--- Chapter 30 ---
A beautiful-looking yacht hovered on the blue ocean, releasing a faint muffling noise. Even though it moved through so many oceanic spirit beasts, none of them dared to approach it.
Huo Yuhao was currently doing pushups on the deck, muttering six digits numbers each while breathing. His developed young body was forced to the absolute limit and released a breaking noise rapidly from inside. He gritted his teeth and lifted his upper body again.
"694.201..." Huo Yuhao sighed and flopped his entire body onto the marbled wood. "That's my current limit without resting even for a bit. The 2nd Blood Ring should be condensed soon."
"Hao'er~!" A melodious voice comes from above.
Huo Yuhao opened his eyes and saw Huo Yun'er in her white summer dress. She wore a straw hat, making her pale pinkish-blonde hair shine under the shadow. And that sweet motherly smile complimented her whole appearance very well.
"Do you need something, Mom?" He replied with a smile too.
Huo Yun'er shook her head gently and activated Heavenly Fox's martial soul. A black spirit ring appeared and hovered around her naturally. Her hair became completely white with pinkish shades and two fluffy fox ears on top of her head. Nine fox tails gradually spurted out of her upper butt.
She breathed in and said, "I've absorbed the Luan Bird's Egg Spirit Ring and reached Level 19. I have a reasonable share of strong techniques from Yae's legacy, but your spiritual energy manipulation is superior to mine."
"Can you teach me how to use Haki?"
"Sure." He responded with a nod. "Let's call Qianye Ying'er too because I need to see her martial soul."
Huo Yun'er frowned when hearing that but suddenly felt a soft sensation on her lips. She melted quickly into her son's touch and breathed heavily. "T-That's not fair..." She mumbled to herself.
"Hehe, your defense is lacking, mom. Don't get jealous of Qianye Ying'er because I don't have any feelings for her yet. I like adult women more." Huo Yuhao chuckled playfully.
"Adult women... After all, Yae was right." Huo Yun'er blushed a little. The Albino Nine-Tailed Fox has guided her on the way of perversion over one hundred years, knowing one's characters based on their inner desires. And it's not hard for her to sense Huo Yuhao's honesty. He indeed likes Adult Women, or Milf precisely.
Qianye Ying'er came on the deck cheerfully and saw Huo Yuhao whispering something into his mother's ears. She couldn't hear it clearly, but it sounded somewhat lewd from afar.
'W-What are they doing in the public area?! And um, At least do it somewhere else.' She thought while covering her blushing face and trying to peek between her fingers.
"Boo!" Huo Yuhao appeared before her.
"Kyaa!"
Qianye Ying'er stumbled on the marble floor, but Huo Yuhao quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her back up. He has an amused expression on his face. Even though Huo Yuhao doesn't have intimate feelings for Qianye Ying'er, teasing her is fun.
It's like having that one little sister who was adorable when teased. Huo Yuhao didn't have older or younger siblings in his previous life, so this was a new experience for him.
"Ying'er, show me your martial soul." He suddenly said, which caught Qianye Ying'er off guard. The girl seemed to panic out of nowhere and peeked at him nervously. There was something wrong.
"Is there something wrong? Your father won't be able to follow us here."
Qianye Ying'er breathed to calm herself and raised her head to match Huo Yuhao's eyes. He's a lot taller than her, so she has to push her head up. "My martial soul is quite special. It's a Tool-type Spirit." She replied while lifting her hand. A pure white flag tied to a purple pole with a sharp pointy end appeared before their eyes.
"My martial soul is Flag. I-It's trash martial soul that is different from anyone in Qianye Clan."
Huo Yuhao grabbed her shoulders and commented, "Calm down, Ying'er."
"No such thing as a useless martial soul in this world because even a wooden shovel could turn into a powerful spear when developed correctly. Hell, I believed a simple handkerchief could become a deadly weapon if one uses it correctly. Yours is no different."
"B-But..." Qianye Ying'er bit her lips in frustration.
"Not but! Do you believe me?" Huo Yuhao stared at her amethyst eyes.
"I trust you, Yuhao."
[Name: Flag(Unawakened)]
[Type: Martial Soul]
[Description: Flag, a tool-type martial soul with a pure white banner tied onto the unique spear-like pole, It has a hidden quality based on one's belief trapped within Qianye Ying'er]
'Evo, use 2 Silver Upgrading Tickets on Qianye Ying'er and her martial soul. And 1 Gold Upgrading Ticket on my mom's human race.' Huo Yuhao said after considering so many things.
[Converting Upgrading Tickets...]
[Upgrading Tickets: Silver(2), Gold(1)]
[Using 2 Silver Upgrading Tickets on Qianye Ying'er race and martial soul]
[Using 1 Gold Upgrading Ticket on Huo Yun'er race]
[Upgrading...]
[...]
Gasps!!
A surprised gasp escaped Huo Yun'er and Qianye Ying'er as they felt tremendous changes. They dropped on the deck, and Huo Yuhao watched them calmly because he knew the sensation when upgrading one's race.
Qianye Ying'er felt her entire body and soul tremble under Huo Yuhao's touch. She hugged his back tightly and didn't want to let it go, feeling like it would disappear from her grasp.
However, Huo Yun'er had a much more relaxed response because she was training her Kenbunshoku Haki, which means her state of mind was remarkably calm beforehand.
[Qianye Ying'er race upgraded into Holy Human]
[Qianye Ying'er martial soul upgraded into Battle Flag]
[Huo Yun'er race upgraded into High Human]
Huo Yuhao noticed the noticeable changes in Qianye Ying'er martial soul because the Flag now possessed a Dragon-like mark with a majestic feathery wing. The pole also became longer with fiery flame all over it.
Qianye Ying'er slowly opened her amethyst eyes and saw a beautiful-looking dragon with purplish black scales in front of her. She felt a connection with it, having an "abnormal." sense of faith in this creature. It's such a serene sensation in her heart.
"Oh, lord~!" She muttered while keeping her hand together tightly.
ROAR!
The dragon roared at Qianye Ying'er, but she wasn't intimidated and rather happy for some reason. She lowered her eyes and witnessed her lord become a familiar-looking boy.
"Yuhao."
"Yes?" Huo Yuhao tilted his head. "Do you feel something weird, Ying'er?"
Qianye Ying'er returned to reality and replied instinctively, "I have never felt better than this, my lord. Your existence makes everything perfect for me~!"
"Uh, what??"
[Name: Qianye Ying'er]
[Race: Holy Human(+)]
[Age: 6]
[Cultivation: Level 10]
[Martial Soul: Battle Flag(+)]
[Description: A young fanatic believer of Huo Yuhao's religion]
"No way..."
Huo Yuhao clicked on the Holy Human and Battle Flag additional system panels and was speechless. As the newly upgraded race and martial soul connected to him.
[Holy Human]
[Advanced humans. They have a high innate affinity toward the Light Element and better potential than normal humans. Holy Humans could become stronger based on their faith in someone else. The stronger their "faith.", the faster their growth]
[Battle Flag]
[An unique martial soul tied to one's belief toward the Divine Dragon, Chaotic Purgatory Dragon. It possessed Holy Aura that could purify Darkness and Evil in this world]
Qianye Ying'er appearance hasn't changed much after getting her race upgraded to Holy Human. Well, she became cuter than before, but that's it.
"Thank you, my lord~!" She gently pulled Huo Yuhao's right hand and kissed it. "Thank you for giving me this opportunity~!"
Huo Yuhao face-palmed himself inside and said, "You should call me Yuhao like usual. Calling me "My lord." is weird and awkward to me."
She smiled and replied, "As you wish."
"Ah, that was refreshing~!" Huo Yun'er commented while shaking her head around. Her pale blonde hair becomes longer and reaches her waist.
After becoming High Human, Huo Yun'er felt something great changing inside her. Everything seemed to be better, and her senses worked better. She also grasped Kenbunshoku Haki instantly, alas only at the entry level.
"Hmm, what happened to her?" Huo Yun'er looked around and noticed Qianye Ying'er loving gaze toward her son.
Huo Yuhao chuckled in defeat and answered, "I'll explain."
...
...
Huo Yuhao explained almost everything to Huo Yun'er and Qianye Ying'er, giving them false information about Upgrading Tickets by covering it as a miracle-like medicine he created. It's hard to believe, but none seemed to care for some reason.
Huo Yun'er tested her new physical prowess on the deck and sent several palm strikes filled with spiritual energy. Her movement caused the air to move forward, creating small shockwaves.
Meanwhile, Qianye Ying'er waited patiently beside Huo Yuhao with a calm look on her young face. She has discovered a new light in her pitiful life. After losing her mother, she realized the first person who cared about her well-being was Huo Yuhao.
Even though Qianye Ying'er was young, she knew this wasn't love but more like a blind belief toward Huo Yuhao. It's better than remembering the misery she experienced a few days ago.
"Boss, What's that?" Xiao Chen's voice suddenly comes from the upper deck.
Huo Yuhao frowned slightly and started his Kenbunshoku Haki, locating a few ships approaching them from the south. "Sea Bandit? I mean, Pirate," He said with a cough.
[Ding! A Quest]
[Name: Pirate Attacks]
[Objectives: Kill/Spare Pirates of The Northern Sea(0/124)]
[Reward: 5 Silver Upgrading Tickets and 2x Treasure Box(A)]
[Do you want to accept the Quest?]
[Yes/No]
"Yes." Huo Yuhao replied immediately.
Huo Yun'er gazed over the sea and asked, "Pirate? Hmm, Can I fight them?"
"We can fight them together, mom."
"Oh, my bad~!"
Qianye Ying'er wanted to say something similar, but Huo Yuhao stopped her. "No, you stay here. You don't have enough fighting experience to be in a real fight, Ying'er." He commented while patting her head.
"Be a good girl and wait here." He added while pulling Baruka's Dagger.
The girl could only nod in frustration because she couldn't help Huo Yuhao. She felt disgusted at her weakness, cursing herself inside to grow stronger quickly. However, Huo Yuhao noticed this pretty fast.
"After this, I'll teach you how to fight. Is that okay?" Huo Yuhao said while wearing his White Goblin Mask.
"Mhm." Qianye Ying'er beamed brightly and nodded her head frantically. "Please be safe, my lord- I mean, Yuhao."
Huo Yuhao pinched her adorable cheeks and stated, "I'll be back soon."
"Chen, close all entrances!"
"Okay, Boss!!" Xiao Chen pulled down the security lever, and every entrance gradually closed with an iron gate. Qianye Ying'er walked into the captain's room and waved her hand at Huo Yuhao.
...
"Need a weapon?" Huo Yuhao asked his mom.
Huo Yun'er shook her head and answered, "Kiss me instead. That's much better than a weapon."
Looking at her solemn look, Huo Yuhao leaned toward Huo Yun'er and kissed her forehead. The mother giggled happily and activated her Heavenly Fox martial soul again.
"Jump after me." Huo Yuhao called the Chains of Heaven and created a wormhole in the Pirate Ship. He kicked the yacht deck and was followed by Huo Yun'er a second later. They landed on the Pirate Ship and saw wild-looking people surrounding them with weapons.
Huo Yuhao looked around and said jokingly, "Hello There."