Another Way to Use the Panel

Having completed the forging of two Level 8 Soul Tools, Jiang Che did not rush to stop.

The prompt on his panel, [Level 8 Soul Master (Incomplete) 2/3], meant he still needed to craft one more Level 8 Soul Tool to finish the task.

This time, Jiang Che prepared to create a Level 8 Soul Ray. In the world of soul tools, the production of a Soul Ray is considered "hell-tier" in difficulty.

One need only look at how even someone as formidable as Huo Yuhao originally took three days to complete one, while an ordinary Level 8 Soul Master would require dozens of days, with any slight carelessness forcing them to start over from scratch.

The materials required must include Star Gold, Far North Ice Marrow, and Dark Gold Terrorclaw, among other top-tier rare metals; ordinary metals cannot withstand the high-load energy of a Level 8 array.

The purification requirements are stringent, demanding that impurities in the metal be stripped down to the micron level, and the smelting temperature must be precisely controlled within a range of plus or minus five degrees; the slightest deviation results in the scrapping of the materials.

It is necessary to simultaneously integrate 24 secondary core arrays into 3 central main arrays, with the complexity of a single secondary array far exceeding that of the central array of a Level 7 Soul Tool.

The core technique is the "Ice Needle Eighteen Twists"—using soul power to condense fine needles to perform micro-carving inside the metal, executing 18 twists in a single stroke with a precision requirement of 0.01 millimeters; any deviation causes the entire soul tool to be scrapped.

Jiang Che also took exactly three days to craft this Level 8 Soul Ray, just like Huo Yuhao, but its power far exceeded the one Huo Yuhao had made; after all, this one had the blessing of the Tian-Shu Carving Knife.

Five days later, Jiang Che headed to the Sea God Pavilion to bid farewell to Elder Mu.

"Teacher, I am preparing to head to the Far North," Jiang Che said, looking at Mu En before him.

Inside the Sea God Pavilion, sunlight spilled through the glass windows onto the rustic wooden floor, and Elder Mu was sitting in the main seat, reading something. Hearing Jiang Che's voice, the old man looked up, his gaze filled with a touch of understanding and gratification.

"Go, and remember to be careful in all things." Elder Mu did not say much, merely urging Jiang Che to be cautious.

"I will be careful, Teacher, you must also take care of your health." Jiang Che knew that Mu En's time was running out. In the original story, Mu En was heavily injured after a great battle with Du Bisi of the Body Sect, relying on a Dragon Core to extend his life and break through to Level 99, but that Dragon Core contained the baleful energy of the dragon race, and after being backlashed by it, he ended up like this.

If there were a chance, Jiang Che still wanted to save Mu En, but Jiang Che currently only knew that the extreme cold attribute of Ultimate Ice could suppress the scorching baleful energy of the Bright Holy Dragon, though this could only treat the symptoms and not the root cause, and could not last long.

"Teacher, do you really not need me to follow the little junior brother to the Far North?" After Jiang Che left the Sea God Pavilion, Yan Shaozhe suddenly appeared.

"No need. Your little junior brother is already Level 90, and with the trump cards he holds, he can roam anywhere on the Douluo Continent," Mu En said calmly.

After leaving Shrek Academy, Jiang Che released his restrictions and flew toward the north at a normal speed.

In the blink of an eye, two days had passed, and Jiang Che could clearly feel the air beginning to grow colder and colder.

He entered a city to stock up on supplies, especially to buy a map. This was Jiang Che's first time coming to the Far North, and without a guide, he had to rely entirely on himself.

Jiang Che had now reached the vicinity of the northern border of the Heaven Dou Empire, only two hours away from the Far North.

One must know that Shrek Academy is located in the southeast of the Heaven Dou Empire, bordering the Star Luo Empire.

This journey of Jiang Che's was equivalent to traversing the entire Heaven Dou Empire in just two days, from the southernmost point to the northernmost, so one can imagine how fast his speed was.

After completing his supplies, Jiang Che did not linger and continued to fly toward the Far North. The icy cold air drilled into his body through the gaps in his clothes like tiny knives.

But he did not feel a hint of cold; instead, he felt somewhat comfortable. This was merely the outer periphery of the Far North, and Jiang Che's goal was aimed directly at the core area.

His original plan was to be satisfied with hunting a 100,000-year soul ring here, but now that he had the soul ring rewarded by the system, how could Jiang Che still look down upon an ordinary 100,000-year soul ring? He had said, "Either I don't want it, or I want the best."

[Danger! Danger! Detected that the host is only a Level 32 Soul Elder. In this dangerous environment, the host will not survive two days. Please leave quickly, host.]

The panel suddenly popped up, startling Jiang Che; he thought the panel had gone crazy.

Jiang Che ignored the panel and continued to walk deeper. The further he went, the more biting the cold became, until the air itself seemed to freeze into solid ice crystals, causing a bone-piercing pain when inhaled into the lungs.

Yet Jiang Che was completely unaware of it. His martial soul was Ultimate Ice, and his affinity with the ice attribute far exceeded that of ordinary people; to him, this cold air was nothing more than a gentle breeze.

Just as he rounded a patch of frozen stone forest, a low wolf howl suddenly pierced the silence of the snowfield.

Immediately following, a vigorous figure lunged out from a snowdrift. Its ice-blue fur shimmered with a cold luster under the pale sunlight, ice shards clung to its sharp fangs, and a pair of amber eyes stared fixedly at Jiang Che, filled with intense vigilance and ferocity.

It was an 8,000-year Polar Snow Wolf. After Jiang Che hid his aura, it had mistaken him for an ordinary human and jumped out impatiently.

This snow wolf was more than three times the size of an ordinary wild wolf, its limbs thick and powerful, its claws embedded deep into the ice layer, and with every breath, white mist sprayed from its nostrils.

It was clearly the overlord of this area, and upon sensing the faint human aura on Jiang Che, it immediately treated him as prey invading its territory.

[Danger! Danger! The host has encountered an 8,000-year Polar Snow Wolf. Its strength far exceeds the host's. Please complete the following tasks.]

[1. Escape the pursuit of the Polar Snow Wolf, 2. Drive away the Polar Snow Wolf, 3. Kill the Polar Snow Wolf]

Seeing that Jiang Che dared to remain dazed, the Polar Snow Wolf let out a low growl, its four limbs exerting force as its massive body pounced toward Jiang Che like an arrow released from a bow, its sharp claws tearing through the air with a shrill whistling sound.

Jiang Che stood where he was, not moving an inch, merely expanding his soul power pressure toward the snow wolf.

"Wooo—" The Polar Snow Wolf let out a mournful howl. It was only at this moment that it understood Jiang Che's terror, begging for Jiang Che to spare its life.

But how could Jiang Che let it have its way? He raised his hand and gripped the void, and with a "bang," the body of the Polar Snow Wolf exploded.

[Congratulations to the host for fighting to the death, killing the Polar Snow Wolf beyond your level to complete Task 3. Obtained a 4,000-year soul ring age increase.]

"What the hell is this?" Jiang Che was stunned at first. I clearly just gripped my hand casually to complete the kill, how did it become a fight to the death?

"Hmm? Wait a minute, I seem to have discovered another way to use the panel." Jiang Che suddenly thought of something, his eyes becoming heated. He looked at the panel as if he were looking at a peerless beauty, just waiting for him to slowly explore the most suitable posture.