Ten hours later, a resounding dragon's roar echoed through the valley.
The night air, already frigid, grew even colder. Frost spread across the rocks and trees, turning the mountain hollow into a crystalline landscape.
Jing Hongchen, who had been dozing while sitting atop the bound Level 8 Soul Engineer, jolted awake. His eyes lit up as he turned toward Wei Xuan's direction, surprise and joy flashing across his face.
Wei Xuan had completed his Soul Ring absorption.
The phantom of the Ancient Ice Dragon coiled around him majestically, its aura spilling frost in every direction. Streams of melted snow froze solid again in an instant.
A deep yellow Soul Ring pulsed rhythmically at his feet.
Stretching his arms with a contented yawn, Wei Xuan smiled faintly. "Success."
This success was not merely the absorption of a ring — it marked the triumph of his entire concept.
"Your Highness, how do you feel?" Jing Hongchen hurried over, eyes gleaming with curiosity as he examined Wei Xuan from head to toe.
"Not bad," Wei Xuan said, nodding with satisfaction. "My physique improved a lot — my Soul Power rose by two levels."
"Only two levels?" Jing Hongchen's brows furrowed. "That Ice Xuan Dragon Serpent was over seven hundred years old! The energy it held was immense — even greater than most millennium rings. You're still low-ranked; you should've gained at least five or six levels!"
He quickly probed with spiritual sense, confirming the result — Level 12.
Wei Xuan smiled calmly. "It could've been higher, but I compressed my Soul Power instead — made it denser and purer. That's why the increase seems small."
He knew this choice slowed his visible growth but dramatically improved the quality of his power. In the long run, the benefits far outweighed the sacrifice.
Even now, his Soul Power reserve, though "only" Level 12, was easily on par with that of a Level 15 or 16 Soul Master.
"It's like a container," he explained. "Higher level but thin quality means a narrow vessel. I made mine broader and stronger — even if it's shorter for now, it holds more."
"You compressed it?" Jing Hongchen's jaw dropped. His eyes widened as though seeing Wei Xuan for the first time.
To think a six-year-old child would willingly resist the temptation of rapid power gain and instead pursue refinement — even grown masters struggled to make such a disciplined choice.
He sighed heavily. "Do you realize what you've done? Yes, compression strengthens Soul Power — but it makes future breakthroughs exponentially harder! Many who tried this got trapped at their rank forever!"
"This method has both pros and cons — and more often the latter. You might hit a wall so solid you never break through."
Wei Xuan only chuckled softly. "I've read about that in the archives. But to me, that so-called 'drawback' is actually another advantage."
Jing Hongchen blinked. "An advantage? Getting stuck is an advantage?!"
Wei Xuan shook his head. "A major bottleneck is simply a threshold of transformation. The greater the resistance, the more complete the transformation once it's shattered. Every breakthrough afterward brings greater strength than normal growth could ever achieve."
"Besides," he added lightly, "this assumes one's limit is real — not just lack of talent."
Jing Hongchen paused, stunned — and then slowly nodded. "Hmm… there's some truth to that."
Wei Xuan smiled. "Don't worry, Hall Master. My compression will only bring benefits."
Jing Hongchen sighed again, laughing ruefully. "You little monster… relying on your monstrous talent to do whatever you please."
Then, his eyes brightened with curiosity. "All right, enough theory. Tell me — what Soul Skill did you gain? A seven-hundred-year Ice Xuan Dragon Serpent — this should be something extraordinary."
Wei Xuan's eyes gleamed. "My first Soul Skill — Ice Dragon's Breath. You'll see what it does."
He leapt lightly backward several meters. His Soul Ring glowed deep yellow, and the surrounding air trembled with energy.
Behind him, the Ancient Ice Dragon rose into the air, hovering thirty meters above ground. It opened its maw — and unleashed a torrent of frozen mist.
A cascade of frost swept outward. The moisture in the air solidified instantly, turning to glittering shards that rained down like diamond dust.
Jing Hongchen took the blast full-on. The instant the icy mist brushed his skin, he shivered violently. His limbs stiffened, his blood flow slowed. The chill gnawed at his very core.
He hastily circulated his Soul Power to resist — and even then, he still felt colder than he had at the heart of the Extreme North.
"This skill…" Jing Hongchen's eyes widened. He spun in disbelief, staring at the transformed valley.
Everything within tens of meters was encased in frost. Lush greenery became crystal sculptures. The ground had turned to pure, mirror-like ice.
Had he not known this was a valley within the Heavenly Soul Empire, he would've thought they'd been transported back to the frozen tundra — perhaps somewhere even colder.
Even as a Titled Douluo, he could feel his body slowing, his battle efficiency slipping. Soul Masters might endure cold better than mortals, but physiology could not completely defy the laws of nature.
Low temperature dulled speed, dulled thought — dulled combat itself.
"How's the skill, Hall Master?" Wei Xuan asked casually, retracting the ability. The breath stopped, though the icy mist still lingered.
Jing Hongchen didn't answer right away. He focused on his body — then gasped softly.
"Incredible. This skill… even I, a Titled Douluo, lost about one percent of my combat power under its effect."
That might sound negligible, but the weight of it was enormous. For a Level 12 Soul Master to suppress a Titled Douluo by even one percent was unheard of.
He could scarcely imagine what this would do to ordinary Soul Masters.
For lower ranks — those around ten or twenty — this could easily halve their strength, maybe worse.
"This is practically a domain!" Jing Hongchen exclaimed, clapping his hands. "Area suppression, group debilitation — Your Highness, this is the strongest first Soul Skill I've ever seen!"
Wei Xuan smiled faintly. "It also carries direct offensive potential. The cold itself freezes and damages whatever it touches."
"Exactly! Perfect, absolutely perfect!" Jing Hongchen laughed aloud.
Wei Xuan's gaze drifted to the old man bound nearby, lying face down in the snow. "And that would be…?" he asked.
"That's one of the six attackers we sensed earlier," Jing Hongchen said with a smug grin. "The only survivor. The rest I killed myself."
Indeed — two Level 9 and four Level 8 Soul Engineers slain by one man. It was a feat worth boasting about.
Wei Xuan only nodded mildly. He'd sensed everything through his spiritual awareness during the fight, so it didn't surprise him.
Jing Hongchen frowned. "What, no praise?"
"Have you questioned him yet?" Wei Xuan asked.
"I tried. The bastard wouldn't talk. Even tried to bite his tongue — so I knocked him out," Jing Hongchen growled, giving the prisoner a kick.
"Wake him," Wei Xuan said. "Let's ask again."
"It won't help," Jing Hongchen grumbled. "The man's as stubborn as they come. Probably needs the Imperial Inquisition to loosen his tongue." Still, he sent a pulse of Soul Power into the man's body, rousing him.
The old man's eyes snapped open, and before he even saw his surroundings, he spat, "You'll get nothing from me, Jing Hongchen, you old dog! Just kill me!"
His face twisted — he tried to bite through his own tongue again.
Jing Hongchen's expression darkened. One swift kick drove the air from the man's lungs, stopping the attempt. The prisoner rolled across the ground in agony.
"Still got fight in you, huh?" Jing Hongchen muttered, preparing to strike again —
"Wait," Wei Xuan said quietly, catching his arm.
"Wait? For what? If we don't act fast, he'll kill himself — and there goes our only lead!"
Wei Xuan didn't answer. He simply stepped forward.
His eyes changed — the pupils doubled, fourfold, intricate runes spinning within them. A layer of primordial mist filled his gaze, vast and unfathomable.
The prisoner met his eyes. For a heartbeat, he trembled — then his expression softened. His breathing steadied. The suicidal defiance vanished.
Wei Xuan's voice was calm. "Tell me — who sent you?"
"It… it was the First Prince," the old man murmured flatly, his voice devoid of emotion.
Jing Hongchen blinked, dumbfounded. "That's it? He… just said it?"
Wei Xuan shrugged. "What else did you expect?"
"I interrogated him for hours — threats, pain, persuasion — he said nothing but insults. You just ask and he spills everything?!" Jing Hongchen was incredulous.
Wei Xuan smiled faintly. "Maybe it's my charm. But Hall Master, you're focusing on the wrong detail. Didn't you hear who he said?"
"Charm, my foot!" Jing Hongchen grumbled. "You think your charisma outshines mine? I'm the Hall Master!" But as he replayed the words, his expression hardened.
He turned back to the old man. "Are you telling the truth? Know that slandering a royal prince is treason. If you lie, not only you — your entire family will die!"
"I'm not lying… it was the First Prince who sent us," the man said tonelessly.
Under Wei Xuan's Soul Control Technique, deception was impossible.
As the confession continued — details, planning, names — Jing Hongchen's disbelief faded into fury.
"So it really was him…" he hissed. "That treacherous bastard. He wanted to kill me, too! Good thing I never accepted his offer of alliance — I'd have damned my reputation for life!"
Wei Xuan's face remained calm. He'd already known the truth from the first answer.
"Your Highness, rest assured," Jing Hongchen said darkly. "When we return, I'll see that the First Prince pays for this with his life."
He laughed coldly. "Fratricide and attempted assassination of the Illustrious Virtue Hall Master — two capital crimes. Not even a crown prince could escape that."
Wei Xuan nodded. "With you as witness, the outcome is certain."
Jing Hongchen struck the back of the prisoner's neck, knocking him out cold, and tossed him onto the flying craft.
Together, they set course for the Sun and Moon Empire, the silver barrier gliding swiftly through the night sky.
(End of Chapter)