The Northern Frontier! Lu Xiao's Choice for His Third Soul Ring!

Du Busi led Lu Xiao and Xiao Wu northward, heading toward the Far North.

The farther north they traveled, the more biting the autumn wind became.

The bone-piercing wind swept scraps of withered yellow grass and leaves across the wasteland with a howl.

The colors of heaven and earth grew increasingly bleak and monotonous. As far as the eye could see, withered grass stretched to the horizon and the wilderness was boundless.

Xiao Wu tightened her cotton coat around herself, her little face red from the cold, and said softly, "Lu Xiao, it's so cold in the north. It's much colder than Notting City."

They had been traveling for more than two full months.

The three of them had pressed onward day and night, heading deep into the north, and had already reached the northernmost borderlands of the Heaven Dou Empire.

"We're already close to the Far North. The Far North is one of humanity's forbidden zones!"

"This is nothing yet!"

Du Busi's black robes snapped in the wind. His blood and qi boiled around him, effortlessly shielding him from the surrounding icy gale as he said calmly,

"The closer we get to the core region of the Far North, the nearer the temperature will come to that of Ultimate Ice. The Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow in the core region is most suitable for Lu Xiao to temper his bones with!"

He turned his head toward Lu Xiao, who walked steadily beside him, and added, "There's also a third Soul Ring there that suits you best."

After such a long journey through wind, frost, rain, and snow, Lu Xiao's footsteps had remained steady, his breathing completely undisturbed.

Even as the cold wind invaded his body and the chill of the frozen earth coursed through him, the Soul Power and blood and qi within him continued circulating in perfect order.

Lu Xiao shielded the shivering Xiao Wu behind him, then took out a map and examined it. "Xiao Wu, hold on a little longer. We're already very close to Extreme Ice City!"

An hour later, a gray mist finally broke apart at the end of the distant wilderness.

The temperature in the air suddenly plummeted. The howling autumn wind became a piercing icy gale, carrying goose-feather snowflakes that filled the sky and blanketed the entire wasteland in moments.

At the line where earth met sky, a towering ice-blue silhouette suddenly rose—a colossal city constructed entirely from ancient ice.

"That is Extreme Ice City."

Du Busi raised his eyes to gaze at the frozen city in the distance, his tone calm.

The entire city had been cast from ice. After enduring a thousand years of wind and snow, its crystalline walls were as translucent as jade, gleaming with a cold blue radiance amid the storm.

Because the city bordered the Far North Forbidden Land, Extreme Ice City was also the only city jointly garrisoned by the Heaven Dou Empire and Spirit Hall!

Xiao Wu poked her head out from behind Lu Xiao and stared at the majestic ice city with astonishment in her eyes. She moved closer to Lu Xiao's side and murmured, "What a beautiful city... it's just too cold."

Several local delicacies surfaced in Du Busi's mind.

He unconsciously rubbed his hands together and urged, "Hurry up and enter the city. This old man is freezing to death!"

With that, he strode into the city.

Lu Xiao and Xiao Wu exchanged a look, their eyes filled with helplessness.

Could someone with your physique even feel cold?

Burning paper offerings at a grave—who were you trying to fool, Ghost?

As the three arrived beneath the city gates, they found that most residents within the city had pale skin and silver-white or light-blue hair. Their martial souls also tended toward ice and water attributes.

"Stop!"

The blue-haired captain of the gate guards stepped forward, lightly tapping his ice spear against the ground. His sharp gaze swept over the three of them. "Extreme Ice City is a sealed stronghold bordering the Far North. Foreign Soul Masters may not enter without a pass token."

Du Busi remained calm, deliberately suppressing the pressure of a Title Douluo.

He tilted his head toward Lu Xiao and casually gestured. "Take it out."

Lu Xiao understood at once and nodded lightly, raising a hand to brush over the Storage Soul Guidance Device on his right hand.

With a flash of faint light, Spirit Hall's Saintess Token appeared in his hand.

He handed over the token. "Sorry to trouble you."

The expressions of the four gate-guarding Soul Masters changed at once.

The captain hurried forward, respectfully receiving the token with both hands and carefully inspecting it.

After confirming that it was genuine, he immediately returned it with both hands, bowing slightly as his expression became far more respectful.

"So you are honored guests. We were disrespectful."

He stepped aside and raised a hand in a gesture of passage, saying deferentially, "The Saintess Token grants access to all areas of Extreme Ice City, with no regional restrictions. Please enter, honored guests. May your journey go smoothly."

Lu Xiao accepted the Saintess Token and carefully put it away, then nodded in acknowledgment.

The heavy ice gates opened with a rumble. Icy mist carrying a chill rushed toward them, but once they entered the city, most of the fierce wind and cold from outside was blocked off.

The biting cold still remained as they traveled through the city, but the savage winds of the wasteland were gone.

Du Busi could not be bothered to wander around. He headed straight for the grandest Ice and Snow Hotel in the city.

The attendants at the entrance were accustomed to guests from all directions. Seeing that the three possessed extraordinary bearing, they did not dare slight them in the least and hurried forward to bow and guide them inside.

"Three honored guests, this way, please!"

The moment they entered the hotel, a wave of warm air washed over them, perfectly dispelling the chill around their bodies.

The walls were embedded with specially crafted warm jade that continuously emitted a gentle heat, completely shutting the bitter cold outside.

Du Busi handed over a Gold Soul Card. "Three of the best rooms!"

The attendant respectfully accepted the Gold Soul Card and swiftly arranged three adjacent rooms for them.

The attendant quickly prepared three adjoining suites. They were spacious and bright, with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the snowy plains outside the city, offering an unobstructed view of the snow.

The attendant withdrew and closed the doors, leaving the rooms completely quiet.

Xiao Wu's nose was already red from the cold. She hurried to the fireplace to warm herself, rubbed her icy little hands, and obediently sat on a soft couch nearby.

Lu Xiao stood by the window, looking at the snow drifting through the sky outside with a calm expression.

Du Busi turned and walked to the table. He casually pulled over a chair and sat down, the earlier casual laziness fading from his face as he became serious.

"A normal ten-thousand-year Soul Beast's Soul Ring would only limit your potential for growth and could even hinder future breakthroughs in cultivation. Your third Soul Ring must be powerful—preferably no weaker than that of a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear."

"In the entire Far North, there is only one type of Soul Beast most suited to becoming your third Soul Ring—the Titan Snow Demon."

When he spoke the Soul Beast's name, Du Busi's tone became more solemn.

Legend had it that the Titan Snow Demon clan descended from offspring left behind after the ancient Ice God favored a Titan Giant. Titan Snow Demons stood over ten meters tall at birth, while adult Titan Snow Demons could exceed fifty meters in height.

A faint glimmer flickered in Lu Xiao's eyes as understanding dawned on him.

"As for the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow to temper your spine, that depends on luck. That thing is even rarer than a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast!"

Du Busi turned to Xiao Wu and sternly instructed, "For this operation, Xiao Wu, you will stay at the hotel and wait for us to return!"

Titan Snow Demons were not like Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bears. Their numbers were exceedingly scarce, and if their luck was poor, they might run into the Titan Snow Demon King, one of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North!

Xiao Wu nodded obediently. She knew this journey was fraught with danger, and if they brought her along, Lu Xiao might not be able to hunt a suitable Soul Beast.

She handed Lu Xiao a cup of hot water and said gently, "Lu Xiao, you must be careful. I'll stay in the room and behave myself. I won't run around. I'll wait for you to come back."

Lu Xiao nodded lightly. "Don't worry. We'll go and return quickly. Just stay at the hotel and don't go out casually."

Du Busi curled his lips to the side but said nothing.