Have You Heard My Story?

Jiang Zhen steadied his surging blood and qi slightly. Facing Ice Empress's renewed questioning, he remained composed, cupped his hands in salute, and said,

"This kid, Jiang Zhen, greets Senior Ice Empress. I came here..."

Before he could finish, Ice Empress interrupted him with a trace of surprise and barely concealed anticipation.

"Oh? You know me? Have you heard my story?"

Has the fame of This Empress, the Northern Extreme Heavenly King, already spread across the continent?

Jiang Zhen paused slightly at her words, then revealed a faint smile and shook his head. "No."

Before Ice Empress's expression could darken, he continued frankly, his gaze sincere as he looked at the mysterious emerald green Magic Mark on her face. "But your face is written all over with stories!"

Ice Empress: "..."

This human who refused to play by the rules had completely left her speechless. All the intimidating lines she had prepared were choked back, and for a moment, she did not know how to react.

After a brief silence, Jiang Zhen took the opportunity to steer the conversation back on track, his expression turning solemn again. "Senior, I came here because my Martial Soul... is somewhat special."

He raised his hand. Ultimate Water and a trace of the Ultimate Ice aura he had just acquired surged from his palm, intertwining into a misty sphere of blue-white energy that radiated pure, powerful fluctuations.

"My Martial Soul is 'water,' but it yearns to become whole."

"When I reached a bottleneck in my cultivation some time ago, I clearly sensed that only the continent's most extreme 'cold' and 'ice' could guide it through its next crucial evolution."

"That feeling guided me north, then farther north."

"I crossed the Storm Ice Field, avoided countless dangerous Soul Beasts, and trekked for nearly a month before finally reaching this core region, where the aura is oldest and purest."

"Here, I found an extremely cold place with unusually abundant energy. With its help, I completed my breakthrough, and my Martial Soul finally absorbed enough Extreme Coldness power to undergo the transformation you saw."

"This junior knows that the Northern Extreme Core is forbidden ground, absolutely not a place humans should set foot in."

"I came only in search of an opportunity for a breakthrough, with no intention of coveting or offending your territory. If I offended you just now, it was purely an act of self-defense. I hope Senior will be magnanimous."

As Ice Empress listened to Jiang Zhen's explanation, the coldness in her emerald green eyes receded slightly, replaced by a deep scrutiny.

She could sense that most of what this human youth said was sincere.

Especially the Extreme Coldness power within his Martial Soul—of the same origin as hers, yet somewhat different—could not be faked.

For a Soul Ancestor to rely on his own senses and perseverance to cross countless dangers and reach the Core Zone for a breakthrough... such temperament and talent were indeed somewhat moving.

But the pride of the Northern Extreme Heavenly King would not allow her to reveal her approval so easily. She merely snorted. "Hmph, you do have some skill and self-awareness. Since you have already broken through, leave at once. This is not a place for you to linger."

If it had been an ordinary person, hearing those words would have felt like receiving a pardon and immediately turned to leave.

But Jiang Zhen did not move. He looked at Ice Empress with clear eyes, and his tone suddenly shifted. "Senior's instruction is correct. This junior was able to break through entirely because of the opportunity here, and I am deeply grateful."

"As the saying goes, one repays a peach with a plum. While traveling across the continent, this junior once happened to learn of an extraordinarily wondrous place. Its marvels may perhaps be of great benefit to you, Senior..."

"Oh?"

Ice Empress's slender brows lifted slightly, and a faint, almost-smiling curve formed at her lips, carrying a hint of disdain and curiosity.

"Is there anywhere in the Human World worthy of catching my eye? Do you know that so-called treasured lands are no different from this endless snow and ice to This Empress?"

"That place is anything but ordinary."

Jiang Zhen's tone was firm and decisive as he met Ice Empress's scrutiny openly.

"It is a miraculous spectacle forged by heaven and earth! At its heart, the world's most extreme ice and fire, two primordial forces, converge and collide, yet miraculously coexist to form twin springs in one pool!"

He extended a finger and traced through the air. Ultimate Water and Ultimate Ice Soul Power flowed out, sketching a simple image in midair.

On one side was blazing crimson magma; on the other, a deep ice-blue Cold Spring that chilled to the bone. The two were clearly distinct, yet closely intertwined.

"One half of the spring is Ultimate Fire, scorching enough to burn the sky. The other half is Ultimate Ice, of the same origin as your power. Its coldness is pure, perhaps... even beyond the environment here!"

Ice Empress's previously languid expression vanished in an instant, and a sharp glint flashed through her emerald eyes.

A spring of Ultimate Ice?

And it might be even greater than the Extreme North Core Circle? This utterly overturned her understanding.

The Far North was already the ultimate realm of ice. Could there truly be a place in the world that surpassed it?

Jiang Zhen did not give her much time to think before continuing to paint a picture that would tempt any Soul Beast.

"Even more astonishingly, around those Ice Fire Twin Springs, countless Immortal Herbs have grown under the nourishment of the most extreme yet balanced energies of heaven and earth for tens of thousands of years. Many have long vanished from the outside world, while others have never even been heard of!"

He deliberately slowed his speech, making every word tempting.

"These Immortal Herbs seize the creation of heaven and earth, and each contains vast, unique energy."

"Some can strengthen one's foundation and stabilize one's roots. Some can reshape the meridians and cleanse the marrow, transforming one's body completely. Some can even..."

He paused, staring directly into Ice Empress's slightly constricted pupils, and declared in a resounding voice, "Some may greatly increase one's cultivation, temper the body and Soul Power, and resist... the Heavenly Tribulation!"

Those final four words struck Ice Empress's heart like a heavy hammer!

Her petite body trembled almost imperceptibly. The icy expression that had remained unchanged for tens of thousands of years finally cracked, revealing an unmistakable mixture of utter shock and longing.

Resist the Heavenly Tribulation!

This was the greatest nightmare and pursuit of every Soul Beast that had reached her level!

This human kid actually knew about the Heavenly Tribulation? And he claimed there were Immortal Herbs capable of resisting it?

He knows I'm a Soul Beast, yet he still dares to make this kind of deal with me?

Faced with such enormous temptation, Ice Empress's remaining rationality immediately seized upon the most crucial question. Her voice held a hint of urgency she had not noticed herself.

"How could such a heaven-defying treasure land be ownerless? How could it allow you and me to know of it?" If it had an owner, how terrifying must that owner be? If it did not, why had it remained undiscovered until now?

"Senior sees clearly."

Jiang Zhen nodded gravely. She took the bait. Yet his face remained open and solemn.

"Such a Blessed Land naturally has a guardian. A top human expert, known by the title 'Poison,' has occupied the place for quite some time with his unpredictable Poison Skill."

"His poison mist spreads far and wide. It corrodes Soul Power and erodes the flesh, making it extremely troublesome. On my own, I truly cannot ensure that I can safely pass through the poison mist and approach the springs to gather the Immortal Herbs."

At the right moment, he showed regret at being unable to do more. But then he looked at Ice Empress, his eyes bright with the gleam of someone who had found a solution, and his tone became impassioned and alluring.

"However! With your heaven-reaching cultivation, senior, and your absolute control over Ultimate Ice, you are precisely the nemesis of that Poison Skill! Your extreme cold power is enough to Freeze the poison mist for miles, preventing it from coming anywhere near you!"

"If senior is willing to help and travel with me, then the two of us can join forces. With your supreme ice power restraining his poison mist, we will surely break through the obstacles, suppress Poison Douluo, and drive him from that treasured land!"

He continued to flatter her.

"At that time, that spring of Ultimate Ice can belong entirely to Senior. As for the Immortal Herbs around the springs, Senior may naturally choose first, taking everything most beneficial for resisting the Heavenly Tribulation and increasing your cultivation!"

"This junior only asks that afterward, Senior permit me to take a few Immortal Herbs suitable for me. I have absolutely no greedy intentions!"

Ice Empress fell silent.

Her emerald eyes stared fixedly at Jiang Zhen, as though trying to see whether he held even the slightest trace of deception.

Yet her heart began to beat faster against her will.