The sky over the Extreme North stretched out endlessly in shades of gray, adorned by falling snow that drifted down slowly like scattered crystals. The cold, silent air created an eerie stillness, blanketing the endless white land.
In a hidden, narrow ravine, that silence was suddenly broken by something extraordinary.
A bluish-green light suddenly glowed from beneath thick ice, radiating a mysterious aura. Soul energy from all directions was drawn toward the center of the light, gathering and swirling like a dance governed by unseen laws of nature.
At the heart of this phenomenon, the body of a child slowly began to form, as if sculpted by eternal ice and soul energy.
Once the formation was complete, everything fell silent once again. The small child lay upon the hard, cold ice. His skin was as white as snow, pale and softly glowing, with long, shimmering white hair tinged with icy blue hues that reflected the light.
The tiny body remained still—but not lifeless.
Suddenly, his eyelids twitched, then slowly opened, revealing a pair of clear blue eyes, sharp as crystal. His gaze was cold yet full of confusion, as if searching for answers in this unfamiliar world.
"Where am I?" he wondered, though no sound left his small lips.
He tried to move his body, but every motion felt unfamiliar, stiff, and unnatural. His hand slowly rose to touch his own face. That touch made him realize this body was not one he knew.
Fragments of memories began surfacing in his mind—glimpses of his past life.
He was Lan Jingyun, a cultivator who had once devoted his life to the peace of the world. He had fought against the Demon King, and ultimately... died.
And yet now, he had awakened. In this place. In this body.
"I should be gone," he thought.
But the cold air against his skin felt real. His small feet, struggling to support his body, felt real too.
He looked around, only to be greeted by a vast expanse of white snow as far as the eye could see.
There were no other signs of life—only himself and this frozen world. Strangely, though, the cold did not hurt him. Instead, it felt as if the cold was a part of him, something flowing through his blood and breath.
He tried to stand. His legs trembled, but he refused to give up.
In his mind, his resolve remained as firm as ever—just as when he once fought the Demon King. Even when that vile creature had tried to sow discord between him and the sect he belonged to.
Step by step, he walked aimlessly, leaving small footprints on the thick snow.
That silence continued to haunt him, yet it also gave him space to think.
How could he have come back to life?
What was the purpose of this resurrection?
Yet, he had no answers. There was nothing he could do but keep walking.
______
Lan Jingyun stood behind a large wall of ice, his small body hidden within the shadow of the deep snow. His pale blue eyes observed a group of humans moving busily in the valley below.
They moved quickly, forming formations with weapons that emitted strange light. Their movements were swift yet organized, their formation showing experience and discipline.
Jingyun's gaze focused on a large figure in the center of the human circle.
The beast resembled a wolf, with silver fur that gleamed under the cold light of the Extreme North. Its eyes burned with fury.
Its sharp fangs dripped with frozen liquid that looked like poison, and its claws dug into the snow beneath it, leaving deep marks. The wolf was clearly in a defensive stance, surrounded by humans radiating powerful auras.
But Jingyun's attention was soon diverted.
His eyes narrowed as he saw one of the humans step forward, unleashing an attack that suddenly caused a ring of light to appear around their body. The light was bright yellow, like sunlight bursting through a snowstorm.
Jingyun tilted his head, studying the phenomenon with deep curiosity.
"What is that? Soul energy?" he wondered. But its form was different—far more structured and focused than the energy he had known in his previous life.
He observed more closely. Everyone in the group had similar rings—some yellow, some purple, and even one pitch black.
As the rings appeared, their strength seemed to surge significantly, allowing them to drive the massive wolf into a more desperate position.
The final blow struck the wolf hard, sending the giant beast crashing into the snow with a long, drawn-out groan. Jingyun sensed the creature's life force gradually fading, replaced by a mysterious energy drifting into the air.
One of the humans—a young woman with neatly braided brown hair—stepped forward. She sat cross-legged beside the dying wolf, her hand extended toward the beast.
Jingyun watched in awe as a bluish-purple mist began to rise from the wolf's body, as though ice were melting in the wake of the final blow she had delivered.
The mist slowly drifted toward the young woman, forming a ring that circled her body. The ring shone brightly, then slowly dimmed, as though it had absorbed the spirit beast's power.
"They… use the souls of beasts to increase their power," he murmured, though only the snow heard his voice.
He felt an urge to approach, to ask questions or perhaps seek answers. But he knew better than to get involved—at least for now.
These humans were too unfamiliar, and this world was full of things he had yet to understand.
When the group finally left, leaving the marks of their battle in the snow, Jingyun stepped forward toward the site of the fight.
He stood where the beast's body had once been, his small hand touching the snow tainted by strange energy.
A faint trace of warmth still lingered there, mixed with the cold of the snow. Jingyun took a deep breath, letting the frigid air fill his lungs.
"This world… is very different," he whispered, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon.
He stood and looked far into the distance, where the gray sky blended with the endless stretch of white snow.
His thoughts drifted to what the humans had said.
"Martial Soul… Soul Ring… Is this another form of cultivation?"
He walked slowly, leaving footprints in the snow.
"If I've been given a second life," he thought, "then there must be a reason behind it."
A gust of cold wind swept across his face. He tightened his grip, his eyes focused ahead.
"Then I will make the most of it."