Becoming... a God?

Huo Yuhao froze.

Stronger than a Titled Douluo.

He had heard the term Titled Douluo before. The old man standing outside the ruins, whom Qian Renxue called "Uncle She," was a Titled Douluo. That old man had merely stood there without doing anything, yet Huo Yuhao had felt an indescribable pressure. It was like a mountain standing before him, its peak unseen and its boundaries endless.

And something even stronger than a Titled Douluo...

What was that?

"A god." Skydream Iceworm's voice echoed through the Sea of Spirit, carrying a strangely bewitching note. "A being standing at the very peak of this world. An existence capable of controlling its own fate, and the fate of others. It is..."

"An existence that can make Tang Hao kneel before you."

Huo Yuhao's pupils suddenly contracted.

Tang Hao.

That name was like a blade, stabbing viciously into the numb shell around his heart. Something surged from that crack—hatred, pain, the corpse pinned beneath the beam, the face he could not see clearly, and those hands reaching toward him, hands that would never move again.

"You know Tang Hao?" His voice was soft, so soft that it was as though he feared disturbing something.

"I don't." Skydream Iceworm shook its chubby white head. "But I can see it in your heart. That name, that face, that hatred... it's all carved into your heart, little guy."

Huo Yuhao fell silent.

"So," Skydream Iceworm leaned closer, its tiny eyes glinting with cunning, "do you want revenge?"

"I do."

This time, Huo Yuhao did not hesitate.

The word burst from his mouth, quick and hard as a stone.

"Then that's settled!" Skydream Iceworm nodded with satisfaction. "Follow me, and I guarantee you'll live the good life. Soul Elder in three years, Soul Sage in five, Titled Douluo in ten—no problem. Twenty years—"

"Shut up."

A cool female voice cut it off.

The Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion walked over with elegant steps, her eight legs sending fine ripples across the surface of the Sea of Spirit. She was far smaller than Skydream Iceworm, yet her presence made the big white worm instinctively retreat half a step.

"Don't listen to his boasting." Ice Empress raised one of her foreclaws and pointed at Skydream Iceworm. "If he were really that capable, Ditian and the others wouldn't have drained him into that state."

Skydream Iceworm gave an awkward smile and did not dare argue.

Ice Empress turned to Huo Yuhao, her pale yellow eyes quietly watching him.

"Little guy, let me ask you something."

Huo Yuhao nodded.

"Do you know why I appeared inside you?"

Huo Yuhao shook his head.

Ice Empress fell silent for a moment.

"I don't know either," she finally said. "I only remember that I was sleeping deep within the Frozen Forest that day when I suddenly felt an irresistible force. It was so powerful that I could not even summon the thought of resisting. Then I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was here. And my cultivation had inexplicably increased by twenty thousand years. I had originally been a three-hundred-and-eighty-thousand-year soul beast."

She paused and looked toward the vertical eye hanging high in the heavens.

"It arrived before us."

Huo Yuhao followed her gaze.

That eye floated in the deepest part of the Sea of Spirit. Rose gold was interwoven with black-and-white patterns, as though all the mysteries of the universe had been gathered into that single vertical pupil. It hung there silently, utterly motionless, yet it gave Huo Yuhao a strange feeling—

It was looking at him.

Not watching, but looking. Like a person looking at an ant, like a god looking at a mortal. There was neither malice nor kindness in that gaze, only a transcendent remoteness, separated from him by an entire world.

"What... is it?" Huo Yuhao asked.

"I don't know." Skydream Iceworm was unusually serious. "I asked it, but it wouldn't answer. I tried touching it and got bounced away. Ice Ice tried too. Same result."

"It's strong." A trace of gravity entered Ice Empress's voice. "Stronger than all of us. Much stronger."

Huo Yuhao stared at that eye for a long time.

The eye never moved.

Yet Huo Yuhao suddenly felt as though it were smiling.

"Forget it, forget it. Don't worry about it." Skydream Iceworm shook its head and moved close to Huo Yuhao again. "It hasn't done anything so far. Just treat it as an extra lamp in the Sea of Spirit. Come on, let's talk business."

It cleared its throat and put on a serious expression.

"Little Yuhao, do you know just how much hope you're carrying now?"

Huo Yuhao shook his head.

"Three soul beasts." Skydream Iceworm extended three feelers. "Right now, there's a million-year soul beast, a four-hundred-thousand-year soul beast, and some unknown thing that must be incredibly powerful. Three soul beasts are residing within you at once. Do you know what that means?"

Huo Yuhao still shook his head.

"It means you're the most special soul master in history!" Skydream Iceworm raised its voice several notches. "Twin martial souls are already rare enough, not to mention that both of yours have super-high-year soul rings. What we gave you were a million-year and a four-hundred-thousand-year soul ring!"

"We also gave you a soul bone! A four-hundred-thousand-year Ice Jade Scorpion Spine Bone. Heh, four hundred thousand years! Even those favored by gods don't get treatment like this."

"Do you know how absurdly heaven-defying this is?"

"I don't."

Skydream Iceworm choked on its words.

It opened its mouth, then closed it again. In the end, it let out a helpless sigh.

"Forget it. You're young, so it's normal not to understand." It shook its head. "Then remember this: you're special. So special that there isn't another person like you anywhere on the Douluo Continent. So special that even those Titled Douluo would turn green with envy if they found out. So special that..."

It paused, and its voice suddenly became very soft.

"So special that Tang Hao would be nothing before you."

A light flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes.

It vanished in an instant, but it did not escape Ice Empress's notice. She quietly watched the child, watched his expressionless face, watched the fire burning deep in his eyes.

She suddenly thought of herself many years ago.

Back then, she had been young, impulsive, and convinced that strength alone could protect everything. Until the day she watched her own clansmen get slaughtered by a ferocious beast, while she could do nothing.

From then on, she understood one thing—

Hatred was the best source of motivation.

It was also the deadliest poison.

"Little guy," she said.

Huo Yuhao looked at her.

Ice Empress remained silent for a long time, as though hesitating over something. In the end, she said it anyway.

"I can help you become stronger. Help you take revenge. But you have to promise me one thing."

"What is it?"

"Don't let hatred consume you."

Huo Yuhao froze.

Ice Empress looked at him. There was none of her usual coldness in those pale yellow eyes, only an indescribable complexity.

"I can see that the hatred in your heart runs deep." Her voice was quiet. "Deep enough to burn your entire being to ashes. But remember this: hatred is fire. It can burn your enemies to death, but it can burn you to death too. If you don't want to become a walking corpse that lives only for revenge, then you must learn to control it."

She paused.

"Instead of letting it control you."

The Sea of Spirit fell silent for a moment.

For once, Skydream Iceworm said nothing. It merely watched in silence.

Huo Yuhao lowered his head, as though thinking about something.

After a long time, he raised his head and looked at Ice Empress.

"I don't know whether I can do it." His voice was soft, but earnest. "But I'll remember."

Ice Empress nodded and said nothing more.

Skydream Iceworm coughed, breaking the silence.

"Alright, alright, don't make things so heavy." It returned to its carefree manner. "Little Yuhao is still young. There'll be plenty of time to teach him slowly. What matters most right now is—"

It leaned close to Huo Yuhao, a fawning smile appearing on its chubby white face.

"Are you hungry? I can sense that there seems to be food outside."

Huo Yuhao paused.

Then he felt his stomach growl.

Ever since leaving those ruins, he had not eaten a single bite.

The Sea of Spirit slowly faded away.

Huo Yuhao opened his eyes and saw Qian Renxue looking at him.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "You had your eyes closed just now, and your expression kept changing."

Huo Yuhao looked at her and suddenly did not know what to say.

Tell her, "There are three soul beasts living inside me"? Tell her, "A million-year-old fellow said he wants to help make me a god"? Tell her, "That eye has been watching me"?

He opened his mouth, but in the end, he merely shook his head.

"It's nothing."

Qian Renxue watched him for a moment without pressing further.

She took a cloth bundle from beside her and opened it. Inside were several pieces of dried rations and a small flask of water.

"Hungry?" She handed them to him. "Eat something first. Once we reach the next town, we'll have a proper meal."

Huo Yuhao accepted the rations and lowered his head to take a bite.

They were hard, dry, and nearly tasteless. Yet he ate with great care, bite after bite, as though he were completing some important task.

The carriage continued forward, its wheels rolling over the official road with a monotonous sound. Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting scattered patches of light and shadow across the carriage.

After finishing the last piece of ration and drinking several mouthfuls of water, Huo Yuhao lowered his head again and looked at his hands.

Skydream Iceworm's voice rang out once more in the Sea of Spirit. This time, only he could hear it.

"Little Yuhao, this big sister is pretty good."

Huo Yuhao did not respond.

"She truly cares about you," Skydream Iceworm continued. "I can feel it. The way she looks at you is like she's looking at her own little brother. No, perhaps it would be more accurate to say... a fellow traveler."

Huo Yuhao still did not respond.

Skydream Iceworm sighed.

"Forget it. Take your time," it said. "We've got a long road ahead."

Huo Yuhao raised his head and glanced at Qian Renxue.

She was gazing out the window, her golden hair draped over her shoulders. The sunlight traced a soft outline along her profile.

He lowered his head and looked at his hands again.

"Big sister," he suddenly said.

Qian Renxue turned around.

"Thank you."

Only two words, so soft they seemed as though the wind might carry them away.

But Qian Renxue heard them.

She was stunned for a moment, then smiled.

That smile was light and faint, yet warmer than sunlight.

"You're welcome," she said.