Qiangu Dongfeng: Are You... Afraid?

Qiangu Zhangting stood before the enormous surveillance screen, surrounded only by the low hum of operating machinery.

On the screen, Huo Yuhao darted and leaped through the forest, striking with movements so clean and fluid they made one's heart tighten.

Ordinary Hundred-year Soul Beasts could scarcely last a single exchange before Huo Yuhao.

Even Thousand-year Soul Beasts that would force teams of Soul Masters at the same rank to prepare themselves solemnly were ultimately defeated by him after some effort, thanks to his absurd Mental Power control and combat instincts.

Nearly half the energy produced from killing Soul Beasts was absorbed by the Grey Bead within his Spirit Sea.

Thus, for Xiao Yin to successfully advance into a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring, the number of Soul Beasts he needed to kill naturally doubled as well.

To Huo Yuhao, this was no great matter. It merely required a little more time, and he had always had more time than others.

Watching the color of Huo Yuhao's Soul Ring gradually deepen, Qiangu Zhangting knew that breaking through to ten thousand years was only a matter of time.

And that time likely would not take long!

Qiangu Zhangting's eyebrows were tightly furrowed, his expression somewhat grim.

Having watched Huo Yuhao for so long, Qiangu Zhangting had witnessed every bit of his progress.

Whenever Qiangu Zhangting thought he had seen through Huo Yuhao's limits, Huo Yuhao would always deliver another unexpected shock, making Qiangu Zhangting realize that he had judged wrong!

Qiangu Zhangting's gaze turned completely cold as he slowly exhaled.

"Turn it off."

He gave the order calmly, without a trace of joy or anger in his voice.

The operator froze for a moment before shutting off the display as Qiangu Zhangting had instructed.

Qiangu Zhangting then turned and walked out of the monitoring room.

"Grandfather!"

Qiangu Zhangting's voice echoed through the spacious Office Room, carrying the bone-deep respect ingrained by his family's legacy.

Before him, behind a broad desk of dark wood, Qiangu Dongfeng, the current Tower Master of the Spirit Pagoda, kept his eyes on a set of Archives before him without looking up.

"Zhangting is here." Qiangu Dongfeng's voice was steady and unruffled, betraying no emotion. "What is it?"

Qiangu Zhangting took a deep breath and said directly, "Grandfather, Huo Yuhao has just entered the Spirit Ascension Platform."

"Judging from his energy absorption pattern and Soul Spirit fluctuations, he should be trying to help his First Soul Spirit break through the ten-thousand-year threshold."

"Furthermore, his Soul Power accumulation... he is probably not far from the Rank 30 bottleneck."

The faint sound of pages turning stopped, and Qiangu Dongfeng slowly raised his head.

Those eyes, weathered by countless storms and seemingly able to see through everything, were like a tranquil deep sea as they settled upon his grandson's grave face, where a faint tension showed through.

"What is it?" Qiangu Dongfeng's tone remained even, yet it was like an undercurrent flowing beneath ice. "You... are afraid?"

"I..."

It was as if something had lodged in Qiangu Zhangting's throat. He opened his mouth, but no complete sound came out.

Instinctively, he avoided Qiangu Dongfeng's blade-sharp gaze and slowly lowered his head.

Yet the hands hanging at his sides suddenly clenched tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white from the excessive force.

His nails dug deeply into his palms, bringing sharp pain, but it did nothing to ease the turmoil in his chest—a mixture of unwillingness, frustration, and an indescribable hint of alarm.

The silence bore tangible weight, pressing down on him until he could barely breathe.

At last, he nearly forced the words out through clenched teeth, his voice low and trembling faintly.

"Grandfather... when I was his age."

He paused for a moment, as if it took all his strength to speak the rest. "...I was no match for him."

As the words fell, the Office Room sank into dead silence.

Though he had not admitted it outright, Qiangu Zhangting knew in his heart that he truly was afraid!

He was not afraid of Huo Yuhao's current strength, but of that unfathomable potential—afraid of a Trajectory that overlapped too closely with that of a legend!

Qiangu Dongfeng's gaze rested calmly on his grandson's face.

The silence lasted for a full ten breaths, so oppressive that Qiangu Zhangting could practically hear his own heart pounding like a drum.

Finally, that unreadable voice sounded again. "Fear is normal."

Qiangu Zhangting looked up in astonishment, staring at his grandfather's calm Facial Expression.

Qiangu Dongfeng's gaze shifted slightly, as though it had pierced through time and space. A trace of unfathomable reminiscence and reverence entered his voice.

"After all... that was the First Generation Tower Master, Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao, who truly ascended to the God Realm."

The next instant, his gaze sharpened and returned to calm.

"We investigated for two full years."

Qiangu Dongfeng lowered his voice. "We used every channel available to us, yet we could never determine where Leng Yaozhu had found this child. It was as if he had... appeared out of thin air."

"But without question, whether it is his name, Martial Soul, or appearance... they are all extremely similar to the First Generation Tower Master!"

"Once he truly matures, he will pose a tremendous threat to the Qiangu Family's control over the Spirit Pagoda!"

The Qiangu Clan, backed by generations of Quasi-Gods appearing one after another, had long regarded the Spirit Pagoda as their own possession.

At his words, a vicious look flashed across Qiangu Zhangting's face.

A cold gleam flickered in his eyes. He raised his right hand and made a swift slicing gesture across his throat.

His voice was lowered to almost a whisper, yet it carried a bloody chill. "Grandfather, if that's the case... why not take advantage of the fact that his wings have yet to fully grow and he is still young, and we..."

He did not finish, but the gesture and the undisguised killing intent in his eyes had already made his meaning perfectly clear.

He wanted to eliminate Huo Yuhao while he was still young and weak, uprooting the problem once and for all!

Qiangu Dongfeng's gaze rested on his grandson's face for a moment. The fleeting ruthlessness and impatient eagerness for quick success in his eyes made him sigh inwardly, unnoticed by anyone.

His grandson's talent was passable, but his temperament... fell short by far.

He feared the strong, grew impatient when pursuing strength, and handled matters in an overly ruthless and straightforward manner, lacking true breadth of vision and patience.

With such a temperament, he might rely on piled-up resources to reach the realm of a Quasi-Demigod in the future, but reaching the threshold of a true Demigod, let alone a Quasi-God, would likely be as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Even without Huo Yuhao, this unexpected "variable" who had appeared out of nowhere, once he and the Old Tower Master, the two generations of Quasi-Gods, passed away, Qiangu Zhangting alone would likely be unable to suppress those watching the Spirit Pagoda hungrily from within and without.

The position of Tower Master... was likely to slip from the Qiangu Clan's grasp.

At that thought, a trace of barely perceptible disappointment flashed through Qiangu Dongfeng's eyes.

He suddenly raised his voice. "No matter how similar he may be, this Huo Yuhao is not the First Generation Tower Master!"

His gaze was sharp as lightning as he looked at Qiangu Zhangting. "A little pressure and a few unknowns are enough to throw you into such disarray, frighten you into this state, and even make you entertain such lowly thoughts?"

"With such limited bearing, with your current state of mind, how much of the true essence of the Qiangu Family's secret Indomitable Staff Technique can you possibly comprehend?!"

"I'm sorry, Grandfather..."

Qiangu Zhangting trembled all over at the sudden harsh rebuke. The color drained from his face as he lowered his head deeply once more, his voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

The vicious aura from before had vanished completely, leaving behind only fear.

Qiangu Dongfeng snorted coldly and warned him in an unfriendly tone, "Put away those petty thoughts of yours. The Phoenix Lineage is no pushover either!"

"If you lay a hand on Huo Yuhao, do you think this matter can be settled so easily?"

He waved his hand irritably. "Get back and cultivate! What use is all this wild thinking? Strength is the foundation of everything!"

"Yes! This grandson will take his leave!"

As though granted a pardon, Qiangu Zhangting did not dare linger for even a moment. He practically backed away as he hurried out of the Office Room, gently closing the heavy door behind him.

Only after that door had completely cut off the space inside from the outside did Qiangu Dongfeng's always-straight back relax ever so slightly.

He slowly leaned back against the broad chair and raised a hand to rub his brow.

After a long while, a soft sigh echoed through the empty Office Room.

"Leng Yaozhu, bringing this child to the Spirit Pagoda... what exactly were you thinking?"