Upon hearing this, the Snow Empress seemed lost in thought as she stared at the massive Rebirth Ice Lotus. After a long silence, she unexpectedly shook her head.
"What's wrong?"
Su Yu looked at her with confusion.
The Snow Empress pursed her lips and smiled lightly, saying, "I feel it's not yet the right time to consume this lotus seed."
"Why not?"
Su Yu asked in puzzlement. "I brought you here specifically for this."
The Snow Empress wrapped her arm around Su Yu's and chuckled. "Of course, I know you brought me here for this, but after thinking it through carefully, I believe it's not the best time yet."
"For the past month, under the pressure of the Ice God's radiance, I feel that the effects of the Ice Cold Dew and the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass I consumed haven't been fully absorbed yet. If I consume the Rebirth Ice Lotus seed now, it might cause a clash of medicinal effects, leading to waste. I think it's better to wait until all the medicinal power in my body has been fully absorbed before consuming the lotus seed. That way, its effects can be maximized."
Hearing the Snow Empress's reasoning, Su Yu's face showed a look of realization.
Thinking about it carefully, she was right.
The power of immortal herbs lingers within the body, gradually improving one's constitution over time. Generally, the absorption period is quite long. However, under the pressure of the Ice God's radiance, the Snow Empress's absorption rate had been greatly accelerated. It was even possible that she could fully assimilate the power of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass before completing the first trial. At that point, consuming the Rebirth Ice Lotus seed would ensure no waste of its effects.
Su Yu hadn't noticed this because his physical body was far too strong, and the current pressure was far from reaching his limits. After all, what troubled Su Yu was the pain, not the physical pressure.
"So, does that mean I brought you here for nothing?"
Su Yu smiled wryly.
"Not at all. Now that we know this treasure is here, we can always come back for it later."
The Snow Empress glanced at Shui Lingguang and added, "Besides, someone else happens to need it now, doesn't she? If she gets stronger, wouldn't you also stand to gain?"
"What do you mean by 'I stand to gain'?"
Su Yu widened his eyes.
"Don't play dumb. You think I can't see through you?"
The Snow Empress snorted softly.
Her tone made Su Yu's mouth twitch. "Little Snow, this isn't my fault. It's all the Ice God's doing."
The Snow Empress rolled her eyes at him. "I never said it was your fault. And I never said I objected, did I? Your romantic entanglements aren't something I can or will control. It's not like I'm some kind of supreme overlord."
"Besides, even if a supreme overlord forbade you, wouldn't you still go ahead and do it anyway? Just don't go around picking up random trash, okay?"
"Oh, and one more thing…"
The Snow Empress's expression turned quirky. "Can you stop badmouthing the Ice God in the future? You know she's petty, yet you keep poking at her sore spots every day. No wonder she's making things difficult for you."
Su Yu sneered, "You think I'm afraid of her? A mere ten-thousand-year-old sad virgin—why would I, the Young Master, fear her? Sooner or later, I'll capture her and teach her a proper lesson."
Such audacious words made the Snow Empress's mouth twitch. Nearby, Mu Wu lowered his head, pretending he hadn't heard a thing.
High above, in the heavens, a certain prideful goddess was gritting her teeth in fury, her beautiful eyes practically spitting fire.
"Teach this goddess a lesson?"
"Heh… heh heh heh…"
In the icy-blue palace, a strange and ominous laughter echoed.
Inside the hall, Su Yu glanced at Shui Lingguang, who was currently refining the lotus seed. Then, he turned his gaze back to Mu Wu.
"How's the progress on condensing the Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Core?"
Mu Wu replied, "The results are promising, but they still require further exploration."
Su Yu shook his head. "It's been nearly a year, and you're still exploring? I've already given you the key insights, yet you still haven't succeeded. This is no longer just about insufficient understanding."
"What does the Young Master mean?"
Mu Wu asked curiously.
Su Yu clasped his hands behind his back and said calmly, "The Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Core places extremely high demands on the physical constitution. Do you know why the Beast God Di Tian was able to succeed?"
Mu Wu speculated, "Is it because he's a True Dragon with a powerful body?"
Su Yu snapped his fingers. "Exactly. One major reason for Di Tian's success was his True Dragon physique. A strong body is the foundation for condensing the Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Core. Your body is already very strong, and it should barely meet the requirements. But it seems it's still not strong enough, which is why you're encountering such difficulties."
As he spoke, Su Yu waved his right hand, and a jade box appeared before him.
"This contains the essence of the immortal herb, the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. This herb is neutral and can temper the body to near indestructibility. Though that description might be exaggerated, its effects are still remarkable. The essence of this ten-thousand-year immortal herb surpasses ordinary Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemums and should be of great help to you."
Handing over the jade box, Su Yu said, "Take it. Don't disappoint me."
Mu Wu's sturdy frame trembled. He looked at the jade box in Su Yu's hand, his expression complicated. But soon, he steadied himself, stood tall, and spoke with a firm and resolute voice.
"Rest assured, Young Master. I will not let you down."
Taking the jade box, Mu Wu straightened his back, his towering and muscular figure exuding an intimidating presence.
Su Yu smiled faintly and gestured for him to proceed.
Mu Wu bowed, then moved to the side and began consuming the immortal herb essence.
The Snow Empress clung to Su Yu's arm, half-leaning against him. Her beautiful eyes grew serious as she said, "It seems this Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Core is even more challenging than we imagined."
She was well-acquainted with Mu Wu. His strength was formidable, and his allocation of soul rings and soul bones was astonishing. Mu Wu possessed at least three hundred-thousand-year soul bones and three hundred-thousand-year soul rings, in addition to the True Dragon martial soul, Baxia.
At the same level, there were almost no individuals whose physical constitution could compare to Mu Wu's.
Yet even someone as powerful as Mu Wu was finding it difficult to condense the Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Core. This made the Snow Empress more cautious. After all, with her pride, she would undoubtedly choose the Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Core when she reached the Ultimate Douluo level.
At that time, the difficulties Mu Wu faced would likely also appear for her.
Su Yu shrugged and said, "If Yin-Yang complementarity were simple, then it wouldn't be the case that no one in the human world has ever succeeded."
"It's precisely because it's powerful enough that the requirements are so stringent."
"But you don't need to worry. Your physical strength far exceeds the requirements—just think about your conditions."
The Snow Empress had already consumed the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Cold Ice Dew. In the future, she would also eat the Rebirth Ice Lotus Seeds.
In addition, she would eventually possess at least six soul bones of ferocious beast-grade quality.
With these conditions, it was even more outrageous than Huo Yuhao in the original story. Yin-Yang complementarity would not be a challenge for her.
As for himself, there was even less to worry about. With the power of the Dragon God flowing through him, he was destined to be a physical monster.
When it came to physical strength, he truly feared no one.
Hearing Su Yu's words, the Snow Empress thought for a moment and felt reassured.
Su Yu was right. With her current conditions, it truly seemed like there was nothing to worry about.
A life lived with cheats needs no explanation.
Time passed slowly.
During the interim, Su Yu had Bing Qing stay behind to watch over things while he and the Snow Empress took some time to have a meal.
When they returned, Shui Lingguang and Mu Wu were still in the process of refining.
Around 9 p.m., Mu Wu woke up. After having initially refined the essence of the Singular Velvet Sjy Chrysanthemum, he had made significant progress.
As long as he fully absorbed the medicinal power, physical issues would no longer trouble him.
Mu Wu quietly walked to Su Yu's side and stood guard like a towering sentinel.
"Young Master, why don't you two head back first? Once Lingguang wakes up, I'll notify you," Mu Wu suggested.
Su Yu shook his head and said, "No need. Her lineage has waited for me for tens of thousands of years; waiting a few hours for her is nothing."
Hearing this, Mu Wu no longer tried to persuade him.
Time passed slowly, and to Su Yu's surprise, Shui Lingguang required an unexpectedly long time.
It wasn't until the morning of the third day that movement finally came from Shui Lingguang, who had been silent all this time.
A brilliant ice-blue light shone as an immense chill erupted from Shui Lingguang's body. Behind her, a phoenix's shadow appeared.
"Chirp!"
A loud, high-pitched phoenix cry rang out. Six black and three red soul rings glowed brilliantly, and an aura of extreme ice spread throughout the area. The ground was instantly covered in layers of ice.
Bing Qing immediately backed away. As a Super Douluo, even she felt the chill from this icy aura.
Su Yu shielded her behind him, spreading his black-and-white domain two meters around them to block the cold.
"Ultimate Ice?"
The pervasive aura of extreme cold was immediately recognized by the Snow Empress. There was no mistaking it—this was Ultimate Ice.
"As expected. If Xiaotao could break through to Ultimate Fire by consuming the fiery jelly and leaves of the Blazing Delicate Apricot, there's no reason Lingguang couldn't break through to Ultimate Ice," Su Yu said calmly, showing no surprise.
"In terms of martial soul quality, Lingguang's Ice Phoenix martial soul is far superior to Xiao Tao's former Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul."
"And the Rebirth Ice Lotus Seeds are in a completely different class from the fiery jelly of the Blazing Delicate Apricot."
The Snow Empress chuckled and quipped, "An Ice Phoenix and a Fire Phoenix—one ice, one fire. You've managed to gather two ultimate martial souls."
Su Yu smiled and said, "You're right, Little Snow. Do you think Lingguang and Xiaotao could have a martial soul fusion skill? After all, both are phoenix martial souls, with similar origins, and now both are pure ultimate versions."
The Snow Empress shook her head. "It's unlikely. The conflict between Ultimate Ice and Ultimate Fire is too great—ice and fire are inherently incompatible."
"Moreover, the gap in strength between Ma Xiaotao and Shui Lingguang is far too wide. The chances are slim."
"That's true. But it doesn't hurt to try; what if it works?" Su Yu said with a grin.
The Snow Empress rolled her eyes at him. This guy always had some whimsical ideas.
"Chirp!"
Another phoenix cry rang out, and a noble, majestic pressure swept through the area.
The phoenix was already a divine beast, but now, having evolved into a pure-blooded divine beast, the Ice Phoenix was incomparably powerful.
Even compared to Mu Wu's Baxia martial soul, it was not the slightest bit inferior.