Frost Wind Dragon Valley

It was an overcast day when they set out. Leaden clouds hung low overhead, and the air was damp with a biting chill. Grandmaster stood at the academy gates, stuffing the last of the supplies into a backpack—Cold-Repelling Medicine, Hemostatic Bandages, Antidotes, and dried rations. Each item was wrapped in oiled paper and labeled with instructions and dosage.

"The Dragon Valley in Star Dou Forest lies deep in the core region, thirty li farther than Thunder Marsh." Grandmaster unfolded a map. "Starting from here, it'll take a day and a half at full speed. But with you three, it'll take at least two days."

"The three of us?" Lin Mo looked at Tang San and Xiao Wu.

"This won't be your one-man show." Grandmaster's face remained expressionless. "Tang San needs real combat experience, and Xiao Wu needs to sharpen her teamwork. Besides, the Frost Wind Dragon is in another league from the Thunder Dragon Python. True dragons are intelligent and use tactics. Going alone would be suicide."

Tang San came out with a pack on his back, several throwing knives at his waist and his Sleeve Arrows ready. After absorbing the Mandala Snake Soul Ring, his Blue Silver Grass had gained poison and toughness, but his control still wasn't enough to face an opponent on the level of a true dragon.

"I prepared Ghost Vine seeds," Tang San said. "If we run into danger, I can use Blue Silver Grass to make the Ghost Vines sprout and create temporary traps."

Grandmaster nodded. "Smart. Ghost Vines are five times tougher than Blue Silver Grass, and their poison is stronger, too. They're no match for a Frost Wind Dragon, but they'll buy us enough time."

Xiao Wu was the last to come out. She wore a neat set of short clothes, her hair tied in a ponytail, and she looked full of energy. "I finally get to go on a trip! I was going crazy cooped up at the academy!"

"Don't get excited too soon." Grandmaster poured cold water on her enthusiasm. "The lowest-ranked Soul Beasts in Dragon Valley are a thousand years old, and Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts are common, too. The three of you together would still be easy pickings for one."

Xiao Wu stuck out her tongue, but her expression turned serious.

The four of them set out. Grandmaster led the way, with Lin Mo bringing up the rear. Tang San and Xiao Wu walked in the middle, keeping watch on both sides. Grandmaster had designed their formation himself: in an area dense with Soul Beasts, this diamond formation gave them the widest possible field of view.

They left Nuoding City and headed north. The fields beside the main road gradually turned into wasteland, then into thickets, and finally into a primeval forest that blotted out the sky.

Star Dou Forest.

Standing at the edge of the forest again, Lin Mo felt completely different from the first time. Back then, he had been a level-twenty Soul Grandmaster who had to fight for his life against even a thousand-year Soul Beast. Now he was a level-forty Soul Elder with three Thousand-Year Soul Rings, and his Chaos Dragon Mastiff had evolved into its Three-Attribute Form. The forest no longer pressed on him as heavily, but the auras deep within—the auras of Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts—still put him on his guard instinctively.

"Into the forest." Grandmaster waved them on.

The four figures disappeared beneath the trees.

The forest was half as bright as the world outside. The air was humid and stifling, and thick layers of fallen leaves covered the ground, soft beneath their feet. Grandmaster didn't walk quickly, but each step was steady. Every so often, he used the compass in his hand to correct their course.

"Grandmaster, have you been to Star Dou Forest before?" Xiao Wu asked.

"Many times," Grandmaster said. "But only in the outer regions. I've been to the core region once. That was twenty years ago."

"What happened?"

Grandmaster fell silent for a moment. "I nearly died."

Xiao Wu didn't ask anything else.

After four hours of walking, night fell. Grandmaster found a cave sheltered from the wind for them to spend the night in. It wasn't deep, but it could fit all four of them. He scattered a ring of Beast-Repelling Powder at the entrance—a medicinal powder that masked human scents and worked on Soul Beasts under a thousand years old.

"We'll take turns keeping watch tonight," Grandmaster said. "Lin Mo, you take the first half. Tang San, the second. Xiao Wu, get some rest."

Xiao Wu looked like she wanted to say something, but one glance from Grandmaster silenced her.

Deep into the night, the only sound in the cave was the crackle of the campfire. Tang San and Xiao Wu were already asleep. Grandmaster sat leaning against the cave entrance, writing and sketching in his notebook.

Lin Mo sat by the fire with his eyes closed, cultivating. Soul Power flowed through his body, the energy of his three attributes moving along his meridians far more smoothly than before. Now that his fusion level had reached 81%, the conflict between Earth Fire and Thunder had nearly halved, and his circulation efficiency had increased by almost twenty percent.

"Grandmaster." Lin Mo opened his eyes. "Tell me again about the Frost Wind Dragon."

Grandmaster closed his notebook. "The Frost Wind Dragon is a true dragon with both Ice and Wind attributes. Its body is eight to ten meters long, with a wingspan of fifteen meters. Its scales are ice blue, usually covered in a layer of frost. It has three ways of attacking: Frost Breath, which covers a range of thirty meters and reaches minus fifty degrees, enough to freeze an ordinary Soul Master instantly; Wind Blades released from its wings, sharp enough to slice through iron armor; and, in close combat, its claws and tail, which are powerful enough to smash boulders."

"What are its weak points?"

"Its eyes and abdomen. The scales on its abdomen are the thinnest, making that the weakest spot on its body. But its belly stays close to the ground, and it barely exposes it while flying. Its eyes are another weak point, but its reactions are extremely fast. Hitting them would be very difficult."

Lin Mo thought it over. "If we can limit its ability to fly, our odds will improve a lot."

"Exactly. That's why Tang San's Ghost Vines are so important." Grandmaster looked at the sleeping Tang San. "If he can wrap its wings with them, you'll have your chance."

"But can the Ghost Vines withstand the Frost Wind Dragon's struggles?"

"No," Grandmaster said. "Three seconds at most. You'll have to deal a fatal blow within those three seconds."

Three seconds.

Lin Mo took a deep breath. When he had fought the Thunder Dragon Python, he'd had eight breaths to unleash his full power, and even then it had taken him nearly a minute to win. This time, he had only three seconds.

"That's enough," he said.

Grandmaster glanced at him but said nothing.

The next morning, the four of them continued deeper into the forest.

The closer they got to the core region, the harsher the environment became. The trees grew sparse, and traces of frost began to appear on the ground. White frost coated the blades of grass, and the soil had frozen solid. The temperature plummeted, and their breath formed clouds of white mist.

"We're close." Grandmaster pointed ahead. "Dragon Valley is just beyond that ridge."

The four climbed to the summit and crouched behind a rock, looking down—

Dragon Valley was far larger than they had imagined.

It was a long, narrow valley hemmed in by steep cliffs, with a frozen river running along the bottom. In the middle lay an open stretch scattered with enormous bones—the remains of the dragon's prey. A faint mist drifted through the air, carrying a frosty chill.

The Frost Wind Dragon wasn't in the valley.

"It went out to hunt." Grandmaster observed the area for a while. "True dragons are fiercely territorial. They go out to hunt during the day and return at dusk. We have half a day to prepare."

The four descended into the valley, and Grandmaster began laying out their tactics.

"Tang San, plant Ghost Vine seeds on both sides of the valley entrance. When the Frost Wind Dragon returns, wait until it flies over the entrance, then detonate the seeds and have the Ghost Vines wrap around its wings. Remember, you only get one chance."

Tang San nodded and began setting them up.

"Xiao Wu, hide behind the rocks at the entrance. If Tang San's Ghost Vines can't completely restrain the Frost Wind Dragon, use your Waist Bow to finish the job. Aim for the base of its tail. That's its center of balance. Injure its tail, and it won't be able to fly steadily."

Xiao Wu rubbed her hands together. "Got it!"

"Lin Mo, lie in ambush beneath the ice at the entrance." Grandmaster pointed to the ground. "There's a layer of thick ice there. I'll use a fire-attribute Soul Tool to melt a hole for you to hide in. When the Ghost Vines snare the Frost Wind Dragon, attack from below and go straight for its abdomen."

Lin Mo glanced at the ice. It was at least half a meter thick. Visibility would be poor inside, so he'd have to rely on sensing Soul Power to find his target. And the temperature beneath the ice was brutally low; staying there too long could leave him frostbitten.

"I can handle it," he said.

Grandmaster didn't say more. He took a fist-sized red orb from his backpack—a fire-attribute Soul Tool that could release intense heat when infused with Soul Power. He set it on the ice and slowly poured Soul Power into it. The ice began to melt, and soon a pit two meters deep and one meter wide had opened up.

Lin Mo jumped into the pit. Grandmaster drained away the meltwater, then covered the opening with a thin layer of ice to disguise it. Inside, it was cold and damp, and Lin Mo's body heat was rapidly draining away.

"Endure it," Grandmaster said. "It won't return until dusk. You'll have to stay in the ice for at least four hours."

Four hours.

Lin Mo closed his eyes and sped up the flow of his Soul Power, using it to maintain his body temperature. The energy of his three attributes moved through his body. Earth Fire Power supplied heat, while Thunder Power stimulated his blood circulation, barely keeping the cold at bay.

Minute by minute, time passed.

The sun sank in the west, and dusk settled over the land. A wind rose in the valley, carrying a bone-deep chill.

Then a black speck appeared on the horizon.

The speck grew larger and larger, accompanied by the howl of rushing wind—the Frost Wind Dragon was back.

Lin Mo saw it through the thin ice. Its ice-blue scales glimmered in the sunset, and its enormous wings blotted out the sky. Every flap sent a fierce gust surging through the air. It carried the corpse of an Iron-Armored Rhino in its mouth, the beast no bigger than a toy between its jaws.

The Frost Wind Dragon lowered its altitude and flew toward the valley entrance.

Now!

Tang San detonated the Ghost Vine seeds. The ground on both sides of the entrance burst open, and dozens of arm-thick vines shot up, growing wildly as they snaked toward the Frost Wind Dragon's wings!

The Frost Wind Dragon reacted in a flash. It dropped the Iron-Armored Rhino from its jaws, then beat its wings violently, trying to break free. But the Ghost Vines were far tougher than ordinary plants. Their barbs dug into the gaps between its scales, binding them tight.

One second.

The Frost Wind Dragon roared, and Frost Power erupted! The Ghost Vines froze over instantly, turning brittle. With another flap of its wings, it shattered the ice crystals, snapping most of the vines.

Two seconds.

Xiao Wu sprang out from behind the rocks, clamped her legs around the base of the Frost Wind Dragon's tail, and unleashed her Waist Bow with all her strength—crack! The joint in its tail twisted out of place. The Frost Wind Dragon howled in pain, its body lurching as its wings lost their rhythm.

Three seconds.

Lin Mo burst through the ice!

[Dragon Mastiff Fury] activated instantly! All his attributes surged by 80%, and a wave of dark-golden energy exploded outward, shattering the ice under the force of its shockwave. He adjusted his posture in midair. Three colors of light shone at once on his right claw—dark gold, crimson, and blue-violet. In that instant, he forcibly fused the energy of all three attributes together!

[Dragon Claw: Void Breaker] unleashed at full power!

It wasn't a single blade of light, or even five. It was a sphere of three-colored energy, an ultimate strike formed from every last drop of his Soul Power!

The energy sphere slammed into the thinnest scales on the Frost Wind Dragon's abdomen—BOOM!

The ice-blue scales shattered, and flesh flew everywhere. A hole the size of a washbasin was blasted into its belly! Ice-blue blood gushed out like a fountain, exposing its innards.

The Frost Wind Dragon gave a dying wail. Its body flipped halfway over in the air, then crashed heavily onto the ground at the valley entrance. The ice shattered beneath it, and mud flew everywhere. It struggled to take off, but its wings had lost their strength, only flapping helplessly against the ground.

Lin Mo landed on one knee, panting heavily. That strike had consumed most of his Soul Power. The backlash from forcibly fusing three attributes made his meridians ache as if knives were carving them up.

"Finish it!" Grandmaster shouted.

Tang San's Blue Silver Grass surged from the ground and wrapped around the Frost Wind Dragon's neck. Xiao Wu flipped onto its back, clamped her legs around its head, and put all her strength into her waist and abdomen—crack! The sound of its neck snapping was as clear as a dead branch breaking.

The Frost Wind Dragon twitched one last time, then lay still.

An ice-blue Soul Ring rose from the corpse, dense as frozen crystal—three thousand five hundred years old.

"We did it..." Xiao Wu jumped down from the dragon's back, her legs a little weak.

Tang San let out a sigh of relief as well, and his Blue Silver Grass withdrew.

Lin Mo walked up to the Soul Ring and sat cross-legged. Without hesitation, he guided it into his body.

The instant the three-thousand-five-hundred-year Soul Ring entered him, Lin Mo felt as if his entire body were about to freeze solid!

Ice-attribute energy surged into him like a tide, slamming into Earth Fire Power and Thunder Power. The conflict between the three attributes reached its peak. Earth Fire and Frost were sworn enemies, while Thunder fanned the flames between them. His meridians felt as if three different knives were carving them up. The pain nearly knocked him unconscious.

Three colors appeared on the surface of his skin—crimson, ice blue, and blue-violet—flickering in turn like a broken light. His body temperature lurched wildly, one moment hot enough to steam, the next so cold that frost formed on his skin.

The system prompts flashed frantically:

[Absorbing Frost Wind Dragon Soul Ring... three thousand five hundred years...]

[Warning! Attribute conflict has reached the critical threshold! Body temperature out of control! Meridian damage rate: 37%...42%...]

[Resonance detected from Dragon God Crystal Fragment! Spend 500 Evolution Points to trigger trace absorption of the Dragon God Crystal?]

[Note: Trace absorption will not break through the level-fifty limit, but can temporarily harmonize the attribute conflict]

"Spend them! Do it now!"

His Evolution Points dropped by 500 in an instant. The Dragon God Crystal Fragment in his backpack shuddered, releasing a thread of faint dark-golden energy. The energy coursed through Lin Mo's meridians, like a line stringing all three attributes together. It wasn't fusion, but forced balance. Bound by that "line," the three energies stopped clashing and began to flow along fixed paths.

[Temporary attribute harmonization successful. Meridian damage halted.]

[Trace absorption of Dragon God Crystal Fragment complete (1%/100%)]

[Soul Ring absorption resumed...]

An hour later, the Soul Ring had been completely absorbed.

Lin Mo opened his eyes. Four Soul Rings rose beneath his feet—purple, purple, purple, purple.

Four Thousand-Year Soul Rings!

[Fourth Soul Ring acquired successfully]

[Soul Power Level: 42]

[Martial Soul Evolution progress: 65%→78%]

[New Soul Skill: Frost Wind Dragon Wings—condense a pair of frost wings and gain the ability to fly for a short time (lasts thirty breaths); all attributes increase by 20% while flying]

[Evolution Form: Three-Attribute Form upgrade in progress...]

[Chaos Dragon Mastiff: Three-Attribute Form→Chaos Dragon Mastiff: Four-Attribute Form (Earth Fire + Thunder + Frost)]

[New Passive: Four Symbols Circulation—four attributes circulate automatically within the body, increasing Soul Power recovery speed by 30% and greatly boosting resistance to all attributes]

[New Active: Four Symbols Breath—can switch between Earth Fire, Thunder, Frost, and mixed breath attacks. The power of a mixed breath attack combining all four attributes increases by 200%, but its cost triples and it damages the meridians]

Lin Mo stood up, feeling the transformation within him turn his world upside down.

The energy of four attributes flowed through his meridians, held in check by the faint power of the Dragon God Crystal. They still clashed, but no longer caused serious damage. His Soul Power recovered noticeably faster, and his resistance to all four attributes had increased greatly. He now had some resistance to attacks of the Fire, Thunder, and Ice attributes.

"You succeeded." Grandmaster came over and examined his condition. "Your meridians are damaged, but not badly. Half a month of rest should be enough for them to recover."

"The trace absorption of the Dragon God Crystal temporarily suppressed the attribute conflict," Lin Mo said. "But it's only temporary. To solve the problem completely, I have to fully absorb the Dragon God Crystal at level fifty."

Grandmaster nodded. "That's why your top priority over the next two years is to improve your Soul Power while searching for rare natural treasures that can harmonize your attributes. You can't put all your hopes on the Dragon God Crystal. If it fails, you'll need a backup plan."

"What backup plan?"

"The Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well," Grandmaster said. "It's a place from legend, where countless rare natural treasures grow. If we can find it, there may be herbs there that can harmonize your attributes."

The Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

Lin Mo's heart gave a hard thump. It was the place where Tang San had found the Immortal Herbs in the original story, Dugu Bo's garden. According to the timeline, Dugu Bo should already have claimed it, but he hadn't met Tang San yet.

"Do you know where it is?" Lin Mo asked.

"I don't." Grandmaster shook his head. "I've only heard of it. A Titled Douluo has claimed that place. It's not somewhere we can meddle in."

Lin Mo didn't ask any more. This wasn't the time to go to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. He wasn't strong enough; going there now would be suicide. He'd consider it after reaching level fifty and absorbing the Dragon God Crystal.

The four of them cleaned up the battlefield and prepared to head back.

Lin Mo cut off a few of the Frost Wind Dragon's scales and one of its claw bones. They'd fetch a good price on the market. He couldn't do anything with the Soul Beast's corpse. The dragon was over twenty meters long, so he had to leave it for the other Soul Beasts in the forest.

"Move quickly," Grandmaster urged. "The smell of blood will attract other Soul Beasts."

The four of them hurried away from Dragon Valley, leaving the core region before dawn.

On the way back, the system displayed new prompts:

[Fourth Soul Ring hunt complete. Reward: 300 Evolution Points]

[Current Evolution Points: 1240]

[Time remaining in Phase One of the Legacy of the Dragon God: 2 years, 7 months]

[Martial Soul Fusion: 78% (fusion temporarily decreased in Four-Attribute Form; time is needed to adapt)]

[New temporary mission: Adapt to Four-Attribute Form]

[Requirement: Raise Four-Attribute Fusion to above 70% within one month]

[Reward: 200 Evolution Points, 1 Skill Enhancement Stone]

The fusion level of the Four-Attribute Form was only 78%—lower than the Three-Attribute Form's 81%. That was because Frost Power had only just been added and hadn't yet formed a stable cycle with the other three attributes. The faint power of the Dragon God Crystal had temporarily suppressed the conflict, but true fusion would take time.

They arrived back in Nuoding City at noon on the third day.

Grandmaster told Lin Mo to return to the dormitory and rest while he went to find someone to process the Frost Wind Dragon's scales and claw bone. "These materials can be made into armor and weapons. They'll be a great boost to your combat strength."

Lin Mo lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.

Four Soul Rings slowly revolved within him, and the energy of four attributes flowed through his meridians. He could feel the conflict between them. Earth Fire and Frost were sworn enemies; whenever they touched, they exploded. Thunder fanned the flames between them, while Chaos Power struggled to maintain the balance, barely managing to keep up.

"It'll take time," he murmured to himself. "And more real combat."

A month from now, at the Soto Great Soul Arena, he would continue competing under the name "Dragon Mastiff." He needed real combat to master the Four-Attribute Form, and the Soul Fighting Arena was the best whetstone for the job.

Outside the window, Tang Hao appeared again.

This time, he wasn't carrying a wine bottle. He had a cloth-wrapped bundle in his hand.

"Catch." He tossed the bundle inside.

Lin Mo caught it and opened it. Inside was a dark-red piece of metal, about the size of a fist, covered in fine patterns and scorching hot to the touch.

"Thunder-Pattern Steel," Tang Hao said. "Your inner armor was shattered, wasn't it? Use this to forge a new one. It can withstand a full-power strike from a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast."

Lin Mo held the Thunder-Pattern Steel, feeling the heat in his palm. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me." Tang Hao turned around. "If you want to thank someone, thank Grandmaster. He was the one who asked me to find the materials."

He left.

Lin Mo stared at the Thunder-Pattern Steel in his hand, silent for a long time.

Grandmaster... That man, so cold in his words, was more thoughtful in his actions than anyone. When the Thunder-Resistant Inner Armor had shattered, he'd asked Tang Hao to find better materials so it could be reforged. He'd said, "Don't pin all your hopes on the Dragon God Crystal," but in private, he was already helping Lin Mo find a backup plan.

Someone like that was worthy of trust.

Lin Mo put away the Thunder-Pattern Steel and closed his eyes.

Tomorrow, his cultivation would resume.

Two years. Level fifty. The Dragon God Crystal.

Then—the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, to balance his attributes and break into a higher realm.

Outside the window, the sun sank in the west, setting the clouds ablaze in dark red.

Thunder rumbled in the direction of Star Dou Forest.

It came from the direction of Dragon Valley.

Lin Mo rolled over and sank into sleep. In his dreams, four colors of energy intertwined within him, like four little dragons frolicking together. He stood among them, holding dark golden chains in his hands and linking them together.

The Dragon God Crystal glowed in his palm.