Snow Empress's Terrifying Aura, Shui Bing'er's Shock! Heavenly Snow Woman!

Shui Bing'er's cheeks were flushed so deeply they looked ready to burst; she kept her head bowed, wishing she could dig a hole in the ice and bury herself alive.

Lan, however, acted as if nothing had happened.

He tossed the picked-clean fish bones into the fire, causing the flames to flare up with a sudden "whoosh."

Then, he turned and walked back to the rock he had occupied earlier, sitting down.

He drew the short blade rewarded by the system from his waist, pulled a soft piece of animal hide from his robes, and began to wipe it down as if no one else were there.

His movements were focused and earnest, as if that short blade were his only friend.

The firelight reflected off his lowered lashes, casting long shadows across his cold, stern face.

Shui Bing'er stood there in embarrassment for a long while before finally summoning the courage to move.

She took small, hesitant steps until she reached the rock, crouching down beside him.

"Um..."

She racked her brains, searching for a topic.

"The snow... it seems to have stopped tonight."

Lan did not stop wiping the blade.

"Mm."

Shui Bing'er's face grew hot again.

"The stars... there are so many."

"Oh."

Shui Bing'er deflated, feeling as though she had punched a pile of cotton—no, a block of Ten-Thousand-Year Black Ice.

Just then, Liu Ruyan walked over.

She first shot a glare of annoyance at her disappointing disciple, then plastered a warm, enthusiastic smile on her face as she looked at Lan.

"Lan, you truly are a youth of great promise."

Liu Ruyan's opening was blunt.

"When I was your age, I was still fretting over how to obtain my second soul ring, yet you are already this formidable."

Lan's movements finally paused. He lifted his eyes, watching Liu Ruyan quietly, waiting for her to continue.

Seeing this, Liu Ruyan shifted her tone, finally revealing the true purpose of her visit.

"To be honest, with your talent, remaining here in the Far North is a complete waste of your potential."

"Therefore, I would like to formally invite you to join our Skywater Academy."

She stared intently at Lan, terrified of missing even the slightest flicker of expression on his face.

"Our Skywater Academy is a renowned elemental Soul Master Academy in the Heaven Dou Empire with abundant resources. If you join, the academy will provide you with the best training and every cultivation resource you could possibly need."

Seeing that Lan remained unmoved, Liu Ruyan added a heavy dose of persuasion, complaining with a mix of truth and artifice:

"Besides, if an academy teacher manages to recruit a genius student like you, there are generous rewards involved."

"I won't hide it from you—I have been stuck at level sixty-one as a Soul Emperor for a long time. The further one progresses in cultivation, the harder it becomes; every level requires massive resources and the right opportunity. If I miss these few years, I fear there will be no hope left for me."

This part of her speech was, at least, quite sincere.

Lan's gaze returned to the short blade in his hand, the sharp edge reflecting his calm, unruffled face.

Go to the human world?

Go to an academy?

His instinct was to refuse.

To him, those things were far too troublesome.

Just as he was about to speak, Shui Bing'er suddenly opened her mouth in a low voice.

Her tone carried a trace of obvious disappointment and a deep, lingering expectation.

"It would be great if you could come..."

Lan's gaze turned toward her involuntarily.

The girl's face was full of regret. In those beautiful eyes, there was hope for the team's strength, but also a hidden, girlish selfishness that she herself had not yet realized.

She bit her lower lip and gathered her courage to say:

"If you joined the Skywater Team, we could... we would definitely be able to defeat the Golden Generation of Martial Soul Hall and win the championship at the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament!"

Martial Soul Hall.

These three words were like an invisible thorn, pricking gently at the lake of Lan's heart.

His movements in wiping the blade came to a complete halt.

Martial Soul Hall...

That woman.

Calculating the time, she should have firmly secured that supreme position of Pope by now.

To go onto her turf and, under the gaze of the entire continent, personally defeat the so-called "Golden Generation" she takes the most pride in.

This matter... seems like it could make her very unhappy.

If it can make her unhappy, it can bring him a trace of satisfaction.

The corners of Lan's mouth seemed to curl up imperceptibly, so fast it was like an illusion.

He raised his head and looked at the nervous-looking Shui Bing'er and Liu Ruyan.

"Fine."

He calmly spat out the word.

"I'll join."

The expression on Liu Ruyan's face froze for a moment, then was immediately submerged by immense ecstasy.

Great!

With this, the academy's rewards would definitely be substantial! The resources for her own breakthrough were secured!

As for Shui Bing'er, who was standing to the side, she was like a little rabbit that had been startled and then given a piece of candy.

She first blinked her eyes blankly, confirming she hadn't misheard.

Immediately after, she jumped up from the ground, raised her arms high, and cheered out loud.

"Yay--!"

She jumped too hard, stepped on a slippery patch of ice, and as her body tilted, she cried out and began to fall backward.

A hand caught her waist just in time.

Lan had appeared behind her at some point, steadying her frame.

Shui Bing'er's body stiffened instantly; she looked as if she had been boiled, turning completely red from her cheeks down to her neck.

Lan let go of her once he had steadied her, his tone remaining as flat as ever.

"Be careful."

After saying this, he sheathed his short blade, sat back down on the rock, and closed his eyes to rest, as if nothing had just happened.

He left behind only Shui Bing'er, whose heart was pounding like a drum, and Liu Ruyan, who was grinning from ear to ear, both feeling vastly different heartbeats under the silent starry sky.

The night wind whipped up fine ice crystals, making the campfire crackle and roar.

Liu Ruyan remained immersed in the immense joy of recruiting a genius, while Shui Bing'er was still trapped in the shyness and palpitations of that brief contact.

Just then, an indescribable chill enveloped the entire campsite without warning.

This chill did not come from the low temperatures of the Far North, but was an absolute suppression originating from the level of life itself.

The smile on Liu Ruyan's face froze instantly.

She looked up abruptly, shielding Shui Bing'er behind her, her entire body's soul power surging as she stared at the night sky like a formidable enemy.

Shui Bing'er also felt that suffocating aura; her small face turned deathly pale, and she clutched the corner of her teacher's robe in nervousness.

A stunningly beautiful figure drifted down slowly from beneath the vast expanse of stars.

She wore a simple white dress made of ice silk, her feet bare, yet not a speck of dust touched them.

Her snow-white hair danced lightly in the wind, and her face was so perfect it didn't seem human, while her ice-blue eyes seemed to harbor the loneliness and arrogance of ten thousand years of frozen ice.

She was like the sole ruler of this ice field, the very incarnation of ice and snow.

Liu Ruyan's heart sank to the bottom.

A Titled Douluo!

And, without a doubt, the most terrifying Titled Douluo she had ever seen in her life!

The newcomer did not glance at them, as if they were merely two insignificant specks of dust.

She drifted straight down in front of the rock and fixed her gaze on Lan, who was resting with his eyes closed.

That cold gaze melted slightly the moment it landed on Lan.