In the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, Huo Yuhao stared at his youthful hands, feeling a wave of helplessness and frustration.
After just receiving his memories, he realized that he had transmigrated to the Douluo Universe and become Huo Yuhao, the protagonist of the second part of Douluo Dalu: Unrivaled Tang Sect.
Honestly, it was a bit of a headache. In his past life, he had watched the Douluo Dalu's first part as a child, only to later watch Unrivaled Tang Sect. He had even abandoned the Tang Family Continent sequel due to academic pressures.
Then, he re-engaged with the Douluo series again, following the antics of an adult man, finding amusement in what absurd things they could do.
But now, here he was, reborn as Huo Yuhao! Was this some sort of twisted joke?
As he considered the plot of Unrivaled Tang Sect, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but wonder: What would he do if he were the protagonist? The answer was simple: he could do nothing.
As ridiculous as it was, Unrivaled Tang Sect was a story about the "domestication" of a son-in-law, meticulously planned by Tang San. The story took place in the Douluo Continent, a world without flashy magic or terrifying Dou Qi, but filled with powerful martial spirits.
As the law enforcer of the God Realm, Tang San, although unable to overtly interfere with the plane's events, was still quite adept at secretly manipulating fate—particularly that of a child of fate.
Thinking of this, Huo Yuhao shuddered. Such a powerful, tragic beginning!
It was enough to make him sweat. But when he considered the positives, he realized that as the destined son of the Douluo Continent, Huo Yuhao was well-known, especially for his connection to his angelic benefactor, Tianmeng Bingcan also known as the Skydream Iceworm.
The first spirit ring, a million-year-old one, was mind-blowing at first sight. Compared to Tang San's Blue Silver Grass martial spirit and its meager 422-year-old Datura Snake first spirit ring, Huo Yuhao's opportunity felt like the moon compared to fireflies.
And then there was Electrolux, who had reached divine levels—a power Huo Yuhao once criticized from the comfort of moral high ground, saying, "This is completely unreasonable!" But now, he has truly become Huo Yuhao.
It was hard to remain optimistic, especially with such a high level of power already assigned to him. But his current reality was far from grand.
He was just a weak tenth-level soul master, without even a soul ring, facing an uncertain future. How could he defeat the God King? How could he face Tang San? The odds seemed insurmountable.
At this moment, Huo Yuhao sighed and muttered to himself, "So, I must already be in Tang San's sights, right?" He looked up at the sky, feeling both helpless and resigned. "You're watching me, aren't you, Tang San?"
With everything already arranged, even the original Huo Yuhao's mother had a clear fate in the story. What else could he do but move forward, step by step, and see what unfolded?
"Sigh…Inheriting this body and fate, from now on, I am Huo Yuhao."
Now, at eleven years old, with level ten soul power, Huo Yuhao was preparing to leave the Duke's Mansion to hunt soul beasts, obtain his soul ring, and become a true soul master.
However, part of him wondered: Why not wait until he had the Tianmeng Bingcan and then go all the way to the Sun Moon Empire? As long as he avoided Shrek Academy, what could Tang San do to him? This was his fight for survival, after all. Even if he died, he swore he would never be a loyal dog of the Tang family.
"Thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west, don't bully the young for their poverty!" Huo Yuhao had made up his mind.
Just as Huo Yuhao was contemplating his future, an unexpected voice broke the silence. Along with it, small fluorescent blue characters appeared before him, floating in the air.
[Ding! The achievement system loaded successfully!]
[Achievements triggered!]
[Achieve the achievement of 'The Martial Spirit of Waste' and receive the reward Hope Gu.]
[Achieve the achievement of 'Demon from Beyond' and receive the reward Requiem Gu.]
Huo Yuhao blinked in surprise, momentarily stunned, before quickly recovering. "System, you're finally here," he muttered to himself, a wry smile playing on his lips. He had heard of these kinds of systems—his own 'Goldfinger'—often in novels, but now he was experiencing it firsthand.
Curious, he focused on the system and began analyzing it. He couldn't help but wonder if his past love for Gu Master novels had something to do with this.
Every time he triggers an achievement, the system will reward him with something related to Gu Master abilities.
The system seemed to have two types of achievements: passive personal achievements, triggered randomly by his actions, and active achievement tasks, which could be completed by interacting with specific plot characters or fulfilling their desires.
"Isn't this just the dream fulfillment system?" Huo Yuhao mused, recalling the Great Love Immortal Venerable's Dream Realization System from the novels.
The comparison felt a bit odd, but he shrugged. Perhaps, to fit the rules of the Douluo Universe, these Gu insects were just special equipment. For example, the two Gu insects he had just received had quite interesting functions.
[Hope Gu: One turn of the Gu insect can gradually improve the soul master's qualifications and make up for innate deficiencies.]
[Evaluation: When facing difficulties, give your heart to hope!]
[Requiem Gu: The fifth turn consumes Gu insects, improving the compatibility of the soul and body, and enhancing mental talent.]
[Evaluation: Once it comes, let's make peace with it.]
In the Gu Master novels, Gu insects were activated using true energy, with mortal Gu reaching a maximum of level five, while higher levels required immortal Gu, which were notoriously difficult to maintain.
But the system was different. It allowed him to store, manage, and feed these Gu insects with his soul power after they were embodied—making it much more convenient than the novels described.
Huo Yuhao felt a glimmer of hope for the future, despite the overwhelming challenges ahead. Maybe this strange system was the key to his survival in this world.
After trying out the Gu, he quickly realized that Hope Gu functioned as a passive buff, requiring minimal soul power to maintain.
As for Requiem Gu, it was a one-time-use Gu, consumed after activation.
After using it, he noticed several significant improvements. Not only was his mental power heightened, but he also experienced a sense of clarity, like a veil had been lifted from his mind.
His physical body felt subtly transformed: his bones and meridians had improved, and even his appearance seemed sharper, more refined. The most intriguing change was the shift in his Spirit Eyes martial soul—it felt as if it were evolving, though he knew it would take time to fully manifest.
Huo Yuhao reflected on his Spirit Eyes, which many might consider weak or useless. However, he didn't share that view. His physical body had been a limiting factor, and his martial soul's true potential had been stifled by his underdeveloped state.
Spirit Eyes, being a top-tier body martial soul, was highly valuable in body-centric sects, even if it wasn't appreciated by those in Shrek Academy. Without Ultimate Ice, his martial soul would likely be sidelined.
The world often valued the wrong things, but there was an old saying that resonated with him: "There is no useless martial soul, only useless soul masters." In the Douluo Continent, there were countless ways to defy fate, and innate soul power wasn't always a limiting factor for the truly strong.
With that thought in mind, Huo Yuhao decided to act. He slipped away from the Duke's Mansion, heading north to the Star Dou Forest. Time was critical, and if someone intercepted his opportunity, he'd regret it.
Six days later, Huo Yuhao found himself near the Star Dou Forest. Feeling a bit hungry, he began catching and grilling fish, a skill he had honed during the journey. The grilled fish, prepared using his Lingmu martial soul, turned out to be remarkably delicious. It even unlocked a new achievement:
[Achieve the achievement of 'Poor and helpless, but able to eat', and get the White Boar Gu as a reward.]
[White Boar Gu: One turn of the Gu worm can transform the soul master's body and fundamentally increase their power.]
[Evaluation: The power of a pig!]
After using White Boar Gu, Huo Yuhao immediately noticed his physical strength increase, now comparable to that of a Spirit grandmaster with a high-level beast martial soul.
The only downside was that his appetite had grown significantly, and he had to eat a lot to keep up with his increased physical demands. Despite this, he wasn't bothered; his enhanced leg strength helped him make up for the time lost to food issues during his travels.
Eventually, he reached the spot where in the original story Huo Yuhao had the grilled fish, almost at the same time as it had happened in the past. He wasn't just filling his stomach, though—he was waiting for the right moment.
By fishing in this spot, he was setting a trap. As the saying goes, "Jiang Taigong is fishing; those who wish will take the bait." Once he encountered the pair from the Tang Sect, he could head into the Star Dou Forest and verify his hypothesis about the achievement system.
**It means one can patiently wait for individuals who are genuinely interested to come forward on their own.**
Sure enough, before he even saw them, he heard a voice: "It smells so good!"
A clear, sweet voice carried through the air, and Huo Yuhao smiled slightly. He knew the bait had worked. He looked up and saw a pair of well-dressed youths approaching him. The girl, who was in the lead, was practically bouncing toward him, her mouth watering at the smell of the grilled fish.
"Little brother, your grilled fish tastes so good. How did you make it?" she asked eagerly.
"Of course by grilling," Huo Yuhao replied without thinking, looking at her.
The girl's long black hair was tied into a ponytail that swished behind her as she spoke. Her light blue outfit highlighted her youthful figure, and her bright, intelligent almond-like shone with curiosity. Her almost perfect face was framed by a graceful nose and lips that seemed to naturally curve into a smile. But what truly caught Huo Yuhao's attention was the text that appeared in his system, describing her:
[Tang Ya]
[Relationship: Acquaintance]
[Achievement Mission: Reviving the Tang Sect, starting with grilled fish]
So, this was how the glory of the Tang Sect was to be recreated, huh? Huo Yuhao thought to himself, his mind already turning with plans.
...
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