The north wind howled, and snow fell thickly.
The golden sunlight held not a trace of warmth, yet Xu Lanqing felt a comforting warmth flowing through his body.
It felt wonderful to see the sun again.
Though the world was nothing but white, the vast, rolling mountains were enough to ease his mind.
Xu Lanqing glanced at the white tracking Soul Tool in his hand. The Soul Power fluctuations from it were growing stronger, which meant an identical Soul Tool was drawing closer.
He turned to the Titan Snow Demon King, who was flying with him protected by Soul Power, and said:
"Alright, let's stop here. My people are coming."
Their speeding figures came to an abrupt halt in midair. The next moment, they were standing on the snow, yet Xu Lanqing hadn't felt the slightest discomfort.
Such formidable control was a clear display of the Titan Snow Demon King's strength.
The burly Titan Snow Demon King stood on the snow like a boulder. An invisible wave of Soul Power spread out from him, rippling across the area.
Before long, he withdrew his Soul Power and looked at Xu Lanqing.
To be honest, his first impression of this human child had been pretty good. The boy was neither servile nor arrogant, and his words and behavior didn't make him seem like a fool.
Working with him seemed like a good choice.
His voice was as gruff as he was: "In that case, I'll be off. Don't worry, there aren't any Soul Beasts nearby, so you won't be in danger."
With that, he vanished without a trace.
After all, he'd just fought Jing Hongchen and the others—or, rather, crushed them. Zheng Zhan had been especially badly beaten. Wouldn't it be awkward to see them again? Besides, Soul Beasts and humans had never gotten along.
Watching him disappear, Xu Lanqing felt even more envious and eager.
Sigh, when would he ever become that powerful?
Then he could come and go without a trace. How cool would that be?
Half an hour later.
At last, Xu Lanqing spotted two black dots in the distance. They weren't flying, but trudging slowly across the snow.
They had clearly spotted Xu Lanqing some time ago and were moving much faster now.
Once they drew closer, Xu Lanqing recognized Jing Hongchen and Zheng Zhan. Seeing how cautiously they were approaching, though,
his mouth twitched. You're Rank Nine Soul Masters. Do you really need to be this careful?
Then again, perhaps Tai Tan and Xiao Bai had left them traumatized. They were still deep in the Far North, after all, so it wasn't hard to understand.
"Your Highness, we finally found you! We've been searching all day. We only picked up your trail just now, so we rushed over right away. Thank goodness you're safe!"
Jing Hongchen's round face broke into a smile, and he let out a long breath of relief. His mind was finally at ease. If they hadn't found Xu Lanqing, he wouldn't have known how to explain himself when they got back.
He looked Xu Lanqing up and down, noting his neat appearance, then continued:
"Still, Your Highness, you really are blessed with good fortune. You spent an entire day deep in the Far North and came through without a scratch."
Xu Lanqing's only injury was a small cut from Snow Empress's sword. It had healed long ago, without even leaving a scar.
He smiled and said calmly:
"I've always been lucky. When haven't I come through a close call unscathed? After I was teleported, I stayed right here the whole time. No Soul Beasts came looking for trouble. Elder Zheng, how are your injuries?"
He was asking Zheng Zhan. From the outside, Zheng Zhan didn't look injured at all, and he seemed to be in high spirits. Had getting beaten up actually made them friends?
"Hahaha!"
Zheng Zhan laughed excitedly:
"I feel great right now. My body hasn't recovered yet, but my Soul Power actually rose by a level after that battle. I'm already at level ninety-two! Hahaha!"
Most of the Sun Moon Empire's Rank Nine Soul Masters had reached their rank by taking pills. Once they became Titled Douluo, advancing another level was incredibly difficult.
He'd somehow managed to advance a level, so how could he not be happy?
"Then how about we do it again?" Xu Lanqing said quietly.
The laughter stopped abruptly.
"Ahem..."
Zheng Zhan choked:
"N-no, thank you..."
As if! Do it again?
That would be like walking into the outhouse with a lantern—asking for trouble!
"Heh heh, Your Highness, we should get out of here. We're deep in the Far North, and it's too dangerous."
Jing Hongchen spoke up beside them, scanning the area with a doubtful look.
"Besides, Your Highness, you said no Soul Beasts had bothered you, but I used my Soul Tool to scan the area, and there aren't any Soul Beasts here at all. It's a little strange."
Ever since their last encounter with Tai Tan, he'd been extremely cautious. He'd kept using his Soul Tool to scan their surroundings, even if it risked alerting the Soul Beasts.
At that, Zheng Zhan immediately tensed, as if facing a great enemy. His spiritual power spread out in every direction.
Xu Lanqing said calmly:
"It is the Far North, after all. It's not strange for there to be fewer Soul Beasts. Still, Hall Master Jing is right—we should leave as soon as possible."
"Right. Let's go," Zheng Zhan said, nodding quickly.
On the way back, Jing Hongchen continued carrying Xu Lanqing.
"Your Highness, you still haven't obtained a Soul Ring, have you? Would you like to look around the Outer Region later?" Jing Hongchen asked.
Xu Lanqing's eyes flickered. Then his brows knit together, his eyes reddened, and grief spread across his face. His voice was slightly hoarse:
"Hall Master Jing, the truth is, I fell asleep after I was teleported and only woke up not long ago. When I did, I found that my Martial Soul had changed. It had become the Snow Maiden. It's still Ultimate Ice, but I can't add Soul Rings to it anymore. I don't know what happened, Hall Master Jing. Does this mean I can never become a Soul Master?"
As he spoke, his shoulders trembled slightly, and he looked pitifully bewildered.
He silently gave himself a pat on the back. I'm acting pretty well.
Of course, he'd made the whole thing up to deal with this situation.
Jing Hongchen and Zheng Zhan stared at Xu Lanqing, utterly bewildered. What was all this? In all their years, they'd never heard of anything so outrageous. It made no sense at all. Was this even possible?
Jing Hongchen didn't know what to say, so he decided to examine the situation first:
"Your Highness, may I use my Soul Power to examine you?"
"Mm." Xu Lanqing nodded.
Jing Hongchen placed his fingers on Xu Lanqing's wrist and circulated his Soul Power, examining him carefully.
After a moment, his eyes flickered. He thought it over, then furrowed his thick brows and withdrew his Soul Power. Turning to Xu Lanqing, he said:
"Your Highness is in excellent health. Your Soul Power is abundant, and your vitality is strong—you're almost as robust as an ordinary adult. I can't find anything wrong. Could you release your Martial Soul so I can take a look?"
"Mm." Xu Lanqing nodded again.
With Martial Soul Possession, his hair quickly turned snow-white, his skin became luminous and pale, and his eyes turned sky blue.
His Martial Soul had indeed changed. Everyone knew that his previous Martial Soul had been the Ice Phoenix, but Martial Soul Possession with the Ice Phoenix definitely hadn't looked like this.
Jing Hongchen examined him carefully again, then shook his head. He still couldn't find anything wrong.
"Why not try with a Soul Beast? If that doesn't work, we can try a few more. Maybe you'll suddenly manage to absorb a Soul Ring," Jing Hongchen suggested.
Xu Lanqing lowered his head and refused, his mood low:
"No need. I happened to come across a few Soul Beasts that were suitable for me. I don't know why they were all badly injured, but I tried with them, and it didn't work."
Happened to? And they were all badly injured?
Jing Hongchen's eyes shifted slightly. No one could tell what he was thinking.
"In that case, let's head straight back. Elder Kong is knowledgeable and experienced. He might know what to do," he said comfortingly.
"Mm." Xu Lanqing nodded a third time.
Jing Hongchen and Zheng Zhan quickened their pace. The rest of the journey passed in silence.
From the outside, Jing Hongchen looked calm, but inside, a storm was raging.
Everyone knew Xu Lanqing had an Ultimate Ice Martial Soul and exceptional talent. Yet when Jing Hongchen examined him just now, he'd discovered that Xu Lanqing had Twin Martial Souls. That didn't match the information he'd been given.
Xu Lanqing surely knew that once Soul Power entered his body for an examination, he couldn't conceal his Twin Martial Souls. And yet he'd still agreed to Jing Hongchen's suggestion.
Had he done it on purpose?
What was the point?
Jing Hongchen shook his head. He couldn't even figure out a six-year-old anymore.
Suddenly, a streak of black crossed the corner of his eye.
He looked up.
At the edge of his vision,
white snow drifted down, while thick black smoke billowed upward.
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