Douluo Continent: Starting with the Tiger Emperor Template

Chapter 103 Huo Yuhao's Free Spirit and Maturity

Shortly after Bingdi and Lu Ren left, Huo Yuhao slowly woke up.

He propped himself up on the ice, the dull pain in the back of his head still lingering from before he lost consciousness.

The pressure released by the Ice Emperor just now was too strong. The oppressive feeling of nearly 400,000 years of cultivation bursting out without reservation was something that he, a level 20 Great Soul Master, could not withstand.

Huo Yuhao lost consciousness almost instantly.

"Brother Tianmeng, have they left? They didn't kill us?"

Huo Yuhao looked around. In the icy valley, only the howling wind and snow and the dim golden spiritual body of the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm remained.

Lu Ren and Hyotei's figures had long since disappeared into the vast snow, even their footprints were completely covered by the fresh snow.

"—They didn't kill them, they left."

Tianmeng Bingcan's voice was muffled, as if something important had been taken from her spiritual body.

Huo Yuhao let out a long sigh of relief and plopped back down on the ice.

Then, belatedly, he scratched his head, looking puzzled: "That's strange, they actually let us go. But then again, we didn't really have any conflict with them, at most we just lost Hyotei."

"Isn't this a conflict? He stole my Bingbing away!"

Tianmeng Yongcan's spiritual body fluctuated violently, and her voice went off-key.

Huo Yuhao shrank back at its roar, but still thought about it seriously and then said, "Brother Tianmeng, strictly speaking, it seems that Ice Emperor has never belonged to us, right?"

Upon hearing this, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm fell silent.

Without a doubt, Huo Yuhao was right. Ice Empress never agreed to it from the beginning. It was Ice Empress who trapped her with her remains and forced her to compromise with threats. It was all wishful thinking on its part from start to finish.

That human named Lu Ren at least gave Hyotei an equal contract and allowed Hyotei to make her own choice.

After a long silence, Tianmeng Bingcan's voice suddenly lowered, carrying a solemnity that Huo Yuhao had never heard before: "Yuhao, you must remember the helplessness we feel right now. It's because we don't have enough power that we can't even have what we want to strive for."

"If you were a Title Douluo today, would we be in such a passive position? Would we have our opportunities stolen right before our eyes?"

"If this happens once, there will be a next time!"

"I know." Huo Yuhao nodded, remembering every word Tianmeng Ice Silkworm said.

"So you must become stronger quickly and win back the pride you gained today in the future! Let Bingbing know what the price will be if she doesn't choose you!" Tianmeng Bingcan said angrily.

"Brother Tianmeng, I understand how you feel." Huo Yuhao shook his head, which was quite rare for him. "I will become stronger as soon as possible, but I don't plan to teach them a lesson after I become stronger in the future."

Tianmeng Ice Silkworm grew anxious, its spiritual form swelling to a whole size: "Why? He bullied you!"

"He didn't bully me, he just ignored me at most, but that's normal. I'm too weak right now. If it weren't for Brother Tianmeng, I wouldn't even have the right to see him."

Huo Yuhao shrugged, a carefree attitude that seemed out of place for his age appearing on his still somewhat childish face.

"Also, as you probably know, Brother Tianmeng, the intuition of a spirit-type soul master is very sharp. I can sense that the other party has no ill intentions and has never intended to kill us from beginning to end."

"He clearly had the ability to crush us, yet he didn't say a single harsh word to us."

Huo Yuhao paused, then looked earnestly at Tianmeng Ice Silkworm: "As for the Ice Emperor, I can only say that he was outmatched in skill, there's nothing more to say."

"He didn't use any underhanded methods. He's stronger than me, more confident, and offered better terms. It's only natural that Hyotei chose him. If it were me, I would have chosen him too."

Tianmeng Ice Silkworm was dumbfounded.

He had never seen a twelve-year-old child who, after having a tremendous opportunity snatched away from him, could so calmly say, "I'm not as skilled as others, there's nothing to say."

He was only two years old. It would be understandable if he encountered setbacks in front of his peers, but the situation just now—how could this boy in front of him let it go so quickly?

After all, that was a tremendous opportunity that was about to be in his hands!

"Yuhao, you've matured." Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's tone became complicated. It suddenly realized that this boy was more trustworthy than it had imagined.

"Brother Tianmeng, don't worry, I will become stronger as soon as possible."

Huo Yuhao stood up from the ice, brushed the ice off his body, straightened his back, and looked into the distance.

The snowstorm has gradually subsided, and a corner of the gray sky in the far north is revealed, with faint aurora borealis flowing through the gaps in the clouds.

His own light crossed the icy valley, over the continuous snow-capped mountains, and landed at the edge of the sky.

"Someday, I also want to go and see what kind of scenery I would see from his height."

He took a deep breath: "Brother Tianmeng, I want to become the strongest Soul Master in Douluo Continent, and then avenge my mother!"

Tianmeng Bingcan hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

He wanted to say, "You are the chosen one, and you will surely be able to do these things in the future. You were destined to stand at the top of this world."

But he couldn't; instead, he buried those words deep in his heart, not daring to utter a single word.

Because Tianmeng Ice Silkworm knew all too well the weight of those words.

If Huo Yuhao knew information he shouldn't have known beforehand, knowing that he was the chosen one of this world, that he wouldn't truly die no matter what he did, and that he would believe that fate would protect him no matter what difficulties he encountered—

Then the boy will lose his reverence for everything.

For example, the fear of death and the instinct to desperately survive in dire situations would be uprooted by this statement.

At that time, Huo Yuhao's state of mind will probably be almost completely destroyed by this information.

How can a Soul Master who thinks he can do whatever he wants without dying break through his limits between life and death?

Perhaps that was that person's intention.

A chill suddenly rose in Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's heart. The human named Lu Ren had said before leaving, "Don't tell your little master anything about this." He had already anticipated this.

He knew that if the secret of destiny were revealed, it would ruin Huo Yuhao, which is why he specifically reminded it to keep the secret.

So, that person actually helped them?

Thinking of this, Tianmeng Bingcan felt a little better, but he still had no intention of forgiving the other party.

Because his Bingbing was taken away!

"Yuhao, don't worry, I will definitely help you!" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm suppressed the complex emotions surging in her heart, straightened her spirit body again, and her voice regained its usual confidence.

"Thank you, Brother Tianmeng." Huo Yuhao gave a bright smile.

The far north, the core of the far north.

The blizzard reached its peak in the far north core area, with each snowflake frozen into an ice blade, carrying a powerful wind capable of tearing through steel as it raged across the wasteland.

The environment here has become so harsh that even powerful spirit beasts struggle to survive.

"Strange, very strange—you said something would happen to Xue Di here in the core area of ​​the far north, but why can't I sense where Xue Di is?"

-

Ice Empress's enormous Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion body was following Lu Ren. Her mental power had been extended to its limit. As the Heavenly King of the Far North, all the ice-attribute soul beasts in the entire Far North were in her perception network, and no movement in any corner could escape her notice.

No matter how hard she searched, she could not sense Xue Di's presence.

In the far north, Hyotei's mental strength was even stronger than Lu Ren's.

Every inch of ice and snow here is an extension of her power; in most areas, she can perceive extremely far distances regardless of the wind and snow.

Lu Ren's mental strength was weakened to the extreme here. The physical interference of the blizzard, the erosion of mental strength by the extreme cold, and the repulsion of other elemental forces by the dense ice energy in this world were all constantly consuming his perception precision.

Inland, his mental power could cover an area of ​​several miles, but here he could only maintain a range of about a thousand feet at most.

In the far north, Lu Ren's mental strength was severely weakened.

"It's normal that you can't sense it." Lu Ren stopped and rubbed his temples, which were stiff from the cold wind. He thought for a moment before speaking. "Under normal circumstances, you would have already become Huo Yuhao's soul spirit."

"In other words, you are currently unable to find the Snow Empress on your own, or rather, there is a mysterious force preventing you from doing so."

"It's luck again!"

Hyotei instantly understood what Rikuren meant, her voice filled with barely suppressed anger.

Luck is something that cannot be seen or touched. She had lived for hundreds of thousands of years and never believed in such an ethereal thing.

But not long ago, she personally experienced two bizarre incidents of inexplicably falling into ice crevasses, and coupled with Lu Ren's warning that "once or twice is acceptable, but not a third time," she had no choice but to believe it.

If you still don't believe it, then you're completely out of your mind.

It turns out that not only was the killing of Tianmeng Ice Silkworm blocked by fate, but now, she should have appeared by Huo Yuhao's side and become his soul spirit.

Now, however, his journey with Lu Ren to the far north core area to find the Snow Emperor's destiny has also been thwarted by fate.

She was excluded from her original destiny by fate, so it's normal that she couldn't find the Snow Emperor.

"So my destiny is to assist the chosen one in his growth?" Hyotei's voice held a hint of indescribable emotion.

"That's right."

"Then why did you steal it?"

Hyotei turned its head in bewilderment, its gaze filled with confusion.

"Going against the luck of destiny? Aren't you afraid of divine retribution? You've seen what happened to Tianmeng. He was protected by the luck of destiny and couldn't be killed no matter what."

"You don't have any luck protecting you. If you offend luck, aren't you afraid that one day you'll be struck by lightning and turned into charred remains while walking down the street?"

"It doesn't affect me."

Lu Ren shook his head, but his tone was not indifferent.

What does the fate of this world have to do with an outsider like him?

Huo Yuhao is the favored son of the Douluo Continent, and the will of the continent devotes all its resources to nurturing him.

But the rules of destiny can only bind the people of this world; they don't apply to him, a transmigrator.

Moreover, Huo Yuhao will naturally make up for his lost Ice Emperor through other opportunities.

After all, the compensation mechanism of the Douluo Continent is there; if you lose an Ice Emperor, you will most likely be given an opportunity to make up for it later.

Huo Yuhao's treatment will be good; it's just that his career path will be adjusted.

Even if another ice-attribute soul beast with a cultivation level similar to Ice Emperor were to inexplicably become Huo Yuhao's soul spirit, Lu Ren would not find it strange at all.

"To be honest, I regretted it when I heard you say that the master of Tianmeng is the chosen one." Bingdi was silent for a while, then pursed her lips, her tone carrying a hint of awkwardness. "This means that he has a high probability of becoming a god in the future. If I follow him, I can also enjoy the blessings and obtain eternal life."

"Although Tianmeng is annoying, he is a soul beast like me. From a soul beast's perspective, at least we are relatively familiar with each other. The worst outcome is that we will continue to endure his harassment."

"But following you, a human, makes me feel uneasy. After all, you humans are so treacherous and cunning. I'm afraid I'll be used by you."

"Then you can turn back now and go find Tianmeng." Lu Ren didn't even turn his head, his tone completely indifferent.

"Oh? You're really letting me go?" Hyotei was even more surprised.

"I can't keep an unfaithful partner by my side to fight alongside me," Lu Ren said calmly. "So if you really regret it, then leave. You don't have to stay here with me."

"I've already shown my sincerity by letting you make your own choice, rather than forcing you to stay."

He stopped, turned around, and looked calmly at Hyotei: "Your Majesty Hyotei, you can understand one thing: it is you who need human help, not me who cannot live without you."

"I don't need you as a partner. If you leave, I can simply find other soul beasts to cooperate with. After all, what I possess is a Soul Spirit Contract, something unique on the entire continent. Do you think there won't be a shortage of soul beasts willing to cooperate with me?"

"If I can't find one that's hundreds of thousands of years old, then I'll find one that's a few that's a hundred thousand years old. I just found you to be a good match for me, and you're more likely to become my partner, so I came to you first."

"That won't do. I've made up my mind; I'm going to be with you!"

Hyotei snorted, his tone more resolute than ever before.

"We soul beasts are not as cunning and disloyal as you humans!"

"We mean what we say and will never go back on our word! If we say we're with you, we mean it, and that will never change in this lifetime."

"Lu Ren, if you think you can test my resolve with this, you're really disappointed. We soul beasts don't hold grudges!"

Lu Ren turned around and continued walking forward, his tone still nonchalant: "That's for the best."

"Also, I think you're even more mysterious than the chosen one." Hyotei quickly caught up with Lu Ren, her massive scorpion body making a crisp sound as it shattered on the ice. "After all, I've never seen anyone who knowingly opposes the chosen one. And I can tell you don't seem afraid of being punished by fate at all."

"Speaking of which, are you going to stay like this forever?" Lu Ren didn't respond to her question. Instead, he turned around and looked at the enormous body of the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, which almost covered half the sky. His lips twitched.

"This is my true form, it's most comfortable like this—what's wrong?" Hyotei said matter-of-factly.

"It's nothing." Lu Ren withdrew his gaze and continued walking aimlessly forward.

However, his mental energy had already spread out, searching through the wind and snow for any traces the Snow Emperor might have left behind.

"I'll have to rely on you from now on. I can't stay in this far northern core area for too long by myself. The extreme cold here takes a huge toll on my mental energy."

"If you want to find the Snow Empress successfully, I have the best chance, while you are blocked by fate and there is a high probability that you will not be able to find her by relying on your senses."

"We need to ensure our survival and hold out until the snow typhoon arrives. I need a stable supply of food and shelter here."

"I'll give you food!"

Hyotei immediately promised, their tone as enthusiastic as if they had been given an important mission: "Then we'll provide you with warm accommodations so you can rest in peace, and we won't let you suffer any hardship in the far north!"

"You are our honored guest, so I can certainly provide you with this level of treatment."

Lu Ren frowned, and then a passage from the original work suddenly flashed through his mind.

Before Xue Di was reborn as a human, she went to find Bing Di, hoping to help her at the last moment and help her withstand a divine punishment.

"May I go to your tribe's territory?"

"Sure, you're a distinguished guest of our clan, of course it's no problem," Hyotei replied matter-of-factly.

"Then go. I remember now, the Snow Empress might come to your territory to find you." Lu Ren spoke a few words faster. "Before she regains her human form, she wants to help you survive the next divine punishment, so she will definitely come to your territory to find you. Only there can she find you."

He looked up at Hyotei: "This is our greatest chance to see Yuki-tei."

Upon hearing this, the Ice Emperor's gaze suddenly flashed with dazzling light. Without saying another word, her massive scorpion body suddenly lowered, and one of her large ice crystal pincers gently gripped Lu Ren's waist, placing him steadily on her broad scorpion back.

Although the surface of her ice crystal shell was chillingly cold, she deliberately suppressed the release of extreme cold, keeping the temperature of her carapace within a range that a human could tolerate.

"Let's go! Let's set off now! We'll wait for the Snow Empress to come see me!"

"No, wait—"

Before Lu Ren could even settle in, Hyotei sped across the ice field like a bolt of lightning.

The blizzard left a long trail of icy mist behind them.

She had never run so fast in her life, her feet stomping wildly on the ice.

The low-level ice-attribute soul beasts along the way all prostrated themselves upon sensing the Ice Emperor's aura, only daring to raise their heads tremblingly after the light and shadow had passed.

Lu Ren sat on the back of Hyotei, his hair flying backward in the strong wind. He closed his eyes expressionlessly and silently circulated the Crimson Blood Manipulation Technique to condense a blood membrane in front of him to block the wind.