Soon, the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm sensed a young Spirit Master in the outer region who also possessed a mental attribute.
To its disappointment, however, that youth was merely a piece of trash whose spirit power had barely reached Rank 10, having not even absorbed a spirit ring yet.
This was precisely the Huo Yuhao who was destined to meet it in the original timeline.
But the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm only swept its mental force over Huo Yuhao for a moment before immediately withdrawing its gaze in disgust, its small head shaking like a rattle.
The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm's face was full of disdain and contempt: "Tsk, how is he only Rank 10? What kind of garbage talent is this?"
"His spirit power is as thin as a sheet of paper, and his mental force is even more mediocre. He's simply a total little piece of trash!"
"To make it in the Spirit Master's world, it's about background, relying on strength, and depending on talent!"
"If I, Brother Tianmeng, chose such a penniless trash host, would there even be a future?"
"If that were the case, I'm afraid I'd never get ahead in this lifetime. It would simply be wasting my bright future!"
After finishing its disdain for Huo Yuhao, the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm's gaze fell back onto Xu Tianhao, the determination in its eyes growing stronger and stronger.
It carefully weighed the pros and cons.
Although Xu Tianhao was guarded by a Titled Douluo, this precisely proved that Xu Tianhao's background was extremely extraordinary.
To have a Titled Douluo personally accompany and guard him without leaving his side, this little guy's status must be incredibly noble, and the power behind him even more unfathomable.
As long as it could rely on its silver tongue to properly hoodwink... persuade him, and successfully gain Xu Tianhao's approval.
Then it would not only possess a top-tier host with extraordinary talent and a limitless future,
But it could also lean on a powerful organization, never needing to worry about cultivation resources, natural treasures, or safety.
This would be an immediate ascent to the heavens, completely escaping the fate of being oppressed in the Star Dou Great Forest.
On one side was a penniless, mediocre-talented piece of garbage with a bleak future.
On the other side was a peerless genius with heaven-defying talent and a deep background, whose future was limitless.
Even a fool would know how to choose this multiple-choice question.
Let alone Brother Tianmeng, who had lived for a million years?
Furthermore, the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm had its own little schemes in mind.
Even in the worst-case scenario, if it really couldn't persuade Xu Tianhao and the talk fell through.
At worst, it could turn back and find that Rank 10 little trash on the outskirts. Settling for the next best thing would still be in time; it wouldn't lose out either way.
More importantly, its current situation was already critical, and the power within its body was rapidly fading away.
Once the group of Great Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest discovered it was missing, they would surely come out to search for it immediately.
Once caught by those demons, it would be instantly sucked dry, its soul dispersed.
The time left for it was pitifully short; it was simply not the time for being picky or hesitant.
After a period of intense internal struggle, the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm gritted its teeth hard, closed its small eyes, and made its final decision.
From within the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm's plump and soft body, a burst of courage like burning one's bridges erupted:
"Let's do it! Wealth is found in danger. Isn't it just a Titled Douluo?"
"My, Brother Tianmeng's, ability to escape is number one in the world. Even if the talk fails, I can still run. I'll choose this Rank 50 genius little guy!"
Having made up its mind, the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm immediately restrained all its aura and spirit power, following the icy veins beneath the ground and the shadows of the forest.
Carefully and silently, it crept bit by bit toward the direction where Xu Tianhao and Kong Deming were located.
...
Meanwhile, Kong Deming and Xu Tianhao, who were continuing to search for traces of the Silver Hero Beast in the forest, were still systematically investigating the surrounding environment.
Suddenly, Kong Deming's footsteps came to a halt, and his originally relaxed brow instantly furrowed tightly.
Those eyes that had weathered many storms suddenly swept around, his gaze as sharp as an eagle's, carefully investigating every corner of the surroundings.
He clearly felt that just a moment ago, an indistinct and extremely subtle gaze had quietly fallen upon him and Xu Tianhao.
That gaze held no malice, yet it carried a sense of prying and evaluation.
It caused him, a Titled Douluo-level powerhouse, to instantly feel the vigilance of being watched.
But when he immediately mobilized all his mental force to sense the source of that gaze with full effort,
That feeling of being watched vanished without a trace like a receding tide, as if it had never appeared at all.
All that remained around them was the rustling of leaves in the wind and the distant low growls of Spirit Beasts.
Everything appeared perfectly calm, without the slightest abnormality.
Xu Tianhao had been paying attention to his teacher's every move.
Seeing Kong Deming suddenly stop with a grave expression and his surrounding aura slightly changing, he immediately sensed something was wrong.
Xu Tianhao quickly took a step forward and asked in a low voice, "Teacher, what is it? Did you discover some abnormality?"
Kong Deming withdrew his searching gaze, his expression still carrying a bit of doubt as he slowly spoke:
"Just now... something seemed to be watching us from the shadows."
"That aura was very subtle and strange, vanishing in a flash. I wasn't able to capture its specific location."
Hearing this, Xu Tianhao's brow twitched slightly.
Then his heart skipped a beat, a thought flashed through his mind at lightning speed, and a trace of imperceptible joy and anticipation flickered in his eyes.
He quickly followed up with a question: "Teacher, who do you think it could be? Di Tian? Or the Myriad Demon King, Bear Lord, or those other Great Beasts?"
In Xu Tianhao's view, those who could secretly spy on a Titled Douluo like Kong Deming and easily hide their tracks could only be the Great Beast-level powerhouses from the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest.
But Kong Deming slowly shook his head, his tone very certain: "It shouldn't be any of them."
"I have heard of the auras of Di Tian and those Great Beasts; they are overbearing, fierce, and possess overwhelming pressure. They are completely different from that subtle, gentle aura from just now, which even carried a strong mental attribute."
"The opponent's strength should be far inferior to mine, but their concealment methods are extremely sophisticated, which is why I couldn't detect them for a moment."
As Kong Deming's words fell, Xu Tianhao's mind suddenly cleared, and a bold guess began to grow wildly in his heart.
Could it... really be the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm?
He knew the plot of the original work all too well.
The original Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm would encounter the Rank 10 Huo Yuhao on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, then naturally take up residence and become Huo Yuhao's first spirit ring.
It was as if everything was being arranged by an invisible hand in the shadows, a destined trajectory of fate.
But now, because of his appearance, there was a massive variable.
Between him and Huo Yuhao, one was an eleven-year-old Rank 50 prospective Spirit King with heaven-defying talent, a deep background, and a Titled Douluo powerhouse guarding him.
The other was a novice Xiao Bai who had just reached Rank 10, with no one to rely on, mediocre talent, and wandering the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest alone.
Comparing him and Huo Yuhao, anyone with a brain would know how to choose, right?
That fellow, the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm, was a bit unreliable and even a bit brainless.
But on major matters concerning its own life and death and its future, it absolutely could not be foolish.
It couldn't possibly ignore a ready-made Rank 50 prospective Spirit King like him and instead go out of its way to choose a penniless Rank 10 Huo Yuhao, could it?
Furthermore, he had searched this Star Dou Great Forest for a full seven days and hadn't seen a trace of Huo Yuhao at all.
He had arrived early and seized the initiative; how could he possibly let Huo Yuhao come from behind and snatch away the opportunity that belonged to him?
Thinking of this, Xu Tianhao's heart couldn't help but throb wildly, and a fervent light flashed in his eyes.
He felt that the super cheat he had been bitterly waiting for was about to arrive.
That Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm, which had hidden for a million years, might already be quietly approaching him right now.