Sky Dream Ice Silkworm: Ice Empress, I'm back!

"What do you mean?!"

Zhou Yi snapped her head up, instantly enraged, her gaze sharp as a blade, her face trembling uncontrollably:

"I'm targeting him on purpose? He hasn't even learned the most basic respect for his teachers!"

"The entire Shrek Academy can't distinguish right from wrong,"

"and now you're saying the same thing!"

"What about Yan Shaozhe? What about Xuan Zi?! By what right do they have to manage me?!"

She shrieked in a frenzy.

Fan Yu could only stop what he was doing, looking at Zhou Yi helplessly, sighing in his heart, "Yes, yes, yes,"

"the academy is all wrong, but I will definitely stand on your side..."

"Let's not talk about this; Yu Hao has been very diligent, and he's made great progress recently..."

Three months passed in the blink of an eye, the reputation of the milk tea shop grew larger and larger, the small five-hundred-square-meter shop was packed with people every day, and Lu Ran had to consider opening a branch.

Just as he had expected, within only five days of the milk tea shop becoming a hit, at least ten similar drink shops had opened across Shrek City, even selling similar drinks: pirated Mango Octets of the Passion Fruit Duet, pirated watermelon fruit teas of the Grape Fruit Tea...

But for one, these drink shops couldn't match the taste of the milk tea shop; the tea base was currently exclusive, not to mention those fluffy Cloud Cluster Ground Rats that could attract people just by breathing, and who could refuse such cute creatures?

Secondly, the costs were too high, Douluo Continent was not lacking in noble families, some of whom were fruit-growing clans that had likely been planting fruit for generations, with their fruit trees evolving from one-year lifespans to hundred-year ones, even if these drink shops grew and picked their own ten-year and hundred-year fruits, the costs were still high, how could they compare to Lu Ran's zero-cost Soul Beast fruits?

However, they had managed to gain a temporary foothold by riding the coattails of his popularity.

Several days later, the Far North, middle layer of the snow plains.

A pale green afterimage streaked across the sky, in the distance of the afterimage stood towering snow-capped mountains that had stood for who knows how many millennia, while the plains nearby were covered in snow stretching for ten thousand miles, reflecting the sunlight and dazzling the eyes, under the deep blue sky, the sun hung high, yet not a shred of warmth could be felt, it was as if it were releasing icy cold air, or perhaps absorbing all the warmth.

Above the snow plains, "Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

The wind whistled continuously in his ears as Lu Ran lay prone on the back of the Jade Green Luan, his cheek pressed against its cyan feathers, which were as smooth as top-tier silk, his hand reaching into the fluffy neck feathers, feeling the warmth, there was no helping it, even with the Soul Tool he had borrowed from Xuan Zi to insulate against the cold, he was still freezing.

He touched his wrist, where a heating semi-metallic bracelet with the texture of jade sat, it was a Level 7 Soul Tool.

When he had gone to find Xuan Zi seven days ago, Xuan Zi did not hesitate to lend it to him, his tone exceptionally hearty: "If you don't like it, I can take you to snatch one... haha, just kidding, of course I mean borrow. Snatching would get us caught."

"...Are you really borrowing it, Elder Xuan?"

"What kind of talk is that? Have I ever lied to you? Also, make sure you don't tell Dean Yan. He doesn't like Soul Tools. If he finds out I secretly lent you a Soul Tool, he'll have something to say about it..."

Lu Ran nodded solemnly: "Rest assured, Elder Xuan, I definitely won't say a word!"

But in his heart, he thought:

Don't worry, Elder Xuan, Dean Yan is secretly using them too...

For a moment, Lu Ran realized that everyone was secretly using Soul Tools, giving him the strange feeling that everyone was a double agent.

Everyone was using them and everyone thought Soul Tools were excellent, but due to factions, traditions, resources... and various other reasons, they couldn't praise them in public, or even use them openly.

Shrek was not as decadent as he had imagined, but in matters like this, it was truly... well... thought-provoking.

Lu Ran cast his gaze outward. He had been in the Far North for two days, and all that met his eyes was the monotonous, snowy white.

This vast, boundless white landscape was incredibly shocking at first glance, especially when soaring in mid-air and looking down at the endless snowfields and ice peaks, which were completely different from the surging, vibrant green of the Star Dou Great Forest, making one feel an instinctive awe for the world, and becoming increasingly aware of one's own insignificance.

After flying for half an hour, the terrain below became increasingly treacherous, with massive ice crevasses over a hundred meters long visible, deep and bottomless.

He couldn't help but sigh, thankful that he could fly; otherwise, one slip would mean he would never be coming back up.

"Hm?"

Lu Ran suddenly sensed something amiss.

He turned his head to look, and in the sky behind him, there was actually a giant eagle with a wingspan of at least ten meters. Its entire body was snow-white, save for its talons and sharp beak, which were a dull gold.

Its gaze was as sharp as a blade, and it was accelerating as it dove toward him. Its wings were faintly wreathed in white air currents, and its sharp talons were thrust forward, seemingly capable of easily piercing through Lu Ran's skull.

"..."

Lu Ran's hair whipped wildly in the wind, yet his expression remained calm.

In the next second, the figures of the man and the bird vanished instantly.

The white giant eagle chasing behind faltered, its momentum carrying it forward, but it struck empty air, finding nothing at all:

"Caw?!"

Where did the prey go?!

Inside the Small World, the humid, warm air instantly enveloped his entire body, forming a stark contrast to the icy cold and dryness from just a moment ago. He felt as if he had come back to life.

The cold-resistant Soul Tool bracelet also ceased its consumption of soul power.

The Jade Green Luan landed gently, folding its wings, and let out a soft cry:

"Shu~"

Scared me to death, good thing I'm used to it~

Lu Ran jumped down, stepping onto the soft grass.

"Half of my soul power is gone. I'll recover before heading back out."

He stroked the Jade Green Luan's wing as he spoke.

"Whoosh!"

One has to marvel, the Small World is truly too convenient.

Along this journey, it has allowed me to evade eleven Soul Beast hunts, and I can even enter it to recover soul power.

After all, it is a Level 7 defensive Soul Tool;

with the outside world being so frigid, it is only natural to expend some soul power.

He even sleeps in the Small World at night, where it is incredibly warm and completely devoid of danger.

Especially when compared to the bitter cold of the ice plains, it seems even more perfect.

After making slight adjustments, waiting for his soul power to be fully restored, he continued forward.

A cyan figure appeared once again above the snow plains, and that Snow Eagle had long since departed.

In the blink of an eye, a cyan streak of light cut across the horizon.

One day later, Lu Ran calculated the speed and distance before landing on a stretch of ice plain.

The terrain here suddenly became level, but it was equally terrifyingly cold.

Even with a defensive Soul Tool and soul power to ward off the chill, he could not help but shiver.

He took a deep breath, his nasal passages aching from the cold, and his lungs felt painfully frozen.

He retracted the Jade Green Luan into the Small World.

One meter in front of him, a column-like object the length of an arm suddenly appeared.

It was snow-white throughout, crystal clear, and not solid inside; a milky white substance flowed within it like life itself. The moment it appeared, it was as if the entire world became even colder.

Formed over ten thousand years by extreme cold and the essence of heaven and earth, it is the supreme ice-type treasure that all Ice Attribute Soul Beasts dream of:

Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow.

"..."

He waited for a moment.

Everything seemed unchanged;

the gale howled, the world was silent, and there was not even any snow.

However, Lu Ran pulled out the other item—the feather-shaped Soul Tool lent to him by Xuan Zi—and its indicator light was flashing a frantic, dangerous red.

A blood-like crimson, constantly warning him: leave at once!