Parting, Return

Early the next morning, Meng Hongchen was the first to wake. She opened her eyes and saw that she and Cao Longyan were incredibly close—close enough to hear his breathing and heartbeat clearly.

The warmth of leaning against his shoulder last night, his gentle care, the aroma of the grilled food—all of it flashed through her mind. A blush instantly spread across Meng Hongchen's cheeks, and her heart began to race against her will.

She instinctively held her breath and quietly watched him, the corners of her mouth slowly lifting without her realizing it.

A moment later, Cao Longyan slowly opened his eyes. The sleepiness had just faded from his blue eyes, leaving them still hazy and cool.

Meng Hongchen jumped at his sudden awakening. In her fluster, she instinctively closed her eyes and pretended to still be asleep.

She couldn't bear to end this close companionship just yet. Even if she could lean against him for only a little longer, that would be enough...

Cao Longyan noticed something was off. His lashes twitched and his brows drew together slightly, but he didn't call her out.

He thought his movements upon waking might have disturbed her. Not wanting to embarrass her, he carefully gathered Soul Power, gently supporting her head as he slowly moved it off his shoulder.

Ice Empress, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, and Electrolux, inside the Spiritual Sea of Consciousness, saw everything clearly.

Ice Empress leaned against the Ice Rock she had made herself, the corners of her mouth curling into a teasing smile.

"Tsk, tsk. This little girl is so obvious even when she's pretending to sleep. If she doesn't want to leave, she should just say so instead of trying to hide it."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm wobbled his chubby body, looking envious.

"Our lord's charisma is incredible. If only I had that kind of charm!"

As he spoke, he sneakily glanced at Ice Empress. He didn't even bother to conceal what he was thinking. Ice Empress smacked him flying with a vicious flick of her tail, and he landed in a corner, drawing circles in the dirt with a woeful expression.

Beside them, Electrolux's lips even curved up slightly for once.

Cao Longyan got to his feet and stretched, then quickly packed his things. He carefully checked around the ice cave once more. Only after confirming there were no Soul Beasts nearby and that the defensive alarm was in good working order did he walk over to Meng Hongchen and gently pat her shoulder. His voice was cool, but there was an unmistakable gentleness beneath it.

"Hongchen, wake up. It's time to go. Let's try to find your group as soon as possible."

Meng Hongchen suddenly opened her eyes, meeting Cao Longyan's handsome blue gaze. Warmth and coolness mingled in his eyes, making her heart give a little jolt. The blush that had just faded returned to her cheeks. For a moment, she lost herself in his gaze, and even her breathing grew quick.

Seeing her staring blankly, Cao Longyan closed his eyes, shook his head, and called to her helplessly.

"Hongchen? We have to go."

"Ah... All right!"

Meng Hongchen came to her senses and hurriedly nodded. Her cheeks were so red they looked ready to drip blood. She quickly lowered her head, not daring to meet his eyes again, trying to hide her fluster.

Cao Longyan sighed and crouched down with his back to her.

"Get on. We'll keep heading toward the outskirts."

Meng Hongchen bit her lip and carefully climbed onto his back. She lightly looped her arms around his neck and rested her cheek against his back, feeling his warm presence. The reluctance in her heart grew heavier.

Perhaps their luck had improved, or perhaps Cao Longyan had an excellent sense of direction. In less than half a day, they spotted a group in Sun Moon Empire uniforms in the distance, anxiously searching the ice plain for something.

"Longyan, that up ahead is my... my group!"

Meng Hongchen's eyes lit up as she excitedly pointed ahead, but they soon dimmed, and her eyelids drooped again.

She had finally found them, but that also meant she would have to part from Cao Longyan.

The teacher leading the Sun Moon Empire group was a female Soul Douluo in a pale purple dress. When she saw Meng Hongchen, her face lit up with excitement and she hurried over. The worry that had weighed on her for days finally lifted completely.

She knew all too well that if Meng Hongchen failed to return to the Sun Moon Empire alive, a calamity would await her when she got back!

Cao Longyan crouched and slowly set Meng Hongchen down. The female teacher hurried over to support her and carefully checked her over.

"Xiao Meng, are you feeling unwell anywhere?"

"Teacher Xu, I'm fine. I'm sorry for making you worry..."

"Hey, don't say that. As long as you're all right, that's what matters."

Teacher Xu saw that the wound on Meng Hongchen's leg had already begun to heal and breathed a sigh of relief.

She then turned to Cao Longyan and bowed deeply. Her enthusiasm was impossible to hide, as if she had just found her savior.

"Thank you for saving her, young friend. Without you, Xiao Meng would have been in grave danger! May I ask your name? Would you be interested in joining the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy? We'd give you the best resources and do everything we could to train you!"

Teacher Xu's frank enthusiasm left Cao Longyan at a loss. He stepped forward to help her up and scratched the back of his head.

"It was no trouble. My name is Cao Longyan, and I don't plan on joining any faction for now. Sorry, senior."

Even in the face of Teacher Xu's enthusiastic recruitment, he remained calm and didn't waver in the slightest.

Teacher Xu saw this and didn't press him.

She could tell what kind of person Cao Longyan was. The more she pushed, the more likely he was to resent it. Better to let things take their course and look for another opportunity to recruit him later.

She smiled and nodded.

"If that's your decision, I won't insist. The Sun Moon Empire will always welcome you if you ever need anything."

"Mm, thank you for your kindness, senior."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Cao Longyan took a bottle of wound medicine from his backpack and handed it to Meng Hongchen.

"Hongchen, there's enough medicine in this bottle to last until your wound has completely healed. Apply it once a day, and it should be fully healed in three days. Remember not to do anything strenuous... Goodbye."

Meng Hongchen reached out and took the bottle firmly. Her eyes reddened, but she fought back her tears and managed to force a smile. Her voice caught with a faint sob.

"I understand. Thank you, Longyan... Take care of yourself, too."

She didn't dare say more, afraid that if she did, her tears would fall—and even more afraid that she might beg him to stay.

Cao Longyan nodded and turned to leave.

But just then, a boy of about sixteen hurried out of the group. His eyes were full of jealousy and provocation as he stepped in front of Cao Longyan.

The boy was Gu Yan, a student at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy. He had become a Five-Ring Soul King at the age of sixteen, and had long been in love with Meng Hongchen.

He had clearly seen the way Meng Hongchen looked at Cao Longyan just now—a tenderness and reluctance he had never seen from her before. Teacher Xu's enthusiastic efforts to recruit Cao Longyan were something he had never received, either.

All of it sent his temper soaring, and jealousy clouded his judgment.

In his eyes, Cao Longyan was nothing but a brat of eleven or twelve. Even if he had some strength, how strong could he possibly be?

How could he beat Gu Yan, a newly promoted Five-Ring Soul King?

He gave a mocking laugh, pointed at Cao Longyan, and spoke arrogantly.

"Hey, brat! You think you can lay a finger on Miss Meng Hongchen? You haven't even grown hair yet, and you think you deserve her attention? I'm Gu Yan, a Five-Ring Soul King with a Cold Ice Python Martial Soul. Do you dare spar with me and let me see what you're made of?"

Meng Hongchen's expression darkened, and she hurried forward to stop him.

"Gu Yan, don't make a scene! Don't go too far!"

But as soon as she stepped forward, Teacher Xu stopped her.

Teacher Xu leaned close to her ear and spoke quietly.

"Xiao Meng, don't rush. Don't you want to know how strong the person you like really is? Gu Yan is arrogant by nature. Unless he gets knocked down a peg, he won't give up. It's fine to let him try."

Meng Hongchen bit her lip and looked at Cao Longyan's back, her heart full of worry, yet tinged with curiosity. She knew he was strong, but she didn't know just how strong.

Seeing that Meng Hongchen had been stopped and that the teacher was on his side, Gu Yan grew even more arrogant. His Soul Power erupted, and the Cold Ice Python Martial Soul instantly possessed him, pale blue scales covering his body.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, and black Soul Rings gradually appeared beneath his feet.

A standard Five-Ring Soul King. Interesting... I'll use him to test this move...

Cao Longyan didn't even look him in the eye. His expression remained cold as he slowly raised his hand, and the phantom of an ice dragon gathered in his palm.

"Wrath of the Ice Dragon King!"

As his words fell, the ice dragon phantom roared forth. It didn't attack Gu Yan directly; instead, it transformed into a vast wave of bloodline pressure and swept toward him.

Under the Ice Dragon King's bloodline suppression, the Cold Ice Python Martial Soul on Gu Yan's body let out a piercing wail. His Martial Soul Possession instantly crumbled, and his five Soul Rings dimmed.

Gu Yan felt a violent pain throughout his body, as if an invisible force had struck him hard. His body flew backward against his will and crashed into the snow. He spat blood and didn't even have the strength to get back up.

Everyone else gaped, rubbing their eyes again and again.

Those Soul Rings couldn't be right, could they? Why were they all black Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings?!

Cao Longyan looked down at him, his voice cold as he left him with a domineering threat.

"Trash. You think you're worthy of challenging me?"

With that, he didn't linger. Without even looking back, he turned and walked toward the outskirts of the Extreme North.

Meng Hongchen watched him gradually disappear into the distance. Her heart clenched painfully, and at last, tears slipped down her cheeks. She gripped the medicine bottle tightly in her hand.

Longyan... would they ever meet again?

She didn't know whether this parting would be brief, or whether they would miss each other forever.

The aura of Ultimate Ice that Cao Longyan had unleashed just now caught the attention of a black-haired, blue-eyed girl in the Shrek Academy group nearby.

This aura... Is it... Ultimate Ice?!