A Chilling Arrival
Rewinding time, we arrive back at a slightly earlier moment.
A streak of vibrant dark green light tore through the vast, white expanse of the ice plain. It moved with incredible speed, carrying a frightening chill that seemed to cut through the air itself.
The light flew relentlessly until it finally slowed, touching down in front of a majestic palace and transforming into a delicate figure. This figure was none other than the Ice Empress, who, utterly distraught, had come to seek solace and comfort from the Snow Empress.
It was widely known that the Ice Empress harbored more than simple friendship for the Snow Empress. The Snow Empress was certainly aware of this deeper affection, yet she consistently kept a cold distance, ignoring or rejecting the Ice Empress's advances. No matter how the Ice Empress tried to be cute or please her, her efforts were always fruitless.
Stepping into the Snow Empress Palace, the Ice Empress was too distracted to pay much attention when she didn't see the Snow Empress seated on the throne. Familiar with the layout, she simply walked toward a side hall. But just as she rounded a corner, she crashed directly into a white-robed figure coming from the opposite direction.
The Ice Empress was preoccupied, and because this was the Snow Empress's personal residence, she had subconsciously let down her guard and wasn't using her spirit power for protection. Her strength was almost completely withdrawn. Caught off guard, she was actually knocked back a couple of steps.
Rubbing her smooth forehead, the Ice Empress looked up at Shu Yan, feeling a bit wronged as she said, "Xue Er, you bumped me, and it hurts...".
Her complaint hung in the air, receiving no response for a long time.
The Ice Empress slowly stood up, looking at the person who seemed to be the "Snow Empress" but somehow felt wrong. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was different about the "Snow Empress," making her look strangely unfamiliar.
"Xue Er..." she murmured, gently sniffing the air. A flicker of doubt crossed her eyes. In the next moment, she detected a completely different, utterly unfamiliar aura on the person standing before her—an aura that was fundamentally not the Snow Empress's.
The change in the Ice Empress was instantaneous and terrifying. The initially sweet and lovable girl-next-door suddenly transformed into something as frightening as a fierce, wild beast. The contrast was truly unbelievable.
"Who are you? This is absolutely not Xue Er's aura," the Ice Empress declared. She stared up at the person who looked so much like the Snow Empress. Dark green spirit power began to swirl violently around her body, and a terrifyingly low temperature descended, the chilling air nearly suffocating Shu Yan.
"No matter who you are, how dare you impersonate Xue Er in the Extreme North Land and even disguise your aura so convincingly that you almost tricked this Empress!" she spat out. "Speak! Where exactly is Xue Er, or I will surely make you taste the feeling of wishing you were dead in this extreme low temperature...".
A hint of bloody scarlet flashed in the Ice Empress's eyes, and her right hand instantly changed, transforming into a silvery-white scorpion claw. She looked ready to strike Shu Yan with deadly force at any second.
It was clear she had immediately jumped to the conclusion that Shu Yan was someone with evil intentions who had disguised themselves as the Snow Empress. This, combined with her intense worry for the Snow Empress's safety, meant she hadn't taken a moment to think things through.
Shu Yan was forced to retreat repeatedly by the sheer force of the Ice Empress's oppressive aura. The Ice Sky Snow Woman bloodline within him was currently very active because of its prolonged resonance with the Snow Empress's bloodline.
The aura it radiated almost completely masked his true human aura. The Ice Empress hadn't looked at him closely, or perhaps she had relaxed her caution since this was the Snow Empress's own residence. For a moment, she had genuinely mistaken him for the Snow Empress.
"Ice Empress, this is a misunderstanding. As for the Snow Empress's location, you can find out instantly by scanning the area with your mental power..." Shu Yan's voice was deep.
He was about to explain everything, but at that exact moment, a soft blue fluctuation arrived. The terrifying aura surrounding the Ice Empress vanished instantly. At the same time, the familiar voice of the Snow Empress was heard.
"Bing Er, stop messing around," the Snow Empress's voice rang out.
The crisp click of high heels echoed from behind them. The Snow Empress walked over with her usual elegance, still carrying the faint hint of laziness from having just woken up. She slightly frowned as she looked at the two of them, seeming to immediately understand what had just happened.
Upon seeing the Snow Empress, the Ice Empress's eyes immediately lit up. She quickly scurried forward, her short legs pumping, ready to leap straight into the Snow Empress's embrace.
The Snow Empress watched the Ice Empress darting toward her, then let out a soft sigh. She extended a hand to block the Ice Empress's forehead, stopping her movement instantly.
Blocked by the Snow Empress's hand, a clear look of grievance flashed in the Ice Empress's eyes. She then whispered, "Xue Er, I was wrong...".
The Snow Empress gently rubbed the Ice Empress's dark green long hair. After a moment of hesitation, she released her hand from the Ice Empress's forehead. The Ice Empress, who had her head bowed but a look of triumph hidden in her eyes, immediately fell into her embrace.
"Oh, you're so reckless. This is the Core Circle of the Extreme North Land," the Snow Empress said with a rare hint of tenderness. "Even Di Tian wouldn't dare claim he could defeat me here with absolute certainty. Are you still worried that something bad could happen to me here?".
In her long and lonely life, the Ice Empress was her only good friend and confidante. Her feelings for the Ice Empress had even deepened from mere friendship to something like familial love, clearly showing the Ice Empress's importance in her heart.
Shu Yan watched the display of deep sisterly bond from the side, sighing a little helplessly.
It's a good thing the Snow Empress showed up when she did, he thought. Otherwise, the Ice Empress probably would have beaten him to a pulp. This 'little potato' looked cold and cute, but her actual combat power was almost on par with a human level 98 Super Douluo. Her ability to control ice was arguably even stronger than the Snow Empress's, making her perhaps the world's foremost ice controller.
Seeming to sense Shu Yan's gaze, the Ice Empress slowly turned her head while still in the Snow Empress's arms. Her eyes flickered between Shu Yan's face and the Snow Empress's face. A hint of confusion flashed in her eyes as she opened her mouth and asked, sounding doubtful, "Xue Er, who is he? Why does he look so much like you, and why is his aura so similar? I almost mistook him for you just now...".
The Snow Empress gently pushed the Ice Empress away, then spoke softly. "He is one of my clansmen. He possesses the Ice Sky Snow Woman aura, which originates from the same source as mine, so naturally, his appearance is similar to mine. This ice palace is also filled with my aura, and when those two things mix, it's understandable that you mistook him".
Surprise flashed in the Ice Empress's eyes, and her disappointment at being pushed away was temporarily forgotten. She walked around Shu Yan twice, her gaze sweeping over him from head to toe.
She then muttered to herself, "He really looks like you, ah. Besides being a bit taller than you, Xue Er, and his face looking a little different, the rest of him is practically identical to you. It's just... his voice is a bit strange. It sounds like a male's, not as pleasant to listen to as yours, Xue Er...".
Shu Yan and the Snow Empress exchanged a glance, both showing a flash of helplessness. Shu Yan cleared his throat, looked at the Ice Empress, and asked softly, "Is it possible that I am actually male?".
The Ice Empress's body instantly stiffened. She turned her head with a somewhat rigid movement, then immediately shook it.
"How can that be possible? An Ice Sky Snow Woman cannot be male. Xue Er herself said this! If you were truly male, would that mean Xue Er was wrong...?".
The Snow Empress tapped the Ice Empress's forehead, then chuckled softly. "Yes, an Ice Sky Snow Woman can only be female, but Bing Er, have you ever considered that the Ice Sky Snow Woman bloodline can manifest in both males and females?".
The Ice Empress tilted her head, clearly trying to process the meaning of the Snow Empress's words.
Spirit Beasts almost always have fixed bloodlines. It's incredibly rare for one to possess two bloodlines. Generally, Spirit Beasts with two or more bloodlines are extremely rare species, such as the Titan Snow Demon clan.
And then there was the Ice Sky Snow Woman, a pure spirit of heaven and earth, born and nurtured by nature itself. There was only one Snow Empress in the current generation. If a new Ice Sky Snow Woman had been born in the Extreme North Land, the Snow Empress would surely have noticed.
One by one, the Ice Empress eliminated possibilities. Finally, an absurd, unbelievable thought flashed through her mind. She took a step back in disbelief, then said, "Possessing the Ice Sky Snow Woman bloodline, but being male... Eliminating all other possibilities, there is only one explanation that makes sense...".
"You... you are human...".
Shu Yan simply nodded lightly. He slightly suppressed the Ice Sky Snow Woman bloodline within his body, and his own unique human aura slowly became more noticeable.
The Ice Empress took two more steps back, her face a mask of disbelief. Then, the expression on her face changed drastically. The next moment, a more chilling and terrifying killing intent than before erupted. The Ice Empress stared directly at Shu Yan, then spoke word by word:
"How could weak and despicable humans possess such a noble bloodline as the Ice Sky Snow Woman? Human, no matter what dirty methods you used to deceive Xue Er and stay in the Core Circle, this Empress will absolutely not allow you to continue doing evil. For the future peace of the Extreme North Land, you might as well die...".
With that, the Ice Empress attacked without hesitation. Even though she had just sensed that Shu Yan's spirit power level was only at the Spirit King tier , she still used the Ice Empress's Claw, an innate Spirit Skill, as a precaution.
The diamond-like luster of the claw was incredibly brilliant against the surrounding ice crystals. But before this magnificent yet dangerous ice claw could advance half a meter, a jade-like hand directly gripped the Ice Empress's wrist.
The Snow Empress rubbed her temple with one hand and held the Ice Empress's wrist with the other. A look of annoyance crossed her face as she said, "Bing Er, you cannot harm him. He is my choice for the future. You arrived at a very opportune moment. Perhaps, you should also make your own choice...".
Author's Note on Bloodline
Earlier, I saw a reader say that the protagonist's bloodline shouldn't be on the same level as the Snow Empress's. Let me explain this!
The quality of Martial Souls is actually divided very clearly. For example, Body Martial Souls are categorized by secondary awakenings:
Bronze-tier secondary awakening (generally allows a breakthrough to Titled Douluo).
Silver-tier secondary awakening (generally allows a breakthrough to Super Douluo).
Gold-tier secondary awakening (allows a breakthrough to Limit Douluo).
This division of intensity—this concept of secondary awakening—isn't exclusive to Body Martial Souls; Beast Martial Souls and even some Tool Martial Souls follow the same principle (you can look at the Mermaid clan for an example).
Assuming the Snow Empress has the Ice Sky Snow Woman Gold-tier bloodline, then the protagonist had already reached the Silver-tier bloodline when his Martial Soul first awakened. Later, when his innate Origin Evolution Domain fully awakened, he ascended to the Gold-tier bloodline.
Honestly, this is a bit unavoidable. The author can't write a system novel or give the protagonist some other big cheat. So, the only way to give him a bit of an advantage is to add a small cheat to his talent and bloodline. Otherwise, he would always seem unimpressive. Ultimately, this just depends on personal acceptance.