On this day, Zhu Ziyang paused beside a frozen lake deep within the third layer of the Extreme North. What he saw left him stunned. Despite being in the core ring—where the average temperature was below minus fifty degrees Celsius—a lake actually existed here. And more incredibly… it wasn't frozen.
The lake wasn't large—just under a hundred meters in diameter, with an irregular circular shape. At its center stood a tiny island, barely ten meters wide.
Ziyang cautiously approached, his senses alert. The lake water was clear and transparent, but seemingly bottomless. There was no sign of life in the water—no plants, no fish, nothing. At the center of the lake, the small island was merely the exposed tip of an ice mountain. Its summit sat less than a meter above the lake's surface, and in the middle of that summit... was a large tree.
This unnatural scene immediately raised his guard.
A place this strange could only mean danger.
More curious still, the Silver Moon Ice Wolf's memory made no mention of this lake.
"Ziyang, this lake... the water seems to be source-less water,"
came Electrolux's voice, filled with shock and awe.
"Source-less water? Are you sure, Teacher?"
Ziyang asked, eyes wide with disbelief as he studied the still, crystalline lake before him.
"You can test it yourself," Electrolux replied calmly.
"Alright."
Ziyang nodded and extended his hand, stopping it five centimeters above the surface. A wave of Ultimate Ice energy surged from his palm like a dagger. The moment it touched the surface, the energy vanished silently, without disturbing the water in the slightest.
"…It really is source-less water!"
Ziyang and Electrolux both gasped in amazement.
Source-less water was said to exist only in legend. It had no origin—not from sky, earth, or sea—and was composed purely of elemental water essence. Also called pure water, it was believed to be created by the world itself.
Such water was said to be a core ingredient in crafting divine artifacts, and could also act as the primordial fluid for nurturing elemental spirits.
The presence of this water was nothing short of miraculous.
Ziyang stared at the small island in the center of the lake, now burning with curiosity.
Since the Silver Moon Wolf didn't know of this place… maybe I'm the first to find it?
No longer hesitating, he summoned the Lich King to scout the area.
The undead soared across the lake with ease, landing on the island. No threats emerged. It circled once and returned with a clear report: no soul beasts, no traps.
That only made Ziyang more suspicious.
A treasure like this… unguarded? Too good to be true.
Still, he didn't overthink it.
Perhaps this place just formed recently, and I'm lucky enough to find it first.
With the Hell Knight escorting him across the lake, Ziyang reached the island.
It wasn't large, but its terrain was unusual—higher around the edges, sloping gently inward, like a natural bowl. The center was a flat clearing, and in its middle stood a tree—four to five meters tall, its trunk and branches formed entirely of ice. Its leaves were silvery white.
Ziyang's eyes narrowed.
A spirit tree made entirely of ice… This isn't a tree.
It's a barrier.
Flying into the air, Ziyang landed atop the icy tree. Instantly, a frigid chill raced up through his feet and pierced his skull. Even with the protection of Ultimate Ice, the cold bit deeply.
His body trembled involuntarily.
But his eyes lit up with greed and wonder.
Whatever's sealed inside this barrier… it's worth the risk.
He withdrew, then ordered the Hell Knight and Lich King to attack the tree-barrier.
Two undead Titled Douluo unleashed their power, and slowly—painfully slowly—the top of the tree began to melt.
An hour later, they had only opened a man-sized gap.
Ziyang frowned.
Their energy is necrotic, not soul power. They're not suited to this.
Still, it was enough.
He halted their efforts and sent the Lich King through the narrow passage.
A few minutes later, the Lich King returned unscathed.
It reported no threats inside—only strange plants and a single ice house. No soul beasts were detected.
Ziyang's curiosity reached a peak.
Time to go in myself.
He passed through the opening and entered the interior of the barrier. The landscape stunned him.
The floor was covered in vegetation—a rare sight in the Extreme North. Green-leafed plants bloomed with large white flowers. In the center of each flower sat golden-brown stamens, releasing a faint and soothing fragrance.
"So many snow lotuses?" Ziyang muttered, astonished. "No wonder I didn't see any along the way… they're all here!"
The sheer number was staggering.
Hundreds of century-old snow lotuses grew near the edges. Further in, he spotted thirty or so thousand-year lotuses… and at the heart of it all, eight or nine ten-thousand-year snow lotuses.
Such a collection would cause a riot in the human world. Especially the ten-thousand-year ones—they were beyond rare, the kind of holy medicine that nobles and Titled Douluo would kill for.
But Ziyang's eyes narrowed again.
Something doesn't add up…
"With this many snow lotuses growing together, a hundred-thousand-year one should've formed by now. So where is it?" he mused aloud.
"Wait… could it be there?"
His eyes turned to the ice house, located beside the central tree. It was crafted entirely of crystal-clear ice, elegant and flawless—like a delicate sculpture.
As he approached, the life aura inside became more distinct—weak, but undeniably present.
Ziyang frowned.
It's alive… But not like a full-grown soul beast.
More like… a newborn child… or a dying elder. What the hell is inside?
Just as he reached out to open the door—
CRACK.
A sharp sound rang out, like breaking glass.
Before he could react, the entire ice house shattered into glittering shards. A stream of pure white energy burst out, shooting toward the barrier's exit at lightning speed.
"What the—?!"
Ziyang was startled, stepping back instinctively.
"Hell Knight! Lich King! Block it!" he shouted.
The undead reacted instantly, unleashing their power to seal the entrance.
The white energy stream halted mid-air, then suddenly reversed direction, rushing toward the central tree.
It's trying to close the barrier!
Ziyang realized this with a jolt. Without hesitating, he activated the soul skill from the Silver Moon Ice Wolf's right arm bone, preparing to intercept.
But before he could act—
Electrolux appeared beside him in ghostly form. Raising his right hand, he gently curled his fingers—
And captured the white energy.
In an instant, the once-wild stream was frozen in place, docile and unmoving.
Ziyang's jaw dropped.
"Teacher… you're amazing!"
"Hahaha! Just a little trick,"
Electrolux chuckled.
"If this thing had a body, I couldn't have stopped it. But it's just a soul, a consciousness without form—so it's easy."
"What… is it?"
Ziyang stared at the glowing white mass. It radiated Ultimate Ice and a faint life aura—both powerful and strange.
"If I'm right…"
Electrolux murmured,
"This is a spiritual embryo."