This grilled fish will be my reward

Ye Guchen looked at Tang Ya, suddenly reminded of himself many years ago.

Despite being a transmigrator, he had failed to protect his foster parents.

Back then, he had been just like Tang Ya, constantly sinking into self-reproach and agony, as if that were the only way to find a shred of solace for his soul.

But how is this any different from being a coward?

This thought struck his heart like a rusty blade—not sharp, but heavy and dull.

He had once believed that pain was a form of repayment.

As long as the wound was deep enough and the pain lasted long enough, he could offset the debt of "what should have been done but wasn't."

Every time the faces of his foster parents surfaced, he would lash himself with self-blame, as if to prove: Look, I haven't forgotten you, I haven't forgiven myself, I am still suffering for your sake.

But later, he understood: that wasn't love, it was selfishness.

Using all one's strength to punish oneself only keeps one rooted in place.

And those who remain rooted can carry nothing, and change nothing.

What his foster parents traded their lives for was not a child kneeling before a grave to weep for a lifetime.

They wanted him to live—to live well, and to live for them as well.

Ye Guchen pulled his gaze from the memories and fixed it on Tang Ya.

He spoke suddenly, his voice low but every word distinct:

"Guilt is the easiest thing in this world. You only need to keep asking yourself 'why didn't I do it,' and then keep answering 'it's my fault.' One question, one answer, a cycle repeating until a lifetime has passed."

He paused.

"But what is truly difficult is swallowing that guilt and carrying it with you on the road. Let it become a thorn in your flesh; it hurts with every breath, yet you keep walking. Walk to where you must go, and do what you must do."

Ye Guchen patted her shoulder.

"I won't tell you to let go." He looked down at Tang Ya, his eyes devoid of pity, holding only a cold, hard honesty. "Some things can never be let go of in a lifetime."

"But you have a choice—to kneel and embrace it, or to stand and carry it."

In that moment, the aura around him shifted.

He was no longer a survivor mourning the past, but a traveler who had forged all his losses into his bones and blood, stepping forward to crush the path ahead.

The things that could not kill him had not turned him into a walking corpse; instead, they had tempered a spirit that refused to break.

He did not deny the pain of the past, but he would no longer sacrifice his future to that agony.

Ye Guchen withdrew his gaze, and with it, the version of himself that had been drowning in the past.

"Tang Ya, the departed are gone, and the past cannot be undone, but the future can be controlled. Calm your heart, and there will eventually come a day for vengeance."

By now, Tang Ya was stunned, her tears already dried by the wind.

Her eyes gradually broke free from their confusion, beginning to harden with resolve.

"Thank you, Senior Ye Guchen, I know what to do now!"

Ye Guchen saw the instantaneous shift in her aura; he was all too familiar with that look. At this moment, Tang Ya had been reborn.

Just then, a rustling sound came from the bushes ahead.

A jade-green scorpion radiating extreme coldness darted out from the brush, followed by a thin, frail boy.

Seeing who it was, Tang Ya hurriedly turned away, secretly wiping away the dried tear tracks.

"Sister Tang Ya! Why are you two here?"

The newcomer was none other than Huo Yuhao.

Night fell. Beibei had finished his first round of healing, and the soul beast riot triggered by Ye Guchen had largely subsided.

The four of them sat around a campfire, savoring the grilled fish prepared by Huo Yuhao.

The Ice Jade Empress Scorpion and the Fire Luan Bird stood behind Ye Guchen like sentinels, occasionally leaning in to demand a piece of the fish from his hand.

By now, Ye Guchen's soul power had reached level fifty, and his four pet beasts had also seen their strength rise to the thirty-thousand-year level. In the outer perimeter of the Star Dou Great Forest, they could completely ignore the rule against lighting fires at night.

The mere pressure exerted by Xiao Bing and Xiao Huo was enough to keep surrounding soul beasts at bay.

Ye Guchen carefully sampled Huo Yuhao's craft. Honestly, it was no worse than the grilled fish from the shops in his past life. After all, the Douluo World had been developing for tens of thousands of years; surely it could produce some decent food?

"Senior Ye Guchen, are you returning to the academy now?"

Beibei had not fully recovered, so he naturally hoped Ye Guchen would stay to help Tang Ya hunt for her soul ring.

"I was planning to head back, but since we've run into each other, I'll help you finish hunting for your soul ring before we all go back together."

Ye Guchen tore off a piece of fish to feed the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion and looked at Huo Yuhao.

"By the way, little Huo Yuhao, I see your soul power aura has just reached level ten. I assume you are here to obtain a soul ring as well. If you're willing, you can release your martial soul, and I'll help you find a compatible soul ring while I'm at it."

Hearing this, Huo Yuhao was flattered and waved his hands repeatedly.

"No, no, no, I can just find one myself, how could I trouble Brother Ye Guchen any further!"

He knew it would be like this; Huo Yuhao's sense of inferiority was still far too strong at this moment.

"What trouble? It's just a matter of convenience. A Spirit Master's first spirit ring is of the utmost importance and cannot be handled carelessly. Besides, I can tell that you are not a person content with mediocrity."

Ye Guchen looked at the grilled fish in his hand and waved it at Huo Yuhao.

"The grilled fish is good; let this fish serve as the payment!"

Hearing this, Huo Yuhao gritted his teeth. He still had a great grudge to settle, and if he relied on himself, his first spirit ring would likely be nothing more than a common ten-year spirit ring! He immediately nodded in agreement.

"Thank you!"

Huo Yuhao clenched his fists. Seeing the refined and otherworldly Ye Guchen before him, his desire to become stronger reached its peak at this very moment.

He had already set Ye Guchen as the target he would strive to catch up to.

"Since Brother Ye Guchen likes my grilled fish, then from now on, whenever you want to eat, I will grill them for you!"

After thinking it over, the grilled fish was the only thing Huo Yuhao could offer.

It was said that Huo Yuhao was worthy of his status as the Child of Destiny; in the middle of the night, a 300-year-old Three-Headed Ghost Spider approached the camp.

At this time, it was Huo Yuhao and Ye Guchen's turn to keep watch.

The moment it stepped into the area covered by Ye Guchen's spiritual power, it was precisely located by him, and he continuously unleashed spirit power attacks upon it.

"Little Yuhao, your first spirit ring has arrived!" As soon as Ye Guchen's voice fell, he vanished from where he stood.

Huo Yuhao only felt a blur before his eyes, and a sharp screech echoed from the distance.

The 300-year-cultivation Three-Headed Ghost Spider hadn't even had time to react before two of its three heads were precisely pierced by Fire Feather, and green bodily fluids sprayed out.

"The final blow, you take it."

Ye Guchen's voice came from the darkness, as calm as if he were speaking of a trivial matter.

Huo Yuhao trembled all over, clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and rushed forward.

He drew the White Tiger Dagger and used all his strength to stab at the head of the dying Three-Headed Ghost Spider.

Once, twice, three times.

The third head finally shattered, and a yellow spirit ring slowly rose, emitting a faint glow in the night.

Three hundred years, a century-old spirit ring!

Huo Yuhao stared blankly at that circle of yellow light, his eyes growing warm.

He had originally thought his first spirit ring would be ten years at most, and he hadn't even been absolutely certain he could defeat a ten-year spirit beast.

"What are you still staring at? This spirit beast is a spiritual-type spirit beast, which is extremely compatible with your Gaze martial soul. Why haven't you sat down, focused your mind, circulated your spirit power, and guided the spirit ring yet?"

Ye Guyi's voice rang out at the right moment, carrying an unquestionable steadiness.

Huo Yuhao took a deep breath and sat cross-legged. The yellow spirit ring slowly descended, merging into his thin, weak body.

Long-term malnutrition had made Huo Yuhao's body much more fragile than that of an ordinary Spirit Master, and even a 300-year spirit ring placed significant pressure on him.

Severe pain struck instantly, as if his meridians were being torn apart and reconstructed.

He gritted his teeth, not making a sound, veins bulging on his forehead, sweat and blood sliding down his cheeks.

In his mind, it felt as if something had been unlocked.

He did not know how much time had passed—perhaps a quarter of an hour, perhaps half an hour—before Huo Yuhao suddenly opened his eyes.

Those eyes, which had been somewhat dull, were now as clear as if they could reflect the starlight.

He subconsciously released his spirit skill, and an invisible spiritual ripple spread outward from him as the center.

Everything within a radius of twenty meters was revealed in minute detail.

The ants crawling on the back of leaves, the earthworms wriggling three feet underground, Beibei's steady breathing by the campfire, Tang Ya's slightly furrowed brows, and the faint trace of approval on the corner of Ye Guchen's lips...

"This is... Spirit Detection?" Huo Yuhao muttered to himself, his voice trembling.

After absorbing the spirit ring, Huo Yuhao's spirit power had also increased to level 13!

He excitedly went before Ye Guchen.

"Brother Ye Guchen, I succeeded, my spirit power has increased to level 13!"

"My first spirit skill is..."