The Far North.
The Core Circle.
The temperature here, as always, hovered near absolute zero.
Ordinary soul beasts and humans did not dare approach this place lightly.
Outside a palace built from ten-thousand-year profound ice.
The Titan Snow Demon King, the Ice Bear King, the Silver Moon Wolf King, and the other soul beasts of the Far North with over a hundred thousand years of cultivation.
All had gathered here.
These ferocious beasts, who normally went for each other's throats whenever they met.
Now lay quietly and obediently on the ground.
The reason for this.
Was a woman standing atop the palace, with the appearance of a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old human.
Her snow-white hair reached her feet, her sky-blue eyes were ethereal and clear, and she wore an unadorned white dress, her bearing pure and her beauty peerless.
She was none other.
Than the Snow Empress, the sole ruler of the Far North: a being condensed from its purest ice-attribute heaven and earth origin power, possessing a terrifying seven hundred thousand years of cultivation and ranked third among the ten great ferocious beasts.
The Snow Empress raised her head and gazed at the sky.
Unparalleled gravity appeared on her flawless face.
For she was about to face the seven-hundred-thousand-year tribulation!
A heavenly tribulation of this magnitude.
In all known soul beast history, only Beast God Di Tian had survived it, using Yin-Yang Complementarity to condense a second soul core.
The Snow Empress had once tried to follow Di Tian's example.
To survive the great tribulation by condensing a second soul core.
Who could have expected it?
While condensing her second soul core, she had fallen one move short.
And the second soul core had failed to form!
Not only had her strength declined, but her very origin had been damaged.
Any possibility of surviving the seven-hundred-thousand-year tribulation had been cut off completely.
Fortunately, heaven never barred every path.
Perhaps the Far North had taken pity on her, unable to bear watching the being it had nurtured over tens of millions of years perish like this.
The Snow Empress had found a hundred-thousand-year snow lotus!
If she used this snow lotus to take human form and begin cultivating anew.
Perhaps she could resist heaven's punishment.
Once she had made up her mind.
She summoned all the soul beasts of any renown in the Far North.
And began making arrangements for after her departure.
"I have decided that A-Tai will become the next ruler of the Far North!"
The Snow Empress had pondered for a long time.
Before making her final arrangements.
Originally, whether judged by strength or prestige.
By every reasonable measure, this position should have belonged to the Ice Empress.
But half a year ago.
The Ice Empress's four hundred thousand year tribulation had arrived early.
When the Snow Empress arrived, apart from the marks left by lightning in the snow.
There had been no living creatures anywhere nearby.
She had stood there, calling loudly for the Ice Empress.
But in the end, only the hushed wind and snow answered her.
Every sign, without exception, pointed to one conclusion.
The Ice Empress had failed her tribulation and dissipated between heaven and earth.
The Ice Empress's demise had left the Snow Empress with no choice but to pass the position of ruler of the Far North to the third-ranked Titan Snow Demon King.
"From now on, everyone must cooperate with A-Tai."
"Especially you, Xiao Bai."
The Snow Empress flew down and landed on the Ice Bear King's head.
She gently stroked his forehead.
"Roar..."
The Ice Bear King let out a reluctant cry.
Having been taken in by the Snow Empress as a cub, he had always regarded her as his mother.
"Be good, Xiao Bai. You must get along with A-Tai from now on. No more fighting, understand?" the Snow Empress instructed.
The Ice Bear King nodded, tears brimming in his eyes.
Seeing that nearly everything had been arranged.
The Snow Empress flew into the air. "Everyone, go back."
"Roar! Roar! Roar..."
All the soul beasts let out mournful cries, unwilling to leave.
But under the Snow Empress's firm insistence, they all left the palace, including the Ice Bear King.
Afterward.
The Snow Empress came to the foot of a Snow Peak.
She raised her hand and opened a secret chamber.
This was the secluded cultivation chamber she had specially created to transform into a human.
Only she and the Ice Bear King knew of this place.
After entering the chamber.
To guard against any unexpected trouble.
The Snow Empress condensed a wall of ice in the center of the chamber.
Then she came before a ten-thousand-year ice bed and sat down cross-legged.
She opened her right hand.
A snow-white lotus appeared in her palm.
The snow lotus was white all over, with nine petals and a snow pellet within the central bud.
This was the hundred-thousand-year snow lotus.
"I wonder whether this transformation will go smoothly."
The Snow Empress sighed softly.
Then she formed hand seals, guiding her soul power as she began refining the snow lotus.
The snow lotus floated in the air, radiating a gentle white glow.
As her soul power refined it.
Its nine petals gradually detached and drifted before the Snow Empress.
An unusual floral fragrance immediately spread throughout the chamber.
A hazy mist rose around the Snow Empress.
Her fingertips flicked, and she parted her small, cherry-like lips.
Swallowing the snow pellet from the center of the snow lotus.
The next instant.
Each petal emitted a milky-white radiance, instantly enveloping the Snow Empress.
Just as the Snow Empress entered secluded cultivation.
Outside the secret chamber.
An uninvited guest appeared in this place that should have seen scarcely a human footprint.
"Aha."
"I finally made it."
"This should be the place where that peerless master in my dream said a great opportunity awaited."
An old man in black robes stood not far from Snow Peak.
He studied Snow Peak carefully, murmuring under his breath.
Only a Titled Douluo could have made it here!
"That's right, this is it. It's exactly the same as the mountain I saw in my dream!"
The black-robed old man's expression was resolute.
He had originally been a Soul Douluo from the Sun Moon Empire, as well as a Level 8 Soul Engineer.
Because of various factors, including his martial soul and talent.
He had remained stuck at Level 89, unable to break through.
Moreover, he was already getting on in years.
There had been practically no chance of him becoming a Titled Douluo.
Yet just over a month ago.
A dream had allowed him to break his shackles.
Yes, nothing more than a simple dream!
There had even been a master offering guidance within that dream.
It had sent the old man's soul power level soaring, allowing him to break through to Level 90 in one leap!
Furthermore, following that master's guidance in the dream.
He had developed the Level 9 Soul Tool, the God-Sealing Platform.
The master had also said that his blessings had not yet run their course, and that he possessed the potential to reach the ultimate level.
All he needed to do was come here and use the God-Sealing Platform to seal a soul beast undergoing human transformation into an embryo.
Then absorb it using a secret method, turning it into his second martial soul.
At that point, he would be able to defeat all beneath heaven, without a single worthy opponent.
Just as he asked what the secret method was.
The dream had ended abruptly.
When he awoke.
He had thought it was only a dream.
But upon checking his own level, he discovered that he truly had broken through to Level 90.
After adding a soul ring, he had officially joined the ranks of Titled Douluo.
He had also developed the Level 9 Soul Tool from his dream, the God-Sealing Platform, becoming a Level 9 Soul Engineer.
Then, filled with joy, he had come to the Far North.
"The dream truly did not deceive me!"
"It seems my path to the ultimate level lies right here."
He strode quickly to the entrance of the secret chamber.
"If I remember correctly, this door should open like this."
The black-robed old man raised his hand and pressed several spots on the stone door in succession.
The stone door rumbled and slowly rose.
"Just as I thought!"
"Hahahaha..."
Thinking of the supreme opportunity he was about to obtain.
He felt extraordinarily excited.
Soon.
A pitch-black passage appeared.
The old man did not hesitate in the slightest.
He strode quickly into the passage.