"Courting death!" Third Elder watched, furious, as Lu Jingming slaughtered his men.

He didn't care about their lives, but losing so many would make him answerable to the sect leader.

"Corpse Lightning!" Third Elder's first soul ring flashed, sending a black-grey bolt at Lu Jingming.

Though just his first soul skill, as a Title Douluo, even his weakest move was deadly.

Lu Jingming coolly intercepted it with his black spear, the tip crackling with black-red lightning.

Thunder exploded, shockwaves rippling outward. A foul green miasma drifted toward Lu Jingming, but he dispelled it with a pulse of purple lightning.

Without pause, Lu Jingming raised his left hand and unleashed his hundred-thousand-year soul bone skill—Dominion.

Space warped as crushing gravity slammed down on Third Elder, dropping him to his knees, spitting blood from internal injuries.

Third Elder looked up, eyes red with murderous rage—being forced to kneel and injured by a Soul King was an unprecedented humiliation.

His soul power blazed as he struggled to resist the gravity.

"I'll tear your soul out and burn it for a hundred years!" he howled.

Dominion was powerful, but the vast gap in soul power meant it could only catch Third Elder off guard temporarily.

Lu Jingming only smiled; he hadn't expected to suppress a Title Douluo with a single skill.

But making a Title Douluo kneel and cough blood was already a miracle.

Even Nan Qiuqiu and the others were stunned; a Soul King injuring a Title Douluo was unheard of.

Third Elder, enraged, unleashed his fourth soul skill—Demonic Skull Seven Stars—summoning seven evil green lightning skulls to attack.

Lu Jingming responded with seven jets of black light from his spear, obliterating the skulls.

Everyone was shocked—a Soul King had just neutralized a Title Douluo's fourth soul skill!

"This isn't possible!" Third Elder was in disbelief.

"This is like annihilation energy, but even stronger!" Nan Shuishui realized, comparing it to the Earth Dragon Sect's own annihilation abilities, but Lu Jingming's was far superior.

Even as a Soul Douluo, she struggled to eliminate enemy soul skills directly—yet Lu Jingming, a Soul King, could instantly erase Title Douluo-level attacks.

"In that case—Furious Whip of Thunder!" Third Elder, losing all reason, unleashed his sixth soul skill.

A grey-purple whip lashed out, summoning countless wailing wraiths and saturating the air with a scorched, acrid stench.

The massive attack enveloped Nan Qiuqiu and the others as well.

Lu Jingming frowned. He might survive, but the others would die.

"Xue Di!" he called without hesitation.

Facing a Title Douluo was too much, even after his earlier surprise attacks.

As the whip descended, Snow Empress appeared like a white phantom, gracefully raising a hand.

A terrifying cold instantly froze the attack, ice spreading back toward Third Elder.

Realizing the danger, he immediately stopped channeling soul power and fled, dragging Fourth Elder with him.

But Snow Empress wouldn't let them go. She unleashed a storm of cold that froze everything for miles around—the two elders included—leaving only Lu Jingming and his group unfrozen.

Her mastery of cold was absolute, befitting the ruler of the extreme north.

Nan Shuishui couldn't help but gasp, eyes wide with shock.

Two Title Douluo-level evil soul masters had been frozen instantly by Xue Di, unable to even fight back. This kind of overwhelming power was beyond her understanding, leaving her deeply awed.

"I am Nan Shuishui, Sect Master of the Earth Dragon Sect. I can never repay the debt I owe you all for saving our lives today!"

She hurriedly descended, bowing with utmost respect and humility.

Her gratitude was sincere—after all, had Lu Jingming and his companions not arrived in time, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

"Please, Sect Master Nan, there's no need for thanks. Evil soul masters are scourges to the continent; it's everyone's duty to destroy them. Besides, we actually came here for the Earth Dragon Sect," Lu Jingming replied with calm composure.

He'd planned all along to help the Earth Dragon Sect, so he could rightfully ask for the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow beneath their base. But even without that, he'd never turn a blind eye to evil soul masters if he could help.

"For the Earth Dragon Sect?" Nan Shuishui blinked in surprise.

She had never met Lu Jingming and had no idea why they'd seek out her sect. Still, out of gratitude, she smiled and said, "I wonder what business brings you here? As long as it's within our means, the Earth Dragon Sect will do everything in its power to help."

No matter their motives, Lu Jingming and his group had truly saved her and her disciples—she couldn't deny that.

If she'd fallen into the Third Elder's hands, she'd have lost her freedom, if not her life.

Moreover, the Earth Dragon Sect had an ancestral technique for reading people's faces—a way to judge character, if not always accurate. After observing Lu Jingming, Nan Shuishui felt confident he bore them no ill will.

"This isn't a good place for a long talk. Let's move somewhere else," Lu Jingming suggested, glancing at the frozen, lifeless forest around them.

"Agreed. Please, let me welcome you all to our sect for proper hospitality," Nan Shuishui nodded.

After so much danger, none of the Earth Dragon Sect had the heart to continue hunting soul beasts. The evil soul masters' ambush clearly hadn't been a coincidence; there were surely spies within Dragon City to root out.

Of all the evil soul masters who ambushed them, only the Third and Fourth Elders survived—and only because Lu Jingming and Xue Di had other plans.

Rather than kill them outright, Lu Jingming thought they'd make excellent 'Lunch box'—either as training fodder for Ye Guiyi or as guinea pigs for Mobius's research. (Squid Game Reference.)

Xue Di agreed; that's why she hadn't finished them off on the spot. She owed Mobius a favor, after all.

Meanwhile, Xu Shenshu was still focused on absorbing his soul ring. While he finished, Xue Di stored the two evil soul masters in a special soul tool designed to hold living beings.

"Um… thank you so much for helping us just now. I'm Nan Qiuqiu, young mistress of the Earth Dragon Sect," Nan Qiuqiu finally mustered up the courage to introduce herself, face flushed with shyness.

"It was nothing. I'm Lu Jingming, from Haiyuan City of the Star Luo Empire," he replied with a gentle smile.

For some reason, he noticed that Nan Qiuqiu's gaze was similar to Meng Hongchen's—though not as bold, but with the bashfulness of a young maiden.

"Haiyuan City? That sounds familiar—oh! That's the city hosting this year's Soul Master Tournament, right? And the Stigmata originated there too!"

As she spoke, Nan Qiuqiu tapped her lips in thought before suddenly lighting up with realization, looking unexpectedly cute.

"Yes, that's right. I'm surprised Haiyuan City's fame has reached Dragon City," Lu Jingming laughed, quite pleased.

The more famous Haiyuan became, the better for him—he'd poured a lot of effort into its development.

"You were amazing just now! You killed so many evil soul masters in one blow and even injured a Title Douluo. So cool!"

Her eyes sparkled with admiration and adoration.

"Heh, it was nothing," Lu Jingming replied modestly, though he couldn't help but feel a bit proud—after all, Nan Qiuqiu was a canon character.

"Qiuqiu, stop gawking and go meditate to recover your soul power! We still have a journey ahead!" Nan Shuishui called out, unable to hide her exasperation at her daughter's lovestruck look.

"Got it!" Nan Qiuqiu stuck out her tongue playfully, waved sweetly to Lu Jingming, then hurried back to meditate.

"Saving the damsel works wonders, huh? If you're a little bolder, she might throw herself at you," Gu Yue said quietly, standing beside Lu Jingming. Her tone was calm, but a hint of jealousy was unmistakable.

"You think so? Well, I am pretty charming," Lu Jingming joked, stroking his chin.

Gu Yue's lips twitched; she almost felt like punching that handsome face—but she couldn't bear to.

Lu Jingming noticed her mood and smiled. Jealousy meant progress! He was glad he'd brought Gu Yue along.

Soon, Xu Shenshu finished absorbing his fourth ring—since it matched his martial soul, the process went smoothly.

With everything settled, the group left Sunset Forest for Dragon City.

Looking back at the forest, Lu Jingming knew he'd return—he still had two goals here: the Profound Ice Marrow below the Earth Dragon Sect, and the Icefire Yin Yang Well within the forest. The latter wasn't going anywhere, and Xue Di and Bing Di were eager, especially Bing Di, who desperately needed the Ice Marrow to restore her physical body.

Dragon City—the northernmost metropolis of the Heaven Soul Empire—stood closest to the Extreme North. It was blanketed in snow year-round, making it a true city of ice and snow.

Despite the harsh climate, the city bustled with people, drawn by the nearby Extreme North—a soul beast haven. Few dared venture deep, but many hunted on the outskirts or sought rare ice-elemental treasures.

Dragon City was home to two major sects: Heaven Dragon Sect and Earth Dragon Sect.

The Heaven Dragon Sect wielded the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul—one of the few pure dragon souls left, once famed as the continent's number one beast martial soul.

As a result, the Earth Dragon Sect had always been overshadowed, seen as little more than a vassal for generations.

Nan Shuishui was no weaker than most Title Douluo, but the Heaven Dragon Sect's current leader was a Super Douluo—a gap she couldn't bridge.

Still, Nan Shuishui had, through her own wisdom and strength, built the Earth Dragon Sect into the city's second power—a real feat, given that most of their martial souls were sub-dragon types, forever suppressed by the true dragon lineage of their rivals.

Only the Rouge Dragon martial soul could truly compete with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon; all others fell short.

Despite the rivalry, the two sects had a millennium of deep ties, and their competition was healthy. Heaven Dragon held the north, Earth Dragon held the south—each with their own sphere of influence.

With Nan Shuishui personally leading the way, the city guards let Lu Jingming's group pass without question.

They soon arrived at the Earth Dragon Sect's grand compound, marked with an imposing plaque. The soul masters even guarding the gates were all genuine Soul Kings—a testament to the sect's deep foundation.

Back at the sect, Nan Qiuqiu became even more lively, eagerly giving Lu Jingming a detailed tour and history lesson.

Xu Shenshu and the others exchanged surprised looks. Was this really their mischievous, hot-tempered boss lady? When had she become so gentle and considerate?

Nan Shuishui covered her forehead helplessly. She knew her daughter had inherited a weakness for good looks, but the effect of the hero saves beauty cliché—combined with Lu Jingming's looks—had left Qiuqiu completely smitten.

Watching her daughter look ready to spill all the sect's secrets, Nan Shuishui worried that if she ever handed over the sect, Qiuqiu might just run off with it in tow.

Within the Earth Dragon Sect, aside from Nan Shuishui, there were two other Soul Douluo elders and nearly ten Soul Sage elders—pillars of the sect.

Upon hearing about the evil soul master ambush, the elders were alarmed and grateful to Lu Jingming for saving their future heirs.

Had the evil soul masters succeeded, the sect would have faced ruin.

Learning there were traitors in Dragon City, the elders' eyes flashed with murderous intent. They quickly led their best disciples off to root out the spies, determined to make them pay.

But for Lu Jingming and the others, that was just background noise.

As honored guests, they were led to a serene private garden—Nan Shuishui's own residence, usually off-limits to all but her closest kin.

There, Nan Qiuqiu sweetly brewed Lu Jingming a cup of tea. He smiled and got straight to the point: "Sect Master Nan, I'll be direct. We came here for the underground cold spring."

Nan Shuishui narrowed her eyes, watching her daughter's unusual attentiveness. Even as her mother, she rarely enjoyed such service.

And when she heard Lu Jingming mention the cold spring, she was shocked.

The underground spring was a tightly kept secret—only she and two Soul Douluo elders knew of it, not even her daughter. How did Lu Jingming know?

She set aside her suspicions—for someone who'd saved their lives, there was no point in fussing over the source.

With a bitter smile, she said, "I won't ask how you know. It's true, we have an underground spring, but it's just a special resource for training our young disciples. I can't imagine why someone as strong as you would come so far for it."

Haiyuan City was across the entire Heaven Soul Empire, after all.

The spring was useful for body tempering and consolidating soul power, especially for beginners. All the young talents had benefited from it, but for high-level powerhouses, its effects were negligible.

Nan Shuishui glanced at Xue Di. Someone who could kill two Title Douluo in a blink wouldn't care about the likes of the spring, would she?

Perhaps Lu Jingming was after the ore below the spring—the top-grade ice-attribute metal their ancestors once discovered by chance?

"Sect Master, you don't have to be so formal. Just call me Jingming. To be honest, we're here for what's below the spring," Lu Jingming replied gently.

He knew the spring was precious to the sect, but they had no idea what treasures lay beneath—or even what the Ice Polar Divine Crystal they once brought up actually was.

"Well then, I won't stand on ceremony. Jingming, the spring is important to us, but compared to the kindness you've shown, it's nothing. Besides, I know little about what lies beneath."

She had tried to explore deeper herself, but the extreme cold forced her to retreat before she got far. Even entering the ancestor-built cave below was a struggle for her, let alone mining any ore.

The sect had long suspected there were even greater treasures below the spring, but limited by their strength, they couldn't even investigate, let alone retrieve anything.

All they could do was use the spring's water to train young disciples.

With no further hesitation, Nan Shuishui led Lu Jingming and company to the sect's back courtyard, where an ancient well shrouded in cold mist awaited.

"Mom, is this the big secret we've been hiding? It just looks like an ordinary well—nothing special," Nan Qiuqiu said, peering in, only to be disappointed.

"You don't know anything! You've benefited plenty from the spring water in your training. Otherwise, with your talent, you wouldn't have advanced to Soul Ancestor so quickly," Nan Shuishui scolded.

Nan Qiuqiu, younger than Lu Jingming, had already reached the Soul Ancestor rank—a remarkable achievement, even compared to Shrek's top students like Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi.

But her rapid growth owed much to the spring water. All the young disciples had benefited in the same way.

Clearly, the spring—formed by Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow—was an incredible boon for low-level soul masters.

"Jingming, this is it. Whatever you're after is down there—I can't say more, but I trust you'll manage," Nan Shuishui said, glancing at Xue Di for reassurance.

The Earth Dragon Sect couldn't investigate further, but for ice-elemental powerhouses like Xue Di, entering the spring was like going home.

"Xue Di, Bing Di—you two go ahead. Gu Yue and I will wait here," Lu Jingming instructed.

Once the Profound Ice Marrow was retrieved, Bing Di could restore her body, and Lu Jingming had no need to use Black Abyss White Flower's help.

He knew exactly what lay below: the Ice Polar Divine Crystal vein was priceless, but couldn't be mined en masse for now. The Profound Ice Marrow, though, could be taken.

Once it was removed, the spring would lose its deadly chill, making it possible for the sect to mine the ore themselves.

Lu Jingming wasn't greedy; he planned to pay a fair price for any Ice Polar Divine Crystals, leaving the mining to the sect—and he wasn't short on money.

He also wouldn't take the Profound Ice Marrow for free—he'd come prepared.

Nan Shuishui, hearing Lu Jingming call out to Xue Di and Bing Di, was shocked. As neighbors to the Extreme North, of course she knew their names—top ten fierce beasts, rulers of the north.

Now it all made sense: no wonder they were so powerful.

She wondered how Lu Jingming could command such beings, but wisely kept her questions to herself.

While Xue Di and Bing Di descended into the spring, Lu Jingming stayed above with Gu Yue, Nan Qiuqiu, and Nan Shuishui.

While waiting, Lu Jingming took out eight blood-red crystals—each a ten-thousand-year Stigmata.

"Sect Master, here are eight ten-thousand-year Stigmata, all sub-dragon types. Consider it compensation for what we take."

"That's… that's far too generous! You saved us—there's no need for compensation!"

"Please take them. Stigmata are precious, but to us in Haiyuan City, they're not rare, and these especially suit the Earth Dragon Sect."

Nan Shuishui hesitated but finally accepted. He was right—sub-dragon Stigmata were perfect for her sect.

Her respect for Lu Jingming rose even higher. He didn't have to offer compensation; the rescue alone was reason enough.

Among the eight Stigmata was even a Rouge Dragon one, nearly impossible to obtain. Lu Jingming had enlisted Herta's help to simulate the Rouge Dragon, then had Mobius modify a Golden Earth Dragon's genes to create it.

The bloodlines of dragons were close enough to allow this.

The Profound Ice Marrow was incredibly rare—its power could even forge a million-year soul beast. Lu Jingming knew this, so he offered the Stigmata in return, even though their value was still far less. Still, without him, the sect would never have reached the Marrow, making the Stigmata more practical for them.

"Wow, real Stigmata! And a Rouge Dragon one! Thank you, Lu Jingming!" Nan Qiuqiu, already obsessed with Stigmata, was overjoyed. In her excitement, she impulsively hugged Lu Jingming and planted a big kiss on his cheek, leaving a wet mark.

"What are you doing?!" Gu Yue's eyes went wide, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, instantly bristling.

She was both angry and anxious—she hadn't kissed Lu Jingming yet, and this pink-haired girl had beaten her to it! How could she stand that?

Sensing Gu Yue's murderous aura, Nan Qiuqiu shrank back, face scarlet, and quickly hid behind Nan Shuishui. She'd simply been too excited and now felt embarrassed.

"Ugh!" Gu Yue gritted her teeth, glaring daggers at Lu Jingming, then whipped out her handkerchief to wipe his face clean—no way was she letting someone else's mark stay there.

Lu Jingming blinked innocently, as if he hadn't seen it coming. In truth, he could've easily dodged, but he'd let it happen—why not? He wasn't losing out, and Gu Yue's jealous reaction was adorable.

Nan Shuishui could only cover her face in exasperated amusement, then cast a reproachful look at her daughter. But soon, her expression softened—her little cabbage had finally learned to be proactive. As a mother, she was relieved… but glancing at Gu Yue, she worried for her daughter. The competition was fierce.

Nan Shuishui truly liked Lu Jingming. She knew he'd come with an agenda, but the fact remained: he'd saved them all. With Xue Di's power and Lu Jingming's deed, she had no objection to him taking the treasures below. After all, without his help, the sect would never have reached them.

And Lu Jingming, despite being able to take it all for free, insisted on offering eight ten-thousand-year Stigmata as compensation. That alone spoke volumes for his character.