Ten Years • God Slaying • Wind Baboon!

Time passed swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, Lin Yuan had turned eleven. He had grown from a soft-voiced little tot into a slender youth with an ethereal bearing. His silver-white hair remained unchanged, but the faint cyan mark on his forehead had now solidified into a vivid crimson vertical eye. When it occasionally opened, it could glimpse a sliver of heavenly fate.

This year, despite the suppression on his cultivation speed, his strength still advanced by leaps and bounds. His soul power had reached level thirty-nine, just one step away from breaking through to level forty. The Dragon God Claw had been trained to the point of instant activation, his Sea of Consciousness was vast as an ocean, and when he unfolded the Dragon God Domain, even the natural energy of the Star Dou Great Forest would tremble.

As for authority, with the aid of the God's Eye, he could now layer three types without confusion. With a casual gesture, he could tear through space and cross a thousand li. The Dragon God Bone, nourished by the Golden Jade Fruit and Water of Life, had grown increasingly formidable, granting him astonishing physical strength and ridiculous regenerative abilities. Yet the one thing that never 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 to sleep soundly each night, while the Imperial Auspicious Beast always kept watch outside the window.

Star Luo Empire, White Tiger Duke's Mansion.

Lin Yuan stood outside the mansion, gazing at the imposing palace, and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. During this time, he had frequently used his spatial authority to travel between the White Tiger Duke's Mansion and the Star Dou Great Forest.

Ever since he had transmigrated to the Douluo Continent, he had wanted to figure out exactly when the current timeline was. Through his covert investigations during this period, he had finally confirmed that Huo Yu Hao was still within the mansion and had not yet left. That meant everything was still within reach.

At that moment, the back door on the north side of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion silently swung open, and a thin figure slipped out. It was an eleven- or twelve-year-old boy with a well-proportioned build, dressed in simple gray cloth clothes that were clean and neat. A small bundle was strapped to his back, his short black hair was tidy, and his young face bore a determination beyond his years.

Gently closing the back door, the boy took a few quick steps before suddenly stopping. He turned back to look at the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, his deep blue eyes filled with intense hatred.

"Mother, watch from heaven above. No matter how much effort it takes, one day I will return and trample everything here underfoot. From now on, I take your surname and change mine to Huo. Huo Yu Hao."

With that, he cast one last deep glance at the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, then turned and ran northward without looking back.

Lin Yuan stood in the shadows of a street corner, watching Huo Yu Hao's figure disappear into the night. A cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth as he murmured to himself, "It's finally beginning. Tang San, from today onward, I will rewrite your script." The next second, his figure vanished from the spot, leaving only a wisp of dust stirred up by the wind.

Strangely enough, Lin Yuan had lived in the Star Dou Great Forest for so long but had never sensed any trace of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. Logically, a million-year soul beast like the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm should have been easily detected by his God's Eye. 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 already fled the core area. Perhaps from that moment on, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had been targeted by Tang San, and its traces had been concealed by power from the God Realm.

By now, Lin Yuan, having left an anchor on Huo Yu Hao, had returned to Star Luo City. According to his calculations, it would take Huo Yu Hao at least six or seven days to reach the Star Dou Great Forest. Before that, he himself needed a letter of recommendation from at least a main city level authority in one of the three empires, as only then could he enter Shrek Academy.

Thinking of this, Lin Yuan recalled another startling discovery: it seemed that no one remembered the earth-shattering phenomenon that had occurred when his martial soul awakened. He had secretly tested the residents of Star Luo City and some powerful individuals, only to find that their memories of that night three years ago were a complete blank, as if the dragon roar that had torn the night sky had never happened.

This discovery had sent chills down Lin Yuan's spine at the time. It meant that a force above the entire Douluo Continent had not only shielded the God Realm's perception but also erased the memories of the world. And that force was likely the already unbound [God-Tier Assistance] system.

Now, Lin Yuan had come to terms with it. He believed that his system would not harm him. With the system's help, he had effortlessly obtained a letter of recommendation from Star Luo Main City of the Star Luo Empire. After all, the Lin Manor had once been one of the foremost noble houses in Star Luo City. Even though the manor had grown cold after his parents' deaths, the connections and prestige accumulated over the years still remained.

When the system erased memories, it seemed to have deliberately preserved the Lin Manor's foundational assets. He only needed to produce the keepsakes left by his parents and, with the unintentional pressure of his Dragon God Bloodline, the Star Luo City Lord had signed the letter of recommendation without hesitation. There were no extra questions; the lord simply regarded him as the orphan of the Lin Manor, whose talent was just beginning to show, seeking further study at Shrek Academy.

After obtaining the letter of recommendation, Lin Yuan reached out and gently stroked the gilded city lord's seal on the edge of the paper, a cold glint flashing in his purple eyes. Without lingering, he turned and stepped into a Space Gate he had already condensed, silently trailing behind Huo Yu Hao. Six days later, Huo Yu Hao indeed arrived at the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.

To be honest, Lin Yuan didn't care much about the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm or Huo Yu Hao. What he truly cared about was always the remnant soul of the Holy Necromancer, the Calamity of the Undead, Electrolux. That was the greatest opportunity at hand, and the prerequisite for obtaining it was the moment the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm became Huo Yu Hao's wisdom soul ring.

At the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest, Huo Yu Hao sat by a campfire, roasting a green fish he had caught from a small lake. He didn't know that on a nearby treetop, a silver-haired, purple-eyed youth was quietly watching him.

Before long, a special aroma began to spread above the fire. As Huo Yu Hao slowly turned the fish, it gradually turned a golden brown, its rich fragrance incredibly enticing.

Lin Yuan swallowed his saliva, his stomach growling uncooperatively. Staring at the fish, golden and dripping with oil, only one thought filled his mind: I want to eat it so badly!

"So fragrant!" Just then, a crisp, pleasant exclamation rang out, drawing Lin Yuan's attention.

He looked toward the source of the sound and saw two people approaching along the stream. The one in front was a girl of about fifteen or sixteen, with long black hair tied into a ponytail that hung down her back. She wore a light blue form-fitting outfit that exuded youthful vitality. Her eyes were large and lively, her nose straight and delicate, and her nearly perfect oval face carried a hint of pleasant surprise as she stared straight at Huo Yu Hao's grilled fish.

Behind the girl was a boy of similar age, tall and straight, with short dark blue hair that shone like a gem under the sunlight. Though young, he gave off a refined air, a lazy, gentle smile on his handsome face. He had his hands clasped behind his head and looked at Huo Yu Hao with interest, though his gaze was on the person rather than the fish.

"They've appeared?" Lin Yuan murmured, watching the pair approaching below. The newcomers were none other than Tang Ya, the current sect master of the Tang Sect, and Bei Bei, whom she had taken as her disciple, making him the senior disciple of the Tang Sect.

Tang Ya, walking ahead, had already rushed over to Huo Yu Hao in a few quick steps, looking as if she was drooling. "Little brother, are you selling this grilled fish? It smells amazing! How did you make it?"

Faced with the beautiful Tang Ya, Huo Yu Hao naturally couldn't resist. His face flushed slightly as he said, "I'll treat you to some."

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 the grilled fish. After introducing themselves, Huo Yu Hao entered the Star Dou Great Forest alone, where he encountered the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. The commotion caused was so great that Tang Ya and Bei Bei returned to find him and invited him to join the Tang Sect.

Sure enough, Tang Ya and Bei Bei didn't refuse Huo Yu Hao's kindness. They sat down on the ground, eating the grilled fish while chatting with him. Lin Yuan, meanwhile, silently lurked in the nearby treetop, holding his breath and waiting patiently. His God's Eye had long been activated, clearly displaying the energy flow of the entire Star Dou Great Forest.

Not long after, Huo Yu Hao bid farewell to Bei Bei and Tang Ya and turned to head into the Star Dou Great Forest. Seeing this, Lin Yuan smirked, his figure flickering as he followed like a shadow.

Huo Yu Hao was still young. After a brief moment of surprise and nervousness, his emotions turned more toward excitement. After so many days of travel, he had finally reached his destination. The thought that he might obtain a soul ring and truly become a soul mage made his blood boil. For this day, at just eleven years old, he had already trained hard for over five years.

In his excitement, Huo Yu Hao unconsciously quickened his pace. As he moved forward, a strange feeling arose in his mind. His eyes stung slightly, and he instinctively channeled his soul power into his Spiritual Eye.

A faint current of air swirled around his eyes. Huo Yu Hao seemed to see a black shadow flash by on the left side of the path ahead. As an extremely rare mental-type mutated martial soul, the Spiritual Eye had strong early-warning capabilities. The sense of danger sharpened his reactions. He quickly threw himself to the left while pulling the White Tiger Dagger from behind his waist.

The next second, a black figure flashed past where he had just been, pouncing onto the ground nearby. Up close, Huo Yu Hao could see what it was.

It was a baboon about a meter tall, covered in brownish-yellow fur with brown eyes. Its arms were long, its claws sharp, and its canine teeth were exposed outside its lips. Its eyes blazed with ferocity. Missing its strike, it let out a low roar, pushed off the ground with its powerful hind legs, and lunged at Huo Yu Hao again.

Inside a Space Rift, Lin Yuan quietly watched the Wind Baboon that had nearly solo-killed the future God of Emotions, a slight smile tugging at his lips as he almost laughed out loud. If Huo Yu Hao weren't the protagonist and didn't carry the level-five close-combat soul tool, the White Tiger Dagger, this ten-year Wind Baboon would have accomplished the feat of killing a god.

Under Lin Yuan's gaze, Huo Yu Hao first threw himself to the ground, quickly rolled to the left, sprang up, and stumbled back a few steps while raising the White Tiger Dagger to his chest. His heartbeat pounded clearly in his ears, and his breathing became noticeably rapid. This was the first time in his life he had faced an attack from a soul beast. His palm, gripping the White Tiger Dagger, was slick with sweat. He felt lost, unsure how to respond.

The Wind Baboon, having missed twice in a row, seemed thoroughly enraged. It pounded its chest with both fists, roared, and opened its mouth wide, spitting a ball of white light straight at Huo Yu Hao. At the same time, it charged forward with murderous intent blazing in its eyes.

Huo Yu Hao's mind went blank. The white light was already upon him. He instinctively raised the White Tiger Dagger in his right hand, and the white light struck it head-on.

At almost the same moment, Lin Yuan, still within the Space Rift, slowly extended a finger and tapped the void, whispering, "Extreme Wind, Meteor Kill!"

The moment the words left his mouth, an invisible Wind Blade silently formed, instantly piercing through the Wind Baboon's skull. The ferocious soul beast froze mid-air, then fell like a broken kite, crashing heavily to the ground. It twitched twice before going still.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Before Huo Yu Hao could react, he only saw the Wind Baboon suddenly collapse, his face filled with shock and confusion. At the same time, he was sent flying by the sudden force, slamming into a nearby tree trunk. His vision went dark, and the intense pain made him lose the ability to breathe for a moment.

Before long, Huo Yu Hao regained consciousness amidst the searing pain. His gaze instinctively fell on the motionless baboon. A faint white light appeared on the baboon's body, gradually condensing above it into a white ring. The ring was not clear, its light flickering faintly, but it still left Huo Yu Hao staring in awe.

"A soul ring... is this a soul ring? Did I kill it myself?" Huo Yu Hao trembled with excitement, the pain from his wounds seeming to lessen. He instinctively looked at the White Tiger Dagger in his hand, an unbelievable surge of joy rising in his heart.

He thought that this level-five close-combat soul tool had automatically triggered its defensive mechanism at the critical moment, not only blocking the Wind Baboon's white light but also releasing a counterattack that killed the opponent in one blow. Little did he know, all of this was the work of Lin Yuan, hiding in the shadows.

Huo Yuhao stared at the white soul ring, but his excitement gradually faded. Soul rings were essential for a soul master's advancement, but not all soul rings were suitable for absorption. Only those with high compatibility with one's martial soul could be better integrated and were more likely to grant powerful soul skills. The strength of a soul ring was usually determined by the soul beast's cultivation age.

A white soul ring represented one produced by a ten-year soul beast. Soul beasts with cultivation between ten and a hundred years would form white soul rings when killed. Undoubtedly, Huo Yu Hao had been lucky this time to kill the baboon. It was clearly a ten-year soul beast, and its soul ring was clearly presented before him. Although he had no experience in hunting soul beasts and couldn't tell its attribute, he was certain it was not a mental attribute, and its soul ring was not suitable for him.

Just as Huo Yu Hao was feeling lost and uncertain, a voice suddenly sounded in his mind without warning. Not only did he hear it, but Lin Yuan, still within the Space Rift, heard it too.

"Finally, I've met a human with a mental attribute. It's a pity I can't cry, or I'd be weeping tears of joy!"