When Qian Chen took the initiative to ask about him, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm immediately perked up. He cleared his throat and said proudly, "First of all, Yuhao's teacher, my name is Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, not big bug."
Qian Chen nodded. "All right, I won't call you big bug anymore. I'll call you Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. My name is Qian Chen. Tell me what ideas or plans you have."
"Good! I have a plan called the 'God-Making Plan.' I'm going to mold Yuhao into a god, step by step!" The more the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm spoke, the more excited he became, and he immediately launched into an endless account of his grand vision.
The more Qian Chen listened, the more astonished he became. So this was a son of destiny. Even with poor talent, he could simply lie back and have a million-year Soul Beast willingly sacrifice itself to him, and even pave his road to godhood.
After hearing the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm out, Qian Chen turned toward the gray bead in Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness and asked, "May I ask which deity from another world you are? If you aren't asleep, please come out and say something."
The gray bead trembled slightly, and an aged, majestic voice slowly rang out. "With sun and moon in my grasp, I pluck the stars; none in this world can compare to me. I am the Holy Necromancer, the Slumbering Calamity, Electrolux."
Qian Chen's gaze sharpened. "As I thought, a soul fragment of a god-level powerhouse."
"You know me?" Electrolux sounded somewhat curious.
"You come from another world, and I've never visited your world, so naturally, I don't know you. But your condition tells me you're the remnant soul of a fallen god-level powerhouse," Qian Chen explained before changing the subject. "Sir, since you've taken up residence here, this may well be the final resting place of this soul fragment of yours. As Yuhao's teacher, I won't object to your staying here. I only hope that if my disciple encounters danger, you'll lend him a hand."
Electrolux said slowly, "You can rest assured of that. Not only that, if this child proves pure and kindhearted, I can also teach him some magic from my world, making him the inheritor of my necromancy in this world and allowing my holy necromantic arts to flourish here."
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao immediately grew anxious and hurriedly said, "Senior Electrolux! On our Douluo Continent, a person only takes one teacher. I'm sorry, but I won't become your inheritor."
"Yuhao, don't talk nonsense," Qian Chen sternly cut him off, then turned to Electrolux and spoke sincerely. "Please don't take offense, Mr. Electrolux. Those with greater mastery can serve as teachers. If Yuhao can receive guidance from a powerhouse like you, then as his Martial Soul teacher, not only would I not object, I couldn't ask for anything better. It's all for the sake of making him stronger."
"Hahaha!" Electrolux laughed heartily. "Mr. Qian Chen, you truly are broad-minded! In gratitude for allowing the legacy of my necromancy to survive, I grant you special permission to use and learn everything Huo Yuhao learns from me. You may even establish a sect and spread it. My only wish is that my necromancy won't die out here."
Qian Chen solemnly cupped his hands. "Very well. Thank you, Mr. Electrolux."
Just then, Qian Chen sensed a warning from the Golden-Feathered Scarlet Eagle. Someone was approaching. He immediately said, "All right, everyone, someone is coming outside. We'll talk another time."
Electrolux and the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm both agreed.
The next moment, Qian Chen withdrew his spiritual power, slowly separating his forehead from Huo Yuhao's.
Before he had fully returned to his senses, Bibi Dong's cold voice rang out in his mind. "Qian Chen, this Huo Yuhao is the son of destiny of this era, isn't he? You sent his mother's soul back so easily? Aren't you afraid he'll go back on his word someday?"
Qian Chen's voice was cold. "Bibi Dong, I think you've grown used to living in the finest Sea of Consciousness. My Sea of Consciousness once received a great opportunity. Any soul that enters it will never dissipate. When Xiao Xue saved me back then, she was only a hair away from having her soul scattered into oblivion. It was my Sea of Consciousness that protected her."
"Let me tell you, not every Sea of Consciousness has that effect. Huo Yun'er is just an ordinary person without a trace of Soul Power. Her spiritual power and soul power are practically zero. She won't survive long in a newly opened Sea of Consciousness like Huo Yuhao's. Before long, Huo Yuhao will be begging me to take his mother back."
"Besides, if I hid the fact that his mother was in my Sea of Consciousness, once he discovered it someday, he would instead suspect that I'd secretly stolen his mother's soul. By treating him honestly now, I can prevent any rift between us later."
At this point, Qian Chen couldn't help shaking his head and muttering to himself, "Sigh, why am I wasting so many words on a lunatic like you?"
"You bastard!" Bibi Dong snapped. "Do you think I wasn't looking out for you?"
Qian Chen turned toward Qian Renxue, his tone softening somewhat. "Can't you trust me completely, the way Xiao Xue does? I can't be bothered talking to you anymore."
With that, he withdrew his awareness completely and returned to the real world.
As soon as he came to his senses, Qian Chen noticed the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's shed skin still lying on the ground and immediately went over to pick it up.
"Yuhao, this shed skin should be an external soul bone. Absorb it in a little while. The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm didn't have you absorb it immediately, and I suspect he wanted to keep a fallback. If you fail to become a god someday, he might want to use this shed skin to be reborn. Absorb it and cut off that last hope of his. Only then can he devote himself wholeheartedly to helping you grow."
In fact, after hearing the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's God-Making Plan, Qian Chen had lost any favorable impression of him, though he hadn't said it aloud. This Sky Dream Ice Silkworm possessed a million years of cultivation, yet was weak and useless. Who knew how many high-year Soul Beasts he would get killed in the future just to preserve his own life? To put it bluntly, he was a traitor among Soul Beasts, a guide for the enemy. Qian Chen also feared he might go back on his word someday, so he simply cut off his final escape route.
Inside Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm cried out involuntarily, "Yuhao! Believe me, I never thought of being reborn! I only wanted to keep my shed skin to help you capture your second martial soul later!"
Huo Yuhao said calmly, "Brother Sky Dream, I understand. My teacher is a Titled Douluo. What Soul Beast couldn't he catch? So I don't intend to keep this external soul bone anymore."
With that, Huo Yuhao held the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's shed skin before Qian Chen with both hands and said earnestly, "Teacher, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm said this shed skin was meant to capture a Soul Beast for my second martial soul later. But I thought that since you're a Titled Douluo, you would naturally help me in the future. As your disciple, I can't keep letting you give without getting anything back. I ought to repay you somehow. Teacher, please accept this shed-skin external soul bone."
While Qian Chen was still hesitating, the sounds of branches being pushed aside and fallen leaves being trodden on came from deep in the woods, drawing ever closer.
Qian Chen nodded. "All right. I'll keep this shed skin with me for now. When Yuhao obtains his second martial soul, if it isn't needed, I'll accept it then."
Huo Yuhao said sincerely, "All right. Thank you, Teacher."
Inside Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness, Huo Yun'er watched this scene tenderly and said softly, "Yuhao, you're a good child who knows gratitude. You're Mommy's pride."
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, however, shouted hysterically, "Yuhao! Do you know what you've missed out on?"
Huo Yuhao replied evenly, "Brother Sky Dream, Teacher said that when I obtain my second martial soul, if we can't take down that Soul Beast, he'll bring out the shed skin to use. He won't absorb it before then. Why are you getting so worked up?"
That single remark forced back every word the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm wanted to say. He could only curl up resentfully into a ball and wail, "Let me have some peace... Ah! My shed skin!"
In the real world, the sounds of branches being pushed aside and fallen leaves being trodden on drew closer and closer. Finally, two figures emerged from behind the bushes. They were Bei Bei and Tang Ya.