The silence was no longer a suffocating oppression, but had transformed into a strange and nurturing environment. Within the scarred sea of ​​consciousness of the Immortal Lord Qingxu, a delicate balance that transcended words and the constraints of laws was quietly growing in the stillness.

Between the cracked ice crystal of the soul and the thorny, icy Dao seal, the initially tentative energy threads gradually formed a more stable and resilient two-way bridge. This bridge was not a physical entity, but rather forged from the deepest bonds of their souls, their shared experiences of destruction and rebirth, and their unwavering will to support each other in dire straits.

Immortal Lord Qingxu no longer cultivated merely for survival and to become stronger. Every time he guided the raging power of the "Ice Mark Dao Seal," every time he absorbed the thin yet inexhaustible energy from the outside world (including the last remaining chill of the Ice Soul Jade Bed, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and even the traces of demonic energy and venomous remnants that he had forcibly refined), he carried a clear and gentle purpose—to feed back the purest and gentlest part to the ice crystal through the bridge of the soul.

His power remained icy, carrying the sharpness and deathly stillness of the Throne of Thorns, but as it was being channeled into the ice crystals, it seemed to be "filtered" and "softened" by the bridge itself, stripping away most of its aggressiveness and backlash, leaving only the most primal, absorbable, icy energy.

On the other end of the ice crystal, Su Nian's consciousness seemed to be slowly recovering a trace of "activity" from that extreme weakness and slumber under the continuous and gentle nourishment of this energy. She could not give a clear response, nor could she refine the healing energy she had before, but she would absorb and accept the energy transmitted by Xie Chen in an extremely weak way, and through the soul link, she would feed back a more solid and stable life fluctuation, as if telling him: "I received it, I am getting better."

This silent communication, this symbiotic bond forged on the brink of destruction, became the only light and support for Immortal Lord Qingxu in boundless pain and darkness.

As this symbiotic relationship continues, some more profound changes are beginning to quietly emerge.

First, there is the "Ice Mark Dao Seal" of Immortal Lord Qingxu himself.

As this seal continuously absorbs and refines various energies, and distributes some of them to nourish the ice crystals, it seems to be undergoing a kind of subtle "tempering." The Thorn Throne, which was originally purely constructed of coldness, death, and violence, seems to have been infused with a trace of extremely weak "resilience" and "activity" originating from Su Nian's soul deep within its core.

This change is not a weakening, but rather an… “evolution”.

The power of the Dao Seal remained icy and chilling, but its internal structure had become denser and more stable. His control over the power had also become more refined and subtle. He was even beginning to be able to guide the power of the Dao Seal to actively repair some previously inaccessible, deeper-level soul wounds. Although the process was still slow and painful, the direction was different.

Secondly, there is his connection with that soul ice crystal.

That two-way bridge, through continuous energy exchange and soul resonance, became increasingly solid and increasingly…“broad.” It was no longer just an energy channel, but more like a gradually widening “path” connecting the depths of the two people’s consciousness.

Through this path, Immortal Lord Qingxu began to perceive the state inside the ice crystals more clearly. He could "feel" that the speed at which the icy blue aura flowed deep within the cracks that covered the ice crystals seemed to be a fraction faster than before; he could "hear" the faint life fluctuations, like the beating of a sleeping heart, slow yet more powerful and firm than ever before.

He could even occasionally catch some extremely vague "fragments of thoughts" belonging to Su Nian—not complete thoughts, but more like fleeting glimpses of emotions: there was resilience in the face of darkness, a faint warmth when sensing his energy feedback, and worry about the unknown future, but more than that... there was an absolute trust and... dependence on him rooted deep in his soul.

These fragmented perceptions caused indescribable ripples to occasionally stir the frozen lake of his heart. He became even more convinced that she was returning, at a slow but unstoppable pace.

However, just when everything seemed to be developing in a positive direction and the glimmer of hope seemed about to spread, an unexpected crisis suddenly struck!

On this day, Immortal Lord Qingxu, as usual, activated the "Ice Mark Dao Seal," transmitting a relatively mild ice-attribute energy, which had undergone preliminary refinement, to the ice crystal through the soul bridge.

At first, everything was normal. The ice crystals absorbed energy steadily as usual, feeding back stable life fluctuations.

But just as this energy exchange was about to end—

A sudden change has occurred!

The dark gold consciousness that had been in a "silent" monitoring state was unexpectedly "activated" again!

But this time, its arrival was not accompanied by the previous coldness, indifference, or destructive will, but rather... a more bizarre kind of interference, seemingly with some kind of "experiment" or "test" purpose!

[The stability of the symbiotic system has been detected to have reached a certain threshold.]

[Start the preset observation program: stress test module.]

[Objective: To assess the limits of the 'anchor' (Su Nian) soul's resilience and the strength of its dependence on the 'container' (Qingxu Immortal Lord).]

[Applying variables: Simulating low-intensity law-based perturbations.]

A cold thought flashed by.

Immediately, Immortal Lord Qingxu was horrified to discover that the internal structure of the energy flow he was transmitting to the ice crystal through the soul bridge had been forcibly altered and distorted by an invisible force originating from the Dark Gold Consciousness!

A fragment of law, extremely subtle yet possessing strong characteristics of "chaos" and "erosion," was quietly injected into it, flowing towards the unsuspecting soul ice crystal along with the energy stream!

This change happened too fast! Too suddenly!

Immortal Lord Qingxu had no time to stop it, or even to issue a warning through the soul link!

"No—!" He could only scream silently in his heart, watching helplessly as the "contaminated" energy touched the cracks on the outer edge of the ice crystal!

Just as the chaotic energy containing disturbances of the laws was about to invade the ice crystal—

The soul ice crystal that had been quietly absorbing energy suddenly... erupted with a strong and urgent resistance that far exceeded Qingxu Immortal Lord's expectations!

On the surface of the ice crystal, the icy blue aura deep within all the cracks flowed and shone wildly at an unprecedented speed! A cold, pure power, carrying the ultimate meaning of "rejection" and "self-preservation," suddenly erupted from the core of the ice crystal, forming a thin but tough barrier that firmly resisted the intrusion of that chaotic energy!

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle—!"

An invisible battle raged fiercely on the surface of the ice crystals! The icy blue barrier collided and annihilated with the chaotic fragments of laws, emitting a piercing shriek that only the soul could perceive!

Immortal Lord Qingxu's heart was in his throat! He could clearly "feel" that Su Nian's soul was under tremendous pressure! The life force that had just begun to recover was once again fluctuating violently and swaying because of this sudden resistance!

However, what shocked him even more was that while resisting this foreign "pollution," Su Nian's soul seemed... not to ask him for help, or to try to redirect the polluting energy back to him!

She seemed to be fighting against this malicious provocation from a higher dimension all by herself! The ice-blue barrier, though teetering on the brink of collapse, was exceptionally tenacious, firmly protecting the core essence of the ice crystal and preventing the chaotic laws from invading even slightly!

"Hold on... Su Nian..." Immortal Lord Qingxu was extremely anxious, but dared not intervene rashly, fearing that any unusual movement of his would provoke a more intense reaction from the Dark Gold Consciousness, or interfere with Su Nian's own resistance.

He could only push the power of his "Ice Mark Dao Seal" to its limit, ready at any time to forcibly absorb the chaotic energy into his body at all costs once the barrier broke!

This silent battle lasted for about ten breaths.

Ten breaths later, the injected fragments of chaotic laws seemed to have exhausted their energy and slowly dissipated.

The icy blue barrier on the surface of the ice crystals also dimmed, shrank, and disappeared back into the depths of the cracks.

Su Nian's life force fluctuations became even weaker than before, as if she had exhausted all her strength and fallen back into deep silence.

But she held on!

With the last bit of strength she had just recovered and her indomitable will, she successfully withstood this malicious "test" from the Dark Gold Consciousness!

Immortal Lord Qingxu let out a long, almost exhausting sigh of relief, only then realizing that his back was already soaked in cold sweat.

He "looked" at the soul ice crystal that seemed to have shrunk even smaller and whose light was more restrained, and his heart was filled with indescribable heartache and... an unprecedented shock.

Her resilience far exceeded his expectations.

Just then, the cold assessment from the Dark Gold Consciousness sounded again:

[Stress test complete.]

['Anchor Point' Soul Resilience Assessment: Exceeds expectations. 'Container' Dependence Assessment: Moderate, with strong autonomy.]

[Data recorded. The potential rating for the symbiotic maintenance system has been upgraded.]

[Follow-up observation plan...under adjustment...]

As the stream of thoughts disappeared, the unsettling sense of surveillance slowly receded once more.

Immortal Lord Qingxu felt no relief whatsoever.

He understood that this was just the beginning.

The Dark Gold Consciousness has already regarded their fragile symbiotic system as an object worthy of "deep observation" and even "experimentation." In the future, similar, and even more dangerous "tests" will likely follow one after another.

And they must become stronger and more in sync through these repeated malicious tests, until... they are strong enough to break free from the cage of this law!

He slowly closed his eyes, immersing his mind in cultivation once more.

This time, however, his "Ice Mark Dao Seal" contained not only coldness and protection, but also a sense of... the resoluteness and power that Su Nian had displayed when she fought alone, a power that made his heart tremble.

The suspense in the story intensifies at this point—the symbiotic relationship attracts more targeted "experimental" intervention from the Dark Gold Consciousness, and Su Nian displays unexpected soul resilience. Behind this seemingly "upgraded rating," is there deeper research or a more dangerous trap? Where will their symbiotic path, surrounded by malice, lead? All will be revealed in the next chapter.