Frost Saber-Toothed Tiger

A yellow Soul Ring slowly gathered over the Ice-Patterned Wolf's corpse, then began to rotate, shining brilliantly.

"After a Soul Ring forms, it lasts for about an hour. If you don't absorb it in time, it'll dissipate."

Shui Bing'er told Li Jiuxuan, "This Ice-Patterned Wolf was nearly a hundred and fifty years old. It was fairly strong, and its speed was astonishing, but it isn't suitable for you. Let's find a Soul Beast that specializes in strength."

"Mm."

Li Jiuxuan gazed at the yellow Soul Ring, his eyes calm. The Ice-Patterned Wolf's corpse still held a trace of warmth, and the radiant glow of the Soul Ring reflected in his eyes. He couldn't absorb it, but he didn't feel the slightest regret. After all, pure strength was what he sought.

Seeing how composed he was, Shui Bing'er smiled almost imperceptibly, feeling even more approving of this little brother.

Ordinary Soul Scholars who had just reached level ten would show some impatience upon seeing a relatively powerful Hundred-Year Soul Ring. But Xiao Jiuxuan remained calm and steady, without a trace of greed.

The cold wind swept up the loose snow, howling across the Far North Ice Plains.

Shui Bing'er walked ahead and said in a quiet voice, "Most ice-attribute Soul Beasts in the Far North lean toward speed and control. There aren't many that specialize in strength, but when one does appear, its age and physique are far beyond those of ordinary Soul Beasts."

She paused, then continued, "We're looking for an Ice-Armor Giant Bear or an Ice-Splitting Rhino at least three hundred years old, somewhere around the outer edges. Those Soul Beasts have thick hides and immense strength. Their Soul Rings also grant Soul Skills focused on offense and amplification, making them the best fit for the powerful offensive abilities of your Ice Dragon King Martial Soul."

As Shui Bing'er led Li Jiuxuan deeper into the area, she explained things to him.

Li Jiuxuan followed quietly behind her, listening as his ears twitched, carefully picking up the sounds around them.

Whoosh!

They hadn't gone far when Li Jiuxuan and Shui Bing'er both suddenly narrowed their eyes.

They turned almost in unison. As they channeled their Soul Power, several ice blades and ice spikes shot out!

They moved so fast they sliced through the air with a piercing hiss!

Splurt!

Several plum blossoms bloomed across the pristine snow!

A Soul Beast beneath the ground had been struck, its blood pouring out.

"Hm? Four Cold Ice Scorpions. They're good at burrowing through the snow and ambushing their prey with poison!"

Shui Yue'er stepped into the reddened snow and kicked the ice aside, revealing several scorpions with punctured bodies. Three had ice spikes embedded in them, while the fourth had an ice blade stuck in it. "They're small, but each one is seventy or eighty years old!"

Shui Yue'er covered her mouth, which had fallen open in surprise, and said, "Xiao Jiuxuan, you're incredible! Your reaction was so fast—you killed a high-grade White-Ring Soul Beast in one strike!"

It was only natural that Shui Bing'er was powerful.

But Li Jiuxuan had awakened his Martial Soul only recently. His performance was astonishing!

Even Xue Furong, walking behind them with an expressionless face, couldn't help but twitch her brows.

That strike had shown how focused his mental power was.

Shui Yue'er was nearly twenty levels higher than Li Jiuxuan, yet she had reacted a beat slower than he had.

That was the advantage of a top-grade Beast Martial Soul and Innate Full Soul Power...

"Looks like Xiao Jiuxuan and I make a pretty good team," Shui Bing'er praised with a smile.

"Let's keep going, Sister. I feel like the Soul Beast I want is up ahead."

Li Jiuxuan could sense it: a powerful wave of ice-attribute Soul Power lay ahead.

It was mixed in among the many Soul Beasts.

But it had appeared for only a moment before hiding itself again.

That power was immense. It might belong to an Ice-Armor Giant Bear or an Ice-Splitting Rhino.

"Mm, let's go."

They continued onward. The deeper they ventured into the outer region, the more clearly they could sense that the Soul Beasts here were much stronger than those in the area where they had encountered the Ice-Patterned Wolf.

Many Soul Beasts no longer hid from them. More and more were watching the four of them from the shadows.

Along the way, they killed quite a few Soul Beasts that attacked them, including Eight-Eyed Ice Centipedes, Sky-Soaring Cold Birds, and Ice Lions...

"There's movement again!"

Li Jiuxuan's eyes narrowed as he looked toward a dense grove of ice-covered trees on the left.

A muffled growl came from behind the thick trunks. Each breath the Soul Beast let out made the ground tremble slightly, and a naturally powerful ice-attribute Soul Power emanated from it.

"Could it be an Ice-Armor Giant Bear?"

Shui Yue'er's lips curled up. "From the sound of it, it's definitely at least three or four hundred years old. That's exactly the kind of strength-type Soul Beast we're looking for!"

Li Jiuxuan's heart tightened slightly, but his expression remained unchanged. He clenched his fists, ready for battle once more.

Shui Bing'er said gently, "Xiao Jiuxuan, stay back and wait. I'll deal with it. You just need to deliver the finishing blow the moment I break through its defenses."

As soon as she finished speaking, Shui Bing'er flashed forward, her ice-blue figure darting out like a sprite.

She swept out a hand, and the snowy grove exploded. Countless ice spikes burst up from beneath the ground, razor-sharp.

Roar!

A deafening roar shook the heavens and earth. As the grove burst apart, a massive saber-toothed tiger covered in flowing blue Soul Power charged out!

It stood nearly three meters tall. Its saber teeth and every claw gleamed with a cold light. Its tail, in particular, looked just like a brilliant ice blade!

Its defenses were strong. Shui Bing'er's ice spikes had failed to inflict a fatal wound; they had only cut its limbs, drawing blood.

It stopped a dozen meters from them, facing the humans. Its blood-red eyes fixed on the intruders who had entered its territory.

"This is a Frost Saber-Toothed Tiger, more than four hundred years old!"

Shui Yue'er was somewhat surprised. Saber-toothed tigers had much stronger bloodlines than ordinary tiger Soul Beasts.

They were rare Soul Beasts, and exceptionally fierce.

Some adult Frost Saber-Toothed Tigers could even cultivate for ten thousand years, becoming Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts!

This one, however, was still only a very young cub!

"This is the one. It'll be your Soul Ring, little brother Jiuxuan!"

Soul Power surged around Shui Bing'er, and three Soul Rings lit up at once. Ice spikes rained down from the sky, bearing down on the Frost Saber-Toothed Tiger!

Clang, clang, clang!

The Frost Saber-Toothed Tiger swung its paws, trying to smash the ice spikes one by one. But the spikes came as densely as a meteor shower. It blocked most of them, yet its flesh was still slashed open, spraying blood.

Roar!

The Frost Saber-Toothed Tiger was enraged. It had been wounded twice, and now it unleashed all its Soul Power. Its fur whipped about as cold air gathered in its mouth, then it fired a devastating beam!

Shui Bing'er gave a cold snort, unhurried. She clapped her hands together, and a long ice sword formed before her chest. Its terrifying force made space tremble, as if it were about to crack!

The temperature across the frozen landscape dropped again and again!

Boom!

She thrust both hands forward. The long ice sword surged out, breaking through every obstacle. The Frost Saber-Toothed Tiger's beam was useless against it; it was crushed in an instant.

The next moment, the sword pierced straight through the Frost Saber-Toothed Tiger's body. It fell to the ground, utterly unable to fight back.

After all, Shui Bing'er was a level thirty-one Soul Elder. A four-hundred-year-old Soul Beast was no match for her.

"Now, Xiao Jiuxuan!"