Eighty-Thousand-Year Ice Jade Scorpion

Virtue Hall.

While Xia Yu and Meng Hongchen leisurely enjoyed their time together in the Extreme North, Xiao Hongchen and Jing Hongchen grew increasingly worried over their prolonged absence.

Originally, Jing Hongchen and the others had believed that with Xia Yu, a Titled Douluo and Rank-9 Soul Engineer, hunting a soul beast in the Extreme North would be a simple matter.

Seven or eight days should have been more than enough for a round trip.

Even if they spent time searching for a suitable soul beast based on past records, ten days should still have sufficed.

But now, more than twenty days had passed, and Xia Yu and Meng Hongchen still had not returned to Radiant City.

If they had not known that Xia Yu was more than capable of protecting Meng Hongchen, they would have thought something had happened.

But even knowing that nothing had gone wrong, Jing Hongchen and the others still could not help worrying.

Especially Xiao Hongchen. His sister Meng Hongchen was the key to defeating Shrek Academy. They could not compete in the Soul Master Tournament without her.

After all, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong'er on Shrek Academy's side possessed several Martial Soul Fusion Techniques. If Meng Hongchen missed the tournament, the outcome would be obvious.

Xiao Hongchen did not want to lose.

Especially after everything he had sacrificed over the past five years to defeat Shrek, how could he possibly allow himself to suffer the humiliation of defeat again?

Absolutely not. He would never allow himself to lose to Shrek Academy again.

No matter what, he had to win the Radiant City Tournament this time.

"Hey, Xiao, ease your mind. With Xia Yu there, Meng will definitely return before the tournament begins."

Jing Hongchen naturally understood Xiao Hongchen's thoughts. Seeing his gloomy, anxious expression, he did not know what else to say.

Because he knew what his grandson had given up in order to wash away his humiliation and defeat Shrek Academy.

Actually, before Elder Kong Deming had approached him to discuss Xia Yu and Meng Hongchen's marriage, he had pinned everything on Sun Moon Imperial Academy winning the Radiant City Tournament.

As long as Sun Moon Imperial Academy could defeat Shrek Academy and claim the championship, he and Virtue Hall could use the momentum of that victory to reverse the situation in one stroke and revitalize everything.

But before that plan could even be carried out, fortune had turned in his favor. Elder Kong Deming had unexpectedly extended an olive branch to him.

Through Xia Yu and Meng Hongchen's marriage, the predicament facing him and Virtue Hall suddenly had a turning point.

And that was not all. Xia Yu soon gave him another enormous boost.

He had single-handedly crushed Ghost Fox, the long-established Rank-9 control-type Soul Engineer, firmly establishing battle power that could surpass even a Super Douluo.

Relying on that tremendous momentum, Jing Hongchen used every method at his disposal. Through his efforts at mediation, he successfully seized the opportunity and gained a great deal of benefit.

With that, Virtue Hall's predicament was instantly reversed, and the situation was revitalized.

Jing Hongchen no longer had to scrape by as he had before, constantly keeping his nerves taut.

And precisely because the situation had improved, he naturally set aside the underhanded matters previously prepared to secure victory in the Radiant City Tournament.

Of course, before making that decision, Jing Hongchen had told Xiao Hongchen about those matters and asked for his thoughts.

Xiao Hongchen's response had not surprised Jing Hongchen. He simply did not care about Virtue Hall's assistance.

He had even said that they could defeat Shrek Academy honorably even without Virtue Hall clearing the way for them...

Well, after learning that their team had two Soul Sages, Xiao Hongchen had become that confident.

But for all the confidence he had shown then, he was now just as anxious because Meng Hongchen had been missing for so many days.

That was why he had come to Virtue Hall to ask Jing Hongchen for a solution, to see whether they could contact Xia Yu and Meng Hongchen and have them return to Radiant City quickly.

Because if they did not return soon, the Radiant City Tournament really was about to begin.

Extreme North!

After resting and recovering her body to peak condition, Meng Hongchen impatiently dragged Xia Yu off to hunt a soul beast.

She could not wait to see what the Frostflame Jade Toad's Martial Soul Avatar would be like and how much enhancement it could bring her.

She had even set her soul ring target on an Ice Jade Scorpion in order to match the Frostflame Jade Toad's noble status.

She wanted to hunt an Ice Jade Scorpion over fifty thousand years old.

After undergoing two transformations, coupled with the evolution brought by absorbing Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Marrow, Meng Hongchen's physical strength had long since become incomparable to what it once was.

Even though Ice Jade Scorpions possessed the Ultimate Ice attribute and could not be compared with ordinary soul beasts, she was confident she could absorb a soul ring from one over fifty thousand years old.

As for Xia Yu, he naturally agreed with Meng Hongchen's suggestion to hunt an Ice Jade Scorpion.

It was merely an Ice Jade Scorpion. Even if the Ice Empress were still around, he would not fear her in the slightest.

Not to mention that the Ice Empress had now become Huo Yuhao's second martial soul, making it impossible for her to stop them from hunting Ice Jade Scorpions.

With that, hunting an Ice Jade Scorpion would be effortless, practically there for the taking.

And that was indeed the case.

Other than the time spent traveling from the edge of the Extreme North to the Ice Jade Scorpions' habitat in the core region, everything that followed required no effort at all.

At the core of the Extreme North, within the territory of the Ice Jade Scorpion clan, Xia Yu displayed terrifying strength the moment he arrived.

He easily suppressed every Ice Jade Scorpion there.

Then, after carefully comparing Meng Hongchen's physical strength and spiritual cultivation, Xia Yu quickly selected a suitable target—an eighty-thousand-year Ice Jade Scorpion.

"Brother Yu, this Ice Jade Scorpion seems to be eighty thousand years old. Isn't that a little too much?"

Although she had long planned to absorb a soul ring from an Ice Jade Scorpion over fifty thousand years old, Meng Hongchen still could not help swallowing when Xia Yu tossed the eighty-thousand-year Ice Jade Scorpion in front of her.

According to her own plan, her seventh soul ring should have come from an Ice Jade Scorpion around sixty thousand years old.

Not an eighty-thousand-year Ice Jade Scorpion that Xia Yu had casually plucked from a group of them.

This was an eighty-thousand-year Ice Jade Scorpion. Some Titled Douluo did not even have the possibility of absorbing its soul ring. Could she, a mere Quasi-Soul Sage, really do it?

Was he sure he was not overestimating her?

"Don't worry, Meng. I've already examined your physical condition. You can completely absorb this eighty-thousand-year Ice Jade Scorpion soul ring."

"Besides, there is still quite a considerable amount of Essence of Ten-Thousand-Year Mysterious Ice Marrow in your body. When you absorb the soul ring, it can help you as well."

Seeing Meng Hongchen's hesitation and inner struggle, Xia Yu immediately encouraged her and explained why he had made this choice.

Sure enough, the moment Xia Yu spoke with certainty, Meng Hongchen's hesitation vanished, replaced by resolve.

She believed Xia Yu because he would never harm her.

That alone was enough.

"Then, Brother Yu, I'll absorb the soul ring. Protect me!"

Taking a deep breath, Meng Hongchen drew a soul tool dagger and gave the eighty-thousand-year Ice Jade Scorpion one final stab, ending its life.

Very soon, a deep black soul ring rose from the Ice Jade Scorpion's corpse.

It floated unsteadily in midair.