The sun gradually rose higher, carrying warm rays of light that slowly illuminated this icy, cold world.
The sound of dripping water echoed around them, quite noticeable in the empty surroundings.
Shen Hanyu and the others stood nearby, quietly waiting for Shen Liuyu, who was still absorbing her soul ring.
Shui Bing'er sensed the soul power fluctuations on Shen Liuyu's body gradually calming down and said:
"It looks like Liuyu is almost done. Hm... although neither of you siblings is particularly serious, in terms of talent, I truly haven't seen anyone of the same age who can compare to you two."
Three black question marks appeared above Shen Hanyu's head.
Good grief, what did she mean by neither being serious? This was pure slander.
He, the number one saintly mother of the Douluo Continent, a great and kind person, was actually being slandered as not serious. It was simply a distortion of human nature.
Shen Hanyu couldn't be bothered to respond. He merely let out a faint "mm," glanced at the tent that still hadn't moved an inch, hesitated for a moment, and finally said:
"Um... Bing'er, do you want to go check on your sister? This..."
Shui Bing'er had already grown immune to Shen Hanyu's way of addressing her. A trace of helplessness appeared on her face. After a long pause, she softly said:
"Yue'er... It's pretty normal for Yue'er to be like this... Don't worry, she'll probably wake up when it's time to eat..."
Shen Hanyu blinked, then silently gave a thumbs up.
Shui Bing'er also felt a bit embarrassed. Her younger sister's love for eating, sleeping, and fangirling had been completely exposed in front of Shen Hanyu.
Sisters shared a bond, and for some reason, as the older sister, she felt a shameful sensation as if Shen Hanyu had seen her naked, making her cheeks grow increasingly hot.
Shen Hanyu didn't think much of it. His ability to accept things was strong; having lived two lives and seen many things, he naturally noticed Shui Bing'er's inexplicable sense of shame. However, to avoid being labeled a straight man, he pretended not to notice.
With a soft whimper, a purple soul ring completely settled into Shen Liuyu's third soul ring position. Shen Liuyu slowly opened her pair of light blue eyes.
Shen Hanyu stepped forward and asked:
"How do you feel?"
Shen Liuyu revealed a big smile, somewhat excitedly saying:
"Not bad. Level 32 soul power. My third soul skill is also an amplification-type soul skill. Among soul skills of the same level, probably none can compare to my third soul skill."
Shui Bing'er also came forward to congratulate her, though her eyes held a trace of envy. From the very first soul ring the other had absorbed, everyone came from top-tier soul beasts, and the soul skills obtained were the most suitable for her.
She had already wasted one soul skill slot. Although her first four soul skills would become almost useless later on and rarely used, at their current cultivation level, every soul skill was crucial. With their low strength, there was no helping it.
Shen Liuyu stepped forward and patted Shui Bing'er's shoulder, saying in a very bold manner:
"Don't worry, Bing'er. Since you call me big sis, from now on, big sis will protect you."
Shui Bing'er covered her small mouth and smiled, not taking it seriously, and said:
"Then I'll be looking forward to it, little sister Liuyu~."
Shen Liuyu stuck out her small tongue and stopped talking.
Shen Hanyu appropriately cleared his throat twice and said:
"Then let's wake Yue'er up first, and hurry on our way. We can't delay any further."
Shui Bing'er nodded in agreement upon hearing this. Shen Liuyu, eager to watch the fun, also followed with great interest...
...........
Half an hour later.
The group's figures appeared on a stretch of snow that was still relatively intact.
Shui Yue'er's small face was still frighteningly red, looking extremely embarrassed.
Shen Liuyu held back her laughter as she walked behind, occasionally bursting into low chuckles.
Who would have thought such a cute little girl would have such... wild sleeping posture.
Shui Bing'er walked ahead, one step behind Shen Hanyu. Though her expression was calm, one could still see the deep helplessness hidden beneath it.
Shen Hanyu walked at the very front and couldn't help finding it amusing. Sometimes, a girl's sleeping posture really caught him off guard.
Just as the group was still thinking about the morning's events, Shen Hanyu's footsteps suddenly stopped. He quickly pulled everyone into the surrounding forest, then said to Shui Bing'er with a strange expression:
"Are you sure it's a thousand-year Silver Emperor Heavenly Falcon? Is the information accurate?"
Though Shui Bing'er was also curious, she still nodded seriously and said:
"The information was obtained by two Soul Emperor-level teachers sent by my aunt. It shouldn't be wrong."
Shen Hanyu almost wanted to curse. He said gravely:
"The wingspan of a thousand-year-level Silver Emperor Heavenly Falcon is at most ten meters. Beyond that, its growth slows down significantly. To be honest, my mental power detected a Silver Emperor Heavenly Falcon, but its wingspan is at least eighteen meters. Converting that, its cultivation is conservatively over fifty thousand years."
"This level of Silver Emperor Heavenly Falcon has rarely been recorded in historical texts, but there is one unofficial historical record that mentions a seventy-thousand-year Silver Emperor Heavenly Falcon killing a level 93 Titled Douluo with a top-tier tool martial soul. Although the specific details are unknown to outsiders, this alone shows how terrifying the Silver Emperor Heavenly Falcon is."
As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the other three girls changed. Shui Yue'er even directly hugged her sister's arm tightly. Shen Liuyu also lost her playful demeanor, her face looking unwell.
Shui Bing'er was somewhat at a loss and said anxiously:
"The information my aunt gave us was indeed like that. Those two Soul Emperor teachers personally investigated it. The Ice Sealed Forest has never had such a powerful soul beast appear. The strongest soul beasts here have never exceeded forty thousand years..."
Shui Yue'er also quickly nodded. For a thousand years, most generations of Tianshui College students had entered the Ice Sealed Forest to hunt soul rings, so their understanding of this place was unmatched in the world.
Moreover, after years of continuous hunting, the high-tier soul beasts here had either migrated or been killed. How could such a powerful soul beast appear without the world knowing?
Shen Hanyu waved his hand and let out a low sigh, saying:
"The ice and snow here are melting. This Silver Emperor Heavenly Falcon probably came here to nest and live because the food is plentiful and there are no major threats. The traces your teachers found earlier were likely from this Silver Emperor Heavenly Falcon's cub."
"Silver Emperor Heavenly Falcon cubs follow their mother until they reach five thousand years before leaving. That would explain it."
Shui Bing'er nodded, somewhat nervously saying:
"Then what do we do? The forests here are patchy, with few things to conceal our figures and traces. Once discovered, we'll have nowhere to hide."
Shen Hanyu softened his tone a bit and said:
"Don't panic yet. Our situation isn't too bad right now. The Silver Emperor Heavenly Falcon generally preys on large soul beasts and doesn't have much hostility toward humans. We'll observe the situation first. If it really comes to it, I have confidence in getting you all out safely..."