Mm... duped another one—er, no, recruited another talent!
Looking at Ling Luochen's name on the contract and the subtle connection it forged between them, Huo Yuhao nodded in satisfaction.
"Since the contract is signed, let's talk about the backup plan. At least this way, you can experience the power of Ultimate Ice in advance."
"Backup... plan?" Ling Luochen was dazed.
"Yes. Similar to the seal I use to suppress Ma Xiaotao's evil fire, I can temporarily leave a trace of soul power with the Ultimate Ice attribute in your body.
"You can activate this soul power whenever you wish, allowing your Ice attribute to briefly sublimate into Ultimate Ice, boosting your combat strength.
"At the same time, you can gradually refine this portion of soul power to increase your own soul power level..."
To be honest, Huo Yuhao's current Ultimate Ice martial soul was like a superior upgrade to Ling Luochen's Ice Element martial soul.
Even without an experiment, Huo Yuhao knew their martial soul compatibility would be excellent, and there was a high probability of a martial soul fusion skill dominated by Huo Yuhao.
The existence of a martial soul fusion skill meant their soul power could be converted into one another's to a certain extent. Combined with the fact that Huo Yuhao's martial soul was the purest Ultimate Ice—composed of pure Ice-attribute energy—these conditions allowed the soul power he left in Ling Luochen's body to be converted by her into part of her own cultivation.
"...So, want to give it a try?"
Huo Yuhao asked softly.
"I do!" Ling Luochen nodded hurriedly.
After signing that contract and feeling its unique sensation, Ling Luochen had a feeling she had boarded a "pirate ship."
But hearing Huo Yuhao's words... she suddenly felt this pirate ship was actually quite nice!
The conversation ended, and the two returned to Huo Yuhao's laboratory at the academy.
Upon returning, they ran into Jiang Nannan, who was practicing with the "Engraved Cultivation Method."
Seeing Jiang Nannan completely immersed in her cultivation, Huo Yuhao didn't disturb her and led Ling Luochen directly into another enclosed room.
"Lie down. I'll engrave it for you."
Huo Yuhao pointed to the empty metal workbench. Ling Luochen nodded and lay down immediately.
The process was similar to suppressing Ma Xiaotao's evil fire, but a bit simpler.
As the aura of Ultimate Ice manifested, Ling Luochen was awestruck by that presence. She couldn't resist in the slightest, only able to watch as Huo Yuhao placed his hand on her lower abdomen.
A cool sensation spread from her abdomen through her meridians to her entire body, giving Ling Luochen an indescribable sense of refreshment.
A moment later, the engraving was finished. Huo Yuhao withdrew his hand and spoke softly: "Try it out and see how it feels."
Huo Yuhao's voice pulled a somewhat dazed Ling Luochen back to reality. She slowly propped herself up, feeling strangely drained, yet the soul power within her was surging.
Sensing that pure, bone-chillingly cold soul power at her lower abdomen, Ling Luochen clearly felt the gap between her and Huo Yuhao.
With a thought, she tentatively touched the stored soul power with her own. In the next instant, her attribute sublimated!
The soul power with the Ultimate Ice attribute merged with her Ice Element. In that moment, her ice completely transformed into a different level of existence!
The feeling of being able to command all ice elements at will was impossible to describe!
"Not for too long the first time. Your body won't be able to handle it."
Huo Yuhao's voice rang out again. Then, Ling Luochen felt a hand on her shoulder, and the wild aura of ice was immediately suppressed.
Ling Luochen blinked, not quite reacting yet. But feeling the cold gradually dissipate from her meridians, she knew that everything that just happened was real.
For those few moments, she truly possessed the power of Ultimate Ice!
Standing up and supporting her somewhat weak body, Ling Luochen managed to get off the metal table. She then spoke to Huo Yuhao with sincere gratitude:
"Thank you..."
She seemed to understand a bit why Ma Xiaotao was so curious about this guy's appearance...
He possessed an extraordinary temperament, a mysterious true identity, and under the influence of her own Ice Element martial soul, she felt an instinctive urge to get closer...
Ling Luochen shook her head, clearing the strange thoughts from her mind.
Afterward, Huo Yuhao performed a brief check on Ling Luochen's body. After confirming there were no issues, he let her go.
Leaving the lab, Ling Luochen's steps were light. Now, she was desperate to test how far her strength had reached! As for her first target...
That would be Ma Xiaotao, of course!
...
Two weeks later.
Star Net City, at an ordinary tea stall. Several workers who had just finished their shifts began their daily gossip.
"Hey, have you heard? A lot of people have died at the Duke's Mansion recently!"
"I know about that! A friend of a classmate of the son of my wife's cousin's family is a guard at the Duke's Mansion. They say it started about two weeks ago.
"At first, those people thought it was just a simple cold and took some medicine to get by. Who would've thought the whole Duke's Mansion would catch that strange sickness!"
One worker spoke with lingering fear. Seeing that he seemed to know something, the other workers hurriedly pressed him:
"Then what? I heard quite a few died! Were they saved?"
The worker with the inside info shook his head:
"Over thirty people died. Oh right, do you remember the Duchess of the Duke's Mansion who suddenly became paralyzed two years ago? She used to be able to open her eyes, but now they say she just lies in bed with her eyes closed all day, kept alive by incredibly expensive medicinal herbs!"
The worker paused to take a sip of tea before continuing:
"But just a few days ago, when the eldest son of the Duke's Mansion came back from studying at Shrek Academy, he met a 'Little Divine Doctor' on the road.
"The Little Divine Doctor showed off his skills and told the young master he had a way to cure everyone in the Duke's Mansion. The young master was skeptical but still paid a heavy sum for a prescription.
"After returning to the Duke's Mansion, the young master sent people to get the herbs and tested them on the servants. Sure enough, it cured everyone!"
"Sss—something feels off. The young master just happened to meet a Little Divine Doctor on his way back who could cure everyone? Could the Little Divine Doctor have been the one who poisoned them?"
One person speculated.
The worker with the inside info shook his head and spoke nonchalantly:
"Who knows? It doesn't matter to us common folk anyway. But I did hear that early the next morning, that young master sent people to issue a direct arrest warrant..."