Behind the Scenes

"An orange Soul Ring?"

Mu En and Snow Empress were both astonished. This was beyond a Soul Master's understanding.

At that moment, they both had the same thought: "Are the Soul Rings of Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts orange?"

No one could say for sure. Snow Empress was simply too special.

"The Contract can directly give your First Martial Soul an extra Soul Ring. This Companion Martial Soul isn't bad."

Mu Xuanheng said, "See? I wasn't lying. Can you sense your own power now? You'll just have to take my body into consideration when you use it."

Snow Empress snorted. In the end, her power was still restricted when she used it. "Is there a limit to how many Soul Beasts you can contract with?"

Mu Xuanheng immediately understood what she was thinking. "It works a bit like Soul Rings. I can contract with three Soul Beasts right now. You're one of them."

"Perfect. Bing'er is headed this way. Once she gets here, contract with her too." Snow Empress still thought of her dear friend whenever something good came along. After all, Bing'er was the Soul Beast who had spent the most time with her in all of the Extreme North.

"Hold on. Did you even read the Spirit Contract carefully? You can only sign one Equal Contract. If Ice Empress comes, she can only sign a Master-Servant Contract. I don't think she'd agree to that."

A free and carefree life was obviously better than serving someone else. Ice Empress would never become one of his contracted Soul Beasts.

At least, not for now.

"Xue'er!" The enormous Ice Jade Empress Scorpion rushed over, her fury as cold as the snow and ice around her. She had sensed Snow Empress's aura fading once again and had come to help.

Mu En's immense strength caught her attention. "Human! How dare you cause trouble in the Extreme North!"

"Bing'er!" Snow Empress released her aura, calming the enraged Ice Empress.

Mu Xuanheng no longer needed to retreat. Snow Empress's Soul Bone let him adapt easily to the cold of the Extreme North.

Snow Empress told Ice Empress everything that had happened.

"Xue'er, you could have let me protect you."

"You would have died. You're no match for those two humans." Long Xiaoyao and Ye Xishui were both Limit Douluo. Only Snow Empress could fight them by relying on the environment of the Extreme North.

Ice Empress felt Snow Empress had gotten the short end of the stick. "And now you're going with this human?"

Snow Empress was helpless. "There's no other choice now. I wanted him to take you along too, but I've already used up his one Equal Contract. I doubt you'd sign a Master-Servant Contract. Once I'm stronger, I'll come back for you."

To be safe, Snow Empress still had Mu Xuanheng leave a Master-Servant Contract for Ice Empress. "Don't tear it up. It counts as my Martial Soul now."

Ice Empress tossed it straight back. "I don't need it."

The two rulers of the Extreme North looked at each other. Snow Empress sighed. "I'll come back for you later."

Mu Xuanheng pushed Mu En's wheelchair as they left the Extreme North.

Snow Empress had initially floated beside Mu Xuanheng, but in the end, she decided to live in his Spiritual Sea.

"Mu Xuanheng!" Snow Empress flew into a rage inside the Spiritual Sea. Her private domain already had a tenant.

Mu Xuanheng was pulled into the Spiritual Sea. "What is that?" She pointed at the gray mass of energy.

"Huh? I don't know." He was just as confused. He had never seen it before, and hadn't thought to ask Electrolux. According to the original story, Electrolux should still be waiting for Huo Yuhao in the Star Dou Great Forest.

The gray mass of energy was on such a high level that Snow Empress couldn't get rid of it.

"Oh? You're not a knight, yet you've signed a Contract?" Electrolux said. "This world is rather fascinating."

Mu Xuanheng heard him mention the Divine Seal World. Looking at the gray energy, he asked cautiously, "Senior Electrolux?"

"You know me?"

"I tried to find the Tower of Eternity in the Divine Seal World, but failed. So I know a little about you." He didn't tell the whole truth, leaving some things unsaid.

Electrolux said, "I saved you three years ago. Though it cost me, my divine sense has now recovered considerably. I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about what happened to you today."

"Who is he? Who are you, really?" Snow Empress felt deceived.

Mu Xuanheng said, "Snow Empress, calm down." He began to tell her how he had come from the Divine Seal World to the Douluo Continent.

"This is Electrolux, the Necromancer Scourge, a senior who has nearly ascended to godhood. I don't know why he came to this world, either."

Electrolux was in poor condition. He had further weakened his already damaged divine sense to save Mu Xuanheng, and had only just managed to recover to where he had been before.

"I still need to recuperate. I'm sorry to inconvenience you, child."

The gray energy settled in one corner of the Spiritual Sea, much to Snow Empress's displeasure.

Mu Xuanheng spent a long time talking her around inside the Spiritual Sea. In the end, they managed to coexist peacefully.

He brought Mu En back to the Sea God Pavilion so the old man could rest.

"Xuanheng, don't tell anyone about my fight with those two old friends." Mu En had relaxed considerably after they arrived at the Sea God Pavilion, but he also looked much older.

Although Mu En said it wasn't his fault, he still felt somewhat guilty.

"How much time do you have left?"

"If I don't fight again, I should live for a few more years. Even at his peak, Xuan Zi wouldn't be a match for them. The future may depend on you."

With Chaofeng's power, it might be possible to defeat a Limit Douluo without being one.

"Then it's my responsibility. Don't worry. I won't let them run rampant."

He was confident. Chaofeng could suppress Long Xiaoyao, and the Holy Necromancer could suppress Ye Xishui. Even without being Limit Douluo, he was confident he could kill them both.

Mu En looked at Mu Xuanheng guiltily. "Your teacher may not be able to teach you much from now on. You'll have to rely on yourself for most of your future."

He would have to spend the time he had left training Xuan Zi and leaving Shrek with a Limit Douluo.

It wasn't just to deter Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao. It was also to keep Di Tian in check.

Shrek couldn't afford to be without a Limit Douluo, and neither could human Soul Masters.

"I understand. I'll take on this responsibility as soon as I can."

Mu En said, "Child, this isn't your responsibility. We old-timers will hold up the sky for you. Take your time and grow."

The kind old man told Mu Xuanheng to leave quickly, because he couldn't stop himself from coughing up blood.

Outside the door, Mu Xuanheng asked, "Elder Yi, can Life Gold keep him alive?"

"It can. With me here, he may even return to a state just short of his peak."

"Thank you."

A great weight lifted from his heart. Everything was turning out for the better. There were a few deviations, but nothing too serious.

Time passed, and Mu En's body had become like a candle guttering in the wind. He was barely holding on.

He told Mu En to take care of himself and said he had a way to improve Mu En's condition. He had to invoke Snow Empress's name before the old man believed him.

After all, if someone could take human form at seven hundred thousand years, it wasn't hard to believe she had some special methods.

Of course, not everything went well. Xuan Zi still emerged from seclusion.

He hadn't become a Limit Douluo, but he was stronger than before.

With Xuan Zi in charge of the Sea God Pavilion, the future was certainly worrying.

"Kid, you actually managed to sign a Contract with Snow Empress. And it's an orange Soul Ring, too. You're even more of a freak than I thought."

"Second Old Man, why do you always have to give me a hard time as soon as you show up?"

"I'm just here to test your third Soul Skill. What's your Soul Power level now?"

Mu Xuanheng's face fell. "Level 35. I didn't get any of the benefits of having an Ultimate Martial Soul, but I got every single drawback."

After contracting with Snow Empress, his Chaofeng Yuyuan had gained ultimate control over ice, making him an Ultimate Martial Soul in a sense.

After sparring with Xuan Zi, he found that his control over the elements was only strong when it came to ice. In every other way, it was merely on the level of an ordinary Martial Soul.

"That's not bad. Your Martial Soul isn't made to control elements specifically. This level is more than enough."

Snow Empress chimed in from the side. "With me here, Ultimate Ice is your best choice."

No matter how many times he saw Snow Empress, Xuan Zi was still amazed.

"Enough, kid. Enrollment starts this year. Go sign up. Bei Bei's back too, so you'll have a playmate and won't keep coming here to cause trouble."