Far North, Hundred-Thousand-Year Snow Lotus

Su Chen stood up and walked toward the four soul beasts, carefully sensing their auras.

The Radiant Sacred Dragon had the most robust aura, the Flame Demon Tiger possessed the heaviest killing intent, the Sacred Giant Dragon's sacred aura was the purest, and the Radiant Dragon Horse was agile and elegant.

Without much hesitation, Su Chen made his choice.

He raised his hand, and the Angel Holy Sword appeared out of thin air, burning with golden flames. With a flash of the blade—

"Puchi!"

The neck of the Radiant Sacred Dragon was severed, and blood sprayed out. This powerful soul beast ended its life while unconscious, not even having the chance to let out a whimper.

A purple soul ring rose slowly from the corpse, its color so deep it was nearly black, clearly indicating its age was nearing the eight-thousand-year limit.

Su Chen sat cross-legged, circulated his soul power, and began to absorb it.

Mu Ye stood to the side like a black statue, guarding him. The aura of a Limit Douluo radiated naturally, causing all nearby soul beasts to flee in terror, not daring to approach.

The absorption process went smoothly. Although the soul ring of the Radiant Sacred Dragon was powerful, Su Chen's physique had been reinforced multiple times by the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, far exceeding that of a soul master at his level. Coupled with the Six-Winged Angel martial soul's natural affinity for the light attribute, the entire process was as natural as water flowing into a channel.

An hour later, Su Chen opened his eyes.

The third soul ring was successfully absorbed! His Soul Power Level had also broken through from level thirty to—

Level thirty-two.

Su Chen frowned, feeling somewhat puzzled. A seven-thousand-five-hundred-year soul ring should logically provide more than two levels of soul power. An ordinary soul master absorbing a soul ring of this caliber would typically gain at least three levels.

Seeming to sense his confusion, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's lazy yet slightly smug voice echoed in his Sea of Consciousness:

"Kid, do you feel like your soul power gain was a bit low?"

"Yes," Su Chen responded mentally. "For a seven-thousand-five-hundred-year soul ring, the effect should be greater than this."

"Hehe, that's where you're wrong!" The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm adopted the tone of a big brother offering enlightenment. "As far as I know, your Six-Winged Angel martial soul is extraordinary. It naturally controls three attributes—light, fire, and sacred. Both light and sacred have reached the 'ultimate' level, not to mention that the Solar True Fire is one of the top flames in the world."

It paused, its tone becoming serious: "Soul masters who possess ultimate attributes are indeed immensely powerful and hard to find an equal to among their peers, but there is an unwritten rule: after they break through level thirty, that is, after becoming a Soul Elder, their cultivation speed becomes exceptionally slow, far inferior to soul masters of the same aptitude who lack ultimate attributes."

"This 'bottleneck period' will last until level seventy, crossing the threshold of a Soul Saint," the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm explained. "Once you step into the Soul Saint realm, the shackles are released, and your cultivation speed will return to normal, perhaps even surpassing others due to the terrifyingly solid foundation you built early on."

Its tone turned earnest: "Your current situation is proof that your ultimate attribute foundation is incredibly deep. So, this slow growth is actually a reflection of your profound potential."

"And honestly, your speed is already considered extremely fast. An ordinary soul master with ultimate attributes might take over half a year just to go from level thirty-one to thirty-two."

Su Chen nodded thoughtfully.

This explanation aligned with his understanding of the Douluo world's power system. Ultimate attributes were indeed a double-edged sword—the early stages were difficult, but in exchange, one gained invincibility among peers, the ability to fight above one's rank, and a much broader ceiling for the future.

He stood up and stretched his body. He could clearly feel that the third soul ring had brought not only an increase in soul power but also a further enhancement of his physical fitness. The dragon might of the Radiant Sacred Dragon had also been absorbed by his martial soul, making the sacred majesty of the Six-Winged Angel even more intense.

"How do you feel?" Mu Ye asked with concern.

"Very good." Su Chen clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within his body. "Better than expected."

He looked toward the north, a determined light flashing in his eyes.

The third soul ring had been obtained; now, the real main event was next—

The Far North, the Snow Empress, and the second martial soul.

"Old Mu," Su Chen said, "let's go."

"Yes, Young Master."

Mu Ye waved his hand, and a gentle force enveloped Su Chen. The next moment, the two shot into the sky, turning into a streak of black light and speeding toward the north.

With a Limit Douluo clearing the way, the journey from the Star Dou Great Forest to the Far North was shockingly fast. Mu Ye carried Su Chen through the air, covering ten thousand miles in less than half a day, arriving at this world of eternal ice and white.

"This is the Far North." Mu Ye hovered in mid-air, looking at the endless glaciers and snowfields below, his tone carrying a hint of gravity. "Young Master, this place is extremely dangerous. Even for a Titled Douluo, one must be extremely cautious when venturing into the core area."

Su Chen nodded, his gaze sweeping across the silver-clad world. The cold wind was biting, whipping up snow that filled the sky, reducing visibility to less than a hundred meters. The temperature was terrifyingly low; if not for his soul power protecting his body, an ordinary person would have frozen into an ice sculpture in moments.

"Tian Meng, are you sure this route is correct?" Su Chen asked in his mind.

"Uh, well..." The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm scratched its head in embarrassment. "Actually, I'm not entirely sure. I haven't been back in many years, and the terrain of the Far North has changed quite a bit..."

Its voice grew quieter, filled with a sense of guilt.

Su Chen sighed helplessly. He should have known that relying on this unreliable million-year soul beast for directions was worse than relying on himself.

"Forget it, I'll find the way myself."

Relying on his partial memory of the original story, Su Chen had Mu Ye take him toward the core area of the Far North. That was the most likely territory of the Snow Empress.

Along the way, they encountered many powerful ice-attribute soul beasts. A ten-thousand-year Ice Bear, a thousand-year Snow Wolf, and even a fifty-thousand-year Ice Jade Scorpion. But upon sensing the terrifying aura of the Limit Douluo from Mu Ye, these soul beasts all fled far away, not daring to approach.

The further they went into the core area, the lower the temperature dropped. Eventually, even Mu Ye had to release a portion of his soul power to resist the bitter cold.

"Young Master, there is a very strong energy fluctuation ahead." Mu Ye suddenly stopped, pointing toward a towering glacier in the distance. "It seems... like the aura of a transformation."

Su Chen's heart tightened: "Let's go take a look."

The two suppressed their auras and approached quietly.

At the same time, at the peak of that glacier.

Snow Empress sat cross-legged.

She wore a white dress, its hem spread across the ice, blending into the surrounding snow. Her silver-white hair cascaded down like a waterfall, the tips swaying gently in the cold wind. Her beauty was peerless, her features as exquisite as a sculpture, her skin so fair it was nearly translucent, and those ice-blue eyes were clear and profound, as if they could pierce through a person's heart.

Yet, at this moment, her face bore a trace of resolve.

Beside Snow Empress lay a massive Hundred-Thousand-Year Snow Lotus. The lotus was crystalline throughout, emitting a faint blue glow. Its petals were layered one upon another, each one appearing as if carved from the finest jade—magnificent and resplendent, a masterpiece among masterpieces.

This was the Hundred-Thousand-Year Snow Lotus, a heaven-sent treasure nurtured by the Far North, possessing an incredible power of creation.

Snow Empress was making the most important choice of her life.