Ten Year • Godslaying • Wind Baboon!

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, Lin Yuan was eleven years old. He had grown from a babbling little child into a tall, otherworldly youth. His silver-white hair remained unchanged, but the pale cyan pattern on his forehead had now solidified into a scarlet vertical eye. When it occasionally opened, it could glimpse a trace of heaven's secrets.

That year, despite the suppression on his cultivation speed, his strength still advanced by leaps and bounds. His Soul Power had reached rank thirty-nine, just one step away from breaking through the bottleneck and entering rank forty. He had trained Dragon God Claw to the point where it could be unleashed with a thought, his Sea of Consciousness was vast as an ocean, and when his Dragon God Domain spread out, even the natural energy of the Star Dou Great Forest trembled.

As for his authorities, with the aid of the Dragon God's Eye, he could already stack three of them without confusion. With a casual swipe, he could tear open space and cross a thousand miles. Nourished by the Golden Jade Fruit and Water of Life, his Dragon God Bone had become increasingly formidable. His physical strength was astonishing, and his recovery ability was even more outrageous. Yet the one thing that had not changed about Lin Yuan was his dependence on Gu Yue Na and the Imperial Auspicious Beast. No matter how strong he became, he still had to curl up in Gu Yue Na's arms every night to sleep peacefully, while the Imperial Auspicious Beast always stood guard outside his window.

Star Luo Empire, White Tiger Duke's Mansion.

Lin Yuan stood outside the manor, gazing at the imposing palace as he slowly let out a breath of stale air. During this time, he had often used Space Authority to travel between the White Tiger Duke's Mansion and the Star Dou Great Forest.

Ever since arriving in Douluo Continent, he had wanted to determine exactly what point in time this was. After investigating in secret for some time, he finally confirmed that Huo Yu Hao was still in the manor and had not yet left. In other words, there was still time.

At that moment, the back gate on the north side of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion quietly opened, and a small figure slipped out. He was an eleven- or twelve-year-old boy with a well-proportioned build. His simple gray clothes were spotless, and he carried a small bundle on his back. His short black hair was neat and tidy, while his young face showed a resolve beyond his years.

After gently closing the back gate, the boy quickly took several steps before abruptly stopping and turning back toward the White Tiger Duke's Mansion. Deep hatred filled his dark blue eyes.

"Mother, watch over me from heaven. No matter how much effort it takes, one day, I will return and trample everything here beneath my feet. From now on, I will take your surname. My name will be Huo Yu Hao."

After saying that, he gave the White Tiger Duke's Mansion one final deep look, then turned and ran north without hesitation.

Lin Yuan stood in the shadows at the street corner, watching Huo Yu Hao's back disappear into the night. A cold smile curled across his lips as he muttered, "It's finally about to begin, Tang San. From today onward, I'll rewrite your script." The next second, his figure vanished from where he stood, leaving behind only a wisp of dust swept up by the wind.

Strangely enough, despite living in the Star Dou Great Forest for so long, Lin Yuan had never sensed any trace of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. Logically speaking, the aura of a million-year soul beast like the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm should have been easy for his Dragon God's Eye to detect. Yet no matter how he searched, he found nothing.

Thus, he formed a rough guess. Before he had arrived in the Star Dou Great Forest, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had likely already fled the core region. Perhaps from that moment on, it had been targeted by Tang San, and its whereabouts had been obscured by power from the God Realm.

By then, Lin Yuan, who had left an anchor on Huo Yu Hao, had returned to Star Luo City. According to his estimate, Huo Yu Hao would need at least six or seven more days to reach the Star Dou Great Forest. Before then, Lin Yuan needed a letter of recommendation from at least a main city of one of the three great empires. Only then could he enter Shrek Academy.

Thinking of this, Lin Yuan recalled another startling discovery. It seemed that no one remembered the earth-shaking phenomenon from when his Martial Soul awakened. He had secretly tested residents of Star Luo City and several powerful individuals, only to find that their memories of that night three years ago were completely blank, as though the dragon roar that had nearly torn apart the night sky had never happened.

That discovery had sent a chill down Lin Yuan's spine. It meant there was a force above the entirety of Douluo Continent that had not only obscured the God Realm's perception, but also erased the memories of the world. That force was most likely the already unbound [God-Tier Assistance] system.

Now, Lin Yuan had come to terms with it. He believed his system would not harm him. With its help, he easily obtained a letter of recommendation from Star Luo Main City in the Star Luo Empire. After all, Lin Manor had once been one of Star Luo City's foremost aristocratic families. Even though the manor had become desolate after his parents' deaths, the connections and prestige accumulated in the past remained.

When the system erased everyone's memories, it seemed to have deliberately preserved Lin Manor's basic foundation. All Lin Yuan needed to do was produce the token left behind by his parents, then let a hint of pressure from his Dragon God Bloodline leak out. The Star Luo City Lord immediately signed the recommendation letter without the slightest hesitation or needless questioning, merely treating him as the orphaned descendant of Lin Manor whose talent had begun to emerge and who wished to seek further study at Shrek Academy.

After receiving the letter, Lin Yuan gently ran his fingers over the gilded city lord's seal along its edge. A trace of chill flashed through his purple eyes. He did not linger, turning to enter the Space Gate he had already formed and silently following behind Huo Yu Hao. Six days later, Huo Yu Hao indeed reached the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.

To be honest, he did not care much about the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm or Huo Yu Hao. What he cared about had always been the remnant soul of the Holy Necromancer, Calamity of the Undead, Electrolux. That was the greatest opportunity available to him at present, and the prerequisite for obtaining it was the moment the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm became Huo Yu Hao's Intelligent Spirit Ring.

At the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest, Huo Yu Hao sat by a campfire, grilling a green fish he had just caught from a small lake. He did not know that on the canopy of a nearby tree, a silver-haired, purple-eyed youth was silently watching him.

Before long, a special fragrance began to waft above the fire. As Huo Yu Hao slowly turned it, the green fish gradually became golden brown. Combined with its rich aroma, it looked especially tempting.

Lin Yuan swallowed, and his stomach rumbled traitorously. He stared at the golden, sizzling green fish, his mind filled with only one thought: I really want to eat it!

"It smells so good!" Just then, a crisp and pleasant cry rang out, drawing Lin Yuan's attention.

He looked in the direction of the voice and saw two people walking along the stream. In front was a girl of fifteen or sixteen. Her long black hair was tied into a ponytail that hung behind her, while her light blue fitted outfit emphasized her youthful vitality. Her eyes were large and lively, her nose high and delicate, and her oval face nearly flawless. Surprise colored her pretty features as she stared eagerly at Huo Yu Hao's grilled fish.

Following behind the girl was a boy around her age. He was tall and straight, with short dark blue hair that gleamed like gemstones beneath the sunlight. Though young, he had an elegant air about him. A lazy, gentle smile rested on his handsome face, and with both hands clasped behind his head, he looked toward Huo Yu Hao with interest. However, he was looking at the person, not the grilled fish.

"So they've appeared?" Lin Yuan murmured as he watched the young man and woman approach below. They were none other than Tang Sect's current sect master, Tang Ya, and Bei Bei, whom she had taken as her disciple and who had thus become the Tang Sect's senior brother.

Tang Ya, who was walking in front, had already rushed up to Huo Yu Hao in a few quick strides. Looking as though she were drooling, she said, "Little brother, are you selling that grilled fish? It smells amazing! How did you make it?"

Faced with the beautiful Tang Ya, Huo Yu Hao naturally could not handle it. His little face reddened slightly as he said, "I'll treat you both."

If Lin Yuan remembered correctly, in the original story, Huo Yu Hao met Tang Ya and Bei Bei in the Star Dou Great Forest because of his grilled fish. After introducing themselves, Huo Yu Hao entered the Star Dou Great Forest alone and encountered the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. Because the commotion was far too great, Tang Ya and Bei Bei returned, found Huo Yu Hao, and invited him to join the Tang Sect.

Sure enough, Tang Ya and Bei Bei did not refuse Huo Yu Hao's kindness. The two sat down on the ground, tasting the grilled fish while chatting with him. Lin Yuan, meanwhile, silently lurked in the nearby canopy, holding his breath and waiting patiently. His Dragon God's Eye had already opened without a sound, and the flow of energy throughout the Star Dou Great Forest was clearly displayed before him.

Not long after, Huo Yu Hao bade farewell to Bei Bei and Tang Ya before heading into the Star Dou Great Forest. Seeing this, Lin Yuan's lips curled upward. His figure flashed, and he followed like a shadow.

Huo Yu Hao was still young, so after the brief surprise and nervousness, his emotions turned more toward excitement. After walking for so many days, he had finally reached his destination. At the thought that he might obtain a Soul Ring and truly become a soul master, his blood boiled. For this day, he had cultivated diligently for more than five years despite being only eleven.

In his excitement, Huo Yu Hao unconsciously quickened his pace. As he moved forward, a strange sensation appeared in his mind. His eyes felt slightly prickly, and he instinctively circulated Soul Power into his Spiritual Eye.

A faint current of air swirled around his eyes, and Huo Yu Hao seemed to see a black shadow flash past on the left side of the path ahead. As an extremely rare spiritual-type mutated Martial Soul, the Spiritual Eye possessed powerful warning abilities. The sense of danger instantly sharpened his reaction. His body swiftly dove to the left while his right hand drew the White Tiger Dagger from behind his waist.

The next second, a black figure flashed past the spot where he had just been standing and landed on the ground nearby. At such close range, Huo Yu Hao clearly saw its appearance.

It was a baboon about one meter tall, covered in tawny fur, with brown eyes and long arms. Sharp claws extended from its hands, fangs protruded from its lips, and fierce light radiated from its eyes. After missing its attack, it let out a low roar, its powerful hind legs kicking off the ground as it pounced at Huo Yu Hao again.

Within a Space Rift, Lin Yuan quietly watched the godslaying Wind Baboon that had nearly solo-killed the future God of Emotions. The corners of his lips rose slightly, and he almost laughed aloud. If Huo Yu Hao had not been the protagonist and had not carried the rank-five close-combat Soul Tool, the White Tiger Dagger, this Ten Year Soul Beast Wind Baboon would have accomplished the feat of slaying a god.

Under Lin Yuan's gaze, Huo Yu Hao first threw himself to the ground, quickly rolled to the left, then sprang back up. As he staggered several steps backward, he raised the White Tiger Dagger before his chest. His tense heartbeat was clearly audible, and his breathing had obviously quickened. This was the first time in his life that he had faced an attack from a soul beast. Sweat filled the palm gripping the White Tiger Dagger, and he felt somewhat lost, unsure how to deal with it.

After missing twice in a row, the Wind Baboon seemed thoroughly enraged. It pounded its chest hard with both fists, then opened its mouth with a roar. A ball of white light shot from its mouth straight toward Huo Yu Hao. At the same time, it lunged forward at high speed, savage light blazing in its eyes.

Huo Yu Hao's mind was completely blank. The white light had already reached him, and he merely instinctively raised the White Tiger Dagger in his right hand, taking the hit head-on.

At almost the same moment, Lin Yuan, standing within the Space Rift, slowly extended a finger and lightly tapped the void. He said in a low voice, "Extreme Wind, Meteor Kill!"

The moment his words fell, an invisible Wind Blade silently formed and instantly pierced through the Wind Baboon's head. The ferocious soul beast froze in midair, then crashed heavily to the ground like a kite with its string cut. It twitched twice before falling still.

Everything happened in a flash. Before Huo Yu Hao could react, he only saw the Wind Baboon suddenly collapse, his face full of shock and confusion. At the same time, he was sent flying by the sudden force and slammed into a nearby tree trunk. His vision went black, and the intense pain instantly robbed him of the ability to breathe.

Before long, Huo Yu Hao awakened amid searing pain. His gaze instinctively turned toward the motionless baboon lying on the ground. A faint white glow appeared over the baboon's body, gradually condensing into a white ring above it. The ring was not clear, its light flickering in and out, but it still left Huo Yu Hao staring in amazement.

"A Soul Ring? This is a Soul Ring? Did I kill it myself?" Huo Yu Hao's body trembled with excitement, and even the wounds on his body seemed less painful. He subconsciously looked at the White Tiger Dagger in his hand, an unbelievable surge of excitement rising in his heart.

He thought that this rank-five close-combat Soul Tool had automatically activated its defensive mechanism at the critical moment, not only blocking the Wind Baboon's white light but also launching a counterattack that killed it in one blow. However, he did not know that everything had been done by Lin Yuan, hidden in the shadows.

Huo Yu Hao looked at the white Soul Ring, but the excitement in his heart gradually faded. Soul Rings were necessary for a soul master's advancement, but not every Soul Ring was suitable for absorption. Only Soul Rings that highly matched one's Martial Soul could fuse better and were more likely to grant powerful soul skills. The strength of a Soul Ring was generally classified according to the cultivation age of the soul beast.

A white Soul Ring represented one produced by a Ten Year Soul Beast. When a soul beast with a cultivation age between ten and one hundred years was killed, it would form a white Soul Ring. Undoubtedly, Huo Yu Hao had only managed to kill this baboon through luck. It was clearly a Ten Year Soul Beast, and its Soul Ring was right before him. Although he had no experience hunting soul beasts and could not determine the baboon's attribute, he could be certain that it was not of the spiritual type, and its Soul Ring was unsuitable for him.

Just as Huo Yu Hao felt lost and helpless, a voice sounded in his mind without warning. Not only did he hear it, but Lin Yuan within the Space Rift heard it as well.

"Finally, I've encountered a human with a spiritual attribute. It's a shame I can't cry, or I'd definitely be weeping tears of joy!"