Snow Spirit Province, Dragon City

The journey of two and a half months had unfolded like a long scroll, slowly unrolling before them.

Jiang Zhen led Ah Yin northward, passing through the prosperity and bustle of the Heaven Dou Plain, skirting the vast desolation and solitude of the northwestern border mountains, and finally entering the northernmost territory of the Heaven Dou Empire—Snow Spirit Province.

The farther north they traveled, the more visibly the temperature in the air dropped.

The vast plains gradually gave way to cold-resistant coniferous forests, while icy snowflakes began to mingle with the howling wind.

When the city, like a colossal beast crouching upon the white wilderness, appeared on the horizon—

Jiang Zhen felt the stirring and summons coming from that boundless ice field growing ever clearer.

Dragon City.

A major city of Snow Spirit Province and the northernmost large city of the Heaven Dou Empire, it was known as "the Gateway to the Extreme North Land."

Unlike the prosperity and clamor of southern cities, Dragon City felt cold and unyielding.

Its towering walls were built from enormous bluish-black boulders, weathered by wind and frost, their surfaces covered in marks left by ice and snow erosion and the claws of fierce beasts.

The soldiers patrolling the city gate wore thick fur-lined iron armor. Their breath condensed into dense white mist in the air as their sharp, wary eyes swept over every person entering and leaving the city.

There were few pedestrians, and most hurried along in bulky fur garments. Their faces bore faint marks carved by wind and frost, with little of the leisure found in the south.

"Brother A Zhen, it's so cold here."

Ah Yin tightened her thin blue-gold dress and instinctively moved closer to Jiang Zhen.

Though she was the Blue Silver Emperor and feared no ordinary cold, the chill pervading this place had already gone beyond the realm of "ordinary." It was a dry cold that seemed capable of seeping through one's Soul Power.

"Mm, we're already close to the Extreme North Land."

Jiang Zhen nodded. The Profound Water Clear Mind Art within his body circulated slightly, and a gentle mist quietly spread out, enveloping the two of them and driving away the piercing cold.

"Come on. Let's find somewhere to eat first, then buy you some thicker clothes."

Upon entering Dragon City, they found that most of the buildings inside were also low and solid, with steeply sloped roofs to let snow slide off easily.

The streets were paved with huge stone slabs, frozen hard as iron.

Most shop signs were made of iron or carved wood, clattering loudly in the cold wind.

The air was filled with a faint mixture of pine resin, charcoal fire, and the gamey scent of some wild beast.

Jiang Zhen led Ah Yin and soon found the warmest and liveliest-looking tavern—"Snow Wolf Strong Liquor."

Pushing open the heavy iron-clad ironwood door, a wave of heat mixed with the aroma of roasted meat, rich ale, and sweat rushed over them.

The tavern was packed with mercenaries, hunters, and traveling merchants. Most gathered around the hearths, loudly discussing furs, medicinal herbs, and what they had seen in the Extreme North Land, with the occasional curse directed at the terrible weather.

Jiang Zhen and Ah Yin's arrival instantly drew quite a few gazes.

Their exceptional looks and bearing seemed utterly out of place in this rough environment.

Jiang Zhen remained calm as he led Ah Yin to sit in a corner by the window, ignoring those inquisitive stares.

"Boss, your signature roast meat, some stewed meat soup, and a serving of hot milk and sweet cakes for her," Jiang Zhen ordered while looking over the menu.

Before long, large portions of food were brought over.

There was roasted meat from some unknown beast, charred and fragrant, along with thick, steaming meat soup cooked until tender.

Ah Yin took small sips of her milk, curiously looking around at everything. She seemed a little afraid of those men who lived by the blade, but also somewhat curious about them.

"Eat. I'll take you to buy new clothes afterward."

Jiang Zhen pushed the roast meat toward her.

After their meal, Jiang Zhen brought Ah Yin to Dragon City's largest armor shop—"North Wind Leather."

The shop was filled with all kinds of thick fur coats, leather trousers, snow boots, gloves, and windproof cloaks made from the pelts of special Soul Beasts.

The shop owner was a burly middle-aged man with a ruddy face. His eyes lit up when he saw Jiang Zhen and Ah Yin, and he enthusiastically came forward.

"Young master, young lady, are you heading north? Take a look at these newly arrived snow fox fur cloaks. They're warm and light! And these boots made from ice bear hide—they'll keep your feet from freezing even when you're walking through deep snow!"

Jiang Zhen did not say much. He directly picked out a white fur coat lined with thick fleece in Ah Yin's size, matching leather trousers, a pair of exceptionally warm snow boots, and a mink fur hat with ear flaps for her.

For himself, he chose a deep blue cold-weather Jing Suit better suited for mobility yet equally warm, along with a wide windproof cloak.

When it came time to pay, the price quoted by the owner was enough to make an ordinary mercenary gasp. Yet Jiang Zhen did not so much as blink. He simply took out the corresponding amount of Gold Soul Coins from his Storage Ring and paid.

The owner's smile immediately became even brighter.

After changing into her thick new clothes, Ah Yin's little face was wrapped by the fluffy brim of her hat, leaving only a pair of deep blue eyes exposed. She looked even cuter.

She curiously stamped her soft snow boots, seemingly very satisfied with their warmth.

Afterward, Jiang Zhen did not choose to stay at a crowded inn. Instead, he rented an independent stone house with a small courtyard in a relatively quiet part of the city.

The stone walls were thick, and it had a complete stove and hearth. Though simple, it was enough to keep out the wind and retain warmth, while also being more private.

"Let's stay here for now."

Jiang Zhen spoke to Ah Yin as he took out brand-new bedding from his Storage Ring and laid it out.

"I need to adjust my condition. I should be able to break through to Level 40 in the next couple of days."

Over the next two days, fine snow began to fall over Dragon City.

The small stone cottage was warm as spring. Jiang Zhen spent most of his time sitting cross-legged in meditation, adjusting himself to his most perfect peak condition.

He could feel that the barrier at Level Thirty-Nine had become as thin as window paper. His Soul Power was so full it threatened to overflow, and he lacked only that final push.

Meanwhile, the call from the depths of the Far North in his mind had grown ever clearer, as though it were resonating with his Soul Power.

Ah Yin obediently stayed by his side. Sometimes she imitated Jiang Zhen and meditated; other times, she peered curiously through the frost-covered window at the silver-clad world outside, or played with the little trinkets Jiang Zhen had bought for her.

Several days later, in the morning, as the first faint rays of dawn filtered through the icy window and illuminated the room.

Jiang Zhen, seated cross-legged in cultivation, pushed the Profound Water Clear Mind Art to its limit. His Soul Power surged like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, launching its final—and fiercest—assault against the already loosened bottleneck!

"Bzzzz—"

An invisible wave of energy suddenly spread outward with Jiang Zhen at its center.

The temperature in the cottage plummeted instantly! The unfinished water in the cup on the table visibly formed a layer of frost. The icy patterns on the windows rapidly thickened and spread, producing faint cracking sounds.

Countless ice-blue energy particles, finer than dust and glimmering with faint light, were drawn through the air. As if summoned by a king, they joyfully circled and danced around him before finally merging into his body.

A faint blue radiance shone through Jiang Zhen's skin. It was no longer as gentle as flowing water, but carried a crystalline, translucent quality, as though his entire body were transforming into an ice sculpture carved from jade.

The two sky-blue locks of hair on his forehead, naturally shaped like dragon horns, stirred without wind and gave off an even more dazzling luster. The deep-blue highlights within them flowed with a radiance like liquid cold marrow.

Most peculiar of all, the faint vertical mark between his brows clearly emerged. It grew slightly warm, like an eye about to awaken, greedily absorbing the pure Ice Elemental Energy from the surrounding space.

Within his spiritual world, the boundless ocean was gone, replaced by a desolate snowfield stretching endlessly beneath a world sealed in ice.

Ultimate cold, absolute silence, the eternal sensation of all things frozen... every kind of "ice" flooded into his awareness like shattered streams of light.

There was no resistance. Everything happened as naturally as water flowing into a channel.

The barrier between Level Thirty-Nine and Level Forty melted, shattered, and vanished without a sound like lingering spring ice beneath the assault of that ultimate chill, intertwined from within and without.

A brand-new surge of Soul Power, far stronger and purer than before and carrying threads of biting cold, rushed through all his meridians like a thawing glacier. It finally poured into his sea of Soul Power, causing it to expand dramatically while becoming denser and colder in nature.

Level Forty!

(Does everyone have any ideas for the fifth and Eighth Soul Rings? The sixth should be the Evil Orca King, the seventh Tianmeng Iceworm, and the ninth the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King.)