The problem had yet to show itself because Huo Yuhao was only seven or eight, and his meridians were still highly malleable.
Once he reached fifteen or sixteen and his meridians had set, it would be too late if the problem of an insufficiently solid foundation, caused by his Spiritual Energy growing too quickly in the early stages, came to light.
Yang Haoyu had thought long and hard about this situation.
He had considered one possibility: Huo Yuhao had an ice-attribute spiritual body, and Imperial Dragon Pass lay in the Far North, where ice-attribute Spiritual Energy was most concentrated on the Holy Demon Continent.
Cultivating in such an environment magnified the effects of Huo Yuhao's ice-attribute spiritual body severalfold, making his Spiritual Energy grow far faster than normal.
But Imperial Dragon Pass was the headquarters of the Knight Temple, and Huo Yuhao belonged to the Knight Temple. He couldn't have Huo Yuhao leave and cultivate at another temple.
But what if he only went away to gain experience for a while?
The Knight Temple had a number of places available each year for journeys to gain experience, generally sending knights to carry out missions at other passes or in other cities.
Huo Yuhao was now a Fourth-Order Grand Knight. Though young, he was already capable of carrying out low-level missions on his own.
If he left Imperial Dragon Pass and spent some time somewhere with less concentrated ice-attribute Spiritual Energy, his Spiritual Energy growth should slow down.
At the same time, gaining experience outside would expose Huo Yuhao to different combat environments, allowing him to accumulate practical combat experience and consolidate his foundation.
Yang Haoyu kept the idea in mind.
But he didn't tell Huo Yuhao right away. Huo Yuhao was currently in the best state for cultivation, and abruptly disrupting his rhythm would do more harm than good.
He would bring it up once Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Energy growth stabilized, or when a suitable opportunity arose.
Meanwhile, in his bedroom, Huo Yuhao had no idea what Yang Haoyu was thinking.
He was immersed in his own world, practicing a set of sword techniques he had worked out himself.
He had derived the techniques by combining the methods of exerting force used in the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons of his previous life with the basic movements of knightly swordsmanship.
No one had taught him any of it.
The set consisted of seven forms, each evolved from the simplest chops, slashes, and upward cuts.
But Huo Yuhao had incorporated Spiritual Power into every form.
The instant he struck, his Spiritual Power would sense an opening in his opponent first. Then ice-attribute Spiritual Energy would flow into the blade along the most suitable path, and the sword would thrust from the trickiest angle.
First form: thrust.
Huo Yuhao struck. His Spiritual Power reached the target before the tip of his sword, then ice-blue Spiritual Energy surged along the blade and condensed into a minuscule point of ice at its tip, with piercing power comparable to the Ice Needle Technique.
Second form: upward cut.
The instant the sword swept upward, Spiritual Energy burst along its edge, scattering several tiny shards of ice over a wide area.
Third form: chop.
This form incorporated the principles of the Ice Seal Technique. The instant the blade fell, ice-attribute Spiritual Energy would condense into a strip of ice on the ground along the attack's path, restricting the opponent's movement.
The fourth through seventh forms each had different variations. Some favored single-target bursts of power, some favored area control, and others favored defensive counterattacks.
By the time Huo Yuhao finished practicing the seventh form, a fine sheen of sweat had appeared on his forehead, but his spirits were high.
He had never demonstrated this set of sword techniques in front of Yang Haoyu.
After modifying the skills Yang Haoyu had taught him, he would show them to him.
But this set of sword techniques was his own trump card. He still needed to refine it, and he hadn't named it yet. He would consider other things after continuing to perfect it in the future.
Just then, deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's will stirred slightly.
Sensing the change, Huo Yuhao focused his mind.
After making sure Yang Haoyu hadn't noticed, he immediately climbed onto his bed and began circulating his meditation technique.
His consciousness, meanwhile, had already entered his Sea of Consciousness.
The Sea of Consciousness was vast and boundless. Above it, ice-blue and golden light intertwined; below lay a bottomless abyss of consciousness.
Between the abyss and the light floated several orbs of different sizes and colors.
One was platinum, one green, one blue, and one silvery white. There were also two smaller orbs, one dark gold and the other pale cyan.
They floated quietly in the Sea of Consciousness, like sleeping stars.
Huo Yuhao's consciousness stood above the Sea of Consciousness, gazing at the orbs.
This was the first time since arriving on the Holy Demon Continent that he had observed his Sea of Consciousness so clearly.
The six orbs were his six great Soul Spirits. But because they had traveled between planes, their origins, like his, had been considerably depleted, and they had fallen into slumber.
And now, the platinum orb was pulsing faintly.
Like a heartbeat.
The platinum light brightened and dimmed, brightened and dimmed, pulsing faster and faster as it grew ever more brilliant.
With every pulse, an extremely faint but exceptionally pure stream of Spiritual Power could be felt seeping out of it and merging into Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness.
Huo Yuhao felt his Spiritual Power growing. The increase was small but steady, like a trickle flowing into a lake.
He took a few steps forward, approaching the platinum orb.
The orb was about the size of a fist, its surface covered by a translucent membrane, like some kind of eggshell.
Through the membrane, he could vaguely make out a tiny, round figure curled up inside. It was platinum in color and looked like a silkworm.
It was the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.
Huo Yuhao's breath caught for a moment.
Back on the Douluo Continent, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had been the first Soul Spirit he obtained, and one of the companions who had been with him the longest.
Though he was always lazy and talked enough to give people headaches, he had never dropped the ball at a critical moment.
He had taught Huo Yuhao so much: how to use Spiritual Power, the nature of Soul Spirits, and the direction a Soul Master's cultivation should take.
It could be said that without the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, there would have been no Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao.
And now, he was breaking out of his shell in Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness.
Huo Yuhao reached out with his Spiritual Power, gently touched the platinum orb, and used his Spiritual Power to nourish it.
It felt warm and soft, like touching an egg that was hatching.
The orb did not reject his touch. Instead, the instant his Spiritual Power made contact, its pulse abruptly quickened by a beat.
Then a fine crack appeared on its surface.
The crack began at the top of the orb and spread downward, branching out like a spiderweb.
More and more cracks appeared, and platinum light poured out through them, illuminating the entire sky above the Sea of Consciousness.
Huo Yuhao took a step back and watched the orb shatter before him.
Crack-
With a crisp cracking sound, the membrane covering the orb split apart completely, breaking into countless tiny specks of platinum light that dissipated into the Sea of Consciousness.
Where the orb had been, a plump white baby silkworm lay curled up, surrounded by a faint platinum halo.
His body was tiny, only the size of Huo Yuhao's thumb, and platinum from end to end, with a soft metallic sheen.
He lay curled up, motionless, as though he hadn't fully awakened yet.
Huo Yuhao crouched down and gently poked him with a finger.
"Brother Sky Dream?"
The baby silkworm's body moved.
Then he slowly raised his head and opened a pair of little black eyes. He looked around in confusion before his gaze finally settled on Huo Yuhao's face.
"...Yuhao?"