The worship ceremony began with Huo Yuhao and unfolded slowly.
Huo Yuhao himself stepped back from before the spirit tablet and silently watched everything, but deep in his eyes surged waves that no one else could see.
The voices reciting funeral orations rose and fell, echoing through the solemn spirit hall, until...
Saint Spirit Douluo took her turn at the worship position, walking past Huo Yuhao.
Their gazes met for an instant. Saint Spirit Douluo gave a gentle, spring like smile and nodded slightly to Huo Yuhao. There was still some confusion in that smile, but it did not affect her subsequent actions.
Saint Spirit Douluo walked to stand before the spirit tablet, bowed, and paid her respects. Then, unlike the others who recited their own prepared funeral orations, she softly recounted her own experiences.
"I was born in a village that was neither rich nor poor. When I was young, I heard the elderly in the village say that a long time ago, it had been a slum. Living conditions and the environment were very poor. But with the arrival of certain people, changes occurred."
The people in the spirit hall were all startled. Clearly, none of them had ever heard this part of her story.
And some of the quicker thinking force representatives had already begun sizing up the Spirit Transmission Tower's senior leaders with strange looks.
They had already guessed who those people were.
The Spirit Transmission Tower's methods truly left no gaps. They had even gained Saint Spirit Douluo's goodwill from childhood.
Sure enough, Saint Spirit Douluo's next words confirmed their guess.
"They were Spirit Transmission Masters, or rather, external personnel of the Spirit Transmission Tower."
Soul masters from families that were not well off could receive financial support from the Spirit Transmission Tower. Through the characteristic of mutual selection between spirit souls and soul masters, they could let a spirit soul choose them, thereby obtaining their first spirit soul without needing to immediately pay the Federation coins to purchase the spirit soul.
But as a price, after graduating from intermediate academy, the soul master needed to gradually repay this sum, or accept arrangements made by the Spirit Transmission Tower in consultation with the Federation and go to certain places to complete work within their capabilities.
The people who came to Saint Spirit Douluo's village were exactly such individuals. And the work that came to the slums was naturally Poverty Alleviation.
Saint Spirit Douluo continued in a gentle tone.
"These Spirit Transmission Masters stayed in the village for more than ten years. The work they did was very ordinary, but also very important. Building infrastructure, teaching children to read, do arithmetic, and knowledge of martial souls, helping children of appropriate age awaken their martial souls for free."
"The power of example is strong. Their arrival injected new vitality into the village that had been a slum. After all, in the eyes of the villagers, they were noble soul masters. If even they were helping the village develop, what reason did the villagers have not to work hard? Perhaps those Spirit Transmission Masters were only fulfilling their own tasks, but no one could take their efforts for granted."
"Gradually, the once muddy dirt roads became Slate Roads. The leaky Thatched Huts were replaced by Brick and Tile Houses. The village even built its first formal Soul Master Enlightenment School. In this process, some Spirit Transmission Masters left, and some grew to like the people of the town and stayed. Of course, there were also later comers who filled the vacancies left by those who departed."
"Some fortunate children became soul masters after their martial soul awakening. They studied and grew at the school. When they grew up, they became the next generation of Spirit Transmission Masters. In this way, the town gradually developed, changing from its former slum into a proper village."
The people present knew that Saint Spirit Douluo had omitted the hardships and darkness of the story, retaining only the most beautiful parts.
But at this moment, no one would disturb Saint Spirit Douluo's memories.
"I have heard that you once said, 'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.' This should be the truest reflection of that, right?"
Saint Spirit Douluo looked at the spirit tablet. "Hearing such a story, I couldn't help but stay, helping the people of the village with healing. But as my strength gradually increased, I found that my spirit power was growing stronger and stronger, and confining myself to a single village was not the best choice."
"My hands are very small. No matter how hard I try, there will be lives that slip through them. But I still want to do everything in my power to hold more. So, I set out on a journey and began traveling across the entire Federation. And from that moment on, my horizons continuously broadened."
"Ten thousand years ago, evil soul masters ran rampant. There were no few instances of cities being slaughtered and nations destroyed. Now, such records no longer exist. Fifty years ago, a plague spread rampantly, and countless people fell into crisis. The Emerald Swan clan came to help. This was a sight that would have been impossible ten thousand years ago."
"The development of villages by Spirit Transmission Masters, the disappearance of the era of evil soul masters, and the peaceful coexistence of spirit beasts and humans are the results of the efforts of countless people and spirit beasts. But the initial light was without a doubt left by you."
Saint Spirit Douluo's clear spring like voice flowed past everyone's ears. Huo Yuhao's eyelashes trembled slightly. He saw the woman in the water green long dress press her hands together. The tips of her fingers glowed with a moist, translucent spirit power light. She bowed deeply.
"His Majesty Spirit Ice, thank you for lighting the path before us."
...
No one left in the middle of this worship ceremony. Only after the last person had completed their worship did everyone leave together.
As the crowd began to disperse, Gu Yuena was about to find Huo Yuhao to go home together when she saw that two people were already standing beside him.
One was Zhao Chengyuan. The other was Saint Spirit Douluo.
Saint Spirit Douluo saw Zhao Chengyuan approach and smiled slightly. "You two talk. I'll go find Snow Empress for a chat first."
Zhao Chengyuan watched Saint Spirit Douluo leave, then turned to Huo Yuhao. His silver gray short hair reflected a cool tone under the dim light of the spirit hall, but his eyes sparkled with interest.
"To have reached the Soul Emperor stage at this age, the younger generation is truly formidable. As things stand, your cultivation speed surpasses even Yun Ming's. No wonder the Tower Masters are so confident in you becoming the next Tower Master."
Huo Yuhao was somewhat surprised that Zhao Chengyuan had taken the initiative to come over and speak. Hearing this, he raised an eyebrow. "You flatter me, Elder Zhao. If we are truly discussing the speed of spirit power cultivation, you far surpass me. There are rumors that you broke through to Super Douluo before the age of twenty."
Zhao Chengyuan smiled and sent a telepathic message, speaking with emotion. "In the end, I used special methods. I cannot compare to a true genius like you. Moreover, once you reach a certain level of cultivation, you still have to rely on your own understanding. External aids are not omnipotent."
"..."
Although he was being modest, his words carried a barely perceptible hint of amusement, making Huo Yuhao feel that he was just flexing.
What was there to be dissatisfied about taking pills and rising straight to near divinity?
Soul masters ten thousand years ago who wanted to take such pills with no major side effects did not have the ability or the means.
Rolling his eyes inwardly, Huo Yuhao sent a telepathic message. "I have heard that His Majesty Soul-Calming once said, 'In order to become a Limit Douluo, I ate pills until I threw up.' I wonder if that is true?"
That was right. The Zhao Spirit Transmission Envoy before him was Soul-Calming Douluo, also originally the Dark Blood Demon.
As a Limit Douluo, even if the Spirit Transmission Tower wanted to keep him as a hidden trump card, it could not simply let him lie still and do nothing. If they only used him when they needed that hidden trump card, would the resources provided to him not have been wasted?
The great hermit hides in the city. Giving him the identity of a Spirit Transmission Envoy as a surface cover to openly participate in some affairs, was that not wonderful?
After all, a Super Douluo with exceptional talent but exhausted potential who could not break through to Limit Douluo was acceptable to all parties.
Zhao Chengyuan's eyes flickered. He looked at Huo Yuhao with some surprise, then a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "So Tower Master Snow Empress and the others have already told you about the Execution Department and about me. Yes, I did say that. But it was just a joke. If I truly had to do it all over again, I would certainly still take them."
"After all, when it comes purely to spirit power cultivation, my talent is truly not great. I am far inferior to prodigies like you and Yun Ming. If I had not joined the Spirit Transmission Tower, I would have no future."
In today's Federation, a soul master like him would have difficulty achieving much without the support of the Spirit Transmission Tower. Not to mention surpassing Yun Ming in the age of advancing to Titled Douluo.
Even, if not for the opportunities given to him by the Spirit Transmission Tower, perhaps he would have already become an evil soul master.
So, getting tired of them, eating until he threw up, all of that was naturally a joke.
Upon hearing this, Huo Yuhao's eyes flickered.
In his memory, in this era according to the original development, there were two people who advanced to Titled Douluo before the age of twenty.
One was naturally Hades Douluo. The other was the Dark Blood Demon. The former was nineteen years old. The latter's speed was even faster. In the final battle, he was not yet sixty years old, but he had already become a Super Douluo more than forty years earlier. In other words, it had taken him only a little over ten years to become a Super Douluo.
However, both of their situations were quite special. The Dark Blood Demon cultivated by absorbing the souls of other living beings. Hades Douluo cultivated through slaughter and death. Neither could be considered normal cultivation methods.
In the original development, Huo Yuhao was not very clear on how much slaughter the Dark Blood Demon's advancement had caused. But he did have relevant memories of Hades Douluo's advancement.
Hades Douluo was not born with full spirit power. It was only after slaughtering an orphanage that he completed his transformation to innate full spirit power. When he advanced to Super Douluo at the age of twenty five, he had killed one hundred thousand people. Later, he continuously killed spirit beasts in the ocean. By the time he advanced to Limit Douluo, probably millions of lives had fallen by his hand.
And the Dark Blood Demon's advancement speed was even faster than Hades Douluo's. Clearly, the number of humans and spirit beasts who had fallen by his hand would not be small.
After all, his situation was too extreme. Ordinary cultivation methods could hardly increase his spirit power at all. He could only increase it by absorbing soul energy. If he had not joined the Spirit Transmission Tower this time, the possibility of him taking the path of an evil soul master would have been extremely high.
"Elder Zhao, have you come to see me now to offer some guidance?"
"Guidance is not the right word. I am simply somewhat curious about you. After all, I am rarely at headquarters for extended periods. Since I have the opportunity this time, it is only right to see for myself the heir that the Tower Masters all think so highly of."
Zhao Chengyuan said, "But now that I have seen you, you are even more interesting than the rumors. Previously, after learning of your situation, I found that your advancement speed was too fast, which made me suspect that you might have also used some special methods. But after getting up close, I can only sigh that there are so many prodigies and eccentrics in this world."
Zhao Chengyuan chatted with Huo Yuhao for a long time, all the way from the path to the spirit hall down to the first floor of the Spirit Transmission Tower. Only when Zhao Yao called out to him did he take his leave.
And before leaving, his final words left Huo Yuhao slightly surprised. "Using this Spirit Transmission Envoy identity as a cover is also for my daughter. She does not know that I am the head of the Spirit Transmission Tower's Execution Department. So please keep my matters confidential."
The Dark Blood Demon was also living the cozy family life of a wife, daughter, and a warm kang?
Before awakening in this era, I never could have imagined such a scene.
Thinking this, Huo Yuhao nodded in agreement and watched the two leave.
"Yuhao, this guy's personality is a bit unexpected. Surprisingly, he's somewhat serious. I thought that someone who could say things like 'I ate pills until I threw up just to become a Limit Douluo' would be an interesting and amusing person."
In the Sea of Spirit, Skydream Iceworm, who had once been shocked by Soul-Calming's striking words, complained.
Ice Empress rolled her eyes. "When meeting a younger generation as an elder, he naturally puts on some airs. Do you think everyone is like you?"
Someone who could say such things, no matter how you looked at it, Soul-Calming Douluo could not be too serious.
Moreover, a child's personality sometimes reflected the parent's personality. Ice Empress also knew what kind of personality this Soul-Calming Douluo's daughter, Zhao Yao, had.
She could only say that like father, like daughter.
After Soul-Calming Douluo left, Gu Yuena waited until then to walk over to Huo Yuhao and asked curiously, "Yuhao, what is it? What did he say to you in that telepathic message?"
"Nothing. We just chatted casually about cultivation matters."
Huo Yuhao shook his head and looked toward the several figures walking in their direction.
"But with him starting this off, I'm afraid I will have to put in some effort next."
Before this, there had been the worship ceremony. Even if these Spirit Transmission Tower senior leaders and representatives of various forces were interested in him, it had not been convenient for them to come forward and chat. But after the ceremony ended, it would be different.
By the same token, around Snow Empress, Bear Lord, Qianku Dongfeng, and the others, guests who had gone up to speak with them were gradually gathering.
Social etiquette was always unavoidable.
"Then I'll stay with you." Gu Yuena smiled lightly. "If you don't want to talk to them, I'll put on a cold face and make them back off."
Na'er with a cold face...
That could indeed cool down the atmosphere. It was a skill honed through countless trials, specifically for dealing with Gu Ruiqiu.
Thinking of this, Huo Yuhao suddenly looked around. "Speaking of which, where is Ruiqiu? Why has she disappeared again? Recently, her movements have been a bit strange, as if she is avoiding me."
"I don't know. After she finished participating in the worship ceremony, she ran off somewhere."
As she said this, Gu Yuena also showed a confused expression.
A large celebration like this was the perfect opportunity for Gu Ruiqiu to fulfill her role and call her "little sister." Why would she leave the scene for no reason?
Moreover, even though she was not a staff member responsible for managing the celebration, Gu Ruiqiu had not come to bother her all day, which was also very strange. Adding that to her previous unusual behavior...
A trace of worry rose in Gu Yuena's heart. "Could she have run into some troublesome difficulty? If that is really the case, why didn't she discuss it with us?"
Huo Yuhao became increasingly certain of one of his conjectures. He said quietly, "Is it possible that the trouble she ran into happens to be related to us?"
Gu Yuena was startled.
"Don't worry. The monk may run away, but the temple cannot run with him. Her home is right here. We can find her later and get to the bottom of it."
Huo Yuhao saw that the Federation councilor had already walked up to him and temporarily ended the conversation.
"I did not expect you to be the first to come and greet me. Miss Nanaly, is this your public identity?"
***
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(End of Chapter)