As far as the eye could see, the snow-capped mountains stretched endlessly, their peaks rising higher and higher into the distance, piercing through the clouds.
"It's only cold because of the high altitude. The ice element here isn't nearly as active as in the Extreme North." Ice God's Heart shook her head, then suddenly lifted her gaze toward the sky.
"They've arrived so quickly?" She turned to look at Xia Yi, who was still absorbing the soul bones, and immediately dived into the vast snowy mountains, taking him with her.
Not long after they left, two black mechas descended from the sky.
"No one's here? How is that possible? The radar just detected soul power fluctuations here," the man who emerged from one of the mechas spoke first.
"Could they have already gone up the mountain?" The woman furrowed her brows, looking up at the towering Endless Mountain Range. She released her spiritual power again, but still couldn't sense Xia Yi's presence.
"Impossible. We came down from the mountain. If he was going up, he couldn't have escaped our notice." The man shook his head. "If a promising young soul master entered the Blazing Basin, the people there would have immediately reported it to the army."
"You're saying it could be a deserter from the mountain?" The woman's expression grew serious.
"Very likely!" The man nodded and turned to her. "I'll notify the people at the Blazing Basin to lock it down. No one is allowed to leave. If a deserter is found, they must be captured immediately."
"A deserter isn't a big deal. What I'm worried about is if it's someone trying to join the Blood God Legion." The woman smiled bitterly. "If they sneak past us and get up the mountain, how are we supposed to evaluate them?"
For an ordinary soul master to join the Blood God Legion, they had to pass multiple trials, the first of which was climbing the Endless Mountain Range.
Normally, as soon as the radar detected a soul master arriving at the foot of the mountains, the Blood God Legion would send people to secretly observe their ascent.
If the individual was deemed qualified, arrangements would be made for their reception at the top. If they were unqualified, even if they reached the main peak, they would be immediately sent away.
But this time, they couldn't even find the person. It was unprecedented.
"To be able to avoid our sight and sneak up the mountain, they must at least be at the Soul Douluo level. Someone that strong doesn't even need to be evaluated." The man shook his head helplessly. "Forget it, let's return to the army and report this. If there are no deserters, then the Blood God Legion will have a new Soul Douluo-level expert."
If it was a deserter, they weren't too concerned. The Blazing Basin was the supply area for the Blood God Legion and was guarded by their strongest fighters. Even a Titled Douluo wouldn't be able to leave.
Of course, someone like Merciless Douluo Cao Dezhi was an exception.
Unless the Blood God Battalion was stationed at the Blazing Basin, there was no way they could stop a Limit Douluo from leaving.
After finishing their conversation, the two piloted their mechas and ascended toward the mountaintop.
Not far away, hidden within a snow cave, Ice God's Heart enveloped Xia Yi with her ice-element aura, making his presence blend completely into the environment.
Even if a soul master with a Domain Realm spiritual power arrived, they would have a hard time detecting Xia Yi.
While they failed to find Xia Yi and Ice God's Heart, she had overheard their entire conversation.
Three days later, Xia Yi finally finished absorbing the three soul bones.
"Climbing the Endless Mountain Range is part of the entry exam for the Blood God Legion? Why didn't I know this? Neither the Sun-Moon Federation nor Zhu'er mentioned it." After hearing Ice God's Heart's explanation, Xia Yi shook his head helplessly.
Standing at the entrance of the snow cave for a while, he soon sensed two auras swiftly descending from the mountain peak once again.
Upon spotting Xia Yi, they did not reveal themselves but instead hid in the shadows, preparing to observe and evaluate his ascent.
Little did they know that Xia Yi's Domain Realm spiritual power had already detected them. Although both of them were Soul Douluos with Domain Realm spiritual power, they were only at the early stage, far inferior to Xia Yi.
Xia Yi didn't expose them. Instead, he glanced up at the towering, cloud-piercing snowy mountains and retrieved the positioning device the Sun-Moon Federation had given him, activating it.
This was handed to him when he resigned from his position as the chief commander of the anti-Tang Sect operation. Upon learning that he planned to enlist in the Blood God Legion, the Sun-Moon Federation provided it to him.
This positioning device was solely for locating the Blood God Legion. The Endless Mountain Range contained more than one peak, and without it, even if he reached the base of the mountains, it would take at least a year to find the right one in this vast expanse.
With the guidance of the device, Xia Yi quickly locked onto one of the central peaks in the range.
Despite the extreme cold, Xia Yi wore only a simple robe, yet his steps were quick and steady. With Ice God's Heart by his side, he wouldn't be affected even in the core of the Extreme North, which was ten times colder than this.
"Which idiot made this rule that every recruit has to climb the mountain on foot without using their martial soul?" As he entered the snowy mountains, the path became more difficult, but Xia Yi did not summon his battle armor or martial soul.
The Sun-Moon Federation had already reminded him when they gave him the positioning device—upon arriving here, he must act like an ordinary person.
The Blood God Legion had a strict rule: anyone wishing to enlist must ascend the mountain with their own two legs, even flying-type soul masters were no exception. Violating this rule would lead to immediate disqualification.
Gazing at the seemingly endless mountain peaks, Xia Yi felt the urge to find the person who made this rule and give them a good beating.
"For Zhu'er, I'll endure." Knowing he was being observed, Xia Yi had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue forward.
In truth, if he flew straight up, even if he broke the rules, Leng Yaozhu would step in and no one would dare to expel him.
However, this was the military, and Xia Yi had chosen to join the Blood God Legion. He would abide by its rules. More importantly, he didn't want to make things difficult for Leng Yaozhu.
Now, Xia Yi understood why the Sun-Moon Federation had told him not to use his martial soul but had not warned him that this was a monitored test.
This test wasn't just about strength; it was primarily about discipline.
A soldier who didn't consciously follow the rules had no place in the Blood God Legion.
Xia Yi was only complaining for the sake of it. He had deliberately left Ice God's Heart at the base of the mountain because he intended to follow the rules and climb on foot.
What he didn't realize was that his score for this test had already been determined.
"What are you doing? Why did you give him a perfect score?" The man in the shadows asked in disbelief as he saw the woman mark Xia Yi with a full ten points.
"He's Xia Yi. With his connection to Blood One, would you dare give him a nine?" The woman rolled her eyes. "Wouldn't that be asking for trouble?"
There was no strict grading standard for this test—evaluators assigned scores based on personal judgment, like judging beauty.
As long as Xia Yi didn't break the rules by using his martial soul, giving him ten points wouldn't be questioned.
"Take the Tang Sect's 'Three Sisters' from Star Luo City as an example. They may be ugly, but to the Tang Sect's 'Fantastic Four,' they're absolute beauties, right?"
"Fine, ten points it is." The man's mouth twitched. "Alright, since it's for Blood One, ten it is."
"Get lost. Do you really think Xia Yi is just some pretty face? He must have been the one we couldn't find three days ago. His spiritual power is far superior to ours. He definitely sensed us already. Given his abilities, even without Blood One, he fully deserves a perfect score."
She had no doubt about Xia Yi's capability. He was no fool—he wouldn't break the rules knowing he was being monitored.