Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, Shu Yan had little of pressing importance to deal with. Day after day, apart from cultivating, he trained under the guidance of the Ice and Snow Emperors, learning how to control ice and push his limits.
Originally, the Snow Emperor had intended to pass down to Shu Yan her three ultimate techniques—known collectively as the Three Absolutes of the Snow Emperor: Imperial Sword: Peerless Ice, Imperial Palm: Great Cold Without Snow, and finally, Imperial Cold Heaven: Snow Dance Illuminates the Sun.
These three techniques were her most powerful trump cards, each of them incomparably formidable. They were the ultimate killing moves she had perfected through years of exploration and refinement. For an average cultivator, fully comprehending these techniques would be no easier than facing a Titled Douluo head-on with just a Soul King's strength.
But Shu Yan was different. He shared a nearly identical origin with the Snow Emperor. His comprehension of these three moves far exceeded that of any ordinary person. In just half a month, he had already faintly touched the threshold of entry-level mastery. As his cultivation continued to grow, his understanding of the Three Absolutes would deepen accordingly. One day, he would master them fully. So Shu Yan didn't feel the need to rush.
Xu Jiujiao, meanwhile, remained extremely busy. As a princess of the empire, she might not have been directly involved with the tiresome daily politics of court affairs, but many matters still required her attention. There was no helping it—today's imperial bloodline was in decline, and capable individuals were few and far between. As a direct descendant of the royal family, Xu Jiujiao couldn't stand idly by. She did what she could. After all, from another perspective, wasn't this also a form of training for herself?
When the half-month deadline arrived, Han Lin appeared outside the princess's residence precisely on time. Shu Yan welcomed him in. The two sat across from each other at a table. Looking at the disheveled and visibly exhausted Han Lin, Shu Yan sighed softly and said:
"Elder Han, I've troubled you this time. I can only imagine how much effort you've put into this project. After you return today, please take time to properly rest. Later, I'll have someone deliver some nourishing spiritual and physical treasures to help you recover—think of it as a small token of appreciation."
Han Lin grinned, waved his hand dismissively, and responded cheerfully:
"No need for that. You've already given me such rare and precious materials to work with—that's the best kind of compensation I could ask for. I haven't let you down, either. I've brought the finished product. Take a look."
As he spoke, a flash of silvery-white light burst out, and a strangely shaped circular soul tool appeared before Shu Yan.
The soul tool had a silvery-white exterior adorned with intricate, mysterious patterns. As it slowly rotated, wisps of chilling air flowed downward from above like drifting mist.
In contrast to the shell's color, the inner core of the soul tool was a nearly transparent deep blue, flickering occasionally with light. Embedded at the top were five rhomboid crystals—one of them had turned red, while the other four remained inactive and gray-white.
"As you requested," Han Lin explained, "with the help of Power Douluo, I fused that ten-thousand-year-old Titan Snow Demon skull with the Soul Shield I had previously developed as an eighth-level soul tool. During the crafting process, I integrated many ingenious functions from other soul tools into the design."
"This soul tool doesn't just possess abilities to control and restrain souls—it can also instantly unleash the Sky Net technique of a standard seventh-level soul tool, functioning like a control-type soul skill. Within reasonable limits, it can store spiritual and soul power to enhance the user's strength. More impressively, it can forcibly control and summon the residual soul of the Titan Snow Demon, manifesting it in a near-physical form to fight. However, to do this, it requires a sacrifice—er, I mean, it must store enough souls in advance…"
"In addition, due to the integration of the Soul Shield, this soul tool can magnify or suppress spiritual power within a certain range—a very rare breakthrough in the world of soul tools. That said, this is also the first time I've dealt with such a mechanism, so I'm not entirely sure of its upper limit or practical usage…"
"But one thing's for certain—this soul tool is undoubtedly the pinnacle of my career. Even though it's technically only a 'level 8.5' soul tool, it's powerful enough to rival some ninth-level soul tools. Honestly, even I was shocked to have completed the entire crafting process in just half a month. It was like I had divine help!"
By the end of his explanation, Han Lin's tone had become excited, even slightly manic. He had never experienced such results in any of his prior soul tool research. To him, this was a historic breakthrough—an enormous surprise. Even if some of the soul tool's capabilities resembled those of an evil soul master, he didn't care in the slightest.
Ultimately, Han Lin wasn't concerned with morality. He simply wanted to research and build soul tools. What Shu Yan used it for?
Frankly, he didn't give a damn.
What many didn't know was that Han Lin's teacher had once been a powerful evil soul master as well as an eighth-level soul tool craftsman. The two eventually had a brutal falling out and tried to kill each other—partially due to these same ethical concerns.
Even so, that mentor had profoundly shaped Han Lin's life and personality. Deep down, perhaps Han Lin still harbored a hidden trace of cruelty and bloodlust. But Shu Yan didn't mind. Ruthless? Bloodthirsty? What did it matter to him? As long as Han Lin remained loyal, even if he was secretly an evil soul master, Shu Yan wouldn't say a word.
After receiving the elegantly designed and flashy soul tool, Han Lin spoke again:
"This soul tool doesn't have a name yet. I was going to name it myself, but then I figured—it would be better to leave that up to you."
Shu Yan nodded, pondered for a moment, and then said:
"Let's call it Fall of the Nether Abyss (Yinming zhi Duo). What do you think, Elder Han?"
Han Lin softly repeated the name to himself, then burst out laughing:
"Excellent! Fall of the Nether Abyss! That name has bite. I like it!"
They chatted a bit longer before Han Lin rose and took his leave. Shu Yan escorted him out, then with a few flashes of movement, appeared in the open courtyard behind the princess's residence. The Snow Emperor was already waiting there. Shu Yan didn't know exactly when she had arrived, but it was probably because she had sensed Han Lin's presence and come to investigate just in case.
After all, her current residence was just two walls away from the princess's manor…
When Shu Yan arrived, the Snow Emperor narrowed her eyes and sized him up for a moment. Then she reached out her hand and said:
"Hand it over."
Shu Yan blinked, glanced down at himself in confusion, and for a moment couldn't quite understand what she meant.
Seeing his puzzled expression, the Snow Emperor lightly tapped the table and said coolly:
"That soul tool you just received—let me take a look."
Shu Yan was briefly stunned. He didn't know why she wanted to inspect Fall of the Nether Abyss, but still handed it over. In the next instant, it vanished from his hand—and he realized it was already in hers.
The Snow Emperor extended her spiritual sense into it and immediately felt an intense pull. Deeper inside, she sensed a familiar aura. Her expression shifted slightly, but quickly returned to normal. Shu Yan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
After all, the three Titan Snow Demons they had hunted in the Extreme North were no ordinary soul beasts. He had been worried that the Snow Emperor might harbor some resentment over it. But thinking it through, there was little that could be done.
He wasn't particularly interested in the soul spirits that would appear in the future. For now, acquiring soul rings still required hunting soul beasts. Across the entire world, only the Extreme North and the icy seas beyond could provide soul beasts that met his standards. Honestly, if the Snow Emperor had objections, things would become very complicated.