Another Three Years, Time to Return!

Another three years passed.

That year, Ying Chengfeng was thirteen, Qian Renxue was twelve, and Yu Feiyan was twelve.

Their levels were forty, forty, and thirty, respectively. None of them had obtained a Soul Ring.

This time, Ying Chengfeng was genuinely struggling to find a suitable Soul Ring in the Far North.

His fourth Soul Ring needed to come from a Wind-type Soul Beast with at least forty thousand years of cultivation.

There might be one deep in the Far North that met his requirements.

But they couldn't beat it.

The depths of the Far North were far too dangerous. Combined with the harsh environment, it was more than Ji Qingyi, a Soul Douluo, could handle.

That day, Ying Chengfeng and the others prepared to leave, heading for Sunset Forest or Star Dou Forest to obtain Soul Rings.

Around noon.

The group entered a large city that looked like a city of ice and snow.

Skywater City.

The largest human city in the Far North.

Seen from above, it looked like an ice city in shades of icy blue.

To outsiders, the city was a dreamlike and magnificent sight.

As soon as they entered Skywater City, Yu Feiyan couldn't help looking around.

She didn't wear the expression of someone who'd never seen the world; she remained extremely composed.

At the same time, quite a few passersby were sizing up Ying Chengfeng and his companions.

Qian Renxue still wore her hooded cloak. It had become her trademark attire over the years.

The other three, however, had no need to conceal themselves.

Most of the gazes were directed at them.

Ying Chengfeng had fully grown into his looks, with broad shoulders, long legs, and a trim waist. His white hair was like snow.

His expression was always languid and carefree, but a closer look revealed an edge of razor-sharp intensity.

Overall, he gave the impression of a cool, refined young nobleman.

Twelve-year-old Yu Feiyan was no longer as thin and petite as she had been six years ago.

She'd grown into a mature beauty with boundless allure.

From a distance, she was captivating, but up close, one realized she was a thorny rose.

Dangerous yet alluring!

By now, Yu Feiyan had stopped looking around.

"Skywater City is pretty monotonous," Yu Feiyan remarked.

"It snows here all year round, and there's very little trade. Of course it's monotonous," Ying Chengfeng replied quietly.

Just then, Ying Chengfeng noticed a large crowd of people heading in the same direction.

He stopped a passerby and asked, "What's going on?"

The passerby didn't seem annoyed at being stopped. He looked over Ying Chengfeng and his companions.

"You're from out of town, right? Today's the day Skywater Advanced Soul Master Academy is holding its Soul Master Challenge."

At that, Ying Chengfeng grew a little interested. "Could you tell me more about this Soul Master Challenge?"

The passerby began explaining.

"Skywater Academy Team is holding this challenge to prepare for the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament, which is more than a year away."

"The announcement went up a month ago. No member of a participating team can be over thirty."

"Any team that can defeat Skywater Academy Team will receive two Soul Bones."

The passerby lowered his voice. "I heard they're a ten-thousand-year left arm bone and right arm bone, but there's nothing special about them. Skywater Academy has had them sitting in storage for a long time."

"I see. Thanks." Ying Chengfeng slipped him a handful of Gold Soul Coins.

"Don't mention it." The passerby accepted the coins, his expression turning even friendlier.

But Ying Chengfeng had nothing else to ask.

He decided to go and see what all the fuss was about.

Ten-thousand-year Soul Bones that had been left in storage for ages.

That was interesting.

The Soul Master Challenge hosted by Skywater Academy was being held in the largest square in the city.

The square was already packed with people.

There were at least ten thousand of them, filling the place inside and out.

As soon as Ying Chengfeng approached, he heard countless voices discussing the event.

"Skywater Academy really lives up to its name. Every student is gorgeous, and every one of them is talented!"

"Those pretty girls on the stage must be members of Skywater Academy Team, right?"

"I heard more than half of their members have already reached the Soul Ancestor level."

Most people were simply there to watch.

Only a very small number had come for the reward.

Just then, someone from the Soul Master Challenge organizers brought a box onto the stage.

She opened it and showed everyone what was inside.

Two Soul Bones.

"These two Soul Bones came from a Weavile Beast with over ten thousand years of cultivation."

"They will be awarded to the winner of this challenge."

"Now, I'll explain the rules."

"Anyone under thirty can first take part in a free-for-all."

"The ten people left standing will form a team."

"Those who already have teams will compete in a team match."

"Finally, the winner of the team match will face the ten-person team from the free-for-all."

"The winner will then face Skywater Academy Team in the final."

After the rules were announced, the crowd began chatting again.

No one seemed to have much to say about the rules.

Everyone was discussing the Soul Bones.

"So they're Weavile Beast Soul Bones. No wonder they've been sitting around for so many years."

"Skywater Academy is offering something like that as a reward? That's a bit... Ahem."

A middle-aged man cut himself off before he could finish.

He didn't want to get into trouble for speaking out of turn.

But Yu Feiyan, who was standing beside Ying Chengfeng, seemed a little unsettled.

"What's wrong?" Ying Chengfeng noticed and leaned closer to ask.

The surrounding crowd was so loud that Ying Chengfeng practically had to speak into Yu Feiyan's ear.

Yu Feiyan stiffened slightly, but soon relaxed. She leaned toward Ying Chengfeng's ear and said:

"I feel a strange pull from those two Soul Bones."

Ying Chengfeng was taken aback. "A pull?"

"Yes. It's strange." Yu Feiyan couldn't figure out what was going on either.

But there were plenty of things that made Yu Feiyan different.

First, her Martial Soul Mutation and evolution had been aided by an Immortal Herb.

Second, she had a very special External Soul Bone.

If those two Soul Bones from Skywater Academy were attracting Yu Feiyan, it might be a connection caused by the Immortal Herb or her External Soul Bone.

Ying Chengfeng looked over at the middle-aged man who had spoken earlier.

Then he walked over and patted the man on the shoulder.

The middle-aged man turned around and saw a handsome young man with an extraordinary air of nobility.

"Young man, what is it?" he asked, looking at Ying Chengfeng in puzzlement.

Ying Chengfeng asked, "I heard you mention the Weavile Beast Soul Bones. Were you talking about the two Soul Bones Skywater Academy is offering as a reward?"

"What's special about this Weavile Beast? What does it look like?"

When the middle-aged man heard Ying Chengfeng asking about that, he relaxed.

He'd thought the boy was picking a fight.

Then the middle-aged man answered, "It's an extremely aggressive Soul Beast, and it looks pretty strange."

"It walks upright. There's a pale red crystal on its forehead, its claws are sharp, and its tail is made of condensed ice elements."

At that, Ying Chengfeng immediately thought of the mysterious Soul Beast he had encountered in Snow Valley six years ago.