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Lin Yaoyang held Jiang Nannan's hand and walked forward along the main road.

After a while, Lin Yaoyang stopped.

"Nannan, hold on tight."

Before Jiang Nannan could react, a burst of golden light erupted from Lin Yaoyang's body.

Crimson-red and silver-white armor covered his entire body, while two pairs of Gilded Fire Wings spread behind him, gleaming brilliantly in the morning light.

He wrapped an arm around Jiang Nannan's waist. With a flap of his fire wings, the two of them soared into the air.

Jiang Nannan instinctively clung to him, burying her face in his chest.

The wind howled past her ears. The scenery below rapidly shrank, and Shrek City became a dense expanse of rooftops beneath them.

"So fast..." she whispered.

"Hold tight." Lin Yaoyang's voice came from above her, carrying a hint of laughter.

Apollo had wings and could fly. Perfectly normal!

And in broad daylight, under the sun's illumination, flying consumed almost nothing.

The sun was his power bank. As long as there was sunlight, and his consumption remained lower than his replenishment, his Soul Power would never run dry.

The two flew in the direction of the Dou Ling Empire.

Meanwhile.

Outside Shrek City's eastern gate, a young man walked out.

Huo Yuhao.

He turned back to look at Shrek Academy's entrance. The towering gatehouse stood solemnly beneath the morning light, and the three words "Shrek Academy" gleamed in the sun.

One semester had passed.

From the ignorant confusion of when he had first enrolled to now... he was still somewhat clueless, but at least he was no longer lost.

His performance in the Soul Tool Department this semester had been fairly good.

Teacher Fan Yu did not say much, but he had taught Huo Yuhao with great care.

His spiritual power, combined with Soul Tools, truly gave him an unparalleled advantage.

Where others needed to repeatedly measure and calibrate, a single Spirit Detection allowed him to pinpoint everything with precision. Fan Yu had said that he had been born to be a Soul Engineer.

Tang Ya and Bei Bei had also treated him very well. Tang Ya came to visit him at the Soul Tool Department every few days, bringing him food and asking whether anyone had bullied him.

Although Bei Bei was busy, every time they met, he guided Huo Yuhao's cultivation and taught him some combat techniques.

With everyone's help, his Soul Power had already broken through Rank 20.

Rank 20.

It might not have seemed like much to others, but to him, it was a milestone. Half a year ago, he had still been a good-for-nothing at barely over Rank 10. Now, he was already a prospective Soul Grandmaster.

"Little Yuhao, hurry up and go!"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice rang out in his mind, brimming with impatient excitement.

"I've had it all planned out for you! Once you reach the Far North and obtain your second Martial Soul, you'll truly take off!"

Huo Yuhao asked in his heart, "Brother Sky Dream, can I really obtain a second Martial Soul? What kind of Martial Soul could be that powerful?"

"Hehe, it's a secret for now." Sky Dream Ice Silkworm laughed mysteriously. "Just get moving! Once you reach the Extreme North, you'll naturally find out!"

Tian Meng: Hehe, Bingbing, I'm coming~ I can finally see you again!

Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, stepped forward, and headed north.

The Far North.

That legendary place, frozen year-round and devoid of human traces.

He did not know what awaited him, but Brother Sky Dream would not deceive him.

Lin Yaoyang sent Jiang Nannan back to her home in Lingdou City.

Mother Jiang's health had improved greatly. Ever since Lin Yaoyang had helped her buy medicine and arranged for the mother and daughter to move into his house in Lingdou City, Mother Jiang's illness had steadily gotten better.

Though she was still somewhat weak, she was already able to take care of herself.

When Mother Jiang saw Lin Yaoyang, she was so delighted that she could not stop smiling and insisted on keeping him for dinner.

Unable to refuse, Lin Yaoyang spent the day with them.

Jiang Nannan was especially clingy that day. Wherever Lin Yaoyang went, she followed. One moment she poured him water, the next she peeled fruit for him...

Mother Jiang watched from the side, smiling so broadly that her eyes narrowed into slits.

It was not until evening that Lin Yaoyang finally said goodbye and left.

Rather than heading directly back to the Far North, he first took a stroll around Lingdou City.

He remembered that Ice Empress liked sweet food, and though Snow Empress never said so, she also liked delicate little pastries.

He bought a huge pile of snacks and pastries, filling an entire storage Soul Tool.

Then he rose into the sky and flew northward.

On the sixth day after leaving the academy.

Lin Yaoyang finally returned to the Far North.

Of course, he was still only in the outermost region.

Before Lin Yaoyang could even catch his breath, an emerald-green streak of light shot toward him from the depths of the Far North.

It was unbelievably fast. One moment it was still on the horizon; the next, it had already arrived before him.

Lin Yaoyang recognized that streak of light, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.

He landed on the ground and folded away his fire wings.

The green light landed as well. As its glow faded, Ice Empress's petite figure emerged.

She wore a long emerald-green dress, her twin ponytails swaying gently behind her. Her bright yellow eyes were filled with longing and excitement.

The instant she saw Lin Yaoyang, she shot toward him like an arrow loosed from a bow and threw herself into his arms.

"Yao Yang!"

Her voice was crisp and bright, carrying a trace of grievance.

"You're finally back!"

She hung from Lin Yaoyang's body, wrapping her two short legs around his waist and her arms around his neck, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

She greedily inhaled his scent.

That familiar, warm scent, like the sun itself.

Lin Yaoyang held her by the waist and lowered his head to rub against her pretty face. Ice Empress's cheeks were soft and cool, and they felt wonderful against his skin.

"Sister Bing'er, I missed you so much," he said softly.

Ice Empress lifted her head from his neck. Her bright yellow eyes glared at him with a hint of coy resentment. "Hmph! Then why didn't you come back sooner?"

"I had to wait for the semester to end." Lin Yaoyang smiled as he explained.

"Liar! You must have been having too much fun at the academy and forgotten all about us!"

"How could I?" Lin Yaoyang took out a storage Soul Tool and held it out to her. "Oh, right, Sister Bing'er, I brought you lots of delicious food. Try it. They're all from the best pastry shops in Lingdou City."

Ice Empress accepted the Soul Tool, but instead of opening it immediately, she tucked it into her clothes.

Then she buried her face in Lin Yaoyang's neck again and muttered, "It's good that you're back."

Her voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible.

Lin Yaoyang said nothing. He merely tightened his arms around her.

The snowstorm of the Far North howled in the distance, but within that small clearing, the two embraced as though a warm aura had formed around them, shutting out all the cold.

The two remained wrapped around each other for quite some time.

Ice Empress clung to him like a kitten and refused to come down no matter what.

Lin Yaoyang did not urge her. He simply held her, gently stroking her back with one hand.

After a while, he touched Ice Empress's twin ponytails and said softly, "Sister Bing'er, shall we head back first? Sister Xue'er must be waiting, right?"

Ice Empress suddenly lifted her head from his arms, her bright yellow eyes widening into perfect circles.

"Oh, right! Xue'er!"

She jumped down from Lin Yaoyang and grabbed his hand, pulling him forward.

"Quick, quick, quick! Xue'er has been waiting forever! If you hadn't come back soon, she would have gone to Shrek to look for you!"

Ice Empress took Lin Yaoyang into the air. At Lin Yaoyang's current speed, he was still no match for Ice Empress's flight speed, backed by nearly four hundred thousand years of cultivation.

Two figures streaked across the gray skies of the Far North, flying toward the Core Zone.

The snowstorm howled behind them, yet around the two of them, it felt as warm as spring.

In the distance, in the direction of Snow Palace, a white figure stood at the entrance of the palace, gazing up at the sky.

Snow Empress's long hair fluttered in the wind, and the two approaching streaks of light reflected in her sky-blue eyes.

The corners of her lips lifted slightly.

Her boy had returned.