Extreme North Land

"I had originally planned to use the Iron-backed Demonic Scorpion as my first choice for my Third Soul Ring. But how could it be so easy to find another top-tier Soul Beast with both strength and defense? After weighing my options, I could only use it for my Second Soul Ring."

"I thought the Skeleton Martial Soul would gain an arm bone skill that grew a scorpion tailbone or scorpion pincers. I never expected it to be a Soul Skill that strengthened the hardness of the bones."

"Isn't that good? Although it can't give your Skeleton Martial Soul two arms, one arm combined with stronger bones and dual boosts to strength and defense is already very powerful. Thanks to that, you were able to defeat me, a three-ring Soul Elder, despite the difference in rank."

Liu Shu suddenly clutched her head and cried out, "Aaaah! How embarrassing. Brother-in-law is going to laugh at me for the rest of my life."

What she did not know was that the main reason Xia Liang had been able to defeat her across ranks was that she did not understand the full effects of his Second Soul Skill.

To a Soul Master, Soul Skills were trump cards and means of survival.

Ever since becoming a Soul Master three years ago, Xia Liang had always adhered to the principle of never revealing the full details of his Soul Skills to outsiders.

"Sis, what time is it already? You should get up! If you don't come eat breakfast soon, I'll finish it all!" Liu Shu shouted into the tent.

A black-haired woman slowly emerged from the tent. When she saw the four servings of breakfast laid out on the table, a strange light flashed through her eyes.

All four breakfasts were identical: a hamburger and a cup of soy milk.

Naturally, this Blue Star way of eating had come from Xia Liang.

Although he had spent the past three years living among Soul Beasts with the Mercenary Group, his cooking skills had only improved.

Delicious food was the easiest way to win people's hearts. Perhaps one day, he would even have to rely on these cooking skills to live off a woman.

The black-haired woman was Aunt Liu, Teacher Mo's wife. She loved hamburgers, and after sitting at the table, she began eating with elegant manners.

"Brother-in-law still isn't back?" Liu Shu asked as she sat down for breakfast as well.

Aunt Liu shook her head. "He didn't come back last night either. He's probably still in Silvis City."

"Could Brother-in-law have found a woman in the city to spend the night with?" Liu Shu said mischievously. "Sis, aren't you worried?"

"Sister-in-law, do you distrust your brother-in-law that much?" An abrupt voice sounded.

Xia Liang had just taken a sip of soy milk when he turned toward the voice and found that it was Teacher Mo, who had gone to Silvis City to accept a job.

"Brother-in-law! How did it go?" Liu Shu sprang to her feet excitedly.

"I received a job to help hunt a Soul Beast. However, it's a bit troublesome. I wasn't sure whether to accept it, so I came back first to ask for your opinions."

Teacher Mo walked to the table, picked up a cup of soy milk, and took a sip.

"What kind of job is it?" Xia Liang asked.

"The job came from a small coastal city near Silvis City called Skywater City. The client is a Soul Master family in Skywater City, and a major one at that."

After hearing Teacher Mo's explanation, Xia Liang looked confused. "A major family still needs to hire our Mercenary Group to help them hunt Soul Beasts?"

"Yes." Teacher Mo sat down and explained while eating breakfast. "That major family specializes in water and ice attributes. They want to enter the Extreme North Land to hunt an ice-attributed Soul Beast called the Ice Scorpion King for one of their younger members."

"This kind of Soul Beast is extremely rare. It usually lives on an Ice Plain in the Outer Area of the Extreme North Land. The Ice Plain lies too deep within the region, so ordinary Soul Masters do not dare set foot there. That is why they have set their sights on the Speed Reach Mercenary Group's ability to locate Soul Beasts."

"The Extreme North Land!" Liu Shu said fearfully. "Brother-in-law, this isn't a job we can handle. What are you hesitating for? Hurry up and reject it!"

"I rejected it at first." Teacher Mo gave a bitter smile. "But the Shui Family Head made it clear that they would guarantee our safety after entering the Extreme North Land. We only need to use our ability to locate Soul Beasts. They will handle the actual hunting."

"If it's a minor problem, they may indeed be able to guarantee our safety." Xia Liang spoke with concern. "But once something life-threatening happens, they definitely won't care about us. Teacher Mo, going in with them is no different from gambling with our lives. We shouldn't accept this job."

"Alright, A Liang. Your Ghost Fire is the key to locating Soul Beasts. Since even you have refused, there's nothing left for us to hesitate over." Teacher Mo smiled at Xia Liang. "I'll go give them our answer later."

"Wait." Xia Liang suddenly changed his mind. "Teacher Mo, maybe we should agree to it after all."

"A Liang, are you crazy?" Liu Shu cursed. "This isn't something to joke about. If it were the Frozen Forest, that would be one thing. But this is the Extreme North Land! Even if a Soul Douluo were leading the Mercenary Group, no one would be foolish enough to risk going in. Besides, following an unfamiliar major family inside is simply courting death!"

"I know." Xia Liang's expression was exceptionally serious. "That's why I'll be the only one accepting this job. Teacher Mo, Sister Shu, Aunt Liu, listen to me. For the past three years, we've been risking our lives in Soul Beast habitats. After everything we've been through, I can still judge how dangerous a place is. I'm very afraid of death. The moment I heard it was the Extreme North Land, I refused. Since I've agreed now, I must be confident that I won't die. I know a little about the Extreme North Land."

A few minutes later.

After hearing Xia Liang's explanation, Teacher Mo and the others were still unwilling to let him take the risk.

While the extreme cold weather in the Outer Area of the Extreme North Land could be warded off with the Soul Skills of the major family's Soul Masters, and the family would protect him along the way, reducing the number of uncertainties,—

Once an unexpected situation arose, as an outsider, he would definitely be abandoned by the major family.

Betting one's life on the credibility of an unfamiliar family?

That was absolutely foolish!

After much persuasion, Xia Liang's determination to accept the job remained unchanged. Left with no choice, Teacher Mo and the others could only compromise and allow him to follow the major family into the Extreme North Land alone to search for Soul Beasts.

Of course, Xia Liang was afraid of death too. He knew that such a decision could very well send him into an inescapable abyss.

But danger often came with opportunity.

It was said that because of the Extreme North Land's freezing climate and treacherous terrain, no Soul Masters were willing to enter and explore it. As a result, many of its resources remained undiscovered.

With the protection of a major family and his knowledge of the Soul Beast distribution in the Extreme North Land from the original story, this was the perfect opportunity to enter, search for Soul Beasts, and see whether he could find any opportunities along the way.

The ultimate destination of this trip was only the Outer Area of the Extreme North Land, while the one venturing deep into the Ice Plain to search for Soul Beasts would be the Black-Purple Ghost Fire. The chance of something unexpected happening was actually very small.

Unless something like Xiao Wu attracting the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast Titan Giant Ape to the Outer Area in the original story happened, why would a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, perfectly content in the Core Area, come to the Outer Area just because a few humans had entered it, lie in wait there, and expose its own existence? Without the threat of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in the Outer Area, he could surely retreat safely from the Extreme North Land under the major family's protection.

Xia Liang's only concern was how he could hide any opportunity he found from the major family's greed. If he mishandled it, he might truly bring about a fatal disaster.

After deciding to accept the job, Teacher Mo, Aunt Liu, and Liu Shu brought Xia Liang to Skywater City, a coastal city near Silvis City.

Upon reaching their destination, Xia Liang discovered that the major family intending to enter the Extreme North Land to search for Soul Beasts was the Shui Family, a family that followed an extreme path.

Skywater Academy, mentioned in the original story, had been founded jointly by the Shui Family and other Water Attribute Soul Master families.

What surprised Xia Liang was that the Shui Family had not only dispatched three Soul Saints for this journey into the Extreme North Land, but even the Shui Family Head, whose Soul Power had reached level eighty-three, was participating.

Among the three Soul Saints were one Support System Soul Saint and two Defense System Soul Saints.

Judging by the lineup, they had likely anticipated the dangers of the Extreme North Land and had no intention of fighting head-on. That was why they had sent two Defense System Soul Saints, allowing them to defend while retreating if danger arose.

Besides the three Soul Saints and the Shui Family Head, a Soul Douluo, there were also five Soul Emperors, including a Food System Soul Emperor, a rarity across the continent.

They were mobilizing such an enormous amount of family strength merely to hunt a thousand-year Ice Scorpion King for someone's Third Soul Ring. It was clear just how important the person who needed the Soul Ring was within the family.

After signing the agreement, Xia Liang bid Teacher Mo and the others farewell, then followed the Shui Family's Soul Hunting Team toward the Extreme North Land.