Evolution Begins with Elemental Domination

The reason he had been so certain about the existence of the Ice Element wasn’t just some wild guess. He had confirmed it after seeing frosty imprints appear on certain Runes.

However...

But in the three batches of Rune Formulas that had been announced so far, not a single one for the Ice Element had appeared.

Perhaps the sample size was too small, and the relevant combinations hadn’t been repeatedly verified. Or maybe there was simply no need to release them publicly at this stage. In any case, it made them very difficult to create.

This Lv5 Ice Element Rune, however, was a gift. The Legacy Space had bestowed it upon Su Chen when he advanced to Grand Elemental Master to round out his new class’s requirements.

Ice + Ice + Wind = Summon Ice Bird

”Bring the Rune Essence back with you, too,” Su Chen instructed the Ice Bird through the mental link formed by their summoning contract.

Just like with his other summons, his words were automatically translated, allowing the creature to understand him perfectly. There was no need for it to learn his language; the meaning was conveyed clearly and without any barrier.

Before long, the dutiful bird had completed its task flawlessly. After piercing the heads of the three giant eagles that had fallen to the ground, it picked up a total of seven Runes and a portion of Spiritual Dust Sand.

To make them easier to carry, it instantly encased the items in several small, crystal-clear spheres of ice within its beak.

Upon landing, it gently spat the ice spheres out at Su Chen’s feet, then tilted its head and let out a clean, clear cry that seemed to be asking for praise.

”Well done.”

Su Chen praised it in a gentle tone.

”So majestic.”

Liao Dahai, walking over from the entrance to the camp, couldn’t help but marvel, his gaze fixed on the Ice Bird that had just landed.

It stood nearly two meters tall, its body covered in ice-blue plumage that shimmered with a crystalline luster. Its hackles were slightly raised, and its sharp, azure vertical pupils gave it a cold, noble air.

Noticing the stranger sizing it up, the Ice Bird shot him an icy glare and began to assume an aggressive posture.

”He’s friendly.”

Only after Su Chen gave a reassuring signal did the creature relax and lower the wings it had been about to spread.

”Have you named it?” Yan Ruoruo asked.

’That’s a good question.’

Strictly speaking, this was the first time Su Chen had summoned it.

He pondered for a moment. As someone who was terrible with names, the name ’Little Ice’ immediately popped into his head, but it felt too plain and casual. Seeing the Ice Bird’s proud, frosty demeanor, Su Chen had an idea.

”I’ll call you Xiaolin.”

The moment he spoke, the Ice Bird paused. A second later, its pupils brightened and its frosty plumage shivered gently, clearly in Resonance with the name.

After the small ice spheres thawed, he saw that the retrieved Runes included one Lv4 Rune and three Lv3 Runes, not to mention a portion of Spiritual Dust Sand.

This showed that the three giant eagles had been quite formidable.

But for Xiaolin to win a one-on-three fight in an instant from the air, its own power was clearly nothing to scoff at.

Its formal species name was Ice Feather Frost Bird.

It currently possessed four Skills: Rapid Freeze Ray, Ice Storm, Frost Escape, and Ice Shield.

It was a versatile creature, with balanced offense and defense. It had single-target and area-of-effect damage, crowd control, and flight acceleration. Its Skill, Frost Escape, allowed it to surround itself with a high-speed vortex of frigid air, granting it an explosive burst of flight speed.

This explained how it could instantly close in on and slay a giant eagle with a ten-meter wingspan.

The high noon heat was unsuited to Xiaolin’s nature. To resist it, the bird constantly radiated a biting cold from its body, causing the inside of their shelter to frost over.

After a brief exchange with the creature, Su Chen unsummoned Xiaolin.

”I’m heading into the forest to deal with that fungal consciousness,” he announced to the others.

It was a bold, almost reckless, move.

Capitalizing on the massive dividends from his class advancement, Su Chen had unquestionably pulled far ahead in this arms race.

He might not be able to completely obliterate its consciousness, but one thing was certain: the Rune Essence it had plundered and hoarded was about to get a new owner.

Even if he weren’t after its hoard, he still had to disrupt its evolutionary progress.

There was no way he could let it continue to grow stronger unhindered.

Hearing this, Yan Ruoruo’s eyes narrowed slightly as she made her own calculations. ”In that case, I’ll head to the large lake in the northern part of the forest,” she said.

”I’ll stay on guard duty, then,” Liao Dahai said pragmatically. Someone had to watch the RV and all their things.

「Ten minutes later.」

After they had taken care of a few matters around camp, the rolling steel door of the camping supply store was shut tight. As Su Chen and Yan Ruoruo walked toward the public campsite, they saw only a few scattered figures along the path.

The area was deserted, creating the desolate, lonely feeling of an open wilderness.

”Be careful out there.”

Su Chen offered the well-intentioned reminder, considering it might be her first time operating alone.

To some extent, he valued the comprehensive logistical support provided by the Jingcheng University members. It relieved him of many personal worries and freed him from tedious group responsibilities.

True to his word, he had no intention of controlling anyone’s thoughts or restricting their personal freedom.

As long as their actions didn’t conflict with his interests, they were free to do as they pleased.

”Okay. I’ll be back around five this afternoon,” Yan Ruoruo said softly. ”I’m going to get my Purification Skill to Lv5 as quickly as I can, and I’ll keep an eye out for Light Element Essence for you.”

’That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.’

Several of Su Chen’s Runes—Water Mirror Refraction, Flying Skill, Shadow Jumping Skill, and Critical Strike—were stuck at Lv4, and all of them required Light Element Essence to advance.

He hadn’t tried to hide this fact from her.

Aside from his previous, large-scale attempts to buy or trade for it, he knew that someone with her intelligence and sharp perception had likely already picked up on the clues. She had probably pieced together the details from his past battles, figured out the corresponding Rune Construction, and might have even deduced that his class was related to wielding all ten Elements.