Mammoth

The glaciers evaporated, gravel melted, and snow-covered mountains collapsed. Powerful gusts swept through the Ice-Sealed Forest, shaking thick layers of long-unmelted snow from countless branches of frigid pines. The world, once draped in silver, turned lush and green.

A streak of glittering light cut across the azure sky and plunged into the depths of the winding, snow-lashed mountains. It slammed into the Ice Plain and disappeared beneath the thick snow.

The protective Soul Power Yan Shaozhe had given him, the Psychic Shield Ralts had formed, and the thick snow that slowed his fall and cushioned the impact all worked together to keep Bai Cai safe and sound.

He climbed back to the surface through the hole he had made in the snow. The biting wind carried ice crystals that felt like bone-scraping knives, and the boundless Ice Plain stretched away in every direction.

Bai Cai fell silent, then returned to the snow cave to shelter from the piercing wind and began checking his supplies.

He had enough water, dry rations, and smoked meat to last four months. But would the remaining protective Soul Power Yan Shaozhe had given him be enough to withstand the harsh climate of the Extreme North?

He couldn't count on Dean Yan Shaozhe to quickly drive off the Titled Douluo from the Sun Moon Empire.

A Titled Douluo of great power and influence had crossed the border and ventured into the Extreme North, beyond the Northern Frontier of the Heaven Dou Empire. He must have had something to rely on.

If the remnant of the protective Soul Power Dean Yan Shaozhe had given him ran out, Bai Cai certainly wouldn't be able to withstand the extreme cold.

Finding his own way out was his only choice!

The Sea Blue Bracelet on his right wrist shimmered. Bai Cai wrapped himself tightly in a thick quilt while Ralts formed a Psychic Shield. Together, they struggled deeper into the Ice Plain.

He would find Soul Beasts, follow them, and reach a region with a milder climate where he could survive.

Blinded by wind and snow, his figure gradually faded from sight. But Bai Cai remained steadfast, trudging step by step into the boundless, vast Ice Plain.

The Blizzard Mammoth was a Soul Beast native to the Extreme North, found on the Ice Plain. Its thick fur was blackish-brown, its tusks stout and white, and its trunk long and supple, easily digging up lichens and moss.

According to the Soul Beast Pokédex, Blizzard Mammoths feared no cold and often traveled through howling winds and blizzards.

Their thick, curved tusks dug through the snow and scraped the yellow-brown lichen from the soil's surface. The colossal beasts curled their strong, flexible trunks around the lichen and slowly chewed.

Bai Cai hid beneath the snow, quietly waiting for night to fall.

Food was scarce on the Ice Plain, and Blizzard Mammoths had hearty appetites. They were bound to migrate in search of food.

The regions Blizzard Mammoths migrated through were sure to be habitable for Soul Beasts. If he traveled with them, he would certainly be safe.

A hundred-year Blizzard Mammoth stood over three meters at the shoulder and measured nearly five meters from head to tail.

A thousand-year Blizzard Mammoth stood over five meters at the shoulder and measured nearly nine meters from head to tail.

A ten-thousand-year Blizzard Mammoth stood over eight meters at the shoulder and measured nearly fifteen meters from head to tail.

The herd digging up lichen before him had ten Blizzard Mammoths.

The leader stood six meters at the shoulder and measured ten meters from head to tail, with a cultivation of around two thousand years. Three mammoths stood five meters at the shoulder and measured nine meters long, each with a cultivation of around a thousand years. The remaining six all had cultivations of a hundred years.

Ralts possessed the gift of Telepathy, and Bai Cai planned to stow away on a Blizzard Mammoth and cross the Ice Plain.

Time passed slowly. Night suddenly fell, the wind turned bitterly cold, and the Blizzard Mammoths stopped feeding and lay down to rest.

The Blizzard Mammoth leader abruptly got to its feet. The others looked puzzled, but the leader simply shook its body as if nothing had happened, then lay down again.

The Blizzard Mammoth leader's back was broad and flat, its blackish-brown fur warm and thick. After finding a suitable spot, Bai Cai carefully zipped himself into his sleeping bag and fell peacefully asleep.

How could a colossal beast standing six meters at the shoulder and measuring ten meters long—one that wasn't even of the mental type—possibly notice the little fellow hiding on its back?

Ralts precisely controlled Confusion to bear Bai Cai's weight and conceal his presence. The Blizzard Mammoth leader had a cultivation of only two thousand years and was slow-witted. It noticed nothing amiss and comfortably lay down to rest.

At noon the next day, mild sunlight brightened the Ice Plain. The yellow-brown lichen was tainted with dirt and no longer fit to eat, so the Blizzard Mammoths began their migration.

The Blizzard Mammoth leader's back was broad and flat. Bai Cai sat up at his leisure, admiring the scenery of the Ice Plain as he enjoyed the still-warm sweet dry rations and salty smoked meat.

He broke the rations into pieces and tore the meat into strips, gently feeding Ralts in his arms.

The blue-haired little one nibbled at breakfast while splitting her attention to maintain the Psychic Shield and keep their presence concealed.

The Blizzard Mammoth leader's thick fur was enough to warm the rations and smoked meat, like a camper van with its own kitchen.

Riding on the Blizzard Mammoth leader, Bai Cai fell into a steady routine: eating, sleeping, enjoying the scenery, and hoping Dean Yan Shaozhe would suddenly appear and take him back to Shrek Academy.

One day, two days, three days... Dean Yan Shaozhe never appeared, and Bai Cai could only accept it in silence.

A month later, after riding a migrating herd of Blizzard Mammoths, Bai Cai successfully crossed the Ice Plain. Snow-covered mountains stretched endlessly before him, seeming almost within reach.

Amid the vast snow and bitter winds, the Blizzard Mammoths seemed possessed by their ancestors as they crossed the mountain range—sometimes charging ahead, sometimes coming to a halt.

When a single piece of clothing was returned to Dormitory 106, Wang Dong burst into tears.

Yan Shaozhe had held the old man in white robes at bay, and victory had seemed all but certain. But when escape became impossible, the old man had resolutely blown himself up.

There was more than one Titled Douluo from the Sun Moon Empire near the Ice-Sealed Forest. Three of them had snuck into the Extreme North to hunt Soul Beasts, positioning themselves to support one another.

The old man's self-destruction alerted the other two Titled Douluos, who hurried toward the Snow Mountain. Yan Shaozhe had no choice but to fight as he retreated.

The Titled Douluos of the Sun Moon Empire were known as Level 9 Soul Engineers. Their Soul Tools came in endless varieties and greatly amplified their combat power.

Yan Shaozhe was badly wounded, and the other two Titled Douluos pursued him relentlessly. As they fought, the best opportunity to rescue Bai Cai slipped away.

When Shrek Academy's rescue team arrived, Yan Shaozhe finally realized that the protective Soul Power he'd given Bai Cai had already run out. He could no longer sense Bai Cai's exact location, let alone tell whether he was alive or dead.

The Extreme North was vast beyond measure. The academy's rescue team had gone to great lengths to find the snow cave where Bai Cai had crashed, only to lose his faint trail in a blizzard.

At the shelter near the Ice-Sealed Forest, Yan Shaozhe saw the change of clothes Bai Cai had left behind and was overcome with guilt.

He could easily have brought back a Mirror Shadow Beast of a suitable age, but instead he'd chosen to test Bai Cai's intelligence and combat strength. He had led him to the Snow Mountain to face danger, and disaster had followed.

A gifted core student had perished in the Extreme North because Yan Shaozhe had acted on his own authority. Deeply remorseful, he resigned from his post as dean.

The Extreme North was a forbidden zone for humans, with a brutal natural environment and ferocious Soul Beasts. A Soul Master who had yet to obtain a Second Soul Ring couldn't even survive for three days.

Yet Wang Dong refused to believe Bai Cai had perished in the Extreme North.

She knew Bai Cai's storage ring and the storage bracelet she'd lent him were packed with food and clean water. As long as he found a suitable place to hide, he could surely stay safe.

Xiao Bai was so cautious, so timid, always thinking through every possibility. How could he have died in the Extreme North? How could he possibly have died there?

Wang Dong earnestly begged the gods for protection, hoping Bai Cai would return soon.