Into the Far North

Jiang Zhen slowly opened his eyes. The sky-blue in his eyes seemed even clearer and deeper than before. Faintly, a pale icy-blue glimmer flashed and vanished.

He gently exhaled. The instant his breath left his mouth, it condensed into tiny ice-crystal dust that shimmered faintly in the air before drifting down.

He had succeeded.

Not only had his Soul Power Level broken through smoothly, but he could clearly sense that his Martial Soul, Ultimate Water, had undergone a subtle yet profound transformation.

It had formed a closer connection with the distant Extreme North Land.

The calling voice was no longer a vague guide. It had almost become a whisper beside his ear, clearly pointing toward the depths of the northern ice plains.

"Brother A Zhen, did you break through?"

Ah Yin had been anxiously keeping watch beside him. Only after sensing that the surging, frigid aura had settled did she softly ask.

Her little face had turned somewhat red from the sudden drop in temperature inside the room.

"Yes, I succeeded."

Jiang Zhen rose to his feet and stretched his limbs. The abundant power within him filled him with anticipation for the coming journey into the Extreme North.

Over the next two days, he did not continue cultivating. Instead, he spent time properly accompanying Ah Yin.

He took her around the fairly bustling market in Dragon City and bought many novel snacks and handmade toys rarely seen in the south;

he also patiently taught her how to use her Soul Power more effectively to resist the cold. He even simulated several possible dangerous situations and instructed her on what to do if he could not return in time.

"Ah Yin, I'm going deep into the north to search for a Spirit Ring. It may take some time."

Jiang Zhen looked into Ah Yin's azure eyes, his tone serious.

"Stay here obediently. Don't run around. Wait for me to come back!"

Though reluctant to part with him, Ah Yin nodded obediently, her little hands clenched tightly. "Don't worry, Brother A Zhen. Ah Yin will behave. You have to come back early."

At dawn the next day, while Dragon City was still shrouded in quiet gray-blue hues,

Jiang Zhen had already donned his deep-blue cold-weather Jing Suit and a wide windproof cloak. Without a sound, he left the Stone House and merged into the boundless snowfields beyond the city.

The moment he left Dragon City's territory, the scene between Heaven and earth changed abruptly.

The raging cold wind slashed across him like blades, sweeping up snow from the ground and forming patches of vast white snow mist. Visibility was extremely poor.

Looking in every direction, there was only a pure, unsettling expanse of white and gray, along with the distant outlines of rolling black mountains blanketed in ice and snow.

An ordinary Spirit Master would likely be unable even to discern direction here, unable to take a single step.

But Jiang Zhen was different. The Highlights at his forehead glimmered faintly. Though Deep Sea's Eye was not fully activated, it had already granted him vision beyond that of ordinary people, allowing him to see through layers of snow and clearly perceive the flow of energy in the distance.

More importantly, the transformed Ultimate Water Martial Spirit inside his body resonated intensely with the Extreme North Land. That ethereal call in his mind had become a clear guidepost.

Like a beacon in the night, it pointed him toward the most precise direction in the northern depths.

He needed no map. He only needed to follow the sensation in his heart.

Yet although the guidance was there, the journey was far from smooth.

The bitter cold of the Extreme North Land constantly drained his Soul Power.

He had to keep circulating the Profound Water Clear Mind Art, using Soul Power to form an invisible insulating Water Film over his body. Only then could he withstand the terrifying cold that seeped in everywhere, cold enough to crack metal and gold.

The snow beneath his feet was sometimes waist-deep, while at other times hidden Ice Crevices lay beneath it. He had to remain cautious at all times.

More dangerous still were the Soul Beasts living in this bitterly cold land.

On the fifth day after leaving Dragon City, he encountered a pack of Snow Wolves, their bodies completely white and their fur like Ice Needles.

Although the strongest among the wolves had cultivated for only a thousand years,

they were cunning and vicious, using the wind and snow as cover to launch a surprise attack.

Jiang Zhen did not even use a Spirit Skill. With a single thought, the snowflakes swirling around him instantly condensed into countless sharp ice spikes, shooting out like a rain of arrows. In the blink of an eye, more than ten Snow Wolves were nailed to the snow, their steaming blood instantly freezing into red chunks of ice.

On the tenth day, he passed a vast Ice Rift Valley and sensed powerful energy fluctuations emanating from within.

Cautiously investigating with Deep Sea's Eye, he discovered a Frost Giant Dragon with at least ten thousand years of cultivation coiled at the bottom of the valley!

Its enormous body had nearly fused with the glacier, and the chill it emitted almost froze the air around it.

Jiang Zhen did not hesitate in the slightest. He immediately concealed all his aura and took a wide detour.

A Soul Beast of this level was neither the target of his journey, nor something whose consequences he could predict if they became entangled.

Day after day passed, and Jiang Zhen had long lost track of how far he had ventured.

The surrounding environment grew increasingly harsh. Blizzards had become almost constant, and the temperature was so low that every breath he exhaled instantly turned into falling ice crystals.

He encountered fewer and fewer Soul Beasts, but the aura of every one he did encounter made his heart tremble. Each had at least ten thousand years of cultivation.

He could even faintly sense several terrifying pressures, comparable to Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, coming from the distant direction of the Core Circle.

He had already trekked through this endless sea of snow for nearly twenty days.

Relying on his powerful reserves of Soul Power and absolute control over the Water Element, he had not been injured. Yet the mental loneliness and unceasing vigilance had consumed much of his strength.

As far as the eye could see, there were only endless wind and snow, glaciers, and a deathly silent white world.

The sensation in his heart still pointed clearly northward. It seemed close at hand, yet also as though he would never reach its end.

He stood atop a towering ice cliff, Deep Sea's Eye fully activated. His dark-blue Vertical Pupil swept across the even more chaotic and dangerous ice plains ahead.

There, massive icicles grew in clusters like Sharp swords. Terrifying ice storms howled between them like an eternal barrier, while turbulent energy currents surged wildly.

That place was beyond the regions marked on maps. It was the edge of the absolute territory belonging to the Three Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North—the Extreme North Core Circle.

Beyond this point, the danger would rise geometrically.

Even a Titled Douluo would not dare set foot there lightly.

Jiang Zhen frowned slightly. The guiding sensation still pointed deep into the Core Circle, which meant he had to enter this forbidden zone of life.

He drew a breath of air so cold it pierced to the bone. There was no fear in his eyes, only a trace of gravity and an even firmer desire to explore.

"Looks like I have no choice but to go in."

He muttered under his breath. Soul Power surged around him, and his deep-blue windproof cloak snapped violently in the gale like a flag.

He adjusted his condition, chewed up several rock-hard pieces of dried meat, and swallowed them to replenish his strength.

Then, with a firm gaze, he stepped forward and resolutely entered the dangerous, mysterious Extreme North Core Circle, where even light was distorted.

Within the Extreme North Core Circle, inside a crystalline cave naturally formed from ten-thousand-year ice, the chill was even more intense than outside, as though time itself had nearly frozen solid.

A dainty figure reclined against a smooth, mirror-like ice wall.

She had a lovely, fair face, with four emerald-green Magic Marks on each side, adding a touch of bewitching cold beauty.

Her Dark green Long Hair cascaded behind her, seemingly blending into the emerald-green long dress she wore.

Her skin was like the purest ice and snow, white and translucent, with soft yet frigid Jade light faintly flowing beneath it.

Merely sitting there, she caused the surrounding temperature to drop to a terrifying degree.

Her gem-like green Eyes were currently gazing into the depths of the cave.

A graceful figure surfaced in her mind, and a rare softness and longing appeared in her eyes.

"Xue'er..." An almost inaudible sigh dissolved into the icy air.

Just then, a tiny Ice Jade Scorpion, its entire body as crystalline and translucent as jade, crawled in anxiously.

It waved its two small yet sharp pincers, making hurried squeaking sounds as if extremely distressed.

Ice Empress's Thoughts were interrupted. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly as her gaze fell on the Little Scorpion. "What are you panicking for? Speak slowly."

"Squeak, squeak..."

Ice Empress's previously lazy expression instantly sharpened. She straightened slightly, disbelief flashing through her eyes.

"What? You found a... human near the Core Circle?"

Her voice remained cold, but obvious surprise had entered it.

Are humans this brave now? Unless I go to human cities to play, I practically never see humans these years.

Forget it. I'll go take a look...

(Do you think a loli Ice Empress is better, or the mature anime-version Ice Empress?)