If Words Are Spoken, Must They Be Known?

Huo Yuhao slowly drew the katana at his waist. The First Soul Ring beneath his feet glimmered faintly. At once, he felt roughly ten percent of his Soul Power reserves being drained, while golden flames gradually ignited along the katana's edge, looking sacred and majestic.

He walked up to a small tree and casually unleashed a Kesa Slash. A dazzling golden flash streaked past, and the small tree before him, about as thick as an adult's calf, was instantly severed into two pieces. Huo Yuhao's pupils contracted as he involuntarily sucked in a breath. Looking at the cut, he saw that the surface was smooth and neat, with almost no frayed edges. The severed section was also coated in a layer of brown scorch marks left by the Golden Flame, sharply contrasting with the tree's original material.

"So sharp. Such a domineering Soul Skill."

Excitement flashed through Huo Yuhao's eyes. Was this the extraordinary power unique to Soul Masters? Now, he too was a genuine Soul Master.

He slowly turned his wrist and looked at the golden flames burning from the sword guard onward. Huo Yuhao's breathing grew heavier. This was the world of Soul Masters. This was the power of Soul Masters. From this moment onward, he had officially come into contact with this world's extraordinary power. From here on, he would take it one step at a time.

With a thought from Huo Yuhao, the First Soul Skill beneath his feet lit up once more.

"Dispel!"

Those two words seemed to carry a peculiar magic. The next moment, as though a gentle breeze had brushed against his face, the golden flames that had been roaring along the blade vanished, revealing the katana blade that had originally been wrapped in Golden Flame.

Huo Yuhao ran his left hand lightly over the blade. The katana's edge had suffered no damage after being burned by the Golden Flame, which surprised him. He had assumed that the burning flames would severely damage the blade.

Feeling the Soul Power draining from his body, Huo Yuhao frowned slightly. His second Soul Skill seemed to consume a considerable amount of Soul Power. After using it only once, his Soul Power, which had already been reduced to ninety percent, had fallen to less than forty percent. In other words, that single use of the Soul Skill had consumed over half of his total Soul Power.

After pondering for a moment, Huo Yuhao began packing up his tent. Once he had more or less sorted out his luggage, he began organizing the information he currently knew.

First, the Starlight Unicorn had called him a "star," and that point left Huo Yuhao deep in thought. What exactly did the word "star" refer to? Furthermore, the Starlight Unicorn had explicitly mentioned that from some day three years ago onward, he had not merely been their star, but a Foreign Star as well. This might be connected to that portion of his Ashina memories.

By combining what the Starlight Unicorn, the golden-haired old man, and the prophecy left behind by the Mother of All Souls had said, Huo Yuhao could barely infer one thing. The so-called Foreign Star was very likely an outsider from beyond the heavens—or rather, a traveler from another world.

The reason he could be called a Foreign Star while also being the star of "his own people" might be that, although he could in some sense be regarded as a traveler from another world, he was fundamentally still a native born and raised on Douluo Continent.

From the Starlight Unicorn's words, Huo Yuhao could basically confirm that his greatest future enemy might be a God from another world. Aside from the title Foreign Star, he had also clearly heard the term "Outer God." But if that was the case, could "star" be understood to mean God?

Huo Yuhao did not dare draw conclusions rashly. After all, the contexts in which those two titles existed did not align. They did not seem interchangeable at will.

At the same time, Huo Yuhao wondered why neither the Starlight Unicorn nor the prophecy left behind by the Mother of All Souls had been willing to directly tell him the Outer God's true identity. That made Huo Yuhao somewhat uneasy.

The display they had put on was clearly no small matter. If he chose the first path, they had even stated outright that even just a First Soul Ring could grant him the legendary One Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring. Yet even so, these people, who looked ready to draw their weapons and fight the Outer God at any moment, did not even dare speak that Outer God's name directly. This could only mean that perhaps, even in the Spirit Realm, that Outer God might possess its own channels of information.

If words are spoken, must they be known?

Such a terrifying thought flashed through Huo Yuhao's mind.

The reason he had proactively chosen the more difficult second path from the very beginning was merely an expedient measure. He wanted to keep as much initiative in his own hands as possible. Yet when he truly began considering how to face this enemy he had somehow already become entangled with, Huo Yuhao still felt a sense of helplessness.

At first, he had merely coveted a Spirit Attribute Soul Beast and wanted to hunt one for a Soul Ring so that he could conveniently enroll in Shrek Academy three years later. Yet before he knew it, he had been dragged into a war with no end in sight. Judging from the prophecy of the Mother of All Souls, this was a struggle that had lasted ten thousand years. Just thinking about it made Huo Yuhao's hands and feet turn cold.

This game of chess was simply too grand. Although the Starlight Unicorn had praised Huo Yuhao in every conceivable way along the journey, flattering him both openly and subtly, those words held less appeal for Huo Yuhao than two steamed buns.

The Starlight Unicorn had even said that over the next twenty years, he and the Outer God's side would take white and black respectively, battling without cease. But Huo Yuhao saw things clearly. He was merely a chess piece that had just entered the game, perhaps even one casually placed by someone else. How could he possibly become a player? He would be lucky if he was not sold off and still helping count the money.

Therefore, before he understood the full story, Huo Yuhao decided that no matter how the two sides fought their divine battle, he would temporarily observe from the sidelines. What he knew now was far too unclear. If he wanted to continue holding the initiative, he had to find a way to uncover the truths buried in the dusty pages of history before making further plans.

A person had to know what they were fighting for. Otherwise, the Sculptor, who had been completely Devoured by the flames of hatred, would become a cautionary example.

"With that, the urgency of enrolling in Shrek has risen once again."

Huo Yuhao stroked his chin and realized that, after going in circles, his need to enter Shrek Academy had only become more pressing. If he wanted sufficiently reliable records of what had happened ten thousand years ago, he had to enter a force with a legacy stretching back more than ten thousand years. There were countless sects, academies, and families on Douluo Continent with legacies exceeding a thousand years, but those that had endured for over ten thousand were few and far between.

First was the Star Luo Empire. Although its highest ruler had changed during the clashes with the Sun Moon Empire several thousand years ago, with power passing from the White Tiger Family to the Star Crown Family, the Star Luo Empire was still an ancient empire that had successfully endured for over ten thousand years. It was the most likely to possess secrets from ten thousand years ago.

Next were the Tian Hun and Dou Ling Empires. Although these two had split apart several thousand years ago, the predecessor of both empires was the Heaven Dou Empire, which had stood against the Star Luo Empire ten thousand years ago. In other words, the Treasure Vaults of these two empires might also contain secret records of events from ten thousand years ago.

After excluding the Three Great Empires, there were very few forces with ten-thousand-year legacies left, only sects such as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Tang Sect.

But those sects each had their own problems. Either their admission requirements were extremely cumbersome and demanded great loyalty and talent from applicants, or they had already declined to the point of existing in name only. Take the Tang Sect, for example. It only had one sect master and one disciple left. Could he really expect them to know anything about events from ten thousand years ago?

Forget it. He should think about what would be suitable for his next meal instead. Right, if he joined the Tang Sect, he might not be able to consider only what he himself would eat. He would also have to find a way to solve the sect master's and the other disciple's food problems.

New book—please invest and keep reading.