Reintroducing Ourselves: Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School, Ning Tian

"Mm."

Su Wen nodded slightly.

His gaze swept over a city covered in ice and snow. The midday sunlight poured down, yet failed to dispel the cold. Buildings stood in dense rows, snow piled atop their roofs, and servants at some of the more luxurious residences were busy sweeping it away.

Everyone on the streets wore thick cotton clothes. The moment they exhaled, their breath condensed into mist.

The entire city was dotted with taverns, and most of them served Snow Pig meat.

Su Wen and Yan Shaozhe casually found a tavern, ordered two servings of Snow Pig meat with malt liquor, and began chatting.

"Have you decided on the species of your second Soul Beast?" Yan Shaozhe asked.

"The Ice Jade Scorpion." Su Wen nodded.

Strictly speaking, a Martial Soul's strength could increase along with its level, but that process was far too slow.

Hurricane was a perfect example. Raising an ordinary Wind Attribute to Ultimate Wind was by no means something that could be done in a short period. At the very least, one had to surpass the Soul King rank.

Hurricane had great potential, but its early-stage performance was a little lacking.

The Ice Jade Scorpion race, however, was born with the Ultimate Ice Attribute, while the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion had developed the power of that Ultimate Ice to its utmost limits. The Ice Empress was the best proof of that.

There had even been an outrageous Divine Skill in the Original Work—Ice Burst Technique.

It had come from the Spirit Bone of a seventy-thousand-year-old Ice Jade Scorpion.

A Soul Beast's bloodline potential could generally be judged by whether it had any top-tier Soul Beasts. Among the three great Soul Beasts of the Land of Extreme North, the Snow Empress had been nurtured by heaven and earth and had no race. The Titan Snow Devil King belonged to the Snow Demon Clan, whose population was extremely small. Unless one stayed in the core region of the Land of Extreme North for two or three months, the chances of encountering one were minuscule. As for the Ice Empress, she ranked among the strongest across the entire continent. That alone showed how much room the race had to grow.

With a race whose strength was monstrously high in the early, middle, and late stages right in front of him, could there really be any other choice?

As for the Ice Silkworm Clan...

Su Wen regarded them as nothing more than a roadside worm.

If he wanted Spiritual Power, he could choose something like the Evil Eye Tyrant. The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had only reached that level because enough resources had been piled onto him, along with luck and fortuitous opportunities. In other words, if all those resources had been given to an Evil Eye, it could probably have crushed Di Tian with ease.

Tian Meng: Spirit-type Soul Beasts don't have offensive skills!

Evil Eye Tyrant: Say that again!

He simply didn't know whether the Ice Jade Scorpion had an even higher evolutionary form after evolving into the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion. He was looking forward to finding out.

The waiter brought over two plates of Snow Pig meat. Their colors were vibrant, and their aroma was mouthwatering.

Su Wen picked up his knife, cut off a piece of meat, dipped it in sauce, and stuffed it into his mouth. His eyes lit up. Although the roasting technique couldn't compare with Aunt Lu's, the meat itself more than made up for it. It truly deserved its reputation as a famous delicacy from the Original Work.

Outside the tavern.

Ning Tian looked around with a headache. Business here was simply too good. Snow Pig truly lived up to its reputation as a delicacy of the Land of Extreme North. It was famous across the entire continent, and paired with malt liquor, it attracted countless diners who had come specifically to try it.

She had come to An Yang City with Wu Feng because an elder of her family needed to hunt a Soul Beast. She had pleaded with her father for a long time, and only after much coaxing and pestering had she been allowed to come.

Not long ago, the elder had encountered a refined-looking middle-aged man. They seemed to know each other, and he had smilingly explained to her that this man was the future dean of their academy, the dean of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department. The two had then gone off to chat.

Ning Tian and Wu Feng were thirsty, so they had wanted to find a tavern to rest in.

But all the taverns and restaurants they passed were either closed or packed with people. Finally, they came to this one...

"I'm terribly sorry, young mi—young master. All the tables in the tavern are occupied. If you don't mind lowering yourself, perhaps you could share a table with someone?" the waiter said apologetically.

"Thank you..." Ning Tian nodded slightly.

Her beautiful eyes swept around the tavern, and suddenly, delight flashed through them.

She led Wu Feng briskly toward the table at the very back of the tavern.

"Hello. May I ask whether this seat is occupied?" Ning Tian asked politely.

"Yes."

Su Wen didn't look up, focusing entirely on eliminating the delicacies on the table.

Are those eyes just for decoration? Can't he see the enormous living person sitting opposite him?

"Hey! Can't you be reasonable? You're hogging an entire table by yourself. Do you own this place or something?"

Another girl's angry shout rang out.

"Hmm?"

Su Wen raised his eyebrows.

He finally looked up. The seat opposite him was already completely empty. Even the plates had been cleared away...

Damn, where's Dean Yan?!

He had been so engrossed in the food that he hadn't even noticed when the man had left.

Still, Su Wen had faith in Yan Shaozhe. Even if he had left temporarily, there was probably some other reason. Most likely, he was still quietly protecting Su Wen from some corner.

If Xuan Zi had been leading the group, I'd be panicking like crazy. I might even have turned around and gone straight home.

Seeing the anger on Wu Feng's face, Su Wen didn't bother explaining. He merely lifted his chin. "Sit."

"Hmph!"

Wu Feng folded her arms across her chest. Her beautiful eyes held the refreshing pleasure of exposing a cheap trick as she stared at Su Wen provocatively.

Ning Tian glared at her, and only then did the two of them take their seats.

"Young mi—cough, cough, young master, I heard the Snow Pig meat here is famous. How about ordering some?" Wu Feng swallowed as she stared at the meat on Su Wen's plate. Her stomach was beginning to growl.

"Mm." Ning Tian nodded.

After the waiter trotted away happily with the Gold Soul Coins, Su Wen set down his small knife and examined Ning Tian with a hint of interest.

Although she had short hair, one could still faintly make out a girl's delicate beauty. She wore luxurious clothing, and it was obvious that she was trying to disguise herself as a man. However, the makeup skills were rather poor. Compared with Princess Tang's disguise technique—the kind that could fool even one's roommates—it looked more like children playing house...

"Hey, brat, why are you staring at my you—young master?" Wu Feng glared furiously at Su Wen like a guardian protecting a flower.

"Disguised as a Man?" Su Wen chuckled.

"Hmm?"

Ning Tian's willow brows had originally been slightly furrowed, but at those words, the girl's pupils suddenly contracted.

"What do you mean, disguised as a man? Brat, don't go spouting nonsense..." Wu Feng looked dumbfounded. She had personally done the young miss's makeup. How could anyone have seen through it at a glance?

"The makeup artist's skill is far too poor. After walking all this way, anyone who couldn't see through your disguise would have to be an idiot." Su Wen smiled.

"Besides, I'm not interested in your young miss. Don't bite me for no reason."

"..."

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment.

After a brief flash of surprise, Ning Tian's gaze toward Su Wen gradually changed.

One of my kind!

A smile spread across her face as she extended her hand.

"Sorry. I was shortsighted just now. Let's reintroduce ourselves. I'm Ning Tian, Young Sect Master of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School."

"Young Sect Master..." Wu Feng said worriedly.

When traveling outside, especially for young talents like them who had yet to fully mature, revealing their family's name was highly taboo. This was particularly true when their elders weren't nearby. After all, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School was famous across the continent and had no shortage of enemies. Moreover, with its immense wealth, everyone would be tempted to covet its assets.

"It's fine."

Ning Tian shook her head.

Judging by his age and bearing, he should be the young master of some top-tier faction...

Since he had seen through her disguise as a man and recognized her relationship with Wu Feng, there was no harm in openly getting acquainted with him.

"Hehe. Shrek Academy, Su Wen."

Their two hands clasped together.