The Icebound Forest—its unique climate kept it perpetually locked in a frigid winter state.
The soul beasts that inhabited this place were mostly ice-type, or beasts with a pure yang constitution. For instance, tiger-type soul beasts could be found here in significant numbers.
Gu Han and his companions had a clear objective for their visit this time. With two high-level Soul Douluo in their group, not a single soul beast dared to approach them. Before long, they arrived at the base of a cliff.
Looking up, they could just barely make out a massive snow lotus rooted at the top of the cliff. Its purity was unmatched, exuding an ethereal beauty as if it were detached from the mortal world.
"What an extraordinary snow lotus!"
Yue Guan, an avid lover of plants, instantly lit up with excitement and couldn't help exclaiming in awe.
"It's so beautiful…"
Even Bibi Dong was momentarily stunned. To think that such a breathtaking lotus would bloom in a place this desolate—the otherworldly beauty of it was truly mesmerizing.
Even Gu Han found himself captivated by its presence, his gaze drawn to it involuntarily.
His martial soul—and the blank book within his mind—seemed to respond to the lotus, as if resonating with it.
"This… this is a true spirit of heaven and earth. It's vastly different from ordinary soul beasts. Given enough time, it will surely become a divine-quality soul beast and reach the realm of a hundred-thousand-year soul beast."
Yue Guan spread his arms, as if he longed to embrace the lotus itself.
"In that case, let's kill it quickly."
Ghost had no eye for aesthetics. He only knew that this lotus was a perfect match for Gu Han's third soul ring. Since it was suitable, there was no reason to delay.
"Tch, Old Ghost, you really are blind to beauty, aren't you?"
Yue Guan shot him a wounded glare, clearly annoyed at his lack of appreciation.
Ghost rolled his eyes. "No matter how beautiful it is, it's still our target. Are you planning to just leave it here to keep growing—or worse, let someone else absorb it?"
"Uh…"
Yue Guan paused. He had to admit Ghost had a point. A soul beast of such quality might have survived this long without being hunted, but that didn't mean others wouldn't go after it eventually.
"What a shame… If you weren't a soul beast, I might've found you a better place to bloom."
With a sigh, Yue Guan looked at the beautiful ice crystal snow lotus with genuine regret. He then turned to Gu Han. "Xiao Han, we shouldn't delay. Let's head up and take the ring."
There was also a flicker of reluctance in Bibi Dong's eyes, but she knew this snow lotus was a soul beast. If left to evolve into a hundred-thousand-year beast, it could become a significant threat to humanity. Even if it didn't reach that stage, someone else might harvest it before long.
In that case, it was better that her junior absorbed it.
Seeing Gu Han unresponsive and still staring at the snow lotus, Yue Guan assumed he was still caught up in its beauty and called out again.
"Xiao Han, stop daydreaming. Let's go."
"Wait, Uncle Chrysanthemum. This ice crystal snow lotus seems to have a faint sense of consciousness, and I think my martial soul is resonating with it. We're… communicating."
As he spoke, Gu Han summoned his martial soul—Frostblade Sword. The sword hummed softly, while the snow lotus shimmered in response. The two seemed to reflect each other, like they were engaging in a spiritual exchange.
Even the well-traveled Yue Guan and Ghost had never seen such a phenomenon. Bibi Dong was equally mystified as the three of them watched the surreal scene unfold.
Then, the snow lotus began to dissolve—transforming into the purest energy of heaven and earth—before condensing into a purple soul ring that floated toward Gu Han of its own volition.
Raising his Frostblade Sword, Gu Han easily fused with it, as though their union had been destined.
"A sacrifice… It actually chose to sacrifice itself!"
It was common knowledge that only hundred-thousand-year soul beasts could offer a self-sacrificial soul ring, but no one had ever witnessed it—especially not from a soul beast below that level. Whether it was even possible had always been uncertain.
Yet today, they saw it happen.
An eight-thousand-year-old ice crystal snow lotus had willingly chosen to sacrifice itself, becoming Gu Han's third soul ring.
This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime miracle.
The pure energy entered Gu Han's body, flowing through his meridians before settling in his dantian.
As the snow lotus completed its self-sacrifice, Gu Han's hair turned snow-white. Dressed in a long robe of cyan and blue, with white hair flowing freely, he now resembled a sword immortal straight out of a story.
Bibi Dong's eyes sparkled. In that moment, her junior brother perfectly embodied the image of a legendary sword immortal she had always imagined.
Gu Han also grew taller—his height increasing from 1.75 meters to roughly 1.8 meters.
Thankfully, his Spirit Hall-issued uniform was made from high-quality material with great elasticity. The five-centimeter increase didn't cause it to tear.
Say what you will—the Spirit Hall's custom fabric really was top-tier.
Had he been wearing his old clothes, they'd be ripped to shreds by now.
Watching this transformation, Yue Guan felt more and more that this boy reminded him of Chen Xin.
If not for the fact that Gu Han's martial soul wasn't the Seven Kill Sword, and the transformation happened right in front of him, he would've seriously suspected the boy was Chen Xin's son.
He didn't resemble Chen Xin in appearance—but his aura and bearing were incredibly similar.
If Gu Han could hear Yue Guan's thoughts, he'd probably roast him inwardly:
"Why is it always Chen Xin with you? What kind of unspeakable past do you two even have…"
"Right, Xiao Han—rumor has it that whenever a soul beast sacrifices itself, a soul bone is guaranteed. Hurry, check if there's one!"
Ghost's focus was as sharp as ever. He had long heard that soul beast sacrifices were guaranteed to produce soul bones—granted, that was only for hundred-thousand-year beasts. But who's to say lower-level beasts couldn't do the same?
After all, no one had believed that anything short of a hundred-thousand-year beast could even perform a sacrifice until now.
Gu Han shook his head. "Uncle Ghost, there's no soul bone. But the lotus enhanced my martial soul's attributes permanently—by twenty percent. It's brought me even closer to the realm of ultimate ice."
"What a pity. So what about the soul skill it gave you?"
"Yes, Junior Brother—what's the skill? A soul skill gained through sacrifice must be incredibly powerful!"
Hearing this, the three of them perked up with curiosity. After all, sacrificial soul skills were something only ever mentioned in books—this was the first time they were witnessing one with their own eyes.
"Xiao Han, let me be your test target. Use your new skill on me."
Yue Guan offered himself as a target.
"Alright. Be careful, Uncle Chrysanthemum."
Gu Han nodded. Naturally, he wasn't worried about Yue Guan getting hurt—the man possessed an indestructible body and is a Rank 88 Soul Douluo.
Gu Han, a mere Soul Elder, couldn't possibly injure someone of that level.
With that, Gu Han's third soul ring lit up beneath his feet.
"Third Soul Skill: Celestial Lotus Reigns Supreme!"
A lone, transcendent lotus instantly bloomed before him—its twelve petals transforming into twelve icy, razor-sharp swords.
Each sword radiated a terrifying chill, as though capable of freezing all in existence. The swords launched toward Yue Guan like a flurry of death.
"Nicely done—Cold Briliant Chrysanthemum!"
Yue Guan's eyes gleamed as his fifth soul ring lit up beneath his feet.
Several petal-shaped flying daggers condensed from his Cold Briliant Chrysanthemum shot forward to clash with the icy swords.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A fierce clash of soul power rippled outward.
Ghost stepped in front of Bibi Dong, shielding her from the blast. As frost gathered on his body, his eyes reflected a rare glint of surprise.
"It's not over yet—there's another form!"
Gu Han's third soul ring lit up again. Another celestial lotus bloomed—but this time, from its center emerged a colossal sword. As it swept through the air, thick layers of ice crystal formed on the ground—even the very air seemed frozen.
The razor-sharp sword qi, combined with its intense chill, made this attack easily comparable to a full-powered blow from an ordinary Soul King.
"What a sword!"
Yue Guan praised, his fifth soul ring flaring once more as a massive tri-blade dagger met the strike head-on.
Screeeech—CRACK!
After a brief clash, Yue Guan's superior soul power prevailed, splitting the massive ice sword down the middle.
~~~
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