In his mind, the System's cold prompt sounded like heavenly music, every word striking Liu Yuan's most excited nerves.
It was done.
The Snow Empress—once an untouchable ruler of the Far North—had now truly surrendered her heart.
And the follow-up rewards from the System made his blood surge even hotter.
"So it's finally… here?"
Liu Yuan stood on the peak of a solitary mountain. The cool night wind brushed his cheeks, yet his heart burned with excitement.
After absorbing his last spirit ring, his spirit power had reached Rank Fifty-Seven.
The threshold of Rank Sixty—Spirit Emperor—was no longer far away.
"Can I push straight to Rank Sixty this time?"
As if answering his thoughts, the System's voice rang out once more.
[Generating random god-bestowed spirit ring…]
[Matching based on the attributes of the Host's second Spirit: Primal Kyogre…]
[Match successful!]
Boom—!!!
Almost the instant the prompt ended, a terrifying aura erupted from within Liu Yuan's body.
The phantom image of Kyogre appeared behind him once again.
The golden magma-like patterns on that mountain-sized body flared to life, blazing with brilliance.
At the same time, the spirit power within Liu Yuan began to soar at a visible rate.
Rank Fifty-Seven peak—shattered instantly!
Rank Fifty-Eight!
Rank Fifty-Eight peak!
His spirit power surged like a raging flood that had broken through a dam, charging upward without restraint.
Rank Fifty-Nine!
"Just a bit more! Again!"
Liu Yuan roared inwardly, desperately guiding the massive energy to crash against that final invisible barrier.
However, when his spirit power reached Rank Fifty-Nine peak—only a paper-thin distance from Rank Sixty—the energy released by the god-bestowed spirit ring suddenly slowed, then gradually calmed, as if its momentum had run out.
In the end, Liu Yuan's cultivation stabilized firmly at Rank Fifty-Nine peak.
[Spirit ring absorption complete!]
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained Primal Kyogre's exclusive skill—Hydro Pump!]
[Skill Description: Mobilize massive Water-attribute Origin energy, compress it, and unleash a high-pressure water jet of peerless power to blast the target.]
[Special Attack. Water attribute. Base Power: 110.]
[Due to absorbing a god-bestowed spirit ring, the Host's spirit power has increased to: Rank 59!]
"Phew…"
Liu Yuan slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a mouthful of turbid air.
Feeling the spirit power within him—now several times more robust than before—and sensing the formidable new skill etched into his mind, a fleeting trace of regret flashed across his face before quickly giving way to deep satisfaction.
"Rank Fifty-Nine, huh…"
He muttered to himself.
It was a pity he hadn't been able to break through to Spirit Emperor in one go.
After all, he was just one step away from a world-shaking transformation.
But on second thought, that was simply being too greedy.
This improvement was already astonishing.
For an ordinary Spirit Master, going from Rank Fifty-Seven to Rank Fifty-Nine peak—even for a talented genius—would take years of bitter cultivation without extraordinary opportunities.
Yet he had crossed that gap in less than half an hour by completing a single mission.
If this cultivation speed were exposed, it would scare ninety-nine percent of the Spirit Masters on the continent out of their wits.
"And this skill is excellent too."
With a thought, Liu Yuan reviewed the information on Hydro Pump.
Base Power 110—among Pokémon moves, this was already an extremely powerful finishing move.
More importantly, it was Primal Kyogre's signature Water-attribute technique. When unleashed, its true might would definitely surpass what the raw numbers suggested.
"Contentment brings happiness. I'm only one rank away anyway. Worst case, I'll just cultivate steadily once I'm back."
Having made peace with it, Liu Yuan relaxed.
With a wave of his hand, Mega Rayquaza in the sky and Primal Kyogre behind him both turned into streams of light and merged back into his body.
The oppressive divine pressure vanished instantly, and the desolate mountain peak returned to silence.
Liu Yuan turned around and looked at the still-dazed Snow Empress, smiling.
"Alright, stop zoning out. Let's go home."
"Oh… okay."
The Snow Empress snapped out of it and answered subconsciously. But the way she looked at Liu Yuan was now far more complex than before.
This man clearly carried far more secrets than she had ever imagined.
…
Time passed like a white colt leaping a gap—gone in an instant.
Over the next few months, Liu Yuan's life returned to a steady routine.
By day, he appeared like any ordinary noble youth, attending classes and studying soul tool knowledge at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
By night, he returned to his manor to cultivate diligently, stabilizing his Rank Fifty-Nine spirit power and preparing for his final push toward Spirit Emperor.
As for the Snow Empress, she had truly reached the peak of her "beast life."
Liu Yuan kept his promise. Ever since that day, he never locked her inside a Heal Ball again.
Not only that, he assigned a dedicated butler and two maids to attend to her daily needs—and even gave her a card loaded with ten thousand gold coins.
The goal was to let her experience and adapt to human society.
As a result, a rather peculiar sight soon appeared on the busiest commercial street of Sun Moon Imperial City.
A little girl who looked only two or three years old—delicate as a porcelain doll—would roam the streets, followed by a group of respectful servants, shopping freely through luxury boutiques, gourmet shops, and jewelry stores.
The speed at which she spent money was faster than running water.
From initially disdaining human food to becoming hopelessly addicted to exquisite desserts.
From scoffing at human clothing to feeling uncomfortable if she didn't change into three sets of top-tier, custom-made little dresses every day.
This former ruler of the Far North was being thoroughly corrupted by the sugar-coated bullets of human civilization at an alarming rate.
Naturally, under this steady "corruption," her relationship with Liu Yuan grew increasingly harmonious.
The bond formed through the Heal Ball—combined with the effects of the Soothe Bell and Liu Yuan's unapologetic material indulgence—caused the Snow Empress to develop a subtle sense of dependency on her so-called "master."
Though her words remained sharp and arrogant, her actions increasingly resembled those of a clingy little pet.
One day, after finishing a round of deep meditation, Liu Yuan walked out of the cultivation room, drenched in sweat.
He returned to the main hall, planning to have a maid brew a pot of fine tea and enjoy a rare moment of leisure.
But before his seat even warmed—
A small white figure rushed down the stairs from the second floor like a flash, bringing a burst of fragrant wind with her.
"Liu Yuan!"
Her voice arrived before she did.
The Snow Empress, dressed in a snow-white lace princess gown with a tiny diamond-studded crown on her head, dashed over in a flurry.
"What is it?" Liu Yuan asked, lifting his teacup and glancing at her.
"Money!" The Snow Empress stretched out her fair little hand righteously in front of him. "I'm out of pocket money again!"
"Pfft—"
Liu Yuan nearly spat out his tea.
He set the cup down and stared at her in disbelief. "Out again? Didn't I just give you fifty thousand gold coins last week?!"
"It's all gone." She blinked her innocent big eyes and answered matter-of-factly. "Yesterday I saw a necklace made of Heart of the Sea gems—super pretty. It cost thirty-eight thousand. Then today I booked the entire Royal Dessert House and ate a lot of cake. So it was gone just like that."
Liu Yuan's eye twitched.
Heart of the Sea gems—those were rare materials on par with ten-thousand-year spirit bones.
Booking the entire Royal Dessert House…
He pressed his fingers to his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
Luckily, his family's resources were deep.
Otherwise, no one could afford an ancestor who burned money like this.
"Snow Empress…"
Leaning back against the sofa, Liu Yuan looked at her helplessly. "Why do I feel like I got the short end of this deal?"
"You don't do anything productive all day. You eat my food, drink my tea, use my things, and take my money to spend everywhere."
"While I'm working myself to the bone cultivating, you're shopping and having afternoon tea every day. You're living better than an emperor!"
Hearing this, the Snow Empress showed not the slightest hint of embarrassment.
Instead, her eyes darted about as a scheme took shape.
She trotted over on her short legs, tugged gently at Liu Yuan's sleeve, and began acting cute in a soft, sweet voice that could melt bones.
"Oh, come on~~"
"I'm just experiencing human society~~"
As she spoke, she even rubbed her fluffy little head against his arm like a kitten begging for food.
"Good master~~ just give me a little more pocket money~~ please~~"
Boom!
The words "Good master" struck Liu Yuan like divine thunder from the Nine Heavens.
His body froze solid, his mind going blank.
A wave of heat surged uncontrollably from his neck to the top of his head. He could clearly feel his face flushing red at an alarming speed.
He… was being teased by a seven-hundred-thousand-year-old loli?!
Seeing Liu Yuan's flustered, red-faced reaction, a trace of triumphant cunning flashed deep in the Snow Empress's eyes.
She knew this trick worked on him every time.
Deliberately leaning closer, she tilted her head and looked at him with an innocent yet teasing gaze, her breath warm as orchids.
"Eh? Master, why is your face so red? Are you sick?"
"Or maybe…"
The corners of her mouth curled into a mischievous smile, her voice dropping low.
"You… like this type?"
"Lolicon."
"Get out!!!"
Liu Yuan instantly exploded like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
Without even looking, he yanked a card from his storage soul tool and stuffed it straight into the Snow Empress's arms.
"Take the money! And get out—now!"
With that, he fled straight back into the cultivation room and slammed the heavy door shut.
Bang!
Standing there, clutching the thick stack of gold notes, the Snow Empress finally burst into laughter.
She weighed the notes in her hand, a victorious smile spreading across her face.
"Tch. Says no with his mouth, but his body's pretty honest."
"Closet-pervert lolicon master…"
Muttering happily, she turned around and skipped upstairs, already planning her next extravagant shopping spree.