Perhaps because the information Shen Hanyu revealed a few days ago was too vast and shocking, the girls had been somewhat listless these past few days. Whenever they had free time, they would stare blankly, lost in their own thoughts.
Shui Ningbing was the most pitiful. She had been at a critical moment of breakthrough at the time and had barely heard anything useful, but even the fragment she caught triggered her strong sixth sense and curiosity, driving her nearly mad. Every time, Shui Bing'er and the other two would only brush her off with vague answers. After several times, even the usually gentle and competent Shui Ningbing began to lose her composure.
In the end, seeing how truly pitiful she looked, Shen Hanyu patiently explained everything to her once more.
That said, it must be admitted that this caused no small impact on Shui Ningbing's already quite solid worldview. Still, she was, after all, a top-tier Soul Douluo and would not be so shocked as to lose her senses.
Shen Hanyu felt helpless about this and even began to doubt whether revealing so much information had been good or bad.
There wasn't the slightest positive effect; instead, there were only piles of negative consequences.
...
Setting aside these slightly troubling matters, Shen Hanyu had already begun formally planning this journey.
Since he had chosen to bring the girls along, he naturally could not take those routes with higher danger levels. None of the paths he had taken before were suitable; those routes passed through the territories of powerful soul beast clans, and if any accident occurred along the way, the loss would be tremendous.
After thinking for a long time, Shen Hanyu decided to lead them into the Far North from the periphery of Tianbing City. He had traveled this route twice before, and his fourth soul ring had been obtained nearby in not much time. Truthfully, Shen Hanyu was very familiar with the area.
Having settled on the route, with Tianmeng's assistance, Shen Hanyu used his Ultimate Ice to condense a large number of ice crystals.
These ice crystals had no other use; their only effect was that, when worn close to the body, they would form a thin film on the surface of the skin to resist the extremely low temperatures outside, while the mental power contained within could also conceal one's figure.
For Shen Hanyu, they were indeed useless, but for the girls, they would be of great help.
The deep low temperatures of the Far North were not something low-level soul masters like them could endure; even if they could, they would likely end up in poor condition.
Shui Bing'er was better off; her fully awakened Ice Phoenix martial soul had a tolerance for low temperatures far superior to other ice-attribute martial souls, so she only needed to be a little careful.
In the end, even Shen Hanyu could not help but sigh that he was becoming more and more talented at acting as a nanny looking after children. Of course, the few "children" he was caring for were already very smart and sensible.
Though he said this, Shen Hanyu still did not dare to be careless. Toward ordinary people, he might not care about their life or death, but toward these acquaintances he had known for so long, Shen Hanyu would still fulfill his responsibilities diligently.
...
After making all the preparations, five days had passed.
The main issue was still the girls' psychological state. Subconsciously, they still regarded the Far North as a vicious and evil place, though that was true; in other words, they did not fully trust that Shen Hanyu could guarantee their safety.
Shen Hanyu could understand this and gave them plenty of time to prepare themselves.
After this journey, not too long, yet not too short either, Shen Hanyu believed the girls' mindsets would undergo a tremendous transformation.
People only mature gradually after experiencing things. Those who have gone through countless hardships and injustices often possess a heart that remains calm amid storms.
This was also why disciples of top sects and clans on the continent would often choose to go out for training.
Only sufficient trials could make a person progress quickly. Shen Hanyu had always firmly believed in this principle.
...
The initial part of the journey was the easiest segment.
They only needed to take a carriage from Element City to Tianbing City. This time, they did not encounter any shortsighted bandits or the like along the way; it was merely dull.
Shen Hanyu could see the tension in the three girls that was almost overflowing, but he did not know how to comfort them and could only wait slowly for them to adapt.
Unexpectedly, Shui Ningbing also came along. On the surface, she claimed it was because she was worried about Shui Bing'er and the others' safety and had specially come to protect them, but in reality, she was just out for a trip.
She was the one who understood Shen Hanyu's strength the best, yet subconsciously she felt that since he was bringing so many people, he would have to look after their safety and would not dare to provoke overly powerful soul beasts.
As for whether he would dare or not, Shui Ningbing would have her answer soon enough.
He believed this would be a journey they would never forget for the rest of their lives.
...
After resting for one night in Tianbing City, the group of five officially set off on their journey.
Walking out of the tall and sturdy walls of Tianbing City, the wind and snow that greeted them cut across their faces like blades, stinging painfully.
At first, the periphery held no major threats, just some common soul beasts with cultivation ranging from ten years to a hundred or a thousand years. They were basically cannon fodder and served no purpose to the group other than as ingredients for extra meals.
After walking for about a day and a half, they finally entered the range of the mixed zone.
From here onward, the number and types of soul beasts became more varied, and their strengths became uneven. This was truly the most dangerous region of the Far North—the true forbidden land for humans.
The state of Shui Bing'er and the other two began to improve gradually from the moment they truly entered the Far North. Now, they could even smile and crack jokes.
Shen Hanyu could not help but sigh. Some things seemed terrifying when heard or seen from afar, but once you came into contact with them, they became even more terrifying...
"Brother, is this really the Far North? How come we haven't seen a single soul beast?"
Shen Liuyu rubbed her hands together and asked curiously.
Aside from sporadically seeing a few soul beasts in the initial periphery, up to now, not a single soul beast's shadow had appeared.
Shen Hanyu glanced at his foolish little sister and said irritably,
"What? You really want to get up close with those big guys? Should I go find one for you?"
Shen Liuyu pouted and waved her hands repeatedly. She dared to say such things, but if it came to actually doing it, she would definitely be the first to back down.
Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er covered their mouths and snickered to the side, while Shui Ningbing stretched lazily without a care and even yawned.
Looking at the four of them, Shen Hanyu felt somewhat speechless. Look at this, there weren't even real tourists who were as relaxed as they were. If he had known, he wouldn't have prepared so much and would have let them experience the most authentic Far North...
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