Due to the special climate of the Extreme North, every winter the local weather would become particularly cold, food would become scarce, and the original soul beast activity areas would rapidly expand outward as the wind and snow spread.
This would cause a large overlap between soul beast activity areas and human activity areas. In these overlapping zones, already starving soul beasts would ruthlessly hunt humans, eventually forming beast tides that would massively slaughter the human race.
The three cities of the Extreme North existed specifically to block these beast tides.
A thousand years ago, three powerful Titled Douluo from the Extreme North gave up the opportunity to go to the empire's interior for territorial enfeoffment and noble titles. They chose to remain in their harsh, cold homeland of the Extreme North and established three cities for the people surviving there: Snow Wolf, Snow Fox, and Snow Rabbit.
The three cities were distributed in a triangular formation, firmly keeping the beast tides at bay and forming a solid barrier that allowed the people of the Extreme North to live.
Meng Bei's parents died on the city walls during one winter's beast tide while defending the city.
Meng Bei was raised collectively by the clan. There were thousands of orphans like him, so naturally the treatment couldn't be very good.
Later, after his martial soul awakened, it was only through his ninth-level innate soul power talent that he gradually gained the family's support.
As for his feelings toward the family—
There was no resentment.
As for gratitude, there was a little, but not much.
He had some sense of belonging to the family, but if they expected him to completely obey the clan leader's orders and sacrifice his life for the family, that was really asking too much.
His parents were heroes who could sacrifice for the family and for the Extreme North.
He was not...
The most he could do was to eventually, when his strength was sufficient, seal off the Extreme North and completely solve the beast tide problem.
This would be the greatest contribution he could make to his hometown.
Since family members were coming, there was no need for Ning Fengzhi to send people to receive them—he would arrange it personally.
Meng Bei then asked Ning Fengzhi about the specific time when the Meng clan would arrive. After memorizing it, he left.
Next, Meng Bei took Ning Rongrong to the imperial palace.
They needed to go together to the palace to thank Emperor Xue Ye.
Upon reaching the palace gates and stating their purpose, staff members naturally went to report.
Meng Bei and Ning Rongrong waited outside.
After a moment, they heard cheerful laughter.
"Hahaha, Rongrong, you've finally come! Father has been thinking about you for a long time!"
Meng Bei looked in the direction of the voice.
He saw a white-robed young man walking over with light steps, wearing a gold-patterned white robe, with long hair over his shoulders, a tall and slender figure, gentle facial features, and calm, water-like eyes, possessing his own distinctive charm.
Meng Bei thought to himself: This person must be Qian Renxue disguised as a man.
At this time, Rongrong happily greeted him from the side: "Brother Qinghe!"
This statement further confirmed Meng Bei's suspicion.
Xue Qinghe came before the two, first greeting Ning Rongrong, then looking at Meng Bei with a barely perceptible flash of surprise in his eyes.
"This person's soul power is actually not inferior to my own!"
Xue Qinghe was somewhat shocked. There was no need to elaborate on her own talent—innate level 20, an existence unparalleled on the continent. Yet despite this, she vaguely sensed that Meng Bei, who was much younger than her actual age, had soul power that wasn't much weaker than her own.
This discovery truly made Xue Qinghe somewhat incredulous.
It also aroused her desire to win him over.
"This young brother must be the ideal husband Rongrong has chosen—Meng Bei, right?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Bei slightly bowed to Xue Qinghe and said:
"Meng Bei greets Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
Seeing this, Xue Qinghe quickly reached out to support Meng Bei, acting intimately:
"Brother Meng Bei, there's no need to be so formal. I'm still Sect Master Ning's disciple, and Rongrong calls me brother. If you don't mind, you can also call me brother."
Upon hearing this, Meng Bei also intended to go along with it and directly said: "Then I greet Brother Xue. Brother Xue can just call me Xiao Bei."
"Brother Xue!"
"Xiao Bei!"
The two addressed each other once, both delighted.
Xue Qinghe intentionally wanted to befriend Meng Bei, so she deliberately conversed more with him.
Meng Bei was also happy to do so.
Their behavior instead left Rongrong feeling neglected.
This made Ning Rongrong purse her lips in dissatisfaction, secretly complaining: What do two grown men have to talk about?
Under Xue Qinghe's guidance, the two entered the interior of the imperial palace and went to the inner palace.
Emperor Xue Ye was meeting Meng Bei in the inner palace, which was somewhat unexpected for Meng Bei.
Today, Emperor Xue Ye wasn't wearing imperial robes but only a brocade garment, so he had less of his usual majesty and more of an elderly person's kindness.
He sat in a pavilion, seemingly admiring the snowy scenery ahead.
Xue Qinghe stepped forward first to remind him:
"Father, Meng Bei and Rongrong are here!"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Xue Ye slightly turned his head, glanced at Meng Bei and Ning Rongrong, then waved his hand: "Qinghe, you may withdraw first!"
Xue Qinghe then stepped back and left.
Then Emperor Xue Ye had Meng Bei and the other approach.
After Meng Bei brought Ning Rongrong before Emperor Xue Ye, he respectfully bowed and said:
"Meng Bei thanks Your Majesty for your gracious favor!"
Emperor Xue Ye's expression was indifferent, and he didn't tell the two to rise.
Rongrong had a lively personality and was always carefree. Seeing that Emperor Xue Ye hadn't spoken for a long time, she directly straightened up on her own.
Seeing this, Meng Bei also straightened up.
Emperor Xue Ye said nothing but ordered:
"Grant seats."
So attendants brought over two small stools.
Ning Rongrong looked at those small stools and complained without restraint:
"Your Majesty, these two little broken stools are short and small—how can people sit on them? You clearly have prepared chairs in this pavilion. Why are you making us sit on these two little broken stools?"
Saying this, Ning Rongrong directly pulled Meng Bei to sit on the chairs nearby.
Seeing this, Emperor Xue Ye didn't stop them but slowly said a long speech.
It was precisely this speech that made Meng Bei frown slightly and Ning Rongrong extremely angry.
Emperor Xue Ye looked at Meng Bei and asked:
"Meng Bei, do you know the nobility system of my Heaven Dou Empire?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Bei thought slightly, not knowing what Emperor Xue Ye was getting at. The nobility system was common knowledge—why was Emperor Xue Ye asking him about this?
Unable to figure it out, Meng Bei simply cooperated and said:
"Reporting to Your Majesty, it's roughly the five ranks of Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron, with Royal Duke above that, though only the imperial family can hold that title."
Emperor Xue Ye nodded slightly and said:
"Correct, though there are exceptions. For instance, when Fengzhi was ennobled years ago, although he was only a Duke, I granted him the treatment of a Royal Duke in recognition of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's years of service to the imperial family."
Meng Bei remained silent—he didn't understand Emperor Xue Ye's meaning.
Ning Fengzhi's noble title wasn't surprising; this was a common imperial tactic for winning people over. The other Upper Three Sect masters also had similar titles, though they were only honorary titles without actual fiefs—just something that sounded nice.
Then came what made Meng Bei angry.
He heard Emperor Xue Ye continue:
"Royal Duke privilege allows one to meet the emperor without performing grand ceremonies and to sit as equals..."
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