Douluo: Peerless Ice Throne [45]

Ever since their deep conversation at the imperial palace, a subtle sense of mutual understanding had begun to form between Xu Jiawei and Shu Yan.

Their perspectives on certain matters were astonishingly aligned, and Xu Jiawei found himself increasingly satisfied with Shu Yan. At the same time, Shu Yan had learned many new "lessons" from Xu Jiawei his mindset had undergone a transformation, as if it had been tempered and refined. He now carried himself with greater maturity and handled situations with more clarity and reason.

Upon returning to the Princess' residence, Shu Yan was momentarily troubled as he looked at the three extraordinary women before him.

Xue Di sat kneeling before a low table, the tea before her still steaming. Bing Di and Xu Jiujing sat on the other side, their backs to Shu Yan. Lost in their own thoughts, they hadn't even noticed his arrival.

Shu Yan lightly cleared his throat. Xue Di merely lifted her gaze lazily, while Bing Di and Xu Jiujing were startled, snapping back to awareness. Bing Di gritted her teeth and snapped:

"Why are you coughing? Can't you see I'm thinking? If you've made me lose my train of thought, I swear I'll make you go bungee jumping from ten thousand meters up—without a rope!"

Xu Jiujing also gave Shu Yan a half-playful, half-annoyed glare before lowering her gaze again.

Shu Yan shrugged and casually seated himself on a nearby cushion. With practiced elegance, he poured himself a cup of tea and downed it in one go.

Naturally, this time the teacup was not one of Xue Di's.

Xue Di watched his movements, her eyes flickering briefly before she spoke calmly:

"Your spiritual power has increased significantly. Moreover, it seems your sea of consciousness is now protected by something—even I can barely see through its mysteries."

Bing Di examined Shu Yan for a moment, and then showed a similar expression to Xue Di.

As for Xu Jiujing… well… forget it. Her strength was still too lacking—she couldn't sense anything at all.

Shu Yan didn't hide anything. In a soft voice, he told the three of them everything that could be shared. The three fell silent for a while. Eventually, Xue Di asked:

"That Elder Yi… is he absolutely trustworthy?"

Shu Yan nodded and replied with some emotion:

"Elder Yi is reliable—there's no doubt about that. As for his true strength… you'll witness it yourselves in the future. When that time comes, I think you'll be truly astonished."

Bing Di curled her lips and muttered:

"All this talk of necromantic magic, divine death arts… why does it all sound so much like your human 'Evil Soul Masters'? Just reeks of darkness and ill omen."

Xu Jiujing nodded in agreement, her eyes reflecting a touch of worry.

"This…"

Shu Yan was momentarily speechless. He truly didn't know how to refute Bing Di's words—she wasn't exactly wrong…

Just then, the gray pearl within Shu Yan's spiritual sea gave a sudden tremor. In the next moment, a wave of drowsiness swept over him, and to his surprise, he found that he had completely lost control over his body. Yet strangely, he could still perceive the world around him with perfect clarity.

The change came swiftly. Shu Yan's aura shifted drastically—from his usual calm and noble demeanor to one that was cold, deathly, and filled with intimidating authority. Gray mist began swirling slowly around him, and an indescribable power gathered in his palm. The three women could only stare in stunned silence at this transformation.

Then, just as suddenly as it appeared, the gray mist vanished. The deathly gray in Shu Yan's eyes faded, gradually replaced by clarity.

Seeing the stunned expressions on the women's faces, Shu Yan rubbed his temples and said helplessly in his spiritual sea:

"Elder Yi… next time, do give me a warning. You really scared them this time."

From deep within the golden core of his spiritual sea, a soft laugh echoed briefly before disappearing again. Though there was no clear reply, Shu Yan didn't mind. Returning to awareness, he looked at the three women and chuckled:

"So? What did you think? This power… doesn't quite match your expectations, does it?"

Xue Di gently set down her teacup and pursed her lips before speaking:

"It's... fascinating. At first, based on what you told us, I thought it was a sinister, ominous force. But when I truly sensed it just now… I felt an unparalleled sense of sanctity. It's nothing like the power of Evil Soul Masters. Rather, it feels like a new and powerful force altogether."

Bing Di's expression also turned serious. Looking at Shu Yan, she added:

"Just now… I felt a terrifying spiritual presence—so powerful that I felt like an ant before it, utterly insignificant…"

Xue Di and Xu Jiujing both nodded in agreement. The latter's face looked slightly dazed—it was clear that her confidence had taken a severe blow from Shu Yan's display. It might take some time for her to recover.

Shu Yan gave a gentle smile and said:

"Elder Yi still needs time to repair his soul. Afterward, I'll properly introduce him to you. When that time comes, you'll see that his true power goes far beyond what you just witnessed…"

None of the three women responded further. The brief glimpse of Electus' power had already left them shaken. But in any case, since he had become Shu Yan's ally, wasn't that a great boon for them as well?

The four of them sat together in mutual silence for a while. This wasn't unusual. Shu Yan wasn't much of a talker to begin with, and even less so were Xue Di and Bing Di. Xu Jiujing didn't know how to start a conversation in such an atmosphere either. But it wasn't necessarily a bad kind of quiet.

Xu Jiujing lowered her eyes to the table before her, thoughts swirling in her mind. Suddenly, as if struck by inspiration, she looked up sharply and said:

"Ah Yan, there's something I forgot to tell you. Want to hear it now?"

Shu Yan looked at her in slight surprise but nodded.

Xu Jiujing cleared her throat and began:

"You mentioned the Wuhun Hall remnants earlier, right? Just a couple of days ago, a few special guests arrived from the southern part of the Empire. One of them… their martial spirit is a Golden Crocodile. I thought you might find them interesting."

"Golden Crocodile…"

Shu Yan murmured the words softly. Then, as if recalling something, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"Well now, those guests certainly are special. Let's go meet them. I'm quite curious to see what kind of embers the once-glorious Wuhun Hall has left behind in this era…"

PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/XenTronix