Chapter 23

A large group of people moved northward. In the cold and snowy region of Xingling during winter, the snow was thick and the forests were dense. If it weren't for the Snow Night Surprises (a type of transportation), it would be quite difficult to travel.

No, that's not right. It's July now, the height of summer.

But it was easy for Rong Taotao to mistake it for winter.

The temperature here was probably around -25 or -26 degrees Celsius, and this was during the scorching summer. If it were winter...

Rong Taotao shivered, finding it hard to imagine what the winter here would be like.

Undoubtedly, the further north they went, the closer they got to the Snow Realm Vortex, the colder it would become.

When the large group of soldiers emerged from a deep forest, the students were all amazed.

Rong Taotao saw a wall, a... towering and magnificent city wall.

The thickness of the wall was unknown, but judging by its height, it must be around 17 or 18 meters!

Rong Taotao, wearing an orange protective goggles, strained his eyes to see the grand pass. The ancient city wall stretched from east to west, but its end was not in sight.

Dark clouds covered the land, and layers of snow and wind obscured the end of the wall, which extended for miles.

Over a hundred cavalrymen slowed down, gradually approaching the city wall. Rong Taotao straightened his body, peeking out from behind the soldier, and looked up at the characters on the huge city gate.

Three large characters, written in a dragon-like and phoenix-like style, were even more majestic than the pass itself.

"Ba Tuan Pass."

Rong Taotao was not unfamiliar with this story.

In history textbooks, the "Snow Night Battle" was described in detail.

The importance of this battle was undeniable; it determined the territorial integrity of Huaxia and laid the foundation for the soul martial cause of Huaxia.

That night, over a hundred battalions in the north launched a simultaneous attack, sweeping through the north in one night and driving the snow realm soul beasts that ravaged the land further north.

Rong Taotao, along with all the students present, and the high schools, universities, towns, and even the peace and prosperity inside and outside the pass, all of these exist because of the efforts of the predecessors who fought and sacrificed themselves over the past forty years.

In this world,

nothing is inherently yours, including freedom, property, and even life.

Only what you strive for and protect.

Throughout the thousands of years of Huaxia's history, the order in which each person appears is not determined by themselves.

Clearly, 40 years ago, during the difficult times when soul beasts invaded and the sky vortex opened, some people stepped onto the historical stage and shouldered the almost unbearable burden.

They used their repeated charges and the mountains of corpses to protect the northern land.

Year after year, the sun and moon alternated, and history moved forward.

Fifteen years ago, Rong Taotao was born.

Fifteen years later, he stood in front of this grand pass, looking up at its majesty and imagining the stories of the past.

One glance was worth a thousand words in the textbooks.

And this was just the first wall.

"Huh." The soldier gently squeezed his horse's belly, and Rong Taotao quickly grabbed his collar, peeking out from his side and seeing the huge city gate open to the sides.

Finally, they crossed the wall. To Rong Taotao's surprise, what he saw was a town, resembling an ancient city.

But this was a military camp, not a bustling market.

The children clearly wanted to tour the city, but the group moved forward, directly from the south gate to the north gate.

Crossing the entire city, when they reached the north gate, it was already open.

Rong Taotao frowned, looking at the vast snowfield outside the city gate. He couldn't even find a suitable place to stand...

For the pass, this was certainly a good thing. Any movement would be detected early, and any soul beasts attempting to breach the pass would be spotted. However, for the children taking the exam, such terrain was not friendly.

The school's supplies included only sleeping bags, not tents.

Of course, even if there were tents, they probably wouldn't hold up in this terrain. A strong wind would blow them away...

"Disembark."

While thinking, Rong Taotao suddenly heard the soldier's words.

Rong Taotao did not hesitate and quickly dismounted, but he heard the "crack, crack" sound behind him.

The students quickly turned around and saw the thick city gate slowly closing!

"Thud!"

With a dull sound, the city gate closed heavily.

For a moment, under the towering city wall, only a hundred students and a hundred soldiers remained.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh...

The white horses under the soldiers' saddles quietly disappeared, transforming into soul power and merging into their bodies.

The scene was eerily quiet. The soldiers did not speak, and the students were at a loss.

Finally, a soldier who looked like a captain spoke: "There are only two ways to return to this city.

First: Withdraw from the exam and report to your guardian.

Second: In seven days, the city gate will open, welcoming you back home."

The captain's voice echoed under the city wall, accompanied by the sound of the snow and wind: "The exam objective is to survive for seven days. Now, the exam begins!"

Rong Taotao took a few steps forward, looking around while feeling the thickness of the snow.

The Snow Night Surprise could move smoothly on the snowfield because of its special soul skill, but Rong Taotao did not have a soul skill. The snow had already submerged his ankles, and such an environment would certainly hinder his performance.

Seeing a familiar person, Rong Taotao raised his hand high and beckoned to the other person.

Rong Taotao had a clear understanding of himself. As a初级·魂卒 (初级 means "初级" and 魂卒 means "soul soldier") without a soul beast, his limited soul power could not help him much.

What Rong Taotao could rely on was his own skills.

For Rong Taotao, who was struggling to survive, he needed to find a partner. At this stage, he did not have the resources to survive alone. Only through cooperation could they achieve mutual success.

Lu Mang, wearing thick snow camouflage, had his lanky figure hidden. Seeing Rong Taotao wave, he did not hesitate and walked over.

Clearly, Lu Mang was not a naive teenager and did not imagine surviving alone for seven days.

Soon, the students under the city wall gathered in small groups.

At this moment, a solitary figure took a step forward, walking into the snow and wind.

He was not alone; a soldier was guarding him from a distance, and it was the captain who had just given the orders.

The students were all stunned. Who was that person?

So brave?

Was he really awesome, or really foolish!?

Rong Taotao looked at the solitary figure and fell into deep thought.

Because that student had a distinctive short white hair.

Rong Taotao knew who he was!

Xu Taiping!

A pure soul beast, and a high-intelligence Ice Soul Guide!

For humans, this place was not suitable for survival, but for Xu Taiping, at least within the range of the wall, this should be his backyard.

Rong Taotao pursed his lips and turned to Lu Mang, saying, "That guy is very adapted to living in the snowfield. In short, we can rely on him, but I only have a passing acquaintance with him and am not familiar. What do you think?"

Lu Mang asked, "What do you mean by very adapted to living in the snowfield?"

Rong Taotao leaned close to Lu Mang's ear and said, "He is an extremely special snow realm soul beast, in human form, with intelligence not inferior to humans, and can even practice soul techniques and soul skills."

Lu Mang was clearly stunned, then his expression turned serious. After a few seconds, he asked, "Will we be in danger?"

"Hmm..." Rong Taotao thought for a moment and nodded silently. There was indeed a possibility.

Despite the soldiers' protection, if Xu Taiping wanted to enter Songjiang Soul Martial University and achieve a good ranking, he could use his home-field advantage to challenge other students, as long as it was not fatal.

This exam did not specify the standards or rules.

Natural selection was one aspect, and mutual elimination among students could also occur.

This risk should not be taken.

"Taotao." A delicate voice came from behind.

Rong Taotao turned around and saw two girls and a boy.

Sun Xingyu, Li Ziyi, and a girl he did not recognize.

Sun Xingyu wore a red cotton hat, red gloves, and a colorful protective goggles that covered her beautiful big eyes, but her voice was very recognizable.

The girl beside her was petite, with a large, colorful protective goggles, and her face was not yet visible.

"This is my roommate, Zhou Ting." Sun Xingyu introduced, "Shall we go together?"

Relying on someone is relative.

Having watched her boyfriend and Rong Taotao fight for three years, Sun Xingyu knew Rong Taotao's combat level.

In this icy and snowy environment, in a strange place, the three-year relationship between Sun Xingyu, Li Ziyi, and Rong Taotao made their bond unbreakable.

Lu Mang: "Do you know them?"

Rong Taotao: "Classmates."

"Um." Lu Mang softly responded, not knowing what to think, and did not speak again.

Rong Taotao gestured to Lu Mang, saying, "My roommate, Lu Mang, let's go first."

A team of five should be enough.

As the five-person team left the main group under the city wall, five soldiers also gathered and followed them from a distance.

Rong Taotao turned to Li Ziyi and asked, "Where is your roommate?"

Before he finished speaking, Rong Taotao suddenly realized, "Ah... right, your personality wouldn't allow you to have a roommate."

Li Ziyi's voice was as cold as the snow and wind: "You talk too much."

Sun Xingyu: "Hey, it's not the time for you two to argue. Let's talk about our survival strategy."

Rong Taotao: "The snow forest can shield us from the wind and snow, and there might be some natural caves."

Sun Xingyu quickly said, "But there might be soul beasts resting in the forest."

Rong Taotao explained, "We must find a place to shelter from the wind and snow. Entering the snow forest is necessary, and we will eventually have to face the snow realm soul beasts."

Rong Taotao pursed his lips and continued, "Otherwise, we could dig a hole under the city wall and survive with the supplies provided by the school. That would be the safest place.

But such a performance would make it difficult for us to pass the exam, let alone enter the Songjiang Soul Martial University's youth class."

Rong Taotao's thinking was very clear, and his goals were very clear.

After his words, no one in the team spoke, seemingly agreeing with Rong Taotao's judgment.

Unconsciously, Rong Taotao seemed to become the "team leader."

The five-person team slowly moved forward in the snowfield. Rong Taotao took out a compass from his backpack and quickened his pace, saying, "Let's speed up. We must find the snow forest or another suitable place to stay before nightfall, or we might not survive the night."

Lu Mang said indifferently, "You are very confident in your abilities."

Rong Taotao smiled and said, "You all stayed in Aihui City, then rode the Snow Night Surprise to Songjiang Soul Martial University, right?"

Lu Mang did not respond, but Zhou Ting nodded: "Yes."

Rong Taotao said, "We all did the same, enduring the piercing cold wind and bouncing on the back of the Snow Night Surprise for eight hours..."

Rong Taotao turned to Lu Mang and said, "We went through so much, not to be eliminated here."

Hearing this, the corners of Lu Mang's mouth lifted slightly.

His eyes, hidden behind the protective goggles, quietly watched Rong Taotao.

At this moment, Lu Mang seemed to understand why Rong Taotao was fortunate enough to receive guidance from Si Huannian.

This world is vast, vast enough to accommodate all kinds of people.

Lu Mang believed that when one person asks another why they came from the bustling Shanghu City to the snow realm and indirectly questions their beliefs...

The asker must possess the trait they are asking about.

But since they had just met, they did not delve into the topic.

The team members quickened their pace to keep up with Rong Taotao. Lu Mang silently watched Rong Taotao's back and gripped the long sword in his hand.

So... what is