Proactive Attack, First Strike is Paramount!

Good news: Shrek Academy had sent someone to protect Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei.

Bad news: it was Xuan Zi.

Huo Yuhao fell silent as he looked at the phantom of the Godly Taotie Bull.

It was a type of luck Huo Yuhao had never seen before.

Xuan Zi's luck also bore a martial soul phantom—naturally, the phantom of his Godly Taotie Bull martial soul. Yet the luck that should have surrounded the martial soul phantom had instead been turned on its head, swallowed into the phantom's belly.

And that was not all.

The Shrek Auspicious Cloud, which should have floated above his luck and represented the protection of his faction, as well as the map of Shrek Academy, which should have rested beneath the martial soul phantom's feet and symbolized Xuan Zi's status, had likewise been swallowed by the Godly Taotie Bull phantom.

Even then, the Godly Taotie Bull phantom was still unsatisfied. Its great jaws hung open as it greedily devoured the luck of everyone around it.

Bei Bei was one of its victims.

As for Huo Yuhao, although he had little luck, he was protected by the World Auspicious Cloud. The Godly Taotie Bull phantom only swallowed two wisps of his insubstantial luck before it could no longer do anything to him.

World: This one is under my protection!

"What's going on?!" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, who shared Huo Yuhao's vision, cried out in alarm.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had noticed something odd about Huo Yuhao just now and wanted to share his vision. Huo Yuhao had not refused.

Then Sky Dream Ice Silkworm saw the Godly Taotie Bull phantom devouring Bei Bei's luck.

It scared the life out of him!

"Could someone be using a Luck Secret Technique to steal luck? Did we run into another practitioner?" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm asked in shock.

There was someone this incredible on the Douluo Continent?

"No." Huo Yuhao withdrew his gaze, thought for a moment, and arrived at the answer. "That isn't a secret technique. It's an effect caused by a special Fate Configuration!"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm froze, then recalled what he knew about Fate Configurations.

Many factors could affect a person's own luck, or even their destiny—such as their talent, potential, diligence, faction, surroundings, friends and family... and so on.

But the most direct influence was one's Fate Configuration!

Through its interaction with objective conditions, a Fate Configuration could affect the course of a person's entire life.

To determine someone's Fate Configuration, one needed to use their Fate Plate and analyze all the information within it together.

Because such judgments were rather complex, people had summarized certain special Fate Configurations, most of which were named after stars or animals.

Well-known examples included the Heavenly Star of Solitude Fate, Purple Star Emperor Fate, Greedy Wolf Star Fate, Flying Phoenix Fate... and so on.

Huo Yuhao's Child of Luck was also a type of Fate Configuration.

Moreover, for cultivators, Fate Configurations differed somewhat from those of ordinary people.

For instance, someone with the Literary Star Fate might not merely be talented in scholarship. It was also possible that they were an immortal or god reincarnated into the mortal world.

Or perhaps certain Fate Configurations brought entirely different paths of destiny when borne by cultivators. With enough strength and talent, brute force really could change one's fate.

And were soul masters not cultivators as well?

Clearly, Xuan Zi possessed a special Fate Configuration. This Fate Configuration had merged with his Godly Taotie Bull martial soul, granting him a unique kind of luck—Xuan Zi's luck devoured the luck of others, even that of the faction he belonged to!

Without precautions or resistance, anyone who stayed with him would be unlucky.

Unfortunately, Huo Yuhao's Qi Observation Technique was still too shallow. He could not yet directly see another person's Fate Configuration.

But Huo Yuhao could resist it, because he was a Child of Luck. He too possessed a special Fate Configuration, and his was stronger than Xuan Zi's.

It seems that in the original story, whenever Xuan Zi led a team, people either died or were injured. Huo Yuhao sensed trouble.

In the original story, Xuan Zi's two most famous missions as team leader had both resulted in severe casualties, and both times, Xuan Zi had been following behind the group.

Then was like now.

Although Xuan Zi can't absorb my luck, he can affect Bei Bei. And since Bei Bei and I are acting together, our luck is connected. If something happens to Bei Bei, it will definitely affect me... Huo Yuhao analyzed.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm also realized how serious the problem was.

"Brother Hao, what do we do?"

Huo Yuhao made up his mind.

"Brother Sky Dream, I've decided... to take the initiative!"

"Huh?" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was dumbfounded. "Wait, Brother Hao, can you beat Xuan Zi? And won't this affect our plan to head north?"

"Don't worry, Brother Sky Dream. Help me keep an eye on Xuan Zi with Mental Detection, and leave the rest to me!" Huo Yuhao said with absolute confidence.

With Sky Dream Ice Silkworm using Mental Detection to assist him, Huo Yuhao did not even need to open his Spirit Eyes, much less use a soul skill.

Huo Yuhao: It's time to show off my real skills!

While Bei Bei was hurrying along with his head down, Huo Yuhao suddenly called out to him.

"Big Brother Bei Bei, hold on. I need to use the bathroom, hehe..." Huo Yuhao said sheepishly, rubbing his stomach.

Seeing Huo Yuhao's expression, Bei Bei helplessly shook his head and stopped.

"Fine, who told you to eat so much? We agreed it was to help me recover, but more than half of that barbecue ended up in your stomach."

"Cough, cough... I'm still growing, so naturally I need to eat more."

"Enough, I don't mind. Hurry up and take care of it."

Bei Bei smiled nonchalantly, then turned his back.

"Okay~"

Huo Yuhao answered and walked into the bushes.

Soon, rustling sounds came from within.

But Bei Bei frowned, because those were not the sounds of pants being taken off, but of Huo Yuhao walking farther away.

"Does he really need to go that far just to use the bathroom?"

Bei Bei grew suspicious. Worried for Huo Yuhao's safety, he wanted to follow, but suddenly stopped.

Because he realized that Huo Yuhao was deliberately hiding something from him and going off to do something.

"Sigh~"

In the end, Bei Bei let out a sigh.

Having only just recovered from severe injuries, coupled with the blow of Tang Ya's departure, Bei Bei was at his most emotionally fragile and sensitive.

He truly regarded Huo Yuhao as a friend.

Yet he had not expected Huo Yuhao to start hiding things from him already.

Since Huo Yuhao intended to keep it from him, it would not be appropriate for him to pry.

Still, Bei Bei could not help feeling that an invisible, thick barrier had formed between himself and Huo Yuhao.

Elsewhere.

Following Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's guidance, Huo Yuhao held the White Tiger Dagger and arrived at a certain area. His face was tense as he vigilantly scanned his surroundings, as though searching for something.

Suddenly, Huo Yuhao stepped on something. Looking down, his expression changed drastically.

He hurriedly picked up the object from the ground and sprinted back toward Bei Bei, his face full of anxiety.

A soft chuckle sounded in the darkness.

"Hehe, so this is that little fellow with the Ultimate Ice martial soul? Quite sharp, though he's too confident. He dared to come investigate alone. Fortunately, this old man isn't a bad person."

At last, Huo Yuhao hurried back to Bei Bei's side.

Bei Bei looked at the returning Huo Yuhao in confusion. Seeing him panting heavily, pale-faced, and visibly anxious, he could not help but ask, "Little Brother Huo, what is this...?"

Huo Yuhao directly cut him off, grabbed Bei Bei, and started running. "Big Brother Bei Bei, there's no time to explain! Run! Someone's following us!"

"What?!" Bei Bei was startled.

Then Huo Yuhao took out the object he had just picked up. It was actually a chicken drumstick bone.

"Big Brother Bei Bei, although I can't summon my martial soul, perhaps as compensation, I was born with keen spiritual senses. Just now, I sensed someone behind us, so I went to investigate alone and found this."

"They haven't shown themselves, so they might mean us harm! Run!" Huo Yuhao said anxiously.

When Bei Bei saw the chicken bone, he was initially startled. Then he seemed to think of something, and his expression suddenly turned helpless. He stopped running and pulled Huo Yuhao to a stop as well.

"Cough, cough, well, Little Brother Huo, there's no need to run. I might know who's following us."

"That might be one of my elders." Bei Bei said with an embarrassed smile. "Besides, if someone really meant us harm, they wouldn't be following us while eating chicken drumsticks. Eating chicken drumsticks anytime and anywhere is one of my elder's habits."

Getting caught skipping school by an elder and causing his friend to misunderstand made Bei Bei feel extremely—no, nine-tenths—embarrassed.

"Huh?" Huo Yuhao stood there dumbfounded, holding the chicken bone.

Bei Bei suddenly recalled what Huo Yuhao had said earlier and could not help asking, "Little Brother Huo, you said you were going to the bathroom, but you actually went to check on the situation behind us. Weren't you afraid of running into danger?"

Huo Yuhao scratched his head honestly. "I thought that Big Brother Bei Bei was traveling with me to protect me, so I couldn't let anything happen to you. If there really was danger, I would shout loudly. Then I could warn Big Brother Bei Bei and give you time to prepare."

"..." Seeing Huo Yuhao's sincere expression, Bei Bei was instantly filled with guilt.

Little Brother Huo was such a good kid. He had dared to face danger alone for Bei Bei's sake, yet Bei Bei had just thought there was a thick barrier between them.

Bei Bei: I'm really not human!

Then Huo Yuhao saw Bei Bei's eyes redden as he excitedly pulled him into a hug.

"Little Brother Huo, from now on, you're my, Bei Bei's, sworn brother!"

He had lost his girlfriend but gained a brother.

Bei Bei's heart now had a new pillar of support.

Huo Yuhao instinctively wanted to push Bei Bei away. He was not about to get into that gay stuff.

But when he looked up, he saw that Bei Bei had sent him another strand of fortune.

So Huo Yuhao did not push Bei Bei away.

But one strand of fortune only gets one hug!

As for that chicken drumstick bone, Huo Yuhao carefully put it away.

Because it carried Xuan Zi's aura.

With an item tainted by Xuan Zi's aura, Huo Yuhao could take the initiative and strike first!