Bear Lord vaguely felt a chill coming from beside him. He subconsciously shivered and turned his head to see Huo Yuhao showing him a faint smile. He could not help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
Had he gone too far?
Spirit Ice had a good temper. Normally, no matter what others said about him, he never seemed to get angry. Had he angered him this time?
Thinking carefully, he had indeed gone a bit too far. Having others witness this scene meant that after Huo Yuhao regained his identity in the future, when others remembered today's events, what expressions would they have?
Moreover, this kind of sacrificial activity involving representatives from various forces was broadcast on the soul tool network. In short, afterwards, all citizens of the Federation would see Huo Yuhao worshiping himself. And according to his suggestion, Huo Yuhao would be placed prominently in the first position.
What was this called on the soul tool network? Social death?
But he had a legitimate purpose!
Bear Lord cleared his throat lightly and sent a telepathic message.
"Spirit Ice, don't overthink this. I just publicly acknowledged you as the next heir of the Spirit Transmission Tower. I openly expressed my support for you, demonstrating to a certain extent that the Star Dou Great Forest has no objection to you inheriting the position of Tower Master."
"Having you go to worship in front of everyone is also to solidify your status."
Bear Lord spoke these words with conviction. They were by no means false.
Surely, surely no one actually thought that everything he had just said and done in dragging Huo Yuhao out was just to watch the fun, right?
Further establishing Huo Yuhao's status at the Spirit Ice Ceremony was indeed one of his purposes.
Had no one noticed that Snow Empress had not stopped him?
Of course, each matter was separate. Watching the fun was also one of his purposes. As for which purpose was more important... Bear Lord was very certain that watching the fun was definitely not as important as helping Huo Yuhao establish his status.
Yes, he was very certain.
Upon hearing this, Huo Yuhao simply composed his expression and spoke softly like a true junior. "Thank you for your guidance, Tower Master Bear Lord."
If you don't discipline them for three days, they'll climb onto the roof and tear off the tiles.
Moreover, unlike Gu Ruiqiu's measured antics, Bear Lord was going further and further down the path to doom, escalating his behavior. If he did not put a stop to it, would he just continue like this? After all, Bear Lord had always been thick-headed.
Suddenly, he understood Na'er's feelings.
Once or twice is one thing, but there will be no third or fourth time. You should rein it in now, Bear Lord.
"..."
Bear Lord looked at Huo Yuhao's calm expression. His heart skipped a beat.
Spirit Ice, don't be like this. When you are like this, I feel uneasy instead.
And as Bear Lord had said, since the others did not know the relationship between the two, seeing the interaction between Bear Lord and Huo Yuhao, they all felt that this was Bear Lord's expression of approval for Huo Yuhao.
"We have no objection." Haori Douluo and the representatives of other forces all nodded slightly.
This was an internal decision of the Spirit Transmission Tower. It had nothing to do with them.
However, although they had no say in this matter, the crowd was still quite interested in looking at Qianku Dongfeng and the several Spirit Transmission Envoys.
The Spirit Transmission Tower senior leaders gathered here today, besides Qianku Dongfeng, Snow Empress, Leng Yaozhu, and Bear Lord, also included several Spirit Transmission Envoys.
Not to mention Leng Yaozhu and Snow Empress. Those who knew about the relationship between Huo Yuhao, Gu Yuena, and Snow Empress all knew that these two were definitely on Huo Yuhao's side. Now Bear Lord also seemed to think highly of Huo Yuhao.
Under these circumstances, the crowd became curious for a moment about what the other Spirit Transmission Tower leaders thought of Huo Yuhao.
Hearing Bear Lord's suggestion, Qianku Dongfeng nodded calmly. "That is only proper."
Seeing this, Haori Douluo raised an eyebrow and looked at a tall, thin middle aged man.
Not only him. The others also turned their gaze to that middle aged man, their expressions cautious.
One of the Four Great Spirit Transmission Envoys, Zhao Chengyuan.
Information on this man was among the most limited of all major forces. There were basically no records of him taking action. For many people present, this was even the first time they had seen his true face.
If not for his daughter, Zhao Yao, being quite well known in certain circles of Mingdu, the various forces might know even less about this man.
He was the most mysterious Spirit Transmission Envoy, and perhaps also the most powerful. After all, based on the few known pieces of information, it could be inferred that he had become a Titled Douluo before the age of twenty. That record was even more terrifying than Yun Ming's.
Fortunately, breaking through to Titled Douluo seemed to have exhausted his potential. He had not grown into a giant like Yun Ming. Haori Douluo could not sense any threat from him either, which clearly indicated that his cultivation level was lower than his own.
But given that terrifying record, neither he nor the others dared to underestimate Zhao Chengyuan.
"Why is everyone looking at me? Since the Tower Masters have all agreed, I can hardly undermine our next Tower Master, can I?" Zhao Chengyuan laughed.
The other Spirit Transmission Envoys nodded in agreement upon hearing this.
Huo Yuhao looked at the several Spirit Transmission Envoys, his gaze lingering on Zhao Chengyuan for a moment, then glanced at the Federation's female councilor.
Could this be considered a tradition he had left behind?
Her disguise was in no way inferior to Nanaly's.
Since everyone had unanimously agreed to Bear Lord's suggestion, the matter was decided.
Just as Qianku Dongfeng was about to lead everyone to the worship location, a gentle voice sounded in everyone's ears.
"It seems I am not late."
Everyone present turned their gaze toward the entrance of the Spirit Transmission Tower.
The newcomer was a beautiful woman in her twenties. She wore a water green long dress, fresh and elegant, radiating a natural vitality. Her ink green long hair cascaded like a waterfall behind her, gently fluttering in the breeze, like a fairy from a painting.
"Saint Spirit Douluo?"
Some of the force representatives who had come to the venue were somewhat surprised.
Saint Spirit Douluo. This woman was second only to Bi Ji as a healing support soul master on the continent. She was little known on the continent because she had always been indifferent to fame and fortune and never deliberately promoted herself.
But in the eyes of the powerful who knew of Saint Spirit Douluo, she was also a legendary figure.
Not only because of her powerful healing abilities, but also because of her character. After all, she was the only person who had dared to repeatedly turn down olive branches from the Spirit Transmission Tower, the War Temple, Mingde Hall, and Shrek Academy.
Saint Spirit Douluo, Yali, was of common birth. Her martial soul was the Prayer Angel. After awakening her martial soul at the Spirit Transmission Tower, she could have directly joined the Spirit Transmission Tower and received better guidance, but she did not. Because of her naturally kind nature, she remained in her birthplace, constantly helping the residents of her town with healing.
But because of this, Saint Spirit Douluo stumbled upon the secret of her martial soul.
Support system soul masters increased their spirit power relatively slowly. And for the Prayer Angel martial soul, increasing spirit power through normal cultivation methods was even more difficult than for other support system soul masters.
The true cultivation method for this martial soul required Faith Power. Saint Spirit Douluo discovered that every time she healed a person, she could obtain Faith Power from that person, which increased her cultivation level.
However, this matter did not disturb her peace of mind. Saint Spirit Douluo simply grew steadily. When she reached a certain age, she left the village where she had grown up and began traveling across the Federation, healing others.
Many forces took notice of her and successively extended olive branches. But Saint Spirit Douluo only smiled and politely declined. "I do not want fame, nor do I wish to hold any high position. My wish is simply to heal people. If someone is injured or ill, they can come to me."
Some might not understand her actions. But Yi Hongchen understood. It was a kind of purity similar to Ling Zichen's.
Saint Spirit Douluo had her own faith and walked her own path. So after the various forces discovered that she was indeed not interested in joining any faction and only wanted to quietly travel the four directions, healing the sick and wounded, they stopped bothering her.
Their Mecha Designer Association and Mingde Hall could only regretfully back off.
As for using force?
Not to mention that a forced melon is not sweet and would only breed resentment, Saint Spirit Douluo had a host of powerful suitors. Yun Ming was one of them. Did they want to fight them?
If not for the martial soul awakening and that incident fifty years ago that had indirectly linked Saint Spirit Douluo to the Spirit Transmission Tower, Yi Hongchen would not have asked Snow Empress about her whereabouts earlier.
As Snow Empress had said, strictly speaking, this woman was not a member of the Spirit Transmission Tower. Of course, she was not a member of any other faction either.
She was a healer. Nothing more.
"Your Majesty Saint Spirit."
As Saint Spirit Douluo walked over gracefully, the crowd either bowed or nodded slightly to show respect.
Saint Spirit Douluo had a gentle smile on her lips as she gracefully returned their greetings. Her slender fingers lightly brushed her skirt, and her water green sleeves fluttered gently in the wind. When her gaze casually passed over Huo Yuhao, her fingertips trembled slightly, and a flicker of surprise passed through her eyes.
"Your Majesty Saint Spirit, what is it?" Yi Hongchen, who had come over to discuss matters with Saint Spirit Douluo, saw her expression change slightly and was somewhat puzzled.
"Nothing."
Saint Spirit Douluo snapped back to attention, smiled, and shook her head, then looked toward Qianku Dongfeng.
"Tower Master Qianku, I have not delayed the timing, have I?"
"Of course not. Please follow me."
Qianku Dongfeng turned and led the way, guiding everyone toward a nearby soul powered elevator.
The elevator doors slowly closed. The metal surface reflected the varied expressions of the crowd. Huo Yuhao stood in the corner. He could feel Saint Spirit Douluo's occasional gaze on him, but his expression did not change. He simply quietly observed everything around him.
Ding.
The elevator stopped steadily. When the doors opened, a wave of cool air rushed toward them. Before everyone's eyes lay a long, dim corridor. The walls on both sides were inlaid with luminous Deep Sea Sunken Silver, like a road paved with a river of stars.
Not far away, a Crystal Spirit Hall seemingly crafted from ice crystals stood quietly. Twelve ice crystal lamps floated around the hall, emitting a soft blue light, illuminating the entire space like the eternal night of the Extreme North.
In the very center of the hall, a translucent Spirit Tablet floated in midair. Four bold, powerful characters meaning "Spirit Ice Douluo" were engraved on it with spirit power. Below the spirit tablet, nine Ice Lotus flowers slowly rotated. Tiny ice crystals had formed on each petal, refracting a dreamlike brilliance.
On the walls on both sides, lifelike ice sculptures recorded the major moments of the First Generation Tower Master's life.
The founding of the Spirit Transmission Tower. The signing of contracts with spirit beasts. The most eye catching was the wall directly facing the spirit tablet. Carved on it was the scene of Spirit Ice Douluo signing a contract with Snow Empress and Emperor Tian.
Huo Yuhao looked at the surrounding arrangements, feeling somewhat emotional.
Su Tong... you put thought into this.
This place was originally established by Su Tong. Over ten thousand years, the Spirit Transmission Tower continuously renovated it, ultimately maintaining it to this state.
And upon arriving here, without any need for prompting, the many powerful figures had already released their spirit souls in unison.
Behind Haori Douluo, a brilliant golden sun materialized. A giant bird spirit soul wreathed in golden flames flapped its wings and cried out. On Blazing Dragon Douluo's shoulder coiled a Crimson Flame Fire Dragon. Its whiskers danced like tongues of fire. Even Saint Spirit Douluo gently raised her hand, and a crystal clear angel slowly spread its wings behind her.
The lights of various spirit souls intertwined, illuminating the spirit hall like a dreamscape.
Seeing this, Xu Xiaoyan and the others also released their spirit souls.
The First Generation Tower Master had connected spirit beasts and humans together. Naturally, participating in the worship would not exclude spirit souls and spirit beasts.
Someone had once remarked, "With a worship ceremony like this, it is hard to forget the original purpose for which the Spirit Transmission Tower was established."
And within this brilliance formed by the radiance of spirit souls, an iceworm similarly appeared on Huo Yuhao's shoulder. He walked forward first.
His footsteps were very light, but each step seemed to fall on the hearts of everyone present.
Snow Empress and Gu Yuena's gazes followed his back. Xu Xiaoyan and the others held their breath, watching Huo Yuhao walk step by step toward the floating spirit tablet.
When Huo Yuhao stood before the spirit tablet, feeling a warmth that only he could sense, his thoughts drifted back to the time before the Spirit Transmission Tower was established, to a conversation with Electrolux.
...
"Using a tower structure to construct a magic formation can make the spirit soul contract process smoother, while effectively enhancing the soul master's spiritual power concentration. What do you think of naming the organization Spirit Transmission Tower?"
Huo Yuhao smiled. "Of course. But I have a question. Teacher Electrolux, if I could master the ability to collect Faith Power and integrate that ability into a tower type magic formation, what abilities would the Spirit Transmission Tower established in this way possess?"
Electrolux was startled, then smiled. "Then the Spirit Transmission Tower could serve as a Faith Power collection device. Your chances of becoming a god afterward would be higher."
"However, completing research on this aspect is quite difficult. Fortunately, you have already reached the Divine Origin realm and can directly observe the existence of Faith Power."
...
The memory flashed by. Huo Yuhao quickly withdrew his thoughts and focused on the matter at hand.
All Spirit Transmission Tower buildings, even those built later, had never changed their most core structure. The tower structure and magic formation designed to make spirit soul contracts more convenient.
For ten thousand years, they had continued to function.
And the reason they had continued to function was because the Spirit Transmission Tower had unwaveringly carried on its original intention.
Thinking this, Huo Yuhao solemnly stood before the spirit tablet. He held incense in both hands. As he recited the funeral oration, he bowed deeply.
The Spirit Transmission Tower's ability to stand for ten thousand years was not the work of one person. Today, Huo Yuhao was here, sincerely offering his thanks and worship.
Because of your perseverance, my "passing" has gained meaning.
Bear Lord had thought that if he could just keep a straight face in such a scene without revealing any unusual expression, that would be good enough. But when Huo Yuhao actually began to worship, he found that his expression had subconsciously turned serious, and he no longer felt like watching the fun.
He could see that Spirit Ice was worshiping very earnestly. And the object of that worship was definitely not himself.
Who was it?
The answer was revealed in the next moment from Huo Yuhao's funeral oration.
"For ten thousand years, the Spirit Transmission Tower has not forgotten its original intention. Countless forebears, spirit souls, and spirit beasts have worked together in unity, which is why today's prosperity has been achieved."
"..."
Bear Lord smiled helplessly in his heart and bowed deeply toward Huo Yuhao.
I really can't compete with you.
Snow Empress and Gu Yuena's eyes flickered. Upon hearing this, they also bowed solemnly toward Huo Yuhao.
Following their lead, all the soul masters and spirit souls present bowed in unison.
But only Snow Empress and the others knew.
They worshiped him.
But not only him.
***
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(End of Chapter)