Chapter 174: Qian Ran’s Advanced Abilities, Huo Yuhao Arrives

Ice Emperor looked at Qian Ran in astonishment.

The aura around him, along with the soul bone on his back, was identical to her own.

Yet her body felt completely intact—no signs of any loss.

"How is this possible?"

"Qian Ran, what's going on?" Ice Emperor asked, her face a mix of confusion and disbelief.

"Actually, I have a unique ability," Qian Ran replied with a wicked grin.

"What ability?"

"As long as I… spend time with a female soul beast, I can copy her soul ring and soul bone." His grin grew wider. With a power like this, it'd be a waste not to use it well. An ability this powerful meant he could level up in luxury—and have a great time doing it.

Power gained by standing still!

Now this was true advancement.

If a system still required someone to fight for every inch, it wasn't much of a system at all.

"This… this can't be real," Ice Emperor stammered, her face turning crimson.

This was practically the most perverted ability she'd ever heard of! Qian Ran was already shameless, and now he had this shameless power to match.

But his new soul ring and soul bone were unmistakably linked to her, and strangely, her own power seemed to have increased slightly as well.

How bizarre.

No matter how she thought about it, Ice Emperor couldn't understand and had no choice but to consider Qian Ran an enigma—a freak of nature with impossible powers.

"What skills did you gain from it?" she asked, deciding to stop puzzling over his ability. In the end, it didn't matter how he did it. Qian Ran was her partner, and the stronger he became, the happier she felt.

"As far as I can tell, I gained four abilities from you: two from the soul ring and two from the soul bone."

"The soul ring skills are Ice Emperor Claw and Ice Emperor's Protection."

"The soul bone skills are Eternal Frost Domain and Ice Emperor's Wrath."

"What?"

Ice Emperor's jade-green eyes widened in shock.

Her most powerful skills had all been copied by Qian Ran.

The soul ring skills included one of her strongest close-combat techniques and a powerful defensive skill, while the soul bone abilities provided an Ultimate Ice domain and her most devastating attack.

Qian Ran might be weak now, but with these abilities, his power could grow beyond imagination.

Now that his Ice Dragon martial soul had evolved to Ultimate Ice, he was truly formidable.

What's more, if Qian Ran could replicate other soul beasts' abilities in the future, could he essentially gather the strongest abilities of all soul beasts? Would he become a superhuman monster?

"There's one more thing I haven't told you," Qian Ran added smugly, relishing the sudden leap in his power. Even if he only used this one martial soul, he could already put up a formidable fight.

"If your strength increases, the age of my soul ring and soul bone will rise along with it."

"So, work hard on your cultivation. My future strength depends on you," he said, giving her a pat on the shoulder.

Hearing this, Ice Emperor had the sudden urge to hit him! It was beyond frustrating!

Qian Ran could literally gain strength lying down!

Not only that, but as her own power grew, so did his!

Even though he was her partner, she couldn't help but feel a little bitter. She had spent hundreds of thousands of years cultivating to reach her level of power, while he obtained it with such ease.

Unbelievable!

The world really was unfair, giving all the best things to Qian Ran.

"Whenever I find any valuable treasures, I'll prioritize you and make sure you become an Ultimate Douluo," Qian Ran said, sensing her slight frustration and attempting to console her. Cultivating as a soul beast was far more difficult and slow than it was for humans.

Unless they had access to rare, powerful treasures, their growth could be painstakingly slow.

"That's better," she replied, giving it some thought. The stronger Qian Ran was, the better. If he couldn't reach godhood, his lifespan would only be around two hundred years. She could already imagine seeing him grow from youth to middle age and finally to old age…

The thought alone made her heart clench.

She didn't want to see that happen. If Qian Ran were to leave this world before her, what would she have to look forward to?

Two hundred years in the human world was just a long slumber for her.

Clinging to his hand, Ice Emperor realized how precious her time with him was.

She feared that what she envisioned might someday come true.

Achieving godhood was rare; in a given era, perhaps only one individual might attain it, if even that. It could take thousands of years for one god to emerge.

"Qian Ran, are you truly confident you can become a god?"

"Absolutely!"

Qian Ran smiled confidently. With his system, if he couldn't become a god, he might as well dig his own grave.

The self-assured look on his face reassured Ice Emperor, helping her relax.

"When did I start caring so much about him? He used to constantly tease me," she thought, reflecting on how they met with a sweet smile. Only Qian Ran dared treat her that way, which made him uniquely important to her.

As for Snow Emperor, she'd find a way to convince her to join them too.

If Qian Ran gained Snow Emperor's soul ring and soul bone, his potential would rise even further, and his chances of achieving godhood would greatly improve.

After making sure they hadn't left anything behind in the hotel room, Qian Ran led Ice Emperor out.

On the way, he mused over his next steps.

If he managed to win over Gu Yuena, the Silver Dragon King, wouldn't all the other beautiful female soul beasts naturally follow… and then all his soul rings and bones would be taken care of.

If his second martial soul developed this way, would there even be enough soul beasts?

He could count on Snow Emperor, Zi Ji, Bi Ji, and Qiu'er for sure, but that only brought him to the sixth ring. What about the rest?

Moreover, the powerful soul bones these female soul beasts provided meant he'd have to be selective.

Of course, his biggest question was, if he already had nine rings and he was with Gu Yuena… could he potentially gain her soul ring and become a ten-ring god?

If he were strong enough already, he'd definitely test it out right away.

No need to rush—he'd take it step by step.

…

Meanwhile, at Shrek Academy's administration office.

Huo Yuhao knocked on Director Du Weilun's door.

Finally, he'd made it to Shrek Academy. With the resources from the Clear Sky Sect, his strength had skyrocketed, surpassing his past self's level of power at this age. However, due to losing some of his early opportunities, his growth potential was now somewhat reduced.

He had already reached the level where he could craft Level Four soul tools, which was the foundation of his confidence. Knowing that Shrek Academy's Soul Tool Department was still relatively weak, he was certain that showing off his talents would make him a highly valued asset.

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