After leaving the Ice Emperor's lair, Qi Lin and Gu Yuena continued toward the location of the Snow Lotus. It took them only a single day to find it.
That day passed uneventfully for the two of them—but within Qi Lin's spiritual sea, peace was a foreign concept.
Skydream Iceworm was truly asking for a beating—and he never seemed to learn his lesson.
After getting thrashed by the Ice Emperor the first time, he only behaved for a few hours before trying to sidle up to her again.
Naturally, the result was predictable. He got pounded even worse than before.
But for some reason, Skydream seemed to enjoy it. Just a few hours later, he went back for more.
Eventually, even Qi Lin couldn't take it anymore and used his spiritual will to forcibly separate Skydream from the Ice Emperor.
Inside his spiritual sea, Qi Lin was the absolute ruler.
Skydream cried out in protest, but of course, his complaints were ignored.
On the other hand, the Ice Emperor looked visibly satisfied once Skydream disappeared from her sight.
Finally, some peace and quiet!
Outside the spiritual sea, Qi Lin and Gu Yuena stood atop a snowy mountain.
Before them, a Snow Lotus radiating a pure aura bloomed quietly.
Though this Snow Lotus was only over 90,000 years old, Qi Lin didn't mind. He directly activated his fourth soul skill, Nature's Control, to make it offer itself up in sacrifice.
Half an hour later—
Platinum, brilliant gold, crimson, jade green, deep blue, snow white!
Six dazzling soul rings rose and circled around Qi Lin.
Now, Qi Lin's first soul ring had reached 200,000 years, and its color had changed from lustrous white to platinum.
Moreover, his sixth soul ring also exhibited a unique hue, not part of the standard soul ring spectrum.
Gu Yuena asked, "What's your current level?"
"You took the Heaven-Mending Creation Pill—your soul power must still be overflowing."
Qi Lin smiled. "It is. I've now reached Rank 70!"
Gu Yuena paused for a moment, but considering the pill's potency, along with Qi Lin's absorption of both the Ice Emperor and the 90,000-year Snow Lotus soul rings, it made sense.
She even felt that after absorbing his seventh soul ring, Qi Lin might advance several more levels.
As for whether he could reach Rank 80, she wasn't sure.
Still, with Qi Lin, Gu Yuena believed anything was possible.
"What's your sixth soul skill?" she asked with curiosity.
Qi Lin smiled. "It's called Divine Light of Purification."
"Divine Light of Purification can cleanse the soul, increase a soul master's cultivation speed during meditation for three months, and under certain conditions, it can even induce a state of enlightenment."
Gu Yuena didn't react too strongly to that.
To her, while the skill was powerful, it seemed relatively ordinary compared to Qi Lin's other soul skills.
Of course, that was only because enlightenment wasn't something that held much importance in the Douluo Continent.
But if this skill existed in another world, its potential to induce enlightenment would make it a top-tier, S-rank ability.
"What now? Are we continuing to find your seventh soul ring, or are we heading back?" Gu Yuena asked.
Qi Lin thought for a moment and said, "I can't think of any suitable soul beasts left in the Extreme North for my Four-Leaf Clover martial soul's seventh ring."
"As for the Ice Qilin martial soul…"
Qi Lin wasn't in a hurry to complete the Ice Qilin's soul rings. If he got them all at once, it would take the fun out of it.
---
A day later, on the outskirts of the Extreme North—
Blizzards howled across the icy plains, snow whipping violently through the air. Visibility was poor, even for soul masters with heightened senses.
Two figures slowly made their way forward through the snowstorm.
One of them was a mature woman who looked to be around thirty-two or thirty-three, full of charm and grace.
The other was a teenage girl with long blue hair, pale skin, delicate features, and a well-proportioned figure. Her beauty carried a hint of ethereal mystique.
Compared to the older woman, she looked younger—around fifteen or sixteen.
"Bing'er, this weather is terrible. Seems like we came at the wrong time."
"Also, something strange seems to be going on deeper in the Extreme North. A lot of ten-thousand-year soul beasts have appeared near the outer edges."
"If we don't find a suitable soul beast by tomorrow and the weather stays like this, we'll need to retreat to a safer area."
The mature woman's tone was stern.
Though she was a Soul Saint, the weather combined with the increased activity of powerful soul beasts made the situation too risky.
Even a ten-thousand-year soul beast could pose trouble, and in this blizzard, if she and Shui Bing'er got separated, the girl would be in great danger.
Shui Bing'er was a once-in-a-century genius from Skywater Academy. Not only did she possess the top-tier Ice Phoenix martial soul, but she was also born with Rank 9 innate soul power.
At just fifteen years old, she had already reached Rank 40. Her future was limitless—nothing could be allowed to happen to her.
Shui Bing'er nodded obediently. "Teacher Xue Han, I'll follow your instructions."
Xue Han was one of the only two Soul Saints at Skywater Academy. She was only accompanying this trip because of Shui Bing'er's extraordinary talent.
Ordinary students were lucky to have teachers in the sixties help them hunt soul beasts.
Seeing Shui Bing'er's sensible response, Xue Han smiled, and the two continued forward.
But soon, the icy ground beneath them began to tremble slightly.
Both Xue Han and Shui Bing'er immediately tensed.
Then, several dark shadows emerged from the blizzard, sprinting toward them at high speed.
"Are those Snow Shadow Wolves?"
"And they all look to be over two thousand years old!"
"But... it seems like something's chasing them!"
Xue Han narrowed her eyes, recognizing the threat.
"Teacher Xue Han, they're headed right toward us! Let's move aside!" Shui Bing'er said quickly.
"Agreed!"
Just as they were preparing to avoid the stampede, a deafening beastly roar suddenly tore through the storm.
Hearing the roar, both Shui Bing'er and Xue Han turned pale.
From the snowstorm's depths, a massive black shadow charged straight toward them with terrifying speed.
"Not good—it's an Ice Soul Demon Bear, over thirty thousand years old! And it's seen us!"
"Run!"
Xue Han didn't hesitate. She grabbed Shui Bing'er's hand and fled.
The Ice Soul Demon Bear, having noticed the two of them, forgot its original prey and turned to pursue them instead.
A soul beast over thirty thousand years old already possessed considerable intelligence.
It sensed the tremendous energy inside Xue Han's Soul Saint-level body—and instinctively knew that devouring her would benefit it greatly.
Realizing this, Xue Han's expression changed.
"It's targeting me!"
She took a deep breath and said in a serious tone, "Bing'er, keep running in this direction!"
"I'll deal with the Ice Soul Demon Bear. Once I shake it off, I'll come find you!"
Shui Bing'er's face showed concern, but she understood that staying would only distract Xue Han.
"Then be careful, Teacher Xue Han!"
Xue Han gave a nod and stopped in place.
Shui Bing'er didn't waste a moment and sprinted toward the outer edges of the Extreme North.