Chapter 238: 257. Two Years
"I haven't even told you my purpose yet, and you're already jumping to conclusions," the great scorpion said impatiently, waving her pincers. Then, in a flash of icy light, she transformed into a twin-tailed loli and appeared before Shui Bing'er. The little girl tilted Shui Bing'er's chin up with one finger, smiling faintly. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is the Ice Emperor, not just the Ice Jade Scorpion you're imagining, but the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion."
"Mm-hmm." She sensed Shui Bing'er's fear and chuckled softly. "No need to be afraid. The reason I brought you here is not to harm you, but to grant you a great opportunity—the greatest fortune of the Extreme North."
"Grant me a fortune?" Shui Bing'er repeated quietly.
The Ice Emperor crossed her arms. "Your spirit is the Ice Phoenix—powerful, yes, but still far from the true essence of ultimate ice."
"Ultimate… ice?" Shui Bing'er blinked in confusion.
"What? You don't know what that is?" the Ice Emperor sighed. She raised her palm, releasing an aura of bone-chilling cold that filled the entire palace.
It was the most extreme frost Shui Bing'er had ever felt. Her Ice Phoenix's aura was nothing compared to this—it was like a flickering firefly before the brilliance of the full moon.
The blizzard-like chill vanished as quickly as it came. The Ice Emperor lowered her hand and asked, "So? Would you like to evolve your Ice Phoenix into a spirit of ultimate ice?"
"Senior… what should I do?" Shui Bing'er asked nervously.
"If you truly desire it, then come with me."
After that day, Shui Bing'er disappeared from the Extreme North entirely. The Shui family searched alongside other elemental clans for months but found no trace of her, eventually concluding that she had perished in the frozen wilderness.
However, two years later, Shui Bing'er returned. When she emerged from the Extreme North, she had already reached the Spirit King realm—and her martial spirit had undergone complete evolution into the Ice Phoenix of Ultimate Ice.
Meanwhile, at the Gale Cliff—an eternal storm zone, the perfect training ground for wind-type spirit masters—Feng Xiaotian was practicing his self-created spirit skill.
Slash marks covered the canyon walls from countless training sessions.
At last, as his "Thirty-Six Consecutive Slashes of the Wind Demon Wolf" reached perfection, Feng Xiaotian laughed aloud. "Hahaha, success! The thirty-sixth slash! Once Huo Wu learns that I've mastered this, she'll definitely look at me differently—and finally fall for me!"
Overjoyed, he turned to leave when a voice called out from behind him:
"Hey, little brother, don't go yet."
Feng turned around, frowning. A shabby old man stood there, his appearance no better than that of a beggar. The old man looked him up and down, then exclaimed, "Well, I'll be damned! Amazing!" He placed a hand on Feng Xiaotian's head and said, "Did you know a beam of light just shot out from your crown chakra?"
Feng's face twitched. He tried to knock the old man's hand away, but no matter how hard he pushed, that wrinkled hand didn't budge an inch.
Realizing the man was no ordinary person, Feng Xiaotian suppressed his irritation and decided to see what the stranger wanted.
The old man finally withdrew his hand, clapped his own palms together, and pinched his fingers as if checking energy flow. "So young, yet capable of creating your own spirit skill," he said admiringly. "A talent like this comes once every hundred years. If one day you reach enlightenment, you'll soar into the heavens! As the saying goes, 'If I don't go to hell, who will?' Now, the task of upholding justice and protecting the peace of Douluo Continent—I entrust it to you, boy."
Feng Xiaotian stared at him. "…What a lunatic."
Then the old man pulled two manuals from his tattered robe. "You've mastered the first thirty-six slashes of the Wind Demon Wolf. That was merely the beginner's section. This book—'Seventy-Two Slashes of the Wind Demon Wolf'—is the middle volume. And this one—'One Hundred and Eight Slashes'—the final volume. Since fate has brought us together, I'll give you both—ten gold soul coins apiece."
Feng Xiaotian was speechless. The thirty-six slash technique was my invention! Where the hell did this old man get a "middle" and "final" volume—and the nerve to sell them?
Still, ten gold coins weren't much to him. Smiling awkwardly, Feng Xiaotian paid up and said, "Fine, take these ten coins. Consider it my way of humoring you, old man."
The old man took the coins, handed him one of the manuals, and walked off without another word.
Feng Xiaotian watched him go, shaking his head. "What a weirdo. 'Maintain the peace of Douluo Continent,' huh? Sure thing. Let's see what nonsense you scammed me with, old man."
Opening the book out of idle curiosity, Feng Xiaotian began reading—and his expression changed rapidly as he went on.
Moments later, he dashed back to the canyon and began practicing the moves exactly as written.
One strike, then another—each stronger, faster, smoother. The new techniques flowed perfectly into his original thirty-six slashes, forming one complete set as though they'd always been part of the same system. The "Seventy-Two Slashes" merged seamlessly with his foundation.
Panting in disbelief, Feng Xiaotian murmured, "I only bought the middle volume… that means there's still a final volume—another thirty-six techniques!" He sprinted back toward the exit, trying to find the old man. But the mysterious figure had vanished.
As the Xinghuo Academy officially gained qualification for the tournament, and Godwind Academy and Blazing Academy merged to become a single entity, the entire continent buzzed with tension. Every faction was pouring resources into the coming battle for the Spirit Hall's legendary hundred-thousand-year spirit bone.
And Tang San?
Two years passed quietly. During that time, his relationship with Xiao Wu returned to the days of Nuoding Academy—intimate, gentle, full of companionship. They spent nearly every day together.
Tang San was thrilled to have Xiao Wu so close to him again, though he soon grew frustrated. For her sake, he'd drastically reduced his own training.
Whenever Xiao Wu wanted to go shopping, Tang San abandoned cultivation to accompany her through the streets.
Fortunately, thanks to his trade deal with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, money was no longer a concern. He could now proudly say he could meet all of Xiao Wu's needs—he had become, in effect, the perfect ATM.
At first, Tang San didn't realize this problem. But as the months turned into two years, he began to notice something alarming—his power was no longer keeping pace with that of his teammates.
(END CHAPTER)
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