Jiang Bai Leaves the Academy

After the class monitor dispute ended, no one dared to provoke them anymore. Of course, Dai Huabin was still unwilling to accept it. He was currently training diligently, planning to break through to four rings before taking revenge.

Jiang Bai and Huo Yuhao's daily routine now consisted of attending class, eating, and sleeping.

During this period, Jiang Bai would occasionally bring a soul beast encyclopedia to ask Wang Yan questions. Over time, the two became familiar with each other.

Even Zhou Yi, who had wanted to cause trouble for him, was somewhat wary of Wang Yan.

After all, Wang Yan was the homeroom teacher, and his mind was normal.

"Jiang Bai, what soul beast are you planning to absorb for your third ring?"

Inside the library, Wang Yan pushed up his glasses and asked Jiang Bai across a table.

Jiang Bai was already at level twenty-nine. He was just one step away from breaking through to three rings and becoming a Soul Elder.

Wang Yan knew Jiang Bai's second ring had already been a thousand-year one, so his third ring naturally couldn't be mediocre. It had to be around four thousand years at least. Perhaps Jiang Bai might truly break through to become a Soul Saint in the future.

"I've already made my choice. I'll obtain my Soul Ring after the holiday begins."

Jiang Bai answered. For his Soul Ring, he only needed to go to the Far North and condense it there. The ice element there was dense, making it suitable for condensing an ice Soul Ring.

"That's good."

Hearing Jiang Bai's words, Wang Yan nodded as well.

He trusted Jiang Bai's judgment. Through their time together, he had learned that Jiang Bai was an exceptionally steady and reliable person.

After leaving the library, Jiang Bai made his way to the entrance of the Soul Engineering Department with familiar ease.

Jiang Bai had come to wait for Huo Yuhao, but while waiting, he spotted someone who shouldn't have been here—someone who greatly disliked Soul Tools.

Wang Dong?

Sure enough, Wang Dong was standing not far away. The two of them were both waiting for Huo Yuhao to finish class.

Leaning against a tree, Wang Dong also noticed Jiang Bai approaching.

Looking at Jiang Bai nearby, Wang Dong wanted to greet him, but after thinking it over, decided against it.

Because Jiang Bai had deliberately kept his distance, he and Wang Dong had little contact and naturally rarely spoke.

Why should he be the one to greet him first?

Wang Dong thought as she turned her face away. Just looking at the Soul Engineering Department made her uncomfortable.

Why did Huo Yuhao have to come here to study? So annoying.

After the class monitor dispute ended, Huo Yuhao had discussed it with Wang Yan. Huo Yuhao wanted to come here to study Soul Tools and attend classes as an ordinary student.

He also promised that his Martial Soul cultivation would not fall behind.

Seeing the determination in Huo Yuhao's eyes, Wang Yan agreed.

Wang Yan also felt that cultivation in the Martial Soul Department offered Huo Yuhao little help, and the department didn't pay much attention to him either.

As a result, aside from weekend breaks, Huo Yuhao spent most of his time in the laboratory after that.

Because of this, even Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao rarely saw each other.

Previously, because Wang Dong disliked the Soul Engineering Department, she never came here to wait for Huo Yuhao.

Usually, Jiang Bai was the one waiting here, while Xiao Xiao came by sometimes as well.

This was the first time Jiang Bai had seen Wang Dong come here to wait for Huo Yuhao.

Was Miss Wang Dong about to break through her underlying code?

"Brother Jiang, Wang Dong, you're both here?"

Huo Yuhao walked out of the Soul Engineering Department. He first saw Jiang Bai, then Wang Dong standing some distance away.

He knew Jiang Bai would come, but he truly hadn't expected Wang Dong to be here too.

"What? Am I not allowed to come?"

Hearing Huo Yuhao's surprise, Wang Dong raised her brows, her face full of impatience. Why shouldn't she be allowed to come?!

"No, that's not what I meant."

Huo Yuhao quickly waved his hands. That wasn't what he meant at all. He was happy Wang Dong had come.

Huo Yuhao hurried over and took hold of Wang Dong's hand.

Feeling her hand being held, Wang Dong didn't pull away. It just felt a little strange.

The three sat by the roadside. Now that Huo Yuhao had the Core Academy's resources, he no longer needed to sell grilled fish to support himself. All his time was devoted to cultivation.

"I'm going to the Far North to obtain a Soul Ring. I'll be leaving in a few days."

Jiang Bai said it first to prepare Huo Yuhao, so he would have an excuse in case they happened to encounter each other later.

"So soon? Aren't you waiting until you break through to level thirty?"

Hearing "Far North," Huo Yuhao froze briefly before asking with concern.

The Far North was extremely dangerous. If he didn't need to secretly go there later himself, he would have wanted to go with Jiang Bai.

"Yeah. I can break through to level thirty on the way, then absorb the Soul Ring sooner."

"Alright."

Huo Yuhao nodded in understanding. Although one could still cultivate without obtaining a Soul Ring, the speed would be too slow. It was better to absorb one as soon as possible.

"Alright, I'm heading back to prepare."

With a wave of his hand, Jiang Bai left. Wang Dong seemed to have something she wanted to say to Huo Yuhao, so he shouldn't play the third wheel.

The days slowly passed like this.

"Why haven't we seen Jiang Bai these past few days? Yuhao, where did he go?"

During Wang Yan's class, Xiao Xiao noticed that Jiang Bai had been absent for several days and looked confused.

"Him? Didn't he go obtain a Soul Ring?"

Huo Yuhao lay sprawled across his desk. Studying Soul Tools had been a little tiring lately, and he had already learned what Wang Yan was teaching in this class, so he could take a break.

"What?!"

Xiao Xiao was utterly shocked. She hadn't even known?

The outskirts of the Far North, Frozen Forest...

"Young friend, we discovered this Ice Tiger first."

Su Jianghe of the Su Clan, a Soul Emperor, watched the white-robed figure ahead with vigilance.

"The Su Clan?"

The white-robed figure's voice was neither male nor female, neither old nor young.

The white-robed figure was Jiang Bai, who had arrived in the Far North. He had encountered these people as soon as he got here.

But the Su Clan?

Upon hearing the words "Su Clan," Jiang Bai raised his eyes and looked at the five people ahead, with another two behind them.

One Soul Emperor and four Soul Kings. The Soul Emperor at the front had the strongest Soul Power among them.

Surrounded by them were a level-thirty girl and a level-forty man. The girl was around Jiang Bai's age, and she possessed Ultimate Ice.

Su Tong? The Heavenly Snow Woman Martial Soul. I didn't expect to meet her here.

"Mm, but this Ice Tiger isn't suitable for her Soul Ring. There's a two-thousand-year Snow Owl over there. The flames surrounding it are gathered from ice elements, so it should suit her quite well."

An Ultimate Martial Soul might still prove useful in the future. He could make a small investment.

"A Snow Owl?"

Hearing about that soul beast, Su Jianghe's eyes lit up. Compared to this Ice Tiger, a Snow Owl was far more suitable for Su Tong. However, Snow Owls were elusive, and he only knew the location of a five-thousand-year Snow Owl, which he had intended to use as Su Tong's fourth Soul Ring.

Now that there was a suitable one, he naturally couldn't let the opportunity pass.

As for whether the person before them was lying, Su Jianghe wasn't worried. As long as they didn't venture too deep, their strength would keep them safe in the outer regions.

"Thank you, young friend."

Su Jianghe bowed slightly in thanks.

Watching Jiang Bai leave, the level-forty man in the group looked puzzled.

"This guy's aura is only around level thirty. Uncle, why are you being so respectful to him?"

"Shut up."

Su Jianghe frowned and cut him off. Though that person's strength appeared to be only around level thirty, his aura had made even him, a Soul Emperor, somewhat afraid to act.

Either the other party had powerful elders nearby, or he had concealed his true strength.

No matter which possibility it was, neither was something they could handle.

"Keep your temper in check when you're outside in the future. Don't make enemies carelessly, or even I won't be able to save you!"

Hearing his uncle's warning, the man lowered his head and didn't dare say anything more.

Su Tong, in the group, only felt a strange stirring in her heart upon seeing that person, as though she had seen one of her own kind.

I should've had Second Uncle say a few more words and see whether he could keep him here.

White clothes... It seemed like she had heard of that somewhere.

Su Tong recalled a rumor from a town outside. It said that a white-robed soul master would occasionally help others awaken their Martial Souls without asking for anything in return.

But then she thought about it again. Who would do something so thankless?

After moving away from the group, Xue Ying jumped out from Jiang Bai's embrace.

"Ying, ying, ying."

"You like her? True, a creature like the Heavenly Snow Woman does seem somewhat similar to you." Jiang Bai thought for a moment before continuing.

Still, could something like a Heavenly Snow Woman really become a Martial Soul? What a strange world.

Taking off his hood, Jiang Bai's hair turned pink, while his originally black eyes became emerald green. His entire aura changed into something else.

Martial Soul Possession, Ultimate Ice.

The Soul Power Jiang Bai had been suppressing with Golden Orb was fully released.

The reserves of Soul Power in Jiang Bai's body now surpassed even those of ordinary Soul Kings.

"It has been a long time since I came here."

He looked around before turning his gaze toward the distant mountaintop. It still looked the same as in his memories.

His old cave dwelling should be nearby.

He just didn't know whether any ten-thousand-year soul beast had taken over his nest.

His first Soul Ring lit up. Frost Descent's icy mist wrapped around him, directly lifting Jiang Bai into the air.

If he were outside, Jiang Bai's Soul Power could support flight for only a few dozen meters at most.

But Jiang Bai was now in the Far North, where ice elements were inexhaustible. As long as he went all out, he would never run out of Soul Power.

After flying for roughly ten minutes, Jiang Bai saw the cave where he had once lived.

"Roar..."

An Icefield Wolf that was nearly eight thousand years old sensed the presence of an outsider and emerged from the cave dwelling.

The Icefield Wolf raised its head toward Jiang Bai, its aura surging forth from within.

To it, Jiang Bai was the intruder.

"Mm, as expected, it's been occupied."

Jiang Bai raised his hand, and his first and second Soul Rings lit up.

Slow Freeze, enhanced by Ultimate Ice, directly froze the Icefield Wolf that had been about to lose its temper.

"Woo—"

The Icefield Wolf tried to resist, but the tyrannical nature of Ultimate Ice was something an ordinary soul beast like it simply couldn't withstand.

"Come, sword."

Jiang Bai raised his hand, and icy mist condensed into dozens of ice swords.

With a gentle point toward the Icefield Wolf below, the ice swords shot forth and impaled it in place. A dense purple Soul Ring appeared above the ice swords.

"Xue Ying."

After landing, Jiang Bai called softly. Xue Ying ran out from his embrace and was delighted upon seeing the familiar surroundings.

"This is... a Soul Bone?"