Douluo's Gourd

The transformation from ice crystals to silk threads takes only a fleeting moment.

The changes came too fast and too suddenly.

The two-headed Cyclops was caught completely off guard; the taut threads caused its massive body to stiffen abruptly.

It struggled fiercely, its muscles bulging, the ice armor on its body rubbing against the blue silk threads, producing a teeth-grinding "crunch" sound, with ice shards flying everywhere.

Several threads wrapped around its wrists and elbows were snapped off, but many more threads, like a persistent leech, wrapped around it layer upon layer, especially the bindings on its lower limbs and waist, which greatly restricted its power and movement.

It tried to swing its arms to break the annoying ropes, but the threads were extremely tough and intertwined.

Pulling on one part affects the whole body, and the entanglement only gets tighter.

It wanted to gather the power of frost to freeze the bindings formed by the water, but was shocked and angered to find that these threads themselves contained extremely pure and stable water elements, which had a strong affinity and resistance to its icy power, and the freezing effect was negligible.

Wang Xiaofeng's figure appeared at some point behind the giant.

He did not continue his attack, but instead watched with amusement as the giant struggled futilely like a beast trapped in a spider web, his eyes gleaming with assessment and contemplation.

"The eight-part halo just now, hmm, the form was imitated fairly well, and the momentum was big enough, but the intensity was still a bit lacking."

"In this extremely cold environment, the condensation speed and sharpness can be increased by about 30%, but in normal conditions, the power is at least halved. To completely replicate it, we need to put more effort into the element compression efficiency and the stability of the soul power structure."

His gaze swept over the taut mimicry threads, watching them tremble slightly under the giant's terrifying power, occasionally breaking one or two, but the main binding remained firm.

"The strength of the mimicry steel cable... is so-so. It's a bit difficult to restrain a power-type 100,000-year-old soul beast with simple physical restraints. If it were replaced with something more agile or focused on energy attacks, the effect might be better."

"Perhaps the next step could be to further compress the water element density, or to incorporate soul power runes with 'sealing' or 'suppression' attributes into the mimicry structure? I wonder if the ancient civilization's database contains any relevant models that we could refer to..."

Wang Xiaofeng stroked his chin, talking to himself in the air, completely immersed in analyzing and conceiving his own soul skills, seemingly oblivious to the increasingly frenzied roar of the giant in front of him and the slight tremors of the earth.

Nidia descended silently from the higher clouds and stood steadily in front of Wang Xiaofeng.

She didn't disturb Wang Xiaofeng's thoughts, her gaze as cold as ice, fixed intently on the giant in front of her.

The scepter in her hand hung naturally at her side, and a faint layer of ice-blue light flowed around her, echoing the wind and snow around her, creating a posture that could erupt and counterattack at any moment.

This is the unspoken understanding between the two—you just do what you want to do, and leave the rest to me.

Perhaps the struggle had exhausted too much energy, or perhaps it was the familiar soul power fluctuations felt from the pure water element threads that triggered a deeper level of connection.

The two-headed Cyclops gradually slowed its movements. The ferocious red light in its massive single eye receded like a tide, replaced by a bewildered confusion.

It lowered its head and looked at the blue silk threads that bound it tightly, then raised its head again, its gaze passing over the wary Nydia and landing on the tiny figure that seemed to be lost in thought.

"Roar...hum..." It uttered an unintelligible murmur from its throat, and finally, a huge, indistinct sound, carrying a fierce wind, resounded throughout the icy valley.

"Your soul power is familiar. Who are you?"

The sound, like muffled thunder, roused Wang Xiaofeng from his deep thoughts.

His eyes focused on the giant whose attitude had clearly changed. Instead of being annoyed by the interruption, he smiled.

"There are still some memories left. Looks like I can save some energy."

Explaining it verbally is too inefficient, and the giant's damaged little brain might not be able to understand it anyway. It would be better to just show it how they met.

Wang Xiaofeng pointed his fingers like a sword and gently touched his forehead. A crystal-clear aura of spiritual energy shone from his fingertips.

The next moment, this mental energy, following the countless mimicry threads connecting him and the giant, flowed silently yet clearly into the giant's mind, like a signal transmitted along an optical fiber.

That was a pure memory:

—The terrifying flames from the white dragon's self-destruction swept across the icy plains.

—A giant icicle fell from the sky, stopping the explosion, and the giant who threw the icicle fell onto the ice field.

—The giant lay on the ground, barely alive, a gaping hole pierced through his chest, his body covered in wounds;—The tiny figure commanded strange creatures, slowly pulling the stagnant energy from the giant's wounds.

—After the energy was removed, the giant's life stabilized, and his heavy breathing gradually calmed down.

This pure spiritual message is more persuasive than any language and can penetrate the barriers of race and intellect.

The two-headed Cyclops' massive body visibly trembled, and the confusion in its single eye completely vanished, replaced by a sense of realization and complex emotions.

It stopped struggling and quietly read this footage from the past.

A moment later, it let out a low growl with an ambiguous meaning. In that growl, all the violence was gone, replaced by a hint of... embarrassment?

Wang Xiaofeng sensed the giant's emotions and a thought flashed through his mind.

Those countless mimicry threads, harder than steel, lost the support of soul power and transformed back into ordinary water. They then froze into fine icicles in the extremely cold air, finally crackling off the giant's body and turning into a pile of crystalline ice shards.

The giant, now free, did not launch another attack.

It stretched its stiff arms and neck, looked down at Wang Xiaofeng again, and slowly nodded its massive head, its deep voice ringing out once more:

“Friend, I remember. You saved me, you are my friend.”

Wang Xiaofeng smiled sincerely and winked at Nydia beside him, "I told you that strength is the bridge to equal communication."

Nydia rolled her eyes. "Oh, right, right."

Wang Xiaofeng left a mental imprint on the two-headed cyclops that allowed them to communicate with each other, so that they wouldn't have to accommodate each other or control their volume when communicating.

Hearing their conversation, the giant agreed with what he said: "You are very strong. I can't beat you. My body hasn't recovered yet, so I can't enjoy myself."

It accepted its failure with equanimity.

This is the simplest and most direct logic in the world of soul beasts: the strong prey on the weak, and the victor takes everything from the loser.