Reality.
"I'm finished, I'm so finished! Elder Ye, now everyone knows all my secrets! What am I supposed to do now?" Huo Yuhao was pacing anxiously in place, his face filled with panic. He felt like someone had stripped him bare and tossed him in front of a jeering crowd—utterly exposed and vulnerable.
This so-called Q&A had gone too far! It had aired every secret he had ever kept, every card he had up his sleeve. Was there no privacy anymore?
Everyone has secrets, but now his most important secret—his greatest trump card—was out in the open for the whole world to see. For the first time, Huo Yuhao truly understood what it meant to know too much. Right now, he was itching to silence every single person who had seen the video. Otherwise, how could he ever feel safe again?
"Calm down, Yuhao."
The culprit responsible for all this chaos—Ye Cheng—remained as calm as ever. "You don't need to panic like this. For one, not everyone will believe the video is real. And even if they do, you have backing. Don't forget, you've caught the Sea God's attention. No one would risk offending the Sea God just to go after you. Besides, you're blessed with fate's protection. In this world, unless a god-level being personally makes a move, or you do something catastrophically stupid, you have nothing to fear for your life."
"So you're saying the Sea God is my backer now?" Huo Yuhao couldn't help but ask, perking up slightly at the thought. That didn't sound too bad—having someone powerful behind him. Maybe he wouldn't be able to walk sideways across the Douluo Continent just yet, but at least he wouldn't have to constantly live in fear or compromise himself just to survive.
But as the video continued playing, that naïve optimism was quickly put to rest. Ye Cheng had compiled this footage using Huo Yuhao's original fate, along with a little "creative editing" of his own. And by the end of this sequence, Huo Yuhao would realize he was no pampered son-in-law of the Tang Clan—but a well-trained, well-collared dog.
In the video.
After receiving the sacrifice from the million-year soul beast, Huo Yuhao was invited to join the Tang Sect by Tang Ya. She then led him to Shrek Academy.
Upon seeing this scene, viewers were reminded of the Sea God's earlier statement about the new rising star being deeply tied to the Tang Sect. This all but confirmed to everyone watching that Huo Yuhao was indeed the prodigy the Sea God had mentioned.
And just like that, reactions from across the continent exploded—some wanted to eliminate him before he grew stronger, some wanted to recruit him, and others simply wanted to curry favor. A full spectrum of human nature on display.
In the Divine Realm.
Watching the Q&A video expose parts of the past he had carefully hidden, Tang San's expression had darkened. He might have claimed a clear conscience in other matters, but when it came to Huo Yuhao, he had done far too much behind the scenes. If this video exposed even half of it… his holier-than-thou image as the righteous God King would be shattered.
If it were just the people of the Douluo Continent, that would be fine. He could use his divine power to silence them or erase their memories. In a few decades, the truth would vanish like smoke in the wind. But now… the gods of the Divine Realm would see it too.
If they discovered what he had planned for Huo Yuhao, how he had manipulated everything… his untarnished image might never recover.
Back in the video.
Huo Yuhao arrived at Shrek Academy, where he met his roommate—Wang Dong'er. The footage continued through a series of events, eventually revealing that both of them possessed triple martial souls, and that, apparently, their martial souls were perfectly compatible.
At that moment, countless viewers felt something was off. The saying "onlookers see things more clearly" had never felt more accurate.
From the moment Yuhao met Wang Dong, through everything that followed—it was all way too coincidental. It almost felt like someone had meticulously planned it all.
And martial souls that were 100% compatible?
That was just nonsense.
Especially when you considered that two of Huo Yuhao's martial souls didn't even belong to him originally! His Spirit Eye and the Light Goddess Butterfly? No obvious connection. And Spirit Eye with the Clear Sky Hammer? Nobody could wrap their heads around how those two could possibly merge.
Yet here they were… perfectly compatible?
Seriously?
The chat exploded with speculation. The most common theory? Wang Dong wasn't ordinary at all. People recalled the Sea God's recent attention toward Huo Yuhao, and the rumor that his daughter had secretly descended to the mortal world. Could it be… that Wang Dong was actually the Sea God's daughter?
Was the Sea God trying to recruit Huo Yuhao into the family?
The more people thought about it, the more it made sense. And the more they envied him.
Was this guy really the Chosen One?
He had the Sea God watching over him, wanted him to inherit a divine position, and even sent his daughter to keep him company. Sure, it looked like coincidence, but who really believed the Sea God wouldn't know his daughter had descended? Most likely, he had allowed it to happen—orchestrated it, even.
And to help the pair bond, he had even rigged their martial souls to be "perfectly compatible." All this, just to ensure his daughter would marry Huo Yuhao.
Where the hell could you find a father-in-law like that?
Viewers everywhere let out long, envious sighs. Their jealousy toward Huo Yuhao reached a boiling point. But as the video continued, that jealousy would soon turn to pity.
Because our beloved God King Tang San?
He never intended to abdicate.
Sending his daughter to Yuhao's side wasn't a gift—it was a leash. A way to monitor and manipulate the Child of Fate. All the benefits, all the blessings, all the kindness… were just means to train him, tame him, and turn him into the Tang Clan's most loyal hound.
That was the real endgame.
Reality.
Watching the scenes between himself and Wang Dong play out on screen, Huo Yuhao was stunned. He hadn't expected things to unfold this way in the future. And Wang Dong… was actually the Sea God's daughter?
And most shockingly of all—the Sea God seemed to have taken a liking to him? He wanted to make Yuhao his son-in-law? Let him inherit his divine throne?
That was a thing?
Strangely enough, Huo Yuhao wasn't upset by the revelation. From what he'd seen so far, the Sea God had treated him well. He hadn't shown any signs of hostility—quite the opposite. He even sent his daughter to be with him and help him grow.
To Yuhao, this didn't seem like a bad deal. He got all the perks, and he didn't even have to pay a price. He'd basically won the lottery.
But watching Huo Yuhao's wide-eyed expression like some fool who thought meat pies fell from the sky, Ye Cheng couldn't help but chuckle silently.
You're still too young, kid.
You really think there's such a selfless god in this world?
You really think that squeaky-clean image of Tang San is for real?
Just wait. In a moment, you'll realize how laughable your current thoughts truly are.
______________________
This book is COMPLETED in my patreon, patreon.com/ryuuu_
Your support is greatly appreciated!