The next morning, the torrential rain that had raged all night finally stopped.
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 water droplets clung to the drenched leaves, refracting rainbow-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 require several people to encircle it, Huo Yuhao slowly opened his eyes.
His gaze was still somewhat unfocused. He subconsciously raised a hand to rub his temples, and the agonizing pain from last night's attack by the baboon Soul Beast seemed to 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, still throbbing faintly.
His gaze shifted to the stiff baboon corpse not far away. It was a ten-year Soul Beast, grayish-black all over, with exposed fangs. Even in death, it retained a measure of ferocity. This was the Soul Beast that had nearly turned him into a patch of dirt in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Huo Yuhao's gaze quickly cleared. There was not the slightest trace of fear; instead, a calm, resolute determination flashed through his eyes.
He had come to the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain his first Soul Ring. Although 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 give it a second glance—it was his only chance to break through his bottleneck.
He was the son of Dai Hao, marshal of the Star Luo Empire, but 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 endless cold stares and bullying. If not for the unyielding spirit within him, he likely would not have survived until now.
He wanted to become stronger. He wanted those who looked down on him to see him in a new light. He wanted to avenge his mother and escape the fate of being at others' mercy.
Without the slightest hesitation, Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged, took a deep breath, and began circulating his Soul Power to absorb the Soul Ring.
He extended his right hand, palm facing the baboon's corpse, and activated the faint Soul Power within his body, guiding the white Soul Ring that had yet to dissipate.
As if it had come alive, the white Soul Ring slowly rose from the baboon's corpse and spiraled toward Huo Yuhao. The moment it settled around his body, a stream of energy—not particularly powerful, yet exceptionally pure—instantly flooded into his limbs and bones, washing through his meridians.
A stabbing pain followed, as though countless fine needles were wandering through his body. Huo Yuhao clenched his teeth, beads of sweat seeping across his forehead, yet he stubbornly endured without making a sound. Compared to the grievances and torment he had suffered in that household, this pain was nothing.
He focused on guiding the Soul Ring's energy through cycles within 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 upon the ground.
Half a day later, Huo Yuhao abruptly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing through them.
He rose to his feet and stretched his body, feeling as though he were filled with inexhaustible strength. The Soul Power within him had stabilized at level eleven. Though it was still weak, it was several times stronger than before.
"Spirit Eyes."
He called out softly. A white Soul Ring rose beneath his feet and slowly revolved around his body.
At the same time, his eyes began to change. His pupils turned white, carrying an unusual vitality and depth, as though they could see into people's hearts.
This was his martial soul—Spirit Eyes. It was an exceptionally rare spiritual-type martial soul. Although it lacked offensive power, it possessed unparalleled sensory abilities. Coupled with the first Soul Skill granted by this ten-year Soul Ring, Spirit Detection, his perception range had expanded severalfold.
Huo Yuhao clenched his fist, feeling the tangible power within his body. A faint curve lifted at the corner of his mouth, concealing a resilience far beyond his years.
He turned and walked toward the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Once he left the forest's edge, an expansive view entered his sight. In the distance stood an enormous city, its towering walls grand and imposing. It was Shrek City, home to the most renowned academy on the Douluo Continent—Shrek Academy.
Huo Yuhao looked at that city with a complicated expression.
Shrek Academy was the Holy Land every Soul Master dreamed of. It gathered the continent's foremost geniuses and possessed the richest resources. Entering Shrek Academy would undoubtedly allow him to grow at the fastest pace.
But he knew clearly that it was only wishful thinking.
Shrek Academy's entrance examinations were incomparably strict. Not only was he merely at level eleven Soul Power, but his martial soul was the seemingly useless Spirit Eyes. Even if his Soul Power were higher, given his background, he likely would not even qualify to register.
"Shrek..." he murmured the name, an almost imperceptible gloom flashing through his eyes before being replaced by even deeper resolve.
He could not go to Shrek, nor could he return to the Star Luo Empire. He did not want to remain in that household for even one more second.
That left only one direction.
Huo Yuhao slowly turned around and looked northwest. That was the direction of the Sun Moon Empire.
He had read in books that the Sun Moon Empire differed from the other three nations on the Douluo Continent. They placed immense importance on Soul Tools, developing their research and application to an astonishing height. There, perhaps one's origins mattered less than strength and talent.
"Sun Moon Empire..."
Huo Yuhao clenched his fists tighter, his knuckles whitened. Sunlight shone upon his face, illuminating his youthful yet exceptionally resolute features.
"To become stronger, to avenge my mother, to never be looked down upon again..."
He muttered in a low voice, every word seeming to be forced through clenched teeth, heavy with hatred and determination. "No matter how difficult the road ahead is, I will keep going!"
He no longer hesitated. Turning, he strode toward the Sun Moon Empire. His small figure looked especially frail upon the vast plain, yet it carried an unstoppable momentum, as though even a mountain of blades and a sea of fire ahead would not make him hesitate to step forward.
At the same time, in the God Realm.
Within a divine hall wreathed in clouds and mist, a warm and peaceful aura filled the air.
Tang San was in bed exercising with Xiao Wu.
As one of the Five Great God Kings of the God Realm Committee, he had long grown accustomed to the God Realm's tranquility and eternity. Only when he was with Xiao Wu could he feel the most genuine warmth.
Suddenly, Tang San's body stiffened. The frenzy and release on his face vanished without a trace.
It was as though an invisible bolt of lightning had struck him. He stopped his thrusting, his eyes filled with incredulous shock and confusion.
"What is it, Brother?" Xiao Wu noticed something was wrong with him and was somewhat displeased.
But Tang San did not respond. All his attention was focused on his own senses. That connection bound to him by blood, originating from the depths of his soul—the aura of his beloved daughter, whom he cherished above all else... had vanished!
As though she had never existed, she had been completely erased from this world!
"No... impossible!" Tang San muttered, his face turning pale in an instant. He was the Sea God and Asura God of the God Realm, wielding vast Divine Power. Moreover, within Tang Wutong's soul, there was a trace of his divine consciousness.
But now, he could not sense anything at all. Such a severance of their bloodline connection could never be explained by distance. There was only one possibility—
His daughter had met with trouble!
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