First Meeting with Huo Yuhao

A faint mist hung over the Star Dou Great Forest in the early morning, making the air feel refreshingly cool, yet it was difficult for anyone within it to truly relax.

Ever since the Star Dou Great Forest had launched its beast tide and Shrek Academy, representing the human soul masters, had compromised, the years of recovery had brought the number and quality of soul beasts within it to an astonishing level.

Low-level soul beasts found it difficult to compete with powerful soul beasts for territory and food. To survive, they could only keep migrating outward.

That was why soul beasts occasionally appeared even outside the Star Dou Great Forest.

As he headed toward the outer region of the Star Dou Great Forest, Wu Xuan encountered several soul beasts along the way. However, the strongest among them was only an eight-hundred-year Netherwolf.

Netherwolves were considered relatively powerful soul beasts, but they were utterly no match for Wu Xuan, let alone capable of forcing him to use a soul skill.

Wu Xuan did not kill any of those soul beasts. He merely beat them until they hurt enough to learn fear, after which they obediently left on their own.

In an open area on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

The ground suddenly trembled without warning. Cracks spread across the previously level earth as a blue-gray figure slammed into it.

"Damn it! I already spared you, and you still dared to ambush me ahead of the road? Are you tired of living?!" Wu Xuan appeared, cursing as the tattered remnants of his clothing hung from his upper body.

The blue-gray figure struggling to rise from the ground was the soul beast that had ambushed Wu Xuan—a roughly three-hundred-year Twin-Eyed Giant.

"Roar!" The Twin-Eyed Giant clutched its broken arm and stared fearfully at Wu Xuan, roaring continuously.

"Oh? You can still stand? Then I'll take one of your legs this time." Wu Xuan stared coldly at the figure before him.

"I'm furious! What I hate most are treacherous, two-faced soul beasts like you. I really want to rush out there and stab you twice to vent my anger." Tian Meng glared furiously at the Twin-Eyed Giant in Wu Xuan's mind.

He had been telling Wu Xuan about his glorious years, and Wu Xuan had listened very seriously. When the story reached the tragic parts, Wu Xuan had even comforted him a few times, deeply moving Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. Who would have thought that a moment of carelessness would nearly let this soul beast succeed?

Wu Xuan lightly turned his wrist, and Gang Wind gathered in his palm.

"Cracked Wind Fist!"

The rapidly spinning Gang Wind shot out with Wu Xuan's punch, and the Twin-Eyed Giant's right leg snapped in response.

The Twin-Eyed Giant, which had only barely managed to stand, collapsed onto the ground again. Its agonized howls echoed for miles.

"Keep howling! Go on!" Wu Xuan sneered. He raised his left leg and kicked through the air. A pale green whirlwind shot forward, sweeping up the Twin-Eyed Giant's towering body and hurling it toward a river deeper in the forest.

Splash! A massive sound of something hitting the water rang out, sending waves several meters high into the air.

The anger in Wu Xuan's heart subsided somewhat, and he rose to pursue it.

"Little Wu Xuan, there are three human spiritual fluctuations on the opposite riverbank. Based on my experience, they should be two Soul Elders and one soul master," Sky Dream Ice Silkworm suddenly said.

Wu Xuan paused slightly upon hearing this, but he still continued toward the riverbank. If his guess was correct, that soul master should be Huo Yuhao.

By the riverbank, after Wu Xuan appeared, three figures watched him with wary expressions.

Beside the campfire that had been extinguished by the river water, the two people in front looked to be around fifteen or sixteen years old. One of them was a handsome blue-haired boy. After his eyes moved back and forth between the Twin-Eyed Giant in the river and Wu Xuan, he lowered his guard somewhat.

The pretty young girl beside him, brimming with youthful energy, stared without blinking at the half of Wu Xuan's body exposed to view.

"Ahem. Keep staring, and your eyes are going to fall out." The blue-haired boy nudged the girl beside him on the shoulder with obvious jealousy. His refined expression was becoming a little difficult to maintain.

"Beibei, are you jealous? And honestly, isn't it tiring to keep pretending to be so upright all the time?" the girl said with a giggle.

"That's called refinement!" Beibei's face darkened as he shifted his gaze back to Wu Xuan.

By then, Wu Xuan had taken out a fresh set of clothes from his Soul Tool and put them on. His gaze passed over the two of them and settled on the thin black-haired boy behind them.

Wu Xuan recognized the black-haired boy at first glance. Huo Yuhao!!

Wu Xuan's thoughts stirred, and he then met Beibei and the girl's gazes, saying apologetically, "Sorry, you three. I had no intention of disturbing you. That Twin-Eyed Giant ambushed me earlier, and I lost my restraint in my anger."

"It's fine. My name is Tang Ya, and the one beside me is Beibei. We're both students of Shrek Academy," Tang Ya said sweetly.

"So you're senior brother and senior sister from Shrek Academy. Hello, my name is Wu Xuan. I'm from the Heaven Dou Empire and a new student at Shrek Academy this year."

"You're a new student at Shrek Academy this year? And you're from the Heaven Dou Empire?" Tang Ya's lively eyes immediately lit up at that.

"That's wonderful! Beibei and I are also from the Heaven Dou Empire. We're all compatriots."

She had revealed all their details in just a few words, leaving Beibei rather speechless.

"Oh, right! Junior Brother Wu Xuan, could you let us have the Twin-Eyed Giant that attacked you? We can compensate you for it," Tang Ya suddenly asked, as though she had just remembered something.

"Sure. Since Senior Sister asked, just take it. There's no need to talk about compensation," Wu Xuan said casually, waving his hand.

"Thank you, Junior Brother. Little Yuhao, hurry up and do it. This Twin-Eyed Giant is an extremely rare Spirit Attribute soul beast. Its soul ring will definitely suit you very well." Having received Wu Xuan's permission, she waved to Huo Yuhao behind her.

"Thank you."

Only then did Huo Yuhao react and thank Wu Xuan.

His mother had taught him from childhood to be a polite person. Yet when facing Wu Xuan, who stood tall and straight, possessed striking features, and could easily cripple a Hundred-Year Soul Beast by himself, Huo Yuhao could not help feeling a trace of inferiority.

They were both new students of Shrek Academy, yet he still needed the help of Senior Disciple Brother and Teacher Xiaoya to obtain a soul ring. Meanwhile, someone else could easily kill a Hundred-Year Soul Beast that had ambushed him alone.

With Beibei's help, the Twin-Eyed Giant in the river was hauled ashore.

The White Tiger Dagger in Huo Yuhao's hand pierced the Twin-Eyed Giant's heart. Its body twitched a few times before its life came to an end.

"Yuhao, from here on, absorbing the soul ring will depend on you alone. You must keep your consciousness clear," Beibei reminded him kindly.

"Thank you, Senior Disciple Brother." Huo Yuhao nodded, adjusted his condition slightly, then used his Soul Power to draw in the soul ring and took the first step on the path to becoming a soul master.