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His consciousness was immersed in a hazy fog for what felt like a long time. At a certain moment, his awareness began to float upwards as if rising from deep water. Kong Mingan slowly woke up. The first thing he felt was an exceptionally soft and elastic touch beneath the back of his head. It felt like he was resting on something very comfortable.
Then, a faint and delicate fragrance reached him. It smelled like melting ice and snow, and it lingered at the tip of his nose. With some effort, he opened his eyes. Kong Mingan's vision was a bit blurry at first. It gradually cleared up, revealing the familiar metallic ceiling of the laboratory. However, he could only see half of it from where he was lying.
He felt confused. Why could he only see half a ceiling? Kong Mingan was stunned for a second. Before he could think about it more, the Snow Empress's voice rang out from above him. She asked if he was awake.
Kong Mingan collected himself and rubbed his temples before slowly sitting up. His gaze shifted slightly to the side, and he naturally met the Snow Empress's ice-blue eyes. She was very close to him, and her eyes carried a hint of inquiry. She seemed to be checking on him.
He looked at her and said that she shouldn't worry because he was fine. He explained that he was just a bit over-expended. He had spent half a month taking care of things and leading the Spirit Fusion skill.
He had to temporarily take over the use of the Snow Empress's power. During that time, he had to maintain highly concentrated mental force and precise energy control for a long time. All these things added up, and he eventually couldn't hold on anymore. His body had forced him into a self-protective sleep.
He looked at her and asked how long he had slept. The Snow Empress replied softly that it had only been two days. Kong Mingan understood, but before he could say anything else, another voice suddenly chimed in.
The Ice Empress was standing not far away with her arms crossed. She was wearing her exquisite green and white dress. She told him that the Snow Empress had been watching over him the whole time he was asleep.
Her golden eyes watched him closely. The scorpion tail behind her flicked back and forth restlessly. She looked full of resentment, and her voice sounded a bit sour. Kong Mingan smiled faintly at her reaction. Then he looked back at the Snow Empress and asked seriously how she felt now. He was asking about her state after her spirit ring had condensed into a Spirit core.
The Snow Empress paused for a moment before saying that she felt very good. Then she corrected herself and said she felt exceptionally good. With a subtle shift of her thoughts, her spirit rings appeared one by one beneath her feet.
There were two black rings and six red rings. Then, the most dazzling and pure ice-blue spirit ring appeared. At this moment, it did not look like a normal spirit ring anymore. It looked more like a miniature ice-blue stellar nebula.
A dreamlike ice-blue glow flowed over it. Inside the ring, countless tiny ice crystals that looked like stars slowly revolved around the central ice-blue Spirit core. It emitted a vast and pure extreme coldness. It was magnificent, mysterious, and dreamlike. Anyone who looked at it would find it hard not to become immersed in its beauty.
Kong Mingan watched it closely with a distant look in his eyes. After a moment, he stretched out a finger and gently touched the exquisite creation he had personally shaped. Immediately, his fingertip felt a warm and powerful sense of energy. The energy structure was very stable and intricate. The Spirit core and the spirit ring were joined together to form a cohesive whole that was almost perfect.
He unconsciously murmured that he originally thought of calling it the Core-Embracing Ring, but now he felt that Star Ring seemed more fitting. A faint light sparkled in his eyes as he looked at it.
He felt excited thinking about the magnificent creation he had shaped with his own hands. A strong sense of accomplishment welled up in his heart. An uncharacteristic smile appeared on his face, and it was quite dazzling. The Snow Empress lowered her gaze slightly and watched him intently.
The Ice Empress also looked at him from a distance. She suddenly realized that this human who had taken her Snow Empress away actually looked quite handsome sometimes. After a long while, Kong Mingan calmed his emotions. He withdrew his hand and asked the Snow Empress how she felt specifically regarding her spirit power.
The Snow Empress paused to think. She collected herself and carefully checked her own condition. She explained that all of her spirit power was being slowly devoured by the Star Ring. It was then purified within the Spirit core and sent back into her body.
She noted that the quality of the spirit power coming back out was significantly better than it was before. It had improved by a whole level.
Kong Mingan nodded because this was exactly what he had expected would happen. The shaping of the Star Ring was not something that finished overnight. It did not mean her spirit power quality would jump up instantly as soon as the ring was created.
Instead, it was a gradual process that happened ring by ring. The successful shaping of each Star Ring represented a complete transformation of the spirit power in the entire body. It was like climbing a divine staircase.
With each step, there would be a transformation. Once all nine rings were complete, the spirit power quality would undergo an ultimate leap. This was a different path from the traditional one. Usually, people tried to reach godhood by forging a God Position through the Power of Faith. This new method was the path to godhood through spirit power alone. This was one of the ultimate goals of the Spell Cultivator system.
He thought about how the Spell Cultivator system was getting stronger again. Perhaps it was because he had just woken up from a long sleep, but his thoughts were very active. He quickly reached a conclusion. He told her that according to the current rate of transformation, her first round of Star Ring transformation would take about half a year to finish.
The Snow Empress nodded slightly. His estimate was not much different from what she felt herself. Half a year was not a long time for her. She had suppressed her cultivation for tens of thousands of years to avoid the Heavenly Tribulation. Back then, her strength was stuck and wouldn't move. Now, she could feel herself making progress every single moment. The effects were remarkable.
However, Kong Mingan shook his head. He said that the time could still be shortened. The Snow Empress looked confused. He told her that she should absorb the ten thousand year profound ice marrow.
He explained that a portion of that energy would be used to speed up the transformation. This would allow the Spirit core within the Star Ring to grow to its limit as quickly as possible. Another portion of the energy would be saved up to prepare for making the second Spirit core.
Transformation requires a massive amount of energy, and the remaining ice marrow was the perfect source for it. The Snow Empress seemed to think about this. She took out a piece of the crystalline ten thousand year profound ice marrow. It looked like there was liquid flowing inside of it. She brought it close to the ice-blue Star Ring. With a shift of her will, the Star Ring seemed to come alive. It generated a faint suction force and began to devour the pure cold energy from the ice marrow.
The energy was devoured very quickly. An ice-blue glow moved on the surface of the Star Ring and became more brilliant. The Snow Empress gave Kong Mingan a meaningful look before she sat down cross-legged. She entered a state of deep cultivation to focus on the process.
The Ice Empress watched everything from the side. She wasn't jealous, but she was very envious. For a powerful being like her at the pinnacle of Spirit Beasts, seeing a clear path to get even stronger was a big deal. She pursed her lips, and a hint of anticipation appeared in her golden eyes. Kong Mingan glanced at her and chuckled. He asked her if she wanted to learn how to do it too.
The Ice Empress stiffened up immediately. She crossed her arms and turned her head away. She gritted her teeth and told him that she didn't want to learn at all. Kong Mingan didn't say anything, but he noticed her scorpion tail swaying restlessly behind her. He felt amused by her reaction and smiled. He told her that if she wanted to cultivate the Star Ring method, it wasn't impossible, but it would take some time to prepare.