Spirit Ascension

Shrek City, Spirit Pagoda Headquarters, 101st-floor library.

Huo Yuhao had been sitting quietly at the mahogany long table by the window for two days.

Outside the window lay the city's magnificent scenery and drifting clouds; inside, there was only the faint rustle of turning pages and the silhouette of the boy reading with focused concentration.

Three hefty volumes lay open on the polished tabletop: Secret Records of the Spirit Pagoda, Biography of Yuhao, and The Continent's Hundred Greatest Figures of the Past Ten Thousand Years.

At that moment, Huo Yuhao's gaze was fixed on the age-worn pages of Biography of Yuhao.

Meanwhile, deep within his Spirit Sea, an unusually "harmonious" scene had emerged.

Xiao Yin's Silver Giant Eye and Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's pearly-white figure were "shoulder to shoulder" beside each other, two invisible strands of Mental Power quietly extending outward to scan every word on the page before Huo Yuhao in unison.

Now that he knew he was in the World Ten Thousand Years Later, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had calmed down from its initial shock, and the pride belonging to a Million-year Soul Beast had also subsided.

It glanced at Xiao Yin beside it. Faced with the Evil Eye Soul Spirit it had always been somewhat at odds with, it unusually did not provoke it. Instead, it struck up a conversation in an almost "pleasant" tone.

"Ahem, Brother Evil Eye... what does this book say?"

Its humble attitude was truly born of helplessness.

Despite possessing million-year Mental Power, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had one fatal weakness—it was illiterate!

Human writing was a completely unfamiliar field to it.

Those densely packed symbols were no different from heavenly script in its eyes.

Xiao Yin, on the other hand, was an Indomitable Soul Spirit born ten thousand years later and deeply intertwined with human civilization. Not only could it communicate through Mental Power, but it was also proficient in the common human script.

For much of the historical material Huo Yuhao had previously read, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had only been able to learn of the magnificent history recorded within through Xiao Yin's retelling.

Xiao Yin's silver pupil cast a sidelong glance at Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, clearly pleased by its current "humble request for guidance."

Its silver Spiritual Tentacles swayed contentedly before it said, "This passage records a life-or-death battle that broke out between Shrek Academy and the Star Dou Great Forest Ten Thousand Years Ago."

"According to the book, the situation was extremely perilous at the time, and Shrek's side was nearly driven into a desperate situation..."

"Only when Lord Yuhao acted at the critical moment and turned the tide did the battle turn around."

"Otherwise, Shrek Academy might have faced the danger of annihilation."

"Hiss!!!"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's pearly-white body shuddered violently as it sucked in a "cold breath."

It knew only too well the strength of those Beasts in the Core Circle of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Over the past two days, through Xiao Yin's "explanations," it had already learned with certainty that its god-creation plan had ultimately succeeded Ten Thousand Years Ago.

Huo Yuhao had indeed ascended to the God Realm.

However, after personally witnessing Huo Yuhao's inconceivable ability to travel through time and space, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm did not dare show even the slightest pride. It had become much more composed within the Spirit Sea.

The karma and secrets tied to the boy before it seemed far more vast and complex than it had imagined.

At that moment, Huo Yuhao outside lifted his gaze from the pages of Biography of Yuhao. His eyebrows furrowed slightly as he fell into thought.

According to the records he had just read, he seemed to gain an ability to control Undead Creatures in the future.

The origin of that ability was vaguely recorded as "inherited from a mysterious teacher."

His consciousness sank into his Spirit Sea, and his gaze was drawn involuntarily toward the Grey Bead the size of a soybean, its aura of death so dense.

"Could it be..." Huo Yuhao's thoughts stirred faintly. "Could the 'mysterious teacher' in those future records... be him?"

"Yuhao, where are you headed?"

The moment he stepped out of the elevator, a clear voice carrying a hint of warmth came from the side.

Huo Yuhao knew who it was without turning around. He stopped, turned, and wore a perfectly appropriate smile. "Brother Zhangting, I was just planning to take a look at the Spirit Ascension Platform."

Approaching him was a youth of around seventeen or eighteen. He was tall and upright, with handsome features, and the smile at his lips carried an approachable warmth that made others feel at ease.

This person was none other than Qiangu Zhangting, the beloved grandson of Spirit Pagoda Tower Master Qiangu Dongfeng.

Qiangu Zhangting strode over briskly and naturally raised a hand to pat Huo Yuhao's shoulder. "Looks like our Spirit Pagoda's little genius is about to advance even further."

Having reached Soul Power Level 26 at the age of eight, Huo Yuhao's cultivation speed was enough to draw attention even within the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters, where countless elite talents from across the continent gathered. He truly deserved to be called a genius.

Changing the subject slightly, Qiangu Zhangting added with the concern of someone experienced, "But Yuhao, while Soul Power Level is certainly important, actual combat experience is the foundation for standing firm."

"If you're interested, you can come spar with me anytime."

"To be honest, I've never formally fought a pure Spirit Type Soul Master before. I'm quite curious myself."

The smile on Huo Yuhao's face remained unchanged, carrying the shyness and humility appropriate for his age as he shook his head in refusal. "Brother Zhangting, you're joking. With my meager cultivation, how could I possibly be your opponent?"

"As for sparring, perhaps we can discuss it after my Soul Power Level has risen a bit more—when I won't lose too embarrassingly."

His tone was respectful and polite. Anyone who saw him would think he was a junior who knew when to advance and retreat, and who was humble and diligent.

Yet beneath his calm exterior, his heart had already grown solemn.

Leng Yaozhu had repeatedly and seriously warned him to be cautious when dealing with members of the Qiangu Family. Surface-level politeness was enough; he must not form close ties with them. None of them were good people!

At his words, a perfectly measured trace of regret crossed Qiangu Zhangting's face, but he did not press the matter further. He merely laughed heartily. "That is a pity."

"I happened to have something to take care of as well, so I won't hold you up from going to the Spirit Ascension Platform. Good luck!"

After exchanging a few more polite pleasantries, the two parted courteously. Huo Yuhao headed straight for the Spirit Ascension Platform.

As Vice Tower Master Leng Yaozhu's disciple, Huo Yuhao had his own private Quiet Room within the Spirit Ascension Platform.

The metallic Spirit Ascension Pod slowly closed, completely swallowing Huo Yuhao from view.

His consciousness seemed to sink into a soft, deep pool. After a brief haze and a sensation of weightlessness, his body suddenly became weightless.

When he "opened his eyes" again, he was already in another world.

Towering ancient trees rose from the ground, their branches and leaves interwoven to block out the sky. The damp scent of decaying soil mingled with the fresh fragrance of vegetation and washed over him.

Light filtered through gaps in the leaves, casting shafts of light through the forest shrouded in a faint white mist. Dust drifted slowly up and down within them.

"Whoa!"

Within the Spirit Sea, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's cry of surprise exploded.

Its Mental Power extended from between Huo Yuhao's brows, greedily "touching" every detail of this virtual world.

The veins of the leaves, the moisture of the soil, the flow of the air—even the distant, faint roars of beasts and chirping of insects... everything was terrifyingly real.

"Th-This is really an illusion? How can it be this realistic?!"

Its astonishment carried a trace of disbelief. In just a few short days, Soul Tool technology from ten thousand years in the future had already brought it far too many shocks.

Over the past two years, if Huo Yuhao had devoted all his time to cultivation, his Soul Power should have broken through rank thirty long ago.

After all, to him, it was equivalent to four years of time.

Yet even though studying forging and Soul Tools had consumed a great deal of his time, Huo Yuhao's cultivation speed still far surpassed that of ordinary geniuses.

Moreover, his rank twenty-six Soul Power was far more condensed than that of Soul Masters his age.

This was a secret technique of the Body Sect, and it would be greatly beneficial when condensing a Soul Core in the future.

Now that he had fused with Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, although the other had not yet become his Soul Spirit, the power of its million-year origin had raised his Mental Power once more.

So, during this visit to the Spirit Ascension Platform, he planned to raise the Evil Eye Soul Spirit's cultivation age to ten thousand years!

His Mental Power had reached the Spirit Sea Realm a year ago, enough to support a ten-thousand-year Soul Spirit!

Almost at the very instant Huo Yuhao's virtual body solidified within the forest...

In the Spirit Ascension Platform's monitoring center, inside another highly restricted secret room.

Qiangu Zhangting hurried in. The door silently closed behind him, sealing off the room from the outside.

The lighting inside was soft. Only a massive Soul Guidance Screen occupying an entire wall displayed images from throughout the Spirit Ascension Platform.

The gentle smile that made others feel like they were basking in a spring breeze had long vanished from his face, replaced by a focused, scrutinizing look.

He strode to the main control console. Without even sitting down, he directly ordered, "Bring up Huo Yuhao's image inside the Spirit Ascension Platform."

Light and shadow shifted across the center of the screen, swiftly locking on and enlarging.

Huo Yuhao's figure, standing in the virtual forest, was displayed with perfect clarity.