"Hmm, I think I had a strange dream."
The morning light scattered in the room on the top floor of the Star Emperor Hotel.
Purple hair lay scattered on the soft bed, the light giving it a hazy glow.
Xia Die sat up halfway on the bed, rubbing her eyes and yawning slightly.
She seemed to have had a very long dream last night. In the dream, an older sister whose face she couldn't see asked her about her views on life. Xia
Die forgot what she said, only remembering that the older sister was very happy and took her for a walk in a lush green forest.
Although the forest was vibrant, it lacked life.
There were no animals running, no butterflies fluttering, only the empty sound of leaves falling.
When she explained this phenomenon to the older sister, the other woman's mood became noticeably melancholy.
She seemed to have said something to her, but she couldn't remember it.
Xia Die rubbed her temples, found her fluffy slippers on the floor, and prepared to go to the washroom to wash up.
Yesterday afternoon, Di'ao Academy conceded defeat, so the Shrek Academy team had no match today.
She could just wait for the finals in three days. The other team for the finals should be decided today, most likely the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.
Xingluo National Academy was clearly no match for them.
Their long-lasting Star Guardian was largely ineffective against the barrage of soul tools; they were completely crushed in team battles. It all depended on whether they could turn the tide in individual battles.
The moment she stood up, a message suddenly appeared in her spiritual sea.
"First Trial of the Godhood of Life: Go to Guterres to obtain the third soul ring."
"Reward: Life Affinity."
A flood of information about the Godhood of Life and the Godhood of Life poured into Xia Die's mind.
The image of the older sister in her dream gradually became clearer, and their conversation surfaced in her mind.
It seemed her consciousness had been guided by the Goddess of Life to the legendary Forest of Life in the God Realm, where she discussed her views on life with her.
Xia Die, still somewhat dazed from just waking up, widened her eyes slightly, as if she had been to an extraordinary place.
The God Realm seemed to be the dreamland of all Soul Masters on the Douluo Continent, right?
However, Xia Die didn't quite like the empty feeling of the Forest of Life; she could sense that the Goddess of Life probably felt the same way.
Xia Die, with her delicate, fair legs, entered the washroom. Looking at her slightly dark-circled eyes in the mirror, she washed her face with water.
Last night, she had been writing a novel for a long time, inspired by a surge of inspiration. This new novel, titled
"The Golden Lion Under the Blazing Sun," is a fictional account of Bai Er and Medemos, which she thought was quite good.
She planned to show it to the two individuals involved after finishing the prologue and ask if it could be published.
Xia Die fumbled on the sink, searching for her toothbrush and toothpaste.
"Sister, they're down there,"
a soft, sweet voice, clearly indicating a dislike of wearing shoes, called out, pointing Xia Die to the location of the toothbrush and toothpaste.
"Thank you,"
Xia Die instinctively thanked them, then bent down to pick up the toothbrush and toothpaste.
As she prepared to brush her teeth, a blank expression appeared on her face.
"Huh?"
...…
"Hiss~"
"My dear Butterfly, you mean you woke up to find yourself undergoing the Trial of Life, and suddenly have a little sister about your age?"
Huo Yuhao, with the expression of an old man looking at his phone, scrutinized the girl next to Xia Die.
She had short, shoulder-length purple hair, deep purple eyes, and a face that resembled Xia Die's but was slightly more youthful.
The girl wasn't wearing shoes; her long white and purple dress draped down, revealing her delicate ankles.
She sat on the chair with a restrained expression, her hands resting on her lower abdomen.
A ripple came from behind her, and Adam appeared behind her, his golden eyes scrutinizing her closely.
Whenever Xia Die was involved, he usually arrived quickly, after all, an elder brother is like a father.
His gaze made the little girl even more uneasy. She looked at Huo Yuhao as if she wanted to say something, and her lips seemed to form the word "father," but she swallowed it back.
Huo Yuhao wasn't surprised that Xia Die had undergone the Trial of Life, but the appearance of this little girl was indeed beyond his expectations.
"Even if it's the Tiger Talisman's fault, it still separates good and evil, which is already a complete balance of power, right?"
Guessing was useless, so Huo Yuhao simply used his [Understanding] power to glance at her.
The power from the higher-level rules quickly analyzed the specific situation of the little girl before him.
The little girl before him was essentially Xia Die's martial soul, Polykes. Looking closely at the little girl's eyes, one could see half of the Tiger Talisman, but it wasn't about separating good and evil; it was about balance.
It was the power of balance balancing the two forces of life and death.
Combined with the Goddess of Life purifying Xia Die's bloodline, the martial soul Polykes underwent another evolution, acquiring a human form, a being born from the phenomenon of isotopic interference.
However, this was the first time Huo Yuhao had ever seen a humanoid martial soul separated from its body, and he couldn't help but marvel at how wondrous the martial soul system truly was.
Not only could it perfectly accommodate various external systems, but it also possessed all sorts of bizarre conceptual abilities.
Unfortunately, martial souls were constrained by the soul master system; the mechanism existed, but the values and levels were too low.
"Alright, I know what's going on."
"Is her name still Polyces?"
"She's a cute little girl. Remember to wear shoes next time, or you'll catch a cold."
Huo Yuhao rubbed the little girl's head, making her tremble slightly, but she didn't flinch, her face beaming with the joy of being recognized.
Xia Die glanced at the little girl and said earnestly,
"Her name is Polycia."
"She's my sister."
Huo Yuhao nodded, looking at Polycia and saying,
"Polycia..." "
I've opened your Magic Network access. I'll register you later too."
Polycia looked at Xia Die with teary eyes, deeply moved. She hadn't expected to be truly acknowledged.
She knew her essence was Xia Die's martial soul, and calling her "sister" was already presumptuous. She hadn't expected her sister to actually acknowledge her.
Adam, who was behind Polycia, saw Xia Die make her decision and then gradually faded away. Adam never interfered with Xia Die and Amon's choices.
As their older brother, he would only silently support their decisions and handle the aftermath when they couldn't handle the situation.
After Adam left, Polycia breathed a sigh of relief.
Adam's gaze was completely different from Huo Yuhao's; his eyes seemed to dissect her body, pulling out her soul to scrutinize it under the blazing sun.
Huo Yuhao, seeing this display of sisterly affection, felt reluctant to disturb them.
"By the way, can Polycia still enter your body now?"
Hearing Huo Yuhao's question, Polycia's voice was as gentle and soft as a spring breeze.
"Yes!"
"I can transform back into Polyces at any time!
I can return to my sister's body and help her circulate the power of balance, better harnessing the powers of life and death."
Huo Yuhao nodded thoughtfully. From this perspective, Polycia's appearance was indeed a good thing for Xia Die.
The power within Xia Die was currently the most complex of all, with three extremely high-level powers intertwined, maintaining stability through balance.
To utilize these powers would likely require considerable practice.
With Polycia, the difficulty could be reduced.
"Butterfly, have you decided when to depart for the Guterres Hills?"
"Star Luo City will be in chaos soon, so I plan to have Audrey and Adam take you away from here first."
"I've already checked the Guterres Hills; there aren't any high-age soul beasts there, so it's relatively safe overall."
"However, the specific situation in the Underworld is unknown, and I'm a little worried. Remember to establish contact with the Dream Space before you get there; it's very important!"
A smile appeared on Xia Die's indifferent face. She could sense Huo Yuhao's worry and concern, and said softly,
"It's alright, Father."
"Since Polycia appeared, I can feel the Underworld's pull towards me."
"The Underworld is weeping; countless spirits are blocking the River Styx, and too many souls are asleep, waiting to be awakened.
The Underworld's operation is nearing its limit."
"Perhaps I can do something for them, to make death less lonely."
"And Polycia will accompany me into the Underworld, won't she?"
Hearing her sister's words, Polycia said earnestly,
"I will definitely protect you, sister!"
"I will spare no effort to bring my sister safely back to the mortal world from the underworld."
Huo Yuhao ruffled the two girls' hair and said,
"I believe in you as always."
"Since you're ready, you can set off tomorrow."
"Don't worry about the finals; they can't be held anyway. I'll tell Aglaia and Nakasha."
"Roman will go after things are settled here.
Of course, if we encounter anything we can't handle, just call upon the title of the Spirit Lord."
"I will definitely step in."
Huo Yuhao reminded her repeatedly.
Xia Die leaned against his chest, feeling the warmth of Huo Yuhao's body, her pointed ears twitching slightly, and softly replied,
"Mm."
(End of Chapter)
Read 15+ chapters ahead at Patreon
patreon.com/TaroYamato
patreon.com/TaroYamato