The beautiful dragon wings behind Chen Yi intertwined in red and blue. As the auras of ice and fire suddenly spread out, scorching heat and bone-chilling cold—two completely opposite energies—melted perfectly into one another. Visible ripples of energy shimmered across the night sky.
At the same time, the dragon claws on his hands had turned into crystalline ice-blue and molten lava-red. His fingers opened and closed slightly, and in the air there was the faint sound of ice forming and shattering, mixed with flame detonations. A terrifying tearing aura shook the air around him.
Grand Elder was a well-read elder who had experienced a hundred years of ups and downs. In this instant, even he couldn't help but hold his breath, and the eyes that had seen through the world were now brimming with undisguised shock.
He slowly stood up, his gaze burning like torches. Like a harsh appraiser who had suddenly encountered a treasure nearly impossible to find in a lifetime, he carefully traced along those radiant dragon wings and that hideous, domineering pair of dragon claws. A soft hiss escaped his lips.
"Good! Good! Good!"
The Grand Elder said "good" three times in a row, each word loud and sonorous, his voice almost overflowing with excitement. He slowly circled Chen Yi, clearly sensing the pure origin power of ice and fire stirring the air.
"The pure power of ice and fire, the perfect form… This feel, this way the energy flows—it's comparable to top-tier soul bones, truly extraordinary, something only gods could craft! The gift of the Ice and Fire Dragon King is indeed unparalleled!"
Feeling the Grand Elder's unreserved praise, Chen Yi's chest swelled with pride. His heart stirred slightly, and the Frost Wings behind him gently beat. The left icy wing spread a fine spray of crystalline frost, while the right fiery wing kicked up searing currents of hot air. Ice and flame intertwined into a whirlwind that made the campfire sway violently, mixing light and shadow.
"Grand Elder, I call these dragon wings the Frost-Ending Heavenly Wings. They contain the ultimate powers of ice and fire. They're not only capable of attack and defense, but most importantly, their speed blessing is terrifying."
Chen Yi paused for a moment, as if carefully sensing the power surging through his body, then spoke with certainty:
"From what I can feel, if I go all out right now, for a short burst, my speed should be comparable to that of a pure agility-type Soul Saint."
"Oh?"
The Grand Elder raised his brows at this, stroking his beard, his eyes growing even more astonished and his expression solemn. For a pure agility–type soul master, speed was the defining existence—often the ultimate form of "giving up everything else for pure swiftness."
For example, among the four single-attribute clans, there was Bai He, the elder of the Speed Clan. His cultivation was only at the Soul Emperor realm, yet in terms of speed alone, he was in no way inferior to the Ghost Douluo of Spirit Hall.
Chen Yi once again lifted his hands. The two dragon claws—one blue, one red—gleamed with a dangerous, seductive luster under the firelight, faint ice and fire runes flowing at his fingertips.
"As for this pair of hands, the original Dark-Gold Dreadclaws have undergone a metamorphosis by fusing with the lingering power of the Ice and Fire Dragon King. They not only preserve and enhance the Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear's peerless tearing trait, but also gain the ultimate attributes of ice and fire."
Chen Yi's tone grew a bit more confident.
"The attack of these Dreadclaws can, to a certain extent… already be called ignoring defense."
"Ignoring defense?"
The Grand Elder's eyes turned cold. In the world of soul masters, these words carried an extremely heavy weight.
He pondered for a moment, then his cloudy eyes suddenly brightened. He pointed at a nearby boulder, roughly half the size of a house, its texture extremely hard.
"Face that rock. Use thirty percent of your strength."
"Yes!"
Chen Yi's gaze sharpened. His right hand, the red dragon claw, suddenly slashed forward.
There was no earth-shaking roar of soul power, only five faint crimson threads that seemed to vanish into the night. They flashed once, leaving behind nothing but scorched trails in the air.
Pssst—!
A soft, almost gentle sound, like a hot knife cutting through butter.
Five bottomless, smooth cuts appeared on the huge rock. The cut surfaces were dark red, with signs of melting, exuding a suffocating heat.
The boulder did not shatter immediately, but the penetrating damage accompanied by ultimate fire had already declared its doom.
The Grand Elder's pupils shrank slightly. In a flash, he appeared before the rock, gently touching the smooth, burning hot surface with an old fingertip. He felt the lingering sharp aura and that destructive fire-attribute energy, and at last a deeply satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"Good! What a defiance of defense!"
The Grand Elder couldn't help but clap, speaking in a tone of relief.
"This ultimate flame's penetration and incineration, combined with the Dark-Gold Dreadclaws' own tearing force, are enough to render most physical and energy defenses nearly useless. Even an ordinary defense-type Soul Saint, if careless, would suffer a severe loss!"
But soon, his gaze quietly shifted to Chen Yi's Frost Wings gathered behind him. His voice grew deep and solemn.
"However, in my opinion, at your current stage, these dragon wings may be more important to you than that pair of dragon claws."
The Grand Elder spoke in a low voice, his eyes seeming to pierce the void, as if he were seeing all kinds of future battle scenes.
"Why does Grand Elder say so?"
Chen Yi knew very well how precious the Frost-Ending Heavenly Wings were, but seeing the Grand Elder emphasize this so seriously, he couldn't help but ask in interest.
The Grand Elder clasped his hands behind his back, speaking earnestly.
"On the Douluo Continent, if you are not born with a flying spirit, and you wish to soar into the sky by your own power, you must at least reach the Title Douluo realm."
"In other words, before you obtain a Title, once you meet an opponent with innate flying martial spirit, you will be extremely passive. You can only be a target on the ground, unable to exert much power in the air—a fatal weakness for many assault-and defense-type soul masters."
Tang Chen had created the "Clear Sky Nine Absolutes" precisely to solve this shortcoming of the Clear Sky Hammer.
The Grand Elder then pointed at the Frost-Ending Heavenly Wings, his gaze shining with wisdom.
"And your dragon wings have completely patched that flaw for you. Not only do they allow you to obtain the right to fight in the air ahead of time, they also grant you an ultimate aerial speed comparable to a pure agility–type Soul Saint."
"In the future, whether you face a soul master with a flying martial spirit or encounter a soul beast skilled in aerial combat, you will hold absolute initiative. Advance, retreat, attack, or defend—you will be able to come and go as you please!"
At that moment, the Grand Elder's eyes grew especially deep, as if recalling something from the past. His voice dropped slightly.
"Also, do not forget that person from Spirit Hall… the genius suspected to be the successor of the Angel God."
The Grand Elder had never forgotten the mysterious genius Chen Yi had mentioned. In his view, the girl who inherited a god-level martial spirit was undoubtedly Chen Yi's greatest enemy in the future.
"The Seraphim martial spirit—known as the ruler of the heavens and the king of aerial combat."
The Grand Elder's tone was solemn, every word carrying the weight of a thousand catties.
"Her talent domain, the Angel Domain, can unleash terrifying effects in the sky. I can almost foresee that it's only a matter of time before you face her. If you lack aerial superiority before her, then no matter what methods you possess, you will still be fated to be suppressed—perhaps even crushed."
"The reason Qian Daoliu lost to Tang Chen back then was, on the surface, because Tang Chen was a world-class hero. But in my opinion, an even greater reason was that Qian Daoliu abandoned his advantage in aerial combat. Otherwise, even Tang Chen might not have defeated him."
The Grand Elder stared at the Frost-Ending Heavenly Wings behind Chen Yi, his gaze full of confidence.
"But now… with this pair of wings derived from a god-level Dragon King, you finally possess the capital to stand against her in the sky—and even to compete with her!"
Thinking this far, a trace of deep meaning flashed in the Grand Elder's eyes. But since he had been taught by Qian Daoliu, he couldn't help but recall the old man's stubborn insistence on fighting on the ground. The thought made a faintly amused smile appear at the corner of his mouth…
Wonderful. He couldn't say too much about some things, but in a ground battle, within the same rank, the Grand Elder could guarantee that Chen Yi would be able to crush that girl!
Most of what that old man Qian Daoliu had taught were things that skirted the line with death itself.
Chen Yi listened to the Grand Elder's meticulous analysis from tactics to strategy. Even though the final line had a trace of mockery, it was full of self-confidence. His own heart suddenly felt enlightened; limitless battle intent and confidence in his future surged up within him.
He nodded heavily. The Frost-Ending Heavenly Wings behind him trembled slightly, letting out a low hum, as if in response to his soaring fighting spirit.
"I understand, Grand Elder. I will make good use of this power. I will live up to the power of the Ice and Fire Dragon King—and even more so, I will never let you down!"
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