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"Mm."
Su Wen nodded slightly.
His gaze swept over the city, which was blanketed in snow. The midday sun shone down, but it couldn't dispel the chill. The city was filled with buildings, their rooftops piled high with snow, and servants could be seen clearing it from the more luxurious residences.
Pedestrians on the streets were bundled in thick cotton coats, their breath instantly turning to mist in the cold air.
The city was dotted with taverns, most of which served snow pig meat.
Su Wen and Yan Shaozhe casually found a tavern, ordered two portions of snow pig meat with malt wine, and began to chat.
"Have you decided on the species for your second soul beast?" Yan Shaozhe asked.
"The Ice Jade Scorpion, most likely," Su Wen replied with a nod.
Technically, a martial soul's power could increase with one's level, but that process was far too slow.
Gale was a prime example. Elevating an ordinary wind attribute to Ultimate Wind wasn't something that could be achieved quickly—it would require reaching the Soul King level at the very least.
Gale had immense potential, but he was underwhelming in the early stages.
The Ice Jade Scorpion species, on the other hand, was born with the Ultimate Ice attribute. The Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor pushed that power to its absolute limit, with the Ice Empress being the best proof.
In the original story, there was even a god-tier skill—the Ice Explosion Technique—which came from the soul bone of a 70,000-year-old Ice Jade Scorpion.
A soul beast's bloodline potential could generally be judged by whether top-tier beasts existed within its lineage. Among the three great rulers of the Extreme North, the Snow Empress was a being born of heaven and earth and had no clan. The Titan Snow Demon King belonged to the Snow Demon race, whose numbers were extremely small; one would be highly unlikely to encounter one without spending months in the core region of the Extreme North. As for the Ice Empress, her power was renowned across the continent, which spoke volumes about her species' potential.
With a race that was overpowered in the early, middle, and late stages right in front of him, was there really any other choice?
As for the Ice Silkworm race—Su Wen considered them a dime a dozen.
If one wanted spiritual power, it was better to choose something like the Evil-Eyed Tyrant Lord. The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm only reached its level through an immense accumulation of resources and pure luck. In other words, if those same resources were given to an Evil-Eyed Tyrant, it could probably crush Di Tian with ease.
Heavenly Dream: Spiritual-type soul beasts don't have attack skills, you know!
Evil-Eyed Tyrant: ROAR!
What Su Wen wasn't sure about was whether the Ice Jade Scorpion had an even higher evolutionary form after becoming an Ice Jade Scorpion Emperor. He was definitely looking forward to finding out.
The server brought two plates of snow pig meat, vibrant in color and incredibly aromatic.
Su Wen picked up his knife, cut a piece of meat, dipped it in sauce, and popped it into his mouth. His eyes lit up. Although the roasting technique couldn't compare to Aunt Lu's, the quality of the meat was superb. No wonder this dish was so famous in the original story.
…
Outside the tavern.
Ning Tian looked around with a slight headache. The place was incredibly popular. Snow pig, as expected of a delicacy from the Extreme North, had a reputation that resonated across the continent. Paired with malt wine, it drew in countless foodies.
She had come to Anyang City with Wu Feng. An elder in her family needed to hunt a soul beast, and after much pleading and persistence, she was finally allowed to tag along.
Not long ago, her elder had run into a refined-looking middle-aged man who seemed to be an acquaintance. He had smiled and introduced the man as the future Dean of the Martial Soul Department at Shrek Academy, their future school. The two adults had started chatting.
Meanwhile, she and Wu Feng, feeling thirsty, went to find a tavern to rest.
However, every tavern and restaurant they checked was either closed or packed to the brim, until they found this one…
"My apologies, young… young master," the tavern server said apologetically. "All our tables are full. If you don't mind, perhaps you could share a table with someone?"
"Thank you…" Ning Tian nodded slightly.
Her beautiful eyes scanned the room, and suddenly they lit up with joy.
She quickly led Wu Feng toward a table in the far corner.
"Hello, is this seat taken?" Ning Tian asked politely.
"Yes."
Su Wen didn't look up, his focus entirely on demolishing the food before him.
Are those big eyes of hers just for decoration? Can't she see the huge, living person that is Yan Shaozhe sitting right across from me?
"Hey! Can't you be reasonable? Hogging an entire table for yourself—do you own this place?!" another sharp, angry voice rang out.
"Hm?"
Su Wen raised an eyebrow.
He finally looked up—the seat opposite him was completely empty. Even the plates had been cleared.
Crap, where did Dean Yan go?!
He had been so lost in his food that he hadn't even noticed when the man left.
Still, Su Wen had faith in Yan Shaozhe. His temporary departure was likely for a good reason, and he was probably still hiding in a corner somewhere, silently protecting him.
If Elder Xuan were leading this trip, Su Wen would have been panicking so hard he'd probably have turned back already.
Seeing Wu Feng's angry expression, he didn't bother explaining and simply jutted his chin. "Sit."
"Hmph!"
Wu Feng crossed her arms and shot Su Wen a provocative glare, clearly pleased with herself for having called out his "lie."
Ning Tian glared at her, and the two finally sat down.
"Young… ahem, young master," Wu Feng said, swallowing as she eyed the meat on Su Wen's plate, her stomach starting to rumble. "I hear the snow pig here is famous. Why don't we order some?"
"Mm," Ning Tian nodded.
After the server scurried away with their gold soul coins, Su Wen put down his knife and studied Ning Tian with a flicker of interest.
Though she had short hair, a hint of feminine softness was visible in her features. She wore luxurious clothes in an attempt to pass as a boy, but the makeup was shoddy. Compared to the disguise of Princess Tang from next door, which could fool even her own dorm mates, this looked like a child's game of dress-up.
"Hey, kid, why are you staring at our you—young master!" Wu Feng snapped like a protective knight, glaring at Su Wen.
"Cross-dressing?" Su Wen chuckled.
"Hmm?"
Ning Tian's brows had been furrowed, but at his words, her pupils instantly shrank.
"What cross-dressing? Kid, don't spout nonsense!" Wu Feng was stunned. She had done the young lady's makeup herself—how could someone see through it at a glance?!
"The person who did your makeup is just too amateur. Anyone who didn't see through your disguise on the way here would have to be an idiot," Su Wen said with a smirk.
"Also, I'm not interested in your young lady, so stop barking at me."
"…"
The table fell silent.
After her initial shock, the way Ning Tian looked at Su Wen began to change—a kindred spirit!
A smile spread across her face as she extended her hand.
"My apologies for my earlier rudeness. Let's start over. I'm Ning Tian, Young Sect Master of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
"Young Sect Master…" Wu Feng whispered, looking worried.
When traveling, it was dangerous for young, developing geniuses like them to reveal their identities, especially without elders present. The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was famous across the continent, but it also had many enemies. Not to mention, their immense wealth was coveted by everyone.
"It's fine."
Ning Tian shook her head.
Judging by his age and his aura, he must be the young master of some top-tier power.
Since he had seen through her disguise and understood her relationship with Wu Feng, there was no harm in being direct.
"Heh. Shrek Academy, Su Wen."
Their hands clasped.
(End of Chapter)