Facing Qian Renxue's curious "three deadly questions," Hu Bai showed no impatience.
He organized his thoughts and patiently said, "I am now a Rank 73 Spirit Saint. As for the divine examination, it is still ongoing."
"Also, in my Spirit Sea, besides that Heavenly Dream Iceworm, there are now two new neighbors, Ice Empress and Snow Empress."
"Ice Empress and Snow Empress?" Qian Renxue's beautiful eyes widened, clearly unfamiliar with these two names.
"Yes, they are the two great rulers of the Extreme North Land, with cultivation levels of 400,000 years and 700,000 years respectively. Due to some special reasons, they now reside within me in a special Soul form, and I have thus gained a second ice-attribute Spirit."
"And then there was what happened in Tianshui City a while ago."
Hu Bai meticulously recounted all the major events that had occurred during her year of secluded cultivation to Qian Renxue.
From the adventure in the Extreme North Land to subduing Ice Empress and Snow Empress, then to the battle between Tianshui City and the Heaven Dou Empire, everything was explained in detail.
Qian Renxue listened intently, sometimes frowning at the dangers he experienced, and other times marveling at his fortuitous encounters.
For her, she wanted to know every single thing about Xiao Bai.
Although she couldn't participate in some events, through Hu Bai's narration, it was as if she accompanied him and re-walked that journey.
After listening to all of Hu Bai's accounts, Qian Renxue was so shocked that she couldn't speak for a long time, but more than that, she felt heartache.
"You've pushed yourself too hard this past year."
She reached out and gently stroked Hu Bai's cheek, her eyes filled with tenderness.
"Although you are the Saint of Spirit Hall and need to prove yourself to the outside World with your strength, how old are you now? There's no need to work so hard."
Hu Bai smiled and held her hand: "How can I not work hard? How can I protect you if I don't work hard?"
He had to become a god earlier than Qian Renxue.
He hadn't forgotten that when Qian Renxue was to undergo the Nine Trials of the Angel, Qian Daoliu would need to sacrifice himself to initiate them.
Even if he had collected a lot of Power Of Faith over the years, it would probably be useless for this matter.
But as long as he became a god—no, even if he was just a demigod—he was confident he could preserve Qian Daoliu's Soul and revive him later!
A simple sentence instantly made Qian Renxue's heart melt.
Her cheeks flushed slightly, but she quickly remembered something else, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Hu Bai, with a hint of curiosity and anticipation.
"But, the Ice Empress and Snow Empress you mentioned, can I… can I meet them?"
Seeing Qian Renxue's sparkling eyes, filled with curiosity, Hu Bai naturally wouldn't refuse.
He smiled, nodded, and readily accepted.
However, he also explained a bit.
"Snow Jiejie, Ice Empress and Snow Empress's Soul bodies cannot directly appear outside right now."
"Why?" Qian Renxue was a little puzzled.
Hu Bai's expression became a bit more serious: "Since Gu Yuena is related to Vicious Beasts, if Ice Empress and Snow Empress appear in the outside World, they might be detected."
Qian Renxue was incredibly intelligent and immediately understood the implications.
"Then what should we do?"
Hu Bai smiled slightly, extended a finger, and gently tapped his own forehead, then hers.
"It's very simple. Snow Jiejie, you and I will touch foreheads, just like when you taught me the self-created Spirit Ability for light element before. I will open my mental force defense and let your mental force enter my Spirit Sea. This way, you can see them."
This method sounded simple.
But in reality, it represented an extreme level of trust.
The Spirit Sea is the most important and most vulnerable part of a Spirit Master.
Actively opening one's defenses and allowing another person's mental force to enter freely was tantamount to placing one's life in the other's hands.
One careless mistake, and if the Spirit Sea was damaged, at best one would become an idiot, at worst one would die on the spot, which would be quite a mess.
Qian Renxue looked deeply at Hu Bai, her golden beautiful eyes filled with emotion and tenderness.
She didn't hesitate at all, gently nodded, and actively leaned towards Hu Bai.
The moment their foreheads gently touched, Qian Renxue's already fair cheeks instantly seemed to be brushed with a layer of rouge, becoming even more rosy and captivating.
With Hu Bai's unique fresh scent lingering around her nose and feeling the warmth from his forehead, Qian Renxue's heartbeat involuntarily quickened.
"Close… close your eyes."
She closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, her voice as soft as a mosquito's hum.
Hu Bai looked at her from such a close distance, and she felt a surge of heat throughout her body.
It had to be said, Hu Bai's skin was truly exquisite; seen from such close proximity, it was as fair and smooth as the finest mutton-fat jade, without a single blemish.
Of course, Qian Renxue felt the same way when looking at Hu Bai.
"Okay, let's close them together."
Hu Bai responded gently and also closed his eyes.
At the same time, he naturally reached out both hands, taking Qian Renxue's soft hands that were resting on her lap, their fingers intertwined, holding tightly together.
The next moment, Qian Renxue felt a gentle mental force envelop her, guiding her softly.
Her consciousness instantly detached from her body, transforming into a golden light and shadow, entering a vast and boundless golden World.
This was Hu Bai's Spirit Sea.
The golden mental force was like a boundless ocean, vast and endless.
Qian Renxue's mental body floated on this golden ocean, completely stunned.
Her own Spirit Sea was already considered outstanding among those of the same Rank, but compared to this "ocean" before her, it was like a small pond.
The mental force here, both in "quantity" and "quality," far surpassed hers!
This… this Spirit Sea was at least dozens of times larger than hers!
Was this the talent of a mental-attribute Spirit Master? It was too exaggerated!
What shocked her even more was deep within this golden ocean.
There, there was an even larger second Spirit Sea, emitting a brilliant blue light!
That blue ocean exuded an extreme coldness, distinctly separate from the outer golden ocean yet perfectly coexisting with it.
One golden, one blue; one sacred, one icy cold, forming this magnificent and unique spiritual World.
Qian Renxue's small mouth was slightly agape, unable to close for a long time.
Subconsciously, she let out an exclamation from the bottom of her heart.
"Xiao Bai, yours is so big."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she froze, seemingly realizing that the sentence might have a double meaning.
Hu Bai's mouth also twitched violently.
This girl, how could she speak without thinking?
He suppressed the urge to retort and said, "Cough cough. The Spirit Sea is very big, right?"
Qian Renxue's mental body's small face flushed, and she was about to explain.
Just then, a clear female voice with a hint of playfulness came from the blue Spirit Sea.
"Heh heh, Xiao Bai, I didn't expect you, little fellow, to be quite a pervert."
Before the words finished, two rays of light flew out from the blue ocean.
As the light dissipated, two stunning figures appeared before Qian Renxue.
One was a small loli wearing a emerald green dress, looking only eleven or twelve years old, with strikingly green long hair, and a hint of arrogance and playful smile on her small face.
The other was a beautiful mature woman wearing a snow-white long dress, with silver hair reaching her ankles. Her temperament was cold and aloof, like a thousand-year-old ice lotus, sacred and inviolable.