Huo Yuhao's New Opportunity

"Senior..." Huo Yuhao did not know when he had walked to a spot not far behind Jiang Che. The young man's voice carried a hint of caution, along with a trace of indescribable shock.

He had witnessed this battle with his own eyes, observing a clash at the Title Douluo level in its entirety from the perspective of an ordinary Soul Master. That power, that speed, and the absolute control that could end an opponent's life with a mere wave of a hand had been deeply etched into his heart.

Jiang Che turned his head to glance at him, his expression returning to its usual gentleness: "Scared?"

Huo Yuhao shook his head, then nodded, and finally, as if thinking of something, whispered: "Senior, I must also become a powerhouse like you."

Jiang Che chuckled softly, not responding, and simply patted him on the shoulder.

"Let's go, let's go collect the things those Evil Soul Masters left behind."

Jiang Che, accompanied by Huo Yuhao and the Ice Empress, gathered the storage Soul Tools scattered throughout the ice valley one by one.

The storage rings and bracelets carried by Gu Qianye and Ming He, along with the miscellaneous Soul Tools left behind by the fallen Soul Saints and Soul Douluos, totaled about twenty items.

Jiang Che did not open them to inspect their contents; he simply deposited all the storage Soul Tools into his own Ring of the Overseer, intending to take them back to Shrek Academy for the school to process.

This was the standard procedure for the Supervision Group when dealing with Evil Soul Masters: all spoils of war were to be turned in, registered by the academy, and then distributed to members of the Supervision Group based on their contributions. Although Jiang Che did not rely on these items for a living, he would not break the rules.

The Ice Empress had no interest in these things. From beginning to end, she stood to the side with her arms crossed, her amber eyes scanning the surroundings of the ice valley in boredom.

Huo Yuhao, however, busied himself helping with the collection. The young man was quick and meticulous, not even missing the small objects buried under the shattered ice.

Once everything was packed up, Jiang Che was just about to take Huo Yuhao and leave the ice valley to continue searching for spirit-type soul beasts when Huo Yuhao suddenly spoke up with hesitation.

"Senior..." Huo Yuhao's voice carried a trace of uncertainty.

"What is it?" Jiang Che turned back.

Huo Yuhao scratched his head, as if organizing his thoughts, and only after a moment did he say cautiously: "Senior, I was thinking about something. Why did that group of Evil Soul Masters stop in this specific place?"

Jiang Che's footsteps paused.

"The Far North is so vast, and they were powerhouses at the level of Soul Saints and Title Douluos who could come and go as they pleased; there was no need for them to choose this ice valley to settle down." Seeing that Jiang Che did not interrupt him, Huo Yuhao grew bolder and continued with his speculation, "Besides, when we arrived earlier, I noticed those Evil Soul Masters were all gathered in front of that ice wall, as if they were guarding something."

"They had two Title Douluos and so many high-level Soul Masters; even if they encountered a powerhouse of your level, Senior, they wouldn't have just started fighting without even trying to run, would they?"

Jiang Che looked at Huo Yuhao, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes.

"You mean to say there might be something behind that ice wall?" Jiang Che asked.

Huo Yuhao nodded, his expression somewhat nervous, but he bit the bullet and said: "Senior, I think we should go take a look."

Hearing this, Jiang Che did not hesitate and walked toward the ice wall deep in the ice valley.

The ice wall at the depths of the ice valley was a layer of ten-thousand-year-old ice, about twenty zhang high and deep blue throughout. Its surface was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the gray, gloomy sky of the Far North.

At first glance, it looked no different from the surrounding ice walls, but upon closer inspection, one could detect a faint ripple of soul power on the surface, as if it had been covered by an extremely sophisticated concealment technique.

Jiang Che pressed his palm against the ice wall, and the soul power of his Ultimate Ice vibrated slightly. The barrier of hidden soul power disintegrated like a shattered mirror, revealing the true sight behind the wall.

A narrow ice fissure cut diagonally into the depths of the mountain. At the entrance of the fissure, there were clear traces of soul power left behind by people entering and exiting.

Jiang Che turned sideways and slipped into the fissure, with the Ice Empress and Huo Yuhao following closely behind. The interior of the fissure was much more spacious than the entrance, and the ice walls on both sides were covered in ice crystals of various shapes, refracting dreamlike halos under the pale blue light radiating from Jiang Che.

After walking about a hundred paces, the space ahead suddenly opened up.

This was a naturally formed ice cavern. The dome was about ten zhang high, with countless crystalline ice stalactites hanging down, and the floor was covered in a thick layer of ice, as flat as a mirror.

In the very center of this ice cavern, an ancient stone platform stood quietly. The platform was grayish-white, its material completely different from the surrounding ice, and its surface was engraved with dense, intricate soul-guiding patterns.

"God-Sealing Platform!" Jiang Che's pupils constricted slightly. Although he had never seen a real God-Sealing Platform, as a high-level Soul Master, he could recognize it.

In the center of the God-Sealing Platform, inside a groove the size of a fist, lay a soul beast embryo the size of a fist.

The embryo was ice-blue, covered by a thin, transparent membrane. Through the membrane, one could vaguely see the outline of a small soul beast curled up inside.

"This is..." Jiang Che approached the God-Sealing Platform, his gaze locked tightly on the soul beast embryo. He could feel the power of the Ultimate Ice attribute origin contained within it.

The Ice Empress also walked over, and for the first time, her amber eyes revealed clear astonishment. She extended a slender finger and lightly touched the membrane on the surface of the embryo.

"Silent Frost Ice Phoenix." The Ice Empress withdrew her finger, her tone certain.

"This is a Silent Frost Ice Phoenix that is nearly extinct, with a cultivation of about two hundred thousand years. It seems it knew it couldn't survive its heavenly tribulation and wanted to cultivate into a human before the second tribulation, but it was caught just in time."

"Silent Frost Ice Phoenix?" Jiang Che raised his eyebrows slightly and subconsciously glanced at Huo Yuhao behind him.

Huo Yuhao was standing at the entrance of the ice cavern, his gaze fixed blankly on the soul beast embryo on the God-Sealing Platform. In the depths of the young man's eyes was an unconcealable shock, along with a trace of inexplicable longing that even he himself had not noticed.

Jiang Che understood in his heart. He knew that in Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness lived the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, a "useless" soul beast with a million-year cultivation. Just by looking at Huo Yuhao's expression, he knew that the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had just told Huo Yuhao the purpose of the soul beast embryo.

Although it was a "useless" soul beast, it could not be denied that its spiritual power was truly strong—at least much stronger than Jiang Che's. It must have been the one to alert Huo Yuhao just now; one had to realize that even he and the Ice Empress hadn't sensed anything inside earlier.

Jiang Che looked silently at the soul beast embryo, which was still pulsing slightly, his thoughts churning.

He finally understood why the Holy Spirit Cult would send two Title Douluos, three Soul Douluos, and ten Soul Saints to this godforsaken Far North. A two-hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast embryo was worth any faction going all out to seize.

Subsequently, Jiang Che discovered that there was a problem with this God-Sealing Platform; it was damaged, and its effectiveness was waning. If no one interfered, the platform would be completely useless within three days.

No wonder Gu Qianye and Ming He had been so stubborn earlier; they must have been trying to lure him away. Other high-ranking members of the Holy Spirit Cult likely knew of this place and were currently on their way.

He shifted his gaze from the God-Sealing Platform to Huo Yuhao behind him.

Huo Yuhao was standing at the entrance of the ice cavern, the expression on the young man's face conflicted. His lips parted several times, as if he were hesitating whether to say something.

His gaze drifted toward the soul beast embryo from time to time, the longing in his eyes nearly overflowing, yet he bit his lip tightly, saying nothing.

Watching Huo Yuhao in this state, Jiang Che suddenly felt a desire to laugh.

This is likely the fate of a Child of Destiny; humans have a chance to obtain a second martial soul through soul beast embryos. Although the probability is low, once obtained, it is bound to be an incredibly powerful martial soul.

He had intercepted the Ice Empress, so the Child of Destiny received a Silent Frost Ice Phoenix embryo as his second martial soul instead. While not as formidable as having the Ice Empress as a second martial soul, it was still a 200,000-year-old fierce beast—something most people wouldn't even dare to dream of.

"Huo Yuhao," Jiang Che said.

"Ah? Se-Senior?" Huo Yuhao snapped back to reality, his voice tinged with a hint of guilt.

"Do you want this soul beast embryo?"

"I... I..." Huo Yuhao stammered, not knowing how to respond.

"If you want it, it's yours."

Of course Huo Yuhao wanted that embryo. From the moment he first saw that icy blue halo, a powerful, uncontrollable craving had surged within his heart.

But his reason told him that the embryo was a trophy Jiang Che had seized after defeating a powerful enemy. He had no right to ask for it, and he shouldn't even be coveting it.

Yet now, his senior was offering it to him voluntarily.

"Senior, I..." Huo Yuhao's voice trembled, his eyes turning slightly red. "This is too valuable; I cannot accept it."

"Take it," Jiang Che's tone left no room for refusal. "This thing is useless to me, and this God-Sealing Platform is broken. Not only can it not seal anything for long, but it also cannot be moved. Among everyone here, you are the only one who can use it. Besides, you were the one who discovered this place; without you, we never would have found it."

Huo Yuhao remained silent for a long while before nodding heavily, saying a single word in a hoarse voice: "Okay."

He did not say thank you, because he knew that word was too light to carry the weight of this favor. He simply carved this bond deep into his heart, waiting for the day he could repay it.

The events that followed were much simpler.

That is the fate of a Child of Destiny; no one can truly take it away. He could snatch the Ice Empress, but the world would provide Huo Yuhao with a Silent Frost Ice Phoenix embryo. He could snatch the Ice Jade Scorpion Torso Bone, but the world would provide Huo Yuhao with an even more suitable soul bone. What belongs to someone will eventually be theirs.

However, there is nothing wrong with this. He is growing stronger, and Huo Yuhao is also maturing. Without the interference of God King Tang, Huo Yuhao will be his little brother from now on, and the future of Shrek will only be brighter.