"It's too slow."
Lan's voice was soft, with the tender sweetness unique to a child, yet it made both the fiery Ice Empress and the gentle Snow Empress pause.
They exchanged a glance, seeing helplessness in each other's eyes, along with an even deeper affection.
The child was wonderful in every way; it was just that he was far too mature for his age.
Time flew by, and another three years passed.
In the Core Circle of the Far North, an Ice Crystal Palace stood quietly, several times grander than it had been three years ago.
Snow Empress and Ice Empress had named this place "Ice and Snow Residence."
Inside the palace, in a side hall,
several dishes giving off an enticing aroma were laid out on a dining table carved from ten-thousand-year-old ice.
The most eye-catching was a plate of golden, crispy insect Soul Beasts, still sizzling with oil.
Sky Silkworms.
Ice Empress held a roasted Sky Silkworm between her fingers and ate with oil all over her mouth, completely abandoning her usual image.
As she tucked in heartily, she spoke through a full mouth:
"Lan'er, you're getting better and better at roasting Sky Silkworms!"
"They're so much tastier than the ones I roast!"
"I caught dozens more today. We can roast them again tonight!"
Lan, seated across from her, was already six years old.
He had grown considerably taller, but still wore a neat black outfit. His handsome little face held the same calm expression as ever.
Hearing Ice Empress, he nodded.
"Okay."
One word, brief and to the point.
Ice Empress polished off the roasted Sky Silkworm in her hand in a few bites, then picked up another. Looking at Lan's unruffled face, she couldn't help complaining:
"Lan'er, how come you're even quieter than me?"
"When I stand next to you, I feel like I'm turning into a chatterbox."
Lan lifted his eyes and looked at Ice Empress without answering. He simply picked up the largest roasted Sky Silkworm on his plate and placed it in her bowl.
Ice Empress's complaint came to an abrupt halt. She looked at the roasted Sky Silkworm, clearly a size bigger than all the others, and her dark green eyes instantly curved into crescents.
She picked it up with delight, muttering, "At least you've got a conscience, you little rascal."
Nearby, Snow Empress, who had been eating quietly all along, set down her ice chopsticks.
Her manner was graceful and her bearing cool, a striking contrast to Ice Empress, who was wolfing down her food.
She looked at Lan, and her clear, melodious voice rang out softly.
"Lan'er, tomorrow is the day you awaken your Martial Soul."
"Are you still going to train with us today?"
At the words "Martial Soul Awakening," Ice Empress stopped eating too and stared intently at Lan.
This was a major matter that would shape Lan'er's future.
Lan swallowed his food and wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin, moving neither quickly nor slowly.
He raised his head. For the first time in front of his two mothers, his dark eyes revealed an edge utterly at odds with his age.
"This kind of thing..."
His voice was still calm, yet carried an undeniable force.
"You only get one first time, but you can do it countless times after that."
"Even with only one day left, I can't let up."
He paused. His dark pupils reflected the astonished faces of Ice Empress and Snow Empress as he continued:
"I have to become strong."
"Because this is a world where the strong prey on the weak."
"Here, there's no right or wrong."
"Whoever is strong makes the rules of the game."
When Lan finished speaking,
an uncanny silence settled over the side hall of the Ice Crystal Palace.
Ice Empress and Snow Empress remained silent for a long time, simply looking at the child before them, who was only six years old.
Those dark eyes held none of a child's innocence, only a clear-eyed resolve that was almost cold.
At length, Ice Empress was the first to break the silence. She pursed her lips, her tone tinged with helplessness and heartache.
"What goes through your head all day, you little one?"
She reached out, wanting to ruffle Lan's hair as she usually did, but stopped halfway.
Perhaps she felt that Lan had an aura about him now that she couldn't bear to disturb.
Beside her, a gentle ripple stirred in Snow Empress's cool eyes.
She glanced at the several black crystals on the table, meant for the awakening ceremony, and said softly:
"To find these Awakening Stones, Bing'er made a special trip to the human world. She searched for a long time in the cities of those Soul Masters before she found them."
At that, Ice Empress waved her hand casually.
"Oh, what's the point of bringing that up? As long as it helps our Lan'er awaken his Martial Soul without a hitch, it's worth going any distance!"
Lan's gaze fell on the unremarkable black stones.
They lay there quietly, yet seemed to carry the warmth of the distant human world.
Something inside him stirred faintly.
But he didn't quite know how to express the feeling. He opened his mouth, then ultimately chose to remain silent. Only his gaze toward Ice Empress and Snow Empress softened a little.
Snow Empress noticed the change in his expression, and a gentle smile played at her lips.
She rose to her feet, her white skirts flowing like snow and ice.
"All right, let's go to the main hall."
"Lan'er, I'll perform your Martial Soul Awakening ceremony now."
The main hall of Ice and Snow Residence.
The sight of a thousand miles sealed in ice and ten thousand miles of drifting snow filled the view through the vast crystal dome, magnificent and breathtaking.
Snow Empress raised her hand gracefully. Six black Awakening Stones flew out without a sound and landed precisely in a hexagram array at the center of the spacious hall.
"Lan'er, stand in the center of this hexagram array."
Lan did as she was told and stepped into the center of the array, closing his eyes.
In an instant, a strange energy rose from the array beneath his feet and enveloped his entire body.
Golden specks of light drifted slowly out of him, like fireflies in the night.
In the depths of Lan's consciousness, he saw an endless azure sea.
The next moment, the surface of the sea exploded!
A young man's phantom, holding a Shark Blade, sprang up from beneath the deep sea, riding towering waves!
His movements were as nimble as a leopard's, his gaze as solitary and cold as a frozen star. Around him swirled the purest intent of Slaughter and Wave Breaker!
In the outside world,
the golden light grew ever more intense, gathering behind Lan.
A hazy human silhouette gradually came into focus.
It was the phantom of a young man who bore a striking resemblance to Lan, holding a strangely shaped blade of shark bone. An icy, domineering aura radiated from his entire body.
Ice Empress and Snow Empress both drew a slightly uneven breath.
"What... what kind of Martial Soul is this?"
Ice Empress's dark green eyes were full of wonder. In all her hundreds of thousands of years of experience, she had never seen a Martial Soul take a form like this.
It was neither a Beast Martial Soul nor anything like a Tool Martial Soul, yet its immense inner power made even her, a top-level Soul Beast, feel a trace of dread.
Lan slowly opened his eyes and looked at the familiar phantom behind him.
"I'll call it Lan."
His voice was calm.
While Ice Empress and Snow Empress were still trying to take in this information, Lan raised his right hand.
Golden light surged from his palm once more, even more sacred and dazzling than before.
"I have another Martial Soul."
Before you continue