Huo Yuhao, Off His Original Course, and a Bewildered Tang San

The next morning, the torrential rain that had raged all night finally ceased.

Sunlight pierced through the clouds like golden swords, breaking through the sky and spilling over the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Crystal-clear droplets clung to the wet leaves, refracting seven-colored light beneath the sun. The forest was filled with the fresh scent of grass and trees after rain, as though last night's brutal slaughter had never happened.

Beside an ancient tree that would take several people to encircle, Huo Yuhao slowly opened his eyes.

His gaze was still somewhat unfocused. He instinctively raised a hand to rub his temples, and the agonizing pain from last night's attack by the baboon soul beast seemed to still linger in his body. Struggling, he sat up from the ground and lowered his head to look at his hands—his palms were covered in tiny wounds that had already scabbed over, throbbing faintly.

His gaze shifted to the stiffened baboon corpse not far away. It was a ten-year soul beast, grayish-black all over with protruding fangs. Even in death, it still looked somewhat ferocious. This was the soul beast that had nearly turned him into a patch of dirt in the Star Dou Great Forest.

Huo Yuhao's eyes quickly cleared. There was not the slightest trace of fear in them; instead, a calm resolve flashed through them.

He had come to the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain his first soul ring. Though this baboon was merely a ten-year soul beast, and the soul ring it produced was of poor quality—so insignificant that many soul masters would not even spare it a glance—to him now, it was his only chance to break through his bottleneck.

Though he was the son of Dai Hao, marshal of the Star Luo Empire, he was an illegitimate child.

Now that his mother was dead, his father did not even know he existed, while his stepmother regarded him as a thorn in her side.

In that household, he had endured nothing but scorn and bullying. If not for the unyielding spirit within him, he likely would not have survived this long.

He wanted to grow stronger. He wanted those who looked down on him to see him in a new light. He wanted to avenge his mother and escape a fate of being at others' mercy.

Without the slightest hesitation, Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged, took a deep breath, circulated his Soul Power, and began absorbing the soul ring.

He extended his right hand, palm aimed at the baboon's corpse. Urging the faint Soul Power in his body, he guided the white soul ring that had yet to dissipate.

As though it had come alive, the white soul ring slowly rose from the baboon's corpse and spiraled toward Huo Yuhao. The moment it slipped around his body, an energy that was not powerful but exceptionally pure surged into his limbs and bones, washing through his meridians.

A stabbing pain followed, as though countless fine needles were roaming through his body. Huo Yuhao gritted his teeth. Fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead, yet he held back without making a sound. This little pain was nothing compared to the humiliation and torment he had suffered in that home.

He focused on guiding the soul ring's energy through his body, feeling his Soul Power gradually grow and condense. Time quietly passed in the tranquil forest. Sunlight shifted through gaps in the leaves, casting ever-changing patches of light across the ground.

Half a day later, Huo Yuhao suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them.

He stood up and stretched his limbs, feeling as though he was brimming with inexhaustible strength. The Soul Power within him had stabilized at Rank Eleven. Though still weak, it was several times stronger than before.

"Spirit Eyes."

He gave a soft shout, and a white soul ring rose from beneath his feet, slowly revolving around his body.

At the same time, his eyes began to change. His pupils turned white, carrying an unusual liveliness and depth, as though they could see through people's hearts.

This was his martial soul—Spirit Eyes. It was an exceptionally rare spiritual-type martial soul. Although it was not strong offensively, it possessed unparalleled perception. Together with Spirit Detection, the first soul skill granted by this ten-year soul ring, his sensory range had expanded several times over.

Huo Yuhao clenched his fist, feeling the tangible strength within him. A faint curve formed at the corner of his lips, yet it held a resilience far beyond his age.

He turned and walked toward the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Once he left the forest's edge, an open expanse came into view. In the distance stood a massive city, its towering walls majestic and imposing. It was Shrek City, home to the most renowned academy on the Douluo Continent.

Huo Yuhao gazed at the city with a complicated expression.

Shrek Academy was a holy land dreamed of by all soul masters. It gathered the continent's finest geniuses and possessed the most abundant resources. If he could enter Shrek Academy, he would undoubtedly be able to grow at the fastest pace.

But he knew clearly that it was only wishful thinking.

Shrek Academy's entrance examination was unbelievably harsh. Not to mention that he only possessed Rank Eleven Soul Power and a seemingly useless martial soul like Spirit Eyes, even if his Soul Power were somewhat higher, his background would likely disqualify him from even registering.

"Shrek..." he murmured the name, a barely perceptible gloom flashing through his eyes before being replaced by deeper determination.

He could not go to Shrek, nor could he return to the Star Luo Empire. He did not want to remain in that house for even another second.

That left only one direction.

Huo Yuhao slowly turned around and looked toward the northwest. That was the direction of the Sun Moon Empire.

He had read in records that, unlike the other three nations on the Douluo Continent, the Sun Moon Empire placed extreme importance on Soul Tools. They had even developed the research and application of Soul Tools to an astonishing height. There, perhaps one's origins did not matter—only strength and talent did.

"Sun Moon Empire..."

Huo Yuhao clenched his fist tighter, his knuckles turning white. Sunlight fell across his face, outlining features that were youthful yet exceptionally resolute.

"To grow stronger, to avenge Mother, to never be looked down on again..."

He muttered to himself, every word seemingly squeezed through clenched teeth, filled with deep resentment and determination. "No matter how difficult the road ahead is, I will keep walking!"

He hesitated no longer, turning and setting off toward the Sun Moon Empire. His small figure looked especially frail against the vast plains, yet it carried an unstoppable momentum, as though even if a mountain of blades and sea of fire lay ahead, he would step into them without hesitation.

At the same time, in the Divine Realm.

Within a divine palace shrouded in clouds and mist, a warm and peaceful aura filled the air.

Tang San was making love with Xiao Wu on the bed.

As one of the Five Great God Kings of the God Realm Committee, he had long grown accustomed to the tranquility and eternity of the Divine Realm. Only when he was with Xiao Wu could he feel the truest warmth.

Suddenly, Tang San's body stiffened, and the frenzy and release on his face vanished without a trace.

It was as though an invisible bolt of lightning had struck him. He halted mid-thrust, his eyes filled with unbelievable shock and confusion.

"What is it, Brother?" Xiao Wu noticed something was wrong with him and was somewhat displeased.

Tang San did not respond. All his attention was focused on his own senses. That connection linked to him by blood, originating from the depths of his soul—the aura of the daughter he cherished above all else... had disappeared!

It was as though she had never existed, utterly erased from this world!

"No... Impossible!" Tang San muttered, his face turning pale at once. He was the Sea God and Asura God of the Divine Realm, wielding boundless divine power. Moreover, a strand of his Divine Sense resided within Tang Wutong's soul.

Yet now, he could sense nothing at all. Such a severing of their bloodline connection could never be explained by mere distance. There was only one possibility—

Something had happened to his daughter!