Chapter 3: Whispers from the Multiverse
The Star Dou Great Forest grew quieter as dusk approached. Huo Yuhao moved with renewed confidence, his Spiritual Detection painting a five-hundred-meter map of the world in his mind. Every rustle of leaves, every scurrying rodent, every spirit beast sleeping in its den—all laid bare before his enhanced senses.
But his attention was divided. Floating at the edge of his vision, two panels glowed softly: the live stream viewer count holding steady at around 180, and the newly unlocked Multiverse Chat Group, which was currently exploding with activity.
Fate_Observer: The fusion is complete, but the real test begins now. The forest has eyes beyond the physical.
Knowledge_Seeker: Fascinating! The Dragon God energy integrated into the soul bone without conflict. The Book's harmonization protocols must be exceptional.
Martial_Fanatic: @Huo_Yuhao Test the flight! How fast can you go? Can you fight while airborne?
Cultivation_Nerd: Statistically, a spirit master gaining flight at rank 10 is unprecedented. Even in the God Realm, such early aerial mobility is rare.
Soul_Land_Expert: Don't forget the original plot! Bei Bei and Tang Ya should be nearby! They'll sense the energy fluctuation from the fusion!
Huo Yuhao paused beside a particularly ancient oak, leaning against its gnarled bark. "System, can I interact with the chat group directly?"
[System: Yes, Host. You may speak aloud or mentally. The system will transcribe.]
He took a breath, addressing the empty air as if speaking to companions. "The flight is... intuitive. Like an extra limb I didn't know I had. But it drains spirit power quickly—maybe five minutes of sustained flight at most right now."
Martial_Fanatic: FIVE MINUTES OF FLIGHT AT RANK 10?! That's insane! Even most Soul Elders need spirit tools for that!
Knowledge_Seeker: The energy efficiency must be extraordinary. The mantle likely converts environmental ice element into propulsion. Test it in colder climates.
Huo Yuhao nodded, making a mental note. "As for fighting while flying... I haven't tried yet. But the Spiritual Detection should help with spatial awareness."
Fate_Observer: Be careful testing abilities. The Black Book changed your starting parameters, but the world's balance remains. Tang San's divine sense monitors significant deviations.
The name sent a chill through Huo Yuhao that had nothing to do with the forest's evening coolness. Tang San. The God-King. The puppeteer.
"Does he know?" Huo Yuhao asked quietly. "About... me? About the changes?"
Fate_Observer: His primary attention remains on the God Realm and his daughter's reincarnation. But he has contingencies. Threads of fate connected to key nodes—your meeting with Bei Bei, your eventual enrollment at Shrek, the Qiankun Love Valley...
Soul_Land_Expert: Which you should AVOID AT ALL COSTS! Seriously, skip the whole Shrek plotline! Go to the Sun Moon Empire!
Cultivation_Nerd: Counterpoint: Shrek's resources are substantial. The Sea God's Pavilion, the training environments...
Martial_Fanatic: WHO CARES ABOUT RESOURCES WHEN THE HEADMASTER IS LITERALLY TANG SAN'S PUPPET?!
Huo Yuhao watched the debate unfold with a strange sense of detachment. These beings—from who-knew-where in the multiverse—were arguing about his life. But their concern felt genuine.
"I need to make my own decisions," he said finally, cutting through the chatter. "But I'll consider all perspectives. For now, my goal is simple: get stronger. Survive this forest. Then decide my next move."
Fate_Observer: Wise. But remember—the original Huo Yuhao's path was shaped by "coincidences" arranged from above. Your very existence is a deviation. Expect... adjustments.
A new voice joined the chat, this one carrying a different weight.
Dimensional_Archivist: I've analyzed the energy signatures from your fusion. The Black Book didn't just preserve Ayush's memories—it integrated them at a soul-deep level. You're not a transmigrator possessing a body. You're a synthesis. This may provide some protection against fate-based detection.
Huo Yuhao blinked. "Meaning?"
Dimensional_Archivist: Tang San reads fate threads. But if your thread is fundamentally new—not a replaced thread, but a born-anew thread—he might overlook you until you become significant enough to notice.
Soul_Land_Expert: THAT'S HUGE! If true, you might have a grace period before he starts "arranging" things!
Hope, fragile and dangerous, flickered in Huo Yuhao's chest. He crushed it. "Assume he's watching. Assume everything is part of his script until proven otherwise."
Fate_Observer: Good. Paranoia is survival in your situation.
Suddenly, Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection pinged. Two human signatures, approaching from the southeast. One with crackling lightning energy, the other with a vibrant, plant-based vitality.
"Company," he murmured, pulling his mantle's hood up. The fabric shimmered and seemed to blend with the twilight shadows.
Martial_Fanatic: IT'S THEM! Bei Bei and Tang Ya! Quick, act natural!
Soul_Land_Expert: No, wait! You have an opportunity here! In the original, you gave them roasted fish and joined the Tang Sect. But you have options now!
Huo Yuhao's mind raced. He remembered the scene: the friendly meeting, the roasted fish, the invitation to the Tang Sect that would eventually chain him to Shrek Academy, to Wang Dong, to Tang San's designs.
But he also remembered Tang Ya's genuine kindness. Bei Bei's protective nature. They weren't villains—just pieces on the board like everyone else.
"System," he thought, "any quests or options related to this encounter?"
[System: Generating situational options...]
[Option 1: Follow Original Plot. Befriend Bei Bei and Tang Ya. Receive Tang Sect invitation. Reward: 50 System Points, Basic Blue Silver Grass cultivation method.]
[Option 2: Avoid Them. Use mantle's stealth to disappear. Continue alone. Reward: 100 System Points, Minor Fate Obscuration (24 hours).]
[Option 3: Test Them. Reveal partial capabilities, gauge their true intentions. Reward: Variable based on outcome. Minimum: 75 Points.]
The chat group exploded with opinions.
Martial_Fanatic: OPTION 2! RUN! EVERYTHING ABOUT SHREK IS A TRAP!
Knowledge_Seeker: Option 3 presents interesting data collection opportunities. Their reactions to unexpected power could reveal much.
Fate_Observer: Consider long-term. The Tang Sect has resources you lack. But it also has strings. The question is: can you take the resources without getting tangled?
Huo Yuhao made his decision just as the two figures emerged from the treeline.
Tang Ya bounced into the clearing first, her dark ponytail swinging. "Bei Bei, I'm telling you, I smelled something amazing! Like... really good roasted—oh!"
She stopped, staring at Huo Yuhao.
Bei Bei followed, his blue hair slightly disheveled from travel. His eyes, sharp and assessing, scanned Huo Yuhao, lingering on the faint shimmer of the mantle. "A traveler? In the deep forest?"
Huo Yuhao lowered his hood, revealing his youthful face. He kept his Spirit Eyes active, their pale blue glow visible in the gathering dusk. "I'm hunting for a spirit ring," he said, voice carefully neutral.
Tang Ya's eyes widened. "A spirit ring? At your age? You must be really brave!" She stepped closer, peering at him. "Your eyes are so pretty! What's your spirit?"
Huo Yuhao felt the chat group holding its collective breath.
[Viewers: 203]
Soul_Land_Expert: Here it comes! The moment!
Martial_Fanatic: LIE! SAY IT'S A FIRE EAGLE OR SOMETHING!
"Ice attribute," Huo Yuhao said. It wasn't a complete lie—Tianmeng had given him the ice attribute martial soul, even if it currently lacked form. "With some spiritual aspects."
Bei Bei's eyebrows rose. "Dual attributes? Rare." He glanced at the clearing, at the cracked earth where Tianmeng had emerged. "Did you... succeed? With the spirit ring?"
Huo Yuhao nodded, letting a milky-white spirit ring rise from his feet. It glowed softly, the ten faint golden lines shimmering.
Tang Ya gasped. "White? But... that doesn't make sense. White is ten-year, but the energy..."
"It's special," Huo Yuhao said simply. He wasn't ready to reveal the million-year truth.
Knowledge_Seeker: Clever. White is dismissible. They'll assume it's a weak but unusual spirit beast.
Fate_Observer: Bei Bei isn't convinced. Look at his micro-expressions.
Indeed, Bei Bei was studying the ring with deep suspicion. "A white ring that feels... substantial. Interesting." He looked back at Huo Yuhao. "You're traveling alone? Where are your elders?"
"My mother passed," Huo Yuhao said, the grief still fresh. "I'm on my own."
Tang Ya's expression softened immediately. "Oh, you poor thing! Bei Bei, we should help him!"
"Teacher Xiaoya..." Bei Bei began, the protective disciple in him warring with caution.
Soul_Land_Expert: Incoming Tang Sect pitch! Brace yourself!
But before Tang Ya could speak, Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection flared a warning. Something big was moving through the forest toward them. Fast.
"Down!" he shouted, diving to the side.
A massive, dark-furred form crashed through the trees where he'd been standing. A bear, but unlike any natural bear—six meters tall, with crystalline spikes growing from its shoulders and rage in its glowing red eyes.
"Thousand-year Crystal Armor Bear!" Bei Bei yelled, shoving Tang Ya behind him. Lightning crackled around his body as three spirit rings—yellow, yellow, purple—rose from his feet. "How did it get this close without us sensing?!"
Martial_Fanatic: FIGHT! SHOW THEM WHAT YOU CAN DO!
Cultivation_Nerd: A thousand-year Crystal Armor Bear has spiritual resistance! Your mental attacks might be less effective!
Huo Yuhao rolled to his feet, his mind working at lightning speed. The bear was charging Bei Bei, who was gathering lightning for a counterattack. Tang Ya was fumbling for throwing darts.
"Brother Tianmeng," Huo Yuhao thought, "any advice?"
"Spiritual Interference! Aim for its eyes! It's spiritually resistant, but the eyes are always vulnerable!" Tianmeng's voice chirped excitedly. "And kid? This is a great chance to show off!"
Huo Yuhao's milky-white ring brightened. He didn't shout, didn't make a show of it. He simply looked at the bear and focused.
[Spirit Skill: Spiritual Interference]
The bear stumbled mid-charge, as if it had forgotten how to run. It shook its massive head, confused. Bei Bei's lightning bolt struck its shoulder, shattering crystals but not penetrating the thick hide.
"Again! Keep it disoriented!" Bei Bei called, already preparing another attack.
Huo Yuhao focused harder. The drain was significant—his spirit power was dropping fast. But he pushed, layering interference, creating mental static in the bear's simple consciousness.
The bear roared, swiping blindly. Tang Ya's darts flew, embedding in its nostrils, making it rear back in pain.
"Now! Its throat!" Bei Bei launched himself forward, lightning coalescing into a spear in his hand.
But the bear recovered faster than expected. It batted Bei Bei aside with a backhand swipe that cracked trees. Then it turned its rage on the smallest, closest target: Huo Yuhao.
Soul_Land_Expert: MANTLE! FLY!
Huo Yuhao didn't need the advice. He willed the Mantle of the Dreaming Dragon to life. The fabric billowed, and he rose into the air just as the bear's claws tore through the space where he'd stood.
Gasps from below. Flying at rank 10 was impossible. Yet there he was, five meters up and rising.
The bear leaped, surprising agility for its size.
Huo Yuhao did something then that he hadn't planned. He combined skills.
[Spiritual Detection + Spiritual Illusion]
To the bear, suddenly there were three Huo Yuhaos, flying in different directions. It swiped at the middle one—an illusion—and crashed back to earth, confused.
In that moment of confusion, Bei Bei struck. His lightning spear, thrown with all his strength, pierced the bear's eye and into its brain. The creature shuddered, collapsed, and was still.
A deep purple spirit ring began to rise from its corpse.
Silence filled the clearing, broken only by heavy breathing.
Tang Ya stared up at Huo Yuhao, who slowly descended. "You... you can fly? And those illusions... with a white spirit ring?"
Bei Bei approached, wiping blood from a cut on his cheek. His expression was unreadable. "That wasn't just spiritual attribute. That was high-level mental manipulation. And the flight..." He looked at the mantle, which had settled back into cloak form. "Is that a soul bone? External?"
Huo Yuhao met his gaze. "It is."
The admission hung in the air. External soul bones were legendary treasures. For an orphaned, rank 10 spirit master to have one...
"You have quite the story, don't you?" Bei Bei said softly.
Fate_Observer: This is the divergence. Original Huo Yuhao was helpless here. You've revealed significant power.
Knowledge_Seeker: Their perception of you has fundamentally shifted. You're not a pitiful orphan to recruit—you're a mystery to solve.
Tang Ya, ever practical, broke the tension. "Well, whatever your story is, you saved our hides! That bear would have wrecked us without your interference!" She grinned. "So, mysterious flying boy with the fancy cloak and weird spirit ring—want some roasted fish? I'm starving!"
The normalcy of the invitation, after the life-and-death battle, was almost comical.
Huo Yuhao looked at Bei Bei's assessing eyes, at Tang Ya's genuine smile, at the purple spirit ring still hovering over the bear's corpse.
[System: Option 3 completed partially. Reward: 85 System Points. New reputation with Tang Sect: "Mysterious Prodigy" established.]
[New Quest Available: "The Tang Sect's Interest"]
[Objective: Determine the true nature of Bei Bei and Tang Ya's intentions.]
[Reward: 150 Points, Tang Sect Neutral/Favor alignment option.]
He made his decision.
"I could eat," Huo Yuhao said, allowing a small smile.
As they built a new fire and Tang Ya produced cooking supplies from her spatial pouch, the chat group buzzed with analysis.
Dimensional_Archivist: Fascinating. The encounter deviated 73% from original timeline parameters. Most significant change: you established yourself as an equal rather than a junior.
Martial_Fanatic: BUT THEY'RE STILL TANG SECT! TANG SAN'S PEOPLE!
Fate_Observer: Not exactly. The Tang Sect of this era is a shadow. They have their own grievances with the current world order. Potential allies, if handled correctly.
Bei Bei sat across the fire from Huo Yuhao, watching him. "You're heading north?" he asked casually.
"Considering it," Huo Yuhao said, equally casual.
"There's a good academy up north. Shrek Academy. Best on the continent."
"There's also the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy," Huo Yuhao countered. "They value special attributes."
Bei Bei's eyes sharpened. "You've done your research."
"I like to know my options."
Tang Ya, oblivious to the subtext, handed out skewers of fish. "Both are good! But Shrek has the Sea God's Lake! And the Tang Sect has a direct admission spot every year!" She winked. "Just saying!"
The offer, still made, but now from a position of curiosity rather than pity.
Soul_Land_Expert: She doesn't realize how different this is. In the original, she was recruiting a talented orphan. Now she's trying to recruit someone who might be more powerful than she understands.
Huo Yuhao accepted the fish. "I'll think about it. I have... other things to attend to first."
"Like what?" Bei Bei asked.
"Getting stronger," Huo Yuhao said, meeting his eyes. "Strong enough that no one can write my story for me."
Something in the words resonated. Bei Bei nodded slowly, as if he understood more than he should. "A good goal. The world has too many authors and not enough protagonists who fight back."
The fire crackled between them. In the shadows beyond the light, the Black Book in Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea remained silent. But on its pages, new words were forming—a record of choices made, paths opened, and a story beginning to twist in directions even a God-King might not foresee.
[System Alert: Multiverse Chat Group connectivity strengthening. New members requesting access. Allow?]
Huo Yuhao watched the flames, feeling the weight of the mantle on his shoulders, the power of the million-year ring at his feet, and the whispers of beings beyond his world in his mind.
"Allow them," he thought. "The more perspectives, the better."
After all, if he was going to rewrite a story written by a god, he'd need all the help he could get.
And somewhere, in a realm beyond mortal comprehension, a god who believed himself the author of all things felt the faintest tremor in the threads of fate—a single strand glowing with unfamiliar light, beginning to weave a pattern of its own.