Confession

"Xiao Wu and I just get along well. Thank you for your guidance, Uncle Tang."

Huo Yuhao kept his head low as he spoke, but his eyes grew increasingly icy. With Spirit Detection, he could see the look in Tang Hao's eyes; how could he not know what this man was plotting?

But he lacked the capital to negotiate with a Titled Douluo right now. He had to appease Tang Hao first to ensure Xiao Wu came to no harm.

It seemed he had to accelerate his plans. He had to obtain strength capable of rivaling a Titled Douluo as soon as possible, or Xiao Wu would be in danger.

When he looked up again, Tang Hao's figure was already gone. Standing still for a moment, Huo Yuhao tightened his fists.

"As expected, like father, like son. Wanting to claim everything as one's own—such a selfish nature was passed down to Tang San later on..."

Turning back to the dormitory, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm in his Sea of Spirit sighed.

"Your mother-in-law is truly pitiful, treated as a reserve ration from such a young age. In your past life, she was kept in the dark the whole time. Yuhao, save her. Give her a warm home, hehehe."

Huo Yuhao was just reflecting on the bits and pieces of the recent past, having just taken a deep breath to steel his resolve, when he was choked by the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's words and coughed twice.

He muttered to himself, "Let nature take its course, let nature take its course..."

"Brother Sky Dream, our time is even tighter. Tang Hao won't give me much leeway. I'm just afraid he might make a move on Xiao Wu prematurely."

"Rest assured, Yuhao. With my million-year origin, your cultivation speed will definitely be faster than in your past life."

"Besides, Tang Hao wants to maximize his benefits. He will certainly wait until Tang San can withstand a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring before acting. So, before Xiao Wu reaches the Spirit Saint level and transforms into a human, she should be safe."

"Regardless, I must still cultivate diligently. Being able to control the situation myself is naturally for the best."

Huo Yuhao's eyes were firm. It was the same in his past life; he always lacked sufficient strength before disaster struck, leading to his companions leaving him one by one.

"Xiao Wu, the holidays are coming up. Aren't you going home to visit?" Tang San asked as he packed his luggage, looking up.

"I'm not going back..."

Xiao Wu's expression was somewhat dejected, but then she thought of something and looked at Huo Yuhao, asking, "Yuhao, where are you planning to go?"

"I live in the same village as Little San, so I plan to go back for a visit too. But before that, I need to go obtain my second spirit ring." Huo Yuhao replied with a smile.

A year had passed in the blink of an eye. Little San was only level sixteen, while Huo Yuhao had already reached level twenty.

Tang San hadn't really noticed, but after the Grandmaster found out, he turned his collection of books and notes upside down without finding a reason, which made him realize just how shocking this was.

Two days later, when Tang San saw the Grandmaster again, the man looked haggard with heavy dark circles under his eyes, his tone filled with uncertainty.

"It must be due to his martial soul. There are too few cases where a part of the body serves as a martial soul; it might have provided a massive boost to his cultivation."

Is this what a genius is...

This was the first time Tang San witnessed the gap between himself and others. He clenched his fists. I must also cultivate hard and catch up to Huo Yuhao.

"Then, Yuhao, take me with you. Otherwise, if you both leave, I'll be bored to death."

Xiao Wu pouted, looking at Huo Yuhao with anticipation. After a year of getting along, Xiao Wu had figured Huo Yuhao out completely; this trick worked every time.

"The place I'm going is very far, and it's very cold. Are you sure you want to go?"

Xiao Wu's eyes widened instantly. "Ah? Why are you going so far? Can't you just go to the Star Dou Great Forest to get a spirit ring like last time?"

Huo Yuhao naturally couldn't say he was going to obtain a second martial soul, so he had to make up a lie.

"I saw a record in the academy library that there is a spirit beast over there that is very suitable for me. So, how about it? Want to go?"

"I want to go, I want to go! I'm not afraid of the cold." Xiao Wu giggled and grabbed Huo Yuhao's arm, shaking it.

Seeing this scene, Tang San sighed inwardly.

A month after school started, the Grandmaster had suddenly told him to interact more with Xiao Wu. He didn't say why, only that it would be of great help to him.

This left Tang San confused. Although he didn't understand, he still tried his best to follow the Grandmaster's instructions.

But no matter how he tried to interact with her, Xiao Wu still treated him like a friend on the same level as Wang Sheng, only looking for him when she occasionally wanted to spar. Compared to the treatment Huo Yuhao received, it was like heaven and earth.

He didn't want to do anything like digging for secrets or gossiping, and now the plan to invite Xiao Wu to his home had also fallen through.

Forget it, let nature take its course...

The three of them packed their luggage. At the academy gate, Tang San said goodbye to the two and headed toward his home.

"Let's go to the market to buy some things, then we'll head straight north."

Huo Yuhao took Xiao Wu to buy quite a few items, all necessary for the Far North. Memories of his past life were vivid, and this time, he was very well prepared.

Five days later, the environment around them grew cold. If it were just Huo Yuhao, he could have finished this five-day journey in three.

But having brought along Xiao Wu, who was curious about everything, there was no helping it. They stopped and went along the way, just like tourists.

After buying a new map and confirming their position, they had already entered the Heaven Dou Empire. They had to continue heading north until they reached the border bordering the human forbidden zone.

They didn't stop on the road ahead. Huo Yuhao pulled Xiao Wu along at full speed, finally arriving at the border of the Heaven Dou Empire on the tenth day.

The temperature here was already extremely low. The white mist from their breath quickly turned into ice shards, and the cold wind, mixed with snowflakes, stung their faces.

After passing the inspection by the guards at the city gate, the two successfully entered the small town nestled in the ice and snow.

Entering a restaurant, the oven raised the temperature inside significantly. The two felt a long-lost warmth and couldn't help but shiver.

After enjoying a delicious meal of roasted meat, Xiao Wu hiccuped without any regard for her image.

"Mmm~ I'm so full, but it still doesn't taste as good as what you grill, Yuhao. It's not even close."

Huo Yuhao looked at the pile of bones stacked in front of her, his mouth twitching as he rolled his eyes.

The restaurant owner nearby was terrified; he had never seen a young girl with such an appetite. It was as if a starving ghost had been reincarnated into her!

In the end, Huo Yuhao bought a large amount of grilled meat and packed it up before leaving the restaurant. They were about to enter the Far North, a place where it was impossible to start a fire, let alone cook a meal.

"Xiao Wu, why don't you stay here? I'll go alone. Once I've obtained my soul ring, I'll come back for you."

Huo Yuhao looked at Xiao Wu's flushed cheeks and spoke softly.

Xiao Wu just stared at Huo Yuhao steadily, remaining silent for a long time before she finally spoke.

Her words, however, were completely unrelated to his suggestion.

"Yuhao, your first soul skill... it isn't a ten-year soul ring, is it?"

Her tone wasn't one of inquiry, but of certainty.

"...Yeah."

Huo Yuhao opened his mouth, but only that single word escaped.

"It seems you have many secrets too. Do you know mine?" Xiao Wu blinked her eyes.

"I do."

It was another brief reply, but Huo Yuhao's shoulders slumped. He didn't want to lie to her, and when he said it, he had already prepared himself for a falling out with Xiao Wu.

"Since when?"

"Since the first day I met you."

"Hmph, I knew it. No wonder back in the Star Dou Great Forest, you only talked big, but the expression on your face never showed any real worry for me. And the way you looked after my feelings at the academy..."

Xiao Wu pouted, her tone sounding like a complaint, though her expression was full of self-satisfaction.

"Well? My observation skills aren't too bad, right?"

"Xiao Wu..." Huo Yuhao didn't know what to say.

"Do you want to hear my story?"

Xiao Wu spoke on her own, not waiting for Huo Yuhao's consent.

"A long, long time ago, there was a little rabbit in the forest, and the little rabbit had a mother who loved her very much..."

The story he had never understood in his past life was recounted to him now by Xiao Wu.

She continued until she reached the end of the tale.

"The rabbit mother was killed by people from the Martial Soul Hall. Only the little rabbit survived, living for decades with two other younger brothers adopted by her mother... Eventually, the little rabbit chose to transform into a human, becoming a cute little girl."

As the story ended, tears streamed down Xiao Wu's face, freezing into ice crystals before they could even hit the ground.

A pair of arms wrapped around Xiao Wu's neck; this was the first time Huo Yuhao had taken the initiative to hold her.

"Are you trying to comfort me? I'm fine, I'm very strong..."

Xiao Wu's hands gradually climbed onto Huo Yuhao's lower back, and her silent sobbing turned into loud wailing, drawing strange looks from passersby.

Huo Yuhao gently patted Xiao Wu's head.

"Do you hate the Martial Soul Hall?"

After a long while, the sobbing in his ear gradually faded.

"I do, but I don't understand. Is this our fate? Why? Why must we suffer such misery? Why must we be hunted?"

Listening to Xiao Wu's hoarse questioning, Huo Yuhao didn't know how to answer. In that moment, he wanted to do something about it.

Not just simply easing the conflict between the two groups through the Soul Spirit Contract, but fundamentally changing this twisted relationship.

"I will end all of this, in the near future. I promise."

Having once been a deity in the God Realm, he naturally knew how much the God Realm loathed soul beasts, wishing to wipe them out entirely. To put it bluntly, the fact that soul beasts hadn't been completely exterminated by the gods descending was only because the rules of the God Realm were a compromise.

He didn't fully understand the root cause of the conflict. In his past life, he had founded the Spirit Pagoda to change the status quo, but the results were far from ideal.

After entering the God Realm, his status as a first-tier god had left him hindered at every turn. Now that he had been reborn, once he inherited the Asura God Position, he would finally have the power to change everything.

"Okay."

Xiao Wu's gentle voice came from beside his ear, devoid of doubt, filled only with trust.

"Haven't you hugged me enough yet? Hmph, are you trying to take advantage of your boss?"

The playful Xiao Wu was back.

Fortunately, Huo Yuhao's face was already flushed red from the cold, masking any change in his expression; otherwise, he feared Xiao Wu would have teased him for a long time.

Releasing his grip, the two looked into each other's eyes. The tear tracks on Xiao Wu's face had frozen into ice, and Huo Yuhao reached out to gently brush them away.

The corners of Xiao Wu's mouth curved upward.

"I won't go with you then. Wait until you can tell me your secrets, and then you can explain everything to me in detail."

Huo Yuhao nodded and gave Xiao Wu some money. "Just find an inn, stay there and wait for me. Eat well and drink well."

"Hmph, I won't save you any money; I'm going to eat until you're broke," Xiao Wu said, puffing out her cheeks.

Just as Huo Yuhao turned to leave.

"Wait a moment."

"Hm?"

As Huo Yuhao turned his head, his face was cupped in her hands, and a soft sensation pressed against his lips, leaving him momentarily stunned.

"Come back early, and don't make me wait too long."