The Silver Dragon King spoke these words with great difficulty and extreme reluctance.
For her, the high-and-mighty half of the Dragon God, to apologize to two low-level soul beasts she once viewed as mere food was something unthinkable before today.
Had it been before, once the Star Constellation Great Forest had finished recuperating, she would have unhesitatingly led every soul beast on the continent to launch a beast tide, declaring war on humanity to reclaim everything that once belonged to them.
But moments ago, she realized that with the God Realm and a God King watching her, the probability of success was nearly zero until she fully recovered.
As long as there was no fundamental conflict of interest, negotiation was possible; a fight to the death between humans and soul beasts benefited no one.
The Sword of Damocles hung over her head. Seeing the current state of that worm and tortoise showed her a new possibility. As the co-lord of soul beasts, the Silver Dragon King felt it was worth casting aside her pride to win a chance for her race to change its fate.
Inside the Sea of Consciousness, the Skydream Ice Silkworm and the Golden Tortoise looked at each other in silence, tears shimmering in their eyes.
For veteran soul beasts like the Skydream Ice Silkworm and the Golden Tortoise, who had lived for a million and a hundred thousand years respectively, what was most important to them?
They would answer without hesitation: their lives.
Dignity? Can you eat that?
However, that didn't mean they were willing to throw their dignity away...
To say the Skydream Ice Silkworm would simply let go of the grudge of being imprisoned for ten thousand years and go grab a drink with Di Tian and the others? Impossible.
While the Golden Tortoise didn't harbor the same level of resentment as Skydream, its clan was still among the oppressed within the Star Constellation Great Forest. But now, Huo Yuhao was actually willing to risk his life to confront the co-lord of soul beasts for their sake, even winning them an apology from her.
This allowed them to truly feel Huo Yuhao's sincerity; the invisible barrier between them vanished completely.
The Skydream Ice Silkworm sniffed, suppressing the sob in its voice.
"Little Yuhao, I won't say another word. From now on, we're brothers from different parents!"
The Golden Tortoise was more direct; it raised its head, wide-eyed, and patted its shell with a front claw. "Until old tortoise's shell breaks, no one can hurt you!"
Huo Yuhao's voice echoed within the Sea of Consciousness. "Brother Skydream, Old Tortoise, since you chose me, I have an obligation to live on carrying your hopes."
At this, Huo Yuhao smiled. "You might not care about these things, but in my view, this is what I should do. For the bullied to seek justice and the bullies to face sanctions—that is how things should be. We shouldn't negate everything just because of the phrase 'survival of the fittest'!"
These words were taught to him by Baili Du, and they were how he hoped Huo Yuhao would live his life...
...
Huo Yuhao demonstrated the "soul spirit" technique to the Silver Dragon King as briefly as possible, using the Golden Tortoise as a case study.
The Silver Dragon King was naturally interested in this miraculous magic that could reduce the slaughter between humans and soul beasts.
She crossed her legs, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Can this technique of yours be promoted now? Even if it doesn't completely resolve the conflict between humans and soul beasts, reducing the killing between the two races would be a start."
Huo Yuhao nodded, then shook his head. "In theory, every human can learn it and possess a soul spirit, but..."
He paused intentionally, glancing at the still-unconscious Zhang Lexuan, and quickened his pace. "Senior, I also want to resolve the conflict, but relying solely on the soul spirit technique is clearly not enough. Furthermore, this involves two races. You may represent all soul beasts, but I cannot yet represent all of humanity."
"I understand your meaning," the Silver Dragon King lowered her hand, resting both on her knees. "This is not just a human matter; it is a soul beast matter as well. I will handle the soul beasts. As for the humans... we will talk when your strength reaches a certain level."
She agreed so easily...
Huo Yuhao, who had expected to spend much more effort persuading her, looked at the Silver Dragon King in surprise and couldn't help but ask: "You trust me that much?"
"...Human, answer me one question first." The Silver Dragon King sat up straight, her expression solemn. "What considerations led you to want to resolve the conflict between humans and soul beasts?"
"Moreover..." Her voice turned slightly more intriguing, as if hinting at something deeper. "This isn't a problem an 11-year-old child would normally consider."
No matter how mature and steady Huo Yuhao appeared, he was still an 11-year-old boy. Even with his experiences in the [Douluo World] and his mental growth, his worldly experience was still lacking.
Furthermore, almost no one in this era—including those in the Sea God Pavilion who styled themselves as guardians of the continent—was thinking about the relationship between humans and soul beasts.
"Hmm..." Huo Yuhao hummed, conflicted.
What should he say?
"Probably just..." After hesitating for a long while, Huo Yuhao decided to speak his truest thoughts. "Perhaps this is just... what I should do as a person."
"!!!"
The Silver Dragon King had to admit she needed to re-evaluate Huo Yuhao.
It was a simple, yet excellent answer.
"Well said."
Huo Yuhao pursed his lips. "Talking is always easier than doing; doing is always more persuasive than talking. Please watch my performance from now on, Senior."
An indescribable feeling rose in the Silver Dragon King's heart. She didn't quite know how to view this human boy. Even if he were the Son of Destiny of the Douluo Plane, she would at most spare him a few extra glances—but those words were enough to make her hold him in high regard.
The Silver Dragon King flicked a slender finger, and a streak of silver light flew toward Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao reached out and caught it in his palm.
"This is..."
In his palm lay a silver necklace—a fine silver chain holding an oval scale. It was the size of a pigeon's egg, brilliant silver, and covered in layers of intricate patterns.
There were four layers of patterns in total, overlapping to create a three-dimensional effect. The ends of the patterns curved upward; even a slight light hitting the scale would project a holographic radiance.
Huo Yuhao sighed in genuine admiration. "So beautiful! This is..."
"Wear it around your neck. As for what it does, explore that for yourself."
"By the way, my name is..."
As she spoke, the figures of the Silver Dragon King and the Three-eyed Golden Lion vanished within a silver shimmer, leaving only three words hanging in the air.
"Gu Yuena."