Seven days later.
Bathed in golden Buddhist light, Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged under a tree, cultivating.
Star Dou Forest's luck, drawn by the Fortune-Seizing Dragon Transformation Technique, poured down from above, accelerating his soul power's circulation.
Soul Power: *Hurry up, luck! Huo Yuhao's running out of steam!*
The luck surged faster.
Finally, a burst of soul power rippled from Huo Yuhao.
He'd broken through!
After the breakthrough, he retracted his Buddhist light, paused his cultivation, opened his eyes, and exhaled a turbid breath.
Feeling the soul power within, Huo Yuhao smiled with satisfaction. "Seven days, and I've reached Level 15. Not bad."
After absorbing Tian Meng Ice Silkworm's first soul ring, he'd hit Level 11. Seven days later, he was at Level 15.
Four levels in seven days!
This was the power of luck-assisted cultivation!
Yet, it wasn't luck cultivation's limit—only Huo Yuhao's.
His original body had suffered a harsh childhood, leaving him with a frail constitution, clogged and fragile meridians, and only Level 1 innate soul power.
Even with luck pushing him, he was like a rickety tricycle on a bumpy road, maxing out at 60 mph. Dreaming of a supercar hitting 200 mph on a highway? Not a chance.
"This grudge, I'll remember," Huo Yuhao gritted his teeth.
His current strength couldn't use advanced techniques to improve his physique with luck.
For now, he'd pedal his tricycle on the rough path.
As he stopped cultivating, a chubby white silkworm phantom appeared on his shoulder—Tian Meng Ice Silkworm's projection.
"Brother Hao, congrats on another breakthrough! At this rate, you'll hit Level 20 soon, and then… heh heh heh," Tian Meng said sincerely.
In seven days, Tian Meng had accepted his fate and found following Huo Yuhao surprisingly decent.
When Huo Yuhao cultivated with luck, some benefits trickled to Tian Meng via their luck connection, like staying awake longer.
Beyond tangible gains, Huo Yuhao's respect warmed Tian Meng's heart, boosting his fondness for him.
"Don't worry, Brother Tian Meng. I'll keep my promise," Huo Yuhao replied with a smile.
The respect Tian Meng felt came from Huo Yuhao still calling him "Brother," each keeping their own terms.
For Huo Yuhao, a simple title for Tian Meng's genuine help was a fair trade.
Thus, Tian Meng shared his plan: when Huo Yuhao reached Level 20, they'd head to the Far North to find the Ice Emperor.
Huo Yuhao agreed.
He wouldn't miss the Far North's opportunities.
If he secured the Ice Emperor's sacrifice—one of the Far North's three Heavenly Kings—her luck would be his!
Miss this chance? Never!
It had already happened once with Tian Meng's sacrifice.
Huo Yuhao had claimed Tian Meng's luck.
Now, his luck's middle section was denser, not just from the Fortune-Seizing Technique but also Tian Meng's partial luck.
Most of Tian Meng's luck had turned into potential within Huo Yuhao's luck. His Spirit Eyes phantom now had ten ice-blue dots orbiting the existing golden dot.
Note: these ten ice-blue dots didn't correspond to Tian Meng's ten sealed origin orbs.
This was a separate gain!
Behind the Spirit Eyes phantom lurked an ice-blue silhouette—his yet-to-fully-awaken second martial soul.
Yi Laike, who entered Huo Yuhao's mental sea with Tian Meng, brought no luck—perhaps because he wasn't of this world. Huo Yuhao hadn't interacted with him yet, so he hadn't influenced his fate.
…
Huo Yuhao stood, stretching his stiff body, and went foraging for today's meal.
Soon, he spotted a lone decade-level soul beast.
A 50-year Thorn Boar, a small pig-like beast with a spiky back, rooting for plant seeds and insects.
"Brother Tian Meng, your Mental Detection skill is so handy for hunting," Huo Yuhao praised.
"My million-year skill, and you use it for hunting?" Tian Meng grumbled.
"What else? Who relies on those skills to live? Can they make me a god?"
"You…"
"Am I wrong?"
"Brother Hao's right."
Tian Meng had no comeback.
Huo Yuhao nodded, satisfied, and began today's hunt.
*Rustle—*
His dash from the bushes caught the Thorn Boar's attention.
Despite its small size and vegetarian diet, it was omnivorous and could hunt and eat meat!
Interrupted while eating, it planned to teach the intruder a lesson—or make them lunch.
But as it glared toward the sound, it saw golden Buddhist light and heard Buddhist chants.
"Namo, Namo Amitabha… Lay down the blade, attain enlightenment…"
The sound was righteous, the words sacred, yet an unmistakable sinister aura seeped through.
The Thorn Boar's mind blurred. In its daze, it glimpsed a young, solemn face.
Then, a sharp pain in its neck snapped it awake. A dagger had pierced its throat, severing an artery.
Blood gushed.
Desperate to retaliate, it found the enemy had retreated to the bushes.
Thorn Boar: *Listen to me…*
It collapsed, unwilling.
A white soul ring formed above its corpse, drifting slowly.
Huo Yuhao emerged, retrieved his White Tiger Dagger, wiped it, and tucked it away.
He grabbed the corpse and fled to avoid attracting other beasts with the blood.
The operation was smooth, practiced.
Tian Meng marveled, "Brother Hao, your Life-Reaping Sanskrit Chant is getting slick!"
Yes, the golden light and chants were Pudu Cihang's Life-Reaping Sanskrit Chant.
Huo Yuhao had naturally learned this signature move, especially since he focused on Buddhist cultivation.
"Just barely learned it, nothing special," Huo Yuhao said modestly.
What amazed him wasn't his soul power growth but his comprehension—or learning ability.
Pudu Cihang's techniques came to him effortlessly.
In the original story, Huo Yuhao's learning talent, like with soul tools, was exceptional.
This was the Child of Destiny's quality!
Tian Meng, envious, had studied demon cultivation with no progress.
"Just learned, and you can daze a 50-year soul beast? Master it, and even gods might fall," Tian Meng said enviously.
"Yeah, Pudu Cihang often used it to control young girls."
"So he wasn't a good… demon."
"Does that make me a good person?"
"Uh…"
Tian Meng thought his Brother Hao was great—except for his painfully clear self-awareness, dropping all pretense with allies.
Back at his base, Huo Yuhao processed the boar and started roasting.
Gazing toward the forest's core, he said, "Brother Tian Meng, I'm planning to leave Star Dou Forest."
"What?" Tian Meng was stunned.
Was the forest's luck not sweet enough? Or was Huo Yuhao getting cocky?
"Brother Hao, why?" Tian Meng asked.
Huo Yuhao stared at the core, where the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's luck phantom had edged closer to him.
"I've noticed the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's phantom is getting closer to my position."
Tian Meng: "What?! Did the auspicious beast spot you?"
"Not quite," Huo Yuhao shook his head. "Brother Tian Meng, Children of Destiny attract each other. If I'm Douluo Continent's Child of Destiny, the auspicious beast is the soul beasts'."
Tian Meng fell silent.
He didn't grasp luck, but Pudu Cihang's memories confirmed that those with great luck were drawn together.
"Could it be a coincidence?" Tian Meng hoped.
After being fleeced by the forest's beasts for years, he was finally fleecing their precious luck. This week had been blissful—did Huo Yuhao know how much?
Huo Yuhao shattered his hope. "We've changed camps several times this week, but the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's phantom hasn't veered off once."
"Fine, goodbye, Star Dou Forest's luck~ *sob*~"
"Don't worry, we'll be back…" Huo Yuhao squinted at the core, murmuring.