Ice Empress!

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine... Sister Tian Meng, you were amazing."

Huo Yutong patted her chest, still shaken.

At that, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm gave a few smug hums.

"Of course!"

"Now let me show you my specialty!!!"

Then he cleared his throat, and a voice utterly unlike his earlier sultry tones came from Huo Yutong's mouth.

It was cool and ethereal, carrying a trace of authority that looked down upon the world, as though the ruler of the Far North's ice and snow had appeared in person.

"Bingbing, are you there?"

"It's me, the Snow Empress."

A moment later, a crack suddenly opened in the distant ice field.

A jade-green figure emerged through the wind and snow.

She was a woman with jade-green hair falling to her waist, golden eyes devoid of warmth, and a face of breathtaking beauty. Yet behind her trailed a long scorpion tail gleaming with deep-blue light.

The Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, one of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North, an empress with four hundred thousand years of cultivation: the Ice Empress!

"Where are you, Snow Empress?"

The Ice Empress frowned. Then her gaze fell on Huo Yutong, and her face darkened.

"Tian Meng, you fool. You dared use the Snow Empress's voice to trick me?"

"Hehe, Bingbing~ I just missed you~"

The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm reverted to his original voice, speaking in a tone so sweet it was cloying.

"Spare me."

The Ice Empress swept Huo Yutong with a disdainful glance.

"Out with it. What are you here for this time?"

The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm chuckled, then grew startlingly serious.

"Bingbing, listen to me."

"The heavenly tribulation at three hundred thousand years damaged your very foundation. In your current state, you'll never survive the four-hundred-thousand-year threshold."

"But this girl is different. Her Mental Attribute is one in ten thousand. The two of us can place our hopes in her and help her become a god."

"And carve out a path to survival for ourselves!"

"What do you say, Bingbing? Want in?"

The Ice Empress fell silent for a moment, light flickering in her golden eyes.

"The God-Making Plan..."

The words four-hundred-thousand-year heavenly tribulation had weighed on her for far too long.

She was one of the Three Great Heavenly Kings of the Far North, and the empress of the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpions. Yet the stronger she was, the more clearly she understood what that tribulation meant.

Tian Meng was right. She could not wait any longer.

"Fine. But first, let me test the little girl you've chosen."

"If she can't withstand my test, the deal is off."

The Ice Empress raised a hand, and an ice-blue lotus formed at her fingertip.

Huo Yutong took a deep breath. The ice-blue lotus instantly entered her body.

Bone-piercing cold raced from her arm through her entire body. Her face went pale and her lips began to tremble, but she kept her teeth clenched.

"Yutong!"

Ye Tianming froze at the sight. That never happened in the original story! He was about to rush forward when the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm stopped him.

"Don't. This is Bingbing's test. That girl is tougher than you think."

Frost formed on Huo Yutong's eyelashes, and her clenched knuckles creaked. But only one thought filled her mind.

I have to grow stronger. I don't want Brother Tianming standing in front of me to shield me anymore.

I have to become strong enough to protect myself.

And protect Brother Tianming.

"That's enough."

The Ice Empress withdrew the ice lotus, and a hint of warmth finally softened the frost in her eyes.

"Fine. I'll join the God-Making Plan."

Next, a warm torso bone fused into Huo Yutong's back.

It was painful, but far easier to endure than the test just now.

Then the four-hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring fused into Huo Yutong's body, and heaven and earth seemed to stand still for an instant.

A dazzling red Soul Ring slowly rose from beneath her feet.

It was a color only Soul Rings over one hundred thousand years old possessed—and this was Huo Yutong's first Soul Ring.

At the same time, an ice-blue mark lit up between her brows. The Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion Martial Soul had officially awakened as her Second Martial Soul.

Her Soul Power surged.

It did not slowly stop until it reached rank 29.

Meanwhile, in the Sea of Consciousness, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and the Ice Empress stared at each other.

"Bingbing, we're finally together!!!!"

The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm wriggled closer to the Ice Empress.

"Get lost!"

The Ice Empress remained expressionless, though the corner of her mouth lifted slightly.

Huo Yutong slowly opened her eyes and spread her palm. An ice crystal formed there; with a gentle squeeze, it burst into a flurry of icy shards.

Then the Ice Empress spoke calmly.

"First Soul Skill: Ice Emperor's Wrath."

"You still have a long road ahead of you."

"Thank you, Sister Ice Empress!"

Huo Yutong smiled and turned toward Ye Tianming, who stood amid the wind and snow.

"Brother Tianming, let's go home."

Smiling, Ye Tianming reached out and took her hand.

"Okay."

"Let's go back and show them just how strong our Huo Yutong has become."

Huo Yutong gripped Ye Tianming's hand tightly. The two figures walked side by side through the snow, growing smaller in the distance.

Behind them, the Far North's blizzard howled, but it could no longer chill that tiny, burning promise.

Half a month later, Shrek's city gates appeared before them once more.

Huo Yutong huddled inside Ye Tianming's cloak. After the long journey back from the Far North, traces of wind and frost still lingered on her face.

But her eyes shone brighter than they had before they left.

Huo Yutong looked up at the three great characters spelling Shrek on the city wall. Suddenly, even the wind against her face felt gentle.

"Brother Tianming, we're back!!!"

"Yeah, we're back."

Ye Tianming tucked her cloak around her and said,

"Let's head back to the academy first. We shouldn't keep Teacher Zhou waiting."

They had barely entered the Outer Court when they ran into Wang Yan, who was on his way to the training grounds.

The usually mild-mannered teacher brightened at first. Then his gaze landed on Huo Yutong, and he froze where he stood.

He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, looked again, then again, and again and again...

"Huo Yutong? What... what rank are you now?"

"Teacher Wang, I'm rank 29."

Huo Yutong looked up and smiled a little shyly.

Wang Yan felt his breath catch. He remembered perfectly well that this girl had only just broken through to rank 20 when she left. How many days had it been?

From rank 20 straight to rank 29—nine ranks in a row. What the hell kind of feat was that?

Even more startling was the sense that her aura had changed completely since he last saw her.

Wang Yan steadied himself and said slowly,

"Come with me."

"Teacher Zhou will be beside herself with joy when she hears."

At Class One's training ground, Zhou Yi stood with her hands behind her back, supervising the new students as they ran laps.