Shui Bing'er and the others were dumbfounded, their red lips slightly parted as they stared in utter disbelief.
They had no idea how Xue Tianyu had attacked.
He hadn't released his Martial Soul or revealed his Soul Rings. He had simply unleashed energy from his fingertips and instantly killed a Soul Master at level thirty.
How was that possible?
The mercenaries were also terrified by the horrifying sight and instinctively took two steps back.
An older mercenary in the crowd swallowed hard and shouted in a trembling voice.
"Boss, this kid's no ordinary person!"
"His attacks are too bizarre. He's a tough nut to crack!"
The leader gritted his teeth, a flash of madness and cruelty in his eyes.
"What are you afraid of?"
"However strange his attacks are, he's still just a snot-nosed brat!"
"Everyone, attack together!"
"I refuse to believe that all of us can't hack him to pieces!"
At the leader's command, the remaining dozen or so mercenaries all saw red.
They roused every last bit of Soul Power within them and charged at Xue Tianyu from all sides like madmen, closing in to kill him.
Blades flashed, Soul Skills blazed, and the attack came with tremendous force.
Looking at these humans who had no idea they were courting death, Xue Tianyu gave a slight shake of his head.
"Some people won't shed a tear until they see their own coffin."
The next moment,
the terrifying majesty of the King of the Far North burst from his body without restraint.
Boom!
The enormous phantom of an Ice Phoenix spread its wings proudly behind Xue Tianyu and let out a long cry that pierced the clouds.
Then, beneath everyone's horrified gaze,
one,
then two,
then three,
a full five pitch-black Soul Rings rose slowly from beneath his feet.
Dense black light spread outward, almost tangible.
The unique, terrifying aura of Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings descended upon the entire ice valley.
Every snowflake swirling nearby froze in midair.
An immense pressure, as heavy as a mountain weighing ten thousand jun, crushed down on every mercenary's shoulders.
Several mercenaries at the front had their legs buckle beneath them. They fell heavily to their knees, their kneecaps cracking with a sharp snap.
Their faces turned deathly pale. It felt as though a boulder had slammed into their chests, making it nearly impossible to breathe.
Shui Bing'er and the others stared at the five black Soul Rings circling Xue Tianyu, frozen in place.
Their minds went blank.
"F-five Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings?"
Shui Lanxin's voice trembled. This completely overturned everything she had known about Soul Masters for decades.
How could a normal Soul Master absorb a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring as their First Soul Ring?
And on top of that, he looked only eleven or twelve!
An eleven- or twelve-year-old Soul King?
Shui Bing'er gazed blankly at Xue Tianyu's dazzling, godlike figure, her heart full of bitterness.
At fourteen, she had reached level thirty-something and was hailed as a once-in-a-century genius at Skywater Academy.
She had often taken pride in it herself.
But standing before this boy, the talent she had been so proud of wasn't worth a damn.
The mercenaries were terrified out of their minds.
The dense black light stung their eyes.
The leader shook his head desperately, shouting wildly to mask his fear.
"Impossible!"
"This can't be happening!"
"How could an eleven- or twelve-year-old have five Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings?"
"This must be some kind of sophisticated illusion. Don't be afraid, everyone! Kill him!"
The leader raised his broadsword and, forcing his way through the immense pressure, swung it at Xue Tianyu.
Xue Tianyu's gaze was indifferent, utterly devoid of mercy.
He didn't even use a Soul Skill. He merely flicked his sleeve.
A storm of Ultimate Ice, violent beyond measure, surged outward from him in every direction.
Wherever the cold current passed, space itself groaned as though unable to bear the strain.
The mercenaries who had tried to attack him had their blood freeze the instant their bodies touched the icy current.
In the space of a single breath,
the entire ice valley fell silent once more.
The dozen or so mercenaries, including their leader, a Soul Ancestor, all became ice sculptures of varying shapes, frozen in place across the snow.
Xue Tianyu snapped his fingers.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
All the ice sculptures shattered at once, scattering into a storm of icy fragments that vanished from the world.
He had killed them all in an instant, cleanly and decisively.
Shui Bing'er and the others were utterly awestruck by his miraculous skill.
The desperadoes who had driven them to the brink of death couldn't even withstand a single move from this boy.
Shui Bing'er was the first to recover from her shock.
She forced herself to her feet, weak as she was, with Shui Lanxin supporting her.
Shui Bing'er walked over to Xue Tianyu and bowed slightly, her stunning face filled with gratitude.
"Thank you, benefactor, for saving us."
"If not for you, none of us would have made it out alive today."
"May I ask your name and which sect you come from?"
Xue Tianyu withdrew his aura, and the snow began falling normally again.
"Xue Tianyu."
"I wander alone. I don't belong to any sect."
"What I did just now was no trouble at all. You needn't give it another thought."
With that, Xue Tianyu turned and started to leave.
Seeing him go, Shui Bing'er grew anxious and hurriedly called out.
"Benefactor Tianyu, please wait!"
Xue Tianyu stopped and turned his head slightly.
Shui Bing'er took a deep breath and made an extremely bold decision.
"Since you don't belong to any sect, why not join our Skywater Academy?"
Her words drew cries of surprise from the students of Skywater Academy standing behind her.
"Sister Bing'er, have you lost your mind?"
"Our Skywater Academy has always admitted female students only!"
Shui Lanxin quickly tugged on Shui Bing'er's sleeve and gently reminded her.
"Bing'er, don't be reckless."
"Since it was founded, Skywater Academy has never admitted male students. It would break the rules."
Shui Bing'er turned around and looked at Shui Lanxin and the other students, her gaze resolute.
"Rules are dead. People are alive."
"Just think about it: eleven or twelve years old, and five Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings!"
"A supreme genius who could overturn everything the entire continent knows—our dean herself would have to beg him to enroll!"
"With him on our side, Skywater Academy is sure to win the next Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament."
"At a time like this, who cares if he's a boy or a girl!"
After hearing Shui Bing'er's words, Shui Lanxin and the other students fell silent.
She was right. Faced with such monstrous talent, any rule could be broken.
Bringing a genius like this into Skywater Academy would be the greatest blessing the academy had received in centuries.
Shui Lanxin no longer hesitated and extended a sincere invitation.
Xue Tianyu stood where he was, listening to them argue as he quietly weighed his options.
Although he was a Soul Beast undergoing rebirth, he had a natural advantage.
But ancient texts recorded that after a Soul Beast underwent Soul Beast Transformation, its cultivation would advance faster if it spent more time among humans and experienced the joys and sorrows of the mortal world.
If he stayed in this icy wilderness like an ascetic, it would actually hinder his progress.
Skywater Academy was full of female Soul Masters with Water and Ice attributes.
Its environment and Mimicry Training Ground would indeed be an excellent place for his Ultimate Ice.
He could hide his identity and use human resources to grow stronger quickly.
Having reached a decision, Xue Tianyu turned around and looked at Shui Bing'er.
"Fine."
"I agree to join Skywater Academy."
Before you continue