Ice Ring Swordsman, A Royal Audience

"Attention all stations, the main ingredient has appeared. The vegetables and salt have successfully infiltrated, ready to start cooking at any moment!"

"Reporting to head chef, Holy Soul Village wok is preheated."

"Reporting to head chef, Black Market Street wok is preheated."

"Reporting to head chef, Notting City wok is preheated."

"I didn't expect you two to be from Holy Soul Village," Bule said. "Old Village Chief Jack, I still remember him. If it weren't for him back then, I wouldn't be here today."

"Grandpa Jack?" Su Yan was a bit confused. Why would Bule know Grandpa Jack? Had Grandpa Jack done something too?

"A real man doesn't brag about past glories." Bule waved his hand, said no more, and continued deeper into Black Market Street.

Su Yuntao looked quite nervous. "Are we there yet?"

"Little lady, being too impatient isn't good. It'll hurt." Bule's smile rippled, but his pace did quicken a few steps.

The three stopped before a thatched hut on Black Market Street.

Bule lightly knocked on the wooden door. A low voice came from inside: "The heavenly king covers the earth tiger!"

"Bule subdues the fox demon."

Creak.

The one who opened the door was a hunched middle-aged man. He lifted his dead-fish eyes for a glance, then let the three inside.

Su Yan's heart shuddered.

This man—he had never seen him before.

But the white robe he wore was very familiar.

The white-robed man who had colluded with Lord Xiao.

Still at large to this day.

Su Yan suddenly felt a sliver of worry. After all, he had come into contact with that man back then, and there was a risk of being recognized.

Bule led them to the center of the room, when suddenly a group of people rushed out from all sides, surrounding the three of them.

"Brother, what's the meaning of this?" Bule asked loudly.

A white-robed man stepped out from behind, glaring viciously at Su Yan. "Kid, there's a road to heaven, but you refuse to walk it; the gates of hell have no door, yet you come barging in."

Su Yan's eyes trembled. Speak of the devil.

The white-robed man before him was exactly the one who had colluded with Lord Xiao.

Bule hastily bowed. "Lord Mo, what's going on here?"

Lord Mo laughed as he slowly approached Su Yan. "This brat is the one who got me demoted."

With that, he kicked Su Yan. The latter clenched his teeth tightly, refusing to make a sound.

Su Yuntao quickly stepped between them. "Sir, you must have the wrong person."

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Lord Mo waved his hand grandly. "Even turned to ashes, I'd still remember!"

Bule glanced sidelong at Su Yuntao, his heart itching, but he steeled himself and said, "Lord Mo, this snot-nosed kid doesn't look like he could be your opponent."

Lord Mo glared. "Xiao Chenyu, Xiao Rumei, come out and see if this is the one."

A young man and a young woman stepped out from behind him.

The moment Xiao Chenyu saw him, he trembled with rage, and the air around him grew noticeably thicker. "Godfather, it's him! He ruined my family!"

Xiao Rumei covered her nose and mouth, turning her head away in anger. "It's him! He bullied us when we had no one to rely on, no power or influence!"

Su Yan didn't even know what to say.

These two were probably so traumatized they'd lost their minds.

He stood up, raised his right hand, and gripped the Dragon-Slaying Blade. "I've never seen you before, but I'm not someone to be bullied either."

With that, he swung the blade and prepared to strike at the Xiao siblings.

"Stop!" Lord Mo suddenly appeared, grabbing Su Yan's hand. "Is this your spirit soul?"

"What are you doing?" Su Yan tried to break free, but Lord Mo flung him away.

"He's not the one." Lord Mo snorted coldly and ignored him further.

The Xiao siblings didn't care about that. With a belly full of anger and nowhere to vent, they unloaded it all on Su Yan.

The corner of Su Yan's mouth curled slightly. The main target had been fooled. As for these leftover scraps, their hits barely hurt him, especially when he used the Dragon-Slaying Blade to block a few here and there.

This hurdle was cleared. Infiltration successful.

"Stop!"

A childish voice came from the rooftop. A child about eight years old stood there, holding a long blade pointed at the Xiao siblings.

Around the long blade floated a white spirit ring.

"In broad daylight, under the clear sky, bullying the weak—what kind of decency is that?"

With that, he leaped down, blocking the two for Su Yan.

"Who are you?" Xiao Chenyu asked.

"I'm just a passing knight-errant," the child said, holding his long blade horizontally as a white soul ring glowed. "When I see injustice on the road, I ought to draw my blade and help!"

The long blade was about three feet three inches, its body pure white, with a faint chill seeping out. An eight-petal flower-shaped tsuba pressed close against the child's hand, and at the end of the iron chain hanging naturally from the pommel hung a crescent moon.

Su Yan's pupils contracted.

This blade, this chill—it was exactly like that strongest ice-type Zanpakutō, Ice Ring!

The sword of Tōshirō Hitsugaya, captain of the Gotei 13's Tenth Division.

It possessed the power to control the weather; all water molecules between heaven and earth would fall under its dominion.

Su Yan suddenly found that white first soul ring somewhat jarring. A decade soul ring completely failed to reflect Ice Ring's power.

Xiao Rumei stepped back half a pace. Xiao Chenyu curled his lips into a smile. "A decade soul ring, and you dare to show off! Wolf, manifest!"

Xiao Chenyu's body swelled, a yellow Century Soul Ring hovering at his waist as he roared, "Let me show you the gap between us!"

The child showed no panic at all, crouching slightly as all his soul power concentrated on the blade.

Su Yan's palms were slick with sweat.

Ice Ring could freeze everything. Since it had become a spirit soul, the stronger the soul power, the greater its ability.

The most classic aspect of its initial release was the ability to conjure an ice dragon out of thin air, one that could change the very color of the sky and earth.

Su Yan estimated that even with just one soul ring, at least a small ice dragon should appear. Xiao Chenyu was doomed!

Xiao Chenyu took three consecutive strides, his wolf claws aiming straight for the child's head, seemingly about to land the blow.

Then the child's white soul ring blazed with dazzling light as he swung a slash forward.

Su Yan clenched his fists. Ice dragon, appear!

A flash of white light passed by as Ice Ring's cutting strike landed on Xiao Chenyu's body.

"First soul skill, White Slash!" the child roared with fierce momentum.

But Xiao Chenyu neither dodged nor blocked. He crossed his hands and shattered the slash's airwave directly, then clamped his wolf claws around the child's neck. Remembering the fury of being insta-killed that day, he snorted coldly, "That's it?"

Su Yan's eyes bulged like giant brass bells.

He could almost see Ice Ring trembling—it had to be trembling with rage.

Where was the release command?

Where was the ice?

Where was the dragon?

Where was the ice dragon?

Was this how you desecrated Ice Ring?

He could almost hear Ice Ring's weeping, deafening and shrill.

Xiao Chenyu's laugh was vicious, all the humiliation from a year ago erupting forth.

The child's face was flushed red from the grip.

Under her skirt sleeve, Su Yuntao's hand clenched tightly. Just as she was about to move to save him, the Dragon-Slaying Blade struck Xiao Chenyu's hand faster.

Xiao Chenyu winced in pain and let go. Seeing that his hand had been cut by a blade with no soul ring, his rage flared even hotter. "No soul ring again! Who do you think you're looking down on!"

With a furious roar, he lunged at Su Yan.

In that instant, only two paths lay before Su Yan.

Beat Xiao Chenyu to a pulp, then join Su Yuntao to break out together.

Get beaten to a pulp by Xiao Chenyu, then proceed with the infiltration plan.

He glanced at Su Yuntao and found that she had suddenly stepped forward, shielding the two children.

Bule was startled. He strode forward, his hands turning illusory as he pressed Xiao Chenyu to the ground in one motion.

"Master Xiao, that's enough," Bule said. On his hand were actually three soul rings. "I don't want trouble, but this involves my business."

Though furious, Xiao Chenyu had no choice but to swallow his anger.

Bule turned his head and said, "Little lady, see that? That's Xiao Chenyu after taking the Strength Pill. You should believe me now."

"Now I believe you." Su Yuntao asked again, "Was that person just now the one in charge here?"

"That's right." Bule nodded, his eyes roaming over Su Yuntao without the slightest pretense. "Now that you've seen him, it's time to collect the payment."