Journey to the Far North!

Shrek Academy, Outer Academy Office.

"Are you sure you don't need help?"

Mu Jin looked at Jiang Yi and asked once more.

Her eyes held unconcealed concern. He was the precious jewel of Class Nine, after all.

If Jiang Yi broke through to Soul Elder, Class Nine would have two Soul Elders. That would be a first among the freshman classes.

Naturally, she was eager to help him obtain his third Soul Ring.

"No need, thank you, Teacher Mu Jin! I've already made other arrangements..."

Jiang Yi took the leave slip and smiled as he waved off Mu Jin's kind offer to help him hunt a Soul Beast.

"All right, then. Be careful."

Mu Jin didn't insist, but she still gave him a thoughtful reminder.

The boy seemed steady, but a place like the Soul Beast Forest was no joke.

"I understand, Teacher."

Jiang Yi smiled and nodded.

"Then I'll be off."

He bowed to Mu Jin and slowly left the office.

Meanwhile, in another office in the teaching building.

Yan Shaozhe stared at the red-eyed girl before him with a headache, his temples throbbing.

"What is it this time?"

He looked at Tang Wutong, who was clutching her head with tears welling in her eyes, and spoke with deep helplessness.

"I'm dropping out!!!"

Tang Wutong pouted, her voice full of indignation. Tears filled her pink-blue eyes.

"That old hag actually dared to hit me... My dad's never even hit me! How dare she hit me!!!"

She sniffled, her eyes as red as a rabbit's. Her voice brimmed with grievance, as though she'd just endured some inhuman abuse.

"..."

Yan Shaozhe opened his mouth, but still couldn't get a word out.

He already knew what had happened. Zhou Yi had made a move, yes, but she'd slapped the podium, hadn't she?

If you put your own face on the podium, did that count as getting hit?

"Fine. Zhou Yi did violate the rules. I'll remove her and assign you another teacher..."

Yan Shaozhe sighed helplessly.

"That should be enough, right?"

Zhou Yi had always been ruthless in her methods. The complaint letters from past students had nearly piled up to a mountain on his desk.

It wouldn't be unfair to punish her.

"Really?"

Tang Wutong, who'd been crying just moments earlier, suddenly perked up and looked at the so-called Dean Yan in delight.

"Mm."

Yan Shaozhe nodded.

It was better to transfer Zhou Yi elsewhere, lest she lose control one day and really slap the little princess of the Clear Sky Sect.

That would be a huge mess.

The two experts who had secretly followed Tang Wutong some time ago had been so formidable that even Xuan Zi couldn't gauge their exact strength.

"Wonderful! I knew Shrek was the fairest!"

Tang Wutong's expression brightened in an instant. She was all smiles now, with no trace of the grievance she'd shown before.

"I'm not dropping out anymore! We'll defend Shrek's glory—"

Having gotten her promise, she skipped out of the office in high spirits.

She couldn't wait to share the news with Huo Yutong and the others. That was the power of being the big sister!

"What a little tyrant!"

Yan Shaozhe shook his head.

The Clear Sky Sect had always kept to itself, so when they suddenly sent someone over this time, Shrek naturally couldn't afford to neglect her.

The little girl had probably counted on that, which was why she'd dared to come complain to him.

Besides, Shrek Academy was very willing to maintain good relations with the powerful Clear Sky Sect.

As for the fallen Tang Sect... its sect master seemed like a very rule-abiding man to him!

After seeing Tang Wutong off, Yan Shaozhe withdrew his gaze. With a turn, he appeared on a quiet terrace.

In the center of the terrace stood a wooden reclining chair. An elderly, white-haired man lay on it.

"Finished your work?"

Mu En half-closed his eyes, basking in the sunlight. A contented expression crossed his deeply wrinkled face.

At his age, he liked nothing better than soaking up some sun.

"Mm."

Yan Shaozhe nodded slightly, walked over to Mu En, and looked down at Shrek Academy below.

In the far distance, a tiny black figure left the academy and headed north, growing smaller until it vanished into the vast sky.

"Your disciple has had someone investigate him. He's from the Heaven Dou Empire, born to commoners, and there's nothing unusual about him..."

Yan Shaozhe suddenly spoke.

"It's just that he's cultivating far too quickly... He was only born with innate Soul Power at rank six when his Martial Soul awakened. Should we..."

"Mm, don't do anything rash! Everyone has their own opportunities."

Mu En spoke up, waving a hand to cut Yan Shaozhe off.

"As long as he's one of ours at Shrek, that's enough. We needn't interfere. That's how Shrek survives."

His gaze drifted toward the distance, where Jiang Yi had long since disappeared.

He had only noticed the boy while observing Bei Bei. Talent was one thing, but the road to becoming a strong expert was still long.

He was an excellent whetstone.

The only question was, which of him and Bei Bei would be the blade...

Three days later. Northern border of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Amid the endless snow, a lone figure left a small town and set out toward the frozen world ahead.

"Ah-choo—"

Jiang Yi rubbed his nose and tightened his padded coat.

"Tian Meng, are you sure about this?"

He patted the little golden-haired girl sitting on his shoulder and asked once more.

After he broke through to level thirty, Tian Meng had volunteered to bring him to the Far North to find a target.

But things were different from the original story. Tian Meng wasn't a spirit now; her fighting strength was comparable to that of a hundred-thousand-year-old A-Kun.

She probably couldn't pull off that Golden Cicada Escape trick.

"What are you talking about?"

Tian Meng widened her beautiful eyes and tugged at his hair with her little hands. She sat astride his shoulder like she was riding a horse, swinging her short legs.

"I'm the first million-year Soul Beast of the Far North... Coming back here is just like coming home."

No one knew the Far North better than she did.

She knew every Soul Beast clan here inside out. She could even guess where each one bedded down at night.

"Why don't we go find the Snow Empress?"

Jiang Yi blinked and asked.

He already had one loli. What he needed now was an older-sister type—and besides, the Snow Empress had two forms.

She was both a daughter and a mother.

"Obviously—"

Tian Meng was immediately stumped, her confidence deflating. She pursed her lips, her voice dropping.

"We can't beat her..."

The Ice Empress had only cultivated for a little over three hundred thousand years. If Tian Meng tried hard enough, she might still have a chance. But the Snow Empress had cultivated for over six hundred thousand years.

And that woman could control the ice and snow of the Far North. She was the true ruler of the region—someone they couldn't afford to provoke.

"That's good, then."

Jiang Yi felt relieved instead.

It seemed Tian Meng had at least some sense. If she'd kept bragging, he would've had to consider whether to take the risk.

"Oh, enough talking! Hurry up, or it'll be dark soon."

Tian Meng tightened her legs around Jiang Yi's neck and urged him on sweetly.

She gazed at the endless snow before them, excitement filling her eyes. Her grin nearly stretched from ear to ear.

Back then, Bingbing had put on her pants and refused to own up, chasing Tian Meng out of the Far North and forcing her to flee south in disarray.

Today, she marched north to reclaim her due!!!

The Far North lay at the northernmost edge of the continent. It was shrouded in bitter cold all year round, and the farther in one went, the lower the temperature fell.

At first, Jiang Yi could still ward off the cold with his Soul Power. But once he entered the core region of the Far North, the temperature plunged again.

From then on, he could only rely on Tian Meng to protect him.

Fortunately, Tian Meng's Spirit Detection kept everything around them within their awareness, down to the slightest rustle.

The boy and the insect traveled through the vast white world of snow and ice without encountering any danger.

The wind blew, the snow fell, and heaven and earth became one.

The two tiny figures blended into the boundless snowfield and pressed steadily onward, deeper into the Far North.