Dancing Between the Cracks

The old man's phantom slowly approached Huo Yuhao, stretched out a large illusory hand, and touched the spot between Huo Yuhao's brows. At once, Huo Yuhao felt the heavens clear and the earth brighten. A sixth sense, entirely different from the five senses, slowly flowed forth from between his brows, like a precise great net imprinting everything nearby into his heart. In Huo Yuhao's perception, it was as if an Illusory Eye had split open between his brows. In this sensory state, he could finally distinguish the differences between the various Pale Shadows.

Taking the old man before him as an example, to the naked eye, he was merely more transparent than the other Pale Shadows. But through the Illusory Eye's perspective, the old man seemed like an enormous, blazing golden flame, restrained yet ready to erupt.

"What is this?"

Huo Yuhao spoke softly. This Illusory Eye seemed capable of letting him see the true nature of things. Not only could it observe everything with no blind spots in all directions, it also seemed able to penetrate certain objects. However, this was the Spirit Realm, and there were not enough external objects for him to carefully comprehend this ability.

"An eye. A true eye. Compared to the world perceived through the five senses, this Vertical Eye growing from between your brows does not exist in the real world, yet it can help you observe the real world more clearly. Just like the Spirit Realm—because everyone's souls will eventually wander and circle back to this place of drifting convergence, people come to realize here that nearly all struggles in the human world are meaningless, whether between people or between Soul Masters and Soul Beasts."

The old man's voice was kind, yet the majesty unique to one in a high position was not diminished in the slightest. In him, Huo Yuhao saw Ashina Isshin's shadow. It was the bearing of a lonely monarch, a ruler of an old era. Though his brilliance had still been recorded stroke by stroke upon history's canvas, the new era had no vessel capable of carrying him.

"Child, you have seen quite a few Mental Attribute Soul Beasts here. Now, I want to ask you a question."

The old man turned his gaze back to Huo Yuhao and slowly said, "Da Jiao should have told you already. You are the star chosen by the Mother of All Souls, our star, and also a Foreign Star. Therefore, you have two paths to choose from."

The old man turned around and slowly pointed at the nearby Soul Beasts. "The Spirit Eye Martial Soul is the highest-tier spirit attribute martial soul. If you wish it, every Spirit Attribute Soul Beast here is willing to become your companion. They will take the direction pointed out by your sword as the sole goal of their advance. As your right-hand support, they will help you ascend the Path to Godhood step by step, until the day you directly confront that Foreign Star."

"If you choose this path, then you will never need to worry about Soul Rings again. Your First Soul Ring can be a red One Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring. Including Da Jiao, none of them mind burning themselves for your sake. You will become the Soul Master with the most formidable Mental Power on the Douluo Continent, perhaps even the greatest spirit attribute Soul Master there has ever been or ever will be. Do not grieve for them. They are merely passing their strength on to you. In the end, everyone will return to this place of drifting convergence."

"If that is the case, why did you prepare a second path? Tell me what the second path is."

Huo Yuhao caught the implication behind the old man's words. It seemed he had suddenly been swept into a storm brewing in the shadows. Huo Yuhao lowered his head, seemingly listening carefully to the old man, like a student displaying a thirst for the knowledge spoken by his teacher.

But anyone who knew Huo Yuhao understood that this was a sign that he was rapidly analyzing the other party's words. Once, Huo Yuhao's Father, Head Ninja 'Owl', had chattered on at length before Huo Yuhao while he wore this exact expression, hoping to make Huo Yuhao abandon his identity as a Divine Child and become the killing machine in his hands once more. Yet not long after, having analyzed the entire matter, Huo Yuhao expressionlessly cut down his own Father with his own hands.

"Yes, child. You are very clever. I once met that Foreign Star, and you are even cleverer than that Foreign Star."

The old man gave Huo Yuhao an approving glance. "Even the most powerful spirit attribute Soul Master can never reach the ceiling of the second path. But it is an exceedingly arduous road, and the hardships along it will be many times greater than those of the first path. Yet this path has one advantage: from the moment you ignite Divine Fire, you will possess the strength to contend with the other star on equal footing."

"If you take this path, you will be completely exposed to the other party's sight. But precisely because of that, you will be able to destroy without reservation every arrangement the other star has left behind on the Douluo Continent. Over the next twenty years, one of you will hold the white pieces and the other the black, attacking and killing one another. The more pieces you place, the more of their attention will be diverted to you. The Mother of All Souls will have an easier time, and that, in turn, will help you."

The old man extended his illusory hand and straightened Huo Yuhao's slightly rumpled clothes. Those large hands were strong and warm, as though they wished to pass some blazing conviction to him. "Anyone who cannot bear to see others prosper, cannot bear to see others surpass them, has no tolerance for others in their heart. Their eyes see only their own wealth, and they seek to gather all the good things under heaven into their own hands. Such a person will surely be defeated. Evil cannot prevail over righteousness."

"From here on, every step you take must be an arena. With one breath, light one lamp. Remember, what is never forgotten will surely receive an answer. I waited ten thousand years and finally waited for you. I hope you, too, can rely on the breath in your chest to keep climbing, all the way to the highest place, and tell me about the scenery there."

The old man extended his index finger and slowly pointed toward the sky, but soon looked up at it with some loneliness. "My granddaughter once walked this path, but she failed. Even her soul was taken to the God Realm. If you truly can win, I have only one request: bring my granddaughter's soul back here and send her to be reincarnated."

"Now, tell me your choice." Two rays of golden light seemed to shoot from the old man's eyes as his sharp gaze fixed upon Huo Yuhao, waiting for his final answer.

"I choose to embark on the second path. To bear greater suffering is exactly what I desire."

Huo Yuhao's voice was not loud, yet it carried the reliability of a promise worth a thousand gold. The moment he spoke, the surrounding Spirit Attribute Soul Beasts all looked at him in surprise.

Huo Yuhao's choice was not an impulsive one, but the result of careful consideration. If the second path meant confronting the "other star" head-on, then the first path meant hiding himself in the shadows and minimizing his presence as much as possible.

In that case, although the "other star" would not take the initiative to attack him in order to avoid drawing his attention, he would also be unable to disrupt the other party's schemes. If the other party set their sights on his mother, what could he do then?

Would he abandon all his previous efforts and expose himself to the other party's sight once more, or would he stand by as a coward and allow his mother's soul to be taken away as a bargaining chip to control him in the future?

Of course, Huo Yuhao could make preparations in advance and guard against all this. But without Huo Yuhao taking action in the real world, could the efforts of these Soul Beasts in the Spirit Realm alone stop the schemes of a Deity?

So, rather than hope he could hide in the shadows for the rest of his life, it was better to step into the spotlight openly. As long as the other party, restrained by the Mother of All Souls, could not strike at him openly and directly, Huo Yuhao was confident that he could dance between the cracks.