Seeing a familiar face, Rong Taotao raised his hand high and beckoned to him.
Rong Taotao had a very clear understanding of his own position. As a primary-level Soul Soldier who didn't even have a Lifebound Soul Beast, his meager Soul Power wouldn't be of much help.
The only thing Rong Taotao could rely on was his own skill.
With survival itself a challenge, Rong Taotao knew he had to find partners. At this stage, he didn't have what it took to survive alone. Only through cooperation could they create a win-win situation.
Dressed in thick, snow-camouflaged gear that hid his lanky figure, Lu Mang didn't hesitate when he saw Rong Taotao gesture, and walked over.
Clearly, Lu Mang wasn't some delusional teenager fantasizing about surviving here alone for seven days.
Soon, the students below the city wall began gathering in twos and threes.
But just then, a lone figure started walking, stepping out into the wind and snow.
He wasn't entirely by himself. Far behind him, a soldier was assigned to guard him—and it was the very same squad leader who had just given the orders.
The students stared, stunned. 'Who is that?'
'He's so brave?'
'Is he the real deal, or just a fool!?'
Rong Taotao, however, fell into thought as he watched the solitary figure.
Because that student had a distinctive head of short, white hair.
Rong Taotao knew who he was!
Xu Taiping!
A pure Soul Beast, and a member of the highly intelligent Ice Soul Guide race!
For a human, this place was unsuitable for survival. But for Xu Taiping, at least within the confines of the wall, this was probably his backyard.
Rong Taotao pursed his lips and turned to Lu Mang. "That guy is well-adapted to surviving in the Snowfield. In short, we could ride his coattails, but I've only met him once and don't know him well. What do you think?"
Lu Mang asked, "What do you mean, 'well-adapted to surviving in the Snowfield'?"
Rong Taotao leaned close to Lu Mang's ear and said, "He's an extremely special type of Snow Realm Soul Beast. He's humanoid, possesses intelligence on par with humans, and can even cultivate Soul Techniques and Soul Skills."
Lu Mang was visibly stunned for a moment. His expression then grew serious, and after hesitating for two or three seconds, he said, "Could he be a danger to us?"
"Hmm..." Rong Taotao pondered for a long while before nodding silently. 'That's definitely a possibility.'
'Even with soldiers guarding the area, if Xu Taiping wants to get into Songjiang Soul Martial University and secure a high rank, he could totally use his home-field advantage to make trouble for the other students. As long as it's not fatal, it should be fine.'
'For this assessment, Songjiang Soul Martial University didn't just neglect to mention the standards, they didn't even specify any rules.'
'Elimination by nature is one thing, but elimination by fellow students could certainly happen too.'
'It's a risk we shouldn't take.'
"Taotao," a sweet voice called from behind him.
Rong Taotao turned to see two girls and one guy.
Sun Xingyu, Li Ziyi, and a girl he didn't recognize.
Sun Xingyu was wearing a red cotton hat and red gloves. Dazzling, colorful goggles hid her large, beautiful eyes, but her voice was very recognizable.
The girl beside her was petite, her oversized goggles also colorful, making it impossible to see her face for now.
"This is my roommate, Zhou Ting," Sun Xingyu said by way of introduction. "Let's team up, okay?"
'Reliance is a two-way street.'
Having watched her boyfriend fight Rong Taotao for three years, Sun Xingyu certainly knew what Rong Taotao's combat level was.
Here in this world of ice and snow, surrounded by an unfamiliar environment, the three years Sun Xingyu, Li Ziyi, and Rong Taotao had spent as classmates suddenly made their bond seem unbreakable.
Lu Mang: "You know them?"
Rong Taotao: "Classmates."
"Mm," Lu Mang grunted softly, his thoughts unreadable as he fell silent.
Rong Taotao gestured to Lu Mang. "My roommate, Lu Mang. Come on, let's get moving."
'A five-person team should be about right.'
As the group of five broke away from the main crowd at the base of the wall, five soldiers also gathered and began tailing them from a distance.
Rong Taotao tilted his head at Li Ziyi. "Where's your roommate?"
The words had barely left his mouth when realization dawned on Rong Taotao. "Ah... right. With your personality, you probably couldn't make friends with a roommate anyway."
Li Ziyi's voice was as cold as the wind and snow. "You talk too much."
Sun Xingyu: "Hey, now's not the time. Can you two stop bickering? Let's talk about our survival strategy."
Rong Taotao said, "The Snow Forest can block the wind and snow, and there might be some natural caves."
Sun Xingyu quickly added, "But there are probably Soul Beasts living in the forest."
Rong Taotao explained, "We have to find a place to shelter from the wind and snow, so going into the Snow Forest is a must. We'll have to face Snow Realm Soul Beasts eventually anyway."
Rong Taotao pursed his lips and continued, "Otherwise, we could just dig a hole at the base of the wall and survive on the supplies the school gave us. That's the safest place.
"But a performance like that would make it very difficult for us to pass the assessment, let alone get into the Junior Class of Songjiang Soul Martial University."
Rong Taotao's thinking was very clear, his goal well-defined.
After he finished speaking, no one in the small team said a word, seemingly accepting his judgment.
Unconsciously, Rong Taotao seemed to have become the "squad leader."
The five-person squad moved slowly through the Snowfield. Rong Taotao took a compass from his backpack and picked up his pace. "Let's speed up. We have to find the Snow Forest or some other suitable shelter before dawn. Otherwise, we might not make it through the night."
Lu Mang commented lightly, "You're very confident in your abilities."
Rong Taotao grinned. "You all stopped over in Aihui City, then rode a Snow Night Shock to get to Songjiang Soul Martial University, right?"
Lu Mang didn't respond, but Zhou Ting, at his side, nodded. "Yes."
Rong Taotao said, "We're all the same. We endured eight hours of bone-chilling wind, jolting along on the back of a Snow Night Shock..."
Saying this, Rong Taotao turned to Lu Mang. "We went through so much to get here; we didn't come all this way just to be eliminated."
Hearing this, the corners of Lu Mang's mouth lifted slightly.
The pair of eyes hidden behind his goggles watched Rong Taotao quietly.
At that moment, Lu Mang seemed to understand why Rong Taotao had been fortunate enough to receive guidance from Si Huan Nian.
'This world is vast, big enough to hold all sorts of people.'
'Lu Mang believed that when one person asks another why they came from the prosperous Shanghai City to the Snow Realm, indirectly probing their beliefs…'
'…the questioner themself must possess some of the very qualities they're asking about.'
'But since they had only just met, their conversation was superficial, and they hadn't delved into that topic.'
The team members picked up their pace to follow Rong Taotao. Lu Mang silently watched his back, tightening his grip on the longsword in his hand.
'So... what's your story?'
...
Thank you all for your support. The results have been good, so there will be an extra chapter tomorrow~