"Qian Ran, you must be joking, right? You can't be serious about this."
"This isn't the sort of joke you should make."
Cai Meier's breathing quickened, her chest rising and falling with intensity that made Qian Ran's gaze linger for a moment longer than it should have.
Cai Meier really is a stunner, Qian Ran thought to himself, impressed. It was no wonder she had bewitched so many people in her youth. If not for his vast experience, even he might have fallen for her charms.
As a veteran elder of Shrek Academy, few things could rattle Cai Meier. But Qian Ran's claim—that he could turn ordinary ice-type Soul Masters into Ultimate Ice Soul Masters—was too shocking.
Even the Shrek main and reserve team members, who had grown somewhat desensitized to Qian Ran's outrageous feats, stared at him wide-eyed.
His words were earth-shattering.
Everyone knew that Ultimate martial souls were even rarer than twin martial souls.
While twin martial souls allowed Soul Masters to add rings to two separate martial souls, making it easier to reach Super Douluo after becoming a Titled Douluo, their potential wasn't necessarily greater than that of Ultimate Soul Masters—especially if the two martial souls weren't particularly strong or complementary.
On the other hand, Ultimate martial souls were imbued with extreme elemental attributes, granting their wielders combat prowess that far exceeded other Soul Masters.
And now, Qian Ran claimed to have a way to bestow Ultimate Ice to any ice-type Soul Master.
The implications were staggering.
As the vice dean of the Martial Soul Department, Cai Meier wasn't an ice-type Soul Master herself, but she understood all too well what this meant.
Creating Ultimate Soul Masters wasn't just groundbreaking—it was revolutionary.
"I'm not joking," Qian Ran said, settling into his seat with an air of nonchalance. "I recently came across some treasures from the Extreme North."
"The Extreme North?" Cai Meier was stunned.
Wasn't Qian Ran with them the whole time? When could he have possibly found such a treasure? Did he just stumble upon it while walking?
She dismissed the idea that the Star Luo Empire might have gifted it to him. If they had such treasures, they would have used them for their own people long ago rather than giving them to Qian Ran.
What Cai Meier couldn't possibly fathom was how lucky Qian Ran was with his check-in system, which let him gain unimaginable treasures simply by impressing women, growing stronger, and showing off.
And he hadn't even mentioned the ninth-tier Soul Engineer knowledge he had just acquired. If she knew about that, Cai Meier would probably faint on the spot.
Of course, Qian Ran had no intention of sharing such top-tier knowledge freely with Shrek Academy. He had no real loyalty to the institution—he was only there for the beautiful and interesting women. Without them, he would have left long ago.
"So, what exactly is this treasure that can turn an ice-type Soul Master into an Ultimate Ice Soul Master?" Cai Meier's curiosity got the better of her.
"It's called the Heart of Ice and Snow," Qian Ran explained casually. "It's a treasure that takes hundreds of thousands of years to form in the most frigid environments, such as the Extreme North."
"The Heart of Ice and Snow contains an incredible concentration of Ultimate Ice energy. By refining and absorbing it, both Soul Beasts and Soul Masters can gain the power of Ultimate Ice. Of course, only ice-type beings can even attempt to absorb it.
"However, without exceptional talent or proper guidance, absorbing it can lead to severe problems—even death."
Qian Ran spoke with the confidence of someone who had already absorbed a similar treasure. After all, his experience with the Life Gold had given him a deep understanding of such pure elemental energies.
While Life Gold offered life force, making it relatively safe after the Devouring Spirit Dagger's curse was removed, the Heart of Ice and Snow was inherently dangerous due to its extreme nature.
To safely absorb it, one needed the protection and guidance of an Ultimate Ice user.
"A treasure like that exists in this world?" Cai Meier murmured in awe. Just from Qian Ran's description, she understood how invaluable the Heart of Ice and Snow was.
But how did Qian Ran always seem to have these unimaginable treasures at his disposal? No matter how hard she thought, she couldn't figure it out.
"How many of these Hearts of Ice and Snow do you have?" Cai Meier asked, her gaze intense.
She couldn't help but imagine the potential of training an entire battalion of Ultimate Ice users at Shrek Academy. Even a single Ultimate Soul Master, if trained well, could easily reach the level of a Titled Douluo.
An Ultimate Soul Master at the Titled Douluo level was comparable in power to a Super Douluo. If Shrek could produce even a handful of such Soul Masters, it could alter the balance of power across the continent.
"That's a secret," Qian Ran replied with a smirk.
"You—!" Cai Meier scowled in frustration. But from his tone, she suspected that Qian Ran might have more than just one.
The girls in the room, including Wang Dong'er and the others, quickly grasped the treasure's significance. The Heart of Ice and Snow was clearly more precious than even most soul bones.
However, since none of them were ice-type Soul Masters, they knew it wasn't something they could use. Their gazes turned toward Ling Luochen.
Known as the "Ice Princess," Ling Luochen's martial soul was the Ice Element, a rare and powerful attribute. If she became an Ultimate Soul Master, she might even surpass Ma Xiaotao, who currently held the edge in combat power among the Shrek team.
Qian Ran had already demonstrated the overwhelming power of Ultimate Soul Masters. While Ling Luochen might not match Qian Ran himself, she would undoubtedly stand above most Soul Masters.
"Qian Ran, I'm willing to pay 50 million gold coins to buy one Heart of Ice and Snow. We'll use it on Ling Luochen first, as a trial. What do you think?" Cai Meier hesitated for a moment before making the offer.
If Qian Ran was telling the truth, the Heart of Ice and Snow was easily as valuable as a ten-thousand-year soul beast embryo.
"Deal."
Qian Ran agreed without hesitation. Ling Luochen was already marked as one of his future lovers. Even if Shrek Academy didn't pay, he would eventually give her a Heart of Ice and Snow after winning her over.
If Shrek Academy wanted to pay for it, why not? Let them foot the bill to strengthen his future woman.
"You…!" Cai Meier glared at him, realizing too late that she had been too hasty. If she had waited, Qian Ran would probably have given the treasure to Ling Luochen for free.
Now, she had effectively handed him 50 million gold coins for no reason.
Still, her curiosity about the treasure outweighed her annoyance. If the trial succeeded, Shrek Academy would undoubtedly seek to purchase more. The 50 million could be seen as an investment in goodwill with Qian Ran.
Besides, she had other plans to rely on Qian Ran in the future—such as acquiring a longevity pill.
Cai Meier sighed inwardly. Qian Ran was becoming more and more of an enigma. She had a strong feeling that his potential would one day surpass all expectations.
(End of Chapter)