"What? You want to become my wisdom-type soul ring?"
"Are you serious?"
Qi Lin couldn't believe it. He was actually getting the same treatment as Huo Yuhao!
Now that he thought about it… between him and Huo Yuhao, who had better luck?
After hesitating for just a second, Qi Lin suddenly slapped his thigh hard.
What a stupid question! How could he even hesitate for a second?
Wasn't that like doubting his own luck?
Wasn't that disrespecting his own destiny?
"My little guy, I know you must be really excited right now," the Skydream Iceworm said in a proud voice. "But don't get too excited."
"Even though you're about to become the first soul master in the history of Douluo Continent to have a million-year soul ring as your first ring..."
"This is a two-way deal. You don't need to thank me. Just don't forget to bring me to the God Realm to enjoy life later."
The Skydream Iceworm watched Qi Lin slap his leg and misunderstood it as excitement. He was very satisfied.
'See? So what if he came from the God Realm? He still couldn't resist my charm…
Wait, no—I meant my soul ring!'
Skydream thought proudly to himself. Of course, he did have the right to be proud.
After all, he was currently the only known million-year soul beast on the continent.
Off to the side, Qi Lin scratched his head at Skydream's words.
Well, if he really could get a million-year first soul ring, then… yeah, that was pretty exciting.
Especially on Douluo Continent.
He would be the first person in history!
Qi Lin grinned and nodded. "Let's do it. I'm getting a little impatient."
The Skydream Iceworm wobbled his big round head and said in a mischievous tone, "Alright then, get ready. I'm about to start."
"Don't worry, I'll be gentle. I won't make it hurt too much."
"…Ugh."
Qi Lin shivered. "Where did you learn to say things like that?"
"What, jealous of my natural gift with words?"
"I'll have you know, this kind of charm can't be taught—it's born!"
Qi Lin's mouth twitched.
"Hahaha, here I come!" Skydream Iceworm laughed loudly.
His chubby body bounced as he charged toward Qi Lin, making the ground tremble.
He stopped in front of Qi Lin, lowered his soft head, and gently touched Qi Lin's forehead. Glowing soul rings on his body began to flash in a steady rhythm.
Then, under Qi Lin's calm gaze, a faint golden light enveloped him.
The Skydream Iceworm released a vast and powerful wave of spiritual energy. It surged into Qi Lin's mind like a tide, visible even to the naked eye.
At the same time, Skydream's huge body began to fade.
"Hahaha, it's working!"
"…Wait, why aren't you in pain?"
Just as the Skydream Iceworm was celebrating, he noticed Qi Lin looked… perfectly fine. That couldn't be right.
Even with all the seals he'd placed on himself, Qi Lin was just a level ten soul master. He shouldn't be able to handle the pain of fusing a million-year soul ring!
Qi Lin replied honestly, "Nope, it doesn't hurt. In fact, it feels warm… even kind of nice."
Skydream stared at him for a long time, then finally accepted it.
He really wasn't lying!
"…Unbelievable."
"You're definitely from the God Realm. No wonder you're different!"
"Hehehe, I've really struck gold this time!"
The smoother the process went, the happier Skydream became.
After all, his future life depended on Qi Lin now. He had to follow him to the God Realm and live in luxury!
Time passed. Eventually, the Skydream Iceworm's body vanished completely, leaving behind only a faint golden-white membrane on the ground.
Above Qi Lin's head, a glowing white soul ring appeared.
Once the light faded, Qi Lin stretched his body like nothing had happened.
To his surprise, he felt physically stronger, and his skin now looked and felt like fine white jade.
He hadn't seen his reflection yet, but Qi Lin had a strong feeling…
He might've gotten even handsomer.
Putting his hands together, he silently prayed.
'Heavens above, please let me stay handsome—but don't turn me into a pretty little soft boy, okay?'
He also discovered something new—he could now sense another space in his mind.
It was vast and endless, colored mostly white with touches of radiant gold.
With just a thought, Qi Lin entered the space.
Here, he felt all-powerful.
Having read some webnovels before, he figured this must be what they called a "spiritual sea" or a "mental domain."
Hovering in the air were ten giant golden rings.
Suddenly, a dramatic voice echoed inside the space.
"Holy crap! Your spiritual sea is huge! I thought you were just level ten, so I figured it would be tiny. I was even planning to help you expand it!"
"This is insane!"
"And what's up with that golden stuff? Why does your spiritual sea look so different from everyone else's?"
Qi Lin just gave a shrug, like a little bear saying, I don't know either, bro.
"Oh right—what's your name, anyway? I tried to copy your memories earlier, but I couldn't get a thing. Not even a hair."
"So now I still don't know what to call you."
"Qi Lin," he answered truthfully.
"Qi Lin, huh?"
"Alright then, remember my name too. I'm the Skydream Iceworm. Just call me Brother Skydream from now on."
"I'm telling you, I'm the only million-year soul beast on the continent. If I weren't about to die from old age, I would never sacrifice myself to become your wisdom-type soul ring."
Qi Lin got curious. "By the way, how did you end up in the Soul Hunting Forest?"
When he asked that, Skydream immediately puffed up with pride.
"You probably won't believe my story!"
"Back in the day, I was traveling near the Star Dou Forest. But then, I got ganged up on by a bunch of jerks."
"Even though I'm a million-year soul beast, I'm not built for fighting. After a few hundred rounds of battle, I got captured."
"They locked me up and started draining my energy every day, all because they wanted my powerful body."
"Of course, they didn't know that I'm the chosen one, blessed by the heavens."
"Then one day, out of nowhere, a spatial storm tore open right above my prison!"
"It sucked me right in!"
"And when I opened my eyes again… boom, here I was, safe and sound!"
"How's that for a legendary tale?"
The Skydream Iceworm looked extremely proud of himself, and Qi Lin instantly confirmed his theory.
That space storm must've been drawn in by his strange, god-level luck.
Hmm…
All he could say was:
This feels awesome!