First Cheat Acquired!

On the grass, three enormous ice silkworms lay neatly side by side, the scene both spectacular and bizarre.

Huo Hao, Huo Yu, and Huo Yuhao stood opposite, gazing at the sight before them, their hearts filled with joy and a faint sense of absurdity.

One Huo Yuhao could become three, and one Dream Ice Silkworm could also become three—this River God was even more useful than a Wishing Machine.

The one on the far left was a brilliant gold, as if cast from pure gold—this was the "Golden Sky Dream Ice Silkworm." At that moment, it held its head high with arrogance, its golden eyes brimming with contempt for all things in the world.

Though it resembled the Dream Ice Silkworm in appearance, its innate aura of sanctity and nobility was entirely different.

The one on the far right was a silvery white, nearly transparent, almost blending into the surrounding air if not looked at closely—this was the "Silver Sky Dream Ice Silkworm."

In stark contrast to the golden one's domineering presence, it radiated an aura of "don't look at me, don't bother me, I know nothing." Its massive body trembled violently, as if it wished to curl itself into a silver ball and roll into a crack in the earth.

Sandwiched in the middle was the original Dream Ice Silkworm.

It glanced at the arrogantly smug "self" that had appeared out of nowhere on its left, then at the cowardly "self" on its right that seemed ready to evaporate on the spot. Its enormous insect face was etched with distress and vigilance.

Lin Feng was munching on melon seeds underwater, watching with great amusement.

"Oh ho, a family drama begins. An arrogant eldest brother, a reclusive second brother, and a miserable third brother? Interesting."

The Dream Ice Silkworm agonized for a long time before finally deciding to lay out its grand plan first.

It cleared its throat, attempting to speak to the other two versions of itself in a tone full of authority and unity.

"Ahem, two... brothers! Since fate has brought us together, we must unite. Our goal is—"

"Shut up."

A cold, haughty voice cut it off directly. It was the Golden Dream Silkworm, who didn't even bother turning its head to look at the Dream Ice Silkworm, merely saying indifferently:

"My name is Golden Dream. To be grouped with common creatures like you is already my greatest humiliation. Do not defile my ears with your foolish words."

Dream Ice Silkworm: "..."

The three brothers: "..."

Unwilling to give up, the Dream Ice Silkworm turned its gaze to the Silver White Dream Silkworm.

Feeling its stare, the Silver White Dream Silkworm trembled even harder, burying its head straight into the grass in a textbook ostrich move.

The Dream Ice Silkworm's heart turned ice-cold.

Forming an Avengers-style alliance was impossible, and even a Peach Garden Oath had become a pipe dream. The Dream Ice Silkworm's heart was bitter.

It sighed.

"Forget it, forget it. It seems our plan to join forces as brothers won't work. In that case, let's stick to the original plan. Which of you three is willing to be the first to gain a Wisdom Soul Ring?"

If it delayed any longer, Di Tian might show up, and that would be trouble.

But before its words even faded, a cold, haughty voice rang out.

It was the Golden Sky Dream Ice Silkworm speaking. It didn't even bother glancing at the Dream Ice Silkworm, its gaze landing directly on Huo Hao, whose aura matched its own the closest.

"My name is Golden Dream."

Its voice was filled with arrogance.

"Human, to obtain my power, you must first earn my recognition."

It stared at Huo Hao, its golden eyes shooting two beams of tangible light.

"I'll give you a chance. I won't leave this patch of grass. If you can touch my body, you win. Then I'll acknowledge you and grant you the power of a god!"

Huo Hao's lips curled slightly at the corners. This trial suited him perfectly.

"Fine."

The Dream Ice Silkworm watched, dumbfounded. Hey! I'm the real deal here! How are you already negotiating with that impostor?! Is there no justice?!

The contest began.

Golden Dream's massive body seemed cumbersome, but it moved with surprising agility. It drifted unpredictably across the grass, each movement perfectly evading Huo Hao's lunges.

"Too slow. Too weak."

Golden Dream commented haughtily, its tone dripping with disappointment.

Huo Yuhao watched anxiously from the side, while Huo Yu maintained an amused expression.

Just as Golden Dream slid away lightly again, casting a disdainful sidelong glance at Huo Hao, a golden light suddenly erupted from Huo Hao's eyes!

"Eye of Sanction!"

An invisible, irresistible authority descended instantly! For the first time, surprise flickered in Golden Dream's proud eyes as it found its body bound as if by countless chains, unable to move!

The restraint lasted only 0.5 seconds.

But that was enough!

Huo Hao's figure shot forward like an arrow from a bow, closing the distance between them in an instant. One hand pressed firmly against Golden Dream's cold, smooth body.

"You lost."

Huo Hao said calmly.

The Golden Dream Silkworm let out a light laugh. This guy was somewhat interesting—he hadn't used that strange trick right away, but waited until it let its guard down.

"Interesting human. I acknowledge you."

As the words fell, the massive body of Golden Dream began to dissolve into countless golden specks of light, surging wildly into Huo Hao's body.

On the other side, the moment Golden Dream's sacrifice began, the Silver Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, which had been trembling all along, jolted violently as if struck by a tremendous shock!

It glanced at Huo Hao, who was receiving the sacrifice, then at the original Sky Dream Ice Silkworm beside it, still in a daze, and finally cast a fearful gaze toward Huo Yu, whose aura was cold and sinister.

It seemed to suddenly understand something—rather than passively waiting, it was better to take the initiative and find the most intimidating master as a shield!

The next second, under everyone's stunned gaze, the Silver Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's body also burst apart with a "bang," transforming into a pure silver rain of light that surged into Huo Yu's body, as if it would be devoured by someone if it delayed even a second.

The entire scene left only the original Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, standing bewildered in the wind.

"Hey! Hey! What's wrong with you two! Making decisions without even a word—I'm the real one here!"

The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm cried out in grief and indignation.

Both "imposters" had found their masters, leaving only the genuine article and the seemingly weakest Huo Yuhao.

It cast a sorrowful look at the utterly innocent Huo Yuhao and let out a long sigh. "Ah, forget it, forget it. I'll take you. At least you were the first one I set my eyes on... Fate!"

With that, it too dissolved into specks of light and merged into Huo Yuhao's body.

A million-year soul ring can grant its host a full four soul skills!

Huo Hao's Eye of Sanction gained [Sanction Chain]: Mental power transforms into golden chains, forcibly restraining an enemy for 0.7 seconds and causing continuous mental burning.

[King's Majesty]: Passive skill. Naturally suppresses enemies with lower mental power than the user, reducing their total attributes by 10%.

[Destructive Golden Light]: Fires a high-density beam of mental energy from the eyes, with extremely strong penetrating power and bonus damage against evil attributes.

[Golden Domain]: Creates a domain filled with holiness and majesty. Within it, allies' mental power recovery speed increases, while enemies continuously suffer mental impact.

Huo Yu's Illusion Eyes gained [Kyōka Suigetsu]: Creates an illusion indistinguishable from reality, capable of trapping enemies within.

[Deceptive Shadow]: Erases one's own presence, entering a brief state of "absolute invisibility." Attacking or being attacked breaks the effect.

[Whispers of Fear]: Transforms mental power into demonic whispers that sound directly in the enemy's mind, evoking their deepest fears.

[True Nightmare]: Passive skill. All illusion attacks carry a trace of real mental damage. Even if the enemy sees through the illusion, they still suffer mental trauma.

As for Huo Yuhao, just like in the original story, he gained four soul skills including Spiritual Detection.