A bone-chilling aura poured out from the storage soul device, quickly cloaking Jiang Shengyu in icy shadows. He shivered involuntarily.
Feeling the device's cold "resentment," he hastily knelt and apologized: "Forgive me, Snow Empress! It was wrong of me—I'm the ignorant one, not you!"
Only then did the cold intensity recede. The Snow Empress spoke softly: "You're spared tonight. But Jiang, it's late—tomorrow, meet me in an open place. I'll teach you the Three Absolutes of the Snow Empress."
"I'm called…" Jiang Shengyu began.
"No need," she interrupted. He sighed—she was the third-ranked Soul Beast among the Ten Great Beasts. He complied.
"But… why the haste?" he asked. "With Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao around, I'm relatively safe in Mingdu."
Snow Empress's voice turned cold: "Have you forgotten my condition? I'm in embryo form to cultivate for tribulation escape. Your earlier absorption of my ice-snow aura stirred my essence. Soon I'll collapse again, so this is the only wakeful moment I have to teach you."
"Oh," he nodded. "Then teach at your convenience."
"Enough talk! Do not stall—I am the Snow Empress! You balk at learning my ultimate techniques?"
As Mingdu expanded, finding a proper open field was hard. Jiang Shengyu searched the outskirts until he discovered one with mountains and streams.
"This will do, Snow Empress."
Snow Empress emerged in translucent, spirit-like form, radiant with crystal-literal grace.
Beautiful, yes—but he was used to it.
She descended and declared: "The Three Absolutes—Empress Sword, Empress Palm, and Absolute Cold Sky. Empress Sword is peerless extreme ice, Empress Palm brings intense cold without snow, and Absolute Cold Sky is a domain-type soul skill. You can't use that yet. Today you'll learn Extreme Ice and Intense Cold Without Snow."
Jiang Shengyu nodded.
Snow Empress continued: "Use your third soul skill."
He summoned the Tanhua Sword and executed Illuminate All Rivers, his eyes flaring crimson as a shimmering ice sword cut through the stream.
"Excellent!"
Her first praise. She tapped his forehead and said, "I've implanted the techniques for Extreme Ice and Intense Cold into your mind. Now watch me."
She raised her hand; the warm air instantly chilled. Snow fell. She formed an ice sword and executed Extreme Ice—a sweeping flurry that carved a trench many times deeper than Jiang Shengyu's previous strike, edged with unmelted crystals.
She lowered the sword and said: "Extreme Ice parallels your third skill but requires refinement. Yours is too sharp—lacks subtlety."
He acknowledged the critique.
"Next—Intense Cold Without Snow." Ice and snow swirled as she guided her palm toward a nearby tree. The three-man-encircling trunk shattered instantly—so did the grove behind it. Ice crystals tinged the surroundings.
Once finished, she said: "Your third soul skill is ice-attributed, so Extreme Ice should come easily. But Intense Cold clashes with your fourth skill's attribute—mastering it won't be easy."
He replied calmly: "It's fine—I have the Ultimate Ice attribute."
She nodded: "If you're confident, fine. Practice diligently—don't let the Three Absolutes be sullied by your carelessness!"
"I promise, Snow Empress—one day the world will know your power," he said with a smile.
Her spirit form hovered, silent but watchful as he practiced.
Over days, Extreme Ice became almost second nature. For Intense Cold, he integrated its aura into his fourth skill, Heaven's Hand, using Jiang Qingtong's Ultimate Ice resonance to succeed.
On this day, Jiang Shengyu stood before a stream, calm and steeled. He closed his eyes, then activated his fourth skill. A golden ring appeared in midair; within, chaotic golden light formed. Then an ice-blue colossal hand emerged, descending in a mighty clap—Absolute Cold Sky, melded with Heaven's Hand resolution.
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