Ordinary Days

Aolai City, Tang residence.

Time slipped quietly by amid ordinary, warm days. The swaddled infant had grown able to run and jump unsteadily, with soft blue hair and eyes like jewels submerged in seawater, clear and bright. Tang Wulin—the name bestowed upon him amid wind and snow—had become deeply etched into the lives of Tang Ziran and Lang Yue.

As the child grew, the Eternal Snowflake and embroidered scrap of cloth once sewn onto his red bellyband could naturally no longer be used. Lang Yue thought about it for a long time before finally coming up with an idea. She carefully removed the slightly worn but still strangely textured white fabric, trimmed away its overly tattered edges, preserved the most intact portion embroidered with the words "Tang Wulin," and made it into a soft, loose little scarf for a child. The fabric draped beautifully, loosely tied around his neck without constricting him, while one corner always rested lightly against his skin, especially near his heart. As for the crystalline snowflake, Lang Yue threaded it onto the finest silver chain and turned it into a necklace worn beneath his clothes, pressed close against his chest. The snowflake constantly emitted a steady warmth, becoming Tang Wulin's "protective talisman" as he grew up. Even in his childish confusion, he felt safe whenever it touched him and never allowed anyone to take it away.

Tang Wulin's childhood was no different from that of most children in Aolai City's working-class families. His father, Tang Ziran, became increasingly skilled at his work in the dockside warehouses and occasionally took on side jobs. Besides caring for the household, Lang Yue also did handicrafts to supplement their income. Their days were poor, but laughter was never absent from the dinner table.

Still, the child seemed exceptionally healthy. He almost never fell ill, and he was much stronger than children his age. Even when he scraped himself while playing, the little wounds healed quickly. Tang Ziran and Lang Yue merely assumed their child was healthy and felt gratified, while burying the secret of the snowflake and scarf's origins even deeper.

What they did not know was that whenever night grew still and Tang Wulin sank into dreams, the snowflake on his chest glimmered faintly, suppressing something deeper. Within his tiny body, the Golden Dragon King's God Core—which had suffered grievous damage and was continually struggling against the residual power of the Genesis Sword Strike—was slowly and passively absorbing the overflowing life force and Soul Power produced by his growth, carrying out the most basic repairs. Within the God Core, a faint yet incomparably arrogant will, filled with brutality and greed, occasionally stirred from profound deathly silence.

"Mortal flesh... frail body..."

"Wait... nourishment..."

"The Sea God's seal... Tang San's mark... and this damned snowflake..."

"When the God Core reforms... when this vessel matures... devour... fuse..."

"The Dragon God's power... shall return..."

The remnant of this consciousness was like a whisper from the Abyss, vague and intermittent, dormant most of the time as it struggled against pain and seals. Yet it truly existed, like a poisonous seed buried deep in fertile soil, quietly waiting for its chance to break through the earth. The Sea God's divine power remaining in the snowflake and scarf was like the toughest sealing threads. Together with the God Core's injuries, it formed a double set of shackles, firmly imprisoning this evil intent at the edge of slumber and buying Tang Wulin a precious, carefree childhood.

Eastsea City, Seafood Street.

After several months of wind and sun, the sign for "Yuling Grilled Fish" had become slightly worn around the edges, but the aroma drifting from inside had only grown richer and more enticing. Huo Yuhao—known to the neighborhood as Boss Huo—had completely become part of life here.

He still did not speak much, but his grilled fish was truly outstanding and fairly priced. Over time, it became one of Seafood Street's most reputable establishments. Besides his signature secret-recipe grilled fish, he occasionally introduced unusual fish soups or side dishes based on the day's ingredients, each of which drew the eager pursuit of discerning diners. Uncle Liu from next door, who sold Iron-Pot Beef, had become a regular. From time to time, he brought over his own beef in exchange for two grilled fish to drink with. With the evening breeze, the two would chat briefly about dockside happenings and whatever novel gadgets Soul Tools had produced lately.

Xiaoling had also shed her initial awkwardness. She was quick and capable, clear-headed with accounts, and could now offer diners a far more natural smile. Yet occasionally, when students from low-level Soul Master Academies passed through Seafood Street in groups, loudly discussing soul skills, Soul Spirits, and the Spirit Pagoda's Ascension Platform, her gaze would become especially focused, and her fingers would unconsciously tighten around the cleaning rag. After closing, she faithfully recounted every small detail to Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao's life followed a strict rhythm. During the day, he was the owner of a grilled fish shop, one among the bustle and smoke of ordinary life. After closing at night, he spent the first part of his time teaching Xiaoling about Soul Tools, from identifying the most basic energy circuits to the principles behind making simple, practical items such as constant-temperature Soul Tool lamps and basic water-purifying runes. Xiaoling was extraordinarily gifted, and her sensitivity to energy flow allowed her to progress rapidly.

The latter half of the quiet night belonged to Huo Yuhao himself. He would enter deep meditation, not to restore his divine power—the sealed sphere was still troublesome—but to temper his Soul King-level spiritual power, making it more solid and refined. At the same time, he cautiously used the projected aura of the Sword of Life to nourish his meridians and the cursed scar on his chest. Progress was slow, but steady. His daily, unwavering "homework" was sensing the Eternal Snowflake in the direction of Aolai City. The stable, healthy, increasingly vigorous feedback of life force was the calmest anchor in the lake of his heart.

On the last two days of every month, a wooden sign reading "Owner has business. Closed for two days" would hang outside Rain Spirit Grilled Fish Shop. The regulars had grown accustomed to it, assuming Boss Huo had gone to purchase supplies or visit relatives.

During those two days, Huo Yuhao would quietly leave Eastsea City with Xiaoling. He usually first visited the city's larger Soul Tool technology bookstores, old book markets, and even acquired books and materials through certain less-than-legitimate channels. The books covered a vast assortment of subjects: basic works such as Introduction to Soul Tool Principles and A Hundred Explanations of Metal Materials; more in-depth texts like Stability and Output Regulation of Energy Cores and Concepts in Close-Combat Soul Tool Design; even broad discussions of battle armor—though only publicly available introductory books—and mecha, which civilians could mostly access only through concepts and brief histories. There were also many volumes concerning Soul Beast ecology, energy pathways, rare minerals, and plant properties. He knew very well that what he gave the Soul Beasts could not merely be ready-made technology, but a system of knowledge that would let them understand the trajectory of human technology and find their own path forward.

The materials mainly consisted of various basic metal ingots, common energy-conducting media, blank core plates for etching practice, and ingredients for balancing medicines that could be purchased on the market and might perhaps benefit Soul Beasts.

Once everything was prepared, he would pilot the Realm Patrol, taking Xiaoling and the supplies along a concealed route planned by the wrist-mounted unit, and quietly return to the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest. The spatial passage torn open by Di Tian would appear at the appointed location on time.

By Lake of Life, those two days each month had almost become a small "time for learning" in the core region. At first, only Bi Ji, Myriad Demon King, Bear Lord, and Scarlet King—who had been ordered by Di Tian to attend—were present. Later, Zi Ji and several other ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts with higher intelligence also quietly listened from the side.

Huo Yuhao's teaching was never ostentatious. He never spoke empty words about the Divine Realm, instead starting from the most practical perspectives Soul Beasts could understand.

He would pick up an ordinary iron ingot and explain how humans used Soul Power guidance and specific arrays to make it hard, light, or energy-conductive. "This is not magic. It is the application of the laws of energy and matter. Your claws and breaths naturally contain powerful energy and unique laws. If you can advance from 'using instinct' to 'understanding and constructing laws,' perhaps you can find a path of power different from Soul Tools, yet better suited to yourselves."

He demonstrated simple energy circuits and explained how they guided Soul Power just as rivers guided water. "The Spirit Pagoda's detection, the barrier of that wall—the core lies in the stacking and amplification of countless circuits like these. Only by understanding them can you find ways to interfere with, shield against, or even use them in reverse."

He brought books about battle armor and mecha, although their contents were shallow. "Humans arm their frail bodies with metal and use Soul Tools to amplify their strength. Soul Beasts are naturally physically powerful, but what if you could combine certain defensive and enhancing 'laws' with your own shells and scales? This is not asking you to imitate humans. It is meant to inspire the idea of 'arming yourselves.'"

He shared information gathered from everyday life and books regarding the Spirit Pagoda's movements, the structure of Soul Master society, and the distribution of resources. "Know yourselves and know your enemies. Their source of strength, the way their society operates, and their internal conflicts can all be analyzed and exploited."

Sometimes, he also answered the Soul Beasts' questions about energy cultivation and injury treatment. Drawing on his knowledge of the Divine Realm and Electrolux's learning, he offered several unique perspectives. Bi Ji was especially grateful for this; some of the concepts Huo Yuhao brought concerning energy balancing greatly inspired her healing abilities.

At first, Bear Lord always looked impatient and sneered. "All this flashy nonsense! Strength means tearing everything apart!" Yet after several sessions, Huo Yuhao simply analyzed the energy burst pattern of its Dark Gold Terror Claws and proposed a potentially more concentrated method of exerting force that would reduce waste—though it was only a theoretical deduction. Bear Lord said nothing, but its pricked ears exposed its interest.

Myriad Demon King studied the most seriously. It was already skilled at controlling energy and transforming illusions, and Huo Yuhao's knowledge opened a new door for it. Scarlet King found it troublesome, but also understood there was no harm in knowing more about the enemy. Zi Ji, meanwhile, was more interested in how such knowledge could be used to protect young beasts.

Di Tian always listened in silence, his golden dragon eyes deep and unreadable. His focus was often on strategic matters: where might the bottlenecks in human Soul Tool technology development lie? Was the Spirit Pagoda's extraction of Soul Beast fortune connected to specific energy nodes or rituals? The information Huo Yuhao brought from beyond was gradually piecing together a truer picture of the world outside the high walls.

During these two days, Xiaoling would completely return to her natural spirit form, joyfully stretching herself beside Lake of Life and absorbing the pure aura of life. She also shared what she had seen and felt in the human world with Bi Ji and her other companions. Her existence was like a soft bond connecting the forest and the mortal streets.

After the two days of lessons ended, Huo Yuhao would inspect the operating condition of the shielding modules he had left behind, fine-tune their parameters, then quietly return to Eastsea City with new insights—sometimes questions raised by the Soul Beasts from their unique perspectives would instead inspire him—and a batch of medicinal herbs or mineral samples unique to the forest and rare in the outside world.

The wooden sign at Rain Spirit Grilled Fish Shop would be taken down, charcoal fires would rise once more, and fragrance would again fill the street corner. Life seemed to return to its starting point, repeating in endless cycles.

Yet in Aolai City, a child was running and growing, while the seed within his body lay silently dormant. In Eastsea City, a god lay hidden amid the smoke and fire of ordinary life, while knowledge was quietly passed on. In the Star Dou Great Forest, an ancient race was attempting to raise its head in the face of despair, learning its enemy's language and contemplating its own path. Beneath the calm surface, three threads stretched onward side by side, drawn by invisible causality and promises, slowly yet inevitably flowing toward some future point of convergence.