"Snow…"
Jiang Shengyu almost blurted out Snow Empress, but mindful of the people around them, he corrected himself:
"Teacher Xue, what are you doing here?"
Snow Empress replied gently,
"I was just speaking with Shrek Academy's Gluttonous Douluo. He even invited me to join the Sea God Pavilion, but since I only just joined Shrek, I'll need to undergo a one-term assessment first."
"That's not what I meant…" Jiang Shengyu shook his head helplessly.
Hearing their exchange, Xiao Hongchen's thoughts began racing. So this Snow teacher really did know Jiang Shengyu! But how could he know someone like her? A Super Douluo at the level of Ultimate Ice?
There had never been such a figure in the Sun–Moon Empire. In a thousand years, only Jiang Shengyu, Huo Yuhao, and a handful of others had ever possessed ultimate-type martial souls. Even the Sun and Moon martial souls of the imperial family fell short of true ultimate.
Snow Empress glanced around and said,
"This isn't the place to talk. Let's move somewhere else."
She released a surge of soul power, carrying Jiang Shengyu and the others away from Sea God Island. Over the waters of the Sea God Lake, a platform of thick ice rose from beneath the surface, lifting them up and holding their weight.
"No one will disturb us here." Snow Empress turned, her voice soft as she addressed Jiang Shengyu.
Looking out at the rippling lake, Jiang Shengyu sighed.
"Snow Empress, how could you come to Shrek Academy all the way from the Extreme North? That's far too dangerous!"
"Dangerous? I don't see it that way."
She shook her head.
"Right now, Shrek has only four Super Douluo, and not a single Limit Douluo. Even if they all attacked me at once, they wouldn't be my match."
Besides, she had already completed her rebirth. Not even a Limit Douluo would be able to see through her soul beast identity.
"Aren't you only level ninety-five?" Jiang Shengyu frowned.
Snow Empress shook her head.
"That was just to fool them. If I had claimed to be a Limit Douluo, do you think they would've believed me? And even if they did, would they have dared let me into Shrek?"
Jiang Feixin, who had been staring at her with wide eyes, suddenly connected the pieces. After listening to Snow Empress' exchange with Jiang Shengyu, realization dawned.
"Snow Empress! You're the Snow Empress, leader of the Three Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North?"
Snow Empress met her gaze and nodded.
"That's right."
Jiang Shengyu nodded thoughtfully, then asked again:
"But even so, for a completely unknown Ultimate Ice Super Douluo to suddenly appear on the continent—didn't Shrek find that suspicious?"
"Of course they did. I told them I came from the northern border of the Heavenly Soul Empire, descended from an ancient, reclusive clan. That Gluttonous Douluo doesn't seem all that bright. The people he sent to investigate were easily fooled by Ah tai and Xiaobai."
Her tone was casual, but her words carried little respect for Elder Xuan.
By now, Jiang Shengyu understood the situation clearly.
With Mu En's passing, Shrek Academy had fallen into unprecedented decline. In the past, they had Tang Sect and other sects to echo and support them. Now, most had either withered away or been pushed aside by Shrek itself. The academy was in desperate need of powerful new blood.
On top of that, the Sun–Moon Empire's pressure on the Three Nations of the original Douluo Continent was greater than ever before. All of this combined meant that Elder Xuan had practically felt a weight lifted from his shoulders when Snow Empress appeared.
As long as she wasn't from the Sun–Moon Empire, and posed no threat to the academy, her joining was a blessing. Humans knew little of the Snow Maiden clan, and none were aware of her rebirth—so Elder Xuan had accepted her without hesitation.
The timing, the circumstances, the opportunity—it was all perfect.
Even so, Jiang Shengyu still didn't understand why she had come to Shrek Academy.
When he asked, Snow Empress' answer was simple:
"I missed you."
The moment those words fell, Xiao Hongchen's inner alarm blared. He frowned hard at her, thinking—Where did she come from now? Does he charm both the young and the ancient alike?
No, for his sister's sake, he couldn't sit back and let this happen!
So, right after Snow Empress finished speaking, Xiao Hongchen stepped forward.
"Senior, Shengyu is already—"
But before he could finish, Meng Hongchen clapped a hand over his mouth and dragged him back.
"Brother! Don't you ever read the mood?!" she hissed angrily.
Xiao Hongchen flailed desperately, his voice muffled.
"Sis! Air! I… I can't breathe!"
Both Snow Empress and Jiang Shengyu watched the scene, then sighed at the same time. Jiang Shengyu turned back to her.
"When you say you missed me… you mean…"
"Exactly what it sounds like. I missed you."
Snow Empress blinked, her eyes drifting toward the distance.
"After you left the Extreme North, I spent a long time talking with Atai, thinking over many things. I'll admit it—I was reluctant to let you go."
Jiang Shengyu was caught off guard by her confession.
Seeing his expression, she coughed lightly and added:
"Of course, more importantly, you're incredibly gifted—but far too reckless. If you provoke the wrong person someday, at least with me around, I can back you up. That's another reason I came."
"What about the Extreme North, then…" Jiang Qingtong suddenly interjected.
Snow Empress turned to her.
"I've left it in Ah tai and Xiaobai's hands. The soul beasts there are more united than elsewhere, so there shouldn't be any problems. And I'm not abandoning it forever—if anything unusual happens, I can return at any time. Don't worry, I'm not here to steal him from you."
She knew about Jiang Qingtong and Jiang Shengyu. Her last words carried a playful lilt, though a trace of hidden melancholy flickered in her eyes.
"Soul beast? You're a soul beast? Snow Empress… the Ice and Snow Empress? You're the third-ranked among the Ten Great Savage Beasts?" Meng Hongchen, still holding her brother's mouth shut, finally put the pieces together. Her eyes widened in shock as she stared at Snow Empress.
Snow Empress glanced at her and said flatly:
"You're only realizing that now? How quaint."
To her, the siblings were nothing more than bothersome strangers. After all, their grandfather, Jing Hongchen, had taken away her embryo from the Extreme North. If not for Jiang Shengyu's sake, she wouldn't even have bothered acknowledging them.
At that moment, Xiao Hongchen went limp, fainting in Meng Hongchen's arms. Whether it was from lack of oxygen or from sheer fright at Snow Empress' true identity was unclear. But judging by his purple face, Jiang Shengyu was inclined to think it was the former.
"Take him to Dean Gu to get treated," Jiang Shengyu sighed, speaking to Meng Hongchen.
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