Douluo Continent: Apollo, the Sun God King!

As Hyotei spoke, his voice grew softer and softer, as if something was blocking his throat.

She was always proud and never easily showed weakness in front of others, but at this moment, she found herself unable to utter a complete sentence.

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she bit her lip, stubbornly refusing to let them fall.

In the end, she didn't say anything, but just threw herself into Lin Yaoyang's arms and hugged him tightly.

Her face was buried in his chest, her small body trembling slightly.

Lin Yaoyang paused for a moment, then gently patted her back, his voice as tender as if he were soothing a child: "Bing'er, don't be sad. Every time I come back, I bring you lots of delicious food, okay?"

Hyotei lifted her head from his arms, her eyes and nose red, looking pitiful.

"Then...it's a deal!"

"It's settled."

"Don't lie!"

"I'm not lying."

"I'm a dog if I lie!"

"Okay, you're a dog if you lie."

Hyotei was finally satisfied, then buried her face back and muttered, "Then remember, I like sweets..."

Lin Yaoyang was both amused and exasperated: "Okay, okay, it's sweet, I'll remember."

Snow Empress standing to the side: "..."

Are you so easily dismissed?

As she watched this scene, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly, but deep in her eyes, there was also a trace of reluctance that was hard to detect.

Unlike Hyotei, she didn't wear her emotions on her sleeve. Hundreds of thousands of years had taught her how to hide her feelings.

But only she knew that when she heard the words "go to the academy," her heart clenched slightly.

She knew, however, that the child did not belong in the far north.

He belongs to a wider world.

After a moment of silence, the Snow Empress spoke.

"Do you really want to go to college?"

Lin Yaoyang released Hyotei, turned around, and nodded seriously.

"Yes, Sister Xue'er."

Xue Di looked at him.

A twelve-year-old boy stood on the ice in front of the Snow Palace, his short, bright orange hair standing out against the hazy sky. His eyes were bright, as if they held two tiny suns.

Those eyes held expectation, determination, and reluctance.

She knew it was time.

"Alright." Xue Di sighed softly, stepped forward, and gently ruffled his hair.

"I'll take you there then."

Lin Yaoyang's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"Hmm." Xue Di smiled slightly, "But before that, you have to get through these two months first. And..."

She paused, her gaze becoming serious.

"Have you decided which college you want to go to?"

Lin Yaoyang nodded, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"I've made up my mind."

He raised his head and looked south.

"Shrek," he said.

Xue Di frowned slightly.

"Shrek?"

"Hmm." Lin Yaoyang's lips curled up slightly, forming a meaningful arc. "It's Shrek."

"I heard it's the top academy on the mainland, I'll go check it out."

……

Two months is neither a long nor a short time.

Lin Yaoyang has had a fulfilling yet simple two months.

He cultivates during the day and spends his evenings with the Snow Empress and the Ice Empress.

His soul power had already reached level thirty-nine two months before he returned to the far north.

After several months of accumulation, and with the occasional sunshine in the far north aiding his cultivation, he finally broke through to level 40.

After level 30, the limitations of his ultimate attributes began to appear. His cultivation speed was indeed much slower than that of ordinary soul masters, but fortunately, his first three soul rings were thousand-year soul rings that he absorbed at a higher level, and each breakthrough brought him a soul power accumulation far exceeding that of ordinary people.

In addition, his daily, unwavering, and diligent cultivation enabled him to reach the Soul Master realm at the age of twelve.

A twelve-year-old Soul Master.

In the entire history of Douluo Continent, this is a genius worthy of being recorded in history.

……

Early morning, the Snow Palace in the far north core area.

In Lin Yaoyang's room, a faint beam of sunlight shone through the crystal window, casting dappled shadows on the bed.

He had been awake for a while, but dared not move.

Because Hyotei was nestled in his arms, fast asleep.

She wore that turquoise nightgown, her petite body curled up in a ball, her head resting in the crook of his arm, her breathing even and long. Her pigtails had come loose, her long turquoise hair spreading across the pillow, gleaming softly in the morning light.

On that delicate little face, the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, as if she were having a sweet dream.

Looking at her sleeping face, Lin Yaoyang couldn't help but sigh softly.

When he was little, Xue Di and Bing Di took turns sleeping with him.

He was young then and didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

After awakening his martial soul, he took the initiative to suggest sleeping separately, and the two women happily agreed.

But their understanding was clearly different from his.

For them, "sleeping separately" probably means going from "sleeping together every day" to "sleeping together every few days." And the frequency shows no sign of decreasing.

In the past two months, Hyotei has become even more outrageous. Every night, she would brazenly crawl into his bed and say things like, "You're leaving soon, why can't I hug you a little longer?"

If it weren't for Xue Di watching over him, Lin Yaoyang seriously suspected that Bing Di would have taken advantage of him.

As for Xue Di... although she outwardly acts like "I can't control her," she occasionally comes to sleep with him for a few days.

Thinking about all this, his gaze unconsciously fell back onto Hyotei's face.

Just then, those bright yellow eyes suddenly opened.

Eyes facing each other.

Hyotei stared straight at him, their eyes so clear they didn't look like someone who had just woken up.

Lin Yaoyang was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously reached out and touched her small hand. Hyotei's hand was small and soft, with a slightly cool touch at the fingertips.

"Sister Bing'er..." He started to speak, but his words were cut off.

Hyotei propped herself up and gently kissed him on the cheek, the action as natural as if she had done it a thousand times.

Then she lay back down, buried her face in the crook of his neck, and mumbled, "Just come back soon."

The voice was very soft, so soft it was as if the speaker was talking to himself.

Lin Yaoyang opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

After a moment of silence, he deliberately spoke in a relaxed tone, "Maybe this trip will offer some opportunities to help Sister Bing'er and Sister Xue'er break through their limits."

Hyotei lifted his head from the crook of his neck, a hint of helplessness flashing in his bright yellow eyes.

"I hope so," she sighed. "But don't be too anxious. Just focus on your cultivation. With Xue'er's and my cultivation levels, the external aids we need to break through are no ordinary treasures. We'd need ten-thousand-year-old Xuanbing Marrow, or some legendary immortal herb."

She spoke calmly, as if stating an impossible fact.

Lin Yaoyang certainly knew where to find the Mysterious Ice Marrow of Ten Thousand Years.

He also knew where to find the magical herb.

However, in the eyes of the Ice Emperor and the Snow Emperor, he had been focused on cultivation all these years and rarely went out, so it was impossible for him to know the whereabouts of these rare and precious materials.

He planned to tell them the news when he returned next time, pretending that he had found it out by chance.

"Maybe we really can find it?" he said with a smile.

Hyotei couldn't help but laugh at his serious expression. She reached out and poked his cheek, her tone suddenly turning mischievous: "If you really can find it... well, then I'll give you a reward."

"What reward?"

"It's a secret." Hyotei sat up abruptly, her long, emerald-green hair cascading down like a waterfall. "We'll tell you when you find it."

She jumped out of bed, her bare feet stepping onto the cold, icy floor, and winked at him as she turned back.

"Alright, get up now. Xue'er is still waiting for you outside."