9:40 AM, New Danxi Hailang Airport.
A stylish young man and woman walked into the airport, their eyes scanning the area as if looking for someone.
"Hey! Over there!" Sun Xingyu said, clinging to Li Ziyi's arm and pointing in a certain direction.
When she saw Yang Chunxi nodding at them from a distance, Sun Xingyu couldn't help but stand on her tiptoes and wave. "Hello, Teacher~"
The young girl's lively appearance drew the attention of the people around them.
Sun Xingyu quickly shut her mouth but couldn't resist sticking her tongue out playfully before burying her head and dragging Li Ziyi toward their teacher.
Watching the two youngsters hurry over, Yang Chunxi couldn't help but smile. She smoothed her shoulder-length hair, turned to Rong Taotao, and said, "Let's go. Everyone's here."
"Ah." Rong Taotao, who had been idly swinging his feet out of boredom, heard her and stood up, shouldering his backpack.
The backpack wasn't filled with books, but with daily necessities. Of course, the most important items were a sweater, cotton-padded pants, and a down jacket.
Rong Taotao had only just awakened. Although he had many Soul Slots, his Soul Power wasn't abundant enough to provide any protection from the cold.
Moreover, Rong Taotao had yet to cultivate the Soul Technique, Heart of the Snow Realm. He had little means of surviving in the low-temperature, frigid environment and had to rely on clothes for warmth.
As Sun Xingyu and Li Ziyi arrived, Yang Chunxi asked curiously, "Did you two come by yourselves? Your parents didn't see you off?"
"Hee hee," Sun Xingyu said with a laugh. "My dad's busy, and my mom said she can't handle goodbyes. After we had dinner last night, she just avoided seeing us this morning. We packed everything ourselves."
Yang Chunxi smiled and shook her head. She was naturally aware of the Sun Family's situation, so she didn't press the matter, simply leading the three youngsters toward the boarding gate reserved for Soul Martial Artists.
...
Around noon, the group of four arrived on the outskirts of Aihui City.
Even though it was the height of summer in July, the moment he stepped out of the airport, Rong Taotao couldn't help but shiver.
Rong Taotao and the others had already changed into their winter clothes in the airport restroom, but even so, the cold current still gave them all a peculiar experience.
Sun Xingyu and Li Ziyi were even wearing matching couple's down jackets. 'They're laying it on so thick...'
The two of them wore white down jackets, though Sun Xingyu wore a red cotton hat that made her look even more adorable and playful.
The closer they got to the Xingling Region, the more the temperature dropped.
The reason, naturally, was the Snow Realm Vortex blooming above the border river between Huaxia and the Russian Federation.
Led by Yang Chunxi, the trio took a taxi, heading north all the way to the northernmost part of Aihui City, to the liaison point for Soul Martial University.
This liaison point had an interesting name: Pine Soul Station.
The three youngsters were like curious children, following Yang Chunxi into an office compound. The imposing architecture of the compound even made Rong Taotao think of a stately courthouse.
"Hey, hey!" Sun Xingyu whispered with a hint of excitement, nudging Li Ziyi beside her with her elbow and jutting her chin toward the northeast.
Li Ziyi followed her gaze, and his eyes lit up as well.
To the side of the office building stood a towering horse, pure white without a single fleck of another color. Rings of cold air radiated from its body, scattering bits of frost all around.
'This is so cool!'
'It really is completely different from the pictures online!'
"The Snow Night Shock is standard issue for Huaxia's Snow Realm Warriors, you know!" Sun Xingyu murmured, her beautiful, big eyes burning as she stared at the white horse.
Don't be fooled by the fact that the Snow Night Shock is only a second-grade, Excellent Level Soul Beast. Due to its considerable intelligence, docile nature, and its trait of bonding to a master, it was designated by Huaxia's northern military corps as their "Lifebound Military Beast."
In other words, when you see a Snow Night Shock, the first thing that comes to mind is definitely the northern "Snow Burning Corps."
Sun Xingyu watched the Snow Night Shock with a look of admiration, while Li Ziyi quietly watched Sun Xingyu's profile.
After a long moment, Li Ziyi said softly, "If you like it, we'll get a Snow Night Shock as our Lifebound Soul Beast."
The Lifebound Soul Beast designated by the state for the northern regular army would have certainly undergone layers of screening and rigorous examination. There would be absolutely no problem using it as one's own Lifebound Soul Beast.
"If you want one, after you've entered Pine Soul Soul Martial, the school can provide you with top-quality Snow Night Shocks." From the side, Yang Chunxi walked back, having apparently finished her discussion with the liaison point staff.
"Top-quality Snow Night Shocks?" Sun Xingyu blinked, looking at Yang Chunxi.
"Mm, although all Snow Night Shocks are Excellent Level creatures, their physical development isn't identical. Just like humans, some are strong and sturdy, while others are relatively smaller and thinner. This leads to certain differences in their physical constitution."
Yang Chunxi continued to explain, "Soul Martial University has teachers who specialize in judging horses. If you choose your Lifebound Soul Beast through the school, you can't go wrong."
As she spoke, several staff members walked over, leading four pure white steeds.
Yang Chunxi took the reins of one of the Snow Night Shocks, swung herself onto its back, and looked down at the three youngsters. "Your coursework is usually heavy, so you haven't had a chance to interact with horses. Today, we'll treat this as a test of your learning and adaptability."
To Yang Chunxi's surprise, Sun Xingyu and Li Ziyi mounted the towering horses with practiced ease, showing not the slightest bit of fear or discomfort.
Yang Chunxi was visibly taken aback for a moment. Then she recalled that the weapon they both trained with was the Sun Family Spear and also remembered Sun Xingyu's Soul Martial Artist parents, so she said no more.
As for Rong Taotao on the side...
He craned his neck, looking up at the enormous creature that had walked up to him, feeling genuinely a bit overwhelmed.
At this moment, only two phrases were in his mind:
So big!
So white!
This Snow Night Shock's back was at least two meters off the ground. Add to that its big, long neck and head, and the sense of pressure it gave off was immense!
Rings of icy air radiated from its body, mixed with fine particles of frost, making Rong Taotao feel an even more bone-chilling cold.
"SNUFFLE..." Seemingly sensing a little one sizing it up, the Snow Night Shock lowered its head and nudged it into Rong Taotao's arms.
"Oof..." Rong Taotao truly hadn't expected such a colossal creature to be so gentle. He instinctively reached out and hugged its big, cold head, stroking its snow-white mane.
'Holy crap,'
'did you bathe in chocolate? How is it so silky!?'
The more Rong Taotao stroked, the better it felt. The next moment, something strange appeared in his mind.
"Soul Beast Discovered: Snow Realm: Snow Night Shock (Excellent Level, Potential Value: 3 Stars).
Soul Pearl Soul Skills:
1, Snow Charge: Envelop the feet with Soul Power and stomp the ground, causing the body to charge forward a certain distance. (Ordinary Level, Potential Value: 1 Star.)
2, Snow Step: Envelop the feet with Soul Power to move freely in snowy environments. (Excellent Level, Potential Value: 3 Stars.)
Absorb as Lifebound Soul Beast?"
Rong Taotao: ???
A nearby staff member was getting worried. The kid seemed to be in a daze, but his hands hadn't stopped moving. 'Is he trying to pet our Snow Night Shock bald?'
However... this particular Snow Night Shock looked like it was thoroughly enjoying itself. Its huge, deep-sea blue eyes narrowed in comfort, and it rubbed its big head back and forth in Rong Taotao's arms.
Its adorable appearance was a complete mismatch for its size...
Of course, Rong Taotao chose not to absorb it. This was school property, not a wild one.
The specialized horses of the Pine Soul Station were almost equivalent to "guide dogs" in human society, specially prepared for unprepared youngsters like Rong Taotao to ride.
These Snow Night Shocks were trained by the school with a great deal of time and effort, and taking them for oneself was not allowed.
With the staff member's guidance, and with the message that had just popped into his head replaying in his mind, Rong Taotao placed a foot in the stirrup and finally swung himself onto the horse.
The moment he settled onto the horse's back, Rong Taotao couldn't help but shiver again.
WHOOSH...
Surrounded by frost, Rong Taotao exhaled a puff of white mist and shifted his body awkwardly.
'Hmm, my butt's a little frozen...'
"Although you only awakened your Soul Slots yesterday, you still have some Soul Power in your bodies," Yang Chunxi said. "Try to circulate your Soul Power to envelop your bodies. It will have a warming effect."
Yang Chunxi made it sound so easy, Rong Taotao almost believed her!
Soul Power at Yang Chunxi's level would, of course, have a warming effect. It was like being wrapped in eight layers of quilts in the middle of a blizzard.
But the other three's Soul Power... was like wrapping themselves in a layer of newspaper. What damn good would that do? They still had to rely mainly on their down jackets.
"Let's go." Yang Chunxi lightly tapped the horse's belly with her heel. The white horses the other three were riding had excellent intelligence and didn't need any command from their riders, automatically following Yang Chunxi out.
Once they left the school station, the horses' speed clearly increased, and Rong Taotao struggled to adapt to the rocking motion of the Snow Night Shock.
That's right, Rong Taotao didn't need to control the horse at all—not its direction, not its speed. The Snow Night Shock did it all on its own. All Rong Taotao could do was adapt to the giant Soul Beast beneath him.
"The further north we go, the closer we get to the Vortex in the sky, and the more abundant the Soul Power will be. You can try to absorb some," Yang Chunxi said, taking the lead and turning back to the three behind her.
"You don't have a Lifebound Soul Beast yet, so your absorption speed will be very slow. You'll need to rationally allocate your Soul Power to cover your whole body. We'll be taking very few breaks along the way."
The cold wind howled past his ears. Rong Taotao covered his nose and mouth with one hand, while his other hand, holding the reins, was tucked into the cuff of his down jacket.
"Teacher Yang! How long will we be riding, approximately?" Sun Xingyu shouted.
"One hour of rest, and about eight hours of riding," Yang Chunxi replied.
"Eight hours..." Although Sun Xingyu had mentally prepared herself, the thought of riding for eight hours still made her a little nervous.
Yang Chunxi: "Don't worry. The Snow Night Shocks will choose the right moment to share some of their Soul Power to help you stay warm."
Rong Taotao, still covering his nose and mouth, yelled, "Can you make it help me now!?"
Yang Chunxi glanced back, shot Rong Taotao a playful glare, and said, "It's 240 kilometers to the next station and 470 kilometers to Soul Martial University. In four hours, we'll stop at the next station to rest and change mounts."
Rong Taotao: "A Snow Night Shock's speed is 60 kilometers per hour, with an average range of four hours?"
An average speed of 60 kilometers per hour wasn't just a simple run on flat ground.
The further north they went, the more mountains and forests there were, on top of harsh conditions like year-round snow cover and severe cold.
For a Snow Night Shock to maintain such a speed was simply godlike, something no earthly horse could compare to.
'It must be thanks to that Excellent Level Soul Skill: Snow Step,' he thought.
"If we pushed them, they could run all day. But they're our partners; we can't treat them like that." Yang Chunxi turned her head and said, "While we're traveling, you can try to cultivate the Soul Technique: Heart of the Snow Realm."
"The further north we go, the more Snow Realm aura is mixed into the Soul Power. Let the Soul Power with its special Attribute flow through your bodies and feel the power of the wind and snow."
"I feel it!" Rong Taotao's sudden exclamation startled the other three!
'He succeeded in cultivating it that quickly?'
Rong Taotao covered his mouth, his face flushed red from the wind, and yelled, "The wind and snow are flowing through me right now! I'm frozen solid!"
Yang Chunxi looked at Rong Taotao with a smile, a playful glint in her eyes. "Mm, not bad. Keep it up for another four hours to consolidate it."
Rong Taotao: "..."
'Is... is she really that ruthless!?'
Rong Taotao looked at Yang Chunxi ahead of them. As her Snow Night Shock galloped, her long, jet-black hair billowed wantonly in the air, seeming to dance to a beautiful melody.
'Fine, you're the beautiful one, so whatever you say goes!'