First Battle in Blizzard City

The Far North, Blizzard City.

The city training grounds.

Xue Mingqing arrived here alone, carrying a homemade weighted backpack.

The cold wind whipped against his face like blades, leaving his cheeks flushed red.

Yet, he remained completely oblivious to it; within his dark eyes, there was only a persistent obsession with strength.

It had been a month since Wind Snow Village was destroyed and he was taken in as an adopted son by Xue Ningxian.

Throughout this month, Xue Mingqing had never slacked off for a single day. Every morning, he began physical training before dawn, and every night, he spent his time meditating on soul power instead of sleeping.

Even though he had awakened a golden finger—the soul of a wicked and charming powerhouse who called himself Feng Qingyang.

To him, however, this was no excuse for laziness.

On the contrary, he knew very well that only the strength gained through his own efforts truly belonged to him.

Thanks to his unremitting hard work, he had made the astonishing progress of rising three levels in this month, relying on the cultivation resources provided by Xue Ningxian.

His original level 5 soul power had increased to level 8, and he was now only a step away from level 9.

Closing his eyes, Xue Mingqing exhaled a breath of stale air.

Level 8 soul power—he was still a long way from his goal of purging the world of evil souls...

But... he would take it slow. He believed that one day, he would be able to fulfill this wish.

Steadying his mind, Xue Mingqing stopped overthinking and stepped into the training grounds.

However, as he walked in, he realized there was someone else there.

It was a chubby little boy with luxurious clothing and an extraordinary air.

One look was enough to tell he was not a child from an ordinary family.

Raising an eyebrow, Xue Mingqing looked up at the sky—it was the hazy hour of early morning.

This was the first time in his month of training that he had seen someone else arrive at the grounds this early.

Though he felt a touch of curiosity, Xue Mingqing only glanced at him a few times before beginning his daily weighted run.

He would rather finish his training than engage in meaningless small talk.

But—

Xue Mingqing did not address the chubby boy, yet the boy scanned him up and down.

At this moment, Xue Mingqing was wearing nothing but a simple cyan robe, his short black hair neatly trimmed above his collar.

Though he was handsome enough, his overall aura was plain and unadorned.

Seeing this, the chubby boy's eyes rolled around, and he stepped forward.

"Hey, you—yes, you, skinny as a reed. You aren't allowed to run here. From now on, this is my territory."

Hearing this, Xue Mingqing frowned and came to a halt.

He looked up at the boy, saying nothing, his eyes filled with confusion.

Seeing Xue Mingqing's confusion, the boy put his hands on his hips, his chubby face scrunching up until his small eyes were mere slits.

"Can't you understand human speech? I told you to leave! This is my territory now, and you aren't allowed to come back!"

Hearing this, Xue Mingqing set down his backpack, his gaze turning cold, though his voice remained as gentle as possible.

"This place is very large; we can use it together."

Having been a Chinese person in his past life, Xue Mingqing had always believed in the principle of not offending others unless they offended him.

Unless necessary, he did not want to stir up trouble.

However, Xue Mingqing's gentleness was meaningless and only served to make the chubby boy more overbearing.

He took a step forward, a sinister look appearing on his greasy face, and a yellow soul ring appeared around him, accompanied by an Ice Crystal Spirit Leopard that looked completely out of place with the boy's style.

"Ling Gui, level 11 agility-attack system soul master."

Facing someone else's formal introduction of their martial soul and soul power was already a recognized way of issuing a challenge in the soul master world.

Seeing this, Xue Mingqing's brow furrowed tighter. The gentle smile on his face dissipated like melting snow, leaving behind only an unconcealable chill and sharp edge.

Even a clay figurine has a temper, let alone him.

He raised his hand, and thousands of snowflakes danced, transforming under the circulation of his level 8 soul power into a sharp, three-foot-long Snow Sword!

Snow Transforms Into All Things—using snow as a sword.

His self-created soul skill was too eye-catching; if he were targeted, it would only bring him fatal trouble.

Therefore, before he grew strong enough, he did not intend to use any forms other than the Snow Sword.

"Xue Mingqing, martial soul Snow Sword, level 8. Please advise."

Hearing Xue Mingqing's formal introduction, the chubby boy's eyes, which had been narrowed into slits, subconsciously widened a fraction.

Though he was surprised by Xue Mingqing's talent, he did not stop his movements.

"Spirit Leopard Possession!"

With a low growl, the Ice Crystal Spirit Leopard transformed into a streak of spiritual light that surged into the chubby boy's body, surprisingly making his fat, cumbersome frame appear a bit leaner and more agile.

Though his waist remained as thick as a barrel.

Seeing this, Xue Mingqing narrowed his eyes, feeling no surprise that Ling Gui was a one-ring Soul Master.

It was understandable that he had been chased all over the mountains by a three-ring Evil Soul Master a month ago.

But if he couldn't even beat this one-ring fatty in front of him, he might as well find a block of tofu and bash his head against it.

Gripping his Snow Sword, Xue Mingqing tensed his legs, ready to strike at any moment.

Just then, the chubby boy spoke again.

"Wait, you skinny beanpole, let's get this straight first."

"What?"

"If you lose, you have to roll out of here—and I mean literally roll out."

Hearing Ling Gui's sneer, Xue Mingqing narrowed his eyes.

"And if you lose?"

"Impossible, how could I possibly..."

Before Ling Gui could finish his sentence, Xue Mingqing's tensed legs moved!

With a single step, his entire body launched like a bowstring pulled to its limit, and the Snow Sword flashed—

In an instant, before Ling Gui could even react, the sharp tip of the Snow Sword was already pressed against his throat.

One more step, and it would pierce right through...

With the sword tip pinning Ling Gui's throat, Xue Mingqing said calmly, "You lost, you big fat pig. Get out..."

Ling Gui's pupils shrank!

He hadn't reacted at all; he hadn't even seen how Xue Mingqing had taken that step!

Swallowing hard and feeling the chill from the Snow Sword stinging his throat, Ling Gui said in a dry, raspy voice.

"Impossible! How did you get in front of me? What kind of dark magic did you use?!"

Xue Mingqing closed his eyes, feeling speechless.

The distance between him and Ling Gui had been less than ten meters; never mind using soul power, even with just the leg strength he had been training these past few days, flashing in front of Ling Gui's face in an instant wasn't difficult at all.

It was just...

He looked at this short, chubby boy and didn't want to waste any more time bickering with him.

Turning the Snow Sword, he slapped the fatty's face with the flat of the blade, his voice as cold as a winter gale.

"Get lost, and don't come bothering me again."

With that, Xue Mingqing flicked his wrist, and the Snow Sword dissipated into a flurry of flying snow.

He turned and walked away without a hint of hesitation.

His training for the day hadn't even officially started; he had no time to waste on a clown like this.

And the chubby boy left standing there?

Seeing Xue Mingqing turn and walk away with no intention of making things difficult for him, Ling Gui instinctively breathed a sigh of relief.

But at the same time, a nameless rage surged within him!

He was the young master of the Blizzard City Ling Family; how dare this commoner look down on him?

He only won by using some dark trick to catch him off guard before he could use his soul skills, so what right did he have to call him a big fat pig?!

He would have his revenge; he would make him pay!

With malice churning in his heart, Ling Gui's triangular eyes, sharp as if dipped in poison, locked onto Xue Mingqing's retreating back.

The Ice Crystal Spirit Leopard was the strongest agility-type martial soul in the Far North, even known by the reputation of a silent killer...

And Ling Gui was now going to use his first soul skill to launch a sneak attack from behind and cripple this commoner!

The yellow soul ring at his feet flashed violently!

Ling Gui's hands transformed into sharp, icy leopard claws, and with speed invisible to the naked eye, he slashed out two cold claw-lights toward Xue Mingqing's back!

"Go to hell!"