Douluo Continent: I possess astonishing wisdom as I control energy!

Unconsciously, Kong Ming'an smiled slightly, a satisfied look appearing at the corner of his mouth. He opened his eyes, and then...

He was then met with a pair of icy blue eyes that were almost touching his face.

Xue Di appeared silently in front of him at some point, her exquisite face seemingly carrying a faint hint of inquiry and curiosity that she hadn't yet fully concealed. Her long, snow-white hair was naturally draped over her shoulders, and with the gentle breeze from the shore, it seemed about to brush against his face.

"Snow Emperor?"

Xue Di was taken aback, seemingly only then realizing that the two were too close. A barely perceptible ripple flashed across her icy face.

Taking a slight step back, Xue Di looked away, her voice as cold as ever: "It's nothing."

Kong Ming'an chuckled slightly at Xue Di's answer, but did not delve into it further.

He reached out and naturally grasped Xue Di's hand, his palm immediately feeling a cool, soft touch.

Naturally meeting those icy blue eyes, Kong Ming'an smiled and pulled Xue Di to her feet.

"Let's go."

As Kong Ming'an spoke, he raised his other free hand and slid open a gray undead demiplane door beside him. Then he led Xue Di into it.

This was a trip they had planned long ago, and their destination was Dragon City.

……

……

Dragon City, in the northern part of the Heavenly Soul Empire.

As a major town in the north, Longcheng has a rugged and imposing appearance, with buildings constructed of massive stones lining the streets.

Meanwhile, within Dragon City, at the Mingmeng Merchant Guild's headquarters, a spatial portal quietly opened, and Kong Ming'an and Xue Di stepped out together.

Chapter 72 The Myriad-Year-Old Profound Ice Marrow and the Gradually Perfecting System

Over the past month, not only has the Snow Empress's injuries recovered under the nourishment of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, but the situation on the mainland has also been changing.

The alliance between the Mingmeng Chamber of Commerce, the Body Sect, and the Heavenly Soul Empire was fully revealed, triggering a series of chain reactions.

For example, all the probing attacks, big and small, against the Mingmeng Chamber of Commerce vanished overnight, and their business across the Douluo Three Kingdoms began to run smoothly and without obstacles.

For example, many sects that had initially received invitations from the Mingmeng Chamber of Commerce but had been hesitant suddenly made up their minds, either starting to discuss cooperation with the Mingmeng Chamber of Commerce or simply joining it directly.

This directly caused the Mingmeng Chamber of Commerce's power to expand wildly like a snowball.

Among the many sects that chose to establish a trading relationship with the Mingmeng Chamber of Commerce, the Earth Dragon Sect was one of them.

Kong Ming'an's purpose in this trip was the cold spring in the Earth Dragon Gate, or rather, the ten-thousand-year-old Xuanbing Cave in the cold spring.

Without alerting anyone, the two went directly to the ancient well in the backyard of the Earth Dragon Gate.

The moment she landed, feeling the chilling aura emanating from the well, Xue Di's eyes involuntarily brightened slightly.

She sensed an exceptionally pure and extremely cold aura, and its location was right below the wellhead!

Without a word, Kongming An pulled Xue Di into the well.

Enveloping his body in soul power, Kong Ming'an not only isolated himself from the surrounding spring water but also from the surrounding chill. However, the deeper he went, the lower the temperature became, and thick frost began to form around him.

Kong Ming'an unconsciously exhaled a breath of cold air, preparing to intervene, but the next moment, Xue Di released his grip, embraced his waist, and pulled him into her arms.

Kong Ming'an: "???"

Kong Ming'an glanced at the Snow Empress, whose gaze remained cold and aloof. Then, a layer of condensed, supremely refined ice and snow soul power enveloped them, isolating them from the external cold.

Kong Ming'an was silent for a moment.

Actually, if he were to become an elemental being, he could most likely ignore the cold here, but...

Looking at Xue Di's nonchalant expression, her profile focused solely on resisting the cold.

Forget it, so be it.

The two continued their journey, passing through the undercurrents at the bottom of the well, and entered a much larger underground space.

The surrounding rock walls were no longer ordinary stones, but had taken on a deep blue hue and exuded an astonishing chill.

"Ten Thousand Years of Mysterious Ice Cave"

Xue Di looked around at the scene, her voice tinged with complexity.

If she only had some guesses and doubts at the beginning, she is now basically certain that there is a ten-thousand-year-old ice cave here!

And within the Ten Thousand Years of Mysterious Ice Cave, there must be Ten Thousand Years of Mysterious Ice Marrow!

Xue Di fell silent for a moment, then looked up at Kong Ming'an, whose eyes were gleaming with a faint blue light as he surveyed the surroundings. She unconsciously pursed her lips.

She hadn't forgotten what Kong Ming'an had told her before this trip.

"We're going there this time to repair your fundamental nature."

Shouldn't it be.

"Snow Empress, please help me remove all these 'Ice Extreme Divine Crystals'."

Kong Ming'an's voice rang in her ear, and Xue Di paused slightly, coming back to her senses.

With a slight nod, the Snow Empress waved her slender hand, and her extremely cold soul power spread out. Instantly, the incredibly hard ice crystals embedded in the cave walls seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, peeling away from the rock face.

Kong Ming'an casually pulled open a small demiplane door and stored all the Ice Extreme God Crystals in the demiplane's internal warehouse, intending to study and utilize them later.

After collecting the Ice Extreme God Crystal, the two continued deeper into the cave.

At a certain moment, Kong Ming'an suddenly felt the pressure on his body decrease, and he and Xue Di fell into a more secluded small cave.

As soon as they landed, an indescribable yet extremely pure and cold aura rushed towards them!

Looking up, one sees dozens of white crystal pillars growing in the cave, as clear and translucent as stalactites, with liquid flowing inside.

"As expected. The Myriad-Year Profound Ice Marrow."

Xue Di's eyes were filled with complex emotions, and her expression changed unusually.

For an ice-attribute soul beast like her, the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow is the most top-tier natural treasure!

Without a doubt, if she absorbs it, she will not only be able to restore her original source, but she will also be able to withstand the 700,000-year heavenly tribulation, or even the 800,000-year heavenly tribulation, without any problems!

Looking at the strands of ten-thousand-year-old Xuanbing marrow in front of her, the Snow Empress was slightly lost in thought, but Kong Ming'an was obviously more decisive. He raised his hand, and the power of space transformed into thin lines, directly cutting off all the ten-thousand-year-old Xuanbing marrow, and then pushed it in front of the Snow Empress.

"Start absorbing. This should be enough to replenish your essence, right?"

"..."

The Snow Empress gazed at the strands of ten-thousand-year-old Xuanbing marrow before her, her eyes momentarily lost in thought. Turning her head to look at Kong Ming'an, she couldn't help but ask:

Do you know the value of this Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Mystic Ice Marrow?

"I know," Kong Ming said calmly.

"Then give it back to me?" Xue Di asked, her tone full of confusion.

"Any questions?"

"You...are you willing to do that?"

Kong Ming'an glanced at Xue Di with a strange expression, his tone so matter-of-fact.

"Why would I be reluctant to let you go?"

"..."

Xue Di paused, her icy blue eyes fixed on him, as if trying to see something in his eyes. However, in the end, it was her eyes that first stirred with emotion, and she unconsciously looked away.

A complex silence fell over everything. Xue Di didn't reply to Kong Ming'an's words, but simply nodded slightly, then sat down cross-legged.

With a slight thought, the strands of ancient, mysterious ice marrow in front of her were drawn together and slowly floated to her side.

Subsequently, the extremely pure and cold energy from the Myriad Years of Profound Ice Marrow began to flow into her body, repairing her essence that had been damaged by the Heavenly Tribulation.

Kong Ming'an watched calmly from the side, while simultaneously continuing to deduce the next step of "elementalization": solidification of form and anchoring of state.

To fixate on and maintain a temporary elemental form indefinitely, requiring the user to expend only the minimal energy needed to transform, is not a difficult step.

The above effect can be achieved with just a sufficiently "stable" anchor point.

Regarding the selection of anchor points

Kong Ming'an determined the best anchor point very early on.

A spirit ring! Or rather, the seventh spirit ring, the True Form of the Martial Soul!

Whether it's "magic cultivation" or "body cultivation," both are essentially derived from the traditional Soul Master system. Although there are differences, they also share many similarities.

For example, for traditional Soul Masters, the seventh ring of their Martial Soul True Form is a qualitative change, and for "Magic Cultivators" and "Body Cultivators," the seventh ring will also be a qualitative change!

"According to calculations, the seventh-ring 'Dharma Cultivator' will master 'Elementalization,' enhancing elemental resonance, the power of soul skills, and their ability to survive."

"The seventh stage of Body Cultivation involves mastering the 'Transformation of Qi and Blood,' which grants control over the power of Qi and blood, enabling one to regenerate from a drop of blood and ensure that the body remains indestructible as long as Qi and blood are exhausted."

By this point, the two systems he had created had begun to be gradually perfected.

Chapter 73 Snow Empress: You wouldn't be thinking of kidnapping Ice Empress, would you?

Just as Kong Ming'an was becoming increasingly clear about his future path, the Snow Empress had also finished absorbing the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow.

The whole process didn't take too long; Xue Di finished absorbing it in just two hours.

When she opened her eyes again, Xue Di's aura had undergone a complete transformation.

The already incredibly solid and substantial soul power almost materialized at this moment, radiating waves of heavy pressure, and it became even more solidified as time went on.

Snow Empress slowly exhaled a breath of cold air. At this moment, she felt as if a layer of shackles had been removed from her body, and a long-lost sense of ease welled up in her heart, making her feel inexplicably relaxed.

The restoration of her original essence was not something that could be achieved overnight, but the Myriad-Year Profound Ice Marrow was simply too suitable for a pure ice elemental being like her.

Having only undergone initial absorption, and with a considerable amount of energy remaining from the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow within her body, her essence was already largely healed. Furthermore, with the passage of time, her essence would undoubtedly be fully restored, propelling her to an even higher level.

At that time, she will have no chance of failing when facing the 700,000-year heavenly tribulation, and even the 800,000-year heavenly tribulation will not be a problem!

Is that all?

The thing I've been worried about for so long has been resolved just like that?

Xue Di fell silent for a moment, looking at the ever-calm boy with mixed feelings, unsure of what to say.

Kong Ming'an didn't notice the Snow Empress's complicated expression; instead, his attention was focused on the remaining vast amount of Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow in front of him.

Unlike in the original story where the Snow Empress absorbed thirteen soul cores and sealed seven at once, this time she only absorbed eight to recover the damage to her origin caused by the heavenly tribulation and the failure to condense her soul core.

Is it because it didn't self-destruct like in the original work, leaving only a trace of its original essence, that it was relatively easy to recover?

Kong Ming'an looked thoughtfully at the remaining thirty-seven strands of Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow before him. After a brief pause, he asked directly:

"If we want to restore the Ice Emperor's original injuries and enable her to successfully survive the 400,000-year Heavenly Tribulation, how many 10,000-year-old Profound Ice Marrows would be needed?"

Xue Di paused for a moment, seemingly thinking of something, and looked at Kong Ming'an with strange eyes. But after a moment, she secretly estimated in her mind and gave a number.

"Bing'er's injuries aren't too severe. To help her recover and survive the 400,000-year Heavenly Tribulation, it would likely require three to five 10,000-year-old Profound Ice Marrows."

"Is this so"

Kong Ming'an murmured softly, but his hands didn't pause much. With a casual flick of his wrist, he separated thirty of the thirty-seven strands of Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow in front of him and placed them in front of the Snow Emperor.

"Take these Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Mystic Ice Marrows."

Xue Di fell completely silent.

She stared at the thirty strands of ten-thousand-year-old Xuanbing marrow before her, her mind momentarily in a daze.

She didn't respond to Kong Ming'an, remaining silent for a long while, before suddenly raising her head, her icy blue eyes staring directly at him, and asking directly:

"You...you didn't actually want me to help you bring Hyotei back from the very beginning, did you?"

"Ok?"

I had planned this before?

……

……

"These thirty strands of Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Profound Ice Marrow, the portion for healing the Ice Emperor's essence, was stipulated in our contract, and is intended to solve the Ice Emperor's problem of surviving the Four-Hundred-Thousand-Year Heavenly Tribulation."

"The rest is for you to absorb, to accumulate energy, and to wait for me to condense a soul core for you later."