Ice Empress Awakens

In the heart of Eastsea City stood a five-story building covering a hundred square meters. Its exterior was unremarkable, but the fact that it could stand in such prime, exorbitantly priced land showed that its owner was no ordinary person.

On the third floor, Huo Yuhao sat in the spacious room, studying the furnishings around him with a silent sigh.

Two days had passed since Awakening Day ended.

He had received the highest level of attention from the East Sea Spirit Pagoda. Hua Yichen had kept his promise and assigned this building to him. All sorts of books on Soul Beasts and Soul Spirits had been delivered as well, and a Laboratory had even been installed on the second floor. They appeared ready to satisfy his every request.

Hua Yichen had even wanted to send tutors and a butler to look after him, but Huo Yuhao found an excuse to turn them down.

Having outsiders around would be far too inconvenient.

"The situation is better than I expected."

Huo Yuhao picked up a book on Soul Spirits and flipped through several pages, his expression thoughtful.

Beside Huo Yuhao stood an enormous bookshelf packed with books on Soul Masters, Soul Beasts, and Soul Power, along with manuscripts and notes documenting the history of the Spirit Pagoda and secrets known only to its insiders.

Through these books, Huo Yuhao gained a more comprehensive understanding of the current Spirit Pagoda, which finally put him at ease.

Compared to the worst-case scenario he had imagined, the current situation was dozens of times better. The Spirit Pagoda had failed to crack Elder Yi's "security procedures" and still respected the wishes of Soul Beasts. Only Soul Beasts willing to become Soul Spirits were turned into Soul Spirits.

The appearance of Legendary Soul Spirits did surprise Huo Yuhao, but upon reflection, it also seemed perfectly natural.

Who with descendants would not want to pass their powerful Soul Spirits down to them through the Contract Dissolution Method? A Thousand Year Soul Spirit might resist the temptation, but what about Ten Thousand Year, Hundred Thousand Year, or Beast-level Soul Spirits?

After all, although the Spirit Pagoda had introduced the Spirit Ascension Platform, which could raise a Soul Spirit's cultivation age, it was not something ordinary people were qualified to use.

As for Legendary Soul Spirits, so long as the descendants proved capable, they would sooner or later grow to even greater cultivation ages!

For example, the book Huo Yuhao was reading now contained such a case.

A father had possessed a poor Martial Soul, and his First Soul Spirit had been only ten years old. Yet as he cultivated, the Soul Spirit received feedback and eventually grew to a hundred years. After it was passed down, his descendants began with a higher starting point, and in the end, their Soul Power was fifteen ranks higher than their father's.

It did not sound like much, but to Soul Masters of common birth, it was their hope of changing their fate.

And the Legendary Soul Spirits of Soul Master Families...

"They can be inherited, they can fight, and they live for a long time. No matter how I look at them, they're like guardian beasts of a sect in a fantasy novel."

Huo Yuhao smiled and shook his head, then turned his attention to the situation at the Spirit Pagoda headquarters.

The Qian Gu Clan still held power in the Spirit Pagoda, but it was no longer a case of one family dominating everything.

After all, how could Huo Yuhao knowingly leave a pitfall ahead unfilled?

Looking at the photograph in the book, Huo Yuhao revealed a faint smile.

"Di Tian is doing quite well for himself."

As Sky Dream Ice Silkworm looked at the photograph of the man in the book alongside Huo Yuhao, he felt rather resentful.

It was a photograph taken while Di Tian, dressed in a Black Robe, was being interviewed. His face bore an accustomed expression, as if he had long since become used to such occasions.

That made sense. After all, Di Tian was one of the Spirit Pagoda's three Vice Tower Masters and a lifetime Councilor of the Spirit Pagoda Council. It would be strange if he had not gotten used to it after all these years... The more Tian Meng thought about it, the more he felt that bastard had gotten off too easily. Back then, Yuhao should have fleeced Di Tian thoroughly.

"What, Brother Sky Dream? Thinking about old grudges again?" Huo Yuhao asked after noticing Tian Meng's little movements.

Tian Meng snorted. "That insignificant Di Tian only managed to control this emperor because I was careless for a moment! If I got another chance, I would definitely suppress him!"

Huo Yuhao: "..."

What are you even talking about? There are only Elder Yi, you, and me in the Sea of Consciousness. Who are you trying to show off to...

Oh, right. There was also a Little Ice Silkworm.

Because Tian Meng occupied the contract slot, that Little Ice Silkworm was temporarily staying in Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness.

Thinking of the Sea of Consciousness's new resident, Huo Yuhao roughly understood Tian Meng's intentions. Speechlessly, he closed the book and returned it to the shelf, then pulled out another book on Soul Tools. Activating Mental Detection, he began rapidly reading through it.

Reading with Mental Detection allowed him to imprint the contents into his mind as quickly as possible. For books that did not require deep understanding, it could save quite a bit of time.

Speaking of Mental Detection, that brought up Huo Yuhao's current soul skills. He and Tian Meng had also signed an improved Soul Spirit Contract, which likewise allowed him to choose his soul skills.

The first Soul Ring of his Spirit Eye, provided by Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, contained four soul skills.

Mental Interference Domain, Mental Detection, Mental Sharing, and... Simulation!

Huo Yuhao knew that the essence of Mental Interference Domain was the combination of Simulation and mental interference. He had developed it Ten Thousand Years Ago as well, and it had not been affected by his Re-cultivation.

However, among the four soul skills, there was no Mental Shock. Simulation had taken Mental Shock's place. That was also why his Soul Ring had been yellow at the Spirit Pagoda earlier.

If Mental Shock had been his only offensive method for defeating enemies during his early days Ten Thousand Years Ago, and thus extremely useful, then things were different now.

A dignified Limit Douluo with a Mental Attribute, undergoing Re-cultivation, yet unable to attack others with Spiritual Power without relying on a Soul Ring... what would be the point of him being alive?

Wouldn't that make him even more pathetic than the Tang God King who had undergone Re-cultivation?

After Ten Thousand Years, Huo Yuhao did not consider himself a genius, but he was not absurdly hopeless like a certain God King either. As a human, it was the Mysterious Heaven Skill; after becoming a god, it was the Mysterious Heaven Skill; after reincarnating and undergoing Re-cultivation, it was still the Mysterious Heaven Skill...

While Huo Yuhao gathered intelligence on this era outside, Tian Meng was sweet-talking the Little Ice Silkworm in the Sea of Consciousness.

Having had its Soul Spirit slot snatched away by Tian Meng, the Little Ice Silkworm had actually been quite angry. But upon seeing Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's form, it was stunned.

Such an imposing figure... could he be the ancestor of their Ice Silkworm Clan?

"You are?"

Surrounded by ten golden rings, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm looked down at the Little Ice Silkworm with an imposing air.

"I am the strongest expert of the Extreme North, the foremost of the Four Heavenly Kings, the world's only million-year Soul Beast, the supreme being of the Ice Silkworm Clan—Great Emperor Tian Meng!"

Feeling Tian Meng's surging Mental Pressure, the Little Ice Silkworm followed its instincts and immediately bowed down.

"Greetings, Great Emperor!"

Yet it still found something strange.

Weren't there only Three Heavenly Kings in the Extreme North? And one of them had already vanished long ago.

As if seeing through its confusion, Tian Meng snorted. "Hmph, the Three Heavenly Kings have four members. That's common knowledge. If not for the sake of our shared clan, you wouldn't even be worthy of having me appear before you."

"Please forgive my offense, Great Emperor!"

Tian Meng nodded in satisfaction.

"Though I am a million-year Soul Beast, the Heavenly Tribulation hangs over me, and I no longer have the strength to advance further. I can only cooperate with humans and plot a path to Become a God.

"Your strength is far too weak; you lack the ability to take part. One day, we will send you out of the Sea of Consciousness. When that time comes, do not resist..."

A Century Soul Spirit did not possess much intelligence. With only a few words, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had thoroughly baffled the Little Ice Silkworm, successfully raising his standing within the Sea of Consciousness by one.

Well, from second-to-last to third-to-last...

There was no helping it. Though Tian Meng had the highest cultivation, he was not skilled at fighting. Among Huo Yuhao's four Soul Spirits, aside from the Mermaid Princess, not a single one was weaker than him. As for Electrolux, Tian Meng was even less qualified to compare himself to him.

Still, ranking fourth among the six tenants was not bad... even if only temporarily.

Tian Meng was in high spirits and could not help getting a little carried away. "Do you know how Snow Empress has been lately? Back when I taught her..."

In the Little Ice Silkworm's eyes, a twin-tailed girl suddenly appeared behind Tian Meng and glanced over quietly. The Little Ice Silkworm was instantly scared out of its wits and had no time to listen to Tian Meng's words.

It absolutely could not mistake that aura. It belonged to the natural enemy of the Ice Silkworm Clan—the Ice Jade Scorpion!

"...I suppose that, as my disciple, Snow Empress is still guarding the Extreme North? It must have been hard on her."

Tian Meng sighed and looked up at the frozen Ice Silkworm, suddenly sensing that something was wrong.

Wasn't the air a little cold? Wasn't the atmosphere a little too quiet?

"Oh? After not seeing each other for some time, Xue'er has become your disciple. Then what am I?"

A soft female voice echoed beside Tian Meng's ear, making him freeze as every hair on his body stood on end.

Yuhao, you set me up!!!

Ice Empress woke up, and you didn't even remind me!

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm stiffly turned around. Looking at Ice Empress in her "future Hatsune Miku" form, he forced out a smile.

"Bingbing, let's talk this out... Ah! Don't hit my face! Leave me some dignity in front of the younger generation!"

That day, Tian Meng's familiar screams echoed through the Sea of Consciousness.