--- Chapter 23 ---
"Yes."
Huo Yuhao sat on the bed and straightened his back, inhaling air into his lungs. He closed his eyes and prepared himself to absorb two red spirit rings from the system. Chains of Heaven manifested themselves in the bedroom, hovering around him like a snake.
[Processing...]
[Transferring Space Worm and Monster-Sealing Sakura Tree Spirit Rings to Chains of Heaven]
"Do it." Huo Yuhao whispered to Evo.
[10%]
A crimson spirit ring with two golden marks appeared out of nowhere and floated above Huo Yuhao's head. It gradually moved to the Chain of Heaven and released faint white light.
"This is how it feels, huh?" Huo Yuhao could feel foreign energy invade the Chains of Heaven's position in his chest, merging into it. Warm vibrancy like flowing water spread over his nerve and meridian, accustoming them to Spirit Skills from Space Worm.
[50%]
Huo Yuhao could feel a weird sensation in the air and grasp their locations. It's like extra material or maybe existing things from the beginning.
[69%]
Another crimson spirit ring with two golden marks appeared out of thin air and moved to the Chain of Heavens. A faint scent of cherry blossoms invaded Huo Yuhao's nostrils. His entire body became heavy like extra weights suddenly were added to his shoulders.
Huo Yuhao waited for two hours and sighed in relief because the added weight had disappeared from his shoulders. He opened his eyes and saw the progression bar.
[100%]
[Congratulation, Host]
"Open my status." Huo Yuhao said while stretching his neck a little.
[Opening Status Window...]
[Name: Huo Yuhao]
[Age: 6]
[Race: High Human]
[Sub-Races: True Dragon(+), White Tiger(+)]
[Class: Assassin, Avenger, Paladin, Archer]
[Cultivation Realm: Level 29]
[Martial Soul: Chaotic Purgatory Dragon(+), The Eyes of the Lord(+), Chains of Heaven(2+)]
[Skills: Craftsman, Chef, Alchemist]
[Techniques: Haki(+), Penetrating Fist, Extreme Lightning Mirage, Four Season Saber Technique, Dagger Mastery]
[Equipment: Eas(21), Baruka's Dagger(A), Failure(Locked)]
[Upgrading Tickets: Silver(3)]
Huo Yuhao noticed two more additional tabs on the Chain of Heaven section. He clicked on it, checking the newly acquired abilities.
[1st Spirit Ring]
[Spatial Manipulation]
[Description: Manipulate the space around you according to your will, using spirit energy as a medium]
[Wormhole]
[Description: Create a wormhole to cross between two different locations, using more spirit energy based on the distances]
[Sub-Space(Passive)]
[Description: A sub-dimensional space inside the Chains of Heaven. It could trap living beings for an indefinite amount of time but trapping one for a "longer." period would use your spirit energy faster]
[2nd Spirit Ring]
[Bane of Monster(Passive)]
[Description: Your existence alone pressures any monster-like creature, weakening all their attributes by 10%]
[Self-Clones]
[Description: Self-clones the Chains of Heavens up to 200 copies, each having 50% strength as the original]
[Sakura Sealing Arrays]
[Description: Construct a 50-meters radius domain with a beautiful cherry blossom tree in the middle using the Chains of Heaven. It could strip and weaken elemental-based attacks by 50% and increase the gravity inside by 200% without affecting the caster]
"Heh, I reached level 29 in one go." Huo Yuhao grinned happily because these spirit skills were "extremely." useful for him. The first spirit ring is always "important" to a Spirit Master because it's the base and Spatial Manipulation is such a versatile ability.
And there is the Self-Clones ability, which allows Huo Yuhao to copy the Chains of Heaven up to 200 and create more than one Sakura Sealing Arrays simultaneously. His future enemy would get pressured for eternity with enough spirit energy.
"There are also two passive spirit skills that could "potentially" make anyone suffer in my hand." He commented with a cold chuckle. "Haha, I'm a Walking Prison now."
Huo Yuhao tried to lift his body off the bed and felt everything was unbalanced. He staggered for a moment, and everything was fine a minute later with High Human's adaptability.
"That's weird." He commented while rubbing his forehead. "My senses are extra sensitive after absorbing the spirit rings. It would take a while to fix, but nothing negative after it."
Huo Yuhao yawned and said, "Mom should return soon. I'll take a bath then."
Huo Yun'er was currently outside, buying some clothes for them with Qianye Ying'er. Even though Huo Yuhao said he could make durable clothes easily with Craftsmanship skills, she insisted on purchasing good-looking ones for him. Every good mother somehow had the same instinct.
Unknown to Huo Yuhao, Huo Yun'er brings Qianye Ying'er isn't just for shopping. They are having a "serious." conversation with each other as a female behind his back, like Xiao Xiao at the Star Luo Imperial City. The mother with a son complex wants to ensure a boundary among the girl he has encountered.
...
...
The following day was uneventful because Huo Yuhao woke up on the bed with drool on his cheek. He woke up out of instinct because he usually began to do daily quests right now.
"Yeah, I forgot we escaped White Tiger Mansion." He rubbed his eyes in annoyance.
Huo Yuhao looked around and saw Huo Yun'er beside him in a white sleeping gown. She looks absolutely stunning with her pale blonder hair scattered on the pillow like golden threads.
"A new day, it is." He kissed her on the forehead and jumped off the floor excitedly, starting with some warm-ups.
An hour later, Huo Yun'er furrowed her brows and woke up from her deep slumber, seeing her son's sweaty, shirtless body at the beginning of the day.
"Is this heaven?" A warm sensation rushed to her head and flowed through her nose.
Huo Yuhao chuckled and replied, "It is not, Mom. Don't joke around like in the morning."
"Yes, this is heaven."
The morning started with Huo Yun'er stuffing her nosebleed with cotton. She went to the inn's kitchen and asked the owner for permission to cook there, which was allowed instantly.
Huo Yuhao stabbed a piece of meat with his fork and ate it while staring at the Northern Sea City from the window. The scenery is still beautiful, even on the second day.
"Good morning." Qianye Ying'er greeted him with a smile. She carried a plate with a standard egg and bacon breakfast and sat on the chair beside Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao nodded and replied, "Morning. How was your sleep last night?"
"Better than yesterday. I still have a horrible nightmare about it, but nothing that I can't handle on my own." The young lady giggled.
A heart-wrenching trauma couldn't get healed instantly. Huo Yuhao knew that very well because he couldn't accept his adopted mother's death in his previous life.
"It's okay to cry when you want to. No one would stop you from doing it as long as I'm on your side." Huo Yuhao unknowingly spouted a cheesy line. The mood became awkward, and he started to devour his breakfast like no tomorrow.
Qianye Ying'er looked down at her plate with an overwhelmed feeling in her young heart. She blushed when remembering Huo Yuhao's gentle look a second ago, coughing a few times to calm herself. A noble young lady has to stay composed all the time.
"Ehem, Thank you." She replied gently.
Huo Yun'er entered the room and brought over a trolley with several dishes, placing them on the table for Huo Yuhao. "Here, eat more, Hao'er." She said while taking a seat on another side of her son.
"Eat more, so you can have more energy today." She glared at Qianye Ying'er for a moment and smiled at Huo Yuhao.
Qianye Ying'er swayed her little head away because of her last conversation with Huo Yun'er. The adult woman was marking her territory around Huo Yuhao.
'What a woman.' The young lady thought while sighing to herself.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao could only watch in defeat because their intention was clear to him. He ate his breakfast, enjoying every dish silently.
...
...
"Hmm, any of you wanted to follow me today?" Huo Yuhao asked while wearing his hooded cloak. He also wore the White Goblin Mask to cover his face.
Huo Yun'er smiled and responded, "Unfortunately, I have to meditate to recover my spiritual energy."
"I'll search for some relevant information with the servants. It might help our journey later." Qianye Ying'er replied naturally.
Huo Yuhao shrugged and went out, whistling casually on the quiet road. After a few minutes of talking with locals, he arrived at the fisherman docks.
He searched for the oldest fisherman in the docks and saw a middle-aged guy punching a shark. "What a badass guy." He couldn't help but comment amusingly.
"Sir, can I have your attention for a moment?"
"Go away, kid. This place isn't for you," The middle-aged man slammed the shark down. "You're too young to handle the sea."
Huo Yuhao looked down at the poor shark and realized it was a 100 hundred years old oceanic spirit beast. He quickly was convinced this middle-aged guy was a boss around here because the Southern Sea City's citizens didn't have cultivation like him.
"Spirit Master." Huo Yuhao said, which made the middle-aged man frown for a moment. "I saw three spirit rings when you punched that poor shark."
"And?" He chuckled back at him. "Knowing I was a Spirit Master is nothing to me."
Huo Yuhao smirked and added, "Too bad. You are poisoned by something, right?"
"Tense muscles and black circles around your eyes. A healthy Spirit Master shouldn't have such conditions with enough rest unless you got poison inside your body."
"H-How did you..."
"Brat, how did you know I was poisoned?!"
"That wasn't important. Let's have a simple trade, old man." Huo Yuhao leaned on the wooden pole near him. "I'll save your life, and you have to become my subordinate."