"Xiao Yuhao, are you ready? Big bro's coming in again!"
As Tianmeng Iceworm's voice echoed from the tiny creature crawling all over his shoulder, Huo Yuhao, who was sitting cross-legged, couldn't help but twitch his face in slight discomfort.
He released his Spirit Eyes martial soul, and beneath him, the purple spirit ring shimmered. Another faint purple shadow gradually became more solid above it.
Soon, as the deep purple spirit ring fully formed, Tianmeng Iceworm's astonished voice rang out again.
"This spirit soul contract is truly magical. It can allow a spirit beast to provide more than one spirit ring! I feel like we're one step closer to becoming gods."
He then unlocked the seal in the mental space once again, releasing the overwhelming spiritual essence from his million-year cultivation. Like a raging flood, the massive spiritual energy surged into Huo Yuhao's mental sea, greatly expanding its already considerable size.
"Tianmeng bro, how many more spirit rings can you provide now?"
Upon hearing Huo Yuhao's question, Tianmeng Iceworm's mood dropped.
"Providing this second spirit ring has drained all my remaining energy. From now on, you'll have to rely on yourself to find spirit rings."
"In comparison to the first spirit ring, this one only gives two skills. One is the Mimic ability you requested, but I don't know what the other one is. You'll have to figure it out yourself. Once your physical attributes meet the requirements, the power of these two skills can also reach the million-year standard."
"That's enough."
Huo Yuhao nodded. In his past life, his second spirit ring had come from a thousand-year iceworm, and although Tianmeng bro had enhanced it to the ten-thousand-year level, it still couldn't compare to a million-year spirit ring.
However, Tianmeng Iceworm seemed dissatisfied. He let out a humph and spoke regretfully.
"If those jerks in the Great Star Dou Forest hadn't drained my energy, I could have given you all the spirit rings for your Spirit Eyes martial soul. Those guys are going to pay for this! I'll kick every last one of them in the butt!"
"Uh…"
Huo Yuhao cleared his throat, his expression becoming serious. But Tianmeng Iceworm clearly didn't get the hint, continuing his rant against the beasts in the Great Star Dou Forest and plotting elaborate revenge schemes for each of them.
For example, he planned to pluck every single hair off the neck of that Red King.
As for the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, Tianmeng was thinking of breaking its little claws.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao was already sweating bullets. He glanced to the side, only to see that Gu Yue Na, who had been playing with the Bluesilver Grass gift from Tang Ya on the second floor, had silently appeared at the doorway.
She was leaning against the doorframe, her violet eyes half-closed, quietly watching the oblivious Tianmeng Iceworm.
"Tianmeng bro, stop talking!"
Seeing that the word "death" was practically written on Tianmeng Iceworm's forehead, Huo Yuhao's lips moved silently, and finally, his message reached the iceworm.
Coming back to his senses, Tianmeng Iceworm immediately felt a cold shiver run through him. He instinctively turned around, and when he saw the silver-haired figure standing at the door, he froze in place.
After a long pause, he awkwardly spoke up.
"Uh... uh... suddenly I remembered I haven't taken my nap yet today. I'm going to go sleep."
With that, Tianmeng Iceworm vanished in a flash of white light, disappearing into Huo Yuhao's chest without a moment's hesitation.
He had barely come out to stretch his legs, and now he had almost lost his life. The human world was far too dangerous—he missed the Northern Ice Fields.
"Are you done?"
As Tianmeng Iceworm made his hasty retreat, Gu Yue Na withdrew her gaze and turned her attention to Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao smiled and nodded. Almost two years had passed since they returned from the Great Star Dou Forest.
Over the past two years, he had spent his nights meditating and cultivating, while his days were filled with training in the Deathgod Domain with Gu Yue Na, crafting soul tools, and the occasional visit to Jiang Nannan's house to have a meal and chat with her mother, Jiang Wanjun.
The drinking remedy Huo Yuhao had suggested had worked wonders—her aftereffects had healed considerably faster, and within a little over two months, she had fully recovered.
Although the treatment was over, Jiang Wanjun still kept up the habit of drinking from time to time.
Huo Yuhao had learned her name during one of their casual conversations.
Although he was curious about why Jiang Nannan shared the same surname as her mother, there were more puzzling details.
Jiang Wanjun was clearly an ordinary person. Even if her husband had been exceptionally talented, Jiang Nannan's soul power talent shouldn't have been as high as it was.
Huo Yuhao himself was an example of this; a child's talent is generally determined by both parents. This is especially true for those with top-tier talent.
Jiang Nannan's talent ranked among the best at Shrek Academy, and for a commoner to match up with people like Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi was unusual.
One possibility came to Huo Yuhao's mind.
Could she have been adopted?
However, since this was clearly the other party's private matter, and since Jiang Wanjun never mentioned Jiang Nannan's father, Huo Yuhao had no plans to delve deeper.
And in this fulfilling routine, Huo Yuhao's soul power had finally reached level twenty just a few days ago.
Despite the modifications made by the Sin of Pride, which increased his soul power capacity far beyond the norm, his progress was already far beyond his previous life.
Now, with Tianmeng bro's second spirit ring, he had ascended to the rank of Grandmaster Spirit Master. Before Tang Ya returned from her vacation, he was planning a trip to the Northern Ice Fields.
As Huo Yuhao stood up, Gu Yuena's gaze landed on his newly formed second spirit ring.
"If humans saw how you condensed that spirit ring, wouldn't they think you were a hundred-thousand-year-old spirit beast in human form?"
"Maybe." Huo Yuhao smirked. "I've been mistaken for that before… By the way, I might need to take a trip soon."
"Hm?" Gu Yuena looked up at him. "Where to?"
"The Northern Ice Fields."
A silver-haired figure flashed in his mind, and Huo Yuhao's lips curved upward. "I'm going to visit a few friends there."
Gu Yuena thought for a moment before tentatively asking, "…The Snow Empress?"
Huo Yuhao was startled. "You know her?"
"No, I've only heard about her from Di Tian. He mentioned that the ruler of the Northern Ice Fields is a capable and strong-willed spirit beast leader."
At this, Gu Yuena paused and gave him a meaningful look.
"And you, how do you know her?"
"It's not like that."
Huo Yuhao opened his mouth but couldn't think of a way to explain, so he sighed.
"I know her, but she doesn't know me."
"Are you planning to make her your spirit soul? Based on what Di Tian told me, it seems unlikely that she would agree easily."
Understanding Huo Yuhao's intention, Gu Yuena pondered for a moment, then offered, "Shall I go with you?"
"…You're not planning to force her into submission using your title as the ruler of spirit beasts, are you?"
Seeing Gu Yuena blink in confusion, Huo Yuhao's eyelid twitched, and he shook his head with a smile.
"Thank you, but I'm going to make friends this time. It wouldn't be the same if you came along as the spirit beast ruler. I'll go alone, but I'm leaving the house in your care."
"Alright."
Gu Yuena didn't insist. She lowered her gaze to the Bluesilver Grass that Tang Ya had gifted her, and after a moment of silence, she spoke the words that Huo Yun'er and Tang Ya often said.
"Come back soon."
Huo Yuhao paused, then smiled and nodded.
"Okay."
Meanwhile, Tianmeng Iceworm, watching from within the mental space, was dumbfounded.
If it weren't for the fact that her aura was unmistakable, he would've had a hard time believing that the gentle girl in front of him was the same spirit beast ruler whom even Di Tian, the Beast God, referred to as his lord.
"Yuhao."
Tianmeng Iceworm's voice suddenly turned serious, prompting Huo Yuhao to respond reflexively.
"What's up, Tianmeng bro?"
"In all my life, I've never asked you for anything."
"Today, I'm begging you on my knees—please teach me your ways before we head to the Northern Ice Fields. Let me… Let me..."
"…"
Huo Yuhao rolled his eyes at Tianmeng Iceworm's increasingly tearful voice.
"But I didn't do anything! Besides, isn't Gu Yuena acting completely normal?"
Do you even know what "normal" means?
"Yuhao, what I'm trying to say is…"
Looking at Huo Yuhao's confused expression, Tianmeng Iceworm hesitated for a long time but ultimately didn't dare voice his thoughts.
"Ahem, just be careful. I have a feeling that the people around you don't have the best intentions. You have to stay cautious."
"Thanks for the warning, bro."
"Don't mention it. Now, you need to hurry and prepare for your journey."
"Got it."
And so, the next morning, Huo Yuhao departed for the Northern Ice Fields, ready to face new challenges ahead.