The gentle warmth that had softened Leng Yaozhu's features vanished as quickly as a receding tide, replaced by the sharp clarity of rational thought. She fell into a heavy silence for a long moment, her brow furrowing deeply as her expression grew even more solemn than it had been before.
"Yuhao!"
Her voice was hushed, vibrating with an undeniable current of maternal worry.
"You now possess the rare power to travel between two different eras, which means that your original path of destiny is now under threat. I fear your fate will undergo unpredictable changes because of your contact with this world ten thousand years in the future."
Noticing the faint flicker of confusion dancing in Dai Yuhao's youthful eyes, Leng Yaozhu felt compelled to explain her fears further. "According to our historical records, you... that is, the future version of Huo Yuhao, successfully ascended to the heavens and became a God."
"If these current variables cause you to miss certain pivotal people, events, or sacred items, or if your state of mind and choices begin to deviate from the past... I worry you will lose the opportunity to become a God."
This was the singular, greatest concern buried deep within her heart. She had personally watched this boy grow, and if her intervention caused that legendary figure—who was meant to shine through the ages—to dim or fall into obscurity, it would be a burden of regret she could never truly bear.
However, when faced with the earth-shattering prospect of losing his chance at divinity, Dai Yuhao's reaction was entirely different from what Leng Yaozhu had expected. He did not show the slightest hint of panic or anxiety; instead, he lifted his small face and let a calm smile spread across his lips.
There was no trace of arrogance in that expression, but rather a core of resilience and confidence that seemed to be etched into his very bones, a strength he perhaps did not yet fully understand himself.
"Aunt Leng." His voice was clear and vibrant, carrying the sharp, unyielding edge of a youth whose spirit had not yet been broken by the world. "Since you said that I was originally capable of reaching that level on my own and becoming a God!"
"Then now, I have not only my original life but also the incredible opportunity to travel ten thousand years forward. I can see more of the world, learn advanced knowledge, and have a powerful master like you, Aunt Leng, to guide and support me."
"If, despite all these advantages, I still fail to achieve what I was originally meant to do, wouldn't that simply prove that I never deserved that God Position in the first place?"
He tilted his chin slightly upward, and that pure, almost naive confidence radiating from the child seemed to illuminate the room with a startling, brilliant light.
"So, I truly believe that even if my life's trajectory changes because of the present, I can still carve out a new path for myself."
"I have complete confidence; I will still become a God!"
Coming from the mouth of a mere six-year-old child, such a bold declaration should have sounded absurd or even laughable. But if these words were spoken by the soul of the future Spirit Ice Douluo, then no one would dare to laugh at them.
Leng Yaozhu stood stunned, her heart shaking at the sheer scale of Dai Yuhao's confidence. She realized in that moment that this unwavering will was exactly why a legend was able to become a legend.
This honest conversation had delivered shock after shock to Leng Yaozhu, but it also served to blow away the chaotic web of guesses and fears that had clouded her mind. At this moment, only one burning, singular thought remained in her heart—she was going to personally cultivate a God.
Furthermore, the realization that this God, who would grow under her instruction, was the legendary Spirit Ice Douluo whom millions of spirit masters had worshipped for ten millennia... a sense of pride and honor welled up in her chest and refused to fade.
Thus, within Dai Yuhao's field of vision, he saw a strange and sudden smile appear on Aunt Leng's face as she sat across from him. In that smile, he could see excitement, expectation, and a flicker of eager cunning that stood in sharp contrast to her usual cold and majestic persona.
"Ahem!"
Leng Yaozhu quickly realized she had lost her composure, immediately pressing a fist against her lips and coughing twice to hide her excitement. She sat up straight, resuming her usual solemn posture as the leader of the Spirit Pagoda. "Yuhao, are you... willing to formally take me as your master?"
Upon hearing this, Dai Yuhao was briefly stunned by the suddenness of the request. Whether considering their close personal bond or Leng Yaozhu's incredible power as a quasi-Demi-God, Dai Yuhao truly had no reason to say no!
Therefore, Dai Yuhao nodded his head without a moment of hesitation and replied in a steady voice: "I am willing!"
As he spoke, Dai Yuhao's expression became very serious, and he began to stand up so he could perform the traditional master-disciple greeting. However, the moment he started to move, he felt his body supported by a gentle wave of soft spirit power, and his movements were stopped in their tracks.
"Between the two of us, there is no need for us to bother with such mundane and unnecessary formalities."
With a soft smile on her face, Leng Yaozhu also stood up and naturally reached down to take Dai Yuhao's small, youthful hand in hers. Dai Yuhao obediently followed her lead, letting her guide him toward the exit while he looked up at her, a spark of pure expectation in his eyes.
"Leng... Teacher."
"Are we going to help me fuse with my very first spirit soul now?"
He had heard many stories about the unique specialties of the Spirit Pagoda and knew their methods were far superior to hunting spirit beasts for rings, so his heart was naturally filled with a deep yearning.
Leng Yaozhu glanced down at him and spoke in a relaxed, casual tone. "In private, if you are not used to the title, you can just call me Aunt Leng just like you always have."
Hearing this, Dai Yuhao's eyes brightened instantly, and he nodded his head vigorously; he was definitely more comfortable with the title "Aunt Leng" after using it for three years.
"As for fusing you with a spirit soul, there is no need to rush into it just yet."
Leng Yaozhu led him into a sleek, dedicated soul tool elevator and pressed a button for a specific floor deep within the facility.
"I am taking you to see Elder Han right now!"
"He is the one who will help choose the most suitable spirit soul for your growth."
A flash of sharp insight crossed Dai Yuhao's mind, and he immediately understood the deep meaning behind Aunt Leng's decision. Elder Han was a legendary figure from the Body Sect, and his spirit was the Brain—an incredibly rare and powerful mental-type Original Body Martial Soul!
In the entire mental domain, Elder Han could be considered an absolute authority whose knowledge was unmatched. Although Yuhao's own Spirit Eyes Martial Soul focused on vision, it was essentially a mental-type spirit at its core.
With a master of the mental-type like Elder Han to guide him, he would surely make the most compatible and powerful choice for his first spirit soul. The two of them soon stepped into that familiar, vast, and empty meditation chamber.
Han Tianyi was sitting cross-legged as usual, floating silently in the center of the room as if immersed in deep meditation, his aura perfectly restrained and merging with the silence. At his advanced age, he still spent almost every moment in this state; the desire to breakthrough to the $Rank 99$ Limit Douluo realm had become an obsession.
Sensing Leng Yaozhu entering with Dai Yuhao, Han Tianyi did not even lift his eyelids and was prepared to speak, but he suddenly stopped mid-breath. His eyes, which had been tightly shut, snapped open as a terrifying light exploded from them, instantly locking onto Dai Yuhao!
Dai Yuhao felt a sensation like a massive, invisible mountain was crashing down upon him the moment the old man's gaze met his! Just as he began to stumble and his mind started to shake under the pressure!
A warm and equally majestic wave of mental force rippled out from beside him, silently but firmly blocking Han Tianyi's crushing impact.
"Elder Han!"
Leng Yaozhu's sharp voice rang out, and Han Tianyi immediately realized that he had lost control of his composure. He quickly pulled back all of his outward aura and mental pressure, and the suffocating atmosphere in the room receded like a pulling tide.
His body shifted slightly, and he drifted down from the air to stand before the two of them in a single step. He gave a small nod to Leng Yaozhu to apologize for his outburst, and then his burning gaze fell upon Dai Yuhao once again.
This time, there was no pressure in his eyes, only a look of unbelievable astonishment and intense heat.
"Yuhao!" Han Tianyi's voice was hoarse with raw excitement. "You... you have finally had your awakening? And it is a mental-type?!"