Journey to the Great North Begins (Please Follow, Vote, Recommend, and Bookmark)

Journey to the Great North Begins (Please Follow... Vote... Recommend... Bookmark)

"Hehe." Ling Han's smile was as bright as a child who had secretly eaten candy. With undisguised dependence, he tilted his head up at Xue Qinglan.

"If I had to venture into that godforsaken place alone? I wouldn't dare even if you beat me to death! But Sister Xue is here, isn't she?"

His tone was light, yet it brimmed with absolute trust in this rank 96 Super Douluo.

"With a big shot who can solo a 100,000-year Phoenix and forcibly turn it into a Soul Ring protecting me at close range, the safety of this Novice Village graduation trip is completely maxed out. This is SSS-tier VIP treatment!"

Xue Qinglan was slightly taken aback by Ling Han's straightforward, fervent, and somewhat shameless trust.

The corners of her lips unexpectedly lifted ever so slightly upon that icy, aloof face, like a snow lotus quietly blooming across an ice field. It vanished in an instant, yet left behind the faintest trace of warmth.

"You flatter me, Young Master Han. Protecting your safety is simply my duty." Her tone was solemn, but then she changed the subject, her ice-blue eyes fixed on Ling Han with gravity.

"However, Young Master Han, there is one thing you must remember: absorbing a Soul Ring is ultimately the most direct collision and fusion of a Soul Master's and a Soul Beast's will and energy. External help can only keep you safe; it cannot bear that impact in your stead."

"The older the bloodline and the stronger the Soul Beast, the more wild and violent the energy contained within its Soul Ring will be. The remaining will of the Soul Beast will likewise strike with greater savagery."

"Even if I stand guard at your side and suppress most of the violent energy for you, the absorption process will by no means be easy or pleasant. It may even be... excruciatingly painful."

"Sister Xue, don't worry about that!" Ling Han put away his playful grin and puffed out his slender yet already faintly resolute chest. Blazing battle intent burned in his eyes, as though ice-blue flames danced within them.

"My Ice Hell Dragon Emperor Spirit isn't some pushover! Extreme Ice lets me control the very origin of frost, while Extreme Power grants me an unparalleled physique! With dual attributes as my foundation, I refuse to believe I can't withstand the energy impact of a mere thousand-year Soul Ring!"

"If I'm choosing one, then I'll choose a Top-tier Soul Beast with the strongest bloodline, the most violent power, and Ice Element purity pushed to the absolute limit!"

"Only a Soul Ring like that will be thrilling enough to absorb! Only then will the Soul Skill it grants be domineering enough—explosive enough!" He could practically see the breathtaking sight of himself activating his First Soul Skill, freezing everything for a thousand miles as dragon might surged across the land.

As though responding to his surging resolve and desire—

Ding! Host's core objective has been clearly detected: obtain the First Soul Ring!

Mission issued: First Expedition to the Great North

Mission details: Travel to the Core Region of the Great North, successfully hunt a Top-tier Soul Beast with an ancient and powerful bloodline, supremely pure Ice Element, and an age of no less than five thousand years. Then, relying on your own strength, successfully absorb its Soul Ring.

Mission rewards:
1. Preliminary activation authority for the Eternal Frost Domain (unlock the power of the domain and control a territory of ice!)
2. One random ice-type Soul Bone (random body part; Soul Bones are precious and cannot be sought at will!)
3. Summoning Points x 1000 (can be used for shop exchanges or summoning)
4. One Random Summoning Card (gain another powerful helper!)

Failure penalty: The source potential of the Ice Hell Dragon Emperor Spirit will be damaged (on the path to the extreme, if you do not advance, you retreat! Boy, don't chicken out!)

"Whoa! System, you're getting fired up too, huh? You're issuing a mission right away?"

Ling Han froze for a moment. Then his eyes erupted with a radiance more dazzling than the stars, and he was so excited he nearly jumped up on the Frost Phoenix's back.

"Eternal Frost Domain activation?! And a Soul Bone?! Oh my god! These rewards... are practically a super-luxury package tailored specifically for me!"

He felt his blood boiling. "This is such a bargain! I have to go to the Great North! I have to succeed! Whoever tries to stop me will regret it!"

He abruptly turned toward Xue Qinglan beside him and forcefully swung his little hand. Though his face was still childish, he carried the bold air of one commanding the world.

"Sister Xue, time waits for no one. Let's pack up and set off right—uh..." His momentum had barely risen when he glanced around at the image in his mind of that bare, impoverished straw hut, now tens of thousands of miles beneath them. His voice immediately caught, and he scratched his head awkwardly.

"Seems like... there's nothing to pack." The only thing of any value was probably the water vat that had been frozen into a solid block of ice by his Spirit's pressure.

"Young Master need not trouble himself with such trivial matters." Xue Qinglan's voice carried an assuring chill.

She elegantly raised her left hand. On her slender index finger, a Storage Ring of ancient design appeared quietly, set with a deep ice-blue gemstone. Within the gem, an icy crystalline nebula seemed to slowly flow.

"Daily necessities and emergency supplies have all been prepared by this subordinate. Everything is inside."

A faint glimmer flashed at her fingertip, and the ring vanished. "However, this place is more than ten thousand miles from the Core Region of the Great North. Even flying at my full speed without rest, day and night, it will still take several days to reach it."

"Fly there?" Ling Han unconsciously rubbed his chin. Then his eyes rolled, and with a hint of slyness and intense anticipation, he raised his little face toward Xue Qinglan.

"Sister Xue, your Spirit is the Ice Phoenix, right? A phoenix... that's a divine bird! It can definitely fly, right?" He paused, his tone taking on a probing, almost coquettish note.

"So... um... when you fly, could you give me a ride too? Hehe, I promise I'll behave and won't cause trouble!"

Xue Qinglan instantly understood what her young master was thinking.

Seeing his sparkling eyes filled with expectation, like a young beast longing for candy, the faint helplessness in her heart was swiftly replaced by an almost indulgent affection.

She nodded slightly, and her cool voice softened somewhat. "Of course. The Ice Phoenix is inherently a supreme divine bird that soars through the nine heavens and commands wind and snow. If Young Master does not mind these feathers being cold and hard, this subordinate is willing to carry you."

"I don't mind! Absolutely not!" Ling Han was so excited he nearly began dancing with his hands and feet. His little face flushed red from excitement.

"Riding a phoenix! This treatment, this prestige—it's no less impressive than riding a dragon! That's so cool!"

He urged impatiently, "Go, go, go! Sister Xue, let's leave right now! I can't wait to fleece the Great North... ah, no, I mean, to find the most perfect First Soul Ring destined for me!"

Watching Ling Han bounce with the vitality of a newborn sun, Xue Qinglan's heart, seemingly frozen for eternity, rippled with faint waves of its own.

Without another word, she extended her delicate jade-like hand, as though carved from the purest ice and snow, palm upward. A gentle yet resilient ice-blue current of Soul Power, like the warmest cloud, softly but securely lifted Ling Han's small body and placed him steadily before her, at the junction between the Frost Phoenix's broad back and long neck.

"Young Master Han, please stand firmly and hold on tight." Her voice remained clear amid the howling gale.

The instant her words fell—

"Cry—!"

A clear, drawn-out phoenix cry, as though it could pierce beyond the nine heavens, suddenly rang out beside them!

The cry did not deliberately release any pressure, yet it carried the sacredness of its bloodline and the chilling aura of supreme control over extreme cold, instantly washing away the chaotic currents around them.

The vast Soul Power around Xue Qinglan surged like an invisible tide. The enormous illusory image of an ice-crystal phoenix behind her abruptly solidified at that moment!