âA realm beyond Cold Harmony, huh?â Yuan wasnât surprised by this new discovery. In fact, he anticipated something like this existed because of the existence of Eternals.
If Cold Harmony was the limit of humans, then there must be a realm only achievable by gods.
âThis human... heâs actually refining my essence!â Shiva could only stare in shock and disbelief as Yuan refined the liquid from the sealed ice above. Despite its name, Shivaâs Essence was not truly her existence, but something born from it.
âEven though itâs not truly my essence... Itâs not something that can be refined by someone whoâs not even a god!â
Shivaâs intrigue toward Yuan deepened.
âHe may have surpassed my expectations, but even then, heâll need many years to refine enough of my essence to break the seal.â
Yet, not even a week later, Shiva noticed that the liquid in the pond had drastically decreased by half.
âHe absorbed half of the essence already?!â
Shiva began to wonder if she had fallen into an illusion, for everything unfolding before her eyes defied logic. Yet she knew that only another Eternal could possibly affect her, and since Eternals could not touch the Nine Heavens, she was forced to accept that the impossible before her was, in truth, reality.
Yuanâs progress did not slow down after refining half of Shivaâs Essence. If anything, it increased, and after another three days, Yuan completely absorbed every last drop of liquid in the pond.
<Your âFlawless Cold Harmonyâ has transcended past its limits and evolved into âAbsolute Cold Harmonyâ>
<Through Shivaâs Essence refinement, you have learned the Skill âShivaâs Eternal Frostâ>
[Shivaâs Eternal Frost]
[Rank: Eternal]
[Mastery Level: ???]
[Description: The pinnacle of coldnessâpowerful enough to freeze even gods]
<You have discovered âEternalâ rank techniques>
[Warning: Eternal-rank techniques cannot be used within the Nine Heavens due to ???]
âI cannot use Eternal-rank techniques in the Nine Heavens, huh? This must be due to the âabsolute powerâ that Shiva mentioned...â Yuan thought to himself.
<Your understanding of Eternal Essence has improved drastically>
After absorbing all of Shivaâs Essence, Yuan retrieved Number One Under Heaven and began gathering his Eternal Essence.
âItâs gotten so much more powerful than before!â Mu Xuelian swallowed nervously.
Even though she could not comprehend it, she understood that his golden aura had strengthened tremendously compared to just days ago.
âWith that much Eternal Essence, it might be possible!â Shiva trembled in anticipation as she watched Yuan prepare to strike the ice.
The next moment, Yuan swung his sword at the ice.
Sha!
Like a hot knife going through tofu, Yuan completely sliced the block of ice in half, revealing a glowing blue orb within.
âIâM FREE!â
After being freed from the seal, Shiva instantly shot toward Mu Xuelian, who was sitting on the ice bed.
"What are you doing?!" Yuan cried out.
But his body, drained and paralyzed from pushing Eternal Essence to its very limit, refused to move. Helpless, he could only watch as Shiva slipped into Mu Xuelianâs body.
Mu Xuelianâs body stiffened for a brief moment before her eyes began to glow.
"Relax, I am not going to hurt this girl," Shiva said.
"Then what are you doing?"
"Itâs not like I can wander around without a body," she explained. "Until I regain my body, I will have to use this girlâs body as my own. That being said, itâs not like I will take complete control. I will only take control when necessary, as my essence puts too much of a burden on her body."
"What are you going to do now that youâre free from the seal? Leave the Nine Heavens to find your body? Something else entirely?" Yuan asked her a moment later.
"As much as I want to start looking for my body immediately, I donât know where to begin. The Eternals who sealed me have definitely hidden my body somewhere, and I doubt I will ever find it by wandering."
"My original plan was to find another Eternal who could help me, but I have changed my mind."
Shiva jumped from the ice bed and landed right in front of Yuan.
"Iâm very intrigued with your existence, and Iâm confident that if I follow you, Iâll eventually encounter Shura or another Eternal, so thatâs what I am going to do."
"Youâre going to follow me...?" Yuan felt a headache forming the instant he heard those words. He wanted to refuse, yet deep down he knew that Shiva wasnât asking.
"Why do you seem dissatisfied? Youâre going to have a god by your side. You should feel honored," Shiva sneered.
"..."
Although he didnât want to admit it, it would definitely benefit him to have an Eternal by his side. After all, he still had a lot of questions about their existence. Moreover, he could keep an eye on her.
âIf sheâs by my side, I wonât have to constantly worry about an Eternal roaming the Nine Heavens...â he sighed inwardly.
Furthermore, Mu Xuelian was a cultivator at the 3rd level of God Ascension. Her power could come in handy.
"So, what do you say?" Shiva asked.
"Itâs not like I have a choice," Yuan replied.
Shiva narrowed her eyes and spoke, "You may be an inferior beingâone thatâs not even worthy of being in my gazeâbut I have made you a promise, and I intend to keep it."
"What are you talking about?" Yuan raised an eyebrow.
"Have you forgotten already? I said that Iâd help you realize your physiqueâs true potential and even evolve it."
"Oh?" Yuan was pleasantly surprised; he had expected her to say sheâd already helped him enough with the information she provided him.
Shiva suddenly placed a hand on his chest and closed her eyes.
"Now that I am free, I can inspect your body properly," she said a moment later. "You indeed have the Eternal Constitution, but itâs not complete. I donât want to owe a human any debt, so I will help you complete it."