Tang Ya: I Really Deserve to Die!

Hearing this unhesitating "I believe in you," the softest part of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's heart seemed to be touched.

The feeling of being trusted unconditionally was truly wonderful.

Especially after experiencing a million years of loneliness and constant fear.

Her azure eyes grew slightly moist, and she nodded forcefully. Her voice lost some of its playfulness, replaced by a touch of sincerity:

"Yuhao, thank you. Big Sister... I will never betray your trust!"

She paused, as if having made a certain resolution, and continued, "Yuhao, what I have bestowed upon you, besides the spiritual origin and four soul skills brought by the million-year soul ring, is also... an incomplete embryonic form of an Ice-attribute martial soul.

If you trust me, once you reach level twenty, I will take you to the Extreme North!

There, I can help you shape this embryonic martial soul into an unprecedented, powerful Ice-attribute martial soul!

Consider this... a greeting gift and an investment from your Big Sister!"

Huo Yuhao looked at the earnest and expectant gaze of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, as if seeing the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm from his past life who had sworn to take him to the Extreme North.

The corners of his mouth lifted involuntarily, revealing a faint yet genuine warmth.

"Alright." He nodded again, his tone firm, "I believe in you."

After completing the exchange with Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and reaching a preliminary consensus, Huo Yuhao's spiritual body did not linger in the Sea of Spirit.

With a flick of his mind, his consciousness withdrew from this pale golden ocean of spirit like a receding tide, returning to his physical shell in the outside world.

His eyelids fluttered, and the light of the outside world filtered through the gaps.

Huo Yuhao slowly opened his eyes, first feeling the abundance of spiritual power and soul power fluctuations within his body—the natural feedback from merging with the origin of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and condensing his first soul ring via the Heavenly Dao Contract.

His soul power had surged to level twelve, and his spiritual power had stabilized at a level far exceeding his peers, comparable to a Soul Ancestor.

However, the moment his vision cleared, two figures came into view.

It was Tang Ya and Beibei, whom he had met by the stream earlier.

They had arrived at Huo Yuhao's side at some point and were now standing a few meters away, one wearing a look of gentle concern, the other with eyes full of curiosity and worry, watching him quietly.

"Little Brother Li, are you awake?" Seeing Huo Yuhao open his eyes, Beibei wore a perfectly measured smile and spoke in a gentle tone, "We followed your tracks earlier and discovered you seemed to be absorbing a soul ring, right at a critical moment of cultivation. To prevent any soul beasts from disturbing you, we stood guard here for a while."

His words were appropriate; he explained their presence, indicated no ill intent, and subtly hinted that "we have been observing you for a while," showing excellent grasp of social boundaries.

Huo Yuhao understood immediately.

The heaven and earth phenomena triggered by merging with Tian Meng were not just grand; they released a spiritual shockwave. Anyone hit by it would enter a brief state of stupor unless their spiritual power surpassed that of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.

Tang Ya and Beibei had clearly been affected by the spiritual shock. Once the effect faded, they didn't know what had happened and simply continued toward him as they had intended.

Upon arriving, they saw him surrounded by a yellow soul ring in the final stage of "absorption," along with the lingering faint spiritual pressure that kept low-level soul beasts at bay.

They naturally interpreted this as him having successfully hunted a suitable soul beast and absorbing his first soul ring.

"Many thanks to you both for standing guard."

Huo Yuhao rose from his seated position, brushed the dust from his hem, and bowed slightly toward Tang Ya and Beibei, offering a simple gesture of gratitude.

His voice was calm, devoid of much emotion, but his etiquette was impeccable.

Even without their protection, the residual million-year spiritual pressure of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm would have ensured no foolish low-level soul beast dared to approach for quite some time.

But their proactive act of guarding was well-intentioned, and he accepted the favor.

That yellow hundred-year soul ring was, naturally, not the million-year soul ring of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.

It was a hundred-year soul ring Huo Yuhao had condensed himself after initially merging with the vast spiritual origin of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and stabilizing his own soul. Using his deep understanding of the "Heavenly Dao Contract" from his past life and his partially restored spiritual power, he acted as a bridge to communicate directly with the free-floating spiritual energy and laws between heaven and earth, creating a ring perfectly suited to his Spirit Eye martial soul.

As for the million-year soul ring of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, it had long been sealed deep within the Sea of Spirit by Huo Yuhao using a special technique.

That platinum-colored ring was currently floating quietly beneath the Eye of Destiny, being nourished and tempered by both the power of destiny and the Sea of Spirit, waiting for the optimal moment.

Huo Yuhao's plan was to wait until his seventh soul ring—the critical moment of qualitative change for his martial soul avatar—to completely unseal and absorb the million-year soul ring origin.

At that time, the transformation of the martial soul avatar combined with the blessing of the million-year soul ring would produce an unimaginable synergistic effect, not only greatly enhancing the power and potential of his martial soul avatar but also allowing his spiritual power to take a true leap forward, paving the way for his subsequent cultivation.

"Don't mention it, Little Brother Li Feiyu." Seeing Huo Yuhao wake up and offer thanks, Tang Ya immediately stepped forward, her large eyes blinking with curiosity and a touch of involuntary pity.

"You don't look very old, so how did you come to the Star Dou Great Forest all by yourself to hunt a soul ring? That's so dangerous! Where is your... family? Didn't your mother come with you?"

She was quick-spoken, her questions tumbling out one after another with the straightforwardness and concern typical of a young girl.

Upon hearing the word "mother," the fingers hanging at Huo Yuhao's sides curled almost imperceptibly. A bone-deep, icy hatred flashed in the depths of his eyes like a poisoned needle, only to be forcibly suppressed and hidden by his powerful willpower in an instant.

It was so fast that even Beibei, who had been watching him closely, failed to fully capture it, only vaguely sensing that the boy's calm gaze had rippled for a moment.

"Dead."

He looked up at Tang Ya, his voice flat and waveless, devoid of any emotion.

But that overly flat tone instead revealed a loneliness and coldness that reached into the marrow of his bones.

The smile on Tang Ya's face stiffened, and she immediately realized she might have asked about a painful subject she shouldn't have, her expression becoming flustered and awkward.

"Then... what about your father?"

She asked almost subconsciously, and the moment the words left her lips, she wished she could bite off her own tongue.

Huo Yuhao was silent for a moment, his gaze seemingly cast toward some distant, empty void. His voice remained without inflection, yet it seemed to carry the chill of the forest wind: "He abandoned us, mother and son, and left."

"..." Tang Ya froze completely. She opened her mouth, but not a single word came out. Her pretty face flushed slightly, and she cursed herself a thousand times over in her heart: Tang Ya, oh Tang Ya, you really had to bring up the one thing you shouldn't have!

Little Brother Li was so young and had come to hunt a soul beast all by himself; it was obvious he was facing difficulties, yet you insisted on digging for the truth and picking at his scars! I really deserve to die!

Beibei was still the one with more experience and a more delicate touch.

He stepped forward half a pace, gently guiding the flustered Tang Ya behind him. With a look of sincere apology on his face, he spoke softly to Huo Yuhao, "Brother Li, I am truly sorry. Xiao Ya has a straightforward temperament and sometimes speaks without thinking, but she means no harm. Please, do not take it to heart."

He had provided Tang Ya with a perfect way to save face while simultaneously soothing Huo Yuhao, whose painful memories might have been stirred.