Bonus Chapter. Enjoy!
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Mu Ye looked at the unconcealable shock on Huo Yuhao's face and couldn't help but chuckle.
He patted Huo Yuhao's shoulder again and explained with a smile.
"Alright, Yuhao. When I said I'd give you an Ice God Spirit, I didn't mean you'd be merging directly with a real Ice God."
"It's simply using the Ice God's bloodline to activate your blank second Spirit."
Inside Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness, the Skydream Ice Worm also let out a sigh of relief.
"Phew, for a second there, I thought you were about to achieve an unprecedented feat, Little Yuhao—slaying a god at level thirty-something."
Hearing the Skydream Ice Worm's nonsensical words, Huo Yuhao's face darkened with frustration.
He composed himself and turned his attention back to Mu Ye.
"Teacher Mu Ye, in that case, what do I need to do?"
"Follow me."
Mu Ye didn't waste any more words. He turned and walked out, while raising his wrist to quickly operate his identity bracelet.
"I've already sent a message to Dean Lin Feng. I can't make the call on a bloodline fusion of this level alone, nor can I protect you. The Dean must preside over it personally."
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao felt a jolt of apprehension and quickly hurried to keep up with Mu Ye.
The two passed through several complex, fully enclosed metal corridors. After many twists and turns, Mu Ye led Huo Yuhao to a massive, seamless metal door that was dark blue all over.
As Mu Ye's identity bracelet was scanned, the heavy metal door slid open silently to both sides.
"Hiss—!"
The moment he stepped into the vast space known as the laboratory, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but gasp as a violent shiver ran through his entire body!
Cold!
An extreme cold that seemed capable of freezing the soul instantly, like countless icy steel needles, frantically bored into Huo Yuhao's body through his pores!
Despite his current level thirty-something Spirit Power and decent physical fitness, he felt a bone-chilling cold and stiffness the instant he entered!
Mu Ye snorted coldly at the sight, and the majestic bloodline power and Spirit Power within his body instantly surged.
Buzz—!
A faint red halo spread out from Mu Ye's body, firmly enveloping both him and Huo Yuhao, forcibly dispelling that terrifying, extreme cold.
"Phew... that was close. This place is really cold!"
Huo Yuhao rubbed his stiff arms and exhaled a puff of white mist, his face full of lingering fear.
"Of course it's cold!"
In the Sea of Consciousness, the Skydream Ice Worm's voice carried a rare hint of solemnity.
"Little Yuhao, you might not feel it, but I'm a Spirit Beast born and raised in the Extreme North Land! The temperature in this room is actually almost the same as the temperature in the very core of the Extreme North Land!"
"And... what makes my skin crawl the most isn't the cold itself, but the fact that this extreme cold force is perfectly confined to just this one room by a terrifying power! Not a single bit has leaked out!"
Huo Yuhao's eyes were filled with shock after hearing these words.
"Alright, we're here."
Mu Ye stopped with a smile and looked toward a massive crystal formation in the center of the laboratory that emitted a faint blue glow.
Just then, a tall, slender figure dressed in snow-white clothes with a temperament as warm and refined as jade appeared slowly in the center of the formation without any warning.
It was the Dean of Shrek Academy, Lin Feng!
"Dean!"
Huo Yuhao felt a jolt of respect and quickly bowed to greet him.
"Dean."
Mu Ye also set aside his casual demeanor and greeted him respectfully.
Huo Yuhao looked up slightly, and as he faced Lin Feng, an indescribable shock welled up in his heart once more.
He realized that seeing Dean Lin Feng this time, the impression the man gave him was countless times stronger than during their first meeting!
That unfathomable pressure, deep as an abyss and vast as the sea, made Huo Yuhao tremble from the depths of his soul, even though Lin Feng had not intentionally released any aura.
Could it be... that legendary saying? When your strength hasn't reached a certain level, you don't even have the right to know how strong the other person is, or even the qualification to look up at their back?
As his own strength increased, instead of feeling closer to Dean Lin Feng, he felt more and more that the man was like a high-and-mighty deity, visible but unreachable.
Of course, shock aside, Huo Yuhao only ever felt the purest gratitude and respect for Dean Lin Feng.
If not for Dean Lin Feng taking him in and nurturing him that day, and if not for this academy's devoted cultivation, the reborn version of himself today would definitely not exist!
Lin Feng stood with his hands behind his back, his gentle gaze falling upon Huo Yuhao.
"Yuhao, Mu Ye should have told you everything already."
"You must understand that the Ice God is a true Divinity. The divine origin and extreme cold contained within are definitely not something a mortal body can easily endure."
"If you forcibly merge with this Ice God bloodline, the entire process will be accompanied by pain unimaginable to ordinary people. Your meridians, bones, and even your soul will be frozen inch by inch, torn apart, and then reconstructed. With the slightest mistake, your body won't be able to withstand this divine force, and you'll explode and die on the spot—beyond the help of even the gods!"
"What?!"
Explode and die?!
Lin Feng's casual remark terrified the Skydream Ice Worm in the Sea of Consciousness!
The Skydream Ice Worm's chubby body shuddered violently, and it began scrambling and screaming in the Sea of Consciousness.
"I'm out! I'm out! Little Yuhao, we're not doing this deal!"
According to the Skydream Ice Worm's original plan, no matter which top-tier ice-attribute Spirit Beast Huo Yuhao merged with, the process would be difficult, perhaps even a life-or-death gamble.
"But! With its million-year spiritual origin as an intelligent Spirit Ring protecting him in the shadows, it could definitely step in at the critical moment to preserve Huo Yuhao's heart and provide a safety net!"
"But now?!"
"This is the freaking bloodline of a real Ice God!"
Faced with the power of a Divinity, no matter how arrogant the Skydream Ice Worm was, it would never dare to guarantee that its origin as a mere Million-Year Soul Beast could save Huo Yuhao if this divine force went berserk!
"If this fails, it's all over!"
"Little Yuhao, how about we just forget it!"
The Skydream Ice Worm pleaded earnestly.
"Can't we just honestly pick an Ice Dragon King? We can still get Ultimate Ice that way. Why risk exploding just to covet this divine bloodline? Isn't it better to stay alive?!"
However, in the face of the Skydream Ice Worm's pleas and Lin Feng's words, not a hint of retreat appeared in Huo Yuhao's eyes.
He took a deep breath and shook his head with absolute determination, despite the extreme cold pressure from the laboratory.
"Dean, I want to try."
Huo Yuhao wasn't content with just being second; he wanted to become stronger and reach the very top, step by step!
Feeling Huo Yuhao's firm spiritual conviction, the Skydream Ice Worm sighed deeply and could only let him have his way.
"Since you're hell-bent on risking your life, then I'll risk mine to accompany you! You better be careful and hold on! Don't end up taking me to the grave with you!"
With that, the Skydream Ice Worm clasped its hands and began praying frantically in the Sea of Consciousness, hoping that the unfathomable Dean Lin Feng outside would have the mercy to lend a hand if things went wrong and Huo Yuhao was about to explode.
Lin Feng smiled and then spoke to Huo Yuhao.
"Good! You have courage!"
He slowly raised his slender right hand, and a light flashed in his palm.
A fist-sized glob of blood, magnificently ice-blue all over, floated quietly in mid-air. (Tang Wulin's was gold-red.)
"Sit cross-legged and focus your mind!"
Lin Feng barked softly and then flicked his finger.
The Ice God blood transformed into a brilliant stream of light and, with lightning speed, shot directly into the space between Huo Yuhao's eyebrows!
Boom—!!!
The moment the blood entered his body, Huo Yuhao's eyes widened and his pupils dilated instantly!
Pain!
Huo Yuhao felt a terrifying chill that defied description, like ten thousand razor-sharp ice blades, raging through his forehead into his brain, meridians, bones, and even every single cell!
"Ah—!!!"
Huo Yuhao couldn't help but let out a shrill, agonizing scream. His originally fair skin was covered in a thick layer of frost in the blink of an eye, and he seemed about to turn into an ice sculpture instantly!
However, this cold, which was enough to freeze a person into nothingness, lasted for less than a few seconds.
Because the cold had reached a point beyond his body's limit, Huo Yuhao's nervous system collapsed and became unbalanced!
In his perception, that all-freezing cold actually transformed into an extreme heat that seemed capable of incinerating everything in the World!
Alternating hot and cold! Temperature imbalance!
Huo Yuhao felt as if his body were a piece of porcelain thrown into an alchemy furnace; half was cracking from extreme cold, while the other half was being frantically scorched and melted by raging fire!
His muscles were spasming, and his bones were making ear-piercing cracking sounds!
"Hiss—so cold! It's so freaking cold!!!"
And while Huo Yuhao was wishing for death, a pig-slaughtering scream also echoed from the Skydream Ice Worm in the Sea of Consciousness!
This ice-attribute Spirit Beast with over a million years of cultivation, born and raised in the Extreme North Land and long since immune to the cold, was now turning purple and shivering in Huo Yuhao's spiritual World!
"How is this possible?! I'm an Ice Silkworm! How could I possibly feel cold?!"
The Skydream Ice Worm screamed in disbelief, its short arms wrapped tightly around itself as its teeth chattered.
This was naturally Lin Feng's doing. Since he was merging divine bloodline, how could Lin Feng let this silkworm residing in Huo Yuhao's body have it too easy?
This was also a test for the Skydream Ice Worm.
For a time, both man and silkworm experienced this cruel, purgatory-like assessment simultaneously in the real and spiritual Worlds!
Huo Yuhao gritted his teeth so hard his lips were already bloodied, but the blood froze the moment it flowed out.
Several times, his consciousness was nearly torn apart by the intense pain.
But every time he was about to lose consciousness, that obsession in his heart—refusing to be left behind and wanting to overcome his fate—would forcibly pull him back, making him hold on with all his might!
Standing to the side, Mu Ye stared intently at the mangled Huo Yuhao, his eyes filled with irrepressible worry.
This was a trial for Huo Yuhao; if he could pass it, he would experience a meteoric rise!
"Hold on, kid! If you make it through, you'll emerge from your cocoon as a butterfly!"
Mu Ye thought to himself.
Time ticked away second by second in this hellish torment.
On the surface of Huo Yuhao's body, frost and blood intertwined, cracking and healing in an endless cycle.
Buzz—!!!
A vast and boundless aura, seemingly capable of freezing the entire World, erupted from Huo Yuhao's battered body!
Shua!
Huo Yuhao's tightly closed eyes snapped open!
Those originally clear blue eyes now held an endless chill!
At the same time, Huo Yuhao's short blue hair, amidst a swirl of brilliant light, actually began to turn silver-white, starting from the roots!
Fusion complete!
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A/N:
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.