"Big brother, I'm fine." Perhaps sensing Chen Junting's goodwill, Huo Yuhao did not object to the simple form of address. He kept preparing to catch fish as he spoke.
Seeing this, Chen Junting flicked a finger!
A sharp burst of Soul Power sliced through the water without raising a splash. In the space of a breath, a green fish several times larger than the earlier ones floated to the surface.
So strong!
By the stream, Huo Yuhao's pupils contracted sharply.
While he was still stunned, Chen Junting came over, scooped up the dead fish, and handed it to him, speaking as he brought him back to his senses.
"Yuhao, you don't have to call me big brother. I'm guessing you're eleven too. If so, I'm only a few months older than you. If you don't mind, just call me Brother Junting."
Only a few months older!?
Recalling Brother Junting's display, Huo Yuhao took the fish in quiet shock. Then he thought of his own cultivation, and a bitter feeling rose in his heart.
Am I really that weak?
Can I still get revenge?
Noticing the change in Huo Yuhao's mood, Chen Junting immediately realized that what he had said might have been ill-judged.
But there seemed to be no way to take it back now.
Just then, Wu Feng, who had finished her grilled fish, hurried over. Her eyes lit up at the fish in Huo Yuhao's arms. "Huo Yuhao, can you eat that whole fish?"
"Do you want some more?"
Wu Feng's words snapped Huo Yuhao out of his thoughts.
Chen Junting could not help giving her an approving look.
Approval was one thing, but he could not let her get greedy.
So, just as Wu Feng was about to nod, Chen Junting pressed a finger to her forehead and declined Huo Yuhao's offer for her. He signaled that Huo Yuhao should eat his fill first; they could trouble him for more afterward.
The three of them then watched the White Tiger Dagger flash through Huo Yuhao's hands as he scaled the large fish.
Wu Feng was too focused on eating to notice, but Ning Tian realized that the dagger in Huo Yuhao's hand was a Soul Tool—and one that was at least Level 3.
Huo Yuhao grilled several more batches of fish.
This time, Chen Junting did not refuse any.
By the end, the three of them had eaten to their hearts' content! Wu Feng even invited Huo Yuhao to be their cook.
But Huo Yuhao turned her down.
"What a shame."
Watching Huo Yuhao walk away, Wu Feng could not help feeling disappointed. Then she noticed the direction he was heading and frowned. "Seriously, I'm not looking down on him, but is Huo Yuhao planning to hunt for a Soul Ring in the Star Dou Forest all by himself?"
"At his level, I doubt he could even beat a ten-year Wind Baboon."
Wu Feng's words were blunt, but the concern in her voice was unmistakable. The mention of a Wind Baboon, however, made Chen Junting glance at her repeatedly with an odd expression.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Wu Feng noticed his gaze and looked at him curiously.
"It's nothing."
Before Wu Feng could press him, he changed the subject.
"Do you want to help him?"
Wu Feng shook her head, then looked at Ning Tian. Clearly, she was leaving the decision to her.
"Brother Junting, do you think he belongs to some organization? That dagger Soul Tool of his is worth quite a bit."
"A Soul Tool? What Soul Tool?"
Ignoring Wu Feng's interruption, Chen Junting pointed out Huo Yuhao's circumstances.
"Look how thin he is. He's obviously been underfed since childhood. Does he look like someone raised by a powerful organization? As for the Soul Tool... given his situation, he might be an illegitimate child or something."
Ning Tian had no objection to his "guess."
After all, it fit what they had seen best.
"And Xiao Tian, I suggest we bring Huo Yuhao into the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect."
Chen Junting's words stunned Wu Feng and Ning Tian. A moment ago, they had only been considering whether to help Huo Yuhao. Now Chen Junting wanted to recruit him into the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect! With the talent he had shown so far?
"Hey, Sword Jerk, have you lost your mind?"
Wu Feng challenged him at once. "We like Huo Yuhao well enough, but bringing him into the sect is going too far. His talent... he's only at rank ten! Even a dog would shake its head."
"Brother Junting, Wu Feng has a point."
Ning Tian nodded slightly in agreement.
"Is that so?"
Chen Junting smiled at their doubts. "Then did neither of you notice his Martial Soul while he was grilling the fish?"
"His Martial Soul?"
Ning Tian frowned. She knew Brother Junting would not make such a claim without reason. But she had watched Huo Yuhao closely, and she had seen no obvious change in him, nor any sign of a Tool Martial Soul.
"His Martial Soul is his eyes."
In the end, Chen Junting supplied the answer.
"His eyes!? A Body Martial Soul!?"
Body Martial Souls were exceptionally rare, but Ning Tian had heard of them. As the Young Master of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, she knew something about the continent's major powers. Among them was the Body Sect, composed entirely of Soul Masters with Body Martial Souls.
"Yes. A Body Martial Soul might be weak early on, but it can become extraordinarily powerful as it grows. Huo Yuhao's eyes are especially promising. If they're linked to his brain, his Martial Soul is among the very best Body Martial Souls. And if he has a talent for Soul Tools too, then as a Spirit-type Soul Master, he might become a Level 9 Soul Engineer once his cultivation is high enough."
"Huo Yuhao isn't from the Body Sect, is he?"
Clearly, Ning Tian was tempted.
After all, the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect possessed a Level 9 Soul Guidance Device, but not a single Level 9 Soul Engineer!
Nor was Chen Junting's reasoning groundless. The Sun Moon Empire, for one, placed great value on Spirit-type Soul Masters.
Huo Yuhao's cultivation was a problem, though.
But what Chen Junting said next convinced her that they should find Huo Yuhao first.
"According to the records, Body Sect members may be arrogant and overbearing, but they treat people with Body Martial Souls extremely well. Huo Yuhao clearly hasn't received that treatment. He probably doesn't even know what the Body Sect is."
"So Huo Yuhao is a blank slate who might have the potential to become a Level 9 Soul Engineer?" Wu Feng listened to it all and offered her summary.
"Exactly."
"In that case..."
Ning Tian looked in the direction Huo Yuhao had gone. "Brother Junting, sorry for the trouble, but could you follow him first? The Star Dou Forest isn't far ahead, and a Soul Beast might attack him. As for whether we bring him into the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect... we'll decide that later."
"All right."
Chen Junting did not hesitate.
After telling Wu Feng to protect Ning Tian when they entered the forest, he summoned the Seven Kills Sword. Its third five-pointed star lit up.
"Third Soul Skill: Sword Wings Soaring!"
He stepped onto the blade and flew toward Huo Yuhao on his sword!
In truth, once he realized that Huo Yuhao's joining the Tang Sect might not have been Tang San's doing, he had begun thinking of bringing Huo Yuhao into the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. Even setting aside Huo Yuhao's status as the Child of Destiny, his talent with Soul Tools in the original story alone could take the sect to new heights!
As a member of the sect, Chen Junting naturally had to consider its interests. As for whether he could pull it off...
He did not think anything would go wrong.
With the speed of his Third Soul Skill, Sword Wings Soaring, Chen Junting was soon about to reach Huo Yuhao.
But then something unexpected happened!
An invisible wave of spiritual power spread out in an instant. Anyone it touched would freeze on the spot.
For someone flying through the air, that would mean a nasty fall.
Just as the wave was about to reach Chen Junting, a thunderous boom erupted from the previously clear sky! The entire sky darkened, and an immense, indescribable pressure descended without warning! At the same time, that pressure wiped out the spiritual wave closest to this area.
The wave dissolved just before reaching Chen Junting, bringing his flight to a halt.
Looking at the birds falling from the sky ahead, he felt a lingering chill. He had completely forgotten that this happened when Sky Dream Ice Silkworm became Huo Yuhao's Wisdom Soul Ring.
If he had fallen from this height without warning...
It probably would not have killed him, but it would certainly have hurt.
The incident was a warning to the sense of superiority he carried as a transmigrator. Knowing what was to come did not mean he could act without caution. Overlooked details could still make him pay dearly.
For now, though, he raised his eyes.
"It's Electrolux!"
A stream of Gray Airflow appeared in the sky not far away.
It seemed to stall in midair for a moment, as if an invisible force were resisting it. Just as it was about to force its way through, it appeared to notice something.
It abruptly changed direction and rushed toward Chen Junting!
Before Chen Junting could react, the Gray Airflow plunged into his mind. At that moment, he had only one thought.
He's coming for me?!
Before you continue