Tang Ya: I Really Am the Worst!

Hearing that utterly unhesitating "I believe you," Sister Tian Meng felt as though it had touched the softest place in her heart.

Being trusted unconditionally felt wonderful.

Especially after enduring a million years of loneliness and fear.

Her azure eyes grew slightly misty. She nodded firmly, and her voice lost some of its usual playfulness, growing more serious instead.

"Yuhao, thank you. Sis... I won't let you down!"

She paused, as if she had made up her mind, then continued, "Yuhao, besides the Spiritual Origin and four Soul Skills bestowed by the Million-Year Soul Ring, I've also given you something else... the unfinished prototype of an ice-attribute Martial Soul.

"If you trust me, then once you reach level twenty, I'll take you to the Extreme North!

"There, I can help you mold this Martial Soul prototype into an unprecedentedly powerful ice-attribute Martial Soul!

"Think of it as... your big sister's welcome gift and investment!"

Huo Yuhao looked at Sister Tian Meng's earnest, expectant gaze and seemed to see Brother Sky Dream from his previous life, who had vowed to take him to the Extreme North.

The corners of his mouth lifted almost imperceptibly, revealing a faint but genuine warmth.

"Okay." He nodded again, his voice firm. "I believe you."

After communicating with the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and reaching a preliminary understanding, Huo Yuhao's spirit did not linger in the Sea of Spirit.

With a slight movement of his mind, his consciousness withdrew from the pale golden sea like the receding tide, returning to his body in the outside world.

His eyelids trembled, and light filtered in through the narrow gaps.

Huo Yuhao slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he felt was the surge of Spiritual Power and Soul Power within him—natural feedback from merging with the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's origin and condensing his First Soul Ring through the Heavenly Dao Contract.

His Soul Power had clearly broken through to level twelve, while his Spiritual Power had stabilized at a level far beyond that of his peers, comparable to a Soul Ancestor's.

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

They were Tang Ya and Beibei, whom he had met earlier by the stream.

At some point, they had come over to stand a few meters away. One wore a warm, concerned expression; the other watched him quietly, curiosity and worry in her eyes.

"Brother Li, you're awake?" Seeing Huo Yuhao open his eyes, Beibei smiled just enough to be polite and spoke in a gentle tone. "We followed your tracks here earlier and saw that you seemed to be absorbing a Soul Ring, at a critical stage of cultivation. To keep any Soul Beasts from disturbing you, we stayed nearby to keep watch."

His words were tactful. He explained why they were there, made clear they meant no harm, and subtly let Huo Yuhao know they had watched him for a while. He had judged the situation perfectly.

Huo Yuhao understood.

The celestial phenomenon caused by his fusion with Tian Meng had been more than merely spectacular. It had also released a Spirit Shock, leaving anyone affected in a brief daze unless their Spiritual Power surpassed the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's.

Tang Ya and Beibei had clearly been affected by the Spirit Shock. Once its effects wore off, they had no idea what had happened and simply continued with their original plan, heading toward him.

By the time they arrived, they had seen him in the final stages of "absorbing" a Yellow Soul Ring that circled around him, along with the faint Spiritual pressure lingering in the area—enough to keep low-level Soul Beasts away.

Naturally, they assumed he had successfully hunted a suitable Soul Beast and was absorbing his First Soul Ring.

"Thank you both for keeping watch over me."

Huo Yuhao rose from the ground, where he had been sitting cross-legged, brushed the dust from his clothes, and bowed slightly toward Tang Ya and Beibei in a simple gesture of thanks.

His voice was calm, revealing little emotion, but his manners were impeccable.

Even without them standing guard, the remnants of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's million-year Spiritual pressure would have kept any low-level Soul Beast with half a brain from approaching.

Still, their offer to protect him had been kind, and he appreciated it.

That Hundred-Year Soul Ring was naturally not the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's Million-Year Soul Ring.

After initially merging with the vast Spiritual Origin of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and stabilizing and strengthening his own soul, Huo Yuhao had drawn on his previous life's deep understanding of the "Heavenly Dao Contract" and his restored Spiritual Power. Using himself as a bridge, he had communicated directly with the free-floating energies and laws of the world, condensing a Hundred-Year Soul Ring perfectly suited to his Spirit Eye Martial Soul.

As for the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's Million-Year Soul Ring, Huo Yuhao had long since sealed it deep within the Sea of Spirit using a special method.

The platinum-colored ring now floated quietly beneath the Eye of Destiny, nourished and tempered by both the power of fate and the Sea of Spirit, awaiting the perfect moment.

Huo Yuhao planned to completely unseal and absorb the Million-Year Soul Ring's origin when he reached the Seventh Soul Ring—the critical point at which his Martial Soul Avatar would undergo its transformation.

At that time, the evolution of his Martial Soul Avatar and the power of the Million-Year Soul Ring would create an unimaginable synergy. It would not only greatly enhance the Avatar's power and potential, but also give his Spiritual Power a true leap forward, paving the way for his future cultivation.

"You're welcome, little Brother Li." Seeing Huo Yuhao wake and thank them, Tang Ya immediately stepped forward, her big eyes blinking with curiosity and a hint of unconscious pity.

"You don't look very old. Why did you come all the way to the Star Dou Great Forest alone to hunt for a Soul Ring? It's so dangerous! What about your... family? Didn't your mother come with you?"

She was quick to speak, her questions tumbling out one after another with a girl's frankness and concern.

At the word "mother," the fingers hanging at Huo Yuhao's side curled almost imperceptibly. Deep in his eyes, a bone-chilling hatred flashed like a poisoned needle, but he forcefully suppressed it in an instant with his iron will.

It happened so quickly that even Beibei, who had been watching him closely, failed to catch it. He only sensed the slightest ripple in the boy's otherwise calm gaze.

"She's dead."

He raised his head and looked at Tang Ya. His voice was flat, devoid of emotion.

Yet that excessive flatness only made the loneliness and chill buried deep in his bones all the more palpable.

Tang Ya's smile froze. She realized she might have brought up a painful subject and looked awkward and helpless.

"Then... what about your father?"

She asked almost without thinking, and the moment the words left her mouth, she wanted to bite her tongue off.

Huo Yuhao fell silent for a moment. His gaze seemed to settle on some distant, empty place. His voice remained level, yet seemed to carry the chill of the forest wind. "He abandoned my mother and me, and left."

"..." Tang Ya froze completely. She opened her mouth but couldn't utter a word. Her pretty face flushed faintly as she cursed herself a thousand times over: Tang Ya, Tang Ya, why do you always have to bring up what hurts most?

Little Brother Li was so young, yet he'd come alone to hunt Soul Beasts. He clearly had his reasons, and you still had to pry and reopen his wounds! I really am the worst!

Beibei was more experienced and more thoughtful.

He stepped forward and gently drew Tang Ya, who was at a loss, behind him. With a sincere, apologetic expression, he said warmly to Huo Yuhao, "Brother Li, I'm truly sorry. Xiao Ya is straightforward, and sometimes she doesn't think before she speaks, but she meant no harm. Please don't take it to heart."

He gave Tang Ya a graceful way out while soothing Huo Yuhao, whose wounds she might have touched.