Soul Ring!

Long Aotian's expression suddenly turned serious. He raised his head and sniffed around, disbelief appearing in his eyes.

"Master, I think I can smell the scent you mentioned too."

Long Aotian could not help scratching his cheek. He even found it somewhat unbelievable. The fragrance he smelled was exactly as his master had described—a very special, unique aroma, completely different from any food he had eaten outside. Although most of the scent had been diluted as it traveled through the air, it was still utterly captivating, like a slender little hand beckoning to Long Aotian and the old man.

The two exchanged a glance, then silently headed toward the source of the aroma.

Huo Yuhao still had no idea that the fragrance wafting from his secret grilled fish had drawn an old man and a young man from afar. The unique, intense scent created by mixing several spices together was like two soul-hooking chains, firmly catching hold of their hearts. Huo Yuhao had no other thoughts at the moment. He simply wanted a hot meal first, then to make preparations and venture into the Star Dou Great Forest.

He picked up a perfectly grilled fish and bit down. Its golden, crispy skin was fragrant and crunchy, yet still somewhat chewy. Combined with the fish flesh soaked through with the aroma of the sauce, the juices inside the grilled fish instantly burst in Huo Yuhao's mouth, leaving a lingering fragrance on his lips and teeth.

Even when Huo Yuhao had once used only salt and perilla for seasoning, the grilled fish he made had been enough to leave people yearning for more. Now that he had all sorts of spices as his ultimate weapons, how could it be any less so?

The various spices were mixed in different proportions, like ruler, minister, assistant, and envoy, bringing the aroma of each grilled fish to its absolute peak. On top of that, Huo Yuhao's uniquely gifted Spirit Eye Martial Soul allowed him to perfectly control the heat while grilling, pushing the quality of every fish to an inconceivable level.

After quickly finishing two grilled fish, Huo Yuhao dug a hole and buried the fish bones, along with the scales and innards left over from preparing the Black Carp earlier. He then spent some time grilling the remaining dozen or so Black Carp and placing them in his Storage Soul Guidance Device. Only then did he wipe his mouth and set off toward the Star Dou Forest once more.

After eating the two Black Carp, most of Huo Yuhao's fatigue had faded. At an age when he was still growing, two grilled fish should have been nowhere near enough to fill him up, but he had still eaten only two, reaching perhaps forty percent fullness.

He was about to enter the Star Dou Great Forest. He had to restore himself to his best condition, and eating too much would inevitably affect the full extent of his strength. He was, after all, only a level-ten Soul Scholar at the moment and had not even obtained a Soul Ring yet. No matter how he looked at it, keeping himself in peak condition was extremely necessary. As for satisfying his appetite, there would be plenty of chances once he returned home.

Not long after continuing forward, a wooden sign by the roadside caught Huo Yuhao's attention.

"Fifty li ahead, you will enter the Star Dou Great Forest. Soul Beasts are active within. Exercise caution."

So he had not taken the wrong path. He was finally about to reach his destination. At this moment, aside from excitement, Huo Yuhao also felt a trace of nervousness. He touched the Katana at his left hip, suppressed the unease in his heart, and continued onward with firm steps.

Becoming a Soul Master was his only way out. This was Huo Yuhao's obsession. On this continent where the strong ruled, ordinary people without strength could not control their own fates. Therefore, Huo Yuhao's goal was very clear: step by step, with unwavering strides, he would enter the ranks of the powerful on the Douluo Continent.

After traveling a little farther, as he continued onward, a strange sensation suddenly arose in his mind. Huo Yuhao felt a slight sting in his eyes and instinctively channeled Soul Power into his Spirit Eye.

A faint current of air swirled around his eyes, and Huo Yuhao seemed to see a black shadow flash past on the left side of the road ahead.

As an extremely rare spiritual-type mutated Martial Soul, the Spirit Eye possessed powerful warning abilities. The sense of danger immediately sharpened Huo Yuhao's Reaction. He slightly turned his body to the side. Though the movement was small, in the next instant, a black shadow pounced through empty air, flashing past the space Huo Yuhao had dodged into before landing on the ground beside him.

The chance to observe it from so close allowed Huo Yuhao to immediately see the black shadow clearly.

It was a baboon around a meter tall, with brownish-yellow fur covering its body and brown eyes. Its arms were exceptionally long, its claws tipped with sharp nails, its canine teeth protruded from its lips, and a fierce light shone from its eyes.

After missing its first strike, the baboon immediately let out a low roar at Huo Yuhao. Its powerful hind legs kicked off the ground as it pounced at him again.

"A Wind Baboon? My luck really isn't that good."

Huo Yuhao did not even spare the approaching Wind Baboon a glance. Several Shuriken appeared in his left palm, and one of them shot out, accurately striking along the Wind Baboon's trajectory as it leaped. With a soft pfft, a spray of Blood Mist burst forth. The Shuriken pierced directly through the Wind Baboon's left eyeball and sank into its brain.

The Wind Baboon did not even have the chance to struggle. It only managed to let out a brief, shrill scream before collapsing to the ground. A faint white glow appeared on its body. Gradually, the white light condensed above it into a white ring. The ring was indistinct, and its glow flickered in and out, but even so, Huo Yuhao could not help looking at it several more times.

This was a Soul Ring! Even if it was only a Wind Baboon's Soul Ring, even if it belonged only to a Ten-Year Soul Beast, as long as he absorbed it, he would become a true Soul Master!

Huo Yuhao slowly drew the Katana from his left hip, his blazing gaze fixed on the dense forest before him. Black shadows either darted about or stood still among the treetops, but they all shared one thing in common: their eyes were fixed tightly on Huo Yuhao.

This was why Huo Yuhao had said that his luck was not very good. Although Wind Baboons were generally weak Soul Beasts, with most having only ten years of cultivation and hundred-year Wind Baboons being extremely rare, they usually moved in groups. Once these weak Soul Beasts gathered together, they could usually drive away predators with several hundred years of cultivation. Other than young baboons that had failed to compete for leadership of the troop, or old baboons that could no longer hold onto the position, most Wind Baboons would never fight alone.

"Squeak squeak squeak—squeak—"

A Wind Baboon noticeably larger than the others stood upright, its foot shaped like a human palm gripping a tree branch tightly to support its body. As this Wind Baboon cried out, the other Wind Baboons immediately began to stir.