After entering the Shui family estate, they found a pavilion and sat down.
After chatting briefly, Lin Xiao suddenly spoke:
"Bing'er, may I take a look at your room?"
"There's something I want to tell you."
"Just the two of us."
At those words, Shui Bing'er's face flushed scarlet.
Even Granny Shui Yuehua looked at Lin Xiao in shock.
To her knowledge, Lin Xiao had always been composed and proper. How could he suddenly ask to enter a girl's private chamber and even insist on being alone?
Although Granny Yuehua trusted him—knowing he had endured the torment of the evil fire and would never do anything indecent—she still found the request inappropriate.
Yet Shui Bing'er, face still red, nodded shyly.
"Alright. If it's Brother Lin Xiao asking, then it's fine."
Granny Yuehua hesitated, wanting to speak but swallowing her words.
Lin Xiao turned to her with a gentle smile.
"Don't worry, Granny. This is a good thing."
Then he turned to Uncle Li and said:
"Uncle Li, please don't let anyone disturb us."
Li Cangsong nodded.
A man entrusted with a task must see it through to the end.
He would fulfill his duty without fail.
At that moment, Shui Bing'er shyly approached Granny Yuehua and whispered something in her ear.
Granny's expression turned helpless.
So this little ancestor knows it's inappropriate—and still has the nerve to ask me to stand guard and not tell her parents… What can I even say…
Shui Bing'er then led Lin Xiao to her room.
It was elegant and refined, with a soft fragrance in the air, brimming with the grace of a noble young lady.
The furnishings were tastefully arranged.
On the windowsill sat a pot of small dwarf bamboo, its shadow gently swaying beneath the snow—still green and vibrant. Intricately carved windowpanes bore patterns that seemed to reflect the girl's own gentle spirit and quiet intellect.
Once Lin Xiao confirmed no one else was present in the room, he turned serious.
"Bing'er, do you remember the gift I promised to bring you?"
Shui Bing'er kept her head down, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Brother Lin Xiao… just having you here is already the best gift…"
Lin Xiao was stunned.
His heart stirred.
He had always believed that lasting bonds between people required sincerity—not pretense. So with people like Ye Qingxian, he had always treated them with honesty.
Shui Bing'er was his very first friend.
And to this day, the only one who had helped him without asking for anything in return.
He said no more.
Instead, he retrieved a jade box from his storage item.
"Bing'er, this is a celestial treasure I found during a journey with Poison Douluo. It's an immortal herb called the Eight-Petal Ice Crystal Grass, and it can help your martial soul evolve."
"With it, take this Ten-Thousand-Year Phoenix Blood Grass and Thousand-Year Cold Jade Mushroom. Swallow them together."
Shui Bing'er stared blankly at the box.
She could feel its pull—so intense that her martial soul stirred restlessly within her, yearning to consume the herb immediately.
But…
She bit her lip and gently pushed the box back.
"I… I can't. I may be young, but I'm not ignorant of how priceless this is. Herbs that can evolve martial souls are treasures even Titled Douluo dream of having… This is too valuable. Brother Lin Xiao, I can't accept it."
In this world, it was customary to decline when receiving gifts.
But when faced with a treasure of this magnitude, few could find the words to refuse.
Lin Xiao could feel Shui Bing'er's internal struggle—and her sincerity.
Which only made him feel that giving it to her was the right choice.
"Bing'er, if you don't take this Ice Crystal Grass—who else in the world could possibly deserve it?"
"The phoenix has fallen so far… I want to witness the true might of the Ultimate Ice Phoenix."
Until recently, Lin Xiao had believed Shui Bing'er's Ice Phoenix martial soul was of the ultimate ice attribute.
But his deepening understanding of martial souls taught him that possessing ultimate attributes and being ultimate were not the same.
Even if one approached the threshold, it didn't mean they had truly crossed it.
Could it be that the magnificent Ice Phoenix wasn't a true ultimate ice type—yet the Ice Jade Scorpion was?
He refused to believe it.
He wanted to see for himself—the true majesty of the Ultimate Ice Phoenix.
But Shui Bing'er was still hesitant.
Lin Xiao frowned and, with an edge in his voice, said:
"If you refuse it, then you're looking down on me—or don't want to be my true friend. If that's the case, I've clearly overstepped. I'll take my leave."
"Brother Lin Xiao!" Shui Bing'er's eyes welled with tears.
"I—I'll take it."
She accepted the herbs and vowed silently to herself:
Bing'er, all you ever gave Lin Xiao were your storage soul tool and your secret stash… but he gave you a treasure so precious, you couldn't repay him even if you sold yourself. Treasure him. Listen to him.
Lin Xiao watched as she consumed the herbs—
The Ten-Thousand-Year Eight-Petal Ice Crystal Grass, Phoenix Blood Grass, Cold Jade Mushroom...
Each one an unfathomably rare immortal herb.
Lin Xiao didn't trust anyone—not even Granny Shui Yuehua—which is why he insisted on giving them to Shui Bing'er directly and witnessing the consumption himself, to ensure her martial soul evolved.
And then—
Shui Bing'er's icy blue hair rose in the air.
Behind her, the shadow of the Ice Phoenix emerged, releasing a clear, melodic cry.
Countless frost crystals fell from its wings, but new ones immediately took their place—sharper, colder.
The temperature in the room plummeted. Even the furniture iced over.
A regal aura emanated from Shui Bing'er's petite frame. She no longer seemed like a mere girl—but a young empress. A divine maiden.
Her presence was majestic, untouchable.
The transformation lasted almost thirty minutes.
When it was complete, the Ice Phoenix had fully evolved.
Its radiant feathers put rainbows to shame. Its aura was imperial. The surrounding cold was no longer merely freezing—it was absolute. Even Shui Bing'er's own temperament had shifted. She had become someone to be admired… but only from afar.
At last, she opened her eyes.
Her clear blue gaze radiated piercing cold—but melted the moment they landed on Lin Xiao.
"Brother Lin Xiao…"
She whispered, unsure of what to say.
The gift he had given was far more valuable than she had imagined. Not even selling herself would be enough to repay it.
But deep within her heart, something had been planted—a seed.
Lin Xiao smiled faintly.
"Bing'er, your soul power has reached level 20, hasn't it? You're ready to hunt your second soul ring."
"I wonder—has your first soul skill's power evolved as well?"
Her first soul skill, Frost Seal, sounded simple—but it carried three attributes:
Instant cast, crowd control, and tracking lock.
It wasn't just an ice seal—it was like something out of a royal poem.
And now that her Ice Phoenix had evolved into a true Ultimate Ice martial soul, she had gained a new attribute:
Absolute Cold.