Chapter 173: Level 8 and 9 Soul Tool Data? Why Bring Back This Trash?
The biting, absolute zero chill permeating the grand meeting hall began to slowly recede, contracting toward the center of the room. It followed a single, reluctant word from the Snow Empress: "Fine." The suffocating pressure that had stretched the atmosphere taut instantly slackened.
The Snow Empress's ethereal, translucent figure drifted in mid-air. While her crystalline ice-blue eyes retained the innate, haughty arrogance of a supreme ruler, the fierce, self-destructive resolve that had previously burned within them had finally dissipated. She stared down at Liu Yuan, her long, silvery-white hair cascading over her illusory shoulders like a waterfall of frost. Her voice rang out, crisp and frigid, demanding final confirmation. "A hundred years of guardianship in exchange for the reconstruction of my Origin and the chance to safely pass my Heavenly Tribulation. Human, I expect the entity residing behind you to truly fulfill this promise."
Sect Master Du Busi and the six Titled Douluo Elders flanking him slowly withdrew their martial souls. The surging soul power that had been primed for a life-or-death struggle faded, yet the sheer, unadulterated shock lingering in their eyes betrayed their calm facades.
Elder Chen subconsciously reached up to stroke his beard. His fingers clamped down with too much force, yanking out several white strands by the roots, yet the old man did not even flinch. He merely stared blankly ahead, muttering under his breath. "He actually... he really subdued her? That is the Snow Empress... the absolute sovereign of the Far North."
Elder Zhang stared at the young man with a similarly dazed expression. He understood exactly what this transaction implied. If Liu Yuan successfully restored the Snow Empress's shattered Origin, the Body Sect would effectively secure a supreme, world-walking combat asset for an entire century. She was a terrifying entity capable of dragging even a Limit Douluo into the grave with her if pushed to the brink. The strategic value of this alliance far eclipsed the mere acquisition of a hundred-thousand-year soul ring.
Liu Yuan, however, did not lower his guard over a simple verbal commitment. He met her gaze, the purple-gold radiance swirling within his Double Pupils remaining deep and calculating.
"Since this is a transaction, we require an absolute binding force." He took a deliberate step forward, locking his eyes directly onto hers. His tone was calm, yet it carried an unquestionable weight. "Snow Empress, I am well aware that the soul beasts of the Far North hold their own ancient faith. Now, I ask that you swear a formal oath in the name of the Ice God. Should you violate today's agreement, your divine soul shall be extinguished, and you shall be banished from the ice plains for all eternity."
The moment those words left his lips, the Snow Empress's soul body, which had just stabilized, convulsed violently.
Her ice-blue eyes widened to their absolute limits, flashing with an unmatched mix of deep shock and intense wariness. She stared fixedly at the youth, her usually steady voice betraying a faint, obvious tremble. "You... how could you possibly know of the Ice God's existence? The true faith of the Far North has been lost to the annals of time for tens of thousands of years. Aside from ancient beings like us who have lived for hundreds of millennia, it is utterly impossible for an outsider human to know that sacred name!"
The Ice God was the oldest, most sacred totem of the Far North, the supreme sovereign enshrined in the hearts of all ice-attribute soul beasts. To the Snow Empress, this was a divine secret buried deep beneath the permafrost, something that should never have crossed the lips of a mere fifteen-year-old human boy.
Facing her bewildered reaction, Liu Yuan merely curled his lips into a faint, enigmatic smile.
"I know far more than you could ever imagine. My knowledge extends beyond just the Ice God; I am quite familiar with several hidden truths buried within your Far North."
He offered no further explanation. Maintaining an aura of absolute mystery was the most effective method for controlling the psychological high ground. He raised a hand, pointing toward the empty air above them, his voice turning solemn. "Swear the oath. Only with the Ice God as our witness can both sides truly afford to lower their guard."
The Snow Empress fell into a heavy silence. She studied the swirling purple-gold depths of Liu Yuan's Double Pupils, which seemed capable of piercing through all worldly illusions, before shifting her gaze to the grey, ethereal figure hovering behind him, an entity radiating an ancient, holy aura. Finally, she slowly closed her eyes.
Raising her translucent right hand, she pressed a slender finger against the center of her forehead. Ancient, obscure syllables spilled from her lips, chanted with heavy reverence. As the archaic incantation echoed through the hall, the ambient temperature plummeted to a critical freezing point once more. A single speck of pure, brilliant azure light slowly surfaced from the very core of her soul.
"Using my Divine Sense as the medium, I invoke the sacred name of the Ice God. From this day forth, I, the Snow Empress, enter into a binding contract with the human Liu Yuan. I shall safeguard his life for a span of one hundred years, and in return, he shall assist me in reconstructing my Origin and surviving my Heavenly Tribulation. Should I ever violate this oath, may the Far North reject my existence, and may my soul shatter into nothingness!"
The moment the vow was sealed, the brilliant azure light split into two distinct streaks. They shot forward, sinking smoothly into the foreheads of both Liu Yuan and the Snow Empress. An invisible, esoteric fluctuation of worldly laws rippled through the air, forging an unbreakable spiritual tether between them.
Having expended the last dregs of her spiritual strength to form the contract, the Snow Empress appeared visibly exhausted, her form flickering slightly. She turned around and offered a respectful, shallow bow to the elderly phantom hovering behind the youth.
Electrolux nodded in return, a warm glint of approval shining within his kind, grey eyes. He casually waved his hand, sending a gentle wave of grey energy to envelop her fragile soul body.
"Come with this old man, little girl. Your Origin has suffered catastrophic damage. It must be slowly and carefully nourished within this spiritual sea. It will be a lengthy process, but as long as you cooperate, returning to your peak strength will not be a difficult task."
The Snow Empress offered no verbal reply. She simply allowed her form to dissolve into a cluster of crystalline, flowing light. Following Electrolux's lead, the two entities merged directly into the center of Liu Yuan's forehead, vanishing into the vast, boundless expanse of his spiritual sea.
It was only when that lingering, terrifying pressure completely evaporated from the room that the gathered Elders finally felt their lungs expand freely.
"Liu Yuan, you really... in all my long years, this old man has never encountered a kid as monstrously uncanny as you." Elder Chen was the first to break the silence, striding forward with heavy steps. He stared at the youth, his weathered eyes brimming with absolute praise and unmaskable pride. "Subduing the Snow Empress and forcing her to swear an oath in the name of the Ice God... You haven't just secured a supreme treasure for our Body Sect. You've brought back an invincible future guardian!"
Du Busi strode forward right behind him, bringing his broad, calloused palm down onto Liu Yuan's shoulder with a resounding thud. The Sect Master was known for his domineering, unshakable temperament, yet at this moment, the sheer elation dancing in his eyes was impossible to contain.
"Good! Excellently done!" Du Busi threw his head back and let out a booming, hearty laugh that rattled the hall's rafters. "Just a moment ago, this old man was genuinely breaking a cold sweat. I feared that prideful beast would choose self-destruction over submission. I never expected you to break her will so flawlessly. Liu Yuan, your performance during this expedition to the Ming Capital has utterly shattered my expectations. You aren't merely powerful. With your ruthless cunning and calculated methods, it is only a matter of time before the Body Sect reaches unmatched heights of glory under your command."
"Master overpraises me. I merely borrowed Elder Yi's methods to secure the deal," Liu Yuan replied with smooth modesty. However, the rigid lines of his face did not soften in the slightest.
"Hmm? Liu Yuan, is something else troubling you?" Du Busi asked, his thick brows furrowing as he noticed the youth's lingering tension.
Liu Yuan swept his gaze across the circle of veteran powerhouses, his expression turning exceptionally solemn. Instead of taking a moment to rest, he raised his hand and brushed a finger across his storage ring.
"Actually, aside from the Snow Empress and the embryo, there is another critical matter I must report to Master and the Elders."
Under the puzzled gazes of the Body Sect's highest echelon, a flash of spatial light illuminated the room. Suddenly, the massive long table in the center of the hall groaned under the weight of towering stacks of heavy metal scrolls, thick soul power manuals, and thousands of precisely drafted blueprints. The metallic scent of ink and refined steel wafted through the air. These items emitted a distinct, cold aura of technological advancement, a stark, jarring contrast to the traditional soul master world's singular obsession with individual martial might.
"What is all this..." Elder Zhang frowned deeply. He stepped up to the table, pinching the corner of a metal document to flip it open, before immediately jerking his hand back with a look of undisguised disgust. "Are these the metal toys those Soul Engineers from the Sun Moon Empire obsess over?"
"Exactly," Liu Yuan nodded, his voice steady. "During my withdrawal, I took the liberty of emptying Mingde Hall's core subterranean library. I secured their most highly classified Level 8 and Level 9 soul tool data. This haul includes the volatile chemical formulas for stationary soul cannon shells, the complex topology diagrams for advanced core formations, and over a century's worth of Mingde Hall's private research insights regarding high-tier soul tools."
Upon hearing the origin of this massive hoard, the faint traces of curiosity that had initially flickered in the Elders' eyes instantly curdled into strangely grim, darkened expressions.
Elder Chen waved his hand dismissively, glaring at the towering piles of blueprints as if they were a pile of rotting garbage. "Liu Yuan, why would you bother hauling this trash back here? We of the Body Sect rely on the absolute supremacy of our own flesh and blood. We conquer the world with our own two fists. Those weakling Soul Engineers waste their lives studying external crutches. In our eyes, this is nothing but a pathetic, minor path."
"Indeed," another Elder chimed in, his tone dripping with deep-seated, innate prejudice. "Power derived from stacking lumps of metal together is not only cumbersome, but its absolute ceiling is pitifully low. Years ago, didn't that fat toad Jing Hongchen activate his vaunted Red Dust Blessing, only to still get mercilessly suppressed and beaten into the dirt by the Sect Master? From where this old man stands, studying these toys is a complete waste of our time."
Within the rigid, traditional dogma of the Body Sect, pursuing the ultimate evolution of the human physique was the one and only righteous path to godhood. Soul tools had always been universally mocked as pathetic crutches, forged by the weak to compensate for their lack of innate talent. This extreme prejudice was carved deep into the very marrow of these veteran Titled Douluos, men who had spent over a century dominating the continent with their bare hands.
The atmosphere in the grand hall rapidly stagnated, turning thick with awkward tension. As the supreme powerhouses of the sect stared down at a mountain of incomparably precious, world-changing technological data, their eyes held absolutely no greed. Instead, they looked at the blueprints with the cold, dismissive indifference one reserved for absolute trash.
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