Boy, Want a Ride?

Clear Water City.

Huo Yuhao was following Hu Liena and the others out of Spirit Hall when he suddenly looked up and met a pair of icy eyes.

It was a middle-aged man draped in a pitch-black robe, a medal hanging from his chest. His expression was stern and emotionless, while a Soul Master Team followed behind the carriage.

"This is Senior Fang, and he is responsible for our safety on this journey," Hu Liena introduced with a smile.

Huo Yuhao looked at the stern Black-Robed Man and addressed him as "Senior."

The Black-Robed Man did not respond. Only after Hu Liena called to him did Huo Yuhao board the carriage.

Drawn by the horses in front, the carriage wheels slowly rolled toward the outskirts of the city.

The carriage was rather spacious. It had genuine leather sofas, with a table in the middle bearing wine and fruits and vegetables. Even with all four of them inside, it did not feel crowded.

Huo Yuhao found a seat in a corner, lifted the curtain, and gazed out the window.

The sunlight was lovely, warmly falling across his pale face and allowing him to feel its warmth.

"Little Yuhao, where is your hometown?" Xie Yue asked casually.

Judging from the aura Huo Yuhao gave off, he clearly did not seem like someone raised in an ordinary commoner's household. He seemed more like someone born into privilege.

Huo Yuhao lowered the curtain in his hand and cast his eyes down.

"I can't go back there anymore."

To outsiders, he looked utterly despondent, as though he had remembered something painful.

He couldn't go back?

Several possibilities surfaced in Xie Yue's mind.

Hu Liena caught the implication behind his words.

Perhaps his hometown no longer existed. If he still had a home, why would he be wandering outside and reduced to an orphan?

"Since you have no one to rely on, would you be willing to join Spirit Hall?" Hu Liena invited him.

Yan immediately raised his brows. "Hey, hey, Na'er, there's a threshold for joining Spirit Hall. At the very least, he has to become a Soul Master first."

"My cultivation is still shallow. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will naturally strive for it," Huo Yuhao replied with a smile, his answer impeccable.

Xie Yue tactfully changed the subject and asked him about some knowledge of soul beasts.

Conversation was the easiest way to expose a person's true nature.

The more one spoke, the easier it was to reveal flaws, and the closer one came to the truth.

Huo Yuhao understood this very well.

He explained things in meticulous detail, even mentioning some soul beasts' special habits, leaving them all greatly enlightened.

Xie Yue's expression grew increasingly strange.

Such a reserve of knowledge about soul beasts was not something an ordinary Soul Master Academy could teach. Some of the insights Huo Yuhao offered even surpassed the current cutting-edge theories.

However, whenever Xie Yue pressed him for details, Huo Yuhao stated that he only knew a little and understood merely the surface, not the core of it.

In truth, Huo Yuhao had deliberately revealed only the tip of the iceberg, intending to wrap himself in a little more mystery and draw their attention.

After all, his cultivation was currently weak, and he needed to borrow external strength to a certain extent.

Through their conversations, Huo Yuhao also gained a clearer understanding of the three of them.

The Black Skirt Girl was named Hu Liena. She was fifteen years old, possessed a fox martial soul, and had a soul power level of forty. She had come specifically to prepare to obtain her Fourth Soul Ring.

She had revealed this herself. Huo Yuhao had not deliberately led her into saying anything.

The calm white-haired youth was named Xie Yue, Hu Liena's elder brother. He was currently sixteen years old, had a soul power level of forty-three, and was a Four Ring Soul Elder.

The irritable youth with short red hair was named Yan. He was sixteen this year, had a soul power level of forty-one, had obtained his Fourth Soul Ring not long ago, and was also a Four Ring Soul Elder.

Besides them, part of Spirit Hall's Soul Master Team was following outside the carriage as protection.

Huo Yuhao could tell at a glance that the backgrounds of these three were anything but simple.

At fifteen and sixteen years old, all of them had reached level forty.

Their cultivation might indeed have been nothing remarkable in the era of the Unrivaled Tang Sect, but this was the ancient era from ten thousand years ago. These people were absolutely elite geniuses favored by heaven.

These three were very likely the talented Soul Masters who rose to prominence in the same era as Tang San and were known as Spirit Hall's Golden Generation.

For such an important soul ring hunting operation, they naturally could not be allowed to select and handle suitable soul rings on their own.

Aside from the Black-Robed Man accompanying them openly, there should also be Spirit Hall experts concealed within this traveling group.

Huo Yuhao did not care about any of that. As long as he could safely reach Sunset Forest, he could not be bothered with the rest.

There was still some distance to travel. Huo Yuhao leaned against the carriage window, lifted the curtain, and turned to watch the scenery outside.

On a winding, rugged road.

The carriage bearing Spirit Hall's banner gradually traveled farther away. In the distant valley, translucent humanoid creatures appeared one after another, eventually condensing into two Black-Robed Men.

"Have you investigated that boy's background?" one Black-Robed Man asked his subordinate.

"Reporting to my lord, based on the current investigation, we can only confirm that the youth entered Clear Water City yesterday morning. It will still take some time to determine his origins," the Soul Master subordinate answered.

"Investigate thoroughly, then report back." The Black-Robed Soul Master spoke calmly.

"Yes, sir." The Soul Master subordinate accepted the order and withdrew.

The Black-Robed Soul Master watched the distant carriage.

That girl was valued by Your Majesty the Pope. Although this trip was nominally for training, they could not allow them to truly face a threat to their lives.

A wandering youth with soul power level ten.

Even if the youth harbored ill intentions and had approached them with some ulterior motive, the strength and intelligence of those three should be enough to handle any unexpected situation.

Several days later.

The carriage bearing Spirit Hall's banner finally arrived at the edge of Sunset Forest. Beyond that lay the territory of the Soul Beast Forest, which naturally could not be traversed by carriage.

The main person in charge of this operation was the Black-Robed Man. Even Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and the others had to obey his arrangements.

"Once we enter the Soul Beast Forest, this is no trivial matter. If you do not follow orders, the slightest carelessness could result in total annihilation," the Black-Robed Man ordered coldly.

Afterward, he briefly explained the key points and taboos of entering the Soul Beast Forest. In unexpected circumstances, these could greatly improve one's chances of survival.

Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan all listened attentively to his instruction.

Huo Yuhao was among them, listening carefully as well.

He did not know much about the Black-Robed Man leading the group, nor did he even know roughly what level his cultivation was at. He only knew that the man should possess considerable strength.

Moreover, aside from the Soul Master Team in plain sight, Spirit Hall powerhouses were most likely concealed in the shadows to deal with unexpected situations.

The Black-Robed Soul Master inspected the Soul Masters present one by one. When he reached Huo Yuhao, he stopped, his gaze as sharp and oppressive as an eagle's.

As though under immense mental pressure, Huo Yuhao instinctively gripped the hem of his clothes.

"If anything unexpected happens during the journey, report it immediately. Do not fall behind."

"Understood." Huo Yuhao immediately raised his head and straightened his back.

Only then did the Black-Robed Soul Master walk away.

After making a round and confirming that there were no problems, the Black-Robed Man immediately gave the order:

"Move out!"