In the days that followed, the atmosphere in the Extreme North Core Zone changed completely.
Every morning, when the first streak of aurora lit up the sky, two figures—one large and one small—would appear atop the snow-covered mountain.
Snow Empress transformed into an exceptionally strict dance instructor and personally guided Xue Bingchen one-on-one.
From every glance and gesture to every sway of his waist, Snow Empress demanded absolute perfection from Xue Bingchen. Even the slightest mistake would earn him her merciless "Ice and Snow Teaching Whip."
Meanwhile, Ice Empress became the most devoted spectator. Every day, she would carry over a little ice stool and sit nearby, munching on Millennium Snow Lotus while eagerly watching Snow Empress "torture" Xue Bingchen, occasionally letting out a few gleeful laughs at his misfortune.
Under Snow Empress's nearly harsh training, coupled with Xue Bingchen's extraordinary comprehension and formidable control over his body, his Dance of Snow improved at an astonishing pace.
In barely half a month, the Dance of the Heavenly Snow Woman he performed had shed its initial stiffness and clumsiness, beginning to display a peculiar beauty unique to him, one carrying a faint masculine vigor.
As his understanding of the dance deepened, his control over the Ultimate Ice element also surged geometrically!
His cultivation speed reached an utterly astounding and terrifying level!
Nourished by the countless heavenly treasures of the Far North, supported by the solid foundation laid by his millennium first Spirit Ring, and bolstered by the various energies accumulated within his body, with all kinds of cultivation-boosting buffs stacked together...
In less than three short months!
Xue Bingchen's Soul Power skyrocketed like a rocket, soaring from level fifteen all the way to the peak of level nineteen!
He was only one step away from breaking through level twenty and obtaining his second Spirit Ring!
If such a cultivation speed became known to the outside world, those so-called geniuses of Spirit Hall would be ashamed enough to collectively jump off a cliff!
This day, atop the snow mountain.
Xue Bingchen, who had just finished a round of meditation, slowly opened his eyes. Feeling the surging Soul Power within him that was nearly overflowing, a confident smile curved his lips.
"Mother, Auntie Ice Empress."
Xue Bingchen rose to his feet and looked at the two Rulers of the Far North beside him, his eyes gleaming with eagerness.
"My Soul Power has reached its bottleneck. I can absorb my second Spirit Ring and break through level twenty at any time."
He paused and looked toward the distant human world in the south, thinking:
Since my cultivation speed is this fast... could I stay in seclusion in the Far North for a few years first?
Once I raise my Soul Power to the Soul Emperor, or even Soul Saint level, and completely solidify the foundation of my Body Martial Soul, I can leave the mountains and meet the heroes of Douluo Continent!
Besides, based on what I learned during my previous trip to the human world, it was hard to say whether Tang San was even a tadpole yet.
A trace of approval flashed through Snow Empress's cool, ice-blue eyes.
She nodded slightly and asked softly, "Chen'er, since you've already reached the peak bottleneck of level nineteen, you should be planning to obtain your second Spirit Ring next, right?"
Xue Bingchen nodded without hesitation, his eyes filled with a yearning for greater power.
Before Snow Empress could continue, Ice Empress eagerly jumped out from the side and spoke first.
"Hehe, little Bingchen, Xue'er and I discussed this long ago! As for your second Spirit Ring... we intend to let you hunt it yourself! What level and type of ice-attributed Soul Beast you can hunt will depend entirely on your own ability!"
Ice Empress crossed her arms, raised her delicate chin, and wore a testing smile at the corner of her lips.
"Well? Do you dare accept this challenge?"
"Hunt it myself?"
Upon hearing that requirement, Xue Bingchen was briefly stunned. Then a wild curve abruptly rose on his lips, and he answered readily.
"Why wouldn't I dare?!"
He was not the sort of person who could only beg Snow Empress and Ice Empress to spoon-feed him!
Although he looked like nothing more than a six-year-old human child now, there was one thing!
His true combat strength was absolutely not something those so-called genius Soul Masters of the same level could compare to!
He possessed a special physique tempered by countless heavenly treasures. Not only did he not fear the bone-piercing cold of the Far North, which could freeze steel to pieces, he instead felt an affinity here amid the ice and snow, like a fish returned to water.
He had awakened the Heavenly Snow Woman martial soul of Ultimate Ice, as well as the Body Martial Soul that could endlessly strengthen his physique!
More importantly...
During these days of Snow Empress's "strict training," as he watched and practiced the Dance of the Heavenly Snow Woman day and night, he had relied on his powerful comprehension and some memories of Douluo Continent to successfully touch upon the threshold of a supreme technique of the Far North!
He had already comprehended a trace of the mysteries behind one of the Three Ultimates of the Snow Empress—Emperor Sword: Ice Extreme Peerless!
Though it was merely the barest superficial understanding, Emperor Sword was Snow Empress's famed ultimate technique, renowned across Douluo Continent and capable of slaying even a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast with a single strike. How terrifying was its power?
Even though he possessed only level nineteen Soul Power, and even though he could unleash no more than one ten-thousandth of Emperor Sword's might, Xue Bingchen still had absolute confidence that he could face the millennium Soul Beasts of the Far North alone!
Seeing Xue Bingchen's straight back, the blazing battle intent in his eyes, and his absolute confidence, Snow Empress and Ice Empress exchanged glances and nodded in immense satisfaction.
Possessing the heart of a victor, fearless and undaunted—this was the first step toward becoming a true powerhouse!
"Very good."
A smile capable of toppling kingdoms blossomed across Snow Empress's peerless face.
She stepped forward and gently patted Xue Bingchen's shoulder with her jade-like hand.
"Buzz—"
The next moment, softly falling snow containing immense spatial power instantly swirled around and enveloped Xue Bingchen's small body.
Xue Bingchen saw a flash of white before his eyes.
When he blinked again, the surrounding scenery had undergone a complete transformation.
The calm and peaceful summit of the snow mountain had vanished, replaced by a dim, boundless ice plain filled with fierce winds and blizzards!
The biting gale howled through the air like blades, carrying massive flurries of snow that blotted out the sky and sun.
At the same time, Snow Empress's gentle yet faintly solemn voice crossed the distance of space and rang clearly beside his ears.
"Little Chen, I have sent you to the outer region of the Far North. Most of the Soul Beasts wandering here are ice-attributed Soul Beasts that are a hundred years old or have only recently entered the millennium level."
"Remember, they do not recognize you, nor do they understand what the Heavenly Snow Woman martial soul on you represents.
"Their intelligence has yet to awaken. When they encounter a human Soul Master, they will only follow their beastly instincts and launch frenzied attacks.
"So... you must be careful!"
Listening to Snow Empress's warning, Xue Bingchen took a deep breath of the cold air mixed with shards of ice and snow, and his gaze instantly became incomparably sharp.
He understood perfectly well what Snow Empress meant.
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