Douluo: Son of Destruction of Life, Supreme Creator!

Xue Di did not answer her.

She simply walked slowly to Ah Yin's side, stopped two steps away from her, lowered her eyes, and looked at her clasped fingertips without saying another word.

Hyotei pursed her lips, snorted, and didn't argue further, her gaze returning to Gu Linyuan.

The three of them fell silent.

Only Gu Linyuan's long, drawn-out breathing and the lingering echo of the golden soul ring spinning silently in the void remained in the ice cave.

The light of that spirit ring slowly flowed around Gu Linyuan, as if it was gradually writing some ancient power from the deepest part of the far north into his bloodline.

……

Gu Linyuan's consciousness was pulled into a vast void by the golden soul ring.

The spirit ring slowly unfolded in the void, like a giant curtain blown open by the wind, with fine golden waves surging at its edges, layer upon layer extending into the distance as if without end.

"This is... a million years of spiritual power?"

His voice echoed in the void, carrying a surprise that he himself couldn't quite conceal. He stood amidst the golden light curtain, with flowing light patterns beneath his feet and an endless golden sky above him. He was enveloped in a warm and heavy light from all sides, as if he were encased in a giant piece of amber.

His senses were expanding outward at a speed far exceeding anything he had ever experienced before. First, they touched the edge of the light curtain, and then they extended forward beyond that edge, as if an invisible line was being stretched infinitely, spreading towards distant places he had never touched before.

He sensed the presence of Hyotei. The presence was sharp and active, and it was sitting steadily on an ice rock in the corner of the cave.

He sensed the Snow Emperor's aura. That aura was calm and restrained, like a bottomless, icy pool.

He sensed Ah Yin's presence. That presence was resonating slightly with his own life domain, like two streams of water from the same source slowly merging, confirming each other's direction.

Chapter 217 Four Million-Year Soul Skills

"I can even clearly sense their energy channels..."

"This is just the aftermath of the initial integration."

He raised his hand, and the golden light patterns gathered in his palm into a fine river, slowly swirling and then quietly dissipating.

He could feel those spiritual forces expanding the boundaries of his perception in an almost greedy way, as if a pair of hands were pushing his consciousness to farther places.

As he passed through the ice, through the permafrost, through the rocks and minerals that had slumbered for countless millennia, the outline of the entire far north seemed to slowly emerge in his mind.

"I never expected its mental power to be so immense."

The soul power of the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm is the essence accumulated over millions of years, but its spiritual power is equally formidable.

That is the product of its continuous weaving and accumulation during its long slumber.

Those golden patterns of light, like flowing tides, layered upon layer in his consciousness, like pages of a book being turned, recording countless winters of silence, countless undercurrents deep within the ice, and countless times waiting alone in the darkness for dawn.

Some of those memories are blurry, some are clear, and some are just blanks, like murals eroded by wind and sand, leaving only some remnants of their outlines, yet one can still feel the weight they once carried.

He stood in that void for a long time, sensing that the spiritual energy was slowly merging with his consciousness, like two rivers gradually converging at their mouths, their flow slowing down until they were almost indistinguishable from each other.

His perception range continued to expand, like a map that was constantly being stretched out, extending outward from the depths of the far north.

He slowly closed his eyes in that golden light, as if merging himself into the flowing patterns of light.

His heartbeat was synchronized with the rhythm of that spirit ring.

Slow, lingering, with a calmness refined by time.

……

Gu Linyuan sat cross-legged in the center of the ice cave, the golden soul ring still slowly circulating around him.

The light gradually softened from its initial brightness, like a tamed fire burning quietly.

His consciousness lingered in that golden void for a long time, until the flowing light patterns began to converge and take shape on their own, as if an invisible hand was weaving the scattered spiritual energy into four clear outlines.

Four pieces of information suddenly flooded into his mind.

The four messages appeared almost simultaneously, like four doors opening in front of him at the same time, with a completely different power standing behind each door.

He didn't rush to push open any of the doors, but stood in front of them, carefully examining the shape, texture, and weight of each one.

"First Soul Skill... Mental Shock Blast."

He spoke in a low voice, which echoed in the empty cave. He sensed the outline of that power.

Centered on the scepter, an invisible shockwave is released outward. Those hit will fall into a brief state of unconsciousness or severe dizziness, and their soul power will stagnate, as if they have been hit by an invisible hammer at the weakest point of their spirit.

"...Instant cast, wide range, no wind-up. Perfect for disrupting the opponent's rhythm."

He paused, his gaze falling on the second silhouette.

The outline was thicker than the first one, like a cage compressed to its limit, with fine golden threads wrapped around its edges, each thread carrying a lingering aura of slumber.

"Second Soul Skill, Dream Cocoon Cage."

He sensed how that power was being used.

A semi-transparent cocoon made of spiritual energy is summoned from the ground or the void to completely envelop the target. The cocoon walls will continuously erode the target's soul power and physical strength, while putting the target into a deep sleep, making them unable to make any effective response to the outside world.

"...The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm has been dormant for millions of years. This move is to bring its nest to the battlefield. Those who are sealed in will be trapped in a dream."

His voice was softer than before, as if he were savoring the details of that power.

He continued to look at the third silhouette, which was sharper than the first two, like a blade that had been ground to an extremely thin edge, with a dark golden luster at the edge, carrying a sense of oppression that made people instinctively want to look away.

"Third Soul Skill, Annihilation Eye."

He paused for a moment, as if weighing the significance of those four words.

His eyes narrowed slightly, and the outline of that power became clearer in his mind.

Focusing his gaze and locking onto his target, he delivers a devastating blow based on the difference in mental strength. If the opponent's mental strength is lower, they will directly suffer true damage, which cannot even be reduced by defense.

If the opponent attempts to retaliate with mental power, the fluctuation will be captured by the scepter and reflected back, like turning the arrow around.

"...The judgment of this move is very straightforward. If it hits someone with lower mental strength than me, it will be a serious injury. If it hits someone with higher mental strength than me, it can at least force them back. I will not use this move to test my opponent; this move is used to end the battle."

After he finished speaking, his gaze fell on the fourth silhouette.

That one was completely different from the previous three. It had no sharp edges or thick boundaries. It was more like a shadow that was slowly expanding, as if it wanted to take the entire space into its domain.

"Fourth Soul Skill: Spirit Annihilation."

His voice lowered, carrying a calmness that even he himself hadn't fully grasped. The outline of that power slowly unfolded in his perception, like a map being laid out.

He struck the ground with his scepter, thus opening up a new territory.

The area is permeated with the icy silence of the far north and the dormant will of millions of years.

All enemies' thought processes will be forcibly slowed down, their emotions will become indifferent, their fighting spirit will be greatly weakened, the domain will continuously consume their mental energy, and isolate them from all external mental detection.

"...Domain-type Soul Skills".

He paused for a moment, as if giving the four silhouettes time to settle, before slowly withdrawing his gaze.

The light of the golden spirit ring swirled around him a few more times before gradually receding and finally merging into his body, like a stone sinking to the bottom of water, quietly settling into its rightful place.

"...Four soul skills, from crowd control to finishing off enemies, from single-target to area-of-effect attacks, are all included."

His voice carried a hint of satisfaction that he couldn't quite hide, as if he had just finished taking stock of his well-equipped weapons and sheathing them one by one.

"A million-year spirit ring...it's definitely different."

He closed his eyes briefly, as if to make a brief confirmation with the four newly defined outlines, then opened them again, a flash of dark golden light passing through the depths of his pupils.

"Next, we'll test their quality."

Chapter 218 The Snow Empress's Choice

Gu Linyuan slowly opened his eyes.

The dark golden light in those eyes receded like a tide, leaving behind a calm and profound black.

He exhaled softly, his breath condensing into a cloud of white mist in the cool air before slowly dissipating.

Ah Yin was the first to notice that he had woken up.

She remained crouched not far from him, her gaze never leaving his face.

When Gu Linyuan's eyelashes fluttered, her body leaned forward slightly. Only when her eyes were fully open did her shoulders relax completely, as if a stone that had been hanging in the air for a long time had finally been lifted to the ground.

"Master," Ah Yin asked softly, "How are you feeling?"

Gu Linyuan flexed his wrist, and a few very soft clicking sounds came from his knuckles. He looked down at his palm, then clenched his fist, as if sensing the changes that had been completed inside his body.

“...It’s much lighter than before,” he said slowly. “It’s like my meridians have been reorganized, and there’s no obstruction when my soul power flows.”

Before he finished speaking, Ice Emperor had already jumped down from the ice rock and almost pounced on Gu Linyuan.

She didn't rush to speak. First, she looked him up and down several times with her emerald green eyes, as if she were conducting a thorough examination.

She confirmed that his complexion, breathing, and eyes were normal. After the checkup, she was still not reassured, so she reached out and poked his arm with her finger, tilting her head to sense it for a while before finally showing a relieved expression.

“Brother Lin Yuan, your cultivation level…” She paused, her emerald pupils suddenly shrinking, “…you’ve broken through to level fifty-five?”

Gu Linyuan glanced at her and smiled slightly.

Hyotei's mouth opened and closed, then opened and closed again.

Then she suddenly leaned closer, grabbed his sleeve, and pressed her cheek almost against his shoulder, rubbing against him like a little animal that had confirmed its prey was safe, her tone filled with undisguised excitement.

"You gained five levels from absorbing a spirit ring in one go? You were only level 50 before, right?" But she quickly frowned, took a half step back, and tilted her head to ponder, "But only gaining five levels from absorbing such a high-age spirit ring... seems a bit low."

“Most of the energy from the spirit ring was used to expand my spiritual sea of ​​consciousness,” Gu Linyuan explained. “Otherwise, absorbing this spirit ring would have been enough to directly raise me to level sixty. The energy of the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm is mainly spiritual energy. But I’m quite satisfied; my spiritual sea of ​​consciousness has expanded more than tenfold. From now on, my spiritual sea of ​​consciousness will no longer be my weakness.”

He smiled, clearly in a good mood.

He never really cared about the temporary boost in his cultivation level.

For him, improvement was something he could do anytime. But mental strength had always been a somewhat troublesome bottleneck, so this sudden surge was an unexpected bonus.

The Snow Empress also took a few steps closer. Her gaze lingered on Gu Linyuan for a moment, her icy blue eyes even calmer than the Ice Empress's, yet a clear sense of unease also surfaced within them.

Unlike Hyotei, she didn't approach him. Instead, she stood two steps away, her hands clasped in front of her, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing her sleeves, as if she suddenly didn't know where to put her hands.

“It’s not just a matter of soul power level,” Xue Di said slowly, her voice lower than usual, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor at the end, “His aura is at least twice as strong as before.”

After listening, Hyotei also carefully sensed it again and was greatly surprised.

"...That's true. I was so focused on his level that I didn't notice his aura. The concentration and density of his soul power right now is definitely not what you'd expect from a level 55 person."