Chapter 24: The Tianmeng Ice Silkworm (Part 1)
The next day, before the sky had even fully brightened, Furina sprang from her bed with a fishlike flip, brimming with energy. She furtively pulled Neuvillette into a quiet corner of the main hall and lowered her voice. "Neuvillette, I'm taking little Yuhao to the Great Star Dou Forest today for some 'social practice'—and to grab a suitable soul ring while we're at it! I'm leaving the church's affairs in your hands. If City Lord Lei Bao asks, tell him we're conducting 'field research on wild soul beast ecology.' Keep it low-key, got it?"
Neuvillette's face remained as placid as still water. His azure eyes swept calmly over her, and he inclined his head slightly. "Understood. Exercise caution. Do not enter the Mixed or Core Zones." He was long accustomed to Furina's whirlwind temperament. With the three members of the Salon Solitaire accompanying her, so long as they didn't court death by venturing too deep, the risk was manageable within the outer perimeter.
With her "Minister of Logistics" squared away, Furina dashed excitedly to the kitchen. Huo Yuhao was already waiting, dressed in a crisp, practical short-cut outfit. His young face was set tight, but his eyes glimmered with irrepressible excitement and anticipation.
"Let's move out! Destination: the Great Star Dou Forest!" Furina swept her hand forward with all the flair of a school field trip chaperone. To avoid drawing attention, it was just her and Huo Yuhao, along with Mademoiselle Chevaleyda, Madame Hevmayer, and Lord Usher, who materialized as silently as drifting shadows.
The party slipped unnoticed through the rear gate of Fontaine City and set off toward the Great Star Dou Forest. This was Huo Yuhao's first real journey into the wider world, and his first time entering a region teeming with soul beasts. Everything was fresh and new to him, but he kept Furina's instructions firmly in mind, sticking close by her side, his eyes sharp and alert as they swept the surroundings—like a young cub venturing from its den for the first time, yet ever on high alert.
Furina, for her part, was considerably more relaxed. As they walked, she gave Huo Yuhao an impromptu tour guide spiel. "The Great Star Dou Forest is vast beyond measure. The variety of soul beasts in there is mind-boggling, from ten-year little critters all the way up to hundred-thousand-year overlords. On this trip, we're just skimming the outermost edge. Find you a suitable hundred-year soul ring, and mission accomplished. Absolutely no letting curiosity get the better of us and wandering deeper—unless you want to disappear without knowing how..."
Her words were perfectly straight-faced, but inside, she was frantically beating a wooden fish, mentally chanting: Brother Tianmeng! Old Man Electors! I've delivered your destined Child of Destiny right to your doorstep! Come out and sign for him already!
After traveling for the better part of half a day, they neared the forest's edge. The air had grown noticeably more humid, and the trees had become taller and denser. Furina was just wondering whether she ought to slow their pace and carefully search for traces of soul beast activity when—rustle—the underbrush beside them exploded, and a gray blur streaked through the air like a gale, lunging straight at Huo Yuhao on the party's flank!
It was a scrawny, snarling Wind Baboon, and by the aura it gave off, it was at most a ten-year specimen. Under normal circumstances, any soul master with even a bit of experience could have swatted a beast of this level aside with one hand.
But for Huo Yuhao, this was the first time in his life facing a soul beast's direct attack. Though startled, he didn't retreat a single step. The flash of alarm on his face was quickly replaced by composure. Pure instinct had him clenching his White Tiger Dagger, a faint thread of soul power coiling within him, ready to meet the strike. It was a testament to the sharp situational awareness of a spiritual-type soul master.
Of course, neither he nor Furina would need to lift a finger. Madame Hevmayer, who had been drifting to the side as if she were mere decoration, gave her tail a casual flick. A massive, iridescent bubble materialized with a soft pop and engulfed the flailing Wind Baboon entirely, sealing it in tight. The baboon thrashed and clawed uselessly inside the bubble, screeching, but no matter how it struggled, it couldn't break free. It could only drift slowly upward with the bubble, the whole scene becoming rather comical.
Mademoiselle Chevaleyda clacked her pincer in displeasure, as if this opponent were beneath her notice. Lord Usher adjusted his nonexistent bow tie with elegant tendrils, his bearing one of pure disdain, as if to say, "A minnow like this is worth the trouble of a lord?"
Furina watched the ten-year Wind Baboon scrabbling pointlessly inside the bubble, the corner of her mouth twitching. This sequence... classic newbie monster delivering free XP, wasn't it? Though in the original story, Huo Yuhao had at least traded a few blows with this baboon and taken a proper fright before the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm was drawn out. Now, it'd been instantly shut down by her "top-tier bodyguards" before even getting close.
She ranted internally: Brother Tianmeng! Your prospective host is about to be forced into defending himself! Aren't you going to show up and save the day?! The script's all wrong here! If you don't come quick, this Wind Baboon's going to become Madame Hevmayer's newest balloon animal!
As if in answer to her unspoken call (or perhaps the sheer inertia of canon was that unshakable), a sudden upheaval struck!
Without the slightest warning, the world—or at least everything within their field of vision—plunged into darkness. It was as if an invisible, colossal curtain had blotted out the very sky.
An indescribable, abyssal spiritual pressure—vast as the ocean—came crashing down like the Milky Way pouring from the heavens, utterly engulfing the area. The air itself seemed to congeal. The trees froze in place. The wind died mid-current. The Wind Baboon inside the bubble didn't even manage a whimper—its eyes rolled back, and it passed out cold. The bubble burst with a wet pop, and the baboon dropped limply to the ground, motionless.
Huo Yuhao bore the brunt of it. He felt his mind go boom—as if struck square by an invisible war hammer. His vision darkened. The soul power circulating within him seized up. A bone-deep shudder born from the very depths of his soul chilled him to the core. But he bit down hard on his lower lip and willed himself to stay standing. Behind the terror in his eyes, there was defiance and vigilance. The years of hardship had long since taught him to keep his head under overwhelming pressure.
Even Furina felt an intense suffocating pressure, her heartbeat spiraling out of control, her soul rings flickering erratically beneath her feet. Mademoiselle Chevaleyda, Madame Hevmayer, and Lord Usher snapped instantly into full combat alert, powerful water-element fluctuations churning violently around them as they pushed back against the formless oppression.
"Wh-what... what is this...?" Huo Yuhao forced the words through clenched teeth, his face pale, but his spine still ramrod straight.
And then, a voice rang out—languid, yet carrying a peculiar magnetism (and if one listened closely, was there a faint, nearly imperceptible note of frailty?)—unfurling directly into the depths of both Furina's and Huo Yuhao's minds without the slightest hindrance. The voice brimmed with barely contained excitement and profound, bone-deep relief:
"Aiya, finally! I've been waiting forever! A human with a spiritual attribute! And such pure flavor too... truly heaven-sent talent! Almost got the whole thing wrecked by that clueless little monkey!"
With the voice came ten enormous golden rings of light, layered one inside the other, radiating a soft glow yet carrying an aura of unparalleled majesty. And then, a colossal silkworm—plump and portly, its body seemingly carved from pure white jade, suffused with a gentle golden luminescence—slowly emerged from beneath the earth. Its enormous, luminous eyes fixed intently on Huo Yuhao, who was stubbornly holding his ground.
"Don't be afraid, child! I am the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm! I've come to bestow upon you a magnificent destiny! Relax. That's it. Do not resist my spiritual force, whatever you do..."
Seeing this iconic scene from her memories, the great stone hanging in Furina's heart finally dropped. She nearly wept with relief. He's here! The legendary million-year soul beast (even if its combat rating is a bit... diluted)! The golden-finger cheat-code grandpa standard-issue for every protagonist (even if he's a chatterbox silkworm grub)! This trip wasn't in vain!
She hastily reined in the grin threatening to burst across her face, doing her utmost to adopt a shocked-yet-forcibly-composed expression. She cut in, her tone carrying just the right amount of wariness and probing caution: "Hey! You—the giant... worm over there! What exactly are you? What do you want with Yuhao?"
The Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's attention was overwhelmingly fixed on Huo Yuhao, the "true chosen one." It answered somewhat offhandedly, a touch of pride in its voice. "Don't interrupt, young lady. I am the unprecedented, one-and-only million-year soul beast—the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm! I've taken a liking to this child's exceptional talent. I intend to become his intelligent soul ring and guide him in the future—toward godhood!"
"Million-year? You're pulling my leg, right?" Furina put on a deliberately skeptical pout. "Since when has the Great Star Dou Forest ever had a million-year soul beast? Where did you even come from?"
"I journeyed all the way from the Far North! A million years of cultivation—genuine beyond doubt!" The Tianmeng Ice Silkworm seemed slightly flustered to prove itself. "It's just... ahem. This cultivation of mine was mostly accumulated through sleeping and eating, eating and sleeping. As for actual combat... well, I might perhaps be slightly less adept..." To its credit, it was honest. In its eagerness to earn their trust, it revealed a fair bit of its own background. "For years now, I've been searching for a spiritual-attribute soul master. I actually found one before—a Titled Douluo, no less. But alas, my power was simply too overwhelming. That human couldn't endure it and... burst. This time, I've learned my lesson. I will place multiple seals upon myself. With your current constitution, you should be able to withstand it."
Huo Yuhao listened intently to the exchange between this human and... insect(?), his mind racing. This opportunity sounded too astonishing—bordering on sheer fantasy. Yet the incomprehensible phenomenon before him and the crushing spiritual pressure were undeniably real. Instinctively, he looked toward Furina, his eyes seeking guidance, a trace of uncertainty in their depths. Furina gave him a slight nod, signaling that the judgment was his to make—but her gaze conveyed unmistakable encouragement. Seize this chance!
Huo Yuhao drew a deep breath, the hesitation in his eyes swiftly giving way to resolution. His thirst for strength, his relentless drive to change his fate—it overpowered all doubt. He lifted his head and met the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's gaze, his voice steady. "What do I need to do?" The words were quiet, yet held remarkable composure.
The Tianmeng Ice Silkworm was overjoyed. "Good! Relax your mind. Above all, harbor no thought of resistance!"
What followed mirrored Furina's memories of the original story near perfectly. An immense golden radiance flooded into Huo Yuhao's body like an ocean tide. His body went limp, and he slipped into unconsciousness, swiftly sealed within an enormous cocoon of blazing white-gold light. Furina directed Mademoiselle Chevaleyda and the others to intensify their perimeter watch, then found herself a clean spot to sit and wait with patience.
After an indeterminate stretch of time, the cocoon of light dispersed. Huo Yuhao slowly came to, and the moment his eyes opened, he turned to Furina, eagerly sharing his monumental gains: he now possessed a "million-year intelligent soul ring" (disguised on the surface as the white of a ten-year ring); his Spirit Eyes martial soul had been tremendously enhanced; and he'd gained four powerful soul skills in one stroke! Furina shared in his joy, celebrating with him. Meanwhile, inwardly, she mused: Step one: complete. Next up should be that otherworldly Scourge of the Undead, Old Man Electors, right?
Sure enough—as if to validate her speculation—just as Huo Yuhao, brimming with enthusiasm, prepared to test his newly acquired Soul Impact skill, concentrating his mind for a blast aimed at a large tree before him—
A second upheaval struck!
An incredibly fine, utterly inconspicuous wisp of gray air—as if possessing life of its own—soundlessly tore through space and materialized out of nowhere! Its speed surpassed the limits of visual perception. It was as if it teleported, giving no one the slightest chance to react, and shot directly into the center of Huo Yuhao's brow!
"Ngh!" Huo Yuhao felt a freezing, deathly, soul-numbing aura pierce his mind in an instant. He grunted, his body swayed, and he lost consciousness once more, slumping downward.
This time, Furina had been fully prepared. With quick eyes and quicker hands, she caught him before he could make intimate contact with the ground. Inwardly, she gave a solemn nod: Old Man Electors: installed. The protagonist's three-piece cheat set is now fully equipped!
She could clearly sense three forces of vastly different natures slowly intertwining within Huo Yuhao: his own fledgling yet potential-rich spiritual power; the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's vast, gentle, oceanic source energy; and finally, that last wisp—weak, yet of impossibly high quality—a gray energy brimming with the essence of death and utter stillness.
"Welp. Looks like we're camping here today," Furina remarked to the three members of the Salon Solitaire. "When this kid wakes up, his spiritual sea is going to get very, very lively." She could already picture the spectacular expression on Huo Yuhao's face when he found himself dealing with a chattering million-year silkworm grub and an unfathomable ghost-elemental grandpa all at once.