Cleaving Open the Path to Godhood; the Bet Draws Near

Ice Empress heard Lu Ning's boasting.

He spat out a curse.

Why didn't you arrive yesterday?

"Is this what you meant by 'see you tomorrow'?!"

"Your credibility is probably not even as high as the Ice Silkworm in this snow!"

Lu Ning ignored her anger.

His gaze Youyou on her injuries.

The sword marks that were originally left became shallower, and the carapace grew back. The regenerative ability of the Soul Beast was far more terrifying than Lu Ning had imagined, mainly because their physical bodies were simply too strong.

Not to mention, this is Ice Empress's territory.

Such resilience.

That would just be enough to make Lu Ning a moving stake.

"Let's begin."

Lu Ning drew his sword and slashed towards the direction of the Ice Empress.

The attack method is different each time.

Returning Moon, Thrusting, and Reversing Moon—all these techniques utilize the most basic sword moves. From clumsy to proficient, this is the first time since the birth of Soul Master that someone has dared to use a 390,000-year-old Soul Beast to practice on him.

Even Sword Douluo Chen Xin wouldn't dare to do such a thing.

The Snow Empress watched this scene from a distance.

He tried to make a move several times.

But fearing that Ice Empress would be angry, she completely melted into the snow after seeing that Ice Empress was not in danger.

A full four months.

Lu Ning came to the Inner Area of the Far North almost every day to practice swordsmanship with the Ice Empress.

From the Azure Lotus Sword to the Wine Gourd, he used almost every Soul Skill imaginable. Ice Empress grew increasingly familiar with the human before her; his talent was exceptional, and his mentality was acceptable.

With the home advantage and the Snow Empress watching from afar, Lu Ning had no chance of killing her. Instead, it allowed her to improve as well. She no longer just used her own abilities when attacking the enemy, but also carried a hint of Sword Intent with her attacks.

As for Lu Ning's progress, it was even more astonishing.

Especially the Fourth Soul Skill, "One Sword Freezes Fourteen Provinces".

Lu Ning used Ice Empress's domain ability.

I truly understood how that penetrating chill was unleashed.

It is even more terrifying when it is used.

The chilling aura, which was originally just meant to serve as a backdrop, was also trained to have great power. The aftershocks alone could easily kill Soul Saint- level expert, and the speed of improvement was far greater than that of adding one or two Soul Ring.

Lu Ning stood drinking.

"You've arrived?"

Ice Empress looked up at Lu Ning.

These four months were an extremely short time in her life.

But her tone softened unconsciously.

She no longer felt the same anger that came with before, and her opinion of Lu Ning had subtly changed. At least she could be described as despicable, though the word "shameless" could be temporarily discarded.

"Yes, I'm getting ready to leave."

"I didn't come here today to fight you."

Lu Ning landed lightly on the ground, looking at the swirling snow and speaking.

The appointment with the Spirit Hall is less than ten days away.

Lu Ning had to turn back.

This ordeal, which spanned half a year, needs to be brought to a temporary close.

"Leave?"

"You're not here to hunt for Soul Ring?"

Ice Empress's eyes showed surprise.

She had no idea that this parting would come so suddenly, so suddenly that she hadn't even noticed the passage of time. Four months was nothing more than a short period of sleep for Soul Beast.

"That's true, but I can't beat you."

"If you're willing to be a sacrifice, I have no objection."

Lu Ning spread his hands.

He spoke with a helpless tone.

The Snow Empress was nearby, and there was no way Lu Ning could defeat two Soul Beast by fighting them alone, especially since they also had an Ice Bear King that was nearly 300,000 years old.

She couldn't even win against Snow Empress in a one-on-one fight, let alone against three people.

"Dream!"

Ice Empress retorted.

"You do indeed have the potential to become a god."

But I would never give up my life to sacrifice for you.

I hope you succeed.

Ice Empress took a half step back.

I want to go deeper into the area.

This was meant to bid farewell to Lu Ning, but Lu Ning showed no intention of leaving. He looked up at the snowstorm in the distance, hesitated for a moment, and then smiled as he spoke, "Snow Empress, after watching for so many days, would you like to take a sword strike from me?"

The wind and snow howled.

But there was not a single response.

It was as if no intelligent life existed there at all.

Lu Ning, however, was confident. He raised the Azure Lotus Sword high in his hand, and the seven Soul Ring on his body floated and swam freely. The black Soul Ring belonging to his Fourth Soul Skill suddenly lit up.

His Soul Power and Mental Power were completely depleted.

Lu Ning then unleashed a sword strike towards the distance.

It was as if the entire ice and snow of the Far North were mobilized by this sword, slashing forward.

An unusual scene has appeared in the previously deserted snowfield.

The ice and snow that Lu Ning had previously mobilized suddenly stopped.

He dissipated most of Lu Ning's Sword Intent.

Only a single sword aura cleaved through countless layers of solid ice in this Far North.

Lu Ning waved casually.

His figure completely disappeared into the Far North.

Ice Empress looked up towards the snowy area.

A humanoid figure stood barefoot, her clothes made of ice and snow, her fair face bearing a cold and aloof air, as if the one who had just made the move was not her.

"He is indeed very strong."

"His Sword Intent has soared over the past few months, and he has even learned some of our ability to manipulate ice and snow. If he were to use this move in the outside world, there would be very few experts who could withstand it."

"Pity..."

Ice Empress nodded slightly. "Unfortunately, the power over the ice and snow of the Far North is in our hands!"

"Being able to mobilize resources doesn't mean having absolute control."

"This guy's sword... it might really be able to cleave the path to godhood."

Heaven Dou Royal Academy

Shrek Academy.

Zhu Zhuqing looked at the date hanging on the wall, calculating in her mind the day Lu Ning would return.

Ning Rongrong stood with her hands behind her back.

"He should come back soon."

"After all, it will take us some time to get to the Spirit Hall."

"I've heard that in the past few days, all the Soul Master across the continent have been heading towards Spirit City, eager to witness this earth-shattering gamble."

Ning Rongrong had a mischievous smile on her face.

It's unlikely that either of the Grandmaster's two students will come.

Xiao Wu couldn't possibly be taken there by Lu Ning.

Two against one.

It seems highly unlikely that they will lose.

They didn't slack off at all during those six months. Although Ning Rongrong didn't break through to the Soul King level, assisting Zhu Zhuqing was no problem.

Zhu Zhuqing's exquisite head nodded slightly.

"Yes, he really should come back."

"But after all, it's about embarrassing an Elder in Spirit City. I wonder what his plans are, and how many Titled Douluo will be protecting him this time?"

Ning Rongrong confidently stated, "My father and Grandpa Sword will definitely be there. They are comparable to two Titled Douluo powerhouses. If a fight really breaks out, at least our safety can be guaranteed."

"It all depends on whether that Pope has any shame."

"Breaking a contract in front of all the Soul Master on the continent will severely diminish the credibility of the Spirit Hall's future promises."

Zhu Zhuqing wasn't as optimistic as her.

It's hard to say.

"Over the past six months, I've done some research, including some past rumors about the Pope. The relationship between these two is quite unusual; it's really hard to say who the Pope is."

"If it weren't for the fact that things were going to get out of hand."

"I'd rather not let him go and take the risk."

"Peace and safety are the best things."

As they were talking.

Suddenly, a large hand appeared around their waists and pulled them into an embrace.

"Who's going to have a hard time getting out of this mess?"