"Why do I suddenly feel a chill down my back? Is someone thinking about me?"
Just as Su Yu emerged from the spatial passage, he shivered, feeling an invisible cold sweep over him.
"Could it be that scoundrel scheming against me again?"
Su Yu mused, a little suspicious.
Whenever something bad happened, his thoughts would inevitably turn to a certain God King.
He couldn't help it. After all, he was now the chosen one by the world's will, and that God King was probably plotting against him.
Luckily, his newbie protection period hadn't ended yet. Otherwise, the God King would have likely already set up traps for him.
Didn't you see how miserable Huo Yuhao was in the original story? Targeted by that God King, even his mother's soul was taken to the heavens, mercilessly exploiting his weaknesses.
There were reasons why Huo Yuhao ended up subdued.
"Damn it, one day I'll make you pay!"
Su Yu cursed under his breath as he walked outside.
The certain God King, wrongfully blamed for something he hadn't done, was left utterly speechless.
While he wasn't decent, it wasn't fair to blame everything on him.
The God King muttered to himself, "You're courting death."
Su Yu made his way along the Lake of Life, quickly arriving at his original residence.
Bi Ji and Three-Eyed Golden Lion were there. The moment she spotted him, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion transformed into a flash of golden light and appeared beside Su Yu.
She circled him a few times, her golden eyes scanning him closely. Only after confirming that Su Yu was unharmed did she relax.
Su Yu took the opportunity to rub the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's fur, gently hugging her head.
"Don't worry, I'm fine," Su Yu said softly.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion nodded, gently nudging Su Yu's face.
"I've already added my third soul ring. It's a million years old. Pretty impressive, huh?"
Su Yu smiled, stroking the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's fur.
"Really? A million-year soul ring?"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's eyes widened.
"Is it that Iceworm?"
At this point, Bi Ji also approached.
A million-year-old soul beast was rare on the continent, and that Iceworm was probably the only one. Though it wasn't particularly powerful, it had lived for a million years.
"Aunt Bi Ji's right. It's that Iceworm," Su Yu confirmed. Naturally, Bi Ji knew about Sky Dream.
After all, Bi Ji was one of the soul beasts who had absorbed Sky Dream Iceworm.
Her current cultivation level was partly thanks to Sky Dream's contribution. Sky Dream had single-handedly supported the soul beasts of the Great Star Dou Forest. Truly, he was great.
"The Iceworm's attributes are average, but its age makes it valuable, so it's a decent choice for your third soul ring," Bi Ji commented.
"However, it might've been better to save it for your seventh soul ring, where age matters more."
"Maybe, but I'm only a rank 36 Soul Elder right now. Reaching Soul Sage will take at least six or seven years," Su Yu replied.
"Even with my confidence, the Ultimate Martial Soul is difficult to cultivate. Reaching Soul Sage by 20 would be impressive."
Su Yu's assessment was conservative, but it made sense.
Historically, no one with an Ultimate Martial Soul had ever reached Soul Sage by the age of 20. Reaching even Soul Emperor by 20 with such a soul was extremely rare.
Ultimate Martial Souls were powerful but notoriously difficult to cultivate.
When Huo Yuhao entered the second Soul Master Tournament, he was only a Soul King at 17. Without his special advantages, there was no way he could have reached Soul Sage by 20.
Su Yu, however, was factoring in no such advantages. If he accounted for potential cheats or boosts, he was confident he could hit Soul Douluo level by 20.
"True, Ultimate Martial Souls are hard to cultivate. Even for someone as gifted as you, it won't be easy to accelerate the process," Bi Ji agreed. "Even with other Martial Souls, reaching Soul Sage by 20 is almost impossible. Anyone who does is a once-in-a-generation genius."
"Exactly. Sister Na'er and the others are probably worried the Iceworm won't last long. Its tribulation could come at any moment," Su Yu shrugged.
Reaching Soul Sage by 20 was incredibly rare. Even at Shrek Academy's inner court, those who reached Soul Emperor by 20 were considered elite.
As for those who reached Soul Sage by 20, only Long Aotian from the Body Sect had done so in the original story. Unfortunately, he died too soon.
Xiao Hongchen, on the other hand, relied too much on artificial enhancements. His SoulSage level was inflated, rendering him almost useless afterward. Xiao Hongchen had better cultivation talent, at least.
"That's true. Speaking of talent, that girl Lexuan has quite the potential. She reached Soul Sage before 20. She could become a great help to you in the future," Bi Ji said, thinking back to their encounter with Zhang Lexuan.
The girl they had casually saved turned out to have remarkable talent.
"Help or not, I don't care," Su Yu replied, shaking his head.
"As long as Sister Xuan is happy, that's enough. She's had a tough life, and I don't want to pressure her."
Su Yu felt sympathy for Zhang Lexuan and saw her as family, not as someone to be used for personal gain.
There were plenty of people to use as pawns, but family wasn't one of them.
After all, wasn't one of the main reasons Tang San was so despised because he manipulated his daughter?
If you can be ruthless with your blood, how can anyone believe you're a good person?
Su Yu had no intention of following the God King's example. Otherwise, what made him any different from that God King?
"Ah, young master," Bi Ji sighed. Su Yu's greatest strength was his loyalty and emotional attachment. But it could also be his greatest weakness.
"Xiaoxuan better not betray the young master... or else," Bi Ji thought grimly. Though gentle, she had raised Su Yu since he was young, and anyone who hurt him would face her wrath.
Unaware of Bi Ji's thoughts, Su Yu wouldn't have been worried anyway. He trusted Sister Xuan completely.
"Alright, enough talk. I just got my third soul ring, and I'm not very familiar with my new spirit skill. I need to test it out."
Su Yu smiled, eager to change the subject.
"I'll do it! Let me try!"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's golden eyes sparkled with excitement.
A million-year soul skill? She couldn't wait to experience it firsthand.
Su Yu: "..."
Fight with you?
You must be joking. You're just looking for an excuse to give me a good beating, aren't you?
Su Yu was momentarily speechless.
What kind of existence was the Three-Eyed Golden Lion?
With the bloodline of the Golden Dragon, she possessed two ultimate attributes: Ultimate Light and Ultimate Fire. Her spiritual power was also incredibly strong. Even a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, renowned for its combat strength, couldn't defeat the Three-Eyed Golden Lion if they were at the same level.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion had no weaknesses. Although the one by his side had only cultivated for 15,000 years, even an ordinary Titled Douluo wouldn't stand a chance against her.
In the original story, she had taken a full-powered blow from Xuan Zi and only sustained an injury. And while Xuan Zi was not at his peak, he was still a Rank 98 Super Douluo. The fact that the Three-Eyed Golden Lion could withstand his attack and remain standing spoke volumes about her strength.
Now, what level was Su Yu at? Could he endure a test from the Three-Eyed Golden Lion without getting thoroughly beaten?
That's why Su Yu started to wonder if the Three-Eyed Golden Lion had some secret agenda to rough him up. But as he carefully thought it over, he realized he hadn't done anything to offend her. Or had he?
"Don't mess around; my body can't handle your roughhousing!"
Su Yu said helplessly, rubbing her head. With his current strength, fighting her—even in her human form—was out of the question. In her beast form?
Impossible.
"It's fine! Just a little test," the Three-Eyed Golden Lion nudged Su Yu, even licking his face as if trying to act cute.
"I'm afraid if I try, I'll end up dead. That would be a real waste, don't you think?"
Su Yu rolled his eyes.
"I won't hurt you. I just want to see how your spirit ability works," the Three-Eyed Golden Lion reassured him repeatedly.
"Really?"
Su Yu's tone softened slightly, giving in to her persistence.
"Really!" the Three-Eyed Golden Lion said, her voice full of sincerity as she raised her head.
"Alright, but if you hurt me, no more roasted meat for you."
Su Yu reluctantly issued his warning. He knew she loved roasted meat; she wouldn't want to lose out on that, would she?
"Don't worry, I won't hurt you," the Three-Eyed Golden Lion promised, nodding seriously.
"Fine!"
Su Yu finally agreed, and they both moved to an open space near the Lake of Life, distancing themselves from each other.
A cold, blue light shimmered on Su Yu's body as the Ice Emperor Martial Soul possessed him. Black, purple, and white soul rings rose from beneath his feet.
A hundred meters away, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion stared at Su Yu with her sharp golden eyes, focusing on his third soul ring. A million-year soul ring, yet it was white?
Su Yu, now focused, glanced at the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. His expression turned serious as his third soul ring lit up. Suddenly, the sky around them filled with wind and snow, enveloping both Su Yu and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion in a world of ice and frost.
Blizzards roared, obscuring Su Yu's figure and enveloping the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
Frost Domain: Emperor's Territory.
This was one of the four major abilities granted to Su Yu by Sky Dream Iceworm. It was a domain-type ability, filling the surrounding area with endless ice and snow. Su Yu could sense everything within it, controlling the domain as he pleased. The blizzards also concealed his presence, drastically weakening spiritual detection.
Though this ability wasn't particularly offensive, when combined with other abilities, it could have potent effects.
"Huh?"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion let out a surprised sound. As soon as the domain appeared, she lost all sense of Su Yu's presence. The domain seemed to weaken her spiritual detection.
At the same time, countless thin ice threads appeared around her, wrapping around her limbs. A wave of cold began to spread through her body, threatening to slow her movements and potentially freeze her if left unchecked.
Three-Eyed Golden Lion's body shimmered with golden light, and within a five-meter radius, the ice threads disintegrated. Su Yu's Ultimate Ice power was impressive, but her Ultimate Light and Ultimate Fire powers were stronger. The gap between their levels was also too vast, making it impossible for him to fully control her.
Hidden within the blizzards, Su Yu shook his head. The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was too strong for him to test his abilities. Even if she didn't fight back, he couldn't do anything to her.
The next moment, Su Yu's eyes flickered, and an invisible wave radiated from him. The Three-Eyed Golden Lion felt a sharp pain in her head, followed by a bone-chilling cold deep in her soul as if her very soul was about to be frozen.
But with her immense spiritual power, she suppressed the cold and radiated brilliant golden light, breaking through Su Yu's domain. In an instant, she transformed into a streak of golden light, charging toward him.
Before Su Yu could react, she had pounced on him, pinning him to the ground.
Helpless, Su Yu sighed. His physical strength was impressive but against the Three-Eyed Golden Lion with her Golden Dragon bloodline? He didn't stand a chance.
"I won!"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion licked Su Yu's face, her tone filled with pride.
"Yes, yes, you won," Su Yu replied, exasperated.
This was ridiculous. He couldn't control her at all—the gap between them was just too large.
Seeing his defeated look, she chuckled and nuzzled his face.
"Your spirit abilities are pretty good. What are they called?" she asked curiously.
"That domain skill is called Frost Domain: Emperor's Territory. As you saw, within the domain, I can sense everything," Su Yu explained.
Because it came from Sky Dream Iceworm, this ability was more supportive. But that didn't diminish its value—domain-type skills were rare. Having one as his third soul ring was a rare blessing.
"And what about the ice threads? And that soul attack?" the Three-Eyed Golden Lion asked.
She was particularly interested in the soul attack—it was powerful enough to catch her off guard.
"The ice threads are part of Frost Domain: Emperor's Bind. They appear over a wide area and cause a slowing effect when they wrap around the target. If enough threads bind the target, they can completely freeze them."
"And the soul attack?"
"That's Frost Domain: Emperor's Edge. It directly targets the soul, attempting to freeze it."
"Hmm, impressive," the Three-Eyed Golden Lion nodded in approval.
"And the last one? A million-year soul ring gives four abilities, right?"