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"We've been searching all day and encountered thousands of Ice Jade Scorpions—we've probably combed through every last one on the outskirts. If this batch doesn't work out, we'll have to head into the core region of the Extreme North tomorrow. The Ice Jade Scorpions there are mostly over a thousand years old; hundred-year ones are rare," Yan Shaozhe said softly.
"…"
Su Wen gave a slight nod.
Staring at the Ice Jade Scorpion before him, which had a potential of seven, he rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought.
An entire day.
Out of several thousand hundred-year Ice Jade Scorpions, the most talented one had a potential of three. This one, with a potential of seven, was astonishing.
This was truly a now-or-never opportunity.
Su Wen estimated that, barring an untimely demise, this Ice Jade Scorpion had terrifying growth potential. Reaching the level of an Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion wasn't out of the question.
A second Ice Empress, huh?
He was curious what the Ice Empress's stats were, but unfortunately, he'd have to see her in person to find out.
Shaking his head, he pushed the thought aside.
He had no intention of courting death in the core region just yet. Going to confront the Ice Empress without the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm would be suicide. Did he really think the Ice Empress's attitude toward Huo Yuhao in the original story applied to every human?
Her title was "Heavenly King of the Extreme North," one of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts.
She genuinely ate people.
It was like Sun Wukong; he was friendly during the Journey to the West, but people forget that in his Water Curtain Cave, he was a demon who ate humans raw.
If besieged by the three Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North, Yan Shaozhe might be able to escape, but Su Wen would definitely be left behind as fertilizer.
"This one, then."
Su Wen pointed at a slightly larger Ice Jade Scorpion that was trembling among the group.
"Alright!"
With a grand wave of his hand, Yan Shaozhe delivered the chosen Ice Jade Scorpion to Su Wen.
As the yellow spirit ball was thrown, a beam of light shot up.
The Ice Jade Scorpion's data panel immediately updated:
[Ice Jade Scorpion]
Level: 21
Strength: 15.4 (+2.0)
Speed: 10.4 (+2.4)
Endurance: 13.4 (+2.4)
Defense: 18.1 (+5.1)
Skill: Ice Domain (Yellow)
Attribute: Ice (Ultimate)
Potential: 7 (Peerless)
Next Evolution: Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion
Gale's data panel also updated, its level rising from 20 to 21.
However, its only skill was still Wind Blade; no new skill had been unlocked.
Su Wen shook his head.
It seemed that a new skill would only unlock upon reaching the next evolutionary stage.
Turning his gaze to the Ice Jade Scorpion, a hint of delight flickered in his eyes.
He hadn't expected the very next stage to be the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion. He had assumed that was the final form. A mischievous smile crept onto his lips—he wondered how the Ice Empress would react to seeing an ultra-evolved version of herself.
He reviewed the stats and noticed the values in the parentheses were identical to Gale's. It appeared that the stat bonuses gained from eating were distributed equally among all his soul beasts.
As for the skill "Ice Domain," the yellow tag likely indicated its power level. Though it was probably a general-purpose skill, it was clearly far stronger than the basic Wind Blade.
He looked at the little creature before him, which had instantly become docile. Its large, crystal-green eyes were fixed intently on him.
"Hmm… I'll call you Ice Sovereign," Su Wen said with a smile after a moment's thought, stroking his chin.
As the saying goes, two kings cannot occupy the same mountain.
Calling it "Ice Empress" would feel like a cheap imitation. "Ice King" sounded too common. "Ice Sovereign" was just right.
"…"
The Ice Sovereign nodded, accepting the name.
However, compared to the lively and mischievous Gale, the Ice Sovereign was far more composed—it even gave Su Wen a bit of a socially anxious vibe.
Only now did Su Wen take a moment to observe it in detail.
Its entire body shimmered with a jade-green luster, its carapace like a suit of polished emerald that radiated a dazzling brilliance under the sun. The multi-segmented tail possessed a mechanical, layered beauty, and the stinger at its tip was held high, matching the jade color of its shell and eyes.
It stood about half a meter tall, but when including its long tail, its total length was nearly two meters. (The Ice Empress is only 1.5 meters tall, so I tried to make this one a bit larger.)
"Roar~"
Gale popped out of its spirit ball and curiously examined Ice Sovereign—then let out a low, dissatisfied growl.
"What? Are you mad that this one's name sounds cooler than yours?" Su Wen chuckled. "Ice Sovereign, use Ice Domain!"
"Buzzz—!"
The Ice Sovereign remained silent as its body began to glow with a translucent, pale-blue light that expanded rapidly outward from its center.
In moments, a domain about one hundred meters in diameter formed.
Instantly, Su Wen felt as if he were trapped in a swamp. His blood seemed to slow to a crawl, the temperature plummeted, and frost formed on surfaces dozens of times faster than before.
It was a domain-type skill.
However, it didn't distinguish between friend and foe; only beings with an Ultimate Ice attribute could receive a boost within it. This was the Ice Jade Scorpion's home turf. The domain's inherent Ultimate Ice attribute amplified the power of this otherwise ordinary skill several times over.
It was a shame it wasn't an offensive skill, but it was excellent for support. Hopefully, after reaching level 30, Ice Sovereign would gain an offensive ability. That would create a stable starting team.
With Ice Sovereign's high defense and strength filling a power-attack role, and Gale handling mobility and support as an agility-type assassin, all he would need at level 30 was a healer or a control-type plant soul beast. A basic, effective team would be complete.
"Roar~"
Gale timidly backed away a few steps. Although Ice Sovereign wasn't even half its height, the intense cold it radiated was truly intimidating.
Such was the oppressive power of an ultimate attribute.
Soon, however, the chill within Su Wen's body faded. After capturing Ice Sovereign, his own resistance to cold had skyrocketed. Inside the Ice Domain, his own stats—reaction speed, strength, speed, and even his soul power recovery rate—were all rapidly increasing.
"Alright, that's enough. Dispel it."
Su Wen nodded at Ice Sovereign.
Gale's agility had plummeted inside the domain; it was moving no faster than an ordinary Wind Baboon. Frost and ice crystals clung to its fur as it trembled violently. Any longer, and it might have become an ice sculpture.
"Su Wen! Did you get your soul ring?"
Ning Tian came running over from the distance. Wiping her pale, frostbitten face, she looked at him with novelty and excitement.
At this age, children possess some shrewdness, but not much. Compared to her twelve-year-old counterpart in the original story, who was singularly focused on revitalizing the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, the current Ning Tian was filled with a more innocent, childlike sincerity—genuinely happy for the success of a new friend.
(End of Chapter)