đź’– If you enjoy my work, consider supporting me on Patreon! I'm offering advanced chapters there as a thank-you to readers.
--------------------
Check out advanced chapters on : patreon.com/Veni_V
---------------
A muffled groan, held back with great effort, echoed through the quiet laboratory. The Ice Empress bit her lip hard, trying her best not to make any strange or embarrassing sounds.
Her golden eyes looked down at her own hand. She watched as it was held in place by a gentle but very strong force that she could not resist. The skin and flesh of her palm were being cut open from the inside. Then, thin strands of energy thread held the wound open, showing the white, jade-like bones of her hand underneath.
Standing in front of her, Kong Mingan had no expression on his face. He was very focused as he used the sharp tip of his Life Carving Knife to engrave complex runes onto her bones. These marks were deep and full of mystery.
To be honest, this surgery was not actually hurting her body. She was so strong that as soon as the work stopped, her hand would heal instantly from such a small wound. However, the feeling she was experiencing was not a physical injury. It was pure, raw pain that came from her mental force.
The Ice Empress could clearly feel her own mental force being pulled and fixed onto the bones of her hand. As the carving knife cut into the bone again and again, her mental force would try to recover by instinct. But then the knife would cut again, over and over, until a mental mark was left permanently on the bone.
Every single cut felt like thousands of tiny needles were stabbing into her mind at the exact same time. There was no real damage to her soul, but the ache was constant and very sharp. If she had not actually felt the soul skill module Kong Mingan spoke of, she would have thought he was just using his job as an excuse to get revenge and torture her.
The delicate face of the Ice Empress was scrunched up in pain. She did not speak. Her expression seemed to say that it was just a little sting and that he should add more force if he was able to.
Kong Mingan looked up at the Ice Empress for a second. He spoke in a calm voice and told her that if she could not bear the pain, she was allowed to cry out.
"It doesn't hurt at all!" the Ice Empress said while gritting her teeth. Her golden eyes were full of stubborn pride. She endured the feeling fiercely and refused to make another sound. Kong Mingan chuckled softly and went back to his delicate work.
The two of them stayed in this silent battle for a while. A moment later, Kong Mingan raised his hand. A bright, golden light of life swept over the hand of the Ice Empress. Immediately, the open wound on her palm closed and healed. It returned to its original state, looking fair and smooth without even a single scar. It was as if the scary surgery from a moment ago had never happened at all.
The Ice Empress let out a very long breath. She quickly tried to act normal again. This surgery really had no bad effect on her body, but the pain had been very real. After moving her wrist around, she confirmed that her hand felt completely fine. There was still a slight tingling feeling in her mind that made her scalp itch, but it did not stop her from moving.
She could feel the soul skill module in her hand now. It was incredibly clear to her mental perception. Feeling excited, she grabbed a Soft Bones Rabbit from the nearby material area. A flash of anticipation showed in her eyes as she tried to use the Ice Explosion Technique that had been engraved into her instincts.
Beside her, Kong Mingan watched her in silence. He remembered that in the legends, the Ice Empress once said that if she had the Ice Explosion Technique while in the Extreme North, she could even challenge the Snow Empress. He was not sure if that was true, but he hoped she had that kind of potential. He wanted another top-tier fighter by his side.
Kong Mingan began to think about the powerful people he had around him right now. First, there was Elder Yi. His power was a bit hard to measure, but it seemed he was at the level of a demigod or a quasi-god. Then there was his own grandfather, Kong Deming. He was a level ninety-eight body cultivator with twin spirits. Once his special soul tool was finished, he would also be like a demigod.
Then there was his Snow Empress. She was a level ninety-nine Spirit Douluo with the extreme ice attribute. Even without her new star ring, she was a demigod. Once her star ring reached the second or third level, she would surely be a quasi-god. Finally, there was the Ice Empress, who was a very strong potential ally.
With four ultimate fighters, he could probably take over the entire Douluo Continent. Even if the Sun and Moon Empire started a war against the other three kingdoms right now, they would probably win easily. But he did not want to do that.
He had no choice because he was the Child of Destiny. He had learned from the God of Destruction that he held eighty percent of the luck of the entire Douluo Plane. He felt good toward the spirit of the world that had put all its trust in him.
In his future plans, he wanted to completely change the Douluo Plane. He felt that helping a whole world grow was a much better goal than just becoming a god and leaving for the God Realm. Because of this, he wanted to unite the continent peacefully. He wanted to make sure as few people died as possible.
A lot of deaths would be a heavy burden on the world, like a person getting sick. Unless he had no other choice, he wanted to win so fast and so strongly that no one would dare to fight back. Of course, he made an exception for evil spirit masters and evil spirit beasts. He would use them as materials for his work.
After some time passed, the Ice Empress had blown up forty-six Soft Bones Rabbits in a row. She was very happy with the results. She walked back from the experiment area with excitement she could barely hide.
She looked at Kong Mingan, who was leaning against the table, lost in his own thoughts. She hesitated for a moment. Then, feeling a bit awkward, she walked up to him and spoke in a shaky voice to thank him.
"You're welcome," Kong Mingan said as he stopped thinking. He waved his hand casually. Suddenly, the Ice Empress felt that almost half of the value she had worked so hard for was gone.
"That is the fee for the soul skill module, the surgery, and the treatment. I don't give credit," Kong Mingan said calmly.
The Ice Empress stared at her empty progress bar and then got very angry. "This is robbery! I was saving that to buy divine force! You are an evil human! I will fight you!" she screamed.
Kong Mingan just looked at her. "If you don't want to pay, then give me back the Ice Explosion Technique," he said. He reached out his hand as if to grab her right hand.
The Ice Empress made a sound like a kitten protecting its food. She pulled her hand back and held it against her chest. She stepped away and looked at him with sharp eyes. "Dream on! This skill is mine now!".
Kong Mingan pulled his hand back and nodded. "Okay, that means you agree to the trade".
The Ice Empress felt stuck. She loved having the powerful new ability, but her heart hurt because she lost all those points. She thought he was a very annoying person, but she couldn't do anything about it. She just gritted her teeth and called him a bastard.
Kong Mingan raised an eyebrow. He thought it was funny to see her so angry yet so helpless. He suddenly remembered something else. "Oh, by the way, I could have made that surgery not hurt at all".
The Ice Empress froze. Her eyes went wide. "Then why didn't you do that?!".
Kong Mingan held up his hands. "You didn't let me finish talking earlier. You just told me to do it".
The Ice Empress could not say anything. She remembered how she had been so bold and told him to just start. Her face turned red with embarrassment and her fists were clenched tight. She was very upset, but there was nothing she could do.