Huo Yuhao, the child of fortune, was someone the consciousness of Douluo Continent had personally pushed into the spotlight.
To snatch the most important cheat it had prepared for Huo Yuhao right under the nose of the consciousness of Douluo Continent, on its own turf.
How could that possibly succeed?
It was like standing in someone else's house and stealing their things right in front of them. They couldn't possibly just sit there and do nothing.
Even if the consciousness of Douluo Planet had been as weak as a helpless husband in the face of Tang San, unable to struggle at all.
That didn't mean it would be just as helpless against him, Gu An.
Tang San might not be much of a person, but he was a God King.
To stop the current consciousness of Douluo Planet, he would probably have to wait until the Douluo Planet inside him woke up.
Only then would he have a chance to truly wrestle with the consciousness of this world.
Still, he hadn't come away empty-handed.
Gu An closed his eyes and felt around.
There really was a little more World Origin inside him.
It was probably because Electrolux had forcibly taken Huo Yuhao away, expending a portion of his soul origin in the process and delaying his awakening.
And then there was the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.
Although he hadn't managed to steal it away, he hadn't killed it either.
But during that last strike, a wisp of Leng Yaozhu's Sky Phoenix True Fire had burrowed into the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's body.
That wisp of true fire clung like a bone-deep curse, forcing the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm to spend a great deal of time and effort slowly wearing it away.
It was an indirect weakening of Huo Yuhao.
Gu An opened his eyes. Even a mosquito's leg was meat.
Do this a few more times, and he'd soon have another Limit Douluo bodyguard.
Besides, he already had a plan for what to do.
"Not bad, there's even a progress bar with two-thirds still blank, but..."
He looked up at Leng Yaozhu with a pained expression.
"Why is the next Titled Douluo I summon a question mark?"
At that, Leng Yaozhu's eyes curved into crescents. She immediately understood what he meant.
"Hehehe, of course it's because you specifically chose your big sister. The next Titled Douluo to appear will be random."
She spread her hands. "The World Consciousness is asleep, after all. You have too little World Origin right now to choose someone specific."
After hearing Leng Yaozhu's explanation, Gu An was dumbfounded.
Damn it, instead of learning the good things, they'd started playing blind boxes too!
Seeing his expression, Leng Yaozhu ruffled his hair. "Look on the bright side: an ordinary Titled Douluo and a Limit Douluo cost the same."
"That's very comforting. Don't comfort me again next time."
What kind of joy in the midst of suffering was this?
Gu An rolled his eyes and dropped the subject. "Sister Yaozhu, let's go get my Soul Ring."
At the mention of business, Leng Yaozhu's expression turned serious.
She hadn't been able to do anything just now, and it had left her frustrated. She couldn't afford to be useless again.
She gathered Gu An in her arms once more and spoke as she flew, glancing down at him.
"Leave it to me."
"But you have to think carefully about what to choose. Your Dragon Phoenix Soul Sound Flute is very powerful, but its only drawback is that the age of the Soul Beast you can absorb depends on your physical fitness."
After hearing that, Gu An felt a little helpless.
Was this Martial Soul weak? It was maxed out. Was it strong? The age limit of its Soul Rings still depended on that "ancient" method.
At least it could improve as his strength increased.
"Unfortunately, your physical fitness is only enough to handle a Soul Beast of around four hundred years. If it's willing, you can try a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast."
"So I recommend choosing a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast. With my strength and my Soul Spirit, I can make an intelligent Soul Beast willing to do it."
Gu An blinked. Seriously, sis?
That was an awfully huge leap from four hundred years to ten thousand.
He knew what his physical condition was like.
All these years, he and his mother had been hiding from Shrek Academy, moving from place to place without a home.
Even though Mother Gu had deliberately trained his body and built up his foundation, they had no resources or rare treasures. He had already reached his limit just getting to where he was now.
So he understood the four-hundred-year limit. He knew that thousand-year Soul Beasts lacked intelligence too. But what was the deal with ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts?!
What if the Soul Beast was willing at first, but changed its mind when he started absorbing it?
Wouldn't Soul Shock kill him?
Leng Yaozhu seemed to see the worry in his eyes.
A faintly amused smile appeared on her peerlessly beautiful face, making Gu An's back go cold.
"Don't worry, the Dragon Phoenix Soul Sound Flute can withstand Soul Shock."
"And my Heavenly Phoenix Martial Soul has a Soul Skill that can let you undergo nirvana. Even if you fail in the end, you'll still grow stronger. You'll just have to suffer a little."
"Is it really just a little?"
"Mhm, just a teeny, tiny bit~"
Faced with the two choices, Gu An fell into deep thought.
Leng Yaozhu slowed down and didn't rush him, waiting patiently.
Gu An didn't doubt Leng Yaozhu's loyalty; he just couldn't help feeling that this was a little unreliable.
But if he chose a four-hundred-year Soul Beast, he'd be dissatisfied.
A Soul Ring and Soul Spirit beyond the norm were crucial to his upcoming plan.
Besides, he'd transmigrated into this world. Wouldn't a first Soul Ring of four hundred years be a bit shabby?
Weren't all the other transmigrators getting ten-thousand-, hundred-thousand-, or even million-year Soul Rings?
All he had to do was endure some pain...
"Damn it! I'm doing it! It won't kill me, anyway!"
So he told Leng Yaozhu what he'd decided.
"Big sis, my life's in your hands!"
He wore a miserable little expression and gazed up at the big sister in front of him.
"Relax, leave it to me!"
Soon, Leng Yaozhu brought him down into a part of the Star Dou Great Forest.
She raised a hand and closed her eyes to sense her surroundings, then flashed out of sight.
Less than half a cup of tea later, Leng Yaozhu returned.
She was holding a Soul Beast that was on its last legs.
It was a raptor covered from head to toe in dark green feathers, with a wingspan of over two meters and a razor-sharp, silver-gray beak like metal.
"A Green Blade Falcon, around thirty thousand years old."
Leng Yaozhu set the Green Blade Falcon down in front of Gu An and shook her head, a trace of regret in her voice.
"I had a good talk with her, and my Soul Spirit, the Heaven-Burning Fire Kite, had a friendly spar with her too."
"If nothing unexpected happens, she'll be your first Soul Spirit."
"What if something unexpected happens?"
Seeing the bitter look on Gu An's handsome little face, Leng Yaozhu couldn't help finding it amusing.
She patted her ample chest. "Your big sister will bring you back to life!"
Gu An looked at the Green Blade Falcon and sighed.
"Let's do it!"
He summoned the Dragon Phoenix Soul Sound Flute. The phoenixes on it danced around Gu An as if they were alive.
It was a breathtaking sight, but he wasn't in the mood to admire it. He closed his eyes and began to communicate with the Green Blade Falcon.
Everything came down to this one attempt!
When she saw him close his eyes and begin, a flicker of tenderness crossed Leng Yaozhu's eyes.
"Suffering is bitter, but the benefits are great too. Xiao An, you have to make it through."
Then she stood at his side.
Her wary gaze swept over the surrounding woods as she spread her spiritual power, shrouding an area several hundred meters in every direction.
At the same time.
On another edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.
A young man and a young woman were making their way through the woods.
Beibei and Tang Ya were also in the Star Dou Great Forest, hunting Soul Beasts.
It was as if fate had arranged it all.
Or perhaps it was the consciousness of Douluo Continent meddling behind the scenes.
Or perhaps it was the doing of the lofty Great Buddha Tang.
The direction they were heading in pointed straight toward the place where Huo Yuhao would appear again.