Leaving the Far North

The vertebrae, ribs, and sternum shone with dazzling snowy-white light. The jade-green glow extending outward from the original tailbone suddenly solidified, becoming a four-segment scorpion tail of uneven lengths.

Snowy white and jade green answered one another, the two colors of light converging at the original tailbone.

The Ice Jade Empress Scorpion's shell rapidly melted, flowing into the end of the sacrum and spreading across the pelvis. Bai Cai immediately began to tremble violently.

Bai Cai had a long, drawn-out dream. The first half was sweet; the second half was a nightmare.

Her icy blue, dignified pupils suddenly shimmered with brilliant colors, reflecting her own figure.

In her confusion, an intense pain struck without warning, as if her ligaments had been badly torn. In an instant, the world seemed to spin, and she plunged into endless darkness.

She opened her eyes, quickly sat up, and looked around.

A deep-blue dome, clear pillars, and a beautiful girl with snowy-white hair. Her icy dignity was no different from Snow Empress's, and her features were exactly like Snow Empress's.

She had survived, so Ice Empress and Snow Empress must have succeeded in their sacrifices... Then who was this girl?

"Put your clothes on."

The beautiful girl's face was expressionless. Her clear voice rang like pearls dropping onto a jade plate, while her words were as cold as frost settling in the night dew.

The bracelet on her right wrist flashed. Shielded by the thick quilt, Bai Cai quickly put on her autumn school uniform.

The beautiful girl remained unmoved. "What are the targets for the Second and Third Soul Rings of your First Martial Soul?"

Already dressed, Bai Cai didn't know what to do. "Who are you?"

The beautiful girl didn't answer. Two rings of light abruptly appeared, their rich crimson color captivating the soul.

One ring of light hovered in the air, gathering her snowy-white hair and revealing four noble golden markings. It was cold and fierce.

The other ring of light floated in midair, circling around and revealing seven noble golden markings. It was icy and dignified.

Trust and intimacy came with them, feelings she had almost never experienced before.

A moment later, Bai Cai suddenly understood.

"Almost never" wasn't quite accurate. Strictly speaking, it had happened once before, in the brief moment of her Martial Soul Awakening.

The beautiful girl spoke coldly. "Aside from 'Xue'er,' you may give this empress an alias."

Bai Cai racked her brains.

Eis, Eula, Keqing, Ayaka? Somehow, they didn't seem to fit Snow Empress's style.

The North Star was called Ziwei, and Ziwei was the imperial star. "Ziwei Qingxue brings gracious light, and the imperial retinue follows like mandarin ducks and egrets." Perhaps she should be called Qingxue.

"Qingxue..."

Calling her by her name outright might be inappropriate. Bai Cai paused, then tentatively asked in a quiet voice, "Sister Qingxue?"

Snow Empress neither agreed nor objected. "This empress will grant you a Torso Soul Bone, and Ice Empress will grant you an External Soul Bone. With both amplifying you, your Second Soul Ring can reach five thousand years, and your Third can reach ten thousand."

"Qing... Sister Qingxue, my target for the Second Soul Ring is a Mirror Shadow Beast. I haven't considered the Third yet."

The clear pillars shattered in an instant, transforming into a gigantic icy hand that grasped Bai Cai without squeezing too tightly. Snow Empress smiled faintly.

Shrek Academy, rear gate.

A private carriage suddenly stopped. After collecting five Gold Soul Coins, the driver cracked his whip and drove off.

A black-haired boy of eleven or twelve sighed deeply. Beside him stood a snow-haired girl of fourteen or fifteen, graceful and upright.

A gate guard stepped forward to check them. The black-haired boy presented a white Badge.

The guard inspected the Badge and noticed the tiny engraving in its upper-right corner: "Grade 1 Class 1." His pupils contracted violently.

After checking the Badge's serial number, the guard returned to the gatehouse, activated a Communication Soul Tool, and reported the details.

Before even a quarter of an hour had passed, the former dean, Yan Shaozhe, the head of academics, Du Weilun, and the homeroom teachers, Wang Yan and Zhou Yi, had all arrived.

"Bai Cai?" Yan Shaozhe could hardly believe his eyes. "You—you—how did you survive?"

She had gone missing in the outer region of the Extreme North, before even obtaining her Second Soul Ring. She had struggled to survive for nearly five months, then returned to the academy completely unharmed.

Aside from being a little paler, she showed no external injuries or frostbite. It was nothing short of a miracle!

Du Weilun looked thoughtful, Wang Yan was overjoyed, and Zhou Yi furrowed her brows.

Bai Cai glanced at Yan Shaozhe and honestly explained, "After I landed on the Ice Plain, I was terrified. I went deeper into the Ice Plain to avoid being pursued, but unfortunately, I got lost."

"Maybe it was because of my fear, but I awakened a Second Martial Soul: Sister Qingxue. Sister Qingxue is a Heavenly Snow Woman, an independent Martial Soul with intelligence no less than a human's."

"Sister Qingxue obtained two Soul Rings, so I was able to escape the Far North and return to the academy."

Looking back on her journey through the Far North, Bai Cai summed it up briefly. "In short, Sister Qingxue saved me."

The snow-haired girl remained silent. Two rings of light suddenly appeared, both a pure violet.

One ring hovered in the air, gathering her snowy-white hair; the other floated behind her, circling around.

A bone-deep chill set in, the temperature plummeted, and frost formed layer upon layer inside the gatehouse.

Wang Yan was both delighted and astonished. "Snow-white hair, ice-blue eyes, Ultimate Ice—everything matches the descriptions in the ancient texts."

Yan Shaozhe closed his eyes to sense her, then nodded in confirmation. "Her body hasn't changed, and I haven't detected a Tool Martial Soul. We can rule out the possibility that she's a Soul Master in disguise."

To display Soul Rings, one had to summon one's Martial Soul. That was common knowledge among Soul Masters.

Besides, Bai Cai's First Martial Soul, Ralts, had already been proven to be an independent Martial Soul with advanced intelligence.

It was within expectations that her Second Martial Soul would also be independent and possess intelligence no less than a human's. Twin Martial Souls were generally similar: either both were Beast Martial Souls or both were Tool Martial Souls.

Ralts had fully awakened as a Super Martial Soul, and the Heavenly Snow Woman was a Super Martial Soul. Their actual quality was close, so it all made sense.

Zhou Yi asked, "Can she talk?"

The Heavenly Snow Woman was an independent Martial Soul with intelligence no less than a human's. It naturally made people's imaginations run wild.

"Sister Qingxue..."

The snow-haired girl was cold as frost, and Bai Cai looked troubled. She was wordless, mindless, and expressionless. Unless something special happened, Snow Empress was no different from an ice sculpture created by Simulation.

"Xiao Bai!"

Wang Dong, who had hurried over after hearing the news, pushed open the wooden door. She gently wiped away her tears, then threw herself at Bai Cai. "I went to beg my eldest and second fathers. They said they couldn't leave the sect... I was scared—so scared."

Yan Shaozhe smiled faintly, raised a hand, and gestured for Du Weilun and the others to leave with him.

Bai Cai had returned to the academy safe and sound, completely unharmed, and had even awakened a Second Martial Soul. Why should the academy pry into every detail?

Everyone had secrets of their own. For example, Huo Yuhao's First Soul Ring, Mu Beibei's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire Phoenix, Xu Sanshi's Mystic Turtle Shield, Wang Dong's Light Goddess Butterfly, and his own Radiant Phoenix.

Yan Shaozhe and the others left the gatehouse one after another. A pretty young girl hurried over.

The area Xiao Xiao was in lay far from the gatehouse. On top of that, the Light Goddess Butterfly was a Beast Martial Soul with innate flight abilities. Because of these factors, the pretty girl had fallen far behind.

"Captain!"

She pushed open the door in high spirits, then slowly froze.

Wang Dong held Bai Cai down, their temples pressed together. The beautiful girl with snowy-white hair stood expressionless, two violet Soul Rings poised to appear, while frost coated the gatehouse inside.

A battlefield over a love rival? I'm out of here!

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt!"

Xiao Xiao quickly shut the door, then pressed her ear to it and listened.