The morning air at Shrek Academy was crisp, carrying the scent of pine and the lingering electricity of the tournament finals. Lin Feng, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong stood before the Sea God Pavilion, the holiest site in the Academy. Beside them stood the other top performers, including the humbled Dai Huabin and the graceful Ning Tian.
Director Du Weilun stepped forward, his voice booming with authority. "For your victory in the Freshman Tournament, Team Lin Feng is awarded the title of 'Shrek Seven Monsters' reserve candidates. Furthermore, as the champions, you each may choose one Spirit Bone from the Academy's treasury."
Wang Dong chose a left arm bone suitable for light attributes. Huo Yuhao, under the silent guidance of the Skydream Ice Worm in his head, chose a skull bone that enhanced spiritual focus.
Lin Feng, however, stepped forward and bowed. "Director, I do not wish for a Spirit Bone. I ask instead for permission to enter the 'Extreme Gravity Chamber' in the Inner Court for three days, and a voucher for 50,000 gold coins worth of rare ores."
The crowd gasped. A Spirit Bone was worth millions, yet Lin Feng was asking for training time and raw materials.
"Are you sure, Lin Feng?" Du Weilun asked, puzzled.
"My path is one of the body, Director," Lin Feng replied, his eyes steady. "External bones are less valuable to me than internal tempering."
[System Notification:]
Wisdom Bonus: +2,000 Points (For choosing long-term growth over immediate stat-pads).
Current Points: 18,185.
The Secret Departure: Into the Extreme North
Weeks later, the winter break arrived. While most students returned home, Huo Yuhao slipped away under the cover of night. Guided by the Skydream Ice Worm, he headed toward the most dangerous place on the continent: The Extreme North.
Lin Feng, standing on the gates of Shrek, watched the small figure disappear into the distance.
[System Alert: Protagonist Deviation Detected.]
Huo Yuhao's Survival Chance (Extreme North Solo): 12%.
Quest Triggered: The Guardian's Shadow.
Objective: Follow Yuhao to the Extreme North. Ensure the 'Ice Empress' fusion succeeds.
Reward: 20,000 Points, 10% Hammer Fusion.
"He's going for his second soul. If I don't go, he'll freeze before he even sees the Ice Empress," Lin Feng muttered. He activated Nature's Camouflage and leaped from the wall, trailing Yuhao's scent.
The Frozen Desolation
The Extreme North was a wasteland of white. The wind didn't blow; it bit, tearing at the soul power of anyone who dared enter.
Huo Yuhao was struggling. His Spirit Eyes were bloodshot as he used every ounce of soul power to keep his blood from freezing. Inside him, Skydream was frantic. "Just a bit further, Yuhao! The aura of the Ice Jade Scorpion is near!"
Lin Feng followed at a distance of five hundred meters. He didn't use fire; fire was a beacon for the 100,000-year beasts. Instead, he activated his Golden Spirit Body at a low frequency, using the internal vibration of his cells to generate kinetic heat.
Suddenly, the ground shook. A 10,000-year Titan Ice Bear lumbered out of the blizzard, its eyes fixed on the "snack" that was Huo Yuhao.
Yuhao froze. He was too weak to fight a 10,000-year beast alone.
Thwack!
A stone, infused with the weight of 500kg, whistled through the storm and struck the bear's ear. It wasn't enough to kill it, but it was enough to stagger the beast and draw its attention away from Yuhao.
"Who's there?!" Yuhao yelled, but the wind swallowed his voice.
Lin Feng didn't reveal himself. He moved through the snow like a golden ghost, leading the bear away into a crevasse. By the time he returned, the sky had turned emerald green.
The Arrival of the Ice Empress
The temperature plummeted to absolute zero. The air itself seemed to crack. From the horizon, a massive emerald light surged—the Ice Jade Scorpion Empress, Bing Di, had arrived.
Lin Feng hunkered down behind a wall of permafrost. He watched as Skydream Ice Worm manifested his true form—a giant golden worm—to negotiate with the Empress. The sheer pressure of two 400,000-year+ auras made Lin Feng's Clear Sky Hammer inside him roar.
[Warning: Soul Pressure critical! Hammer Fusion increasing due to stress! 15% -> 20%!]
"System, lock my presence! Don't let her see me!"
For three days and three nights, the fusion continued. Lin Feng sat in the snow, his body becoming a statue of gold and ice. He watched as Yuhao was remade—his bones replaced by the Ice Empress's torso bone, his blood turned to ice.
As the ritual ended, a massive surge of soul power erupted from Yuhao. He had gained his second martial soul: Ultimate Ice.
Lin Feng's Forbidden Harvest
With the Ice Empress now residing within Yuhao and both of them unconscious from the strain, the forest fell silent.
"Now it's my turn," Lin Feng panted, his golden skin cracked from the cold.
He didn't want a cold-attribute beast. He needed something that could survive this pressure through sheer density. He looked toward a nearby glacier where a 25,000-year Obsidian Ice Ape was lurking, attracted by the fading energy of the Empress.
The Ape was a monster of pure black stone and ice. It stood ten meters tall and roared with the force of an avalanche.
"You'll do," Lin Feng said. He didn't hide his rings anymore.
A single Black Ring (10,000 years) rose.
Lin Feng lunged. He didn't use the Hammer phantom; he used his own body as the weapon. He multiplied his weight by 5,000% mid-air.
"Absolute Gravity: Meteor Fall!"
He slammed into the Ape's head. The sound was like a mountain splitting. The Ape's skull, hard as diamond, shattered under Lin Feng's localized mass.
[Target Slain: 25,000-year Obsidian Ice Ape.]
[Absorption Starting...]
Lin Feng sat in the snow beside the dying beast. The black ring was cold, but his heart was burning. As he pulled the ring in, his Golden Spirit Body reached Rank 20.
The energy overflow was violent. His blood boiled against the freezing air. "Compress... COMPRESS!" he roared.
By the time the sun rose, Lin Feng stood up. He had two black rings, though the System quickly cloaked them as purple.
The Reunion
Huo Yuhao woke up to see Lin Feng sitting by a small fire, cooking some dried meat.
"Feng?! How... why are you here?" Yuhao gasped, feeling the incredible new power in his own body.
Lin Feng tossed him a piece of meat. "You think I'd let my Tang Sect brother die in a freezer alone? I followed you from the gates, Yuhao. And it's a good thing I did. You've changed... that aura... it's Ultimate Ice, isn't it?"
Yuhao looked down at his hands, then at Lin Feng. He saw the "two purple rings" around Lin Feng and felt the terrifying weight the boy carried.
"We both have secrets, don't we?" Yuhao smiled, his eyes shimmering with emerald light.
"We're monsters, Yuhao," Lin Feng replied, standing up and looking toward Shrek. "And monsters should stick together."
[Status Update:]
Huo Yuhao: Rank 20 (Dual Soul: Spirit Eyes / Ultimate Ice).
Lin Feng: Rank 24.
Lin Feng's Rings: 10,000y (Black/Cloaked), 25,000y (Black/Cloaked).
Current Points: 53,185.
[End of Chapter 12]