, her gaze softened slightly, tinged with yearning. "How can I believe you will become a god? This world may favor humans, but transcending mortality isn't so simple."
"I have great confidence in myself," Zhu Ziyang replied with a calm smile. He wanted to mention the god who had shown interest in him but couldn't reveal that. So instead, he spoke of his talent. "Have you ever seen a human with two Ultimate attributes? And I'm only fifteen. I'm confident I'll reach Title Douluo before I'm thirty, leaving me ample time to seek the path of gods."
"Your talent is indeed extraordinary." Xue Di fell silent, then said, "But that alone isn't enough. Many humans have talent, yet only a handful have become gods. I need another guarantee."
Her gaze shifted to Electrolux, clearly seeking his promise. "You're powerful. To create something like the soul spirit system that changes world laws… you are the strongest human I've ever seen."
"Hehe, clever little girl." Electrolux smiled faintly. "Your worry is simply that Ziyang might fail to gain a god's favor. But fear not. If he doesn't obtain a divine seat by fifty, I will have him create his own."
"!" Both Zhu Ziyang and Xue Di stared at him in shock. For the first time, Zhu Ziyang heard his teacher's expectations for him. He felt deeply moved – and slightly indignant. Does Teacher think so little of me? I'll show him!
"Haha, of course, that's only the worst-case scenario." Electrolux laughed heartily. "Unless all the gods are blind, with Ziyang's talent, he will not remain mortal. And if they truly are blind, then we shall forge our own divine seat. Gods? To me, the Death God Holy Magister, they are nothing. If needed, we'll storm the God Realm itself!"
His arrogance left even the proud Snow Empress silently awed. Zhu Ziyang felt his blood boil with passion. He recalled the words Electrolux spoke when they first met:
"With sun and moon in hand and stars at my fingertips, there exists none like me in this world!"
How fitting they were.
"I admit… you have convinced me," Xue Di finally lowered her proud head. "I am willing to become your soul spirit. But know this – if you ever abandon your pursuit of godhood, or lose yourself in worldly pleasures and stop advancing, I will not hesitate to destroy myself."
It was both a threat and a form of motivation. Zhu Ziyang immediately replied, "You can rest assured – that day will never come."
He glanced helplessly at Electrolux, who returned the look with equal helplessness. Neither had expected Xue Di to discover the soul spirit system's hidden flaw so quickly.
Although Electrolux had designed the system, it belonged to the world's laws now, beyond his control. It had self-corrected, creating limitations to balance the bond. The stronger the soul beast, the more autonomy its soul spirit retained. For Xue Di, with her 700,000-year cultivation, it meant she kept most of her power and even held control over her soul rings equal to Zhu Ziyang.
Practically speaking, the four crimson-gold soul rings could be seen as hers or his. Normally they would function under Zhu Ziyang's command, but if their relationship broke down, she could destroy them, causing him to lose four entire soul ring slots and potentially drop four major realms in cultivation.
This was the world's way of balancing the system, ensuring soul spirits were not mere tools. Perhaps it would evolve further in the future, but for now, this was its limit. Neither master nor teacher had foreseen it.
"I believe you." Xue Di looked deeply into Zhu Ziyang's eyes. "Release my body. Let the Snow Empress soul spirit truly descend."
"Alright." A brilliant smile spread across his face as he summoned the soul spirit embryo from his crimson-gold soul ring.
The moment it appeared, Xue Di felt an intense attraction and familiarity. This embryo was… complicated to her.
It was her new body, about to merge with her and hold most of her cultivation. But in a way, it was also her child, born from her blood and origin. If that's true… doesn't it mean I'm giving birth to myself…
Her pale cheeks flushed faintly at the thought. Without hesitation, she stepped into the embryo.
As her soul merged with it, the final step of soul spirit creation was complete. A faint divine light radiated from the embryo as it began to transform. A thin eggshell formed around it, and the embryo became a pure white egg.
"..." Zhu Ziyang stared blankly at the egg, speechless.
"Haha, looks like we'll have to wait a bit longer," Electrolux laughed joyfully. "That's good – it ensures no flaws remain."
"Sigh…" Zhu Ziyang sighed in resignation. He had hoped to gain her powers immediately, but now he would have to wait. Hopefully this is just a special case for the first soul spirit. If all future soul spirits are like this, we'll need to refine the system further…
Cough, thinking too far ahead. He placed the egg on the spiritual island within his spiritual sea, next to the Silver Dragon Wolf's soul crystal, his eyes falling on the shimmering crystal thoughtfully.
Once the Silver Dragon Wolf awakens, will I have my second soul spirit?