Dao Heart Shattered

There wasn't much braised food left for the day; only a few pig tails, two pig ears, three rabbit heads, and a handful of chicken feet remained.

These were all favorites of Huo Yun'er. Before heading out each time, she would set aside a few portions at home to avoid a repeat of the last time, when everything was bought out and she was left with nothing to eat.

"Mmph!"

Attracted by the savory aroma, Gu Yuena's eyes lit up after the first bite. Casting aside any pretense of decorum, she began to eat rapidly.

Seeing Gu Yuena enjoying her meal, Huo Yuhao turned to the two people at the table and said, "Mother, Sister Nana, I'm going to see my teacher now."

Gu Yuena didn't even look up, merely nodding in a display of icy detachment.

That was, if one ignored the pig tail she was currently devouring.

Spirit City boasted the best public security in the entire Douluo Continent, and since they lived quite close to the Pope's Palace, there was no need for anyone to tell him to be careful on the road.

As soon as Huo Yuhao returned to Spirit City, a patrolling spirit master reported his arrival to Qian Xunji.

Knowing that Huo Yuhao would surely seek out his teacher, Qian Daoliu, upon his return, Qian Xunji headed straight for the side hall where the Pope handled his official duties.

Qian Daoliu was still processing paperwork; he glanced up at Qian Xunji, who was peering outside from time to time.

"Since you're here, help me with some of this work. By next year at the latest, this will be your job anyway."

Why did a Pope wait until the successor reached the Spirit Douluo rank before considering abdication? It was because these tedious matters were a massive hindrance to cultivation!

Now that Qian Xunji had reached level eighty, it was time for him to take up this burden and let a centenarian like himself enjoy a proper retirement.

Qian Xunji: "..."

"Father, I feel that being a mere Spirit Douluo is insufficient to serve as the Pope of our Spirit Hall. This time, I have discovered that there are far too many people in this world stronger than me. I need to focus on my cultivation so that I may protect Spirit Hall in the future."

Qian Xunji spoke with righteous indignation.

Qian Daoliu: "..."

"Ji'er, I am merely abdicating to you and will become an elder in the Offering Hall; I am not dying."

If there was truly someone Qian Xunji couldn't defeat, wasn't his old man still around?

"Teacher, Senior Brother, what are you two talking about?"

Huo Yuhao caught the tail end of the conversation as he entered. Why was someone dying?

Who was dying?

"We were discussing having your Senior Brother succeed as Pope in the near future."

Qian Daoliu set down his pen, his tone gentle, yet it made Qian Xunji shiver.

It was "next year" just a moment ago, and now it was "in the near future"?

"Then congratulations, Senior Brother!"

Being Pope might be tiring, but the status was unparalleled!

To be revered by the people of the Douluo Continent and to stand above the royal families of the two great empires—the position was truly transcendent.

In truth, Huo Yuhao couldn't understand how an organization like Spirit Hall could possibly have so much paperwork.

Qian Xunji offered a faint, forced smile and took the initiative to change the subject.

"Yuhao, you seem to have changed quite a bit."

Huo Yuhao's hair had grown long, soft, and lustrous.

His facial contours had become more delicate and refined, and his already clear blue eyes now seemed to hold stars within them, drawing one in involuntarily.

He had also grown significantly taller, now standing at 1.4 meters.

Compared to his previously slender frame, he now possessed broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs.

This wasn't just a "bit" of a change; it was a complete transformation.

Huo Yuhao scratched his long hair, looking quite helpless.

"After I was taken to the core area, Di Tian's master demanded I perform a spirit possession. I ended up like this, and it didn't revert even after I deactivated the state."

He was only missing a pair of dragon horns and a bit of that world-dominating arrogance.

Qian Daoliu pondered for a moment. "Since the inception of the spirit master system, such a situation has never occurred. Did that person explain the reason to you?"

Huo Yuhao immediately relayed Gu Yuena's definitive conclusion regarding bloodline awakening to the two men.

The origins of spirits and soul beasts were not recorded even within the long history of Spirit Hall.

"It seems the Beast God's master was once a deity herself. Since it came from her, it must be true."

Qian Xunji also hit upon a key point. "When a hundred-thousand-year soul beast takes human form and has a child with a human, the child is human in appearance, but the spirit inherits the soul beast's original form and is passed down through the bloodline. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect only passes their spirit down through bloodlines; does that not imply their ancestors were also soul beasts in human form?"

Since the emergence of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, it wasn't as if "wild" Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon spirits hadn't appeared.

But in the end, the results proved that these weren't "wild"—they were just born in the wild.

Every single child could be traced back to a specific disciple of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect had proven the accuracy of a certain phrase with cold, hard facts—dragons are inherently lecherous.

"But I've never heard of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect possessing a hundred-thousand-year spirit bone."

In terms of spirit bones, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect lagged significantly behind the Clear Sky Sect.

"When a 100,000-year Soul Beast transforms, it leaves behind a spirit bone if it sacrifices itself or dies unexpectedly. If it dies of natural causes, the spirit bone dissipates along with the body."

This piece of knowledge was something Gu Yuena had shared with Huo Yuhao while they were chatting.

"100,000-year Soul Beasts that survive the heavenly tribulation can continue to cultivate. Those that choose to transform and restart their cultivation are not much different from humans, but they do not live as long as those that survive the tribulation; they have a maximum lifespan of only a thousand years, similar to a human Titled Douluo."

Whether to be instantly reduced to ashes in the heavenly tribulation or to transform and linger for another thousand years—intelligent Soul Beasts all had their own choices to make.

100,000-year Soul Beasts willing to transform were, after all, in the minority, so Qian Xunji didn't take it to heart after learning about it.

Compared to this, he was more interested in knowing something else.

"Yuhao, what is the situation with your first spirit ring? The man in black who came to notify us earlier didn't explain anything clearly."

Qian Daoliu also looked over.

Since Huo Yuhao was a bloodline awakening, the Soul Beast clan would surely attach great importance to his spirit ring.

He was also somewhat curious as to what kind of spirit ring could prompt a deity to personally intervene.

"The Star Dou Great Forest previously captured an Iceworm from the Far North. This Iceworm had a pure origin and possessed the mental attribute, making it a perfect fit for my first martial soul."

"It was only ten thousand years away from breaking through to a million years. This time, it was to enhance its strength so that I could possess an unprecedented million-year spirit ring."

Huo Yuhao smiled shyly.

"A million years?!"

Qian Xunji exclaimed, and even the well-informed Qian Daoliu couldn't help but gasp.

The maximum age for a god-bestowed spirit ring was only 100,000 years.

A million years—just how exaggerated would Huo Yuhao's spirit skills be?!

"Actually, it's not that exaggerated right now. My physical constitution isn't strong enough yet, so the age of the spirit ring I can bear is limited. Only in the future will I be able to completely unseal the spirit ring."

"But fortunately, the Sky Dream Iceworm has brought me a great boost. It can account for two of my spirit ring slots, and I have now become a level 27 Great Spirit Master."

Qian Xunji silently turned his head away.

He had been born with level 20 innate spirit power, yet he hadn't reached level 27 by the age of seven.

And he certainly didn't have a million-year spirit ring!

Not to mention a million years, he didn't even have a ten-thousand-year one.

His Dao heart was feeling a bit shattered.