"Heh heh, while that's true, it's always better to be cautious—better safe than sorry," said the ice spirit dragon with a laugh.
"That does make some sense. All right, Spirit Bone, you can go in."
The two ice spirit dragons stepped aside, clearing the path. The ice spirit dragon named "Spirit Bone" glided forward, entering the territory.
"The Ice Spirit Dragon King is just too cautious. Is that necessary?" one of the guarding ice spirit dragons grumbled as it watched Spirit Bone head inside.
"It's better to be cautious—what if something unexpected happens? Besides, the Ice Spirit Dragon King gave the order, so we should just follow it," the other guarding Ice Spirit dragon replied.
"True..." The two ice spirit dragons muttered to each other, resuming their guard duties.
Meanwhile, Spirit Bone passed several more layers of defenses, eventually entering the heart of the Ice Spirit Dragon Clan's territory.
There was no doubt that the Ice Spirit Dragon Clan was an incredibly powerful group. Apart from the many hundred-thousand-year ice spirit dragons that had joined the attack on the Young Master and his companions, there were still plenty of ice spirit dragons within the territory. Some were newborns, while others were in their juvenile stages. However, the majority were ten-thousand-year ice spirit dragons. The sheer number of these ten-thousand-year ice sprit dragons was staggering—enough to leave anyone speechless.
Spirit Bone's apparent status was not low, as it passed through the territory unimpeded. It moved smoothly through the ice spirit dragon settlement and entered what was a forbidden area.
This place was empty, but the security was extremely tight. Three hundred-thousand-year ice spirit dragons and over twenty ten-thousand-year ice spirit dragons guarded the area. This lineup was enough to deter even an average Super Douluo from breaking in.
Behind the guards stood a massive stone pillar. Connected to the pillar was a large stone platform, tens of meters long. On the platform, an abundance of ice-blue crystals was piled up. These crystals were as clear as gemstones, radiating a brilliant, dazzling light.
Seeing the crystals, a gleam flashed in Spirit Bone's eyes.
"Spirit Bone, why are you back? How's the fight going up front?" one of the hundred-thousand-year ice spirit dragons greeted Spirit Bone with a laugh.
Spirit Bone raised its head slightly and replied, "Heh, don't even mention it. The battle up front is intense. This time, the young master seems to be pushing hard—so much so that even the Ice Spirit Dragon King is feeling the pressure."
"Oh?"
The hundred-thousand-year ice spirit dragon was visibly taken aback. "The young master is growing that quickly?"
"Of course. Why else would he be the young master? The Ice Spirit Dragon King said that in two more years, even he won't be a match for the young master," Spirit Bone declared seriously.
"That's amazing. The young master is truly extraordinary," another hundred-thousand-year ice spirit dragon marveled.
"By the way, Spirit Bone, why did you come back? Is the front line in trouble?"
"That shouldn't be the case. We have so many powerful beings holding the line. No matter how strong the young master is, there's no way he can take on so many at once, right?"
Most of those ice dragons were at the hundred-thousand-year level, with even several fierce-beast-level dragons among them.
As powerful as Su Yu was, it couldn't believe he could single-handedly shake an entire clan. Perhaps in the future, but not at this stage—not yet.
"No, the Ice Spirit Dragon King sent me back to check if the young master might try some kind of trick to infiltrate the territory," Spirit Bone said with a smile.
"Hahaha, that's impossible, absolutely impossible. Our Ice Spirit Dragon Clan's defenses are so tight—how could the young master possibly sneak in? The Ice Spirit Dragon King is worrying too much."
"The young master probably doesn't even know what our territory looks like," one of the hundred-thousand-year ice spirit dragons said with a hearty laugh.
"Exactly, you're right. The young master couldn't possibly have the means to sneak in. Ha ha... wait, what's that?"
Spirit Bone suddenly let out a startled cry, pointing in a specific direction. Almost instinctively, all the ice spirit dragons present turned to look.
At that moment, the previously smiling Spirit Bone suddenly erupted into action. A surge of frigid energy exploded outward, unleashing multiple overlapping domains. The two hundred-thousand-year ice spirit dragons closest to Spirit Bone were instantly frozen.
"Spirit Bone, what are you doing?" one of the remaining hundred-thousand-year ice spirit dragons shouted in shock.
In response, a streak of black-and-white energy surged forth. The overwhelming pressure of the attack was so domineering that even the hundred-thousand-year ice spirit dragon momentarily froze in fear. By the time it snapped out of it, a hand—seemingly untainted by mortal fire—landed gently on its scales.
The massive body of the hundred-thousand-year ice spirit dragon was instantly frozen solid.
"You... you're not Spirit Bone..." the ice spirit dragon managed to say with difficulty.
"Hmph," came a cold snort in reply. Waves of frigid energy engulfed the area, and the dragon's entire body was encased in unyielding ice.
The extreme cold and immense spiritual pressure swept across the scene. Though it seemed like a long moment, it had all happened in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, the three hundred-thousand-year ice spirit dragons had been frozen solid. At this point, the ten-thousand-year ice spirit dragons finally reacted, but what greeted them was a barrage of overlapping ice domains.
Spirit Bone's massive form had disappeared at some point. On the distant stone platform, a white-robed figure quietly appeared. He reached out and grabbed an ice-blue crystal. A blue-gold spear-shaped mark on his forehead flared brightly, and faint sounds of shattering echoed in the air.
...
Far away, amidst the ongoing battle, Snow Empress suddenly withdrew. The ice-blue humanoid mark on her forehead also glowed brilliantly. A majestic voice resonated in her mind:
["Divine Trial, Second Test: Assist the Ice God's inheritor in obtaining the Crystal of Frost. Due to your outstanding performance, all soul ring ages are increased by 1,500 years, and your level is raised by 1."]
Hearing the noble feminine voice, a smile appeared on Snow Empress's stunning face.
The second test was complete.
But while Snow Empress was elated, the ice spirit dragons present were left in disbelief and despair.
The Ice Spirit Dragon King stared intently at the young master and Snow Empress, demanding, "Impossible! How could we have failed?"
It simply couldn't understand. They had held Su Yu and Snow Empress at bay, so how had they completed the second test? Could they have split themselves into multiple bodies?
The young master chuckled lightly and said, "Ice Spirit Dragon King, I'm standing right here. Do I still look like the person you thought I was?"
To the Ice Dragon Spirit King's astonishment, the young master's seemingly solid form began to fade until it completely vanished.
"Formless and intangible?" the Ice Spirit Dragon King muttered, stunned.
"Young master, you've hidden yourself well..." It finally realized what had been bothering it all along. The Su Yu before them wasn't even real—it was a spiritual construct created with immense mental power, resembling a physical body.
No wonder he hadn't made a single move. If he had, the illusion would have been exposed.
And yet, they had foolishly believed Su Yu and Snow Empress couldn't possibly pass the trial and had simply watched from the sidelines.
Unbeknownst to them, the real fools were themselves.
"You know why you failed?" Snow Empress said, her crimson lips parting. "First, you were careless. Second, you underestimated the power of spiritual energy."
"True strength doesn't lie in excelling in one area—it's about being powerful in every aspect. In that regard, you're far inferior to Su Yu."
Her words were a sharp rebuke, highlighting a common weakness shared by most soul beasts: their tendency to neglect spiritual power, especially those with exceptionally strong physical bodies.
The Ice Spirit Dragon Clan's physique is undeniably strong, and their bloodline is undoubtedly ancient. It is precisely because of this that their issues become even more apparent.
Of course, this doesn't apply only to the Ice Spirit Dragon Clan—even the Ice Empress back in the day had the same problem.
Although the Ice Empress possessed immense power, her spiritual strength was still inferior compared to other strong individuals of the same level.
Hearing Snow Empress' words, a trace of guilt flashed in the Ice Spirit Dragon King's eyes. It seemed that over the years, they had indeed grown complacent.
...
At the same time, a majestic and noble female voice echoed in Su Yu's mind:
["The second trial of the Ice God has been completed with the acquisition of the Crystal of Frost. Ice God affinity increased by 15%. Current affinity: 25%."]
It was a flat and emotionless voice, but Su Yu could somehow hear a faint trace of gritted teeth in it.
It was obvious—some haughty goddess had been broken emotionally again.
As Su Yu had guessed, that certain prideful goddess was completely stunned upon seeing how easily Su Yu cleared the second trial.
"He can even transform into a member of the Ice Spirit Dragon Clan and blend in unnoticed? This guy! He was hiding this trick all along. I've never seen him use it before!"
The proud Ice Goddess was utterly shocked.
How could Su Yu have so many hidden cards up his sleeve? The second trial was supposed to be extremely difficult, yet he had passed it with such ease.
What was even more critical was that Su Yu was incredibly adept at hiding his abilities. Over the past year, despite attempting the trials hundreds of times, he had never once revealed this trick—not even when he faced severe losses.
Then there was his spiritual strength—so close to achieving tangible form, so abnormally powerful—yet he had never shown it before either.
It was clear now that Su Yu had deliberately left the Ice Spirit Dragon King and its kin with a false impression, allowing them to grow arrogant and overlook these aspects.
From so long ago, he had been setting up everything for this day. This Su Yu truly had a devious mind.
Ice Goddess had initially worried about Su Yu, fearing he might get caught by the annoying God King. But now, it seemed like the real question was whether the annoying God King could even outsmart this guy.
This Su Yu was far more cunning than she had imagined.
"Wait a minute…"
The proud Ice Goddess's expression changed.
"I gave him such massive difficulty boosts for the first and second trials. When he becomes a god in the future, is he going to come after me to settle the score?"
"No way, right? I mean, I'm giving him my godhood. Surely, he wouldn't hold onto such a petty grudge?"
"…Then again, who knows? This guy is so black-hearted. What if he decides to take revenge on me?"
The proud Ice Goddess's elegant expression shifted slightly. Just the thought of Su Yu possibly holding a grudge against her sent a chill down her spine. She had a bad feeling about this.
She wasn't afraid Su Yu would kill her—after all, that was impossible. Su Yu wasn't the type to repay kindness with enmity.
But what if Su Yu came up with some devilish schemes to embarrass her? Social death was far worse than actual death.
She had been proud and aloof for so many years; the one thing she couldn't endure was humiliation.
"Forget it, forget it."
With a light wave of her jade-like finger, she adjusted the content of the third trial, making it significantly more reasonable.
But let it be known—she wasn't scared! She just didn't want Su Yu to suffer unnecessarily.
...
Su Yu, who had just received the reward for the second trial, revealed a faint smile.
Although the second trial had been difficult, the rewards were indeed generous.
A 15% increase in Ice God affinity was even more than the reward for the first trial.
After just two trials, Su Yu's Ice God affinity had already reached 25%, which was quite remarkable. All the hardships he had endured were worth it.
Passing the second trial wasn't just the result of prior preparation—the most crucial factor was the disguise skill he had acquired earlier.
This skill allowed Su Yu to disguise himself as any creature, though his essence remained unchanged.
The system had once said that Su Yu could even turn into a dog if he wanted to.
Using this skill, Su Yu transformed into a 100,000-year Ice Spirit Dragon, enabling him to infiltrate the Ice Spirit Dragon Clan's territory unnoticed.
Otherwise, breaking in with brute force alone would have been nearly impossible.
The idea had come to Su Yu not long after beginning the second trial. However, to ensure flawless execution—and to hone his abilities—he had spent nearly a year preparing.
It had to be said, that Su Yu's performance over the past year had successfully deceived the Ice Spirit Dragon Clan, allowing him to pass the trial without a hitch.
Clutching the Crystal of Frost in his hand, Su Yu chuckled softly.
At that moment, the three 100,000-year Ice Spirit Dragons, previously frozen, broke free from the Ultimate Ice's restraints.
A 100,000-year Ice Spirit Dragon had the power to challenge a Super Douluo. Su Yu had only managed to subdue them with a surprise attack. Otherwise, defeating them head-on would have been extremely difficult in such a short time.
As always, the Ice Spirit Dragon Clan was extraordinarily strong, forcing Su Yu to resort to alternative methods. A confrontation would have been impossible to win.
The three 100,000-year Ice Spirit Dragons, now free, looked visibly frustrated. They were having a hard time accepting that they had been tricked and ambushed by Su Yu.
But the deed was done. No matter how unwilling they were, they had no choice but to concede.
"Greetings, Young Master."
The three 100,000-year Ice Spirit Dragons bowed to Su Yu.
"Hello there," Su Yu replied with a cheerful smile, using his spiritual power to greet them.
It had taken no small amount of skill for him to ambush the three Ice Spirit Dragons.
He had unleashed his full arsenal: Ice Emperor's Domain, Perpetual Ice Domain, Snow Dance Radiance, and Sovereign Domain.
The final freezing blow was Snowy Dance of Ultimate Ice, Snow Empress' ultimate technique.
With careful planning and full power, he had managed to subdue them.
After all, three 100,000-year Ice Spirit Dragons weren't so easy to deal with.
"Young Master truly possesses extraordinary abilities. This Emperor is impressed."
A dignified voice echoed, and the entire forbidden land seemed to darken. A massive Ice Spirit Dragon descended with an overwhelming presence.
Its body was unimaginably large—nearly 500 meters long—with a single ice scale the size of half of Su Yu.
Its long dragon whiskers drifted gracefully, and its enormous dragon head, the size of a small mountain, slowly emerged.
In terms of size, it even surpassed the Frost Dragon Bing Bing, though it lacked the divine majesty of a being that dominated heaven and earth.