Several days later, they finally entered the territory of Snow Spirit Province.
The architectural style here is quite different from that of Heaven Dou City, mainly consisting of heavy stone blocks and windproof coniferous trees. The official roads are no longer lined with lush trees, but with snow that never melts.
"This temperature... seems much lower than the Frozen Forest." Zhu Zhuqing pulled her fox fur coat tighter around herself, a look of seriousness in her eyes. Even with the cultivation of a Soul Grandmaster, the circulation of Soul Power began to slow down in the face of such natural cold.
"This is just the tip of the iceberg," Shui Bing'er said coldly, her long blue hair dancing in the cold wind, making her appear even more aloof. "The further north you go, the stronger the storms become; they can even freeze Soul Master's breath. Without adequate preparation, even Soul Elder wouldn't last a single night."
Looking at the snowflakes that had begun to fall outside the window, Gu Tian ordered, " Dragon City is just ahead. It's the last large supply depot before entering the Extreme North. Let's stay here for a few days, buy some winter supplies, and acclimatize to the climate."
The carriage slowly entered Dragon City. This city is located at the strategic pass of Snow Spirit Province and is named for its resemblance to a giant dragon lying on the ground when viewed from afar.
"Brother Gu Tian, why are we staying here for so long?" Xiao Wu asked, rubbing her slightly reddened fingertips.
Gu Tian lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the caravans passing by on the street, all clad in thick Soul Beast pelts. He explained solemnly, "The climate here has a unique penetrating quality; ordinary Soul Power protection is extremely taxing on our stamina. We need to buy the best Extreme North Cold Silkworm Silk Inner Armor and Cold-Resistance Potion here. More importantly, you need to acclimatize to the low-oxygen and extremely cold environment to prevent hypothermia and colds that could cause a decline in your Martial Soul's condition."
Gu Tian actually had another consideration. Dragon City was a gathering place for Soul Master in the North, and also the best place to inquire about changes deep in the Extreme North.
After settling into the hotel, Gu Tian led the women out onto the street. The usually quiet streets were unusually lively in Dragon City, filled with the aroma of strong liquor and barbecue.
Gu Tian made a large purchase at several top-tier material shops, not only providing everyone with cloaks to protect them from wind and snow, but also having Na'er use her Space Soul Tool to fill it with a large amount of firewood and high-calorie food.
"Come on, let me take you to have some of this Throat-Warming Wine, it's a specialty of Dragon City." Gu Tian led this group of beautiful women into a tavern.
The tavern was not brightly lit, and heavy curtains blocked out the biting cold wind from outside. The room was filled with the aroma of malt liquor and the crackling sound of firewood in the fireplace.
Gu Tian had just led the women to a large table and sat down when, before the waiter could even serve the wine, a cold and familiar gaze was cast over from a shadowy corner of the tavern.
Gu Tian raised an eyebrow and looked in the direction of his senses. He saw a group of solemn-looking Soul Master sitting in the corner by the window. Even in the dim light, their faces looked very familiar.
Tang San sat in the center, holding a bowl of strong liquor, his eyes as sinister as a venomous snake. Beside him sat Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Oscar, Tai Long, and Huang Yuan. At the head of the table, the two teachers leading the Shrek Academy team— Flender and Zhao Wuji —were talking in hushed tones while cautiously surveying their surroundings.
" Tang San? What are they doing here?" Xiao Wu had obviously noticed them too. Remembering Tang San's previous antics, she frowned slightly in disgust. But out of curiosity, she still pulled Gu Tian's hand and walked over, stopping about three meters away, and asked in a cool tone:
" Tang San, shouldn't you be in Heaven Dou City preparing for the New Year? Why have you come all the way to the border of the Extreme North?"
Tang San slowly put down his wine bowl and stood up, his movements somewhat stiff. At this moment, he exuded an extremely restrained yet unstable aura of violence, and he seemed much more profound than when he was at the academy.
" Xiao Wu, what brings you here too?" Tang San's tone held a sickly gentleness, but when he looked at Gu Tian, the hatred in his eyes almost froze. "Why am I here? Of course, it's thanks to someone. My Soul Power has officially broken through the level 20 bottleneck, and I'm here with the teachers to hunt for my Second Soul Ring. What, is this road to Dragon City only for you to travel, but not for us Shrek students?"
"Level 20?!"
Upon hearing this number, Gu Tian's pupils suddenly contracted. He subtly released a wisp of his Dragon God's divine sense, and through that extremely concealed probe, he discovered that the thickness of Tang San's Soul Power had indeed reached the critical point of level twenty.
Gu Tian began to ponder, how could this be? According to the normal plot progression, he definitely shouldn't be at level 20 yet. Moreover, the Immortal Herb of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was already in my hands; he didn't have any cheat codes. In just a few days, his Soul Power had made such a terrifying leap... There's definitely something fishy going on here.
Xiao Wu clearly realized something was wrong. She looked Tang San up and down and questioned him, " Tang San, your improvement speed is too fast! What level were you at in the Great Soul Arena just a few days ago? What kind of unorthodox methods did you use?"
Tang San stepped forward, his gaze fixed intently on Xiao Wu, a hint of self-indulgent madness in his eyes:
"Unorthodox methods? Xiao Wu, it all stems from my love for you! Ever since you left me for his embrace, I've been cultivating like a madman every day and every night! The pain of having my beloved taken away is my strongest motivation! I'm desperately trying to become stronger so that one day I can defeat Gu Tian and personally snatch you back from his clutches!"
Tang San spoke with righteous indignation, his voice even trembling slightly, as if he were truly a tragic hero who had endured humiliation after being betrayed.
"Vomit..."
Hearing such a disgusting confession, Xiao Wu felt her stomach churn, and even her rabbit ears drooped in disgust. She rolled her eyes, not wanting to stay a second longer, grabbed Gu Tian's arm, and turned to leave.
"Let's go! Let's find another place to eat. Listening to this lunatic talk makes me want to throw up!"
Gu Tian gave Tang San a deep look but didn't press the matter further. Since the other party had given such a plausible, albeit mad, reason, further questioning would only be a waste of breath. He led the women out of the tavern quickly, leaving the Shrek Devils sitting there with gloomy expressions.
Watching Gu Tian's figure disappear behind the curtain, Tang San sat back down, his previous affectionate expression vanishing instantly, replaced by extreme indifference.
He deliberately said those things to take advantage of Gu Tian's understanding of his personality and prevent the other party from suspecting the existence of the Death Warrior Pill.
Tang San couldn't help but laugh, "Gu Tian, think what you want. You think you're on the first level, but you don't know I'm already on the fifth. The power this Deathsworn Pill gives me is far more real than your illusory immortal Immortal Herb. When I mature in the shadows and stand before you again, I will make you understand what true despair is."
On the other side of the street, Gu Tian led the women to another tavern, too lazy to ponder why Tang San's strength had leaped so far.