Chapter 36: Wind Snow Area

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Wind Snow Area

The six of them walked straight ahead, encountering only five Snow Leopards along the way. Li Heng took care of all of them, netting 45 points of Soul Energy.

A Snow Leopard Fang dropped, and Xue Qing was put in charge of holding onto it to pay for their entry into the settlement that night.

After walking so far, they had only come across five Snow Leopards and not a single soul beast. Compared to the last two days, the scarcity of resources in the Icefield Area was now glaringly obvious.

Since they were only encountering Snow Leopards, exploring the Icefield Area was no longer yielding any significant rewards. Even with their team’s considerable strength, the most they could hope for were a few Soul Energy Items.

At this rate, it would probably take them the whole day just to gather enough resources from Snow Leopards to pay the entry fee for all six of them.

So, after a quick vote, the six of them continued deeper into the Icefield, heading for the Wind Snow Area.

WHOOSH~~

WHOOSH~~

The biting wind didn’t just sting their faces; it relentlessly crept inside their uniforms. All they could see was a sky filled with swirling snow.

The terrain was more uneven than the Icefield behind them. They could feel the ground sloping upward, at least within the five meters visible in front of them.

Anything beyond five meters was completely obscured by the snow.

The Wind Snow Area lived up to its name. The howling wind carried snowflakes as large as goose feathers, leaving a profound impression on all who saw it.

Maple City was in the southern region of the Soul Energy Alliance, so they rarely got to see such a snow-filled sky. However, after the initial awe wore off, no one was in the mood to admire the view.

The expressions of everyone, including Li Heng, turned much more solemn.

"Lin Tao! This mission might be harder for you and your Blood Wolf than you think," Zheng Zhuoran said, breaking the silence as he patted Lin Tao’s shoulder.

Lin Tao knew full well how important his task was. In the Wind Snow Area, visibility was only five meters, and it would likely be even worse the deeper they went. The role of a "pathfinder" was absolutely critical.

After thinking for a moment, a light flashed at Lin Tao’s feet, and a relatively small Blood Wolf appeared before the group.

It wasn’t Li Heng’s first time seeing someone summon a Soul Energy Pet—he’d seen it on television and in textbooks before. But this was the first time he had witnessed it so clearly and up close. He wasn’t envious, just faintly curious.

The cub’s stats were a bit lower than a mature Blood Wolf’s, and its Soul Energy Skill was also "Bloodrending Bite." Its other traits were much the same.

A wolf’s sense of smell is dozens of times more powerful than a human’s. With their vision so impaired, the Blood Wolf’s presence was undoubtedly a great comfort to everyone.

Li Heng, however, was likely the calmest of the group, simply assessing his own situation. ’With my strength and agility, I can handle a regular soul beast one-on-one, no problem. But I have no idea what’s in the Wind Snow Area. If things go sideways, I have to bolt immediately! As for cataloging Dungeon locations, my own safety is more important.’

"Aoxue! I’m counting on you!"

Aoxue. ’Sounds a bit chuuni,’ Li Heng thought. It must be the name Lin Tao gave his Blood Wolf cub. He didn’t make any comments, though.

After all, he didn’t even have a pet, so who was he to criticize?

"Awoo~"

Letting out a low cry, the Blood Wolf cub trotted forward into the Wind Snow Area. Lin Tao followed right behind it, with Zheng Zhuoran, Li Heng, and the others falling into step as well.

The temperature was frigid!

The Blood Wolf cub walked slowly, and the group followed at the same pace. Li Heng noticed that the faces of Zheng Zhuoran and the others looked pale, their bodies drawn tight.

The two young women weren’t faring much better. Xue Qing, wrapped in a Snow Leopard hide, gritted her teeth as she trudged onward.

Bai Shasha had put on her leopard-pelt top when they set out today, but the temperature was simply too low. Since she hadn’t yet reached the Soul Apprentice realm, she wasn’t in good condition.

His five teammates and the wolf were all suffering from the encroaching cold to some degree, but Li Heng felt fine. To him, the temperature was about the same as it had been in the Icefield Area.

If he had to point out a difference, it was that the visibility in the Wind Snow Area was much lower and the wind was a bit stronger, but it didn’t feel cold.

Li Heng knew the biggest contributor was the Ice Feather Ring on his hand. Its +3 Cold Resistance gave him plenty of adaptability.

Just as Li Heng could observe his teammates’ conditions, they, in turn, could see his.

Perfectly calm!

Completely unaffected by the frigid wind and swirling snow!

Breathing steady, movements not stiff!

’A master! This is a true master!’

Although they already knew Li Heng’s Swordsmanship was impressive, his current performance demonstrated something far beyond mere skill with a blade.

Forget everything else—the three guys were all Soul Apprentices, yet even they could barely withstand the sustained, freezing temperatures. Li Heng, however, was completely unaffected. His condition was no different than it had been back in the Icefield.

Zheng Zhuoran felt he had really lucked out with this invitation and was glad to have met such an expert.

Zhang Jian and Xue Qing thought much the same as Zheng Zhuoran, feeling that they had struck gold by getting to know Li Heng.

Bai Shasha had known Li Heng was incredibly strong ever since he one-shot the Frost Spider with a single slash of his sword.

So she wasn’t surprised now. Instead, she focused on her mission: protecting Xue Qing and remaining vigilant of their surroundings.

Lin Tao, on the other hand, was still reeling from his surprise at Li Heng’s strength. Before he had time to process it, his focus snapped back to the Blood Wolf cub.

Based on the feedback he was getting from Aoxue, there was something nearby that the cub perceived as a threat.

"Everyone, be careful! Aoxue senses danger nearby!" Lin Tao warned his teammates, his hand already reaching into his quiver for an arrow.

Jarred by Lin Tao’s voice, everyone snapped out of their own thoughts. Rousing themselves to full alert, they began scanning their surroundings.

In that moment, time seemed to slow. As the group went on high alert, the atmosphere grew so tense that the already frigid air felt like it had dropped to absolute zero. Everyone even grew cautious with their breathing.

But no one stopped. They continued walking forward, their steps just much smaller than before. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Li Heng’s Cyan Blade Longsword rose slightly, ensuring he could execute a "block" at a moment’s notice.

"GRR! GRR! GRR!"

"Zheng Zhuoran! Watch out in front!"

A few seconds later, the Blood Wolf cub suddenly stopped and began to howl ferociously. At that same moment, Lin Tao sensed something and immediately yelled at Zheng Zhuoran, who was on the far left.

Already on high alert, Zheng Zhuoran swung his long blade horizontally across his chest the instant he heard Lin Tao’s voice, ready to react at a moment’s notice.

CLANG!

The long blade had just been raised into position when a sound like scraping metal rang out. Everyone’s head whipped toward the source of the noise...