Little Snow?

The north wind swept up goose-feather snow, raging across the vast, boundless Extreme North Snowfield.

This place had been frozen for ten thousand years, its cold piercing to the bone. Ordinary creatures would freeze stiff the moment they set foot here. Only soul beasts of the Far North dwelled here, and silence reigned year-round.

Yet in this Far North, desolate for ten thousand years, an angry young girl's crisp, indignant curses rang out punctually every day.

"Scumbag! Damn scumbag!! Heartless bastard!!"

"I've got an eight a.m. class!"

Her emerald twin ponytails bounced wildly in the biting wind as she stomped back and forth atop the thick snow, hands on her hips. Every step left a crater, and her resentment practically shot into the sky, threatening to overwhelm the blizzard.

With every curse, the scorpion tail behind her slammed into the ice.

"It's been so many years, and there hasn't been a single word from him! Dead or alive, he could at least make a sound!"

After striking it seven or eight times, spiderweb cracks had spread across the ice. She stopped to catch her breath.

"Other than sending someone to deliver a little girl nearly ten years ago, there's been no news at all. A little girl! Why didn't he come himself?!"

Her scorpion tail struck again, this time with particular force. Ice chips flew up and bounced off her face. She spat twice, growing even angrier.

A white figure emerged from the snowstorm.

Snow Empress still looked as aloof and ethereal as ever. Her long white hair fell to her waist, while her ice-blue gown trailed over the snow without leaving the slightest mark.

"You've cursed him twice as often today as yesterday. Yesterday, it was once every hour. Today, it's once every fifteen minutes."

"It's all that bastard's fault!" Ice Empress kicked the snowbank before her, sending snowflakes scattering over her head and face. She did not even bother brushing them off before continuing to curse. "Ten thousand years! He keeps disappearing whenever he feels like it! Did changing bodies make him forget everyone? I'd recognize him even if he turned to ash!"

After saying that, she suddenly remembered something and turned to Snow Empress. "Right, Xue'er, have you been busy lately? Why do I never see you around?"

Snow Empress lowered her eyes slightly. Several snowflakes had settled on her long lashes. Her voice remained cool, though her tone carried a trace of gravity. "Recently, human soul masters have kept sneaking into the Far North. Their movements are well-hidden, but their auras are unusual. They should be what humans call... Evil Soul Masters."

"Evil Soul Masters?" Ice Empress frowned, her scorpion tail cracking through the air behind her. "What are they doing in the Far North?"

"I don't know." Snow Empress paused. "I've already dealt with two groups, but they hide deeply. The snowfield is too vast. There will always be some that slip through."

Ice Empress snorted coldly, her scorpion tail smashing against the ice with a crack. "That scumbag used to say we should just crush these people outright. What reason is there to argue with Evil Soul Masters? They don't even deserve to be called human."

Snow Empress gently shook her head. "Even so, we must still be careful. Humans are powerful now, and the Far North is not Star Dou. Star Dou has the auspicious beast watching over it, as well as Di Tian and that one, though her current condition is unknown. But the Far North has only a few of us holding it up. If anything serious happens, help will not arrive quickly."

Over the years, the soul beasts of the Far North had barely managed to gain a foothold through the home-field advantage of their extreme environment and the assistance of the Soul Planning Hall.

They had established agreed-upon terms with the Federation.

As long as the soul beasts of the Far North did not harass residents along the northern border, the Federation would not carry out large-scale development in the Far North.

However, some resource extraction was still permitted, provided it did not affect the Far North's ecology. This was also a concession the Far North had made to the human Federation.

Ice Empress fell silent for a moment and crossed her arms. Her emerald twin ponytails swayed gently in the wind, and her voice lowered somewhat. "It would be nice if he were here. He's a scumbag, but he really is good at fighting."

Snow Empress said nothing. She merely reached out and gently brushed the thin layer of snow from Ice Empress's shoulder.

Ice Empress suddenly looked up. "Xue'er, do you miss him too?"

"I'm fine." Snow Empress's expression paused slightly before she answered faintly.

"Liar!" Ice Empress turned her head away. "Back then, you were the one crying the loudest..."

"Wuwuwu!"

A blush surfaced on Snow Empress's cool, lovely face as she covered Ice Empress's little mouth with one hand.

After a while, Ice Empress escaped her restraint with a mischievous grin. "Hehe, Xue'er, how about I use my tail to help you..."

Snow Empress: "..."

"Brother Xun, what are you smiling about?"

"Nothing. I thought of a friend."

Xie Xie gave him a suspicious look. Somehow, that smile did not seem like the expression of someone thinking about a friend.

The two wandered among the bookshelves a while longer before the side door opened.

Zhou Changxi walked out with a dazed expression, as though he had yet to fully process what had happened.

A woman followed behind him. She appeared to be in her thirties, dressed in a red bishop's robe. Her black hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her features were cool and dignified. A powerful aura surrounded her.

Zhou Changxi walked up to Lin Xun. His lips moved, but in the end, he only managed to squeeze out one sentence. "I passed."

The red bishop walked before the three of them. Her gaze lingered briefly before she gave a slight nod.

"Based on your records and interview assessment, you currently qualify and may try first. However, the Soul Planning Hall has strict requirements. There will be a six-month probationary period. If you fail to meet the standard, you cannot officially remain in the Soul Planning Hall as an apprentice."

Zhou Changxi nodded vigorously. At last, some color returned to his chubby face.

He still seemed unable to react. This was the Soul Planning Hall. He had actually passed so easily.

What he did not know was that interviews had never been the difficult part of the Soul Planning Hall. They only assessed temperament and family background, and he lacked neither. The real trial lay in the probationary period afterward.

That was hell-level difficulty.

After all, Lin Xun had designed it himself.

Lin Xun's gaze dimmed slightly. He nodded gently but said nothing.

Xie Xie, on the other hand, was sincerely happy for Zhou Changxi. His eyes lit up as he stepped forward and patted his shoulder, his tone cheerful. "Not bad, Old Zhou! You really got into the Soul Planning Hall. You'll be a big shot from now on!"

Zhou Changxi's cheeks reddened, and his eyes brimmed with the relief of surviving a disaster. The heart that had been hanging for an entire day finally settled.

After all, the Soul Planning Hall's benefits were absolutely top-tier. Even during the apprentice probationary period, as long as he lasted a month, he would receive a generous monthly subsidy.

For a family as struggling as theirs, that was already extremely good.

The red bishop's calm gaze swept over the excited youths. There was not the slightest ripple in her cool features as she spoke in a low voice. "The interview is merely the first threshold to entry. Those who enter the Soul Planning Hall must first receive the Angel God's blessing and be branded with the divine residence's mark before they can officially begin probationary cultivation. Follow me."

Once she finished speaking, she led Zhou Changxi to the front of the statue. She straightened her posture and adjusted her red bishop's robe. Her previously cool, sharp features now held nothing but devotion and reverence.

The red bishop bent her knees slightly and bowed steadily. Her clear, solemn voice echoed through every corner of the empty hall.

"Honored Angel, my name is Ci Nian. I am a descendant of the ancient Pufferfish lineage. For generations, my family has taken refuge in the heavenly gods, observed the hall's rules, held firm faith in divine grace, and honored the Angel God above all else."

"We guard this corner of the Soul Planning Hall, discerning character, selecting worthy talent, conveying divine will, and guiding mortal hearts. Today, I recommend a new disciple, Zhou Changxi. His character is pure, his innate foundation upright, and he bears neither evil nor delusion. He is worthy of the hall's entry requirements."

"May we borrow the divine radiance of the heavenly god to bestow an opportunity upon this mortal child. Brand him with the divine mark, grant him merciful thoughts, let him uphold righteousness, and carry a benevolent heart. From this day onward, through every dawn and dusk, this new disciple and I shall faithfully observe divine teachings, revere the heavenly way, and never betray the hall's cultivation or the Angel God's grace!"

After her devout prayer, Ci Nian bowed deeply once more, her posture reverent to the extreme.

That golden light fell directly upon Zhou Changxi, enveloping his entire body. His chubby figure appeared especially small within the pillar of light.

Xie Xie watched with a face full of shock, while Lin Xun remained composed. He had not designed these rituals; they were customs preserved from Spirit Hall's inheritance.

But in that instant, his consciousness was abruptly pulled away.

It happened so fast that he could not react.

Everything before his eyes was instantly wiped clean.

There was no solemn divine hall or towering Angel God statue.

Xie Xie beside him and Zhou Changxi, who had just received the blessing, had vanished completely as well.

At that moment, he stood within a world of pure white.

There was no sky, no ground, no up or down, no cardinal directions.

As far as he could see, there was only endless white light—empty, silent, and terrifyingly still.

Within that void of pure white, he raised his eyes and saw that figure.

High above in the heavens, a golden-haired figure stood suspended in the air.

Six pairs of wings slowly unfurled behind her. Every feather was wreathed in faint golden flames, and an overwhelming sense of holiness washed over him.

Her golden hair flowed like a cascading waterfall over her shoulders, merging with the radiance that filled the sky.

She wore an extremely simple white-and-gold gown, its design immaculate in its simplicity.

Her bare feet stood upon the void. Around one slender ankle was a golden chain so fine it was nearly invisible. A tiny bell hung from its end, perfectly still and utterly soundless.

A thin halo covered her face, blurring her exact features and making her appearance impossible to discern clearly.

Only her eyes were terrifyingly distinct.

Pale violet bathed in golden light.

She tilted her head slightly and looked down upon Lin Xun below.

A moment later, her pale red lips parted gently.

Only two words fell clearly into the depths of Lin Xun's consciousness.

"Scumbag."

With a boom.

Lin Xun's entire consciousness was forcibly thrown back into his body.

The scene before him instantly returned to normal.

The hall was still the same hall from before, and the statue still stood quietly ahead.

The pillar of light surrounding Zhou Changxi was slowly retracting.

The golden rune on his brow flashed one final time, then completely sank beneath his skin and disappeared.

Xie Xie's mouth was still open beside him, and even the trailing note of his gasp had not fully faded.

That gaze and judgment spanning dimensions had lasted only one second from beginning to end.

So brief that no one noticed.

Lin Xun stood steadily in place. His expression remained outwardly normal, without the slightest sign of anything unusual.

"Brother Xun?"

Xie Xie keenly sensed that something was off. He turned to look at him, his eyes full of confusion.

"Did you just sway a little? You looked kind of strange."

"I'm fine."

Lin Xun's tone was flat, betraying no emotion.

"Oh."

Xie Xie did not dwell on it. He immediately turned toward Zhou Changxi, his face full of amazement.

"Old Zhou! Your entire body was glowing gold just now! That was ridiculous! Didn't you feel it yourself?!"

Zhou Changxi lifted a hand to touch his brow, looking utterly bewildered.

"It was just... a little hot between my eyebrows. It felt like something lightly touched me, then it was gone almost immediately."

Lin Xun did not join their lively conversation.

He slowly raised his eyes, letting his gaze fall quietly upon the incomparably holy Angel God statue ahead.

Was that Little Snow?

But her condition should not have been very good right now. How could she possibly have discovered him so precisely?

Ci Nian turned around and looked at Zhou Changxi. Her gaze remained cool, but her tone was more serious than before.

"The Angel God's blessing is now within your body. From today onward, as long as you remain in the Soul Planning Hall, everything you do will be bound by the divine mark."

She paused, her tone growing heavier.

"You may not commit evil, bully the weak, betray faith or loyalty, or stand by while someone dies. Should you violate this, the divine mark will retaliate. No one else will need to act. The blessing mark within you will devour your Soul Power and mind. At best, your cultivation will be ruined. At worst, you will lose your life."

Zhou Changxi subconsciously touched his brow. After the rune had sunk beneath his skin, he could no longer feel any heat from it, only the faintest lingering warmth. He nodded seriously.

"I understand. I won't do bad things."

Ci Nian looked at him and gave a slight nod. "You will be informed of future trial activities."

Xie Xie muttered softly at the side, "That's way too harsh. But Zhou Changxi won't do anything bad anyway, so this mark is basically a free buff for him."

Lin Xun said nothing. His gaze withdrew from the Angel God statue and settled on the invisible rune between Zhou Changxi's brows. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

A free buff?

There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

The Angel God's blessing was both protection and restraint. Only with this divine mark upon him would the Soul Planning Hall truly consider him one of its own.

The three left the Soul Planning Hall, and the doors slowly closed behind them.

Zhou Changxi stood on the steps, looking up at the small patch of gray sky above the clock tower's spire. Then he suddenly pinched the back of his hand hard.

"Ow."

"Of course it hurts. You pinched yourself that hard," Xie Xie said, rolling his eyes beside him.

"No, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't dreaming." Zhou Changxi looked at the red mark he had pinched onto the back of his hand, and the corners of his mouth slowly spread into a grin. "I really passed. I'm an apprentice of the Soul Planning Hall."

"On probation," Xie Xie reminded him.

"A probationary apprentice is still an apprentice!" Zhou Changxi rarefully stood his ground, but shrank back the next second and lowered his voice. "Brother Xun, do you think that divine mark really will retaliate? If I accidentally do something bad, will it swallow me in the middle of the night?"

"As long as you follow the law and rules, it won't eat you." Xie Xie slung an arm over his shoulder and dragged him toward the car.

"What do you mean, 'it won't'? Can't you give me a definite answer?"

"The definite answer is that you're officially on staff now. Even if you're only on probation for six months, you're still an apprentice of the Soul Planning Hall. Saying that carries more weight than an Eastsea Academy student ID."

Zhou Changxi scratched his head. "Then once the probationary period ends, I'll become an official apprentice?"

"Yep. Then you'll be someone protected by the Angel God."

Zhou Changxi fell silent for a moment before asking very seriously, "What if I don't pass the probationary period?"

Xie Xie thought about it. "I guess the divine mark will disappear automatically, so you won't have to worry about retaliation. You'll just have to pack up and leave."

"Packing up and leaving is fine. Better than getting swallowed by the divine mark." Zhou Changxi sighed in relief, then asked uneasily, "Is the probation pass rate high?"

Lin Xun opened the car door and sat in the back seat. Through the window, he said, "Less than ten percent."

Zhou Changxi's smile froze on his face.

Xie Xie patted his shoulder. "It's fine. Brother Xun is just scaring you. Come on, back to the academy."

Zhou Changxi gave one final sigh. "Actually, I suddenly feel like the Soul Planning Hall is kind of a makeshift operation. Or maybe this whole world is a makeshift operation."

Lin Xun paused slightly. "Why do you say that?"

Zhou Changxi spread his hands.

"What kind of good place accepts even me?"

Lin Xun: "..."