Hear Me Out

With Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's spiritual power and the Molted Shell's ability to conceal his aura, Huo Yuhao slowly approached the Ice Silkworm.

The Ice Silkworm was not strong in combat. Its main ability was Mental Interference, which was perfectly countered by Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.

Before long, Huo Yuhao had come within ten meters of the Ice Silkworm. At this distance, the Ice Silkworm could not detect him at all.

Huo Yuhao gently took out the Soul Light Ray and aimed it at the Ice Silkworm.

The Soul Light Ray had an effective range of around a hundred meters. The reason Huo Yuhao had waited until he was within ten meters to attack was because one shot from the Soul Light Ray could not kill the Ice Silkworm. If it fled afterward, he could calmly pursue it.

Sizzle.

A Soul Light Ray shot out and struck the Ice Silkworm squarely.

Ambushed, the Ice Silkworm's body suddenly trembled. It abruptly raised its head and looked toward Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao's vision immediately blurred. The Ice Silkworm suddenly transformed into an enormous Titan Snow Demon and lunged at Huo Yuhao with claws and fangs bared.

Huo Yuhao knew this was the Ice Silkworm's simulation skill and was not worried in the slightest. Relying on Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's spiritual power, he instantly saw through the Ice Silkworm's disguise and fired another Soul Light Ray.

Just like that, Huo Yuhao beat the Ice Silkworm until it had no power to resist. In only a brief moment, the Ice Silkworm lay motionless on the ground, while a purple ring of light slowly rose above its head.

Half a day later.

Having absorbed the Ice Silkworm's Soul Ring, Huo Yuhao slowly opened his eyes.

Gold and jade-green light flashed through his eyes.

"Yuhao, hurry and see what Soul Skill you got. Was it the Simulate Soul Skill?"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm asked curiously.

The Simulate Soul Skill would be immensely helpful to Huo Yuhao in the early stages. Not only could it help him show off, it could also help him hide his strength and keep others from figuring out his true power.

Light lit up in Huo Yuhao's eyes, and one white and one purple Soul Ring appeared beneath his feet.

The next moment.

The white Soul Ring instantly turned blood-red!

Then it changed into bright gold!

The purple Soul Ring, meanwhile, became an utterly ordinary white in the blink of an eye.

"Haha... it really is the Simulate Soul Skill. Yuhao, your luck is pretty good!"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm said with a laugh.

Huo Yuhao smiled faintly as well. "It really is good. With the Simulate Soul Skill, no one will be able to see the true colors of my Soul Rings anymore..."

The ages of Huo Yuhao's Soul Rings could only be described as shocking. Sky Dream Ice Silkworm could help disguise the first Soul Ring of his Spirit Eyes martial soul, so he did not need to worry about anyone discovering that it was a million-year Soul Ring. But being able to attach a thousand-year Soul Ring as his second Soul Ring was enough to bring Huo Yuhao enormous trouble.

Huo Yuhao's Ice Empress Scorpion martial soul was even more terrifying. Its first Soul Ring was a four-hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring. That profound blood-red Soul Ring was something many Title Douluo did not even possess!

Once Huo Yuhao was discovered by a major power, a genius of his caliber would certainly be destroyed if he could not be used by them. They would rather see such a genius vanish than allow him to become their enemy.

Now that he had the Simulate Soul Skill, he could disguise all his Soul Rings as completely ordinary colors, avoiding much unnecessary trouble.

Putting away his martial souls, Huo Yuhao looked into the distance.

"This trip to the Extreme North can be considered a complete success. Ice Empress did not travel through time, but Snow Empress did..."

"With that, the three most fundamental soul beasts from my previous life—Brother Sky Dream, Ice Empress, and Snow Empress—are basically all gathered..."

"Although Snow Empress cannot become my Soul Spirit right now, as long as my spiritual power is sufficient, I can come and take her at any time. Snow Empress can be considered mine too..."

"Next, I need to cultivate diligently. My next opportunity will be the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. I wonder whether that immortal herb existed ten thousand years ago, and whether the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was protected by the Jade Phosphor Poison outside..."

"It is just a pity that, ten thousand years before now, I probably have no way to obtain Life's Vigil Blade. Life's Vigil Blade contains boundless life energy and can save someone as long as they have not breathed their last. It can be considered a Divine Artifact..."

Huo Yuhao gradually walked farther away, leaving only his murmurs drifting through the wind and snow.

It had taken two days to enter the Extreme North, two days to absorb Ice Empress's soul bone, martial soul, and Soul Ring, and more than a day to return.

After a total of a little over five days, Huo Yuhao reached the edge of the Extreme North and officially left it.

The next time he came to the Extreme North would be the day his spiritual power was sufficient for Snow Empress to become his Soul Spirit!

Huo Yuhao searched around nearby and found Xiao Wu in a tribe.

Xiao Wu had been living quite comfortably these past few days. She had thrown money around lavishly, so naturally the people of the tribe had supplied her with the best food and drink.

Xiao Wu also casually revealed her identity as a soul master. Though she was only a young girl, no one in the tribe dared to entertain any ideas about her.

"Yuhao, you're finally back!"

"Do you know how I spent these five days?"

"I missed you so much that I couldn't sleep or eat. I was worried and scared all day long. Look, I've even lost weight..."

The moment Xiao Wu saw Huo Yuhao, she began complaining to him pitifully.

Huo Yuhao was instantly speechless. You were practically becoming a chubby little rabbit already, and you still said you had lost weight?

From what I could see, you had gained at least two pounds over these five days!

Huo Yuhao thanked the people of the tribe, then took Xiao Wu's hand and left.

After the two left the tribe, Xiao Wu looked Huo Yuhao up and down and said in surprise, "Yuhao, why do I feel like you're completely different? It's like you've been reborn, and even your aura feels different... But if you ask me exactly what changed, I can't really put it into words..."

Huo Yuhao chuckled. "Of course I'm different. I'm already a Two-Ring Soul Grand Master now!"

"No, no!" Xiao Wu shook her head. "It has nothing to do with your rank. It's a change from the inside out—I can't describe it either, but anyway, you've changed!"

Naturally, Huo Yuhao understood what Xiao Wu meant.

In a sense, Huo Yuhao really had been "reborn." The Ice Empress's torso bone had replaced his spine, most of his ribs, and his sternum. Was that not being reborn?

The Ice Empress Scorpion was extremely domineering and aloof. After becoming Huo Yuhao's martial soul, she inevitably influenced him to some extent as well.

That was why Xiao Wu felt that Huo Yuhao had changed.

Huo Yuhao said, "Alright, stop thinking about it. We should head back."

Xiao Wu nodded. "Mm. I haven't had your Grilled Fish in ages. Eating meat and drinking fermented sheep's milk in the tribe every day was so boring!"

Huo Yuhao shot Xiao Wu a glance.

Xiao Wu hurriedly changed her words. "No, Yuhao, listen to my sophis—ah, no, listen to my explanation. I meant watching other people eat meat and drink fermented sheep's milk every day in the tribe..."

"You said you were going to suffer in the Extreme North. How could I possibly stay in the tribe and feast without a care?"

"I was really worried about you. If you don't believe me, just look into my sincere eyes!"

Huo Yuhao looked at Xiao Wu's watery, wide eyes, pinched her chin, and said, "You're practically growing a double chin. Didn't you eat any meat in the tribe?"

Xiao Wu angrily pushed his hand away. "How do I have a double chin? I have a delicate pointed face! If you call me fat again, I'm going to duel you!"

Huo Yuhao raised a brow and smiled. "Come on, then. Want to spar?"

"Bring it on! Who's afraid of who?" Xiao Wu said defiantly.

Five seconds later.

Xiao Wu lay face-down on the ground while Huo Yuhao sat on her little butt, twisting both her arms behind her back. "Do you yield?"

"I yield! I yield!" Xiao Wu immediately surrendered.

Hearing that, Huo Yuhao released her.

Xiao Wu climbed to her feet and stared at Huo Yuhao in shock. His strength just now had completely crushed hers. She had been like a child facing an adult, utterly unable to resist.

How had Yuhao become this strong after one trip to the Extreme North?

In the beginning, Huo Yuhao had been somewhat weaker than her. He could only fight her to a draw because he possessed an inexplicable understanding of her soul skills and fighting style.

Later, as Huo Yuhao's Soul Power increased, the gap in their strength had become negligible.

But now, after merely five days apart, Huo Yuhao's strength had improved so enormously that he held an overwhelming advantage over her.

What benefits had Huo Yuhao gained from this trip to the Extreme North?

Could it be that he...

His true form was not an Ice Silkworm, but some other soul beast?

Or perhaps Yuhao's true form was not merely a ten-thousand-year soul beast, but an existence that surpassed a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?

Xiao Wu could not help asking, "Yuhao, I want to ask you something seriously. I hope you'll answer me honestly, okay?"

Huo Yuhao took a deep breath. So it had finally come...

Everything about him—his foreknowledge of Xiao Wu's identity, his mastery of all kinds of technology that did not exist in this era, and his inexplicable growth in strength—pointed to how unusual he was.

Anyone paying attention would come up with all sorts of guesses about his identity.

And the most plausible one was that he had traveled through time.

After living with Xiao Wu for over a year, it was impossible that she had not wondered about his identity. Had she finally been unable to hold it in any longer?

Huo Yuhao said, "Alright."

If Xiao Wu asked whether he had come from the future, he had decided to tell her part of the truth.

Xiao Wu asked, "Yuhao, tell me... what soul beast are you, exactly?"

"Alright, I'll tell you. I'm from the future—what? What did you say?" Huo Yuhao had been ready to come clean, but Xiao Wu's question left him somewhat dumbfounded.

Xiao Wu's little face was utterly serious. "That's right, Yuhao. Tell me honestly—what soul beast is your true form? Why did you suddenly become so strong?"

"..." Huo Yuhao opened his mouth, unsure what to say.

So after living with him for a year, this was the conclusion Xiao Wu had reached?

He was a soul beast, but she did not know what species of soul beast he was?