After Shangguan Bing Xue claimed the life of the Second Order Explosive Flame Ape, the ice sculpture that sealed the creature inside finally broke into pieces and the lifeless body fell heavily to the ground.
The rain began to sweep away the blood but Bai Zemin was naturally unwilling to let such a preciousness be lost just like that, so he hurriedly activated his Second Order Blood Manipulation skill.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!...
Over two hundred liters of blood separated from the rain and flew into the sky, forming a huge red sphere that soon took on a ruby radiance and hardened.
Bang!
The sphere of solid blood fell heavily to the ground and after shuddering for a moment finally stood frozen. The water droplets falling on the surface simply slid down the body of the sphere before falling to the ground without taking even a drop of blood with them.
Seeing Shangguan Bing Xue looking at him, he shrugged his shoulders and said as if it were obvious: "I can't let a natural treasure like this go to waste like that, can I? Besides, the consumption for keeping my skill active for something as insignificant as this is nothing to me."
"... I guess you're right." She sighed and nodded.
The blood of a Second Order beast was priceless right now. Just by drinking it along with their meals, it was highly probable that even she and Bai Zemin would gain various benefits, and even if said benefits could not compare to the power they gained from pure Soul Power, it was still more than welcome since it was an extra benefit they gained after the victory anyway.
As for the others, probably only First Order existences could withstand the explosive power contained in the blood of a fire-type Second Order beast. Bai Zemin and Shangguan Bing Xue would have to make sure later.
"Oh, now that I remember." Bai Zemin suddenly realized that he had forgotten something important after all the things that had happened so he hurriedly reached inside his bag and took out a 600 ml bottle from it.
The bottle was filled with blood.
Shangguan Bing Xue was not surprised by the strange sights. She had somehow already gotten used to seeing Bai Zemin with several bottles of blood with him. Moreover, since his main skill was blood control, she naturally thought that he must have his own blood supply at all times.
"Here. You drink it. That blood belongs to the Archaic Bear we killed back then." He said as he handed her the bottle filled with glowing liquid contents.
Shangguan Bing Xue unconsciously stretched out her hand and received the bottle. When she finally realized what Bai Zemin said to her, the corner of her mouth twitched a couple of times and she muttered a few things under her breath.
Bai Zemin knew what she was thinking since he had previously thought the same thing too.
"Don't worry. It actually doesn't taste as bad as you think." He reassured her.
Shangguan Bing Xue hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she gritted her teeth and uncorked the bottle before bringing the tip to her lips.
When the first drop of blood slipped out, Shangguan Bing Xue's eyes widened slightly and she felt a bit of shock as she realized that Bai Zemin was actually telling her the truth when he said that the blood didn't taste as bad as it looked. The taste was a bit sweet but at the same time somewhat sour; even though it wasn't a delicacy, it wasn't disgusting as she imagined it to be.
Soon, the half-liter bottle was completely emptied and the blood inside was swallowed by Shangguan Bing Xue in large gulps.
When she put the bottle down, her lips were completely red due to the lingering blood liquid, and even though that blood was soon swept away by the fierce storm, Bai Zemin could see it for less than a second and could not help but think that Shangguan Bing Xue looked very sexy in that manner; of course, this thought was just a fleeting thought that disappeared at the speed of light.
Shangguan Bing Xue's face shrank and it was obvious from the expression she was making that she was experiencing a great deal of pain right now.
"Bear it." Bai Zemin's serious voice reached her, "If it was you in the past, you might not have been able to withstand so much pressure. But I'm sure the current you is capable."
If it was before absorbing the Soul Power of two Second Order beings and increasing her stats hugely, Bai Zemin would never have let Shangguan Bing Xue take so much unrefined blood. After all, he had experienced firsthand how fierce that blood was when it entered one's body.
However, he believed that the current her had the ability to do it. She only needed to endure while her body and soul assimilated the power contained in the Second Order Archaic Bear's blood to gain benefits.
Approximately thirty seconds later, Shangguan Bing Xue's expression slowly began to relax, and a moment later, her previous pained expression had turned into surprise.
"This... I just received 50 Health points and one of my passive skills that increase my health advanced directly to First Order." She looked at him in a state of utter shock.
Bai Zemin was not surprised at all when he heard this. At that time, he gained 29 Health points and his passive skill Superhuman Health advanced from First Order level 1 to First Order level 5.
As for why he obtained less stats, it was because his Soul Power was higher than Shangguan Bing Xue's.
"So, your skill evolved just as you wanted?" He asked without waiting for her to say thank you.
Bai Zemin believed that such words were useless and unnecessary. Less so between two people who considered themselves friends.
Shangguan Bing Xue blinked a couple of times before she snapped out of her initial surprise and quickly began to slide down her registers as she said, "Wait a moment."
[Evolution requirements for the First Order Ice Maker skill level 5 -]
[Kill Unclassified enemies using Ice Maker: 20.000 / 20.000]
[Kill First Order enemies using Ice Maker: 3 / 3]
[First Order Soul Stone: 2 / 2]
[Kill Second Order enemies using Ice Maker: 1 / 1]
[You have fulfilled the requirements to evolve First Order Ice Maker skill. Do you wish to evolve the skill to Second Order?]
Shangguan Bing Xue mentally agreed to the Soul Record's question and the evolution process soon commenced.
Two First Order Soul Stones and the only two that Shangguan Bing Xue currently possessed flew out from inside her leather bag and floated into the air. At the same time as the First Order Soul Stones exploded and the power within them began to spin in a spiral shape slowly forming a rainbow-colored vortex, the rune representing the Ice Maker skill within Shangguan Bing Xue's soul also lit up brightly.
Bai Zemin watched as the rainbow-colored light descended from the sky and covered Shangguan Bing Xue's body making her look like a goddess enveloped by light in the midst of darkness.
Her body slowly began to absorb the light surrounding her and all that light was soon absorbed by her soul, slowly being directed to where the Ice Maker skill rune was located.
As she absorbed the rainbow light, the rune slowly began to change. Its color became considerably brighter and purer while a strange extra engraving appeared on the surface.
[You have successfully evolved the Ice Maker skill.]
[Ice Maker (Second Order active skill) Level 1: You can use your own Mana to craft ice objects at will and the power of your creations is limited by your own Magic stat but can be enhanced by weapons with magical power. The power of Second Order Ice Maker level 1 is multiplied x2 compared to First Order Ice Maker level 5. The Mana cost to move your creations through the air decreases by 25%. Second Activation: You can now leave traces of Mana behind to form ice traps without needing to activate them immediately and without needing your presence.]
Shangguan Bing Xue's eyes shone like stars during a clear night when she read the description of her evolved main skill.
While Bai Zemin could not create blood out of thin air, he could move blood without consuming extra Mana.
Unfortunately, while Shangguan Bing Xue had the ability to make ice with her own Mana, she also needed to consume even more Mana to move her creations. After all, her skill was not called Ice Manipulation.
Bai Zemin's Blood Manipulation skill and Shangguan Bing Xue's Ice Maker skill; each had their advantages and disadvantages, but there was no doubt that both were powerful.
Fortunately for Shangguan Bing Xue, the Mana consumption to move her ice creations had decreased by 25%, which in future battles would relieve her of a great burden.
As if that wasn't enough, the power of the skill was multiplied x2, and she also acquired a new ability that still needed study and training in order to better understand how it worked.
In conclusion, she was quite satisfied with the result.
"Seeing your happy expression, I'll assume you got a good result." Bai Zemin chuckled.
Shangguan Bing Xue smiled faintly and did not deny it, "Let's just say that the risks and hard work paid off."
They both looked at each other with faint smiles, and after a moment, Bai Zemin pointed with his head as he said, "Won't you see the spoils of war?"
Shangguan Bing Xue said nothing and crouched down, turning her back to Bai Zemin and practically leaving herself completely unprotected and open to any attack. She was already weaker than Bai Zemin to begin with, but at least she might have a small chance to survive if she tried to run away by making use of all her arsenal; however, at this point she would definitely be dead if he decided to attack her.
Although Bai Zemin did not say anything and just looked at her, he could not help but be a little moved when he saw this seemingly natural and involuntary move of hers.
In this chaotic world where human life was worth less than a piece of dry bread, friendship for many was nothing.
One needed to remember that what Shangguan Bing Xue was currently picking up from the ground were INCREDIBLY valuable and powerful treasures. Such items were enough to make even a saint turn into a demon and betray their allies.
Therefore, the fact that Shangguan Bing Xue would turn her back toward Bai Zemin under such conditions only showed in depth how great her trust in him was... Even though they had not known each other for a long time.
If it was a day ago, she definitely wouldn't do something like that regardless of how well she thought of him. However, she had been unconscious and unprotected for a full day. If Bai Zemin really wanted to do something to her, then the opportunity had already presented itself so there was no point in protecting herself against him at this point.
Even so, Bai Zemin couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you afraid of me attacking you from the back? At this point, even if I kill you here everyone will think that you were attacked by a beast."
Shangguan Bing Xue chuckled and had apparently finished picking everything up as she slowly stood up. She turned her body to look at him and seeing Bai Zemin resting his back against the huge red sword with his arms crossed in front of him, she calmly said, "In my dictionary, there is no middle ground. For me, there are only people I trust and people I don't trust in. You are one of the five living beings I trust in."
Bai Zemin shook his head not knowing what to say. Although he was moved by her words and felt grateful, he could not trust in her the same way she trusted in him.
His Stone Heart skill wouldn't let him. Not so easily. Not for nothing was this a peak Third Order skill.
It could already be considered a miracle that Lilith managed to sneak into his heart enclosed by thick stone armor in such a short time. As for when someone else could do it or if anyone else would ever achieve it as long as the skill remained unchanged, it was still a mystery that only time would answer.
Shangguan Bing Xue pressed the green orb in her hand, and after a slight flash of light, a small crimson thumb-sized pearl appeared in her palm.
This was a precious Epic grade treasure.
After reading the information of the item, Shangguan Bing Xue closed her eyes for a moment and then smiled faintly before throwing it towards Bai Zemin without hesitation.
Bai Zemin unconsciously raised his hand to catch and the small pearl fell accurately into his now clenched fist.
The name of the object was the first thing that flashed into his eyes.
[Liquid Storage Jewel.]
Thanks a lot to all those who use their Golden Tickets to vote for BW <3

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