Legends of the Journey Home and New Mysteries

Han Yuchen casually tossed something.

Clang.

A heavy money pouch landed in the mud at Meng Li's feet. Its mouth hung open, and the dazzling golden gleam nearly blinded them.

Gold Soul Coins.

A full pouch, at least several hundred coins.

The members of the Mengli Squad stopped breathing for an instant.

They had never seen so much money piled together in their lives.

"M-My lord... this..."

Meng Li could barely straighten out his tongue.

Han Yuchen's tone was as calm as if he were saying, "The weather's nice today."

"From the Gao Family. Half is yours."

Half?!

Meng Li's mind buzzed, turning completely blank.

He had just casually tossed it to them?

This was enough money for them to buy a large house in Star Dou Town!

Look at how worldly inexperienced they were.

Still, that was fine. Sometimes, loyalty could be bought with money.

"Take it."

Han Yuchen's tone allowed no argument.

Meng Li shuddered all over and suddenly came to his senses.

He did not pick up the money pouch.

Instead, with a thud, he dropped heavily to one knee!

The squad members behind him promptly knelt as well.

"My lord!"

Meng Li's voice trembled with excitement, yet every word rang firm and clear.

"We cannot take this money! We only survived this time because of you, my lord!"

"I, Meng Li, swear here and now! From today onward, my life and this entire squad are yours!"

"Just give the word. Even through mountains of blades and seas of fire, we will never so much as frown!"

Heh, they caught on quickly.

This was exactly the effect Han Yuchen wanted.

He had plenty of money.

But a group of absolutely loyal people familiar with the area around Star Dou Forest was far more useful to him than money right now.

"Enough. Get up."

He did not help them up. He merely accepted their pledge of loyalty calmly.

"The money is for you to recruit more people and improve your equipment."

"I do have something for you to do."

Meng Li and the others immediately raised their heads, their eyes filled with fervor.

Here it came!

To be entrusted with an important mission by someone so godlike was an immense honor!

"You will stay in Star Dou Town."

Han Yuchen's voice carried a calm air of someone in complete control.

"Keep watch for any news about 'special fragments' or 'fallen meteors.'"

"Whether the news is true or false, no matter how absurd the rumor sounds, I want it all."

"If anything turns up, go to the Spirit Hall Branch in Nuoding City and find Hall Master Ma Xiunuo."

"Mention my name. He will know what to do."

The first piece of his future intelligence network had been placed.

It was crude, but it would suffice.

Meng Li engraved those keywords into his heart and nodded heavily.

"Yes! We guarantee the mission will be completed!"

Han Yuchen waved a hand and turned to leave, his movements crisp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

The palm-sized Little White Fox on his shoulder yawned and found a comfortable position to lie down.

"My lord! We'll escort you!"

Meng Li hurriedly rose to his feet.

"No need."

Han Yuchen's back had already vanished into the shadows among the trees.

Only his light words lingered in the air.

"In this forest, no one can hurt me."

In the end, the Mengli Squad did not dare accept half the Gold Soul Coins.

They took only one-tenth as future operating funds.

The rest was respectfully delivered into the hands of Hall Master Ma Xiunuo in Nuoding City.

When they returned to Star Dou Town, the entire town exploded into an uproar.

Legends of the Hat Guest had already spread from the terrified surviving members of the Gao Family.

But that version was too horrifying and too bizarre. Most people believed the Gao Family had been beaten senseless and were talking nonsense.

But when the Mengli Squad, a Soul Master squad with quite a reputation in Star Dou Town, brought back the same story—an even more exaggerated version, in fact—

Everything changed.

After countless embellishments, the legend became more miraculous and more outrageous by the day.

One man and one fox had wiped out the Gao Family's elites and driven back an ancient beast.

The Hat Guest became Star Dou Town's newest and most mysterious myth.

And the creator of that myth, Han Yuchen—

Knew nothing about it.

The official road was thick with swirling dust.

He strolled leisurely along, pulling out a piece of fine dried meat from Dimensional Space to tease the Little White Fox on his shoulder.

"From now on, you'll be called Star Fox."

He gave his new pet a simple name.

"Squeak!"

Star Fox cried out happily, brushing his cheek with its fluffy tail. Then it snatched the dried meat in one bite and chewed blissfully with narrowed eyes.

It was really easy to feed.

Night fell.

Han Yuchen casually found a secluded grove and lit a bonfire.

He sat cross-legged, and with a thought—

Star Tempering!

Buzz—

It was as though an invisible vortex had appeared in the night sky.

The starlight filling the heavens poured down like obedient waterfalls, flowing precisely into the second black Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring within his body.

The Soul Ring's age increased steadily.

Eleven thousand years...

The Earth Dragon King's Soul Ring had barely managed to reach the Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring level after its losses.

If I had arrived any later, the Earth Dragon King might have become a Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

Solonsen is still that terrifying.

How tragic.

Eleven thousand one hundred years...

Eleven thousand five hundred years...

This rocket-like rate of improvement felt amazing.

He slowly opened his eyes and reviewed his current strength.

Level 30 Soul Grandmaster.

Martial Soul: evolved Yulian.

Soul Rings: black, black. Two Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings!

Soul Skills: five.

First Soul Skill: Restraint. The core godly skill for playing weak, catching enemies off guard, and killing opponents above his level.

First Soul Skill derivative: Blade of Flowing Water. A single-target attack, incomparably sharp.

Second Soul Skill: Earth Dragon Armor. Extremely powerful defense, with reflected damage as well.

Second Soul Skill derivative: Sword Dance. Infinitely stacks attack levels.

Second Soul Skill derivative: Dragon Strike. Reduces the opponent's defense by one hundred percent.

Attack and defense in one, control maxed out, plus an unreasonable rule-type godly skill.

With this setup, forget opponents at the same level—even gods would be killed for you.

Mm, very satisfying.

"Squeak?"

Star Fox on his shoulder seemed to sense his good mood and rubbed its little head against him.

Han Yuchen smiled and pulled out an even larger piece of dried meat, stuffing it into its paws.

One man and one fox enjoyed the rare tranquility beside the bonfire.

One day later.

Only half a day's journey remained before Nuoding City.

Han Yuchen passed a rundown roadside station and prepared to have some tea and rest his feet.

There were not many people inside, just small groups of travel-worn merchants.

The tea was as bland as dishwater.

Han Yuchen did not mind and drank by himself.

Suddenly.

The voices of several merchants at the neighboring table drifted over, neither too loud nor too soft.

His sharp hearing caught every word clearly.

A fat merchant lowered his voice and said mysteriously.

"Hey, did you hear? Shrek Academy in Suotuo City has started accepting students again recently."

A thin merchant curled his lip.

"I heard. That hellhole has absurdly harsh requirements. They say they only accept monsters, not ordinary people."

The fat merchant chuckled.

"Monsters? Could any monster be stranger than that Hat Guest from Star Dou Town? I'm telling you, my cousin's neighbor's son's classmate works as a guard in Star Dou Town. He saw it with his own eyes—that guy alone..."

"Shh!"

A shrewd merchant who had remained silent until then immediately interrupted him.

"Stop spreading that nonsense! Are you trying to get yourself killed? Talk about something else."

He looked cautiously around before speaking in an even lower voice.

"I heard this round of Shrek Academy's recruitment is unusual."

"It seems to have something to do with Heaven Dou Royal Academy, even... Spirit Hall."

"They seem to be looking for some... special person."

Han Yuchen's hand holding the teacup paused slightly.

Shrek Academy...

Looking for special people?

It had something to do with Heaven Dou Royal Academy, even... Spirit Hall.

This was somewhat different from the original plot.

Supervisor Xiao's notes flashed through his mind at once.

Solonsen's followers, those people lurking in the shadows, also seemed to be searching throughout the continent for something—or perhaps... someone.

Could these two matters...

Be connected somehow?

Spirit Hall had gotten involved too?

The plot seems to have become a little more complicated than I knew.

Interesting.

This was truly interesting.

He dusted himself off, glanced in the direction of Suotuo City, and a gleam no one else could detect flashed through his eyes.

He had originally planned to return to Nuoding City and immediately search for clues to the next fragment.

But now...

The plan could be adjusted a little.

The destination would change.

Shrek Academy...

I wanted to see just what medicine you were selling in that gourd.

And what so-called... monsters you were looking for now.