The ice lances were thumb-thick and razor-sharp, whistling through the air like arrows toward Xiao Hongchen.
He hadn't even steadied himself when the feeling of danger surged again. Seeing the incoming barrage, panic flickered in his heart.
All twelve of his shoulder-mounted cannons charged at once. Without time to aim, he fired a full salvo.
His propulsion device blasted from the left side, pushing his body sharply backward and rightward to evade.
The shells were densely packed, leaving no gaps for the ice lances to slip through.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Each impact detonated violently; flames roared up, swallowing the lances whole.
When all twelve explosions went off, the combined shockwave shattered the entire barrage of ice.
The air rippled with searing heat. Even with his evasive retreat, Xiao Hongchen was buffeted by the force, staggering almost to the point of collapse.
Before he could fully recover, the cannons fired again, shells erupting through the lingering smoke.
Though the explosions obscured his vision, it didn't matter—he fired purely on predictive spread.
Shells rained down across a broad area, their detonations covering dozens of meters. He wasn't aiming to wound—just to hold Wei Xuan back, buying time to reset.
Wei Xuan's advance slowed under the shockwave from the previous explosion; he sidestepped fluidly, his instincts honed to perfection.
Sensing the next wave, he leapt upward—his Ancient Ice Dragon materialized beneath him, carrying him into the air.
The shells struck the ground a heartbeat later. The earth shook as energy burst outward, scattering molten fragments and smoke.
The firepower was formidable—stronger than most first-tier Soul Cannons, though still below a true second-tier's blast.
For an opponent with only twelve ranks of Soul Power, those shells were deadly if taken head-on.
From below, Xiao Hongchen drew two metallic spheres from his belt. One exploded instantly, scattering golden particles; the other absorbed them, transforming in his grip.
In seconds, it reshaped into a sleek Soul-Guided Rifle, its narrow barrel glowing crimson.
Infusing Soul Power into the core, he pulled the trigger—
A thin, red beam lanced through the air, moving several times faster than any cannon shell. It reached Wei Xuan almost the instant it was fired.
This was a second-tier Soul-Guided Laser—needle-fine, barely a meter long, and capable of piercing armor with lethal precision.
Though it lacked the broad destruction of a cannon, its penetrative force was far greater.
From the sidelines, Jing Hongchen frowned deeply. That kind of weapon isn't suitable for sparring!
The laser's speed and killing power were extreme—too much for casual combat. One mistake, and it could be fatal.
A normal twelve-rank Soul Master wouldn't have had time to react. But Wei Xuan was no ordinary Soul Master.
Even without divine sense, his instinct for danger was razor-sharp.
The moment the beam fired, his body moved on reflex.
The Ice Dragon veered hard to the side, while his right hand swept upward, drawing the icy mist together into a white shield of frost before his midsection.
The beam was too fast to see, but he could feel where the danger would strike.
He acted purely on instinct.
The dodge and shield happened in the same heartbeat—no hesitation, no wasted motion.
Yet even his reflexes couldn't outpace light. The crimson beam speared through the ice shield instantly, punching through it and grazing his abdomen.
His shield, hastily condensed from elemental frost, wasn't dense enough to stop such power.
Still, that single heartbeat of delay saved him.
The beam only brushed his side, burning away his robes and slicing a shallow, bleeding line across his waist.
The pain was sharp, but Wei Xuan's face didn't even twitch.
He pressed his palm lightly to the wound; cold mist gathered, freezing the blood and sealing the injury.
Then, twisting in midair, he evaded the follow-up shells, weaving through the bombardment like a wisp of ice-blue smoke.
Extending his hand, he drew the lingering mist together once more. In a breath, hundreds of ice lances formed around him.
"Swish, swish, swish—"
With a single sweeping gesture, he unleashed them all.
An ice-lance storm poured down over Xiao Hongchen, covering a radius of several dozen meters.
There was no time to dodge.
Xiao Hongchen's expression tightened. He snatched a Soul Barrier generator from his ring and activated it.
A translucent gold dome expanded outward, enclosing him completely.
It was a self-made, second-tier defense barrier, forged from rare alloys—tough enough to withstand even a Soul Elder's full-power strike for a moment.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The storm hammered down. Each frozen spear struck like a chunk of crystal rock, slamming the golden shield again and again.
Though the barrier held, the pressure was immense.
And then—
"Ice Profound Dragon Serpent!" Wei Xuan's voice echoed through the frigid air.
His yellow Soul Ring flared, glowing brighter by the second.
But instead of releasing a conventional Soul Skill, it pulsed with life energy.
A powerful roar answered from within the ring, and a massive, five-meter-long Ice Profound Dragon Serpent burst forth.
It was translucent yet alive, a spectral serpent-dragon circling through the air.
This was the very soul of the beast Wei Xuan had once absorbed—the preserved consciousness of the Ice Profound Dragon Serpent itself.
Though ethereal, its aura was tangible—ferocious, majestic, almost divine.
Its eyes gleamed with intelligence far keener than before its death, and tiny budding horns protruded from its brow.
That meant only one thing: it was evolving toward a true Dragon.
Wei Xuan's unique soul-absorption method didn't just grant him growth—it allowed the spirit of the beast to fight alongside him.
The phantom circled high above, exhaling torrents of freezing mist.
The temperature, already low, plummeted again—each breath turning the air itself to shards of frost.
Concentrating, Wei Xuan guided the Jiao's breath directly over Xiao Hongchen's position.
Within seconds, the surrounding temperature dropped below –100°C.
Even the northernmost tundras of the world rarely reached such cold.
Xiao Hongchen, who had just prepared to counterattack with a powerful cannon, froze mid-motion—literally.
His mind went blank from shock and disbelief.
That heartbeat of hesitation sealed his fate.
The Soul Barrier couldn't block temperature.
The chill seeped through instantly. His limbs stiffened, blood thickening, movement slowing to a crawl.
"So cold…" he gasped, lips pale, voice trembling. His finger hovered over the trigger but couldn't press down.
At that temperature, even Soul Elders—or Soul Kings—would struggle to endure.
His thoughts dulled, fear rising as the sensation of death closed in around him.
The barrier flickered and collapsed as his frozen Soul Power faltered.
Frost enveloped him completely.
"You've lost," Wei Xuan said quietly, landing behind him. His fist stopped an inch from the back of Xiao Hongchen's head.
Then he withdrew his power.
The Ice Profound Dragon Serpent ceased its breath and circled once before dissolving back into the glowing Soul Ring.
Any longer, and Xiao Hongchen would've suffered severe frostbite or worse.
Wei Xuan's hand fell gently on the boy's back, drawing the chill from his body. The frost in the air condensed into mist and vanished.
Bit by bit, warmth returned to the field.
"Ahh—" Xiao Hongchen shivered violently, collapsing weakly onto the ground, still trembling.
It was like climbing out of a frozen lake—his body thawed, but the cold lingered deep in his bones.
"Wh-what was that…? That thing—it froze me solid…" he stammered through chattering teeth.
Wei Xuan didn't answer. His eyes turned toward Jing Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, who were already hurrying over.
"Hall Master Hongchen," Wei Xuan said, "please help him purge the remaining cold."
He could absorb the frost, but restoring normal warmth required another's Soul Power.
Jing Hongchen's face was full of astonishment and questions—but seeing his grandson's condition, he pushed them aside.
"Very well." He knelt beside Xiao Hongchen, channeling gentle Soul Power into his body.
"Brother Wei Xuan, my brother—he'll be all right, won't he?" Meng Hongchen asked anxiously, eyes reddening.
She might bicker with him often, but sibling love ran deep.
Wei Xuan shook his head. "He's fine. Just badly chilled—he'll recover soon."
His strikes had been measured, never lethal.
"But he looks so pale…" Meng Hongchen murmured, still worried.
"Don't fret," Wei Xuan reassured softly. "With Hall Master Hongchen's help, he'll be fine in no time."
Just as he said, the warmth of Jing Hongchen's Soul Power soon drove out the frost. Color returned to Xiao Hongchen's face.
He sneezed several times, wobbling to his feet.
"Your Highness," Jing Hongchen said at last, eyes gleaming with curiosity, "that creature that emerged from your Soul Ring—was that the Ice Profound Dragon Serpent? What exactly was that?"
He'd accompanied Wei Xuan when the beast was slain. The moment he saw it appear again, even as a phantom, he'd nearly doubted his own senses.
A Soul Beast emerging from a Soul Ring? Impossible…!
Even now, he struggled to believe it.
Both Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen stared, wide-eyed.
Having been defeated so decisively, Xiao Hongchen now looked at Wei Xuan with both awe and respect.
"That's my Soul Skill's true form," Wei Xuan explained evenly. "It summons the Ice Profound Dragon Serpent's phantom to release its icy breath."
It was a pre-prepared excuse—his official story for anyone who asked.
"Is that so…" Jing Hongchen murmured, still skeptical but unable to deny what he'd witnessed.
Wei Xuan smiled faintly. "The summoning consumes an enormous amount of energy. That's why I usually release the breath directly through my Martial Soul—it's far less draining, though weaker in power."
That, at least, was true.
His full attack had nearly halved his Soul Power reserve. Normally, the same ability consumed barely a third.
"I see," Jing Hongchen said at last, nodding slowly, finally accepting the explanation.
(End of Chapter)