Gu Yuena suddenly spoke up, and it sounded almost like a declaration of her identity and authority to Shui Bing'er.
Shui Bing'er, however, responded obediently.
"Greetings, Sister!"
Seeing this, Gu Yuena nodded faintly.
Qi Lin chuckled from the side. "That's just how Sister Na is."
"Oh, right—didn't you say you got separated from your teacher?"
"How did that happen? Do you need our help finding her?"
Shui Bing'er's eyes lit up at his words, and she quickly replied:
"Something strange has happened in the Extreme North these past couple of days. Many soul beasts over ten thousand years old have begun appearing in the outer regions."
"Not long ago, my teacher and I encountered a thirty-thousand-year-old Ice Soul Demon Bear. With my strength, staying would only have distracted my teacher."
"So I began making my way back alone... but I didn't expect to run into nine Snow Shadow Wolf."
As she spoke, Shui Bing'er patted her modest yet developing chest, her eyes filled with lingering fear.
She had exhausted almost all her soul power from continuously fleeing. Had she not encountered Qi Lin and Gu Yuena, she likely would have soon found herself in a desperate state.
Qi Lin was momentarily stunned after hearing this.
He realized that the upheaval might actually have been caused by him.
On his way back, he had tested the power of his Qilin Wrath Technique a few times when soul beasts attacked. Failing to properly control his strength, he had unintentionally caused... quite a bit of chaos.
As a result, many soul beasts in the area had fled in terror to the outer regions of the Extreme North.
"In that case, let's help you find your teacher first," Qi Lin said.
"Thank you, Senior!" Shui Bing'er beamed with gratitude, finding Qi Lin incredibly considerate.
With Shui Bing'er describing Xue Han's traits, Gu Yuena locked onto the latter's location in a mere second.
Xue Han wasn't in immediate danger, but she had been entangled with the thirty-thousand-year-old Ice Soul Demon Bear and still hadn't managed to break free.
Now that they knew her location, things were much easier.
They just had to make the trip!
On the way, Shui Bing'er got to know Qi Lin better.
But the more she learned, the more deeply shocked she became.
A thirteen-year-old Soul Emperor at rank seventy?
What kind of talent was that?
It was practically unheard of!
Having seen Qi Lin fight with her own eyes, she had no doubt about the truth of his power.
Soon, the three of them found Xue Han still being hounded by the Ice Soul Demon Bear.
At that moment, Xue Han looked a little disheveled, but she was still skillfully dodging the bear's heavy, lumbering strikes.
"Bing'er, why are you back?!" Upon sensing Shui Bing'er's presence, Xue Han froze for a moment before her brows furrowed tightly.
But then her gaze quickly shifted to Qi Lin and Gu Yuena by Shui Bing'er's side, and doubt rose in her heart.
"Bing'er isn't reckless... Could it be that she thinks these two can help?"
Just as that thought passed through her mind, Xue Han looked closely at Gu Yuena, thinking she was the more likely of the two to offer aid.
As for Qi Lin, he was far too young—how powerful could he be?
The next moment, before she could even react, a beam of light flashed past her shoulder, piercing straight through the Ice Soul Demon Bear's heart.
Boom!
The beast collapsed with a thunderous crash, its heart obliterated.
Staring blankly at the sudden turn of events, Xue Han was stunned on the spot, utterly dazed.
She stared at the fist-sized hole in the beast's chest. It wasn't until two or three seconds had passed that she snapped back to her senses, her whole body trembling.
If she wasn't mistaken, that attack had come from the boy standing next to Bing'er!
A casual strike had killed a thirty-thousand-year-old Ice Soul Demon Bear. Such terrifying power—perhaps even a Soul Douluo would struggle to achieve it.
A Title Douluo!
Xue Han's heart trembled. She hadn't expected to encounter a Title Douluo out here.
Realizing this, she immediately turned and respectfully bowed to Qi Lin.
"Xue Han of Skywater Academy thanks Your Excellency for your aid!"
"Your Excellency" was a formal address reserved for Title Douluo. Even though Qi Lin hadn't revealed his soul rings, Xue Han firmly trusted her own judgment.
Qi Lin gave a lazy smile and waved his hand.
"No need for thanks."
With Xue Han rescued, Shui Bing'er continued her search for a suitable soul beast to hunt.
With help from Qi Lin and Gu Yuena, she quickly found one and obtained the right soul ring.
During the hunt, Xue Han also came to understand more about Qi Lin and was equally astonished by his talent.
Qi Lin's rank seventy soul power could actually unleash strength comparable to a Title Douluo—this was beyond her comprehension.
Still, it only deepened her respect for him.
As for Shui Bing'er, she didn't tell Xue Han everything—for example, the part where she had practically offered herself to Qi Lin.
A day later, the group of four finally left the outskirts of the Extreme North.
Back in the city, Shui Bing'er blushed slightly as she looked at Qi Lin.
"Senior Qi Lin, why don't you come visit Skywater Academy with us?"
Even though she knew Qi Lin was younger than she was, she still addressed him respectfully.
Beside her, Xue Han quickly chimed in:
"Bing'er is right. If Teacher Qi Lin and Miss Gu Yuena don't mind, you're both welcome to visit Skywater Academy. We'd love to express our gratitude for yesterday's help."
Qi Lin rubbed his chin.
He made his decision within seconds.
"Sure, why not!"
Shui Bing'er and Xue Han both brightened with delight.
Half an hour later, Qi Lin found the carriage driver they had left in the city and set off with Shui Bing'er and Xue Han toward Skywater Academy.
Skywater Academy was located in Skywater City, at the northernmost point of the Heaven Dou Empire, about four to five hundred kilometers from the Extreme North.
With Qi Lin's carriage, the trip took only half a day.
Unlike Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, which was built outside the city, Skywater Academy had been built directly within Skywater City.
According to Shui Bing'er, this was because the academy had existed even before the city was established.
Skywater City had been developed around the famous academy and now had a history of several hundred years.
Shui Bing'er also shared some of the academy's strict rules.
For instance, among the five elemental academies of the Heaven Dou Empire, Skywater Academy had the harshest entrance criteria.
First, only those with water-attribute martial souls could apply.
Second, only female students were accepted—and they had to be beautiful.
Just these two conditions eliminated countless soul masters.
After hearing this, Qi Lin couldn't help but complain.
"Good thing your academy still accepts commoners. Otherwise, I can't imagine how many students you'd actually have."
"I can understand only accepting female students, but only accepting beautiful ones? I really don't get the point of that."
Qi Lin suspected the academy's founder hadn't taken education very seriously. With such standards, how many geniuses had they missed?
Listening to Qi Lin's complaints, Shui Bing'er leaned in and whispered, "Honestly, I think that rule's dumb too. Once I become the headmistress, I'm abolishing it."