It was a magnificent palace-like building, its golden glazed tiles gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight. The palace's golden roof and red doors, with their antique style, evoked a sense of solemnity.
From a distance, the area appears shrouded in mist, with scattered brick kilns that look as if they were carved from a single brick. The area is so vast that it seems to stretch endlessly. Above the five-zhang-high (approximately 10 meters) main gate, the three large characters "Duke's Mansion" are inscribed.
This enormous mansion, covering an area of over three thousand acres, does not belong to any city, but is built independently fifty miles northwest of Xingluo City, the capital of the Xingluo Empire. This demonstrates the immense prestige and status of the mansion's owner within the Xingluo Empire.
At this moment, the sun was high in the sky, and the bright sunlight shone on the golden glazed tiles, giving the entire Duke's mansion a dazzling golden hue, which could be faintly seen even from the top of Xingluo City.
The back door on the north side of the Duke's mansion opened silently, and a small, thin figure slipped out quietly.
He was a boy who looked to be eleven or twelve years old. He was of medium build and wore a simple, clean gray cloth outfit, with a small bundle slung over his back. His short black hair looked neat and tidy. His handsome face revealed a determination beyond his years.
Gently closing the back door of the Duke's mansion, the young man quickly took a few steps before abruptly stopping and turning back to look at the mansion. His deep blue eyes blazed with intense hatred.
"Mom, watch over me from heaven. No matter how hard I try, one day I will come back and trample everything here under my feet. From now on, I will take your surname and become Huo Yuhao."
After saying this, he took one last deep look at the Duke's mansion, turned around, and left without looking back.
Instead of heading towards Xingluo City in the southeast of the Duke's mansion, he ran north. His small figure gradually disappeared under the strong midday sun. Although he was thin, he did not give people the slightest feeling of helplessness as he left.
The Duke's mansion was surrounded by wide official roads in every direction. Huo Yuhao ran forward, but his eyes gradually reddened.
"Mom..." The image of his mother's reluctance and unwillingness when she passed away involuntarily flashed through Huo Yuhao's mind again, and he couldn't help but grit his teeth.
Be strong, I must be strong. My mother taught me that one can only rely on oneself, and only by being strong can one live a better life.
Scenes from his earliest memories flashed through Huo Yuhao's mind.
Huo Yuhao's mother was the Duke's personal maid, and she grew up with the Duke from a young age. Personal maids were meant to serve their masters. One night twelve years ago, Huo Yuhao quietly appeared in his mother's womb.
Ten months of pregnancy culminate in childbirth.
Regardless of Huo Yuhao's mother's status, he was ultimately the son of a duke. Although his treatment within the manor wasn't exceptionally good, it wasn't too bad either. His mother was no longer a maid; thanks to her son, she gained her own small courtyard.
Everything should have continued peacefully, but who knew that disaster would strike so soon.
While the Duke represents the Star Luo Empire on military campaigns, the Duchess manages all affairs of the household. The Duchess, who already has a son and a daughter, suppresses any factors that might potentially affect her children in the future. Things are fine when the Duke is in the household, but once he leaves, the Duchess reigns supreme. She is also the most beloved youngest daughter of the current Star Luo Emperor.
Because Huo Yuhao's mother had grown up with the Duke since childhood and was greatly favored by him, she was always the target of the Duchess's jealousy. The Duchess, citing a contagious and deadly disease, banished Huo Yuhao's mother and son to live in the woodshed behind the servants' quarters, cutting off all their financial support. Huo Yuhao was only two years old at the time.
The hardships of life gradually took a toll on Huo Yuhao's mother's already poor health. In addition, there was constant suppression from the servants under the Duchess. Huo Yuhao's mother finally fell ill and passed away when Huo Yuhao was ten years old.
The Douluo Continent was greatly expanded in size due to the collision with the Sun and Moon Continent, which floated in from the western sea more than four thousand years ago, which also led to frequent wars on the continent.
Ten thousand years ago, the Douluo Continent originally had only two nations: Tian Dou and Xing Luo. But today, ten thousand years later, the original Douluo Continent has become three nations. The Xing Luo Empire still exists, but its royal family has changed hands. Fortunately, they pacified all the kingdoms within its borders, unifying Xing Luo and making it the strongest force.
The Heavenly Dou Empire eventually split into the Heavenly Soul Empire and the Douling Empire because the major kingdoms at the time became too powerful to control.
The Sun and Moon Continent, originating from the west, is vast and rich in resources. It is slightly smaller than the Douluo Continent, but it has only one country, the Sun and Moon Empire.
After the two continents clashed, war immediately broke out. The three major nations on the Douluo Continent, united in their hatred of the enemy, mobilized a joint army and, after nearly twenty years of war, finally defeated the Sun Moon Empire, thus unifying the continent under the name Douluo. The name Sun Moon Continent ceased to exist, leaving only the Sun Moon Empire on the Douluo Continent.
However, although the Sun Moon Empire was defeated, it was not completely invaded. Relying on its own advantages and the contradictions between the three major empires on the original Douluo Continent, a stalemate but stable situation gradually formed among the four sides. But wars continued to occur year after year.
Because the Duke was frequently on the battlefield, he spent very little time at his residence. And with the Duchess deliberately concealing this from him, Huo Yuhao and his mother were gradually forgotten by him. When the Duke inquired, the Duchess only said that Huo Yuhao's mother was suffering from a serious illness.
Huo Yuhao's mother raised him with great difficulty, and at the age of six, he awakened his martial spirit in the mansion.
Martial Soul is an ability that everyone on the Douluo Continent possesses. Although the Sun Moon Empire has a different development direction from the other three kingdoms, Martial Soul is still fundamental to it.
Everyone is born with a Martial Soul, which can be awakened at the age of six. A Martial Soul can be anything, such as a tool, an animal, etc. Animal-type Martial Souls are generally called Beast Martial Souls, while other types of Martial Souls are collectively called Tool Martial Souls. Of course, there are some special mutated Martial Souls as exceptions.
After a martial soul awakens, only a small percentage of people possess a special power called soul power. Only those who possess soul power upon awakening can cultivate into the noblest profession on the Douluo Continent: Soul Master.
Soul Masters are divided into nine ranks, from lowest to highest: Soul Warrior, Soul Master, Great Soul Master, Soul Venerable, Soul Sect Master, Soul King, Soul Emperor, Soul Saint, Soul Douluo, and Titled Douluo.
The higher the rank of a Soul Master, the more powerful their abilities. At the highest level, Title Douluo, they possess terrifying power, almost capable of moving mountains and filling seas, and shifting stars.
Soul power from level one to level ten all fall under the category of Soul Masters. The stronger the innate soul power that appears when a Martial Soul awakens, the better the talent will be after becoming a Soul Master, and the faster the cultivation speed will be. If the soul power is level ten at the time of awakening, that is the best innate full soul power, also known as a genius Soul Master. As long as the Martial Soul itself is not too bad, they will achieve considerable success.
Although Huo Yuhao was the son of a duke, he did not inherit the powerful martial soul belonging to the duke's lineage. Otherwise, even if the duke disliked him, as long as he had the martial soul of the duke's lineage, he would have to report it to the duke, and Huo Yuhao and his mother's fate would have changed.
Unfortunately, Huo Yuhao's martial soul underwent an extremely rare mutation.
The Spirit Eye—that is Huo Yuhao's martial soul.
Among the categories of martial souls, there is a small subcategory that belongs neither to weapon martial souls nor beast martial souls. It is called the body martial soul, which means that after awakening, the martial soul becomes part of the body, such as hands, feet, etc.
Almost all physical martial souls are extremely powerful, but their occurrence rate is extremely low, making them superior to beast martial souls and weapon martial souls. Therefore, they are highly valued whenever they appear.
Unfortunately, Huo Yuhao's martial soul is an exception.
The Spirit Eye Martial Soul naturally appears in the eye, and it's an extremely rare spiritual attribute Martial Soul. Normally, Huo Yuhao should have received immense attention. Unfortunately, two factors hindered his development. First, when his Martial Soul awakened, his innate soul power was only level one, indicating extremely poor talent and a very slow cultivation speed. The second point was even more fatal: not only are spiritual attribute Martial Souls rare, but spiritual attribute Soul Beasts are also extremely rare. Every Soul Master, when reaching a bottleneck in cultivation levels measured in ten-level increments, must hunt a Soul Beast with an attribute compatible with their own to obtain a Soul Ring and achieve a breakthrough.
Soul rings are not only essential for breaking through bottlenecks, but they also provide soul masters with a skill, which is the root of a soul master's power.
These two constraints almost certainly doomed Huo Yuhao to a life where he could never achieve anything significant.
However, regardless of his status as the duke's son, he ultimately received the simplest method for cultivating soul power. And for a long time afterward, it proved that his talent in cultivation was indeed extremely poor.
Within the Duke's mansion, even the children of servants, as long as they are born with a martial soul awakening, can reach level ten of soul power within three years at most, and start their journey from the lowest level of soul warrior to the level of soul master.
Huo Yuhao is already eleven years old this year, and it took him a full five years to barely reach level ten in soul power. Moreover, he has put in almost three times the effort of his peers over these five years!
After his mother's death, Huo Yuhao stayed in the Duke's mansion for another year. He was still young, and leaving the mansion abruptly would leave him with no source of income, so he could only suppress all his hatred and grievances. Forced by life's circumstances, his heart matured much faster than that of his peers.
Huo Yuhao's mother told him that the only way to rise above others was to become a Soul Master. Even the most ordinary Soul Master would have a much higher status on the continent than the average person.
Just yesterday, Huo Yuhao, through five years of hard work and despite having extremely poor talent, managed to cultivate his soul power to level ten. This was also the day he had agreed with himself to leave the Duke's mansion.
He needs a spirit ring, even the lowest-grade ten-year spirit ring would be fine! That way, he can become a true spirit master and have a skill of his own.
In the Douluo Continent, the level of a soul beast is distinguished according to its lifespan, and the ability of a soul ring is closely related to the lifespan of the soul beast and its own abilities.
Generally speaking, soul beasts are uniformly divided into ten-year soul beasts, hundred-year soul beasts, thousand-year soul beasts, ten-thousand-year soul beasts, and one hundred-thousand-year soul beasts.
Soul Masters must hunt down Soul Beasts themselves in order to obtain a Soul Ring from the Soul Beast after its death.
Staying in the Duke's mansion, Huo Yuhao knew he had no chance of obtaining a spirit ring. No one there would help him. Therefore, even though he knew that searching for a spirit-type spirit beast alone was almost certainly a death sentence, he left the Duke's mansion with the fearlessness of a newborn calf.
Heading north, he soon found himself on the official road. Although Huo Yuhao was still young, he had already begun preparations to obtain a spirit ring. In his small backpack, besides a change of clothes, there were some dry rations, a little money his mother had saved from doing odd jobs in the manor over the years, and a short sword. Most importantly, there was also a simple map of the continent.
Both the Duke's Mansion and Star Luo City are located in the north-central part of the Star Luo Empire, while the place Huo Yuhao chose to hunt soul beasts is in the northern part of the Star Luo Empire, bordering the Heavenly Soul Empire—the Star Dou Great Forest. This forest, almost the size of a province, is home to a wide variety of soul beasts, including many incredibly powerful ones.
If anyone knew that Huo Yuhao, at only eleven years old, dared to venture alone into the Star Dou Great Forest without any teachers or mentors, they would be shocked by his audacity. Without a single soul skill, he might not even be able to defeat a ten-year-old soul beast!
The road was straight, and Huo Yuhao walked quickly forward along the roadside. Although he was young, he was already a level 10 Soul Warrior, and his physical strength was much better than that of an average adult.
As he walked forward, Huo Yuhao gazed into the distance. If you looked closely, you could see that his deep blue eyes had become even clearer, with a faint halo of light flowing around them.
Since awakening his Spirit Eye, Huo Yuhao has discovered that his eyesight far surpasses that of ordinary people. Up close, he can see many details that others cannot see clearly, and at a distance, he can see more than twice the distance of an ordinary person.
As his soul power increased, his eyesight continued to improve. It was precisely because of these changes in his body as his cultivation level increased that he became even more determined to follow his mother's words: he must become a Soul Master.
"My mother said that if I could have a spirit ring, then I would be a control-type battle spirit master. My spirit is not bad, but my talent is not good, so I will spend more time cultivating than others."
Supported by this unwavering belief, Huo Yuhao continued his journey while cultivating. When thirsty, he would drink from mountain springs; when hungry, he would eat the coarse bread he carried with him. Aside from traveling, he would meditate. For his age, it was nothing short of a miracle that he could travel three hundred li in a day.
He only had seven silver soul coins and five copper soul coins on him, and he was extremely frugal with money.
Since the war between Douluo Continent and Sun Moon Continent ended, the continent has evolved over thousands of years, and the currency has been completely unified: one gold soul coin is equal to ten silver soul coins and one hundred copper soul coins.
When he was little, his mother would occasionally sneak out of the Duke's mansion with him to find fruits and wild vegetables in the woods so that he could eat better. As a result, Xiao Yuhao knew quite a few kinds of plants. Many times, he couldn't even afford the cheapest flatbread and would find something to eat in the woods by the roadside while traveling.
It was Huo Yuhao's first time venturing out, and despite having a map, he inevitably took the wrong path several times. It was only after repeatedly asking passersby for directions that he finally found the correct route.
As the saying goes, "Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles," and after a few days, he felt he had learned a great deal. Freed from the oppressive and restrictive atmosphere of the Duke's mansion, his mood improved considerably. The novel things he encountered along the way thrilled him. He was still young, and his body recovered quickly; he didn't feel tired from the journey. Instead, he felt like a bird released from its cage, experiencing joy for the first time since his mother's death.
"They've already left." Huo Yuhao carefully looked at the simple map in his hand, and then at the direction indicated by the shadows of the trees on both sides of the road. He concluded that he was very close to the Star Dou Great Forest.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Huo Yuhao walked into the woods by the roadside. He found a shady spot and was about to sit down to meditate and recover his strength when suddenly, the sound of flowing water reached him, making him jump up excitedly.
Having water means we can improve our lives!
Closing his eyes, Huo Yuhao listened quietly to the direction from which the sound of flowing water came. As the possessor of a spiritual martial soul, his six senses were much stronger than those of ordinary people. Especially when he closed his eyes, his other five senses would be amplified.
He quickly found his way and cautiously made his way through the woods. His caution wasn't due to the uneven ground, but rather his fear of his clothes being torn by thorns. These clothes were made for him by his mother.
He found his target in less than 200 meters: a stream about three meters wide with crystal-clear water that brought a refreshing coolness.
Huo Yuhao cheered, quickly took off his clothes, and jumped into the stream, which was less than two feet deep. It had been two days since his last bath; two days of travel had left him drenched in sweat, and a bath in the cool stream was the most refreshing experience imaginable.
After a thorough wash, he felt completely refreshed when he got back ashore. He thought to himself, "We're almost at the Star Dou Great Forest anyway, so I'll just rest here for a bit."
He changed into clean clothes from his bundle, washed his dirty clothes in the stream, and hung them to dry on tree branches. Then he broke off a branch about three feet long.
He pulled a sheathed short blade from his lower back with his right hand. The blade was about twelve inches long, and the sheath was dark green and made of tough leather. Huo Yuhao didn't know what kind of spirit beast or animal the leather was made of. He only knew that this short blade was the only gift his father had given to his mother, and his mother had always treasured it. She only gave it to Huo Yuhao at the last moment before she passed away.
The handle is about five inches long, without any fancy decorations, yet it gives a rustic feel. It fits perfectly in the hand and is exceptionally comfortable to hold.
He drew his sword without making a sound. The seven-inch-long blade was like a pool of autumn water, and the thin blade seemed almost transparent. The chilling aura made Huo Yuhao, who was already used to it, shiver involuntarily.
White Tiger Dagger, that's the name his mother gave him.
Looking at the White Tiger Dagger, Huo Yuhao's excitement instantly turned into deep sorrow. From the gleaming blade, he seemed to see his mother's figure again.
Picking up the broken branch, the White Tiger Dagger slashed at the tip. The blade, emitting a faint green light, sliced through the branch as easily as cutting tofu. In just a few strokes, the tip of the branch was sharpened.
Huo Yuhao sheathed the White Tiger Dagger and tucked it back into his waistband. He then took a tree branch and went to the stream.
He took a deep breath, and his eyes immediately lit up. Instantly, every detail in the clear stream was magnified in his eyes. The subtle changes in the ripples, even the tiny shrimp in the crevices of the rocks at the bottom of the river, could not escape the gaze of his spiritual eyes. Moreover, everything seemed to slow down in his eyes.
Suddenly, Huo Yuhao moved with lightning speed, the tree branch in his hand flying swiftly towards the stream.
"Pfft—" He raised his hand, flipped his wrist, and speared a half-foot-long bluefish.
Spearing fish is definitely a skill for ordinary people. But for Huo Yuhao, with his Spirit Eyes' accurate location capabilities, it's a piece of cake. That's why he was so excited when he heard the sound of flowing water. Apart from catching fish himself, he hasn't eaten any other meat in the past six days.
One small fish was certainly not enough for him. In just a short while, Huo Yuhao speared more than a dozen bluefish, each half a foot to a foot long, from the river.
"Great, that's enough for at least two days. And it won't spoil easily once it's cooked."
Huo Yuhao squatted happily by the stream, using the White Tiger Dagger to clean all the bluefish. The sharp dagger made scaling and gutting them effortless. For Huo Yuhao, who had worked with his mother since childhood, this was a piece of cake; in a quarter of an hour, he had cleaned over a dozen fish.
They gathered some large leaves from the woods, washed them in the stream, placed the cleaned fish on them, and gathered some dry branches for firewood. In no time, a small bonfire was lit by the stream.
Huo Yuhao only had salt on him, but that was enough for grilling fish. He made several small racks out of thick branches, skewered the cleaned grass carp on thin branches, rubbed salt inside the fish's bellies, and then took out leaves of a plant called perilla that he had picked in the forest a few days earlier, washed and tore them into pieces, stuffing them into the fish's bellies as well. Only then did he place the prepared fish on the grill made of thick branches to grill.
Before long, a unique aroma began to waft from above the fire, a rich and alluring fragrance. As Huo Yuhao slowly turned the fish, it gradually turned golden yellow, making it even more tempting with its enticing aroma.
Huo Yuhao only grilled two fish the first time, preparing the rest beforehand. Grilling too many at once would make it difficult to control the heat.
"It smells so good!"
Just then, a delighted cry rang out, the voice clear and melodious, but it startled Huo Yuhao.
He looked in the direction the sound came from and saw two people walking along the stream. The one in front was a girl who looked about fifteen or sixteen years old. Her long black hair was tied into a ponytail and hung down her back. Her light blue outfit made her look youthful.
She had almond-shaped eyes, large and bright, a pert nose, and a nearly perfect oval face. Her beautiful face held a hint of surprise as she stared intently at Huo Yuhao's grilled fish.
Following behind the girl was a boy who appeared to be about her age. The boy was tall and slender, with short, dark blue hair that shone like jewels in the sunlight. Although he was young, he gave off a refined air. His handsome face wore a lazy, gentle smile, and he held his hands behind his head, looking at Huo Yuhao with interest, though he was looking at the person, not the grilled fish.
The girl in front of him skipped excitedly to Huo Yuhao, her mouth watering, and said, "Little brother, do you sell your grilled fish? It smells so good! How do you make it?"
Huo Yuhao had seen beautiful girls before; in the Duke's mansion, even many maids were beautiful. But he had never been so close to one before, and none of the women in the mansion could compare to the girl before him. This girl wasn't a flawless beauty, but she possessed a refined and elegant air.
Huo Yuhao's face flushed slightly as he said, "I... I'll treat you to a meal."
The girl chuckled and said, "Little brother, are you still shy? Then I won't be polite." As she spoke, she reached out and took the grilled fish that Huo Yuhao handed her, and sat down to the side without any regard for her image, shouting "It's hot!" while carefully eating it.
The boy who was with the girl also came over at this time. He first raised his hand to greet Huo Yuhao with a helpless look, and then said to the girl, "Xiaoya, this little brother hasn't eaten yet, but you've started eating first."
Xiaoya's beautiful eyes widened, and she said angrily, "What did you call me?"
The boy immediately raised his hands in surrender, "Okay, Teacher Xiaoya, is that alright now?"
Xiao Ya rolled her eyes at him and said, "That's more like it. You should be mindful of your status." Although she was young, her glance was full of charm, which made the boy stare blankly. Huo Yuhao, who was next to her, dared not look anymore and handed the other grilled fish to the boy, saying, "Big brother, please have some too."
The young man smiled slightly and said, "A gentleman does not take what others cherish. Little brother, you haven't eaten yet. Did you catch these fish from the river?"
Huo Yuhao nodded and said, "It's okay, I can grill more." As he spoke, he stood up and handed the grilled fish to the boy, then skillfully placed the other two prepared fish on the wooden rack and continued grilling.
The boy smiled gently and said, "My name is Beibei, and her name is Tang Ya. Little brother, what's your name?"
"My name is Huo Yuhao," Huo Yuhao replied while diligently grilling the fish. Along his journey, he had encountered many travelers while camping in the wild, and had received considerable help from them. Therefore, when Tang Ya asked him for grilled fish, Huo Yuhao handed it to her without hesitation. These past few days had taught him that mutual assistance is essential when traveling.
Beibei sat down next to Tang Ya. He ate the grilled fish much more elegantly than Tang Ya, at least he didn't get his hands all oily.
When the second batch of grilled fish was ready, Tang Ya was already waiting there eagerly. Under Bei Bei's helpless gaze, she still managed to grab one.
However, this time Bei Bei refused to eat anymore, gesturing for Huo Yuhao to eat first. Huo Yuhao was also quite hungry, so he continued grilling fish while eating one himself.
Although the seasonings were only simple perilla and salt, the grilled fish tasted extremely delicious. Although the dozen or so fish were not large in size, the total amount was still considerable, and the three of them ate them all.
"This is so delicious! I've never had such good grilled fish before. Little brother Huo Yuhao, how about I hire you as my chef? Okay?" Tang Ya lay down on the grass, stretching contentedly, her curves on full display without her noticing. Bei Bei looked at her and scratched her head, completely at a loss for what to do.
"Do you have money, Teacher Xiaoya?" Beibei asked, pouring cold water on the idea.
"Uh... there will be more later." Tang Ya sat up awkwardly, glared at Bei Bei, and seemed quite unhappy with his sabotage.
Huo Yuhao stood up and said, "Brother Bei, Sister Tang, I have to go now."
Beibei asked, "Brother Huo, this is the middle of nowhere, and not far from the Star Dou Great Forest where soul beasts roam. Where are you going?"
Huo Yuhao shook his head, picked the clothes that were almost dry from the tree branch, put them in his backpack, smiled at the two of them, and waved goodbye. He turned and left under Tang Ya's somewhat surprised gaze.
"Is he going to the Star Dou Great Forest?" Tang Ya said thoughtfully, watching Huo Yuhao's departing figure.
Beibei shook her head and said, "It's hard to say. I can vaguely sense that he has soul power, but it's very weak, and he seems to be all alone. It is indeed a bit strange."
Tang Ya stuck out her tongue and said, "You have soul power, huh? Why don't you absorb it into our Tang Sect?"
Beibei said irritably, "You're not trying to become their disciple just because their grilled fish is delicious, are you?"
Tang Ya blushed when her secret was exposed and stuck out her tongue at Bei Bei.
Beibei said, "This young Huo must have had some experiences. You can see a maturity in his eyes that far exceeds that of his peers. I just don't know how talented he is."
Tang Ya's face lit up with joy, and she said, "So, you agree?"
Bei Bei smiled wryly, "The great Tang Clan leader, Miss Tang Ya, before you took me as your disciple, you were the only one in the Tang Clan. Your ambition is to strengthen the Tang Clan, so of course you should recruit suitable people. This young man Huo seems quite composed, and if he has some talent, he could be a good choice. Judging from his clothes, his family background is probably not very good. This is the kind of disciple our Tang Clan can only recruit right now."
Tang Ya looked at Bei Bei with some curiosity and said, "I didn't realize you were so cunning."
Beibei stood up, dusted off her clothes, and said, "That's called being smart, or you could call it wisdom, I can accept that too. Let's go. He's eaten so much of their grilled fish. Whether or not we recruit him into the Tang Sect, we should protect him for a while to prevent him from encountering any danger from spirit beasts."
Tang Ya also stood up, chuckled, and said, "You were really smart this time, because you thought the same thing as me. I'll wash up and then we'll leave."
Huo Yuhao was unaware of the conversation between Bei Bei and Tang Ya after he left. He had originally planned to take some grilled fish with him, but that plan fell through. He didn't want to reveal his identity as a Soul Master, which was why he didn't catch any more fish. His mother had taught him to only speak three-tenths of what he knew to others, and never reveal his whole heart. Although he had a good impression of Bei Bei and Tang Ya, he still chose to part ways with them after the meal.
Although Huo Yuhao was young, he was quite shrewd. He could tell that Tang Ya and Bei Bei were no ordinary people, because, as Bei Bei had said, they were in the middle of nowhere, yet they didn't have any belongings. Therefore, he ultimately decided it was best to separate from his two older brothers and sisters as soon as possible.
After a good meal, Huo Yuhao had fully recovered from his fatigue. He marked the location of the stream on the map, thinking he might be able to use it on his way back.
Not long after they started walking, a wooden sign by the roadside caught Huo Yuhao's attention.
"You will enter the Star Dou Great Forest about 50 miles ahead. There are soul beasts there. Please be careful."
Sure enough, they hadn't gone the wrong way and were finally approaching their destination. At this moment, Huo Yuhao felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. He touched the White Tiger Dagger on his lower back, suppressed his unease, and strode forward with firm steps.
Becoming a Soul Master is the only way out; this is Huo Yuhao's unwavering belief, and he will never regret his decision.
The air gradually cooled, but beyond that coolness, there seemed to be a peculiar solemnity. The Star Dou Great Forest was like a soul beast with its mouth wide open, awaiting the entry of a young life. Opportunity or... devouring!