First Arrival on the Continent

Today was the day Mu Qian had finally decided to leave.

Gazing at the place where he had lived for ten years, a sense of melancholy couldn't help but well up in his heart.

"I actually feel like I'm heading out for school in my past life," Mu Qian said with a self-deprecating laugh.

When he woke up this morning, the figures of Snow Maiden and Bing'er were nowhere to be found in the room.

Perhaps they didn't want to face the sorrow of this parting either?

Everything that needed to be said had been said last night.

Mu Qian looked at the Starry Sky Ring resting in his palm; this was what Snow Maiden had given him, saying it contained some Gold Soul Coins and the Soul Bones she had collected over these hundreds of thousands of years.

There were some rare treasures as well, though not many, as most had been used by her and Bing'er.

He took a rough look; there were only about ten or twenty thousand Gold Soul Coins, obtained from Soul Masters who had trespassed into the Extreme North Core over the recent years.

It wasn't much, as most people didn't carry large amounts of Gold Soul Coins on them.

But the Soul Bones...

The quantity was so vast it looked like a small mountain that reached out of sight.

At first, this sight had shocked Mu Qian, but he soon understood why.

Although the drop rate of Soul Bones was terrifyingly low, a large number of Soul Beasts perished in the Far North every day. Whenever she sensed the fluctuations of a Soul Bone, Snow Maiden would bring it back to store it.

With hundreds of thousands of years of accumulation, it was no surprise that so many had been saved.

Mu Qian had curiously asked her why she collected so many Soul Bones back then, but Snow Maiden hadn't said much, only looking at him silently.

However, Mu Qian had already understood her meaning.

No words were needed; all the warmth and gratitude were buried deep within his heart.

It was a pity there were no Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone specimens.

After hundreds of thousands of years, the only ones in the current Far North capable of surviving the Heavenly Tribulation to become Beast Kings were Bing'er, Snow Maiden, and that one savage Beast King.

While they existed in the ocean, finding them was undoubtedly like looking for a needle in a haystack.

The Far North was truly too cruel.

Unless it was a last resort, Mu Qian would never choose to use these Soul Bones himself.

He figured that as a transmigrator, he should at least aim to collect a full set of Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones.

He waved his hand toward the back, knowing that Snow Maiden and the others must be watching him from some corner.

"Let's go, Little Flower!" Mu Qian tapped Little Flower on the head.

This guy was quite carefree; it had only been a little while, and it had already fallen asleep on its own.

Little Flower was tapped and looked at Mu Qian with teary, hazy eyes, looking pitiful.

After much thought, Mu Qian decided to bring Little Flower along; it was too small, with strength only equivalent to a ten-year Soul Beast, and there would be no one to look after it here in the Far North.

Relying on Snow Maiden?

Better not...

Clutching the Soul Guidance Ring in his hand, he didn't linger in the painful farewell any longer and stepped toward the edge of the Far North.

Mu Qian didn't know what lay ahead, but he was certain it must be a much broader world.

Two months later.

Northern Star Luo Empire, Sophie Kingdom, Guja City.

At dusk, the tall city gates were carved with intricate and magnificent runes, blocking the last rays of the setting sun.

The city gate resembled the architectural style of medieval Europe, with four walls built from hard white marble to a height of over ten meters; despite being weathered by time, it still possessed a majestic presence.

This was merely an insignificant border town, yet from this small glimpse, one could imagine how spectacular the capitals of the two great empires must be.

The sky was still bright, yet the atmosphere was depressingly heavy.

At the city gate, two rows of soldiers in silver armor stood tall, checking passing pedestrians with stern expressions.

The crowd outside the gate moved in a hurry, scrambling to get inside before the last ray of sunlight vanished.

Their expressions varied, but the one thing that remained unchanged was the undisguised fear hidden deep in their eyes.

Flocks of birds returning late flew over the towering walls in groups, chirping as if they would be in mortal danger if they were even a moment late.

Mu Qian, carrying Little Flower, was also one of the people in the flow of the crowd.

Yet, even their unusual combination failed to attract the attention of those around them.

The beast-hide robes he wore had long been replaced by simple, normal attire; this wasn't the first human settlement he had reached, but they were all equally strange.

The outskirts of the Far North were vast, and even where the bitter cold had faded, there were no traces of human life.

He had trekked for over a month before finally seeing a village inhabited by humans.

Having stayed in such an isolated place for so many years, it would be a lie to say he wasn't excited to experience the flame of human civilization once again.

However, he discovered something very strange.

One village, two villages, three villages...

Mu Qian passed through over a dozen villages, yet he did not encounter a single living soul.

All items of value within those rustic rooms had vanished, as if the people had fled in a collective exodus, leaving only a scene of disarray behind.

He casually found a set of clothes that fit well enough and put them on.

He even wondered if he had transmigrated into a peculiar era where he was the only person left in the world.

It was not until he reached the main road leading to Guja City that he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Yet, seeing the hurried appearance of the scattered pedestrians, the expression on his face grew increasingly grave.

Guja City was the border city closest to the Far North; although it was not large, it served as a hub for dozens of surrounding villages.

Along the way, aside from the fleeing crowds and the occasional bird passing by, Mu Qian had not even seen a single living animal.

Everything was permeated by an atmosphere of silence.

A silence that was somewhat terrifying.

"The entry fee is actually five Gold Soul Coins? Why don't you just go rob someone!"

"Exactly! If you want us dead, just say so! Just shut the city gates; there's no need to put on this hypocritical act!"

"That's right, what kind of royal family is the Star Luo Empire? Do they really think that because we're far from the capital, they don't have to treat us like human beings?"

"Once that thing comes out, we're all finished. Fellow villagers, if it comes to it, let's fight them to the death!"

A chaotic clamor erupted at the city gate. Mu Qian looked over and saw several bold citizens surrounding the guards, ready to take action.

At this moment, the leader of the guards let out a cold snort and released his martial soul.

"Whoever dares to make a move is openly attacking the imperial army and shall be executed according to the law!"

A white spirit ring rose from beneath his feet, and accompanied by the pressure generated by his spirit power fluctuations, those who had intended to cause trouble instantly calmed down.

That was a spirit master!

Even the lowest-ranked spirit master was not someone they, as ordinary people, could contend with.

Those who could not afford the entry fee walked to the side in dejection and sat on the ground right against the city wall, attempting to find a sense of security through the towering structure.

One had to know that a single Gold Soul Coin was enough to provide a family of five with food for an entire year.

Five Gold Soul Coins—not many people could afford that.

Mu Qian watched this scene with cold eyes, feeling not a shred of pity in his heart.

The despair on those people's faces, on the contrary, made him feel a sense of irony.