The Auspicious Beast Was Bending Over Backward to Help Him Catch a Soul Ring? The Scarlet King Had Arrived.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was not nervous about the answer. It simply tilted its head, as if it were thinking.
"Thirty thousand years... What attributes do you want?"
"Ice type is best. Tiger type is preferred."
"There aren't many ice-attribute Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in this area," the Three-Eyed Golden Lion recalled.
"However, if we go two days further north, there is a creature with a cultivation of about 32,000 years."
That guy has a terrible temper; he occupies the entire valley as his territory, and none of the nearby Soul Beast want to deal with him.
Dai Huabin's heart skipped a beat.
A 32,000-year-old Ice Ridge Tiger?
Ice attribute, tiger type, and the year happens to be within his target range.
That's incredibly lucky.
Just as he was about to ask for the exact location, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion suddenly stretched out its claws.
"If you tell me stories about the human world, and then you grill me some meat..."
It paused for a moment, then flicked its golden tail. "I'll help you catch it in a couple of days."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion looked at Dai Huabin in front of it and felt a sense of familiarity with him, perhaps because of the Soul Beast aura emanating from Dai Huabin.
Or perhaps Dai Huabin intercepted the opportunity of the chosen one during this period, thereby enhancing his own fortune.
Dai Huabin was somewhat shocked, not expecting the Three-Eyed Golden Lion to be so kind to him, and even to help him capture Soul Beast.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion wants to help him capture a 32,000-year-old Ice Ridge Tiger?
Isn't this a case of overwhelming force?
Dai Huabin's mind raced as he calculated.
The trip to the Far North went much more smoothly than expected.
The Ice Empress's Blood Pact, the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow, and the Immortal Herb of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well —all objectives were achieved ahead of schedule.
It's not holiday time yet, Zhu Lu is still at school.
According to his original plan, the next stop was to return to the Star Luo Empire and exchange the Star Luo Spirit Pearl for the Snow Empress Embryo.
But he wasn't in a hurry.
Zhu Lu hasn't started her vacation yet, so we'll have to wait for her to come back to the Star Luo Empire.
The opportunity before them—the chance to get closer to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion —is perhaps more important than any other plan.
Fate Connection.
In the original novel, the Fate Connection of Huo Yuhao and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion was forcibly arranged by Xuan Zi. However, Dai Huabin knew that there was a Scarlet King lurking in the shadows. He would be better off letting the Three-Eyed Golden Lion take the initiative.
Now that the Three-Eyed Golden Lion has offered to help, it means that the Three-Eyed Golden Lion at least has no hostility towards him.
If we can use these few days together to further deepen our relationship...
"OK."
Dai Huabin readily agreed, "However, I only have a limited amount of food with me, so you'll have to wait while I go catch some more game."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion seemed quite satisfied with the answer, and lay back down on the ground, resting its chin on its two front paws.
"Tell me a story about the human world, okay?"
Dai Huabin thought for a moment and then began to talk to it.
He described the prosperity of Heaven Dou City, the auctions of the Star Luo Empire, and the cultivation life at the Shrek Academy.
Of course, many details have been handled carefully to avoid revealing too much key information.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion listened very attentively.
Whenever it hears something interesting, its ears turn forward and its tail wags noticeably faster. If it hears something it doesn't understand, it will interrupt to ask for clarification.
What is a school uniform?
"It's the uniform issued by the college; all students wear the same thing. Different grades have different colors."
Why do we have to wear the same things?
"It's for easier management. It also serves as an identification marker."
"Humans are such a hassle," the Three-Eyed Golden Lion muttered. "We Soul Beast don't need to wear clothes."
Dai Huabin chuckled, "You'll have to wear it too if you go to a human city."
"Why?"
"Because if you don't wear clothes after transforming into human form, you'll attract a lot of attention."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion remained silent for two seconds.
"I have never transformed into human form."
"Never tried it?"
"No."
Dai Huabin raised an eyebrow.
According to the original novel, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's current cultivation level is sufficient to fully transform into human form.
Furthermore, after Fate Connection by the Three-Eyed Golden Lion and Huo Yuhao, it developed a longing for the human world and became curious about Huo Yuhao. That's why it transformed and entered the human world.
"Would you like to visit a human city?" Dai Huabin asked casually.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's vertical pupils flashed red, and its tail suddenly stopped.
There was silence for several seconds.
"Think."
His voice was much lower than before, as if he were admitting to something he was very embarrassed about.
Dai Huabin did not pursue the topic further.
The time is right, but we can't rush it.
The sky was getting dark.
Dai Huabin caught five more fish in the stream and picked some edible wild fruits from the nearby bushes.
The whole fish was grilled and given to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, while he himself ate two pieces of dry rations to make do.
After finishing five fish, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion finally felt somewhat full, yawned, and lay down on its side by the fire.
The golden fur shimmered with a warm glow in the firelight, and the four dragon claws were slightly curled up, with the golden flames beneath them turning into tiny flames that mingled with the firelight.
"Human beings."
Just call me Dai Huabin.
"Dai Huabin," the Three-Eyed Golden Lion repeated the name, "You're different from other humans who enter the forest."
"What's different?"
"When the other humans came in, they all seemed tense. They looked around as they walked, their Soul Power constantly on edge, ready to fight at any moment."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion brushed aside the withered leaves in front of it with its paw. "You're different. You actually started a fire and roasted meat outside the Core Area."
Dai Huabin smiled and said, "Because I know you won't attack me."
How did you know?
"Auspicious Beast will not attack people without malicious intent."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion blinked its two golden pupils, seemingly surprised by the title "Auspicious Beast".
"Do you know who I am?"
"The Auspicious Beast, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion." Dai Huabin nodded, "The Soul Beast emperor of the Star Dou Great Forest."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was quiet for a while, then its tail began to wag slowly again.
"You know quite a lot."
"I read a lot of books."
"And what is a book?"
"It's like..." Dai Huabin thought for a moment to explain, "Humans write down what they know on paper, bind it into books, and others can look through them and learn from it."
"I see."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion seemed to be deep in thought.
"No wonder you humans are so intelligent. Soul Beast can only accumulate knowledge through their own experiences, but you can learn from the experiences of others. It's unfair."
Dai Huabin chuckled to himself.
This guy has a pretty straightforward way of looking at things.
It's late at night.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion yawned for the third time, its golden vertical pupils slowly closing, and its two normal eyes also becoming half-closed.
"You can continue telling me the story tomorrow," it mumbled, its voice already tinged with sleepiness.
"Good."
"I also want barbecue."
"OK."
"I'll tell you the location of that Ice Ridge Tiger the day after tomorrow."
After saying this, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion buried its head between its two front paws, curled its golden body into a ball, and fell into a deep sleep.
Dai Huabin leaned against the tree trunk, watching the auspicious Auspicious Beast sleeping peacefully by the fire.
The campfire crackled, and starlight filtered through the gaps in the tree canopy.
He silently went over the next steps in his mind.
These next few days, focus on solidifying your relationship with the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. Ideally, you can also complete the Fate Connection while you're at it.
Then, with the help of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, he captured the Ice Ridge Tiger, absorbed his fourth Soul Ring, and became Soul Ancestor.
Afterwards, return to Shrek to pick up Zhu Lu, and together they will go to the Star Luo Empire.
Use the Star Luo Spirit Pearl to exchange for the Snow Empress Embryo.
Of course, this needs to be done step by step.
However, just as Dai Huabin was preparing to go to sleep, he suddenly felt a powerful Soul Power locking onto him.
Dai Huabin woke up instantly, surrounded by the Auspicious Beast, his powerful Soul Power around him.
Besides the Scarlet King, who else is there?