Chapter 149: Drifting Snow and Ice Phoenix

"Xue Wu, let's go!"

Shui Bing'er gave a soft cry, and four optimal spirit rings—two yellow and two purple—rose from her graceful figure. A hazy blue light enveloped her entirely, accompanied by a crisp, resonant phoenix cry. An illusory phoenix shadow manifested behind her, radiating intense coldness. Within a radius of several meters around her feet, a thick layer of frost formed instantly.

"What a powerful surge of ice element energy!"

Camus, lurking in the shadows, could not help his eyes lighting up. Secretly releasing his spirit power to perceive the situation closely, he muttered, "It's just a pity that her martial soul seems to possess a certain flaw; otherwise, she could surely reach the level of ultimate ice."

Hearing this, Milo, standing beside Camus, narrowed his eyes and smiled slightly. "You couldn't possibly be thinking of taking her as a disciple, could you?"

"Indeed!"

Camus nodded and said, "Ice-attribute spirit masters are rare to begin with, let alone one with such pure ice element energy. This young girl's aptitude is also exceptional. She should be a year or two younger than the Young Master, yet she has already attained the cultivation of a Spirit Ancestor. With my guidance, her future cultivation speed would only increase. My only concern is whether the flaw in her martial soul might impede her breakthroughs at certain stages."

"You needn't worry about the flaw in her martial soul. The Ice and Fire Yang Well is filled with countless rare natural treasures. Since the martial soul flaws of the Nine Heart Begonia and the Jade Phosphor Snake can be resolved, there's no reason we wouldn't be able to find a solution for the Ice Phoenix. If we bring a supreme treasure capable of resolving her martial soul defect when we propose it, taking her as a disciple will happen as naturally as water flowing into a canal."

Milo said in a deep voice, "Tianshui Academy is one of the Five Elements Academies, and many outstanding spirit masters have graduated from there. Establishing a good relationship with them will also be a significant asset to the Young Master's grand plans for the future!"

While the two of them were speaking, the situation on the arena had already shifted dramatically.

Aside from Shui Bing'er, her martial soul fusion skill partner, Xue Wu, had also summoned her own martial soul. As for the other five teammates, they had already leaped off the competition platform.

The martial soul fusion skill was Tianshui Academy's ultimate trump card. If even this move failed to subdue Xiao Yu, there would be no point in them struggling in vain.

On the side of Nine Stars Academy, apart from Xiao Yu, the other six members retreated far back to the edge of the arena.

According to intelligence, the martial soul fusion skill unleashed by Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu at its peak power could rival a full-strength strike from a Spirit Emperor. They had no desire to be caught in the crossfire.

Xue Wu, who had also completed her martial soul avatar integration, began to dance gracefully, her four spirit rings—two yellow and two purple—lighting up in succession.

Under her dance, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and the surrounding temperature plummeted abruptly. Snowflakes drifted down in flurries, resembling countless dancing butterflies. At the same time, several small whirlwinds stirred around Xue Wu. Propelled by the wind, the coverage of ice and snow rapidly expanded, transforming the whirlwinds she released into biting, freezing gales.

The power of the Ice Phoenix performed best in extreme cold weather, and Xue Wu's martial soul, the Slender Dancing Snow Satin, happened to possess the ability to alter the weather. However, the martial soul fusion skill of Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu inherently required time, which was why the two of them usually completed their fusion rapidly.

Yet now, since Xiao Yu wished to experience their strongest technique and would not interfere before the martial soul fusion skill fully manifested, they naturally seized the opportunity to maximize its power.

Having completed her preparations, Xue Wu trotted forward two steps, held hands and embraced Shui Bing'er, and their two figures instantly merged into a single blue-and-white pillar of light that pierced straight into the clouds, unleashing a terrifying chill in all directions.

"Hiss~ So cold!"

Because of Xiao Yu's presence as a Spirit Emperor, the trio of the Spirit Hall's Golden Generation did not dare to lower their guard. Even though they had received a bye in the first round as a seeded team and advanced directly, they sat obediently in the spectator stands to observe the match.

Xie Yue took a deep breath, a look of apprehension crossing his face. "The offensive power of this martial soul fusion skill from Tianshui Academy seems to surpass even the Demonic Soul possessed by me and Nana!"

"Xie Yue, what nonsense are you spouting?"

As a veteran bootlicker and the second-string warrior of blindly devoted followers, Yan immediately lost his composure upon hearing this. Perhaps because the fire attribute within his martial soul prevented him from feeling the chill brought by the fusion skill of Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu, he leaped up and shouted, "Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu from Tianshui Academy are merely two Spirit Ancestors! How could a martial soul fusion skill they unleash together possibly be stronger than the one you and Nana use?!"

"Fool!"

Seated right behind the Golden Generation trio was Qian Renxue, dressed in a tight training suit and wearing a veil that revealed only her eyes. Hearing Yan's sycophantic remarks, she coldly uttered those two words.

"What do you mean by that?"

Yan flew into a rage upon hearing this. He held not a shred of favorable impression toward this newcomer who had suddenly joined the team. In his view, this Qian Renxue, whom he had never heard of before, must simply be the descendant of some high-ranking Spirit Hall official sent here to pad her resume.

Of course, had he witnessed Qian Renxue's true cultivation level, he probably wouldn't have dared to act so tough.

Qian Renxue's eyes and brows were filled with utter disdain. Bibi Dong's taste in choosing men was poor, and her judgment in selecting younger successors was equally atrocious.