"The order of ice is absolute. It freezes the skies, stills the oceans, and silences the chaos of the world.

All things beneath heaven shall yield before its eternal cold. I wield that order... And the world shall freeze at my command."

Ulric chanted. His eyes lit up in an ethereal blue light as torrents of icy energy drilled into his body, followed by countless insights flooding his mind. All while the chime of system notifications continuously echoed at the back of his mind.

[Ding! The Imperial Frost Talent has been enhanced 7,000x times! You have gained the SSS-rank talent — Order of Ice.]

[Ding! SSS-rank talent — Order of Ice merging with host!]

"This..." Tara mumbled, her eyes fluttering rapidly. She watched as the air around Ulric burst open, releasing energy that encapsulated him for the third time.

The first two times had already defied the concept of impossible... but this... this was just beyond her. Tara gasped as her face flushed with multiple emotions.

Unaware of the troubled thoughts of a certain girl, Ulric bathed in the energy. Letting it wash over him as his being was redefined to hold an SSS-rank talent.

Beside the inner changes, a slew of transformations unfolded across his body that only caused Tara to watch with even more amazement.

Dark sludges of thick fluids were constantly excreted from his skin. Impurities? She breathed. Even more amazing, before they touched the ground, menacing trails of darkness surged out of his body to corrode them to nothing.

When the last of the impurities had been purged, Tara’s eyes couldn’t help but widen at the results.

His skin had grown clearer and smoother, giving off an icy feeling that added a certain charm to it.

More than that, his once dark hair with strands of purple now had white strands, making it all so... mesmerizing.

Pulled into a trance, Tara watched the transformation unfold. Each apparent change caused the shock and surprise to grow even more.

Until finally, all the sea of icy energy had drilled into Ulric’s frame. Currently dropped in a lotus position, his eyes were snapped shut, his body eerily still.

The only sign of life was the constant rise of his chest.

A few minutes passed this way. Before suddenly Ulric’s eyes snapped open. Still gleaming with the enchanting blue hue, but it was quickly fading to welcome back his swirling crimson gaze.

But none of that seemed to matter to the youth as an unbothered expression plastered across his face. Meditating on the lingering concepts, a quiet sigh parted from his lips.

"Amazing." A faint smile formed across his face. As the energy had drilled into him, it had pulled away his consciousness, showing him visions and glimpses of the full power of the Order of Ice.

And it was nothing short of terrifying. Perhaps a little too terrifying.

And as if to prove it, as the words parted from his lips, he exhaled slowly, letting out a frosty breath.

Instantly after, the air around him grew terrifyingly cold. The moisture hovering in the air was sucked out before freezing into a ball of ice that landed in his outstretched palms.

Cradling the ball of ice, Ulric stared at it for a few seconds. The smile on his face widening before he tossed it upward.

As it streaked across the air, the freezing coldness disappeared as he retracted it. The ice ball bursting to form countless drops of water that soon dropped to hover before him.

Stretching out his fingers, the water droplets coated them, all while rippling slightly.

"So delicate... yet so deadly," Ulric whispered in wonder.

Swiping his fingers toward the ground, the air screamed as beads of water coalesced into tiny blades, forming fissures across the ground no different than absurdly sharp claws.

Perhaps even sharper than his darkness? The thought caused his breath to hitch slightly, but the power was undeniable.

His darkness was more fit for large-scale destruction... but water... ice. That was entirely different.

Its entire element was based on its unpredictability and cohesiveness, making it ideal for going against fewer opponents and things that required great concentration.

But that wasn’t all. Ulric mused. His excitement growing even more unrestrained, unable to tear himself from the fascination of it all.

Curling his fingers into a fist, a faint blue sheen glinted across his eyes. Before the air around him rippled slightly once more. As he drew more moisture that condensed into drops of water that flowed mystically before him.

This time, instead of using it to deal damage, he wanted to try something else. Playing with it for a while.

He rubbed it against the palm he had slashed to draw out blood to feed the vines. A few hours had passed since then, healing the wound and leaving only a faint red mark.

Pressing the water against it, he concentrated for a while. Before its icy coldness turned gentle.

The results were instant! He could feel soothing waves of energy flow across his palm. The faint sting completely erased.

When he lifted it a few seconds later, the smile burst out into an uncontainable chuckle.

The wound had been fully healed, with no mark left behind. It was as if it was never there to begin with!

The chuckle grew even more unrestrained as he felt waves of exhilaration coursing across his body.

Making him pace restlessly. It was just as he had expected. Like wielding a pinnacle earth talent granted him a connection to the metal element.

His ice talent contained traces of healing energy with insane potential.

Nothing groundbreaking currently, but it was definitely a step toward his goal. A step in the right direction. Same as before, all he needed was time to nurture it, and he had a feeling it would turn out even better than wielding a dedicated healing talent itself.

Excited about the discovery, Ulric sank deeper into his thoughts. Exploring the might of his Order of Ice talent. Each newfound ability only fueling his curiosity.

Like one that particularly piqued his interest.

Forming a small golem the same as before, he imbued it with green energy. Before poking at it once more, only this time his fingers oozed deadly ice energy.

Barely a few seconds later, even with its incredible structure, it collapsed as well. Teaching him a lesson that would come in handy in future battles.

Every object and living being exposed to extreme cold would eventually shatter beneath its might. Once their integrity was compromised, they fractured like glass.

Finally pulling himself away, Ulric lifted his gaze to stare at Tara. An unhinged smile spreading across his face.