Heartfelt Intentions

"Do you know about Soul Cores?"

Snow Empress asked in return.

"Of course I do. You have to condense a Soul Core to advance to Titled Douluo. It's no secret. Why are you asking?"

Xu Lanqing was a little puzzled. Was she testing his knowledge of Soul Masters?

"What about Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Cores?" Snow Empress continued.

"That's what you condense when advancing to Limit Douluo..."

Xu Lanqing's voice gradually faded. As if he had realized something, he stared at Snow Empress in astonishment and delight, waiting for her to confirm it.

"You know quite a lot."

Snow Empress praised him. Then, despite her usually placid nature, she couldn't hide the joy that surfaced on her lovely face. She savored the intoxicating power, her eyes shimmering.

"That's right. With the help of that energy from before, I successfully condensed Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Cores and advanced to Limit Douluo.

"Back then, I failed to condense Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Cores while trying to overcome my seventh tribulation. In the end, I had no choice but to reincarnate as a human.

"I never expected to succeed again this way. Fate truly is unpredictable."

Snow Empress spoke without the slightest reservation about her foundations, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"That's wonderful! Hahaha!"

Xu Lanqing jumped up and laughed with delight, his laughter smug and unrestrained. He was even happier than when he had obtained his First Soul Ring.

This was a top expert at the Limit Douluo level! His heart had been on tenterhooks ever since the assassination. How could he not be happy?

"What's meant for you will be yours; what isn't meant for you cannot be forced. What's yours will be yours in the end. It's just come to you by a different path."

Xu Lanqing brushed the corner of his eye with a finger, unable to suppress his grin.

"So, can you beat Di Tian now?"

He was curious. As far as he knew, only Beast God Di Tian had successfully cultivated Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Cores.

As for the human Limit Douluos, they all had ordinary Isotopic Resonance Dual Soul Cores, which were much weaker. That was part of why Di Tian could be the strongest expert in the world.

Of course, now that Gu Yuena had emerged early, he was no longer the strongest.

At his words, Snow Empress lifted her delicate face slightly, confidence glinting in her eyes. "I won't lose!"

"So you can't win, then." Xu Lanqing pursed his lips.

Still, that was already impressive. Di Tian had more than Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Cores; he also had the trump card passed down by the Dragon God. Surpassing him wouldn't be simple.

But even if she couldn't match the best, she was still far above the rest. At the very least, she was much stronger than the human Limit Douluos.

Snow Empress shot Xu Lanqing a look, and her good mood instantly vanished.

Crystal snowflakes still drifted through the air. She moved with small, graceful steps, her white hem swaying gently with each stride and revealing her slender calves.

She was like a pure-white elf in the snow, captivating to behold.

Xu Lanqing stared without blinking.

What was he supposed to do? The more he looked at her, the prettier she seemed, and his heart thumped uncontrollably.

"The repulsion is getting stronger. Should we leave now?"

Xu Lanqing looked away and gazed into her eyes, blue as the sky. "How much longer can you hold on?"

"One minute, perhaps less," Snow Empress estimated.

"Can you sense anything in this space?"

An invisible ripple spread out from Snow Empress, avoiding Xu Lanqing. A few seconds later, she looked toward the center, surprise in her voice.

"There's a dragon skeleton. I can sense that it was incredibly powerful in life. Even I, as I am now, would be far from its equal."

"Take me to it."

Snow Empress nodded and raised her fair wrist, resting it on Xu Lanqing's shoulder.

The next second, she felt that something was off.

Had someone just ordered her around?

As the absolute ruler of the Far North, she was used to ordering others around. This time, however, she was the one being ordered.

But as she lowered her fan-like lashes and glanced at Xu Lanqing, she found the feeling rather novel—and unexpectedly pleasant.

White light flashed, and the two disappeared.

Looking at the skeleton half-buried in the ground before him, Xu Lanqing clicked his tongue in amazement. It was enormous. Even one of its exposed claws was many times bigger than he was.

Ever since he had seen the skeleton, his left arm had been growing hot and restless.

He had a theory: his Soul Bone and Soul Ring must have come from this skeleton. There was nothing else here.

A dragon skeleton preserved in such good condition had so many things that could be put to use. Its remains could be melted down and made into Soul Tool materials; they would be powerful and versatile.

What a shame.

He shook his head and turned to Snow Empress. "Let's go."

Though the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon had been killed by the Dragon God, it was still a member of the dragon clan. This was an internal matter for the dragons.

If an outsider like him used the bones without permission, that would be another matter. Even Gu Yuena had only taken the Soul Bone and Dragon Pearl, leaving the skeleton untouched. It was the respect owed to the dead, even if it had been a sinful dragon.

If he got the chance next time, he would talk it over with Gu Yuena and see if he could use the remains.

Snow Empress nodded. She had also recognized the value of the dragon bones, and didn't understand why he was leaving them unused.

As a Soul Beast herself, she felt nothing in particular about the bones. The dragon wasn't one of her subjects, after all. Why should she care?

Though she was a little surprised by Xu Lanqing's decision, she said nothing.

Just as she was about to raise her hand, she suddenly asked,

"I should keep staying in your Undead Plane, right?"

It would be hard to explain someone appearing out of nowhere, and it would bring plenty of trouble. She wasn't someone who liked to trouble others, so staying in the Undead Plane as before seemed best.

Xu Lanqing paused, then smiled brightly.

"Why go to the Undead Plane? It's so dreary there, full of gloomy, otherworldly things. What's so good about it? Now that you're awake and have become human, don't you want to see what the human world is like?"

"It would be troublesome," Snow Empress said softly.

"It would be troublesome for other people, sure, but not for you."

Xu Lanqing waved his little hand, unconcerned.

"Absolute strength makes everything easy. Besides, I am a prince, after all. I can make decisions about keeping a few people in the imperial palace. If it comes to it, I'll just ask Father."

His tone was grand, but what he said left her speechless.

"Let me tell you, the imperial chefs make delicious food. And Mingdu is huge, with plenty of fun places to visit. I haven't been to any of them, either, so we can go together.

"Seriously, don't spend every day cultivating. Relax once in a while and experience life. Maybe once your mind is at ease, you'll even make an unexpected breakthrough..."

Snow Empress watched him chatter on, her eyes slightly unfocused.

"All right. If you keep talking, we'll be thrown out."

The clear, springlike sound of Lingling's voice cut Xu Lanqing off.

Snow Empress met Xu Lanqing's dark, clear eyes, seeming almost relieved.

Her sky-blue eyes curved gently, filled with countless charms. A hazy smile touched her lips, leaving her with an ethereal air that seemed impossibly distant.

Xu Lanqing stared at her again without blinking. He was lost in her all over again.