"So, when I fought that big black dragon back then, you happened to escape from their clutches. Is that right?"
Huo Yuhao sat on the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's plump body, its cold, soft touch making him a little uncomfortable.
He himself had never expected that wandering aimlessly around the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest and provoking a big black dragon would, through a twist of fate, save this baby silkworm.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm nodded happily. As for having Huo Yuhao sitting on him, he felt positively honored.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm blinked his large eyes. "Boss, you're the strongest human I've ever seen. Let me follow you from now on!"
Huo Yuhao glanced at him. Black slime gathered in his right hand and soon became a three-foot longsword, its tip poised three inches above the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's forehead.
He was wondering whether he should just kill the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm after all.
The way this fellow was, he might as well obediently become a Soul Ring.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm failed to notice the longsword behind him and kept chattering away, having completely let down his guard around Huo Yuhao.
"Boss, my admiration for you is like a surging river, flowing on without end!"
"If you tell me to head east, I'd never head west..."
Huo Yuhao was left speechless. He shifted his body, bringing the longsword in his hand even closer to the silkworm's forehead!
"Ah, boss, I'm not making you uncomfortable, am I? I'll stay still."
Feeling the movement on his body, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm hurriedly fussed over him like a simp.
Something stirred in Huo Yuhao's mind. He shook his head, and the black slime instantly melted, returning to his body.
He thought to himself, Forget it. I'll keep this baby silkworm around. If killing him means I don't get a second Martial Soul, that would be a shame...
Never in his wildest dreams would the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm have imagined that he had just barely skirted the gates of death. Had he not still been somewhat useful, Huo Yuhao really might have killed him outright.
Huo Yuhao jumped off him and walked around in front of him. "In that case, become my Wisdom Soul Ring."
Huo Yuhao's tone was forceful, brooking no refusal.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm froze in place, remaining motionless for a long while, as though he had something to say.
"Boss, this..."
Huo Yuhao asked in confusion, "What is it? Is there a problem?"
Huo Yuhao moved his hand, and countless threads surrounded the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm once again.
"No, no, no... There's no problem. It's just that you're already so strong. Shouldn't all your Soul Ring slots have been filled long ago?"
Terrified, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm hurriedly voiced his confusion.
"Hahaha, then why don't you sense whether I actually have any Soul Rings?" Huo Yuhao replied.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm quickly swept Huo Yuhao with his spiritual power and discovered that he was only rank ten! What kind of monster was this?
And what the hell was going on with that total amount of Soul Power?!
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's worldview was utterly shattered. In a million years of life, he had never seen anything so absurd.
His boss was only rank ten, yet he could fight the Black-Eyed Golden Dragon King, Di Tian, with his cultivation of over eight hundred thousand years, to a fifty-fifty draw?
And his boss had probably been even younger back then!
How terrifying!
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm stared at Huo Yuhao in shock, his two lantern-sized eyes opening even wider.
My boss, Huo Yuhao, has what it takes to become a god!
"Boss, I'll become your Wisdom Soul Ring right away."
Without the slightest hesitation, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm immediately nodded in agreement.
Wouldn't anyone who refused this be a complete dumbass?
The path to eternal life was beckoning right before his eyes. Who could possibly turn it down?!
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm excitedly added, "Boss, after I become your Wisdom Soul Ring, although I can't give you a Soul Bone, I can give you a second Martial Soul!"
Huo Yuhao showed no surprise whatsoever and picked at his ear. "All right, I know. Get started."
Then, without the slightest hesitation, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm wriggled his body and pressed his forehead against Huo Yuhao's.
In an instant, the ten golden patterns on his body blazed with dazzling light and slowly floated up from his body.
With an exertion from the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, his entire body vanished outright, burrowing into Huo Yuhao's mind.
The ten golden patterns floated in midair, continuously revolving around Huo Yuhao.
With Huo Yuhao's breathing, the ten golden rings pulsed up and down, their golden light flickering as vast amounts of spiritual power rapidly poured into every corner of his body.
Terrifying spiritual fluctuations rapidly spread outward from Huo Yuhao, covering a hundred-kilometer area at the southern end of the Star Dou Great Forest.
"Boss, your body is so sturdy! I don't even need to apply any seals. You can absorb all my power. This is wonderful!"
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's delighted voice rang out in his mind.
He was glad he had chosen the right person to follow. His boss was simply too powerful. Even becoming his Wisdom Soul Ring was reaching above his station.
Suddenly, a thunderclap rang out in the sky!
The space above Huo Yuhao abruptly tore open, and a gray sphere flew straight into his mind.
"With sun and moon in hand, I pluck the stars; none in this world is like me..."
He really came! Huo Yuhao thought.
Electrolux really had come. Having transmigrated, he truly had the fate of a heaven-chosen protagonist.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm instantly panicked. An unknown object had appeared at a time like this, and he immediately marshaled his spiritual power to attack.
Huo Yuhao stopped him outright. "Just keep merging. Leave it alone."
Hearing this, Tian Meng did not dispute Huo Yuhao's words at all and hurried on with the merger.
The ten golden patterns rapidly contracted and condensed, finally merging slowly into Huo Yuhao's body. Dazzling golden light enveloped him, then dimmed before disappearing completely.
A golden ring rose from beneath Huo Yuhao's feet. After floating up and down for a while, its gold began flaking away, and finally, a white Soul Ring took solid form.
The absorption was a success!
His first Soul Ring, the million-year Sky Dream Ice Silkworm!
Huo Yuhao slowly opened his eyes and sensed the skills this Soul Ring had brought him. Spiritual Detection instantly activated!
The scenery within a hundred kilometers appeared directly in his mind like a three-dimensional model. Every blade of grass and every marking on every tree was incomparably clear. Compared to probing with his own spiritual power, the sensation was worlds apart.
It was like watching a movie and upgrading straight from 2D to 5D. This was simply fantastic!
Two figures rapidly entered Huo Yuhao's detection range.
Tang Ya looked extremely anxious as she raced toward Huo Yuhao. Bei Bei followed behind her, his eyes focused only on her figure, without any anxiety at all.
Huo Yuhao checked. The two would arrive in roughly two minutes, so he withdrew his Spiritual Detection.
He simply found a large tree, sat down, and closed his eyes.
Tang Ya hurried forward, pushing her Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track footwork to its limit, and soon spotted Huo Yuhao lying beneath the large tree.
"Yuhao! How are you?!"
Huo Yuhao did not respond. Tang Ya grew even more anxious and quickened her pace again.
Tang Ya rushed over and pulled Huo Yuhao into her arms, hurriedly examining him with her Soul Power. Only after confirming that he was all right did she breathe a sigh of relief.
Keeping her legs together, Tang Ya slowly sat down and gently rested Huo Yuhao's head between her thighs so she could examine his entire body.
The sight left Bei Bei's teeth itching with envy!
Bei Bei suggested, "Xiao Ya, let's put him somewhere more open and wait for him to wake up on his own. There's no need for this..."
Tang Ya gritted her teeth and shouted fiercely at Bei Bei, "Get lost! Where are we? The Star Dou Great Forest! If a Soul Beast suddenly attacks, little Yuhao will only be in greater danger lying out in the open!"
"Bei Bei! You're truly heartless! I was wrong about you. Leave. I'll find a way to get my Soul Ring myself. I don't need you."
Tang Ya ordered him to leave outright. Huo Yuhao was already in this state, yet Bei Bei was still thinking of casually dumping him out in the open.
Having experienced the tragic deaths of her loved ones, she naturally placed particular value on the life of everyone she knew.
Yet Bei Bei treated it with such indifference. She was deeply disappointed.
"X-Xiao Ya, that's not what I meant... Listen to my explanation."
Bei Bei panicked. He had not expected a casual remark of his to make Tang Ya drive him away.
"Then what did you mean? We have nothing to talk about. Leave!" Tang Ya was resolute, pressing him at every turn.
"I just spoke too hastily. I meant that we could stand guard beside little brother Huo," Bei Bei continued explaining.
Tang Ya raised a hand to stop him from saying any more, gently brushing the stray grass from Huo Yuhao's head. "You don't need to say anything else."
Bei Bei was out of options. His relationship with Tang Ya had dropped to freezing point once again, and he could only sit down to one side.
He sighed helplessly, utterly dejected, and had already begun thinking about how to beg for forgiveness later.
Tang Ya paid him no attention either, carefully tending to Huo Yuhao and occasionally feeding him Soul Power, hoping he would wake up as soon as possible.
Feeling the softness beneath his head and the young girl's distinctive fragrance, Huo Yuhao slept even more comfortably.
He had been perfectly aware of everything that had just happened between the two. It had certainly been quite a show.