Future

Qian Daoliu had noticed that little brat Huo Yuhao was becoming less and less obedient.

It was as if he had something on his mind. He always looked absent-minded, as though his soul had wandered far away.

At first, Qian Daoliu had thought it was merely his imagination.

But Huo Yuhao could even space out while sparring with Qian Ren Duo, getting smacked ten meters away by Qian Ren Duo's Angelic Sacred Sword.

Yet this continued for several months, and it became more and more suspicious.

What concerned him even more was that Huo Yuhao's mind was clearly no longer on cultivation.

After training in the past, Huo Yuhao would always stay behind to practice a little longer and mull over the key points Qian Daoliu had taught. Now, the moment training ended, he ran faster than anyone else. Even Qian Ren Jun, who activated his martial soul and flew, could not keep up with him. He would vanish in no time.

Qian Daoliu frowned but did nothing.

He had originally thought the child might have entered adolescence, with his thoughts drifting toward something interesting, or perhaps he had begun fantasizing about some nonsensical things.

He had originally thought Huo Yuhao would soon come to his senses and devote himself to cultivation like before, and that this behavior would quickly disappear.

So he endured it for half a year, yet Huo Yuhao remained the same.

He asked Qian Ren Duo and Qian Ren Jun whether they knew what had happened to Huo Yuhao, and he even sent Jin E to ask Wang Qiu'er.

But the answers he received all meant roughly the same thing—"I don't know."

Only Qian Ren Jun scratched his head and added, "Not long ago, Yuhao said he wanted to give us a surprise."

Qian Daoliu was not someone who would sit around and wait for things to happen.

So he began secretly following Huo Yuhao.

On the first day, he saw them going shopping together. Qian Ren Duo and Qian Ren Jun chatted and laughed ahead of them, while Huo Yuhao walked behind, his gaze sweeping across the shops lining the street. In the end, while the two brothers waited for skewers at a barbecue stall, he entered a shop that sold metals.

Metal again.

Qian Daoliu remembered that Huo Yuhao had already bought a great deal of metal recently. The money in his account had been flowing away like water, and when Qian Daoliu checked his expenses, they were all for various rare metals.

On the second day, they went to the auction house.

Huo Yuhao bid on another large batch of rare metals.

On the third day, Huo Yuhao even secretly went to the black market alone.

Still to buy rare metals.

Qian Daoliu grew more and more puzzled.

What was this child buying so much metal for?

Blacksmithing? But he had no interest in forging. Training strength? Only his Ice Jade Scorpion martial soul was barely related to strength, and he had always used that martial soul like a mage.

Even stranger, every night, Huo Yuhao's courtyard was brightly lit. He shut the doors and windows tight, secretly doing who knew what inside.

Qian Daoliu had once tried to approach, but every time he moved, the activity within the courtyard immediately stopped. Once he went farther away, the sounds resumed.

This little brat was quite vigilant.

His doubts snowballed, growing larger and larger.

At last, one day, Qian Daoliu could no longer hold back.

After training that day, he looked at the person before him—no, a soul beast panda—Huo Yuhao. There were glaring dark circles beneath his eyes, he looked utterly exhausted, and he yawned nonstop. His originally clear and bright Spirit Eyes were filled with bloodshot veins.

He had definitely pulled who knew how many all-nighters.

"Huo Yuhao," Qian Daoliu said.

Huo Yuhao raised his head and looked at him.

"Come with me."

Huo Yuhao followed him into the office.

As soon as the door closed, Qian Daoliu slapped the desk and glared fiercely at Huo Yuhao.

"Confess! What the hell have you been secretly doing behind our backs? Confess and be treated leniently; resist and be punished severely!"

Huo Yuhao looked at him without any expression on his face.

"No." He spread his hands, looking completely unfazed.

Qian Daoliu narrowed his eyes.

This brat was trying that on him?

He took a deep breath and changed tactics.

"Tell me." His voice was full of temptation. "From now on, I'll reimburse you for buying metal."

Huo Yuhao's eyes instantly lit up.

"Really?"

Qian Daoliu froze.

He had thought Huo Yuhao would question how he knew about the metal purchases, find a way to dodge the issue, or make up all sorts of excuses to fool him. He had prepared countless arguments, ready to pit his wits against the brat.

But unexpectedly—

The kid just looked like he had seen money.

No ambition at all!

"Really," he said expressionlessly.

Huo Yuhao smiled.

The smile was faint, but Qian Daoliu could tell that it came from the bottom of his heart.

Then Huo Yuhao somehow produced a small metal sphere and stuffed it into his hand.

The sphere was tiny, only two or three fingers wide in diameter. Its shell was smooth and finely crafted, gleaming with a faint silver light.

"Try injecting soul power into it," Huo Yuhao said. "Just a little is enough."

Qian Daoliu looked down at the little sphere in his hand, skeptical.

Following Huo Yuhao's instructions, he injected a tiny bit of soul power into it.

The sphere trembled lightly.

Then—

Buzz!

An indigo-blue glow instantly spread outward, forming a circular, translucent barrier that enveloped Qian Daoliu completely.

The barrier was thin, like rippling water, yet it carried a resilient feeling.

Qian Daoliu was stunned for a moment.

He raised a hand and tried poking the barrier. It sank slightly, then bounced back. He increased his strength, clenched his fist, and threw a punch at it—the barrier swayed but remained intact.

Its strength was equivalent to the defensive soul skill of a three-ring Soul Elder.

Ten seconds later, the light faded, and the barrier vanished.

Qian Daoliu stood where he was without moving.

His face was full of shock.

What was this thing?

It was like a defensive soul skill.

What was this?!

He had lived for nearly one hundred and fifty years. Since awakening his martial soul at six and cultivating all the way to become a rank ninety-nine Limit Douluo, he had seen countless rare treasures and heard of countless strange things. But he had never seen this.

A small sphere that could release a defensive barrier just by injecting soul power into it?

He knew this was not a soul skill, nor was it a soul bone. It was nothing within the scope of his understanding.

"What is this?!" he asked, slightly losing his composure.

Seeing his expression, the corners of Huo Yuhao's lips lifted slightly.

"A Soul Guidance Device," he said.

He pulled out even more things from somewhere on his body—various metal spheres, little discs, and small cubes—and stuffed them into Qian Daoliu's hands.

"Figure them out yourself," he said. "I have something to do, so I'm leaving first. The auction house has something good today, and they're waiting for me."

With that, he turned and left.

Leaving Qian Daoliu standing there alone, utterly bewildered.

Qian Daoliu lowered his head and looked at the little trinkets in his hands.

The small sphere could release a defensive barrier.

The little disc was engraved with intricate patterns, and he had no idea what it was for.

There was also a small L-shaped metal object with a trigger like a crossbow.

The small cube seemed to contain something moving inside when lightly shaken.

Each was more exquisite and mysterious than the last.

He picked up one of the little discs and tried injecting soul power into it.

Buzz—

A beam of light appeared, condensing several words above the disc.

"Instructions for use of a Level One Soul Tool Flare..."

Qian Daoliu: "..."

He picked up another small cube and injected soul power into it.

Buzz—

The cube began to vibrate, emitting a soft glow that illuminated the entire room.

He picked up a lump of metal, injected soul power into it, and imitated the way one used a crossbow, aiming it at the wall.

A streak of golden light shot from the dark muzzle, punching a hole through the wall.

He could tell at a glance that this attack was equivalent to the two-ring soul skill of a Grand Soul Master.

Qian Daoliu fell silent.

He stood there, looking at the things in his hands and the functions he had never seen or imagined before, when a strange feeling suddenly arose within him.

This era was about to change.

An ordinary person holding a Soul Guidance Device, as long as someone helped inject soul power into it, could release defenses at the level of a Soul Elder.

A support-type Soul Master wielding a more advanced Soul Guidance Device could gain combat strength equal to, or even surpassing, that of battle Soul Masters of the same rank.

What would that be like?

Qian Daoliu did not know.

But he vaguely felt that these things would transform the existing combat system, everyday life... or rather, everything.

And now, these things had appeared in Spirit Hall.

They had appeared in Huo Yuhao's hands.

That child his granddaughter had picked up from the ruins seven years ago.

That child with fire burning in his eyes.

That child who had made him think, Interesting.

Qian Daoliu looked out the window, in the direction Huo Yuhao had disappeared, and suddenly smiled.

The smile was faint, but something flickered in those cloudy eyes.

Anticipation.

Curiosity.

A certain emotion that had not appeared in a very long time.

He put away those little trinkets and turned toward the door.

He thought that he needed to have a proper talk with that old fellow Jin E.

He did not break his word.

From then on, Qian Daoliu covered all of Huo Yuhao's expenses for buying metal.

Whenever Huo Yuhao brought over a bill for reimbursement, the old man signed it without even looking. He was more generous than even Spirit Hall's chief financial officer.

"Consider it an investment," Qian Daoliu said to Huo Yuhao with a smile.

Huo Yuhao looked at him and nodded.

He understood what that meant.

Qian Daoliu had seen the value of those things. He had seen the changes Soul Guidance Devices might bring. He had seen the role Spirit Hall could play in those changes.

So he was investing.

Investing in the future.

Investing in an era that might change the entire continent.

Huo Yuhao accepted the money and continued buying metal, manufacturing, and researching.

From then on, every time he made something new, he brought it to show Qian Daoliu.

The first month, it was a flare. Qian Daoliu watched the tiny metal sphere explode in the courtyard, lighting up the entire night sky like day, and remained silent for a long time.

The second month, it was a Defensive Barrier Generator. Qian Daoliu tested it himself, and it took strength roughly equivalent to that of a four-ring power-type Soul Master to break it.

The third month, it was an offensive Soul Guidance Device. It looked exactly like the metal lump Huo Yuhao had first shown him: a palm-sized metal block that, after being infused with soul power, could release a beam comparable to the full-force strike of a four-ring Soul Ancestor.

The fourth month, the fifth month, the sixth month...

The items became increasingly large and complicated.

From palm-sized objects to arm-length devices, then to huge contraptions that took two people to carry.

From simple illumination and defense to complex attacks, detection, interference, and even "armor" that could slightly enhance a Soul Master's combat ability.

From disposable items that could only be used once to standardized equipment that could be repeatedly charged and reused.

Qian Daoliu watched those things and grew increasingly silent.

That day, Huo Yuhao brought another new item.

A massive contraption that required three people to carry inside. It looked like a giant cannon, forged entirely from rare metals and covered in densely packed formation patterns.

"What is this?" Qian Daoliu asked.

"This is an Energy-Gathering Soul Cannon," Huo Yuhao said. "A level-five offensive Soul Guidance Device. In theory, its power can rival the full-force strike of a five-ring Soul King."

Qian Daoliu fell silent.

He stepped forward and reached out to touch the cold metal surface. The formation patterns beneath his fingertips glowed faintly, as though responding to his touch.

He turned his head and looked at Huo Yuhao.

A year ago, this child had only been an ordinary four-ring Soul Ancestor, training with him every day and occasionally wandering around the city with his friends.

A year later, he had produced a weapon capable of changing the very nature of warfare.

"Yuhao," he said.

Huo Yuhao looked at him.

Qian Daoliu reached out and patted his shoulder.

His hand was heavy, making Huo Yuhao's shoulder dip slightly.

"The beginning of a new era," he said. "It depends on you."

Huo Yuhao looked into his clouded yet bright eyes and nodded gently.