Three Academy Exchange Tournament

Seeing his daughter return safely, Shui Yuanqiao let out a sigh of relief.

"Bing'er, you're finally back."

Leng Qinghuan reached out and gently stroked Shui Bing'er's cheek, studying her carefully.

"You've gotten a little thinner, but your aura is stronger. Did the soul hunt go smoothly?"

"Mm, it went very smoothly."

Leng Jun smiled from the side.

"More than smoothly. Bing'er gained quite a harvest this time."

"Oh? What did she gain?"

"It's a long story. Let's go inside and talk."

The group entered the main hall and took their seats. Shui Bing'er briefly recounted her experiences during this soul hunt.

Naturally, she omitted the Ice Phoenix's voluntary sacrifice and Xu Feng's existence.

"My third soul ring came from a thousand-year Ice Phoenix Bird. I gained a skill that combines control and attack—the Eye of the Ice Phoenix."

As Shui Bing'er spoke, she released her martial soul.

The phantom of an Ice Crystal Phoenix emerged, and three soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple—slowly rose around her.

Seeing Shui Bing'er protected by her martial soul, the three of them were somewhat surprised.

Shui Yuanqiao's eyes lit up.

"Bing'er, you seem to have grown much stronger. It isn't as simple as merely gaining a thousand-year soul ring."

Leng Qinghuan nodded approvingly as well.

"Bing'er has always trained diligently. It's only natural that she would achieve this much."

Shui Bing'er smiled faintly and withdrew her martial soul and soul rings.

"Father, Auntie, that Ice Phoenix Bird was exceptionally compatible with my martial soul. Aside from this thousand-year soul ring, I also obtained an External Soul Bone."

"What?!"

All three cried out at once.

Shui Yue'er's eyes widened.

"An External Soul Bone? What's that?"

Leng Qinghuan explained.

"External Soul Bones are the finest among soul bones. They can evolve as a soul master grows, are extraordinarily rare, and have less than a one-in-ten-thousand chance of appearing."

"Wow! Sister's luck is incredible!"

Shui Yuanqiao urged her.

"Bing'er, quickly, let us see it."

Shui Bing'er nodded, and with a thought—

A pair of translucent ice-blue wings slowly unfurled from her back.

The wings cast a gentle glow throughout the hall, crystal-clear and so beautiful it took one's breath away.

"Oh my... These wings are so beautiful!"

Shui Yuanqiao and Leng Qinghuan were equally excited.

The two carefully examined the pair of Ice Crystal Wings.

"Ice Phoenix Wings... This External Soul Bone has limitless potential!"

"With these wings, Bing'er's aerial combat ability will improve tremendously."

"Big Sister is amazing!"

Shui Yue'er looked enviously at the wings behind Shui Bing'er.

Leng Jun smiled from the side.

"Bing'er and I flew and rested along the way. She has already adapted to these wings and can extend and retract them freely."

Shui Bing'er withdrew her wings.

Shui Yuanqiao looked at his daughter with satisfaction.

"Bing'er, you're not even thirteen yet, and you already possess an External Soul Bone. Your future is limitless. But this must remain confidential for now. Unless necessary, don't reveal it so casually."

"Don't worry, Father. Grandfather has already reminded me."

Remembering something, Shui Yuanqiao's smile broadened.

"Bing'er, your return came at just the right time. Godwind Academy and Blazing Fire Academy have invited us for a friendly exchange. This time, it will be held at our Skywater Academy, one month from now."

"The Three Academy Exchange Tournament?"

"That's right."

Skywater, Godwind, and Blazing Fire were three long-established elemental academies within the Heaven Dou Empire. They had a good relationship and often competed against one another.

Skywater Academy focused primarily on ice and water attributes, excelling at freezing and restraining opponents.

Godwind Academy specialized in the wind element, with speed and destructive power as its strengths.

Blazing Fire Academy, meanwhile, centered on the fire element and excelled at high-temperature burns and explosive attacks.

All three elemental academies advocated the extreme style, striving to push the advantages of their respective elements to the limit.

Two years ago, when Shui Bing'er had still been a two-ringed Soul Grandmaster, she and her senior sisters had represented Skywater Academy in exchanges with the other two elemental academies—and lost to them.

"Dad, will Feng Xiaotian, Huo Wushuang, Huo Wu, and the others all be coming?"

"Mm. They'll all be there. Feng Xiaotian had already obtained his third soul ring two years ago, and now his strength is close to that of a four-ringed Soul Ancestor. That brother-sister pair, Huo Wushuang and Huo Wu, have also obtained their third soul rings."

Leng Qinghuan looked at Shui Yue'er.

"Yue'er, this time, you can compete alongside your sister."

"Really? That's great!"

As Shui Yue'er laughed, the expression on her face suddenly stiffened. She pouted.

"Dad, Feng Xiaotian and the others are all so strong. Our team only has Sister as a three-ringed Soul Elder. Can we really beat them?"

"This time is different."

Confidence gleamed in Shui Yuanqiao's eyes.

"Bing'er has her third soul ring and has also obtained an External Soul Bone, giving her an advantage in aerial combat. As the hosts, we have no reason to lose."

Shui Bing'er took over.

"Dad, I'll give it everything I have."

Leng Qinghuan held Shui Bing'er's hand, her heart aching for her.

"Bing'er, your father cares too much about appearances. Don't mind him. It's just an ordinary exchange tournament. Just do your best—don't put too much pressure on yourselves."

"Mm, I understand."

"Alright, you just got back. After dinner, get some rest early. We can talk about everything else tomorrow."

After dinner and washing up, Shui Bing'er returned to her room. Looking out at the starry sky beyond the window, her heart was filled with anticipation.

The Three Academy Exchange Tournament a month from now would be the stage where she displayed her strength.

Shui Bing'er called out in her heart.

"Phoenix Brother, did you hear my conversation with Dad and the others?"

"I heard it all. The Three Academy Exchange Tournament in a month is your chance to show your strength. Are you confident?"

"With you here, I'm definitely confident I can beat them. But I hope to defeat them using my own strength."

Xu Feng smiled.

He knew that with Shui Bing'er's current strength, leading Skywater Academy to defeat the Blazing Fire Academy led by Huo Wushuang would be somewhat difficult.

After all, both Huo Wushuang and Huo Wu were three-ringed Soul Elders, while Skywater Academy only had Shui Bing'er as a Soul Elder.

Defeating the Godwind Academy led by Feng Xiaotian would be even harder.

Feng Xiaotian possessed Innate Full Soul Power and extraordinary talent. His top-tier mutated beast martial soul, the Gale Two-Headed Wolf, was powerful in speed, attack, and defense.

His wind element did not fear the ice element.

Moreover, he could fly and was capable of high-altitude combat.

"Bing'er, that Feng Xiaotian seems very strong?"

"Yes. Feng Xiaotian has Innate Full Soul Power, and his Gale Two-Headed Wolf martial soul combines offense and defense. He can fight in the air as well, so he's truly difficult to deal with. Among the students of roughly the same age in our three academies, he has the strongest individual combat strength."

"He seems to be a few years older than you, right?"

"Mm, he's in his early twenties."

Xu Feng said, "Bing'er, that is your own battle, and I shouldn't interfere. But you should understand the expectations your father and the entire academy have for you. Feng Xiaotian has cultivated for several more years than you, so competing with you on the same stage is inherently unfair. So, there's nothing wrong with borrowing some of my strength when appropriate."

Shui Bing'er was silent for a while before speaking.

"Alright, then we'll see how things go."

"That's more like it. Skywater Academy is the host this time. No matter what, you cannot lose to them again."