"Bingbing, I've missed you so much!"
The moment Tian Meng saw the Ice Empress, his eyes lit up. His translucent figure lunged toward her with his arms spread wide, as though he intended to embrace her.
Before he could get anywhere near her, however, the Ice Empress casually waved her hand.
A burst of frigid divine power struck Tian Meng and sent him flying backward. His manifested body trembled violently, nearly scattering under the force of the blow.
After all, the Ice Empress had already become a god. Following ten thousand years of cultivation in the God Realm, her strength had reached the level of a first-class god. Among Lin Mu's soul spirits, only existences such as the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, the Demon Empress, and the Snow Empress surpassed her.
"Tian Meng, you had better behave yourself," the Ice Empress warned coldly. "Otherwise, I won't hesitate to devour you."
Her emerald-green eyes were sharp, and her voice carried an unmistakable threat.
Although the Ice Empress appeared to be a beautiful young woman, her cold and arrogant nature had never changed. In front of outsiders, she remained as aloof as ever, treating most people as though they were beneath her notice.
Only when she was with Lin Mu or the Snow Empress would her attitude soften slightly.
As for Tian Meng, she might have cared about him a little ten thousand years ago. However, after becoming Lin Mu's soul spirit and spending so many years cultivating in the God Realm, how could she still pay attention to this troublesome insect?
"Bingbing, your temper is still as fierce as ever, even after all these years."
Faced with the Ice Empress's threat, Tian Meng could only force an awkward smile. He no longer dared to approach her and obediently remained where he had landed.
He could not understand what had happened.
Although he was almost completely incapable of fighting, he was still a million-year-old soul beast. Based on cultivation alone, his life level should have been far above that of the Ice Empress he remembered.
Yet the pressure she now emitted was unquestionably superior to his own. Even a casual strike from her had nearly shattered his manifested soul.
Could the Ice Empress have raised her cultivation to one million years during the tens of thousands of years he had been imprisoned?
That was impossible!
Even if she had discovered the Manifold Mysterious Ice Cavern, the remaining Manifold Mysterious Ice Essence within it should not have been enough to increase her cultivation to such an extent.
After ruling out that possibility, Tian Meng slowly turned his gaze toward Lin Mu.
When a soul spirit reached the god level, it could condense a divine physical body of its own. At that point, its appearance would be no different from that of an ordinary person.
A god-level soul spirit would also no longer need to remain inside its soul master's body. It could freely enter the outside world and move independently.
However, when Lin Mu left the God Realm, the Ice Empress and his other soul spirits temporarily returned to his soul rings.
Descending to the mortal realm was a rare opportunity for them. After all, Lin Mu was the only one among them capable of crossing the boundary between the God Realm and the mortal world so easily.
Naturally, most of them cherished the chance to revisit the world they had once inhabited.
Of course, there were exceptions. The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, for example, had little interest in returning to the mortal realm. He would much rather remain in the God Realm and spend his time sleeping.
"This man seems to have an unusually close relationship with Bingbing."
The more Tian Meng observed Lin Mu, the worse his feeling became.
Could the Ice Empress have already bound herself to someone else while he had been imprisoned?
Even after reaching that conclusion, Tian Meng did not dare show the slightest trace of hostility toward Lin Mu.
There was something unfathomable about this man. Merely standing beside him filled Tian Meng with an instinctive sense of danger. The pressure Lin Mu gave him was far more terrifying than anything he had ever felt from Di Tian.
For now, Tian Meng could only watch helplessly as the Ice Empress remained at another man's side with such familiarity.
"Hmph! Once I help this kid become a god, I'll definitely win Bingbing back," Tian Meng secretly declared.
Lin Mu saw through Tian Meng's thoughts almost immediately.
The Ice Silkworm clan possessed both spiritual and ice attributes, but its members had almost no direct combat ability. Even though Tian Meng had cultivated for one million years, his actual fighting strength was still painfully inadequate.
The Ice Jade Scorpion clan was entirely different.
Its members stood among the strongest ice-attribute soul beasts in the world. They possessed Ultimate Ice and were considered natural predators within the Extreme North.
As the ruler of the Ice Jade Scorpion clan, the Ice Empress had once been second only to the Snow Empress among the Three Arctic Kings.
Under such circumstances, Tian Meng's infatuation with her was no different from prey falling in love with its natural predator. No matter how Lin Mu considered it, the situation was rather absurd.
Furthermore, the Ice Empress had already become Lin Mu's soul spirit. There was no possibility of her developing any deeper relationship with Tian Meng now.
As Lin Mu withdrew his attention from the lovestruck silkworm, he sensed another presence hidden within Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea.
It was extremely faint, resembling a dying flame that could disappear at any moment. Nevertheless, Lin Mu could feel an ancient and unusual power within it—one that contained both sacred light and the profound aura of death.
It belonged to Electrolux, the Necromantic Holy Magic God.
However, only a small fragment of Electrolux's divine consciousness remained. It was still far too weak to awaken or communicate with anyone.
Lin Mu was rather interested in this legendary figure. Electrolux's understanding of souls, light, death, and necromancy was unlike anything found on the Douluo Continent.
Unfortunately, with Electrolux's consciousness in its current state, Lin Mu could do little more than observe it.
"Grandmaster, where are we going next?"
Tang Wutong's voice interrupted his thoughts.
She held onto Lin Mu's arm and looked up at him with an obedient yet charming expression.
Lin Mu quickly put aside his interest in Electrolux and calmly answered, "Since we have already come this far, let's visit the Elemental Academy."
"The Elemental Academy?"
Huo Yuhao suddenly exclaimed. He stared at the three of them with undisguised astonishment.
"Are you from the Elemental Academy?"
"You could say that."
Lin Mu did not deny it. After all, he was the one who had founded the academy ten thousand years ago.
He looked at Huo Yuhao and asked, "How much do you know about the Elemental Academy?"
"Well…"
Huo Yuhao hesitated before answering.
"I've only heard stories about it from other people. They say the Elemental Academy is the finest academy on the entire continent. It treats nobles and commoners equally, although people with elemental martial souls have a better chance of being admitted."
As he spoke, an unmistakable look of longing appeared in his eyes.
If he could enter the Elemental Academy, he might finally receive the training and resources he needed to grow stronger. Perhaps one day, he would even gain enough power to avenge his mother and confront those who had caused her suffering.
However, the light in his eyes soon dimmed.
His innate soul power was only level one, and his Spirit Eyes could not be considered an elemental martial soul. With such poor qualifications, he doubted that the Elemental Academy would ever accept him.
Lin Mu noticed the change in his expression.
"I am a teacher at the Elemental Academy," Lin Mu said. "I can arrange for you to study there."
Huo Yuhao's head immediately snapped upward.
"Really?"
Unable to contain his excitement, he jumped to his feet. His earlier disappointment vanished, replaced by a mixture of disbelief and hope.
However, after the initial excitement faded, hesitation once again appeared on his face.
"Senior, my innate soul power is only level one, and my martial soul doesn't possess an elemental attribute," Huo Yuhao said worriedly. "Wouldn't allowing someone like me to enter cause trouble for you?"
Tang Wutong could not help laughing when she heard his concern.
Her laughter was as clear and pleasant as the ringing of silver bells. She was not mocking Huo Yuhao. Rather, she found his worries amusing.
Her master was one of the strongest beings in the entire God Realm. More importantly, he was the founder of the Elemental Academy. Arranging for a single student to enter was no more difficult for him than lifting a finger.
Huo Yuhao did not know any of this. Hearing Tang Wutong laugh, his cheeks turned red, and his posture became noticeably more restrained.
Lin Mu shook his head.
"Your natural talent is indeed poor," he stated without attempting to comfort him with empty words. "However, your first soul ring comes from a million-year-old soul beast. That alone is more than enough to qualify you for admission to the Elemental Academy."
Huo Yuhao froze.
Before he could fully understand Lin Mu's words, Lin Mu raised one hand and casually snapped his fingers.
The space surrounding them trembled.
For a brief moment, the forest, the trees, and even the ground beneath their feet became distorted. The entire world seemed to fold inward as though it were nothing more than a painted curtain.
In the next instant, the quiet forest disappeared.
Towering buildings, busy streets, and crowds of people replaced it. The distant sounds of carriages, merchants, pedestrians, and soul tools blended into a lively hum.
They had arrived in Heaven Dou City—ten thousand years after the era Lin Mu remembered.
"How is this possible?"
Inside Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea, Tian Meng stared at the unfamiliar city in complete horror.
Lin Mu had transported several people across an unimaginable distance with nothing more than a snap of his fingers. Such an ability completely overturned Tian Meng's understanding of spatial power.
At that moment, Tian Meng had only one thought.
He had to establish a good relationship with this terrifying man.
Previously, he had merely suspected that Lin Mu might have reached the god level. After witnessing this effortless teleportation, however, Tian Meng was now completely certain.
Lin Mu was a god—and unquestionably not an ordinary one.
Even so, Tian Meng could not understand how Lin Mu had personally descended to the mortal realm.
Under normal circumstances, gods were prohibited from casually leaving the God Realm. At most, they could send down a fragment of divine consciousness to influence events indirectly.
Yet Lin Mu was standing in the mortal world with his complete body and power.
"Let's go."
Lin Mu reached out and took Gu Yuena and Tang Wutong by the hand before leading them toward the Elemental Academy.
Huo Yuhao remained rooted in place, still staring at his surroundings in disbelief. Only after Tian Meng repeatedly urged him from within his spiritual sea did he finally regain his senses and hurry after them.
The group passed through the ancient yet bustling streets of Heaven Dou City.
Although ten thousand years had passed, traces of the city Lin Mu remembered could still be found among the newer buildings. Ancient structures stood beside modern facilities, creating a strange harmony between the past and the present.
Not long afterward, they arrived before the gates of the Elemental Academy.
Compared to ten thousand years ago, the academy had become even grander and more magnificent.
Its enormous gates were constructed from rare metals and engraved with intricate elemental patterns. Streams of soul power moved through the carvings, causing the symbols of fire, water, earth, wind, light, and darkness to glow faintly.
Beyond the gates stood countless towering buildings. Soul tools could be seen throughout the academy grounds, and many of them incorporated advanced Tang Sect technology. Automated transportation platforms moved between different sections of the campus, while defensive formations silently monitored the surrounding area.
The academy Lin Mu had once created had not faded with the passage of time.
Instead, it had continued to grow for ten thousand years, becoming one of the most influential institutions on the entire continent.
Lin Mu stood quietly before the gates, his gaze sweeping across the familiar yet unfamiliar academy.
For the first time since arriving in this era, a trace of emotion appeared in his otherwise calm eyes.
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[TL/N: My apologies, everyone! I've been busy this past month because of my internship, but it has finally come to an end. After I finish this series, I'll be translating another Soul Land fanfiction, so stay tuned!]